Cleaning and dusting and vacuuming

I recently have suffered with a very bad allergy attack. It was so bad the swelling on my sinuses was putting pressure on my ears and causing dizziness.  It was very scarey because I didn't know what was going on. I suffer with allergies typically but nothing that a Tylenol wouldn't take away the headache but this was different.

Now, I don't claim to have the cleanest house around so as I start talking about this I am not picking on anyone's way of cleaning but after going through this I have learned a few things about dust and dust mites.

Dust mites are the most common cause of allergy from dust mites. These critters belong to the arachnid family. They multiply in warm, humid spaces. They are not found in dry climates.

If you are  allergic to dust mites you are  reacting to proteins within the bodies and feces of the mites. Yuck. These particles are found mostly in pillows, mattresses, carpeting and upholstered furniture. They float into the air during vacuuming, walking on a carpet or any disturbance of bedding, but settle out of the air soon after the disturbance is over, but it takes about two hours for them to settle completely

Each mite produces about 10 to 20 waste particles per day and lives for 30 days. Egg-laying females can add 25 to 30 new mites to the population during their lifetime. Yuck again.


They do have a purpose. Mites eat particles of skin and dander, so they thrive in places where there are people and animals. They don't bite, do not spread diseases and usually do not live on people. They are harmful only to people who become allergic to them.

There are ways, though, to control exposure to dusts mites.

1. Keep moisure levels low. Use vent fans in bathrooms when needed and use oven fans when cooking.
2. Remove wall to wall carpet if possible. If not, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly. Possibly wear a dust mask. Don't clean at night. Remember it takes two hours for dust to settle.

3. Keep pets out of the bedroom.

4. Wash linens in hot soapy water. Encase pillows and mattresses in mite-proof covers.

5. Use a high-efficiency furnace filter. Leave the fan on to create a whole house filter. Change your filter every three months.

I don't claim to be an expert on any of this.  This is not medical advice or expert advice and is not to be taken that way. I have recieved my information from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. If you are suffering from allergies consult a doctor.

As a housekeeper I try to vacuum and dust and keep a clean house and was surprised about the two hours for dust to fall.  I recently helped someone move who was elderly and had alot of dust in their house because of lack of cleaning.  The point I am trying to make here is try to keep your dust to a mininum because it can be painful

School

We have homeschooled for 8 years and now my son is going to high school. We have found a really great Catholic high school nearby.  He has only been there a couple of days but so far he seems to like it. My husband and I both enjoy helping our son in the evening with his homework. 

We recently purchased a huge bunkbed for him with a desk underneath, arranged some lighting and it makes a great place for working on homework.

Garbage bags

I recently went gracery shopping and used the new cloth bags that are becoming so popular.  This is a strange post but I just wanted to say I enjoyed using them.  They held so much more and were much easier to carry into the house when I got home.

I didn't put meats in those bags because I had heard you should continue to use the plastic bags to keep from getting stains and germs on your cloth bags.

I am trying to remember to take them with me when I go to the store but that is kind of hard. I always find myself wishing I had remembered them as soon as I get in line.  I am going to try to keep them in the car. That might help.

I, also, wonder what am I going to use to line my garbage cans. Plastic bags come in so handy.

Saint Francis

Not too long ago my husband and I went to an event at a Catholic institution and there was a nun there who gave a brief talk about Saint Francis. It seems like I saw alot of blank stares like people were wondering who is this man Saint Francis. Again her talk was brief and that was just because her time was limited. I am sure she would have told more if she would have had the time.

Now most people have heard of him and most people know he was someone who loved animals and was kind to nature but what alot of people, myself included until just recently, don't know there is more to him than that.

Saint Francis lived from 1182 to 1286 AD.  He was born to a wealthy cloth maker. Now Francis was born while his father was away and his mother had him baptized while his father was gone.  When Pietro Bernadone returned from his trip to find his son had been baptized Giovanni, after John the Baptist, he was furious and renamed him Francesco.  This means Frenchman.

Times were very permissive for Francis. He was well liked and easy to get along with. No one really tried to control him.  He seemed to attract to the wrong type of people. He had a large following of youth. All of which were attracted to evil.

He loved France. He was good at business. He had wealth but wanted more. He wanted to be a knight. His chance came when Assisi went to battle with Perugia.

During the battle many troops were killed. The wealthy were taken prisoner with the possibility of being ransomed. Francis now with the nobility was in a dungeon but later he was ransomed.

As he set off for another battle he had a conversion. He saw a painting of Jesus on the cross.
One day while riding through the countryside, Francis came face to face with a leper. Repelled by the appearance and the smell of the leper, Francis nevertheless jumped down from his horse and kissed the hand of the leper. When his kiss of peace was returned, Francis was filled with joy. As he rode off, he turned around for a last wave, and saw that the leper was gone. He always it was a  test from God...that he had passed.

One day as he passed a ruined church in San Damiono he heard God speak to him to repair his church. Francis thought it meant that particular church. He sold his fathers cloth and used the money to repair the church.  His father was angry and felt this was theft and so took him in front of the Bishop and the whole town and accused him of stealing from him.  The bishop insisted Francis return the money. That is what Francis did, return the money and even the clothes on his back until he was left with nothing but a hair cloth.  After that Francis had nothing but had everything.

He rebuilt the San Damiano church and little by little people began to follow him. He started out with one rule: live by the Gospel.

He also, loved nature. Now many people love nature but Francis had a gift with nature. There is one story where Francis was preaching to the birds in a tree and they all sat still and left only when he told them he could leave. Another story is told of a wolf who would attack the people of the village. Francis talked to the wolf and convinced him to not attack the  people and the people would feed the wolf.

As Francis and his followers went out preaching they would travel in twos as the Gospel  instructs. At first people didn't like these poor men coming around and treated them cruelly. As time went on and people saw that Francis and his followers continued to have joy despite their poverty and cruel treatment people began to welcome them with smiles.

Francis saw his poverty as freedom. No one could steal from him or starve him.

Francis had a meeting with the pope, who just happen to have a dream Francis would help the church.

Once, a very brave move was to visit the sultan of the muslims during the fifth crusade. After listening to Francis the sultan stated he would convert to christianity except they would both be murdered.

Francis' final years were filled with suffering. In his prayers to share in Christ's passion he received the stigmata, the marks of the nails and the lance wound that Christ suffered, in his own body.



As time went on  Francis became ill. When he began to go blind, the pope ordered that his eyes be operated on. This meant cauterizing his face with a hot iron. Francis spoke to "Brother Fire": "Brother Fire, the Most High has made you strong and beautiful and useful. Be courteous to me now in this hour, for I have always loved you, and temper your heat so that I can endure it."  Francis reported that Brother Fire had been so kind that he felt no pain.

After all this with suffering and blindness  he wrote his beautiful Canticle of the Sun that expresses his brotherhood with creation in praising God.



Francis never recovered from this illness. He died on October 4, 1226 at the age of 45.