Saturday, September 23, 2006

When Life Gives You Lemons...



Refrigerate them.
Just a thought.


Thank Goodness for St. Joseph
I've heard - as has just about anyone who has sold a house - that if you plant a statue of St. Joseph upside down in your lawn you'll sell your house incredibly quickly.

Now, we're not in a big rush - as a matter of fact, if the house sells, dandy, but if not, we'll still be in a place we love. So I don't know what posessed me to order St. Joseph online, but he showed up today along with a testimonial scroll

"I'm not Catholic, but who am I to argue with success?" reads one of the comments.


Also included was a prayer to recite every day for 9 days or until the house sells.

Gerry said we should just plant a bottle of aspirin.

So today - Rosh Hashana - our Jewish / Methodist family planted a Catholic saint in our yard under the daisies. THIS is life in South Orange!

And what do you know? As soon as I planted it our real estate agent called to say that a couple who'd come to the open house wanted to come by for a 2nd look, and then another realtor called and wanted to bring folks by in an hour. Of course we said "YES!" and scampered around, tidying up the house and making ourselves scarce by 5:00 pm. We went to Maplewood and got pizza. We came back at 5:45 (the realtor said they'd be gone at 5:30) and they were still here. Luckily, only I came in to see if the coast was clear, and as I was fleeing who should come up the walk but Mr. Butkis with a bunny in his mouth. Poor bunny.

As I deposed the rabbit corpse into the trash at the side of the house I thought, "Thank heaven I saw the bunny first and not the realtor or prospective buyers!"

So we drove to the park and ate our pizza. Then we came home and ripped the carpeting off of the stairs and the lathe beneath it. My hands are covered in blisters, I'm exhausted, and tomorrow we have to paint the stair risers before the next batch comes through in the afternoon. We will - but why on earth did we get a bee in our bonnet do to that?

Off to bed - I'll dream of painters blue masking tape wrapped around St. Joseph.

9 Comments:

Adriana said...

I have never heard of the connection between planting a St Joseph upside down in the front garden for good luck in selling a house. However, as a daughter of Italian Cathoilcs, superstitions are common and popular in our culture, so maybe the idea originates from Italy... I am very happy he's come through for you though.

September 24, 2006 3:36 AM  
La Cabeza Grande said...

LOL. Pragmatic and funny husband of yours! A bottle of aspirin...

September 24, 2006 7:25 AM  
raquel said...

eeheehehehehehe this makes me laugh hehehehehe I was telling my hubby yesterday that today I should buy a Saint Joseph for my mom&dad's house here in miami. It's been in the market too many days...(even though it's brand new!). We are catholics, but I like to think that if you need help you can ask for it and get it, and the catholics saints can help anyone!By the way... Saint Hude it's the Saint of the impossible things (just in case)

September 24, 2006 10:17 AM  
Amanda said...

When my ex and I moved into our house in Morris Plains (!), we found one of those statues buried in the garden. When we demo-ed and redid the bathroom, we stuck him in the wall behind the drywall.
It made sense at the time. :-)

(also, I did not know you lived in SO!! if you ever shopped at the W Orange Barnes & Noble, I may have met you, as I managed it for a while...)

September 24, 2006 10:59 AM  
Anonymous said...

still life with moldy lemons...NOT an idea for an intarsia design for a knitted dress.

l'shana tovah to you and your family. may all of you have a sweet year indeed!

anne marie in philly

September 24, 2006 11:50 AM  
Sheila said...

Hi, Annie,
Hope you have good luck with St. Joseph. The real estate market on the Shore is terrible.

September 24, 2006 2:23 PM  
Mary-Lou said...

Wow! the things you learn in Blogland! - all these years of (lapsed) catholicism, and I didn't know that about St Joseph. Hope it works!

September 25, 2006 1:21 AM  
YajB (WoolleyMomMyth) said...

My wishes to you and yours for a boringly good and uneventful new year!

September 29, 2006 2:32 AM  
YajB (WoolleyMomMyth) said...

Oy the dichotomy - St. Joe, lemons, and what all.
Those refurbished stairs that come after this entry are looking mighty handsome! Kudos and kol hakavod on a job well done.

My wishes to you and yours for a boringly good new year!

September 29, 2006 2:37 AM  

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