Sky Pie

Emme:

"Mommy, today we had a field trip. Mrs. Autumm drove an airplane and took us to see God. He was very handsome and was wearing a tee shirt that said 'I'm up high in the sky'.

Clean Carpets

I am content today because I had my downstairs carpet cleaned and also my carpeted stairs and landings.

Truck mounted steam cleaning. That's what I like to use. I had a guy - his name is Rafael - come to my home for years to clean my carpets. I used to have him come 4 times a year but it's been over a year since I had my carpets cleaned and I lost his business card. I had to find him.

I had to find him, but I couldn't find him through information or in the phone book. So I looked for steam mounted cleaning and found a different company: Cambridge Carpet Cleaning. The owner called this morning and said he'd be here between 12:30 and 1:30.

Okay - so he called and said he was running late and would be here around 2:00. No problem, I say, just make sure you'll be done by 3:30 so I can pick up my kids from school. No problem he assures me.

At 2:00 one of the Kennedys knocks on my door. "Hi. I'm John." He introduces himself with a Boston accent. He is enchanted with Brooke. He sees my "photo studio" and asks who is the photographer in the house. He tells me his wife is in charge of the Nordstrom Children's Department. The clock is ticking. I hear myself mention that Bruce is going to Ireland in October. I learn that John is pure Irish. We discuss our childhood in catholic schools - Sister Constancia, Sister Marcella, Father Flannagan and Father Killeen. He shows me pictures of his 4 beautiful children and hands me his estimate. It is 2:45.

At 3:00 he starts on my carpets. He does a great job. I pay him at 4:00 and we are both out the door.

As I head toward school to pick up my girls, I muse over my experiences with professional carpet cleaners. I remember the guys who came in with an estimate of $500 dollars.

"NO." I tell them flatly.

The lead guy counters with $500 plus a free scotch guard.

"NO". I repeat showing the estimator the door. He stays put.

"How about $450, no scotch guard?" He asks. By this time I was nervous.

"I don't want my carpets cleaned after all." I say standing firm.

The guy gets on his knees and begs.

"Please lady. Please let us clean your carpets. We'll do it for you for 300 dollars AND scotch guard." He is desperate.

I should have shooed him out of my home, but I am a sucker for a grown man begging on his knees.

"Okay."

They cleaned the carpets and I paid them. I thought they did a decent job until 6 months later. I called Rafael the guy who regularly did my carpets. He walked around my home suspiciously sniffing.

"Did you bring in another cleaner?" He asks me.

"No." I lie.

He raises his eyebrow up at me and calls his guys in to set up. They clean the carpets. As I pay him, Rafael looks me straight in the eye and says,

"I know you had someone else come in and clean these carpets."

"How do you know?" I wonder.

"They used cheap solution and it stuck in the fibers. I had to clean it all up with my steam cleaner. LOOK at the BUBBLES." He shows me a large cannister filled with dirt and gray bubbles. "I ALWAYS know when my customers cheat on me." He frowns and tilts his head.

"I'm sorry." I apologize.

"Never EVER use another carpet cleaner. Is that clear?"

It was clear. From then on, I called Rafael and only Rafael. One day he gave me a refrigerator magnet with his number so I wouldn't lose it. I stuck it on my magnet board. Safe and sound. Until yesterday when I lost it.

It's a long story - another long story. According to Bruce, I HAD to have the dowstairs carpet cleaned today or his plans for rearranging the furniture and rooms this weekend would be foiled. On Thurday Bruce pressured me to get the carpets cleaned Friday afternoon. No ifs ands or buts. Fine. As I spoke to Bruce on the phone, I grabbed Rafael's magnetic business card and haven't seen it since.

I looked all over. Finally I resorted to the phone book and found my chatty Irish friend with the Boston accent and 4 kids.

Rafael is going to be furious.

The Public Hair

Years ago, when I was 18, I took a trip with my cousin Priscilla - we like to call her Pita - to Europe. We stayed at her aunt's (my 2nd cousin's) home in Weiderstadt, Germany and traveled to various countries with Pita's Nana (my great aunt) as a chaperone.

We usually traveled by bus. Our aunt (2nd cousin) Yolanda would take us to the Rhein Mein air force base where she had signed us up for trips to various countries.

I am thinking of a particular bus trip. Where we were going, I don't remember. It was the bus ride that sticks in my memory. Pita is a very easy going and extremely likeable person. In Spanish, the word is "simpatica". We sat next to each other prepared for the hours long trip to who knows where anymore. We had Evian water bottles, snacks and books. Possibly V.C. Andrews books, but I don't remember. We were at peace with the world and with each other.

As we read our books quietly, I happened to glance down - maybe I was at the bottom of the page. I saw a short curly hair resting on my tee shirt right below my chin. I picked up the hair and absentmindedly examined it. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a pubic hair. I replaced it and went back to my book.

Pita must have been watching me the whole time.

"Give me that!" she said disgustedly. She snatched the hair from my chest and tossed it away.

We looked at each other with merry eyes - Pita has that kind of sense of humor - my kind. We went back to our books.

Here we are 24 years later. Me, Pita and Pita's Mom Priscilla (my 2nd cousin)That's my mom's arm there on the left with Brooke's little hand there too. I don't know who the guys are in the back.

Sequel to The Moco story

So I never mentioned that when Brooke first got her little green doll, she turned up her tiny nose at it and tossed it away (when Lynn's mom wasn't looking of course.)

We kept that little mucinex guy in the minnie van for quite a while. We would hand it to Brooke when she was upset or bored but she would toss the hapless fellow away every time.

This led us to believe, naturally, that she didn't care too much for him.

So when Vanessa asked for him (see comments below)I thought "why not?" and gave the Moco to Vanessa as a birthday gift. She was delighted!

As Vanessa laughed and held her new little Moco guy in her hands, Brooke toddled right up to her and grabbed him away with force. She had a frown on her face as if to say, "that's mine!".

Well, Vanessa wasn't ready to give him up, so they had a bit of a tug of war over the Moco. Brooke vs Aunt V.

Aunt V, being bigger and stronger, won.

The Moco

Not too long ago, I was unloading the girls from the car into their school. It takes a while. Emme likes to take her time. We have homework to remember, seat belts to unbuckle, friends to say hello to.

This particular morning, Emme's classmate Lynn's mom drove up and parked a few spots from us. As I was standing at the open car door waiting for Celeste and Emme to come out, she called out to me.

"Wait! I have something for the baby!" she rummaged through her bag and walked up to the Minnie van.

"Hello Brooke!" she cooed affectionately. She handed my baby something small and green. A little stuffed something with a tee, plaid pants and a small hat.

I thanked her graciously and shepherded the girls into the kindergarten class.

I usually pick Emme up at 1 - right before nap. Then I pick Celeste up at 3:30. All this driving on the 405 has been taking its toll on me and I decided that it was time for Emme start taking naps at school. One of the ways that I was able to convince her to stay was to allow her to take her Care Bear to school.

"How was your nap with your Care Bear?" I asked one day.

"It was great mom. May I take a Care Bear for Lynn to nap with too?"

"Sure." I said. "Just ask Celeste if it's okay and you may let Lynn borrow one."

Next day:

"How was nap today Emme?"

"It was great mom. But Lynn wants you to buy her a new Care Bear. She doesn't want to nap with an old one."

"What?" I am dumbfounded at the nerve of this little kid. "She wants me to buy her a new Care Bear? Tell her to nap with a little moco like the one her mom gave Brooke!"

"What's a moe coe?" Celeste asks her in her gringo accent.

"A moco" Emme says in a perfect Mexican accent "is a booger."

This one's for you, Vanessa: