Lishui is a rapidly growing industrial city in China. With the government’s help and blessing, developers have been transforming rugged farmland into level parcels suitable for manufacturing facilities. In recent years, engineers have used dynamite and dump trucks to flatten 108 hills and mountains. The official motto that guides workers is “Each person does the work of two; two days’ work is done in one.” While I don’t normally recommend that you engage in such extreme labors, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to make an exception. You’ll have cosmic forces on your side if you do the work of two as you carry out the equivalent of demolishing mountains.
Goodness, this makes me tired just reading it. And I want to slap the Chinese for taking out 108 mountains and working their people like they’re disposable. *sigh* I’m sure that wasn’t Rob Brezsny’s intent.
And it’s true. I’m going to be crazy busy. Yule cards, many prezzies that need to be started and finished. Prepping for my brother and his family’s arrival for the Christmas holidays. And some other stuff.
My bro and I are both adopted. Not blood siblings. We are as close as any siblings can be. As we grow and mature we continue forging an already strong bond. This means more to me than just about anything in world. I love my brother like I love my own self and life without him would be a dreary lot. We have had some bad times over the years too. But not once did any of those times ever change my undying devotion and love for him. But I never expected this.
One of my favorite fantasies was that my birth family would be wealthy and decide that they felt so bad about it all that I become an heir. heh. Smoking crack one would think. But that is exactly what just happened to my brother. And he’s decided to share some of his good fortune. Happy Thanksgiving to me. And Joyous Noel, Merry Christmas, and Brightest Solstice blessings all rolled into one.
The first thing on my list besides some savings? A new vacuum. One that my poor back can handle. Vacuuming is the worst chore in the world for me. I’d rather clean the toilet and the cat box than vacuum. I leave it for weeks. And with a dark green carpet and being a woman who plays with fabric and thread, you’d think I’d do it more often. I need one with some serious suction so I don’t have to work so hard. I just hate it and usually end up on the couch with a pain pill.
Who knew back in my wild and crazy days that I’d be EXCITED to buy a vacuum?
Stitch Witch Cottage 
congratualtions on your good fortune!
And as a professional housecleaner, I have a very strong preference for the Miele brand vaccuums. I recommend one with a powered brush head if you have carpeting. I find a cannister vaccuum is much easier to use than an upright, as you only need to push the nozzle and tubes, and can pull around the actual “motor”, while with an upright you have to push the entire thing.
Their canister vaccuums are easily adjustable for different size humans, they work rather quietly, and that good German engineering seems to last well. That is what I would get if I had money. Just my humble opinion.
I have a canister vacuum. Dragging the motor is harder than pushing it for me. But I will definitely look into the Miele brand at the Sewing and Vac this Friday. Thanks for the tip! I want one that will last me a good long time.
No real recommendations – I just have a Hoover but I don’t have a physical problem with a large machine. Hubby and I got a cheap cheap vacuum as a wedding prezzie and I had to use it up before I bought another. I was sooo happy to get a machine that could actually pull up little threads 😀 In recent memory I sucked up a whole ball point pen and it got stuck. I took the vacuum apart and fixed it because I didn’t want to live without it. Happy shopping and congrats on the good fortune. You *must* be living right.