Rooms in a House

I don’t like cats. That’s not really true. I like cats, but they don’t like me.

Last week, my friend Sara asked me to babysit her cat for two days while she was out of town. Normally, I would have said no, but she was in a jam, so I said okay.

As I said, cats don’t like me. When I got home from work, I couldn’t find her. I was sure she was hiding from me. I looked all over the house.

I started with the bedrooms, looking in the closets and under the bed. I looked in the bathroom and even behind the shower curtain. I went downstairs and searched the basement. No cat. Next, I looked all over the living room, checking under the couch and behind the TV. I also looked in the pantry and then the laundry room, thinking that the cat must be hiding behind the washer or dryer. Still, no cat.

Finally, I looked in the kitchen. There was the cat. She was sitting on the counter. Somehow she had managed to open a box of cookies and there she sat eating them all. When the cat saw me, she started mewing. I don’t speak the language of cats, but I could have sworn that she was asking me for some milk!

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Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is suppose to take place before summer, not after it. But, as usual, I procrastinated and now I have to finally get rid of all the junk I've accumulated over the year. But now there are no if's, and's, or but's about it--the cleaning must be done!

I start in my bedroom. I have a king bed, with a sheet on the mattress and a top sheet, with pillow cases on the pillows. Atop all that I have a down comforter. Well, they all need to be washed, so into the machine they go. Next I start in on the closet. What a mess! I've got boxes and bins full of stuff that need sorting . Finally, I have to vacuum the carpet and dust. Whew! Quite a job! Good thing I don't have any drapes, just shades on the windows.

But I'm not done yet. It's time to move on to the kitchen. I have a combination stove and oven, both of which I need to clean. I start with the fridge, though, which needs the most work. I take out the shelves and rinse them all off. Then I dump anything that has passed its expiration date. Then its back to the stove, which I need to scrub clean of the grease and stains , and the same for the oven. Finally, I wash all the dirty dishes and put them in a dish rack next to the sink.

Spring cleaning is always a mixed bag for me. It's a lot of work, but I also find things I've been missing for the past year! Maybe next time I'll manage to do my spring cleaning in the spring.

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Taking Pictures

My nephew's wedding is coming up this Saturday, and I thought it would be nice to take some candids for the happy couple. My wife, who's the photographer in the family, wasn't around today, so I decided to strike out on my own and head off to the camera shop. I love to shop for new gadgets.

When I got to the store. I was blown away by all the options I had! There were disposable cameras, digital cameras, cameras combined with camcorders - it was making my head spin. I finally asked one of the sales clerks what he would recommend.

"It depends if you want a point-and-shoot type, or are looking for something more fancy," he said.

"I'm looking for something that will take a good shot and not be too complicated to operate," I replied.

"Well, this one here has a built-in flash and takes good pictures. When you've finished shooting the roll, just bring it in and we'll develop them for you.‚"

"Do you make enlargements of the prints if I'm interested in doing that?‚"

"Sure," he said, "we can do 4 x 6 or 8 x 10 glossies, if you'd like.‚"

I decided to go with the camera he recommended. Now all I have to do is justify the new camera to my wife.

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Describing People's Moods

Brett: Do you know what kind of mood Mom is in?

Molly: Not really. Why?

Brett: I really need a raise in my allowance and I’m waiting for the right time to ask. She’ll be more likely to say “yes” if she’s not feeling too grouchy.

Molly: I wouldn’t count on this being a good time. She looked a little upset after getting off the phone with Aunt Teri.

Brett: Why?

Molly: Aunt Teri has been down in the dumps since Cousin Frank decided to take a job in Cambodia. He’s on cloud nine about this new job, but Aunt Teri is anxious about him moving so far away.

Brett: I see. Well, I’ve got to think of some way to cheer her up. It’s a lost cause if I ask her while she’s angry, on edge, or depressed.

Molly: You know that Mom is always happy to hear good news about school. Do you have anything new to report?

Brett: I hadn’t thought of that. I need to come up with something.

Molly: Be patient. Wait for the right moment and then strike. I speak from years of experience.

Brett: Right. Thanks.

(From www.eslpod.com)

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