Speaking of First-Name Basis...

I never realized how many people it takes to keep a house going. And I'm on a first name basis with all of them. There's Margarita who cleans for me, Jason who cleans my carpets, Jim and Bob who are my painters, Rankine, my handyman, Robert, my lawnman, Christy, my decorator/drapery lady, Randy, my UPS guy, another Randy who sprays my boxwoods, Aaron, my arborist, Sara and Missi, my garden girls, Pat, my pool boy (no, he's not that cute, otherwise he'd be my cabana boy), Michelle, my exterminator, Tommy, my heat and air guy, Jeff, my plumber and of course, Paul, my leak detector and Connie, my---wait, she's my friend. There are so many people coming and going all the time that the lines are getting blurred between business associates and friends. Even when Mindy's home, she comments on the fact that there always seems to be someone around. That's just how it is. Sometimes I really do wish I wasn't so darn particular about everything.