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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Someone's in my Kitchen...

I have nothing against my house guests, but the small amount of personal time and space that I allocate to myself after Husband, Dog and Business commitments is my fragile link to sanity. After a week, with 3 more days to go, I feel invaded, cornered. 
My achievement this morning was to pack them off with husband to visit the coast. Lovely daughter showed up and stayed for hours to run laundry. She's great but I needed to be alone.
I had a simple meal plan tonight; a home made vegetable soup with sausage rolls that I spent hours making yesterday. Son-in-law had a Birthday yesterday and had requested sausage rolls. These are the extra batch I made.
Husband and co. returned with live crab. My heart sank. Cooking and cleaning crab, followed by the mess everyone makes cracking claws. Damn!
I took the dog out in the rain. I was just about getting my smile back when the neighbor's cross-eyed Ridgeback came hurtling down the road after us, barking threateningly. I have only ever met him as he lunged at the fence when we pass by and still suspect that if my dog had reacted in any way we would have had a full blown attack. She's not only very well socialized but stone deaf. He was pretty surprised that she didn't even turn around until he got into her line of sight and then she exuded a friendly curiosity that has disarmed many ill-intentioned canines. 
Back home, deciding to get on with the crab so it would cool down before I cleaned it, my guest is peeling vegetables and boiling water. I suggested that I would start the crab with some saffron and herbs. Guestie-Poo only wants salt and pepper. I retreat to the computer. Discussion ensues  in the kitchen as G-P elicits hubbies opinion on how to heat the upper oven. I refrain from yelling "Try the knob that says Heat Upper Oven!" and "How can you not know that after living in this house for a year?"
Dear Blog-World, Thank you for being there for me tonight. I needed to vent indirectly. I am going to take my book and go park my car under a street light for a couple of hours of solitude.


7 comments:

  1. Kids just move in and out of my house and keep it forever in a mess!
    Read on, I have made me a personal corner.

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  2. GP's, love em eh? We spent our first year in France forever under seige from them, having satistied ther curiosity we now see less of them....thank goodness.

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  3. Oh, dear. Vent noted. Glad we have ears out here to listen--in a reading sort of way.

    Now if they would only clean up everything when they were done, you could sit in the car with your book and just relax. (Though I have to laugh at the image...sorry.) The soup and sausage rolls sounded delish. Wish you'd had the chance to enjoy them. I'm not keen on crab, so that really would have spoiled my evening. *sigh*

    Maybe you need a cookstove and a tent in the backyard for such retreats? *S*

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  4. what you need is a pony ... would get you out of the house for a lot longer, LOL

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  5. Thanks for the support, especially Claire's wicked thought. LOL
    I got through the night without murdering anyone. Today's a whole new day.

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  6. I'm thinking about you in your car-sounds a lot like a stake-out:>)
    hope you found some peace and quiet.

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  7. I know the feeling, I'm pretty anti-social and can usually tolerate house guests for about 1hour. Only kidding, I usually give them 2.......

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