More Examples

Dad’s 100th birthday party is now less than 2 weeks away, and we are trying to put the finishing touches on the house, yard, and details. I have mentioned that Kate has worked incessantly trimming plants in the yard for months. She believes (correctly, I think) that pruning the shrubbery helps to let in light that ultimately leads to the shrub’s filling out. The problem I have seen from the beginning is that they looked good when she started, and I wanted to have everything looking good for the party. She has trimmed things back so much now that she is now going to spend money hiring someone to buy and plants new plants to fill in the bare spaces she has created. I have tried to diplomatically mention the need to stop pruning, but she has taken offense. I backed off and have let things go. If it’s bare, it’s bare. I’ll focus on other things.

Another issue is that we have been collecting gnats in the house. She does not fully rinse yogurt containers and other containers and plates and leaves them on the counter. Not wanting to hurt her, I told her the other night that I discovered a yogurt container that I had left in the house covered with gnats because it had not been rinsed well. I suggested that we would have to watch that if we wanted to control the gnats. It means nothing. She continues to leave items with food on them; so I am trying to control myself and just not say anything. While I can do this, it is quite frustrating.