Note under stranger’s door
August 27, 2012
Hello there!
My name is Barbara
Malley, and I play duplicate bridge every Monday at the Congregational Church
in Cohasset. I was parked up the street from your house last Monday when
I noticed two women approaching your door, one of them carrying a vacuum
cleaner. I assume they are a cleaning team
Do you know if your helpers are all booked up or might they have a time they could come to me once a month? I live at Weymouthport in North Weymouth. I just turned 91 but am still very active. Perhaps you read in the Boston Globe about the way I celebrated my 90th birthday last August -- by seeing if I could still fly a big twin-engine airplane. A Baby Airliner is what I called our Skyknight. The hardest part was getting myself out of the plane at the end of the flight.
To latest cleaning ladyDo you know if your helpers are all booked up or might they have a time they could come to me once a month? I live at Weymouthport in North Weymouth. I just turned 91 but am still very active. Perhaps you read in the Boston Globe about the way I celebrated my 90th birthday last August -- by seeing if I could still fly a big twin-engine airplane. A Baby Airliner is what I called our Skyknight. The hardest part was getting myself out of the plane at the end of the flight.
November 06, 2012
Hi Maria,
Hi Maria,
I can wait another week or could see you
on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, whichever day is convenient for you this week
or next. I believe I have enough to keep you busy for 3 hours.
It will take me 10 or 15 minutes to
explain a few things – for instance, I noticed you had set the water
temperature on Warm. That’s what I used to do until my daughter Kathie said I should use cold water for the sake of the environment.
I’ll launder the towels before you come, so they’ll be in the dryer, ready to
fold.
Thanks again for saving me the expense of
buying new pillows. That was very smart of you, to know exactly what to
do, just toss the stained things into the washing
machine, then in the dryer. I expected
to see feathers all over the place.
Linden
Ponds
To
Tim
April
12, 2015
When the new cleaning team you found comes to
my new abode, they won’t need to bring a vacuum cleaner, since I now have three –
two of them bought by your Kathy. Did you know she vacuumed my
wall-to-wall carpeting before I left Weymouthport and came up with a full load of lint? It had looked immaculate to me.
I keep my bathroom clean, never use the
stove, so the kitchen stays clean. I really think there’s so little they’ll
ever need to do, once a month would be fine. I’ll try to adapt and not
feel invaded, which was my initial reaction.
You are only trying to do me a kindly
favor, I know.
Love,
Mom
From
Tim
April
20, 2015
I’m glad you noticed.
April
20, 2015
Of course I noticed.
This has been a horrible day. My partner left before the bridge ended, so
the director took his place. I was so rattled
I made a couple of incorrect bids,
should have known better, as my new partner commented.
It was so humiliating, I knew how my friend Anne felt when he pointed out an error, and she
vowed she'd never come back, but of course she did. By the way, Anne has a lovely apartment, much bigger
than mine and has one cleaning woman once a month.
Now count to ten and please be kind to
your aging mother. I'll knuckle under if I absolutely have to.
April
21, 2015
From
Tim
I just think you should appreciate all Kathy’s help while you were in transition, and now she is helping Lauren with the new baby. A lot of the back and forth was misunderstandings about how many people and how often the cleanings would be, but you made it clear that you were opposed to any and all strangers in your apartment. You last e-mail referred to your "knuckling under"-- hardly a phrase or a tone that inspires peace in either of us.
I just think you should appreciate all Kathy’s help while you were in transition, and now she is helping Lauren with the new baby. A lot of the back and forth was misunderstandings about how many people and how often the cleanings would be, but you made it clear that you were opposed to any and all strangers in your apartment. You last e-mail referred to your "knuckling under"-- hardly a phrase or a tone that inspires peace in either of us.
We both forgive you for your obstinacy in
this matter, as I am sure you will forgive me for being overly blunt. You can
certainly continue to share your thoughts about life and the world, but just not
with Kathy on THIS issue. I have included sister KK on this message -- perhaps
she will help make peace in her inimitable way.
I’m sorry about how bridge turned out. We
had a few rough days of our own. We all know that better days are coming.
April 21, 2015
To Tim
Thank you for the
compassionate summary of our conflict. I wish there were a way I could
convince Kathy that she has never, never let me down. She can’t be two
people, spending hours daily helping Lauren and more hours helping me. I
love her, wish I could undo the hurt. Thank you for your forgiveness.
April 22, 2015
To new Linden Ponds friend,
Patti
Have we talked about cleaning women? I
can’t stand the idea of two Linden Ponds employees coming into my small
apartment to change the bed and vacuum and dust any oftener than every three or
four weeks.
My sheets do not smell – I gave them the
sniff test to make sure, and the carpet
never looks as if it needs vacuuming. I would gladly accept one woman for the
job. You’ve probably told me how you handle this but I’ve forgotten what
was said.
You are a great problem solver, so I hope
you have an answer for this one
April 23, 2015
From
Patti
I have one person who does the kitchen
floor bathroom and vacuums, probably takes an hour or a little more.
She comes about every two or three weeks. I have a cat so there is a lot of cat hair around. See you this afternoon at 1:00
for bridge.
April
23, 2015
To
Patti
That is exactly what I'd like to have, Patti, minus the cat. Do you know if your helper has any spare hours? If so, I'd like to know her name and phone number.
Yes, will see you at 1:00 today.
April
25, 2015
To Tim
I’m
very hopeful that I can sign on my friend Patti’s cleaning woman for
an hour and a half once a month or every six weeks, which is what Patti’s
arrangement is.
By the way, one of the Linden Ponds
Naughty Nudies Calendar girls is still going strong, I hear, at 105 years
old. Winston Hall was shown with a large hand of cards fanned over her
bosom. I believe I told you that I brought two of the calendars to a party
Maureen held in the North Scituate house. They both disappeared after I
foolishly lost sight of them.
Mom,
I am going to take a deep breath and then say , , , what? You had said your
friend Patti has her apt cleaned every 3-4 weeks which is a reasonable interval
for the vacuuming of unhealthy mites and dust, the changing of sheets, and the
washing of laundry. Now suddenly it is every four OR six weeks. I do not
understand your resistance
to something that should be a relief if not a pleasure -- to come home to a CLEAN
apartment and nice CLEAN sheets.
I have been on the lookout for some photos at Ted’s and if I see those calendars I will grab them!
April 25, 2015
I have been on the lookout for some photos at Ted’s and if I see those calendars I will grab them!
April 25, 2015
To Tim
I
anticipated that deep breath. By the way, I almost choked to death
yesterday on my vitamin pills, which I had cut in half. From now on I’m
smashing them to bits with a hammer and putting them in a dish of applesauce.
Okay, so Patti said the
below to be exact:
"I have one person she does the kitchen floor bathroom and vacuums probably takes an hour or a little more she comes about every two weeks or three. I have a cat so there is a lot of cat hair around."
I don’t blame you for
being frustrated, Tim, but my apartment has always looked just fine
to me, and never unclean. I see some dust if I look carefully. I have no
cat, therefore no cat hairs. I think I told you I gave my sheets the
sniff test and they have absolutely no odor. I just went to my bedroom
and sniffed again. Smell-less, as Dad used to claim of his farts.
So I would not be relieved about being pushed into having a cleaner come any
oftener than every three weeks. Compromise???
I sent a copy of the
photo of Dick and Sarah, along with my poem, to the Linden Ponds resident who
asked that such things be submitted to her. She encouraged me to go ahead
and have the picture enlarged and framed. The poem was inspired by the
photo. “When Daddy opens up the door, I’ll wheel to him across the
floor . . . .”
Sarah's Game
Mommy, Mommy, let's pretend
Mommy, Mommy, let's pretend
That I am in the wheeling chair,
And while I'm wheeling, you can stand
And walk and run or climb the stairs.
Mommy, see me turn the wheels?
Her chubby arms propel the air:
Sarah's testing how it feels
To navigate a wheeling chair.
You may push me, Mommy, now,
Down the hall and to my room,
Just as sometimes I push you ‑‑
Faster, faster . . . vrooom, vrooom!
When Daddy
opens up the door
I'll wheel to
him across the floor.
That I am you
and you are me!
When I grow
up, perhaps I too
Can have a wheeling chair like you . . .
Mommy, aren't we having fun?
Indeed we are, my precious one.
Mommy, aren't we having fun?
Indeed we are, my precious one.
Sarah is my daughter Kathie's step-daughter, conceived when her husband "took walks" with the woman who lived next door.
ReplyDeleteKathie welcomed Sarah with all of her kind, generous heart.