Thrilled to Do Laundry! (no, really)

My dryer is fixed, and I'm GLAD Sears Home Services is such a breathtaking pack of fuckwits. Thrilled, even! Because if they'd actually shown up, I'd have paid probably twice as much for the job done so well and for less by Sabastian from Appliance Zen. Yes, the company is called Appliance Zen. Not only is the company name just So Asheville, he - wait for it - showed up in a Subaru with its ass plastered in bumper stickers! Oh, so Asheville! He was punctual, professional, friendly, diagnosed and fixed the thermal thingy problem, and charged me much less than Sears would have if they weren't such a thundering herd of FAIL. I took his business card and gave him mine, and he's going into my list of trusty vendors.

The funniest part is that while he was working he told me, unbidden, about another customer who had gotten a quote from Sears to do a job - he shook his head about what they charge. So I of course had to tell him that they'd stood me up on Friday, and I was so happy they did. Yes, I do have a lot of laundry to do this evening, but I also have a bottle of wine and a Netflix movie, so I'm ready to dig in and launder.

Yesterday afternoon I babysat Supergirl, so her mama could spend a quiet hour or two in a bookstore. Remember how I had such a challenge sitting with her back in January, and couldn't wait until she could talk? Okay, she's 15 months tomorrow, and she now communicates like a real little person. It's too cute for words.

When I arrived she wasn't too thrilled that Mama was going out without her, but picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV and asked, "Elmo?" She is a Sesame Street addict now, and offers running commentary on the show as she watches - "Ball! Ball! Elmo! She sang the "B-B-B" part of the letter B song performed by the Dixie Chicks. Then she decided we should "Read? Book?" Her new favorite book is the McDuff book I got her for Christmas. She loves her some McDuff. We read it over, and over, and freaking OVER.

There is a picture in the book of the lady feeding McDuff, who is sitting up begging, from a fork. Supergirl saw the picture and said, "Eat food," and slid off the couch and took off for the kitchen, with me following her. She went to the fridge, put her hand on the door, and asked, "Eat food?" I hadn't been left with dinner instructions, so I fired off a text to Mama to ask what she should have - she had black beans, which she loved very much. I tasted them and I have to admit that her Mama makes some kick-ass black beans and I can see why she loves them, but I was still cautious about portion size, imagining bellyaches at 2 a.m. I supplemented with less volatile foods. Supergirl ate food, feeding herself, and we discussed world events and literature. I then hosed her off and scraped the black beans from her eyebrows, and we resumed her critique of Sesame Street. Made mental note - must bring bubbles for play next time we get together - there were bubbles in that episode.

Babysitting a talking little human is FAR easier than a frustrated little human who knows what she wants to say but can't get the words out, easier both on the babysitter and the babysat.