What a difference a day makes

5 pm -- first “real” company guests arrive from the Vancouver office
I turn on ice making machine on at 5 pm so ice will be ready for drinks at 6 pm
During cocktails cook comes charging out of the kitchen practically in tears
Little red ants swarming over the counter next to the stove
These ants bite hard cook says.
I mop up the ants up with Clorox wipes
Cook asks me for talcum powder to discourage ants
I spend hours trying to locate can of talcum powder which I unpacked and put somewhere
Cook empties the entire cupboard and dusts with talcum powder
Despite unplanned kitchen episode, dinner is delicious, shrimp Mexican style
Carry empty plates back into kitchen
Have cheesecake Cook made 5 days ago and kept in fridge until now
Convince cook to use dishwasher so I can put drink glasses in later
Cook leaves at 7:30 pm
Realize cook has turned washer on when she left, turn it off so I can put drink glasses in later
Guests and I sit out on back porch partying until 8 pm then go to bed
I go around house locking five outside doors and turning on outside lights
Turn off ice machine
I go to bed
Wake up wired at 4:30 in the morning and feed pets
Take bath and get dressed
Go out to kitchen at 6 am and make coffee, set the table
Coffee pot on the blink, takes an hour to make coffee
Go around house turning off outside lights and unlocking doors
7 am cook arrives
Tell assembled guests breakfast options: cereal, omelet, eggs and toast, bacon, fruit
We want huevos rancheros-can't we have huevos rancheros? they say
Cook makes huevos rancheros
8 am maid arrives and tells me we will not have water for all day.
City has turned the water off, unannounced
Water will also be turned off all day on Monday
I decide Koreans better stay in hotel on Monday, not here.
Call office and tell them to make hotel reservation for Koreans on Monday.
Call office back and tell them Koreans arrive on Sunday, add day to previous reservation
How do we clean without water the maid asks?
I feel copeless, I say I don’t know
Water issue sinks in—no water to flush
2 pm the office guys finally get locally hired water truck to dump water in our tanks
Tell cook to make fruit plates for lunch
Guest and I have a lunch of fruit and cottage cheese
Tell guest I am going to take a nap and off we go to our respective rooms
Lie down
Phone rings and it is some guy I can’t understand
Walk around to the other side of the house and hand the phone to the maid
She talks to the guy on the phone and tells me it is the phone company
Want to come check our internet connection but are afraid of the dog
They will come right away
We wait 15 minutes
They show up in an hour
No nap
The cook returns at 3
Guest is has fallen ill, Montezuma’s revenge
I tell staff, no Koreans are staying but we will have bbq on Monday night as planned
4 pm the two maids leave for the day
5 pm turn ice machine back on for drinks

24 little hours