While Visiting My In-laws House
My dad did a lot of things right-taught a lot of correct principles. I didn't always agree with his methods-but then that in itself taught me the concept of there's more than one way to skin a cat. One concept my dad taught was being a debtor. When you ride in someone's car you are using their gas and adding additional wear and tear to their car-you owe them. A thanks, a bit of change (back then gas was nineteen cents per gallon), perhaps a promise to show up and do some labor for them. They were working to pay for their car and gas and insurance-the least you could do was pay your share, carry your part of the load.
I was still in the mode of 'I'm a guest in your house therefore I owe you. I'm eating your food, taking up your space, etc.' So I would find things to do-to clean or clean up. This leads to two stories.
Weeding the Strawberry Patch
Dove's parents were living in Murray and had a strawberry patch in the backyard at the end of the driveway. We were visiting. Dad had said something about the weeds and that they needed to be pulled. Really? I know what strawberry plants look like and so anything else there must be weeds. I know how to weed. I had done lots of that as a child. So Dove and I went outback and weeded the strawberry patch.
We were out there for a good hour. There was one weed that stood a good 14" tall and it was a dickens to get out. It seemed to be one of those woody kind of weeds. Man, you'd pull and pull. The leaves would strip off of it. It was not easy to work with. Eventually Dove asked his dad about one-he had tried asking me but I was honest-I had no clue what it was-I just knew it was NOT a strawberry plant.
He showed it to his dad. 'Oh NO!' 'I threw a bunch of peach pits out there hoping they'd sprout into trees and now you're pulling them all out!'
I knew a lot about weeding-but not all of what the gardener had in his garden.
Next story:
This is the Way We Clean a Countertop
Again, visiting my in-laws, I had just eaten a meal that mom had prepared. I don't recall what it was. And yes, I had more than once offered to help make the food, but was always told that the kitchen was too small and no, she didn't need my help. So was at odds with what I could do to repay her love and kindness. The last time I tried to do the dishes I was told that it was Tommy's job and that I shouldn't do his work for him. Well-somehow that didn't equate with what I had been taught about earning my own keep. Hmmm...
I waited until the dishes were done and then I went into the kitchen and used the Comet to scrub clean the ugly browning surface of the counter top next to the sink.
I got that puppy to be as clean and happy as the rest of the green counter top.
Later I was told, 'I do appreciate your trying to help but what you don't know is that I was leaving it that way on purpose so that others would see it and realize that I need new counter tops in the kitchen.'
What's that Hee-Haw song? 'Boom, boom, boom-gloom despair and agony on me. Deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all... Boom, boom, boom-gloom despair and agony on me!'
I was still in the mode of 'I'm a guest in your house therefore I owe you. I'm eating your food, taking up your space, etc.' So I would find things to do-to clean or clean up. This leads to two stories.
Weeding the Strawberry Patch
Dove's parents were living in Murray and had a strawberry patch in the backyard at the end of the driveway. We were visiting. Dad had said something about the weeds and that they needed to be pulled. Really? I know what strawberry plants look like and so anything else there must be weeds. I know how to weed. I had done lots of that as a child. So Dove and I went outback and weeded the strawberry patch.
We were out there for a good hour. There was one weed that stood a good 14" tall and it was a dickens to get out. It seemed to be one of those woody kind of weeds. Man, you'd pull and pull. The leaves would strip off of it. It was not easy to work with. Eventually Dove asked his dad about one-he had tried asking me but I was honest-I had no clue what it was-I just knew it was NOT a strawberry plant.
He showed it to his dad. 'Oh NO!' 'I threw a bunch of peach pits out there hoping they'd sprout into trees and now you're pulling them all out!'
I knew a lot about weeding-but not all of what the gardener had in his garden.
Next story:
This is the Way We Clean a Countertop
Again, visiting my in-laws, I had just eaten a meal that mom had prepared. I don't recall what it was. And yes, I had more than once offered to help make the food, but was always told that the kitchen was too small and no, she didn't need my help. So was at odds with what I could do to repay her love and kindness. The last time I tried to do the dishes I was told that it was Tommy's job and that I shouldn't do his work for him. Well-somehow that didn't equate with what I had been taught about earning my own keep. Hmmm...
I waited until the dishes were done and then I went into the kitchen and used the Comet to scrub clean the ugly browning surface of the counter top next to the sink.
I got that puppy to be as clean and happy as the rest of the green counter top.
Later I was told, 'I do appreciate your trying to help but what you don't know is that I was leaving it that way on purpose so that others would see it and realize that I need new counter tops in the kitchen.'
What's that Hee-Haw song? 'Boom, boom, boom-gloom despair and agony on me. Deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all... Boom, boom, boom-gloom despair and agony on me!'
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