Hooray, sort of, the power is back on

Tell her you`ve just got another kitten who promises to be Bucket`s evil
brother!!!

Pat P

--
Do not worry about tomorrow`s troubles. Today has enough troubles of it`s
own.
wrote in message
...
My power is back as of late Saturday. It will be awhile before I take
quite a few things for granted again. Today I did a big cleanup to
try and wipe the hurricane away.

I had no sooner finished than I had a call from the
House-Guest-from-Hell. She called (from the great Toronto)
ostensibly to see how I fared with Juan. Two seconds and it turned
into how terrible it had been for her to lose power for a few hours in
her condo in Toronto due to Hurricane Isabel.

She said she can't imagine why she did not come down here this summer
- at which point I did quickly remark that the whole hurricane
business had totally discombobulated poor Bucket, him being a cat of
routine. To which she said 'So he is still there'

What is the matter with me that I am unable to tell this woman to go
**** herself, or something, anything so she does not communicate with
me ever again! I am a coward I think.

Someone, Katrina I think, suggested I spin this tale about dire
emergencies of an unspecified nature when she called, well even real
ones did not work! I have to formulate a plan for the spring when she
calls again.

Sheena

I had no sooner finished than I had a call from the
House-Guest-from-Hell. She called (from the great Toronto)
ostensibly to see how I fared with Juan. Two seconds and it turned
into how terrible it had been for her to lose power for a few hours in
her condo in Toronto due to Hurricane Isabel.

She said she can't imagine why she did not come down here this summer
- at which point I did quickly remark that the whole hurricane
business had totally discombobulated poor Bucket, him being a cat of
routine.


You have to deal with theswe people on their own level. They simply DO
NOT HEAR even the broadest hints. You must steel yourself to say, "I'm
sorry, but I can't have you as a guest this summer;" and when asked why,
respond "I prefer to keep that private."

If she won't take that as an answer, say "Mind your own business." If
she continues to go on, say "You'll have to find a different place to
stay. YOU CAN'T STAY HERE."

My sister's in-laws used to drop in unannounced on my mother, at her
summer rental in NH, and expect her to put them up. No hint was taken.
She had to do just what I outlined above.

It's tough on those of us raised to be careful of other people's
feelings! but it's the only way.

Sympathetic hugs,

Ruthie in Colorado
alowan symbol earthlink punctuation net

I wrote:
My sister's in-laws used to drop in unannounced on my mother, at her
summer rental in NH, and expect her to put them up. No hint was taken.
She had to do just what I outlined above.

and Sheena asked:
Did you mother win out over the SILs ?

Yes, in the end. She had to be quite rude, for her. She said, "I'm
sorry, but if you want to visit, you'll have to go to a hotel."

They said fine, and we had dinner with them later.

My point is that, to get through to them, Muz had to be, by our family
standards, quite rude - but the in-laws didn't notice.

While there may be people out there who deliberately ignore hints, I
believe that most people who do so simply do not *hear* them. DH, like
many men, is one; I have learned to follow certain statements with, "By
the way, that was a hint."

I heartily recommend Dave Barry's "Guide to Guys." It still makes me
laugh till my stomach hurts. Not only that, but there is some wisdom to
be gleaned. I call it my marriage manual. Without it, I would be far
less patient with DH's habit of going deaf if football is on the TV screen.

Here's a sample, inexactly quoted from the chapter, "Test your Guyness
Quotient:"

You are out in the wilderness when a spaceship lands. Two aliens
approach. One hands you a small box, and tells you, "This box will end
all wars and cure all diseases." You...

a. Take it to the President.
b. Take it to the Secretary of the UN.
c. Take it apart.

Ruthie in Colorado
alowan hint netscape hint net