Saturday, November 19, 2011

A clean sweep


Remember the chimney sweeps? Today one came to my mother's house and fixed her stove.

I was not there for when he arrived but my brother George was. Apparently the chimney guy was really taciturn. George said "Hi, I'm George." And the chimney guy said nothing!

George said: "And you are?"

The chimney guy paused and then said: "Howard."

His name was Howard! After that, as I understand it, my mother looked at him and said: "But you aren't wearing a black hat."

That is the name of the company, Black Hat.

Howard just walked into the house saying nothing. He did not get much of a kick out of my mother's joke.

He was not like the chimney sweeps at 17 Cherry Tree Lane.



Burt would have laughed at my mother's joke!

But Howard, he was efficient. Darned if he did not go into the back room and fix the stove. He was still there working on it when I got there. I think he worked on it a couple of hours, in complete silence.

After he got it up and running my mother charmed him into looking at the gas fireplace and he fixed that too. Then, gallantly, he said he did nothing, that it was working all along.

Thank you, chimney sweep Howard!

My mother and I went to two estate sales in celebration.

No Leonard Pennario record. No records at all, zut alors. But I did nail a big book on music that my mom and I are going to read in front of the newly functioning stove.

Life is good again!

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