Notes From the Bedside Table

It is a beautiful spring morning, on its way to the high 50's temperature-wise. The birds are loud and bouncy and the weeds are calling me. It's Friday, the first day of my weekend and I am having chips and salsa for breakfast, reading My Life as a Book, by Janet Tashjian, while I wait for the dishwasher fixers.

The black-capped chickadees and a squirrel are hunting for seeds and peanuts across the fence at Steve's window and I should move a feeder out in front of the window I've moved my new computer to.

Ooh, they're here! and we are so excited about having a dishwasher! The noises coming out of the kitchen are alarming and make me just a little nervous. They had to turn off the main breakers - oh, hey- is my computer now working via battery? - and a path wasn't really cleared to the back of the garage. Too much crap!

They are making bad noises about our old garbage disposal, obviously a cheap knock-off in comparison to the one they are now installing. Okay, I just heard one of them say, "Well, if all else fails, cut it off." Hmmm. I'm sure they've done this a lot but it is only my first time - They are making horrible comments about what's inside the disposal (which also hasn't worked since the dishwasher died and I never thought about what was lodged in the bottom of it. Can I just say, "Yuck"?).

The cat came down to investigate and she is like most cats: only interested in climbing through the open doors and cabinets and why someone is sitting next to her food. I got her back up in the bedroom, I am such a sneaky mom, by moving a chair in front of the window into full sun, and putting a wash cloth on the chair so she thinks she has to sit on it. Good thing she is so easily lured by a craftily designed sun spot.

Anyhoo. It sounds like they are working on the dishwasher now. I think. I didn't realize how small out kitchen was until two fairly large men were sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the sink and the dishwasher.

It's pretty exciting- I love watching people do their jobs. It would be cool to just drive around with different people who do stuff I don't know how to do and yet use or work with all the time. I got to watch the plumber (unfortunately) and he was great about explaining what all the tools were, where the plumbing and pipes actually enter the street, and how he got into that line of business.

Okay, they just said, "Oh, that's good, it looks like we've got room." For what? Was there any doubt that things weren't going to fit?

They just ran the disposal and it works!

I need to go and look in the kitchen again, and then I need to sit down in a warm spot and read more about Derek the reluctant reader and his horrible summer reading list. It's good, really funny so far, and anyone who likes the Wimpy Kid books will like this one, too. Derek really does like to read, especially comics like Calvin and Hobbes since he draws, and would like it even more if people would realize that forcing a kid to do something as private as reading is just wrong.

(My Life as a Book is written for kids ages 7-12 and will be published in July 2010 by Henry Holt and Company.)