Day 2173 Al Capone

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Home sweet home… although not so sweet-smelling, even with all the candles burning. Tim had invited his friend over for the Super Bowl, and they might as well have been a couple of rebellious teenagers while Mom was away....way to make me feel old!

Tim’s friend is a smoker. The one after another kind,  also the kind of smoker who sits right in front of the TV, smoking away...just wallowing in it.  Maybe that’s fine in his own house, but not a chance in mine. Tim sent the wrong message by buying him a smokeless ashtray, as if that would help and clearly showing intent to let him smoke inside. During one of our text chats, Tim mentioned the ashtray and I almost lost my mind, sending a river of texts with very explicit instructions to NOT allow smoking inside our home.

I knew he was avoiding me and refusing to respond, clearly because that cat was already out of the bag. When I arrived home, I could see the windows had been opened, every candle in the house was lit (some still burning), and even though I was annoyed, the image of two grown men scrambling to cover their tracks, like the kids in the Cat and the Hat book,  before I walked in made me laugh. Our house smelled like a French whore, even with all their efforts,  so we’ll be doing some serious cleaning and airing out this week.

I truly don’t understand why anyone would think it’s okay to smoke inside a non-smoker’s home, especially today. It’s not the ’70s anymore, when people smoked everywhere, airplanes, doctors’ offices, hospitals, wherever they wanted. Apparently we switched from cigarettes to dogs… somehow now dogs are everywhere...still not sure which one I dislike more??

Another cat out of the bag: I had my first upstairs cat sighting! Tim and I had gone out for a bit, and when we returned I was busy changing the sheets. Tim skipped our Sunday clean-sheet day- still trying to convince me there's a brand that you only need to change monthly...gross!. As I walked downstairs holding the dirty sheets, our basement cat darted out of the living room and ran right back downstairs, directly in front of me! Tim was downstairs and yelled when he saw her, no doubt scaring her even more.

She made it back to her safe hiding spot, but I took it as a great sign that she’s exploring. Tim says she’s still searching for a way out, off this Alcatraz we’ve imprisoned her in. Maybe her name should be Al, for the famous Alcatraz prisoner Al Capone. That seems more fitting than Gypsy. Time will tell, but for now I’m fairly certain that if that cat ever saw an open door, she’d run for freedom in a red-hot minute...even if she had to swim to freedom. 

Between smoky men, scaredy cats, and questionable household decisions, it’s safe to say life at home is never boring. Here’s hoping the air clears, the cat settles in, and Tim accepts a few household rules...even when I'm away. 

“You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.” ~ Al Capone