The rain has put a kibosh on my window-washing project, which had slowed down because of another quandary.

In our bedrooms we have mini-blinds. Plain, cheap, plastic mini-blinds. Horror of horrors. No window treatments?

They stay closed. And I have been remiss in washing windows for about two years now. The blinds are dusty and dirty, and washing them will be a chore and a half. I do not have a clothesline.

Friends say, "Janis, they're cheap. Replace them. It's not worth your effort."

The conservationist inside me says, "Janis, these work perfectly, they're just dirty. You're going to put something in a landfill because it's soiled?"

I've cleaned blinds on the driveway before. Guess I'll do it again.