The walrus and the carpenter

The dog hates the carpenter. He can’t wait to eat him. I don’t know what the carpenter really did to antagonize such a people-loving dog. One time Esperando went back to talk to the carpenter and Sweet Pickle came with him. The carpenter didn’t realize Esperando was there and he started teasing the dog. The Storyteller and Esperando tell me the dog is picking up on my dislike of the carpenter and is hostile toward him because of that, but I tell you I don’t even have to be around and the dog will bark and growl at him.

The carpenter is one of the few Mexicans here who speaks pretty good English. He is a Jehovah’s Witness and occasionally wants to preach to you. We had two days for Mexican Independence day, and he was here right in our faces hammering away, what ought to have been restful time off was not so. Esperando asked him if he wasn’t taking the two days of holiday, and he said, no, he only celebrates the Lord’s last supper, and nothing to do with Mexico. One day when he entered the room labeled “El Diablo” (remember my rooms are labeled with the Mexican loteria cards and El Diablo is card #2 hence Room #2) he started to lecture me about Satan.

He wants to cozy up to us so he will get more work. He does do really fine carpentry, so I can’t fault him there. But the problem is you can’t turn him off when he starts talking. Both the Texican and I are busy with our own projects and he tries to invade our space. He is always here working when we are trying to eat lunch or dinner because he starts working at 10:30 am, takes a break at 3 pm for lunch and is back here by 6 pm working again. He brings his 9-year old son with him sometimes and the boy stands outside and stars at me through the window.

This morning the carpenter came into my room (while I was in the bathroom!) to tell me he would be working on the doors at the other end of the house. I was a little annoyed he didn’t send the cook or the maid in to find me, or knock on the door. I told him I would keep the animals in my room. In the meantime Sweet Pickle was trying to slink around the table to get away from him but the carpenter was standing between us, then he started waving his hat and Sweet Pickle immediately turned barking and would have attacked him. I had to drag the snarling dog into my bedroom and tell the carpenter how to behave so the dog would not attack him. I said, “you have been mean to the dog and he is afraid of you. Don’t wave your hat at him, or make aggressive movements, it scares him and that is why he is trying to attack you.” “I didn’t do anything,” the carpenter said. “Yes you did, you were mean to him,” I responded, “that is why he does this.’” The carpenter was silent.