TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "BLACK" - ANOTHER EPISODE OF "THE HOUSE-SITTER'S COUNTRY CHRISTMAS."

Howdy! Welcome. This week we have another episode of "The House-Sitter's Country Christmas." Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales. Thanks for stopping by.

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Pine Grove, two weeks before Christmas

A week had passed with no word from either Craig or George. Laura carried her mug of coffee to the picture window in the dining room to watch the birds at the feeder. A titmouse tried to muscle out a chickadee, but the little black-and-white bird stood his ground.

She took a pen from behind her ear and pulled a list from her purse. When Craig balked at spending the holiday at her house, she’d taken stock of the place and found it wanting. What she’d seen as cozy now appeared shabby and in need of repair. Of course, he couldn’t be happy in such a rundown house. He was used to perfection and her farmhouse was way wide of the mark.

With only two weeks until Christmas, could they finish the project? Since Craig refused to join her, did it matter what her house looked like? George had given her hope. She had to at least try to fix up the place. When she returned from New York, she’d contacted her friend, Jess Lennox and her brother, Will, who was a carpenter. The young man could fix or build anything.  

“I need to spruce up my house. Can you do it, Will?”

“What do you mean spruce up?”

“Make it perfect.”

He’d laughed.

“Old farmhouses aren’t meant to be perfect.”

“But that’s what Craig’s used to. How close can we get?”

“In three weeks? I’m not a miracle worker.”

Together they’d made a plan.  

Laura took a sip of coffee as her eyes perused the list. She spoke aloud, though she was alone. She ticked off the completed projects.

“Paint the kitchen. Check. New toilet in both bathrooms. Check. New tile on the kitchen floor, check.”

Chewing on the end of the pen, she looked over the projects yet to be finished. “Fix the front steps. Paint my room. George won’t mind if his room isn’t freshly painted. Oh, dear. I must add, paint the living and dining rooms.” She scribbled the additions.

She sighed. Would there be time? Even with the house looking its best, she still couldn’t fix the fact that it would be drafty and maybe chilly, depending on the weather. Craig wouldn’t be comfortable. Was it worth it to do all this, if he refused to come anyway?

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