What a busy weekend! Instead of enjoying my sisters' visits, I spent the time working with and supervising Bryan who helped so much in a quest for sparkle -as in sparkling home. Initially, the reason for the flurry of elbow grease activity was the expected visit from Margaret. Unfortunately, the first three Saturday AM flights were overbooked; Margaret and Kathleen (who was going to be a surprise) wisely decided to try again on a more propitious weekend. By then, Bryan and I were in the cleaning zone. Because the quest is still a work in progress, at first blush, everything is a mess. All of those items that need to find a permanent spot keep piling up. Upon closer inspection, however, the chrome and porcelain, and there is a lot of porcelain, are gleaming. I am so grateful to have had Bryan's help and muscle. During one break, Bryan won all of my pennies in a one-on-one Texas Hold'em poker game. It was too hot and humid and I went "all in" on a poor hand. I was happy to see those pennies leave the house - at least 600 of them.