I've mentioned the exterminator comes to our house. The funny thing is, he's been coming while the kids were at school, so even though I told them he comes into every room of the house, the full impact of this had not hit them until one day when they were out of school.
Suddenly my kids were in a cleaning frenzy. Floors were appearing in their bedrooms. Surfaces that hadn't seen the light of day since we moved here seventeen years ago were suddenly gleaming.
Clothes were put in drawers and hung in closets. It was like the apocalypse was at hand.
I decided having an exterminator was well worth the money - what else would get teenagers to clean their rooms?
Anyway, I got up this morning feeling ambitious. I sometimes have these wonderful little ah-ha moments when I first wake up. Solutions to problems will come to mind and I'll suddenly see an easy way to solve something that had been plaguing me.
So this morning I wake up realizing how to create more room in my closet.
I pull everything out, stuff is strewn here and there, but I'm feeling good about the whole thing, I know everything's going to be better when I'm done. I'm up to my armpits in my project when I hear a strange noise.
It's a vacuum.
And I'm not the one running it.
The enormity hits me. Someone is vacuuming their room! And no one used any kind of extortion to get them to do it!
It's happening voluntarily!!!!! Just as I was about to expire from the shock and just when I thought my poor little overworked heart could take no more, another kid approaches me wondering where the vacuum is.
Then it occurs me. The exterminator is coming. Today.
This odd phenomenon occurs when he's coming for some inexplicable reason.
I laugh to my self. Then turn to my task. I stop what I'm doing and for one heart stopping moment I look around at the chaos I've created. The contents of my closet have regurgitated themselves all over my room. There's not a clear bit of carpet to be seen.
Oh dear.
