HouseGuests

A post today on Gambino's blog prompted me to write of the horror's and pleasures of houseguests. I have been both a guest and host. I was a return visitor at my parents house with my two kids during a hard time and I will forever be thankful for them helping us out. I was also a guest at my ex-sisterinlaws home for 6 months. That was kind of a mutual agreement as both of us were broke. I never felt comfortable there as I felt more as if we were taken so I could be the cleaning lady. Long story.
Since we purchased my parents home we have become somewhat like a hotel. My younger sister stayed with us for a year when my parents took off for Arizona so she could complete her last year of college. She was a pleasure as she organized my canned food cabinet and loved to clean the fridge. Then my older brother Ken relocated from Florida and had about a six month stop over here. He was also a pleasure. We nicknamed him Chico as he took on the yard work. We had a nicely manicured lawn and perfectly trimmed bushes. He cooked, did dishes and did his own laundry. I think for awhile he shared a room with my then teenage son.
Brother D and wife were next. They relocated from Florida and stayed about 6 weeks. They had these annoying birds they kept in their room and one died soon after it got here. She drove me nuts following me around all the time. Long six weeks.
Sister M and her two kids came next. this is the current houseguest of J & K. I've tried to wipe that memory from my mind. My livingroom became a scene from a bad buffet. No need to eat in there when we have a kitchen table toots. I think every glass we owned was in our livingroom.
Next came brother S home from the military. He stayed about a month until he moved to the vacant upper unit above previous sister houseguest. I think K returned for a month in between apartments. Once again the lawn was just about named lawn of the year.
Then disaster struck. Brother D going through a divorce returned. We began the daily ritual of closing the cupboard doors, reminding him that the dishwasher was not a garbage disposal and watching the daily parking tickets accumulate on his car. He's not to bright and once left a washcloth in the bathroom sink with the water running while he went to answer his phone and flooded my bathroom. This was on the day of my daughters wedding. I came home to all the bathroom drawers lined up in the hallway and a ton of ruined makeup. He made the remark that tampons do hold a lot of moisture. After about a year he got his own place.
My husband and I then made the decision that we would have no further guests beside our parents or our kids if in need. I completly redecorated the room. Had it looking nice and freshly painted. Kaboom...brother D is in financial trouble. I tried so hard to say no , but no one else would take him in. My own fault and I could kick myself daily. Once again the cupboard doors are open daily, the two alarm clocks go off at 7am everyday, and my dishwasher is once again thought of as a garbage disposal. He has some sort of artery problem with his legs and has bled all over my house once. Looked like a murder scene. Of course he couldn't be there to clean it up as he ended up in the hospital but Chico showed up to help. D moved in last August for a few months..We are now at one year and soon to be posting and eviction notice.
Let me also mention that he is no Chico! He did attempt to go out and cut the grass one time but couldn't find the lawnmower.
so if any of you that know us happen to drive past our house someday and notice it's a little odd shaped it's because we have removed the "guest" room from our home.