Listing and Showing (with skunks)

Because there is a For Sale sign now in front of this place, the Servicemaster Carpet cleaning guys came in their patented truck, and cleaned the basement carpet. Thinking of the house I am hoping to buy, I asked about white plush carpet, and what they would recommend for pug pee. "Toss the carpet" was the answer. They were also not sure cleaning the carpet was all this house needed. "You've got some big cracks here."

In fact the cracks have gotten larger, or I have started to notice them more, but it's true that in the winter I could open the side door downstairs, and now the corner of the house is resting on the doorframe, so the door won't open, and the vertical corner moulding is splintering and bowing outward.

People are coming tomorrow to view the house, and while we have it clean, I have no more boxes to hide dolls in. There are no closets anyway, just like in New Jersey; and Stella, the newest arrival, has been sitting on a doll chair on the bureau. I like her there, but I can't leave her out alone in the house, so I resorted to the same thing I did in New Jersey:

Some books on top and she will be good for a short while. It may be the visitors will not get to the inside of the house. A skunk has moved in under the shed. I went to take out the recycling, which is now on the back side of the garage, walked around the corner and there was the skunk "oh hai", checking out the trash can smells, right at my feet. For a second I though it was the Cat From Spain until he ducked around the can- and the CFS does not have a gorgeous, plumy white tail, thick, glossy black fur or cute little paws. I just backed up, set down the recycling, and went inside, and after a few minutes went out again, made a wide circle so I could see the trash, and since the skunk had moved, I dumped my stuff and went back up the stairs. I looked down from the deck out at the shed, and there was my grey cat and the skunk, sitting together. While I watched the skunk got up and climbed under the shed window and disappeared. Maybe he bunks with the bees. So the visitors will tour the yard and the skunk will come out, covered with bees and honey, and say "This place is great!"

And this is where J works. There are swans, not skunks, there.