A new occupation?

Yesterday Christina and I were on our way to the mall (lately, a too-common occurrence), when we got the call. Tim and Luke were finishing up a house, and could use our help cleaning up. So, we turned around, and headed to south Minneapolis.

I was proud of myself, driving downtown at rush hour without freaking out (actually, the route I took wasn't too bad). We found the house on the Lake of the Isles (a rather exclusive neighborhood) and trudged in to the house. Christina resisted for awhile (especially after Tim playfully, but really accidentally, dropped some taping mud on her face, just missing her eyes. She had just taken a shower and was not amused). But eventually, I took to scraping floors and sweeping, Tim finished touching up things, and Luke helped clean and carry stuff out to the vehicles (Luke's truck, Tim's truck, my van. Tim lent his trailer to some friends who were moving.) Christina got a rag and started cleaning off the stairs and banisters, which were dusty with the mess from sanding the walls.

After we were finished, we felt good because we had worked hard to help Tim and Luke. Our reward--dinner out with Dad, and Christina got to go the mall to get her tennis shoes after all. Now, maybe she and Mark can start a regular thing after school, helping Tim and Luke clean up after jobs. Could it really happen? Stay tuned.......(BTW, Mark was taking the day off after working hard for the past couple of weeks. Since school starts for him on Tuesday, we're letting up on his work schedule a bit.)

Till next time,


Suzi