I was kneeling on the living room floor the other night, folding a pair of his long underwear from the pile of clothes fresh from the dryer, when I glanced over and saw Farmbeau gazing at me with warm affection. I said, “It’s the sight of a woman doing your laundry, isn’t it? Ah ha! Now you know how I feel when I see you checking the oil in my van.”

The other morning I got up earlier than usual and sat in the living room, drinking my first cup of coffee. When the fire’s been going a while, the living room is the cosiest room in the house, and of course with the couch and chairs there, it’s the most comfortable. Farmbeau joined me with his coffee, and had a good gab. He had the gab. It takes me a while to feel like talking. But he was pleased to have someone to talk to.