Lucy needs work to become a gracious hostess.

"Rawwwkkk" is an unacceptable response to a little tension during intense food preparation, appropriate as it might be. Non-ending "rawwwkkks" when one is weary of company are also unacceptable.

Unfortunately, I think these responses are the result of being emotionally bonded to her primary caregiver: me.

When Michael loaded my car to return to Baton Rouge Tuesday, Jason wasn't feeling well, so he stayed behind. He spent most of the rest of the week on the sofa with the television tuned in to something or other, even when he was asleep.

Since Jason was here, there were endless phone calls from friends and visits from the grandparents.

Michael returned with my car on Thursday night, and they finally left at 5 on Friday afternoon.

By then, Lucy was throwing fits, with grandma saying to her, "Lucy just wants everybody to go home, doesn't she? She's tired of all these people, isn't she?"

"Rawwwkkkk! Rawwwwkkkk! Rawwwwwkkkkkk!"

Grandma would then sit down at the bar and begin telling the story of the talking parrot that she knew as a child for the tenth time this week.

Lucy was counting on bye-byes Tuesday.

So was I.