on kitchen countertops

There's nothing like having a freshly scrubbed kitchen countertop, pristine and cleared of clutter.


It's a battle, though, to keep it that way. There must be an inner compulsion in each member of this household that drives us to put things on the countertop. The empty space beckons us to spread out one's cartooning supplies, the monsters made of Sculpey, the assorted recipes that we'll be using to keep the family fed and content. The mail from yesterday. The avocado pit, stuck with toothpicks and balanced in a small juice cup of water, in hopes that we can get it to sprout--aptly named "Sputnik" by my daughter. And one mustn't forget the cups, plates, bowls, and flatware that never quite make it to the dishwasher, but instead stack up on the countertop, awaiting Somebody's attention.

I hope Somebody gets here soon. I'm running out of space.