<p>"Cleaning up the kitchen" = Wiping the lipstick off the milk carton</p>
<p>When YOU have to mow the lawn and realize you had forgotten how hard it is to do. When you can run around nekkid (inside, of course).</p>
<p>When it takes a lot less time to wash the dishes and a lot more time till the dishwasher is full</p>
<p>My friends story: Her son goes to school and dorms about an hour and a half away</p>
<p>WHen your son calls and asks where his long johns are, you tell him and he goes thanks, I am leaving now!!!</p>
<p>Leaving where?</p>
<p>Oh, leaving our house the house!!</p>
<p>How did you get in? and why didn't you tell me you were gonna be home, we could have had lunch</p>
<p>Oh, I jumped the neighbors fence, climbed up the back porch and climbed through your bedroom window, and no time!! Gotta go!!</p>
<p>S was here for fall break this past weekend. Sure enough I go into his room last night and find 1/2 eaten food and 1/2 full soda can, a wet towel on the floor, the unmade bed and the clothes he no longer needs at school on the floor. I go to the basement and on the coffee table is yet another 2 cans of empty soda, and a 1/2 bag of ranch quakes. Yep he sure was here and left bits of reminders for me throughout the house. And the dishwasher got turned on after one day. I was just getting used to turning it one about once every 3-4 days. Oh but I loved having him here for that short time.</p>
<p>When the phone is oddly quiet, but if it rings, it's for me.</p>
<p>buying milk by the qt vs by the gal.</p>
<p>... when the cat finally ventures out of S2's room, looking for company, more than a month after S2 left. And he lets me know I am not who he is looking for. (He is a one-man cat.)</p>
<p>... when I drive past the HS, and realize that the messages on the sign board have absolutely nothing to do with my life.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, the cat thing! My D's cat has been acting like a needy toddler, mewing all over the house, putting his paws on my knees, wanting to be held, standing outside D's door not understanding why he can't go in. (Left alone to his own devices unsupervised he chews wires.) It's been two months now, and it hasn't abated. On the other hand, he's good company in front of the TV!</p>
<p>cgm: Thanks for the laugh!! </p>
<p>and ditto the cat thing...</p>
<p>well, I know my D is really gone because when we do laundry, I know all the clothes, especially, those tiny little thongs belong to just one D and there is only one type of shampoo to buy</p>
<p>My brother does all the laundry in his house. Once upon a time I questioned the comfort of thongs and he piped up with the information that all three women in his household love wearing tiny thongs--exclusively. The image of my big burly brother folding baskets of tiny thongs--priceless.</p>
<p>Having the washer & dryer free on a sunday night!</p>
<p>The cat thing is ditto here...She sits outside of S closed bedroom door and wails for him.</p>