It's All Over But the Washin'

After all of my holiday preparations...Genius decided he was not staying overnight, but rather going to a movie after our 5:00 feast, and heading back to his college house after that; Hick took off for a basketball tournament as soon as he arose from the table; The Pony, having had enough of people whom he doesn't really care about, took to the basement and his couch with his laptop.

That left Val to put up the leftovers and entertain Genius and his college friend for an hour and 45 minutes, then clear the table. I'm starting to think this Thanksgiving thing is a little one-sided, and not all it's cracked up to be for the hostess! Let the record show that Genius DID pick up five glasses from the table and pour their melted soda-ice out in the sink. And later, I called for my little beast of burden to ascend from his lair and scrape the scraps into the dog dishes and hand me the silverware. So by the time I was ready to call it a night, my dishwashing chore that awaited the morrow at least looked like this:

Yeah. That's a morning photo, as evidenced by the dreary light outside. Of course, this does NOT show the pans on the stove, and the leftover containers that will be clamoring for their turn in a few days. Let the record show that Val washed three sinkfuls of dishes during preparations on Thursday, and three from the aftermath today. Perhaps you were unaware that Val has no dishwasher. What's that I hear? Could it be, perhaps, the first strains of a melody from a symphony composed of the world's smallest violins? Thank you. I needed that serenade.

I had planned on Genius taking back some leftovers. I knew he was going to a movie, but I figured he was at least coming home to spend the night as he had informed me last week. Apparently plans changed at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Perhaps over the pie he did not make from his backyard pumpkin, and a tumbler full of margarita. Genius still packed up some food, but insisted on letting it sit on the cutting block, rather than in the refrigerator. "It's better to let it stay at this temperature, don't you think, instead of having it cool down and then get warm again?" NO. I did not think so. But there's no telling Genius anything. He would not take a cooler. I hope that turkey and deviled eggs and ham and green bean bundles and pumpkin pie and rolls enjoyed sitting through the movie.

Oh, and even though we had spent a week tidying up a bit so that Genius's friend would not know the true depths of our hoardiness...the minute I kicked back in the La-Z-Boy to rest for the first time all day, Genius had Friend in the kitchen peering in the cabinet under the sink. THE CABINET UNDER THE SINK!

"Do you still have a bunch of that Bath and Body Works Soap that Aunt Sis gives you every Christmas? I need some soap. Can I take some?"

"Get out from under the sink!"

"Oh, it's fine. I like this white citrus."

"No! I like that one. Take the ones that are not clear."

"But I like the clear ones!"

"Me too! Take that one on the sink. The Snowkissed Berry. I don't like the smell. It stays on my hands too long."

"You have another one anyway, partly used. I'll put it out. Can I take the Vanilla Bean Noel? I know you have the lotion and you like it."

"Yes. It makes me think of lotion. So you can take it."

"What about Sweet Pea?"

"I don't like Sweet Pea. It's not even clear. You can have that one."

"You have...like...seven of them."

"Seven year's worth, I guess. Take them."

"Friend says his sister loves Sweet Pea."

"He can take it. Give it to her for Christmas."

"I will! We drew names, and I got hers."

"Tell her you went to a lot of trouble to get it especially for her!"

"Can I have Cherry Almond?"

"Let me smell it. Ooh! I like that."

"But there's only one. Maybe you'll get another one for Christmas."

"All right! Take it!"

"Okay. I think I have enough. We're going to get moving pretty soon. So we don't miss the movie."

Yeah. Some food that will give him intestinal issues, and half a dozen bottles of hand soap. That's all a college kid needs these days to warrant a trip home for Thanksgiving. He was here four hours.

I have that much time invested in dishwashing.