Helping Out

This has been a very busy week in my house. There have been a number of projects undertaken by my family and I, in my ever helpful way, have been snout deep in all of them.

What Painter's Tape?

Painting the Dining Room with Ma:  Every couple of years or so, Ma decides to take on a major house project.  This year, she's painting the dining room.  Before I was born, Ma's had to muddle through her projects alone.  Now, however, she has me, and I'm sure she would be the first to say that her projects have become vastly more interesting and memorable with my assistance.  Here's what I did:

• Slept at the base of the ladder while Ma painted the crown moldings.
• Repeatedly walked under the ladder to make sure it was safe.
• Moved the plastic drop cloths.
• Cleared away the paper towels Ma used to clean up paint drips (and shredded them in the living room).
• Rubbed my tail up against the newly painted walls to check if they were dry.
• Found the missing roll of painter's tape.

Electrical Work with Pa:  I've spoken before of my love of plumbing; how there are few things I enjoy more than crawling under a sink with Pa and snatching his tools when he's not looking.  I'm sad to say that there was no plumbing done this week.  There was, however, electrical work, and I'm sure Pa would be the first to say that he and I are a great team.  Here's what I did:

• Stood in between Pa and the electrical outlet he was trying to replace.
• Left snout marks on the newly polished hanging lamp.

Tidying Up with Sister:   Sister took a couple of days off from work this week to help tidy up the house in anticipation of Thanksgiving and I was more than happy to chip in (after our afternoon naps of course).  I'm sure Sister would be the first to say that she wouldn't have been able to get the house quite so neat if it wasn't for my assistance.  Here's what I did:

• Stole a shirt Sister neglected to put away and tore out its tags.
• Grabbed a dust cloth.
• Took a nap on the rug Sister wanted to vacuum.

Holding Down the Leaves

Raking the Yard with Pa and Sister:  I also proved myself to be a master gardener this week.  Pa and Sister each spent a couple of hours outside raking up the leaves and I was there to help.  I'm sure they would argue over who would be the first to say how they couldn't have collected nearly as many leaves as they did without my guidance.  Here's what I did:

• Took long sticks and chewed them down into smaller sticks.
• Prevented the wind from blowing the newly raked piles of leaves away by laying across them.

No doubt about it, there is no one more helpful than me!