House

House

Friday, December 9, 2016

Dear Murphy...

Dear Murphy,

Not that it hasn't been a barrel of laughs with you visiting the last week or so, but I think it's time you found someone else to help out for the rest of the holidays.

I know it wasn't your idea to send my husband on a week-long business trip in December, but you sure have made his absence so much easier to bear.  I'm so thankful that we get to pay over a $1,000 (reimbursable, unfortunately) for a hotel right before Christmas.  Really, what else would I have done with that money this month?  You also worked so hard on my kitchen sink, making it drain very slowly.  You managed to do this not just once, but twice, culminating in a near-standstill after Ben had gone to California.  I enjoyed draining our portable dishwasher into ice cream buckets to dump into the toilet.

It was also a wonderful new experience to shop around for a wheelchair for Sunny.  It was so kind of you to swell her feet and ankles causing so much pain that she couldn't walk.  The subsequent visit to the DMV for a disabled placard was, in spite of tradition, actually a breeze.

Tuesday was St. Nicholas Day.  St. Nicholas stopped by and put candy and trinkets in our shoes. Thanks for encouraging Abel to wake me at 5:40 to tell me that a cat had thrown up on the floor.  I guess you wore yourself out with that effort because I missed your help for the next few hours.  I took K & S to get labs and got everyone to school in a timely manner.  I even had to get a several hours of work done by myself.  You weren't completely idle, however.  Thanks for telling Buster's teacher that he hasn't been doing nearly enough homework. I think it's great when he's up till 9:00 or so hitting the books.  Anything less just wouldn't be appropriate for a 3rd grader.


Wednesday morning you hid Missy's shoes that she needed for Show Choir performances at elementary schools.  How thoughtful!  She missed the bus, and I had to drive her across town to her middle school.  I'm sorry you didn't hide the mysterious black flats she found in her room.  A bit big, to be sure, but she got by wearing her sneakers with her skirt except while she was performing.  I did make it to my doctor appointment on time and even found a parking spot.

You must have gone to special effort that afternoon to make it so that everyone needed to be picked up at nearly the same time from 3 different locations.  Also, I wanted to make special mention of your help with Sunny's computer at coding club.  You made her first class so memorable by making it not work right.  Unfortunately, she was able to share a classmate's computer and work well in a team.

I'm grateful for the time change you encouraged for Young Women's.  I liked driving to the church at 6:30 to drop off at scouts, at 7:00 to drop off for YW, and 7:30 for scout pick-up.  I'm just sorry I don't live farther away from the church so it could have taken even more time.

Today you really did a fabulous job.  Missy's shoes were still missing, and she had another performance.  I drove her to school to chaperone.  There were 2 buses, as ordered, but somehow they sent enough seats for 115 elementary school kids, not middle schoolers.  Adding the wheelchair bus was a special touch.  It was great to have 3 kids packed to a seat with a huge gaping hole in the middle where no one could sit.  I only regret that you didn't do more to get me out of watching those 2 choir performances, but the phone call from Sunny was a great try.


As we arrived at the second school, I got that call from Sunny.  She informed me that her new kitty was out this morning, and when he came home, he was limping and evidently in great pain.  Upon my return home, it was such a pleasure loading the cat in the crate and taking him to the vet on Sunny's lap in her wheelchair.  It made my day to have more medical bills to pay.  Again, it's not good to have too much extra money laying around at Christmas time.

This evening, I feared you'd stay behind while I took the kids to my mom's house for dinner and decorating the Christmas tree.  I'm so glad you came, though.  Abel coming down with a fever was just the perfect touch to add to this week so far.  And really, you shouldn't have gone to the effort of injuring Sunny a little more so she couldn't even crawl very well anymore.  I fear you might have strained yourself.

So you see, as grateful as I am for all of your help, I really don't think I'll be needing it anymore.  Ben comes home tomorrow, and I'd hate for you to see him undo your hard work on our drain.

Merry Christmas!  And please let me know next time you plan an extended visit.

Sincerely,

Robin Kendrick





No comments: