Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I am becoming obsessed with the deck that covers the entire back of our house. I was told it is the equivalent of 900 square feet, which is larger than the apartment we had when I was first married. But its size isn’t what controls me. Rather, it’s cleaning the surface.

I have learned that decks need to be washed and sealed to preserve not only their wood but also their beauty. But since I have worked two jobs for the past two years, our deck has been neglected on both the washing and sealing fronts.

This year is different. Being a lady of relative leisure, I decided that I would hand-wash our deck before setting out the summer furniture. I began in early May, thinking this was a job for one day or two. But today is May 29, and I am still at it. There are several reasons for this.

First, the weather has been uncooperative, sending rain that has caused power outages, muddy fields, and lost opportunities for spring deck cleaning.

Second, never having cleaned a deck before, I used the wrong solution, actually the wrong proportion of bleach to water solution, so that I had to retrace my swabbing steps and redo the part that I had considered finished early in the month.

What can I say, except that most household things take longer, are more expensive, and require more knowledge than I have at any given moment. Which is to say I’ll keep trying, but I’ll also not put myself on a deadline that is unrealistic, given the ineptitude of the deck cleaner person.