Thursday, August 09, 2007

Scribble and Scrambles - Housekeeping Horror - Grandma Will Never Forget

Immortalizing my messiness...story number two.

Page 108 of The House That Cleans Itself

Writing under the pseudonym Evelyn R.

Time for a Change

"Grandma dropped by for a scheduled visit. I'd cleaned and delegated jobs to the children, one of whom had forgotten to put away the vacuum cleaner. (This wasn't an issue; at least it proved we vacuumed on occasion!) The brand caught Grandma's eye, and she walked toward it and grasped the handle.

"Is this one of those light little 8-pound vacuums?" she asked.

I nodded and smiled just as Grandma tried to lift it -- and couldn't.

"Good grief!" she cried. "That's a lot more than 8 pounds!"

I grabbed the handle. A churning in my stomach reminded me that I'd given all vacuuming responsibility to my 12-year-old, and I hadn't checked the bag in ages. Gulping at the gritty gray trail of dust that followed any movement of the handle, I wrestled it to the front porch. It weighed at least 30 pound! I unzipped the bad and engulfed my Grandma, Mom and me in a cloud of dirt.

Grandma still laughs 10 years later. The vacuum still works...if I remember to change the bag."



Come back tomorrow for a Q & A session with Mindy.