Adult children are the best, they give such wonderful gifts? Our daughter Angelin and her husband Brent gave me a Roomba for Christmas and her name is Shirley Mae Roomba. You were introduced to her recently in my last blog. She and I have become fast friends and she promised not to disturb the small coals around the gas logs again. She still bumps into furniture and other objects but she is quite gentle. I’m learning to trust her not to jump to her death from the top of the stairs and I don’t mind that she likes to clean a room more than once; sometimes two or three times. No doubt there is a method to her madness.
I took Shirley Mae downstairs once and she took off like she knew where she was going so I let her go. I told our son Jimmie about this and he said he and his wife Elizabeth who also have a Roomba wanted to remind me it’s a no-no to take them out of “their territory”. He said “Mom, it is a robot after all and it needs to learn the cleaning area on one floor”. I felt terrible, poor Shirley Mae. I was for sure confusing her and making her life miserable. She was exhausted when I brought her back upstairs and she could not wait to go to her room. On her way to her room, she looked back at me and I do believe I saw a tear in her eye. I’m sorry Shirley Mae, I had no idea. Sniff, sniff.
The next day when she was speaking to me again, Shirley Mae said she had a cousin Erma Sue who would be interested in taking care of the downstairs. WHAT? Shirley Mae has a cousin?
I did not grow up with housekeepers, my Mom was the housekeeper. When Jim and I married I expected I would be the housekeeper and have always loved being one. Getting a little older has made me wiser. Oh, I’ve tried cleaning services a few times but was never completely satisfied. I wish Shirley Mae could dust and clean the bathrooms but cleaning the floors is a huge help and she does a great job.
Knock, knock. Who is it? It’s Erma Sue Shark, my cousin sent me. WHAT? I ran and hugged Shirley Mae and without missing a beat, took Erma Sue right downstairs. She is so cute but if her last name was Roomba, she would be as fabulous as Shirley Mae.
If you are not fortunate enough to receive a Roomba from one of your adult children, Shark is on sale at Bed Bath & Beyond. I never realized how pricey these things are but the Shark is a great substitute if you can’t have the real thing.
Stay tuned for more adventures of the cousins, Shirley Mae and Erma Sue!