Andrew Jackson stamped his feet on the step to remove the snow from his boots and then stepped into the house where Rose greeted him from the kitchen.
“How’s the weather?” she wanted to know.
“Pretty nice,” said Andrew. “It’s not windy anyway which is the important thing.” He hung his parka up in the closet and headed into the kitchen. “Do you know what the difference is between shovelling snow and using a snow blower?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” said Rose.
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“Shovelling snow makes you feel like a slave,” said Andrew. “But using a snow blower makes you feel like a god! And lo, I commanded the snow to be gone, and it was gone!”
Rose laughed out loud. “How would the god of the snow feel about folding some laundry?” she said.
“He would not feel good about that at all,” said Andrew. “But he would love to invent a laundry blower, if that would help.”
“I’m sure it would help,” said Rose. “Then you could be the god of the snow and I could be the goddess of the laundry I suppose. But I’m not sure how a laundry blower would work.”
“Nobody knows how it would work,” said Andrew. “If we knew how it would work then we could just build it. But somebody has to invent it first. It would be a machine that you could load your clean clothes into and it would fold them and put them away.”
“The Jetsons had one of those,” said Rose. “There are two reasons for trying to invent something, you know,” she added. “To help get things done, or to avoid doing the things that need to get done. I’m pretty sure you inventing a laundry blower falls into the second category.”
Andrew poured himself a cup of coffee at the counter. “I won’t argue with you there,” said Andrew. He sat down at the table and leaned back in his chair. “After I finish my coffee,” he said, “I will quickly help you with the laundry, if you insist, but then I have to go to the farm to help Randy fix the tractor.”
“What’s wrong with the tractor?” asked Rose.
“It’s just the hydraulics for the loader,” said Andrew. “Nothing serious. But we have to fix it so he can use it to clear snow.”
“I see,” said Rose. “Well, I wouldn’t insist on the laundry, but it would be helpful since I planned to start the Christmas baking today.”
Andrew set his coffee cup down.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he said.
“I don’t know,” said Rose. “What do you think I’m saying?”
“I think you’re saying that if I play my cards right today,” said Andrew, “there may be a cream cheese cookie or a butter tart for dessert tonight before bedtime.”
“Well that’s not technically what I was saying,” said Rose, “but there may well be a cream cheese cookie or two that gets too dark, or a butter tart that breaks when I take it out of the muffin tin, which you definitely would have a good chance of getting if you behave yourself today.”
“I will behave,” said Andrew, “like an angel.”
“I thought you were behaving like a god,” said Rose.
“I’m done with that,” said Andrew. “Till next time it snows.” He took a sip of coffee. “Is it really almost Christmas already?” he said.
“Almost,” said Rose. “A month exactly.”
Andrew pondered that for a moment. “I guess that means we have to go Christmas shopping,” said Andrew. “Frankly, I’d rather fold laundry.”
“Oh come on,” said Rose. “It’s too early to start grinching. And anyway, I have it all under control. I know what everybody wants except the grandkids. We just have to take a day off and go to the city and get it all and then we can go to Toad Hall Toys and pick stuff out for the little ones. You know you love Toad Hall.”
“I just remembered why I married you,” said Andrew.
“Really? Why?” said Rose.
“Because you’re a genius,” said Andrew. “You’re the goddess of having everything under control at all times.”
“I thought you married me because I was the hottest babe in the municipality,” said Rose.
“Nope,” said Andrew. “You still are the hottest babe in the municipality, but I married you for your mind.”
“And for my organizational abilities,” said Rose.
Andrew nodded. “And for your cookies,” he said. “You are an organizational genius, a master chef and a hot babe. You are in fact completely perfect in every way.”
Rose smiled. “And that,” she said “is why I married you.”
“What?” said Andrew. “Because I’m perfect?”
“No,” said Rose. “Because you see me as I really am.”
