sprechen sie: Redding up The House Is never Altogether Done

After the cold, rainy April we’ve had, it wonders me what June will be like. Let’s hope it’s altogether different. We might get some dunder vedder over the summer, but as long as it also calls for plenty of sunny days, we’ll be all right once. “Altogether” is a handy word to have when speaking Pennsylvania Dutch because it’s not fussy about how it’s used. Things can be altogether different or altogether better. At dusk you can say it’s not altogether dark. Just don’t go running around in your altogether unless it is altogether dark, or you might give people more of a show than they bargained for. The past few months have been altogether difficult because of the virus that spread around the world. As scary as that was, most of us were lucky enough to get the cold yet but nothing worse. And if we made it through the winter with nothing more than being snuffly now and then, we were doing sumlich gut. As cold as April was, I suspect a lot of people will be doing their spring cleaning well into the summer. It’s tough to warsh windows when the panes are purt near freezing. Gutness, if you clean with a bucket of warm water, the windows might crack! I’d sooner not have to move my heavy sofa front to scrub down the woodwork, but it must be done. The house gets so strubbly over the winter, and spring is the time to shake everything up and make it shine like new. In fact, there’s something satisfying about moving every piece of furniture and cleaning behind and beneath it. Sometimes it’s clear dirty behind bookcases and dressers, and it takes a bucket clear full of soapy water to warsh everything up. I do have to ask for help once, though, in moving heavy furniture. I got it so in my back a few years ago when I tried to shove the bed away from the wall. That hurt something wonderful! It seems like when I was younger I could clean for two three hours without stopping, but nowadays I find myself taking a few breaks. Sometimes I’ll ditzle around sorting through paperwork that seems to pile up here and there in the house. It’s still technically cleaning, and it still makes the house look all right yet, but it’s also a good bit of rest from redding up the place. Cleaning is one of those jobs that’s never altogether done. It seems that when we finish here once, we just have to go back and redd up something else. Even if we catch up with the cleaning, there’s always dishes to be warshed then dried with a dish tahl. But nothing beats the satisfaction of fluffing up our house for the summer and having everything in it sparkle and shine. I might even set out a vase of fresh flowers or put a green ivy wreath on the front door. Just for nice.

it wonders me – I wonder altogether different – totally different dunder vedder – thunder weather “We’ll be all right once.” – “We’ll be all right” or “We’ll be all right then” not altogether dark – dusk or twilight •

“lucky enough to get the cold yet,” “look all right yet” – Sometimes yet is thrown onto a phrase just to show the speaker understands there’s more to the story. • snuffl y – runny nose • similich gut – pretty good • warsh – wash • purt near – pretty near • gutness – goodness • move furniture front – move furniture forward, away from the wall • strubbly – messy • clear dirty – a disgusting mess • clear full – completely full • “got it so in my back” – had terrible pain in my back

“hurt something wonderful” – really, really hurt for two three hours – for two or three hours • ditzle – putter around • red up – clean • tahl – Pennsylvania Dutch way to pronounce towel • just for nice – to look pretty