Me: 1 Refrigerator: 0

I have beat my frig into submission. Why is this noteworthy you might ask? Because although I am a generally tidy and organized individual with rather high standards of cleanliness, in the nearly eleven years I have had stewardship over a refrigerator of my own, I have done a thorough cleaning 3 or perhaps 4 times. This would absolutely horrify my mother and bring a cloak of shame over generations of women in my family if it were widely known.

I abhor frig cleaning. I have my mother to thank for this, I think. Years of chore lists - weekly frig cleaning included, of course - have left me rebellious against certain tasks. You would think that if I was rebelling against my past chore responsibilities, I would avoid any and all household tasks. But no. In fact E thinks I may be having a love affair with the vacuum. I get a rush from washing light switch plates and door frames. A clean window or mirror gives me such pleasure. Dusting?....Well, I completely hate dusting, but you get the idea. I practically break out in hives thinking about cleaning the frig. I would rather sanitize the toilets. Truly.

But I have (temporarily) overcome my frig-cleaning angst and have tackled the job with great gusto. I now have a sparkly-clean refrigerator that my mother would be beaming-proud of. Here's a little summary of how it went down...

packages of moldy pepperoni - 1, gone

pieces of dry mystery cheese, the hardness and density of a brick - 1, gone

packages of tortilla shells - 5 (WHY?!?)

packages of flaxseed meal - 1 (again, WHY?!?) and by the way, what IS flaxseed meal?

tiny packs of ketchup from fast-food eateries - 8, gone

empty bottles of tartar sauce - 1, gone

total count dead flies - 2 (ACK!)


So without further adieu, here is a gratuitous photo of my now clean refrigerator:

(Don't ask about the freezer. I don't do freezers.)