I have all the empathy possible for people who have open houses for their graduating children.
Everything has to be SO right, outside and inside the host’s property. Even if a large tent is in the plans for an obvious outdoor event, dusting, window washing, cleaning, bed making, etc. has to done inside.
Portable johns are seldom in the plans, so some guest or even many guests will have to enter the back door and they are bound to see what a dreadful housekeeper presides therein.
Thus, long lists have to be made, then added to several times prior to the ‘event.?
Our daughter, Luan, avoided all possible rumors and reactions to her household for her daughter Karen’s open house. She convinced Karen to talk her granddad into having the party.
Granddads, being who we are, welcome the opportunity to please. We do so with total ignorance of what is expected. We do so before really imagining what has to be done, thus without an updated prescription for Vicocin or some other numbing agent.
After my first night without sleep, I concluded our lawn was the priority. This was sound logic, I thought. This is what guests would see first and last. Trimming, weeding, edging, painting and mowing all had to be done more often than once a week in my three week deadline.
And, the eaves had to be cleaned.
Until it was too late, I remembered Ma’dog Shayna should have been on that cleaning list. Not just her body, but . . . well, you know, where she ‘goes.?
I’m sure my yard preparations do not sound like such big stuff to many, but I made the mistake years ago of keeping three of our five acre parcel ‘respectable? in appearance.
That appearance, as I’ve mentioned before, includes numerous flowers. Of course, for darling Karen the ‘numerous? was an understatement. Not only did I plant over 450 Geraniums, Impatients, Pansys, Marigolds and Sweet Williams, I had to replant a hundred or so after Shayna decided they were too close together, infringed on her digging grounds or preferred zennias.
One day daughter Susan stepped out of her car and was welcomed by Shayna with a recently planted Pansy in her mouth.
Besides the lawn, there is that darn pool to nurse. Two weeks before the party a new furnace had to be installed. Can’t have anyone dipping in room-temperature water. 85 degrees is nice.
Somewhere along in this planning process the idea struck me that something should be left undone. Maybe a branch should be left hanging over the drive. Maybe I don’t have to replace the broken fence post, or the growth around the mailbox could stay untrimmed, or the grass that had grown up in the sidewalk crack could be left.
But, the need to clean the eaves dominated.
No, everything I could think of that would not cause negative remarks had to be done.
That took me to the brick steps from the porch to the pool. In 30 years those plain, old house brick had settled. Some were a half inch below the railroad tie edging. Can’t have that. Someone might stub a toe and sue.
There are three steps, a dozen feet long. Out they came for raising, then replacement to be followed by sweeping sand into the spaces.
When it was all over, and some time had passed to review, I realized no one noticed the re-bricking and neither was there comment about my clean eaves.