I am settling in on the agenda for Day Two of the Holiday Visit. It snowed overnight, not like what you got, but enough to cover the cars and turn the driveway pure white. Oh, crap, I thought, add the snowplow guy to the list of things to be done- Scooby, of Scoopby’s Bottle Shop was the guy who used to do it. So, I can see the list starting to grow on the pad next to the computer.

1. Scooby’s- snow plow service for season.

I need to get on that- wonder if the leaf blower would serve for now?

The Socotra Siblings are not talking this holiday, which is to say that my brother is busy and will occasionally chime in to agree with whatever I propose, and my sister Annook must be busy as well, since she just isn’t speaking.

I heard a lot about the adventure of the Cat Adoption from the vivacious Sherri, the cute gal who has the beauty shop concession at Potemkin Village. I like to get my hair cut by her when I am in town, and it is a little depressing that I am now a regular. I am to the point that the details of both deliveries- natural, BTW, you will be comforted to know, and the circumference of the head and shoulders of both children at birth.

More information than I needed to process- TMI, in texting parlance- but that is the way people get along here- they share.

In the excitement of the plumber’s visit yesterday- late, of course, which jammed up the rest of the day, I had neglected to accompany him everywhere as we looked at the various places water could be running. Bless him, he announced the discovery of a drip from the outside faucet, the one that goes to the hose-reel in the front yard. That drew me out front and an exchange of pleasantries with the young man with a stubble of beard and the company logo on the back of his work jacket.

“You are just fucking with me, right?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” I responded. “I am from Washington and here to help.”

“Well, I looked at everything and there is definitely something moving in the cold water pipe- it is freezing to the touch. So I looked at the bathrooms, and the one in the suite downstairs and finally wound up out here-” he gestured at the hose reel in front of the bushes- “and there was your problem. Just had to close the valve.”

“Crap,” I said “That was easier than I anticipated.”

“Yep. Well, Merry Christmas,” he said, taking off his glove to shake my hand.

“Send us a bill?” I asked.

“They usually do,” he said, and jumped in his truck and roared off.

Matter corrected, with great joy. Except when I got home from Potemkin Village I went around to ensure things were buttoned up again, and discovered the situation captured above, where apparently a surge of some sort of water contaminated with something darker got into the hall. Crap, I thought, and winced.

2. Clean the effing rug.

I am going to get some gloves and pitch the small area run in the bathroom, rent a carpet cleaner at Glenn’s if they still do that, and get the necessary mop and cleaning stuff to sanitize the floor and air things out as it dries.

I am also considering calling the ladies who cleaned when Annook was here this summer; you know, outsource the whole thing, but you can feel the Village moving into holiday mode. I wish the leaf-blower I bought on the last trip could be applied to this problem, but no, I won’t.

I have Raven’s present in the trunk and will get it to him today or tomorrow, not that he will know, but I got him the usual metal airplane this year before the latest collapse started. Mom has been very pleasant and genuinely glad to see me.

At lunch, we dined with Hazel and Stephanie and New Irene and crazy Pat the madwoman.

Mom is quite pretty these days, or at least her eyes are a wondrous and curious sea-water blue. She was dressed in clean clothes, a function of the Wednesday visit from the Friendship Center. In response to our request, Lovely Rita is back, and Mom is pleased with that, though I had to ask her about it. It is just one of the things that happens unbidden in her life now, something akin to the rising of the sun in the morning.

I also talked with the Emmet County Friendship Center who sponsors Rita’s home healthcare visits, and they suggested toenail care be added to the regimen of Mom’s care, which includes light housework, a shower and change of clothes. I concurred, and told Mom to allow it. She seemed dubious but unwilling to fight about the matter.

She is reading her large-type mysteries, more out of habit than anything else since she asked me to explain it to her, but it is good to see her reading again. I had selected some page-turner mysteries on her last book order, and we will wade through that along with the dozen Christmas cards from people she no longer remembers.

Carla the waitress was presiding in the Assisted Dining Room, and I recalled that we need to do something for her service as Guardian Angel. I will give her a check in an envelope at lunch today.

3. Write Check

Mom’s green car needs a once-over to check for personal stuff inside and in the trunk. Northstar Towing could not give me a time for the pickup today, since they are very busy with tax-year donations that have to be collected before Jan 1. I hope to be here when the driver gets around to us, but I can’t be pinned down all day waiting and will have it ready to go this morning for whenever they show up.

4. Clean out car of personal effects.

5. Find title and key.

6. See if it starts.

7. Handicapped placard? Where is it?

My neck is slowly unraveling from the rock-like rigidity that made the drive up such and adventure, but I am not going to risk stressing it out, so I am not going to horse the carpet cleaner around today, but with the later dawn here, I am sleeping too late. I will purchase a clock-radio today when I can get clear and get to the Myers Thrifty Acres to enable me to rise at the regular time- I will attach a note asking that it be left in the guest bedroom and not donated to the homeless.

8. Buy clock radio. WiFi so I can stream internet radio? Comparison shop if possible.

9. See if Glenn’s Market has carpet cleaners to rent. Get mop and floor cleaner.

The renter says she can get here on the 28th. I do not want to stay that long, but we will see how this goes. I will also have to follow up with John the Mouse Guy and see where we are with that.

10. Call Mouse Guy

I need to get on the matter of the green car, find the title and key and clean it out of personal belongings. I was sorting mail and saw that the address of Mom’s bank statements had been changed. I wondered about that- why was it changed from mine?

11. Talk to bank.

More as it happens, even at the risk of providing too much information. After the car, the rest can really go on the Day Three list. That is probably too much information, but obviously I am not going to get to a story this morning since life has got completely in my way and I have to start living it.

Merry Christmas!

Copyright 2011 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com