I’ve had an interesting few weeks.

At least I thought so until this morning when something really interesting happened..

My little niece has come to stay with me for the summer. She is an intern in Bklyn.

She’s perfect in every way.

Wait a minute, that’s not entirely true.

She’s too neat.

I remember when I’d visit my mother thinking her house was cooty-eyed. It wasn’t dirty but there was food in the refrigerator that had seen better days and the guest towels not been changed since Dewey.

I’m noticing how Sadie is constantly cleaning, especially when her friends come over.

It’s making me so nervous that I hesitate to leave my underpants in the hall for more than 2 hours.

i even run the dishwasher more than once a week. I used to wait until I ran out of silverware or glasses.

Actually I don’t run it, Blondie does. But one time I emptied it.

Sadie actually commended me for doing it.

But she did yell at me for putting Debby’s dish on the tablecloth.

I guess she’s feeling more comfortable now because she didn’t say anything wen she first came and this happened..

Also She’s really fussy!

The other morning I got woke up to a text of her asking, no demanding, that I try not to let Debbie pee on her bed because she came home and her bed was DRENCHED.

I don’t know who peed on her bed but if it had been Debby (and I’m not saying it was) her bed wouldn’t be DRENCHED. She’s a tiny little dog.

Now here’s the capper!

Lat night she comes running into the living room where I was happily reading a romance novel and she’s screaming “Aunt Mattie there’s a dead mouse in my room”.

Now I don’t know how many of you live in New York apartments but it isn’t rare to see a mouse. If you’re lucky they’re dead.

But because I know she’s high strung I said “It must have come in from the terrace”. thinking that was a better alternative to it coming in through a vent or something.

Big mistake !!! Sadie immediately blamed my little muffin. “Debby must have carried it in and left it in my room”.

I know that couldn’t be true because if she did bring it in the house, which I doubt, she would have left it on my bed where she keeps all her snacks.

I could hear the vacuum going thru the night.

I adore that girl.

Now remember I spoke about something happening this morning?

There is a skinny old lady who lives on my street.

I was discussing her with my doorman who said she once asked him for a piece of pizza.

Also my friend from Just Bulbs said he gives her cigarettes.

Since the heat wave I’ve been buying her water. She’s very polite and always says thank you.

So today when I was walking Debby I decided to buy her a few pieces of pizza to go with her water.

When I passed her I gave her the pizza box. I was just about to hand her the water when she said “I don’t want pizza”

Are you sure you won’t want it later?

“No” she said, a little annoyed “but I’ll take the water”.

I walked home puzzled but impressed.

She was dirty and skinny and lived on the street but she could still be picky

Now Zen