KnitKnacks

I noticed I had not

I noticed I had not made many entries here last week. You'd think since I had been home alone, I would have had plenty of time to think up witty things to write about. NOPE, I was busy getting the apartment ready to rent again. As it turned out, my neighbors sold their house and moving to FL permanently but needed a small place for a year (maybe less)....voila! *I* have that.

Now, let me tell you, it's a whole other ball game to rent to someone you know. I felt the need to clean better, not that I'm all that good at it; and to fix it up a bit more. I also felt funny asking for a deposit and or immediate rent payment but they are more than accomodating on all of that. We're getting new carpeting and paint...I painted the stairway and replacing the fan in the bathroom. It will look a lot better before they (she) moves in. This makes me happy.

However, there were some other things about the place that did not make me happy. I wondered why there was an empty bottle of booze laying on it's side on top of the cabinet....I found out...it was stuck and had to be practically pried up. (I guess I mentioned that already) Screens had to be located, straightened out and put back in...normal wear and tear is fine, I guess I also decided to wipe down the inside of the cabinets and murphy oil soap the outsides. Always a nice clean and fresh smell. As I opened one of the last cabinets and crawled in to clean it, I nearly had a heart attack.....ok maybe not, but my heart WAS racing, and I did bump my head on the way out and I did scream until my throat hurt and I did wet my pants. There was a snake in there! I determined it was not moving...I shined a flashlight on it but still could not determine if it was a fake one or not....it still didn't move, so I shut the door and left. I decided I had had enough cleaning for one day.

After changing my clothes, I went out to get the mail and noticed Duane and Tonie's garage door open so I went to chat with them. By this time I had been through the hurt and angry stages of my trauma....how dare he leave that snake for me to find...what had I done to deserve that?? Everyone who knows me, knows I hate snakes with a passion! Tonie took one look at my face and thougt someone had died....I found it difficult to speak and finally she asked if everyone was ok first...yup...then I got out my story. Tonie was more than sympathetic since she is more afraid of them than I am. Duane, my hero, donned his leather gloves, grabbed a stick and away we went to the apartment to rid the place of the varmint. I'm telling you, this thing was very real looking...enough that Duane felt the need to beat it with the stick a few times before flipping it out of the cabinet with the stick...I noticed he still didn't take off his gloves either.

Yes, it was fake...but it was damn lifelike...Tonie still didn't come up the stairs until we (Ahem, Duane) had put it in the trash bag and sealed it. Fortunately, the trash people will have disposed if it before I get home again.

::::::::::willies:::::::::::: just another one in a long list of visuals that will be with me for a long time to come.

BTW...we are in lovely Gaithersburg, MD again for two weeks. Hertz gave us an ugly bright blue Chevy Cavelier.........guess we won't be losing THAT in a parking lot anytime soon.

We overslept this morning..8:44am, please but made it to breakfast in time. goodness the holiday/weekend crowd sure is different than the warriors we are used to seeing in the mornings. We also made our way to the Caribou coffee place while the room was being cleaned. Yum...Turtle Mocha coffee and all the mints I can carry...what a haul.

Oh yeah...I don't mind the traffic out there either......I think these people should stay home more often.