Where I Draw the Line

When we got back, we went through the usual rigmarole people endure when moving into a house -- unpacking boxes, working out the utilities headaches, and arranging furniture. But there was another variable most people don't have to deal with when they move into a new home -- we were more than aware of the home's former glory.

The fun part. Check out that efficient stacking.

People moving into a new home typically see it as a blank slate, but I had a mental picture of my once-glorious house, and it bore little resemblance to this messy thing I was now sleeping and showering in. I wanted to restore the neatness, because I believe, in neatnesss there is serenity. There were gutters that needed cleaning, walls that needed painting, hinges that needed fixing, and appliances that need purchasing. Less we not forget the roaches. After a roach crawled over my face one evening, I made bugs my top priority.

I'm not naive now. I know it's impossible to completely eradicate insects from a home in this neck of the country. They are a fact of life down here. The neatest house will eventually will be visited by a spider or a pesky cricket. But cockroaches can be dealt with. And I intended to do just that.