Tomorrow begins the seven-day countdown to our family Christmas luncheon and I haven't lifted a finger in this house since I returned from Texas. Two days of solid rain and today's chill have dampened my already sorry enthusiasm for housekeeping. In solidarity with the coastal elites suffering heavy snow and ice, I took a nap this afternoon. Don't let it be said that we in flyover country don't feel their pain.

Maids work at a reasonable rate around here, but of course I couldn't let a maid see this house as filthy as it is, so I would have to do all kinds of cleaning before one came, which defeats the purpose.

Lyman tells me we have a mouse in the pantry, so I guess we need to set a trap. I asked him if he was sure it was a mouse, not a water bug (this being Louisiana), and he said he wasn't sure, but whatever it was scared him. We'll set the trap tonight with peanut butter. Big as some of these bugs are a mousetrap might be an environmentally sound alternative to insecticide.

We are greatly annoyed by the number of phone calls, automated and live, that we are receiving in the runup to the Congressional runoffs Saturday. Some stupid credit card company has seen fit to interject their ads into this flow, which strikes me as a waste of money when people are already hanging up once the recording clicks in. My mother-in-law called today to say that she received a call from Rudy Giuliani. We could top that, since President Bush had called around noon. His mom called yesterday. This should all cease at 8 pm Saturday. Ah, well, the parrot is getting practice at answering the phone.

I have been thinking about Possum's mother-in-law today, hoping that all goes well during her surgery and recovery.