Cleanliness

Mom is all about "the clean".  She is very big on keeping up appearances.  I never wanted that for myself, and strive to be cautious about putting appearances before other stuff, especially people.  

I used to think that a person doing all those cleaning things as a sign of love.  I don't feel that way any more.  It would be one thing if they were done in the name of love, but set aside when other things were more important. 

That being said, while I am not the kind who has to vacuum "every Tuesday", or what other chores may be on the list.  I can set things aside when needed.  I've always lives by the motto "my house is clean enough to healthy and dirty enough to be happy."

However, I am careful in the kitchen. When prepping meats to cook or freeze, I am meticulous about using only certain knives and cutting board.  When I change from beef to chicken or anything else, if I can't wash my items in hot water and soap, I just grab clean tools. 

And I DO NOT reuse the Styrofoam trays that meat comes on unless its washed. But even then I usually don't either.  But I watched my mom prep her meats today. I shuddered over and over again as I watched.  And I'll just say that I am glad that I don't eat dinners at her house.  In fact, when she left the room, I wiped the counters down with disinfectant.  

Is this something that happens with elderly folks?  Do they simply forget the basics of food cross-contamination?  Maybe thats been just grained in me too long after 23 years at Walmart.  

Being clean has an element of common sense that goes with it for a reason.