CLEANING THE KITCHEN FLOOR 101

It's Sunday morning. We don't have church at 9:00 am today. We have stake conference at 2:00 pm instead. Usually I have a Relief Society presidency meeting at 7:00 am and so today...with no meetings until 2:00 pm I feel liberated. Ah, time to think, to enjoy the Sabbath. But first the grow-boxes in the garden are parched. Would it be a sin to water them on Sunday? I decide it won't, so I do that and then I put the sprinkler on the back lawn.

Phil and I have an ongoing discussion about the back lawn. I think it needs more water as we have trees. He thinks the back lawn needs less water because it’s shady. But he's still asleep and I can do what I want without a discussion so I put the sprinkler on and for once I don't get soaked. It's a miracle. I stand back and look at the beautiful water. I'm satisfied. I love it when I know the back lawn is getting a good soaking. I can almost hear the trees sighing in contentment.

I go out front and get the Sunday paper and sit on one of the lawn swing to read. For once I don't just read the funnies and the ads but the whole thing. I'm deep into an article about a writer in the Arts section when I see an apparition behind the screen door.

"We DO NOT water the lawn on Sunday!" it says.

Yes we do, I think. We are. So there. My trees are so happy; their toes are standing in cool...

"You have FLOODED the kitchen!" he interrupts.

I follow the seething person inside and see that the screen door, leading to the back yard steps, is totally soaked. The kitchen floor is flooded.

I head toward the mop but Phil is squatting by the flood with a towel, mopping up the water.

"Here, let me do that," I offer, half-heartedly.

No answer. He continues to mop. I watch. He's doing a great job. That part of the floor is spotless.

As far as I can see this is a two-fer. My trees got watered and my floor is clean. All without my having to lift a finger.Well, I'm pretty sure mopping the floor on Sunday is not exactly kosher so I figure we're even. Phil might have had a differing opinion but all that manual labor has softened his mood. He looks pleasant.

I know we'll have a discussion--AGAIN--about the amount of water the back lawn does or does not need but for right now he is busy making sure every last bit of water is mopped up.And, gosh, look at the floor. See it shine. Isn't that nice? And I didn’t even have to lift a finger.

As far as I can see this is the perfect way to get a clean kitchen floor.And I even have time for a nap. This is turning out to be a great Sunday.