Drying Dry Dishes, Vacuuming and Sweeping Clean Floors

I can tell by his pacing that he is bored. The things that used to fill his days and give him a sense of self worth, job, errands, car, banking, yard work are no long a part of his life. Now most of his time is consumed with searching for what he has lost, taking walks, filing his finger nails, searching for what he has lost, sipping tea, doing a few chores, and searching for what he has lost.

Often when these spells of boredom plague his day and I can't come up with anything for him to do, I'll hand him a dish towel and let him dry the dry dishes that might be sitting in the dish drainer. I know this sounds bizarre but you know the old saying, "what you don't know doesn't hurt you" and that seems to apply in this case. He thinks they need drying, so he dries.

Another fall back position is to pull out the vacuum and have him vacuum the clean carpets. I don't know what it is, the cords, the roar of the engine, buttons to be pushed, but all of this seems to bring out the machismo in him. Taking a grip on the handle he starts to move back and forth, back and forth making numerous repetitions. He's my man when it comes to carpets. Vacuuming does present some obstacles though as it is often tough to remember how to get the box operational. I've found him with cord in hand flipping wall switches. They are electrical aren't they?

Sweeping clean floors is another fall back. The tools of the trade are easily taken down from their hooks in the pantry and simple to operate. No electricity necessary. Often I have to remind him where they are located but once that has been determined he is able to retrieve them himself, sweep without my involvement and return them to their storage location. Keeping me out of the scenario is a major plus!

Thanks Pop for the driest dry dishes, and the cleanest clean floors in Austin, TX.