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Monday, July 02, 2007'Mid Pleasures and Palaces Though You May Roam......Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home. (Dorothy really didn't say it first.) So we're back, we're utterly relaxed from the most awesome family vacation we've ever had, and I promise that photos are forthcoming. (They are currently being held hostage on Eric's Macboy.) First, thank you to those of you who braved the comment box to add to my little "seed story" about Zane. And an even bigger "thank you" goes to my blogging colleague over at The Shuttered Eye, who took my little paragraph and developed it into an entire chapter! Seriously, you've got to pop over and read what he's written. I'm delighted to know that my words, hurriedly written, were the source of such rich inspiration for somebody. He's an awesome photographer, too, so you'll want to peruse his site once you're there. Second, our refrigerator was dead when we got home. Fortunately it came back to life, but not before having destroyed everything in it (which wasn't much, really). The nastiest casualty? A frozen fish from the Harpeth river. Close second? A plastic bag of chicken innards that were being saved for bait. Thank goodness we got home when we did. So the refrigerator guy showed up today to see what was up, and I've got to report that he's one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He removed the grating from the bottom of my fridge and pointed out the thick dust that had accumulated under there. In no uncertain terms, he told me that I'd need to vacuum beneath the fridge from time to time. Yeah, right. But here comes the amazing part. He said, "Do you have a vacuum? I'll do it for you." No pregnant woman has ever run faster to retrieve a vacuum cleaner. Moments later, the guy announced that there wasn't any suction -- all because I had failed to empty the canister. Not a problem. He said, "Where's your garbage can?" And then proceeded to walk out back with said canister in order to empty it for me. By this time, I had slipped into clinical shock. Clean vacuum in hand, he once again attempted to vacuum under the fridge. No luck -- there was a clog in my vacuum. Undaunted, he worked for almost ten minutes until my vacuum was clog-free. Then, he removed all the dust from beneath the fridge and snapped the grill back in place. And I thought he'd come to fix the refrigerator. As we stood chatting about appliances in general, he mentioned what a good dishwasher I had -- claimed it was one of the best. "But I hate my dishwasher," I replied (brat that I am). "Why do you hate it?" Good question. I opened the door and wrinkled up my nose at the utensil basket. "I hate this," I said, pointing to the offensive basket. "It's a really poor design and it doesn't work right." "Well, you have to put it in the right place." Huh? "What do you mean?" I had now morphed from feeling stunned to feeling stupid. "Right there, on the door. See those two hooks?" So that's what those were for. In mute amazement, I moved the basket from its precarious perch on the front of the bottom rack (where it was perched when we bought the house, I swear), then stood admiring it like a daft housewife. "That is so cool," I finally said (certainly reaffirming his perception of my compromised intellect). "You just made my life easier!" So I've been using this dishwasher for more than seven years now, grumbling the entire time about the stupid utensil basket and never realizing that maybe the basket wasn't in the right place. "And you can load the dishwasher without reaching over the basket all the time," my Fairy Godfather said. Yeah. I can't tell you how many times I've jabbed myself doing just that. So. My refrigerator is getting a new part, my vacuum cleaner is completely cleaned out and working like a charm, and the utensil basket in my dishwasher has a new spot right on the dishwasher door, where it belongs. I feel like I've just won the Donna Read sweepstakes. Perfect timing for this Very Into Nesting Mode pregnant mama, whose baby is due in only nine more weeks. Nine!! And the nursery isn't ready, and I have NOTHING except the cradle and some breast milk storage bags from my sister, and.... No. I'm not going to stress. I'm going to go vacuum something and find some spoons and forks to wash. 'Tis good to be home. Labels: life |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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10of my readers are feeling chatty:
Wow, was he married?? Er, wait...I'm married. Shucks.
0:-)
Wow! Isn't it utterly amazing how far a little customer will go? I'm guessing he has a customer for life now. We had a similar experience with a mechanic who went out of his way to help us out with a vehicle repair. He came and picked the car up. Washed it, and vacuumed the inside. And then dropped it off when he was done. Picked it up again to fix a loose belt (as a result of the repair,) and dropped it off again. He's earned himself a customer for life.
Glad your vacation was so nice, and thanks for the little plug! I'm glad you didn't mind I reposted your work, I was a tad nervous. :)
Welcome Home!!
Only nine weeks?!? WOW!!
Welcome home Boehmes
I added the two anonymous segments to the story.
Mornias wasn't a dog by the way.
You gotta love that a fairy killed the big buy. he he he
Dear pregnant wife (who walks from one end to the other in Manhattan whilst 30 weeks pregnant):
Tomorrow when he comes back to fix the refrigerator (hope he does know how to fix "fridges"), ask him to:
check all air conditioning units, the gas units, garbage disposal, air ducts (they could use a bit of hoovering), the oven, cooktop, water heater and all of the plumbing.
:)
He successfully demonstrated just how inept I am at fixing things around the house.
Welcome back! I missed you. :)
jill, did you get to Junior's Famous Cheescakes? If so, what kind did you have?
Ok - Calvin and I read that together and we were in awe of this angel in disguise! There ARE great ones still around, eh?
Glad to hear you had a great vacation and even gladder that you are home. We missed you sorely!
Good to have you back in the trenches with me! It was getting a wee bit lonely.
Have a fantastic 4th!
Dave -- I was highly suspicious that you were the first anon, though you fooled me on the second one.
Husband -- You are adept at many other things, so I think I will keep you. :)
Mrsatroxi -- Oh, it's nice to be missed!
Nicole -- I must give you this guy's name and number for future reference!
Kristen -- I am KICKING myself because I forgot to jot down the name of Junior's!! And we were right on Times Square, too. :( :( :( We searched for cheesecake until we found some that we THOUGHT looked authentic. We brought it home and had it for breakfast. IT WASN'T REAL CHEESECAKE. :( I mean, it tasted fine, but it wasn't REAL NEW YORK CHEESECAKE. The good news is that I've found Junior's web site...and they deliver nationwide!!!
Thomas -- The trench is definitely friendlier (and less depressing) with you in it!
Oh, and by the way: Thomas, meet Dave. Dave, meet Thomas. You both write stories. Now go and chat somewhere. :)
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