The Car Wash

So what does one do when he has tired of flushing toilets, opening and closing garage doors, and running away....he washes cars. I really do not remember what caused Peter to become totally enamored with car washing, but I would have to say it is his all time favorite. Just a few days ago, while shopping at Target, I noticed Peter standing wishfully in front of the car wash supplies, coveting a new shamie. Not today Peter, put it on your birthday list. That of course was my method of procrastinating the purchase, as you see, we have been the proud owners of many shammy's who have saturated the laundry and spewed suds all over as shammy's in Peter's hands become laden with soap.
Reflecting, I will guess that I got a brainy idea one day that if I gave Peter a bucket of water with a touch of soap he would stay occupied for a period of time by washing my car. I was correct in that gut instinct as Peter could and still can spend hours in applying soap to a vehicle. Peter will meticulously apply the soap in circles, painting a white scene on the side of the car. This "painting" of soap can take literally hours and in the moment, he is immersed with the activity. However, he is not so hot on the rinsing part, but the applying....superb. Incredible amounts of soap will be placed in effort to clean.
Why the tons of lather, you ask? Harmless, you are thinking. Let me fill you in on a few details. Peter's idea of filling a bucket with soap and water meant that he would empty the entire bottle of Dawn into the pail . No amount of demonstration regarding "a drop" would change the behavior. In an effort to not travel daily to the grocery store to buy dish soap, I hid the bottles of detergent in areas I believed Peter would never find. Above the refrigerator, above the stove, in pots and pans. If I could find a good hiding spot I used it, as in time, Peter's dish soap radar always found my spots. Interestingly, occasionally, I still find an errant bottle of Dawn which appears in the most interesting location. During those days of playing hide the dish soap, .I cannot tell you how many times I resorted to Tide to clean my dishes, chagrined, as I was not going to the store. Reaching under my sink for the soap, it would be MIA and a cry of "Peter" slipped from my voice. Too late and too tired to go shopping, Tide was the dish soap for the evening.
Initially, my car washing idea was to do this event together...a bonding experience per say, with Peter washing, and I helping, and the end result...a nice shiny car. The perfect Norman Rockwell painting on a sunny summer day. However, because Peter loved the experience so much, he did not want to wait for the Norman Rockwell sunny days. Peter wanted to wash cars everyday, all year long. Basically, Peter followed the same behavior he did when he played the run out of the back door and go hide in a neighbors door frame when it came to car washing. With his bucket brimming with soap, and I in the bathroom or otherwise occupeid, Peter would go out and wash my car. He washed all my cars...minivans at the time so well, the paint was danger of coming off. Because of his rinse issue or lack of finishing the job, I also became at frequent flyer at the local spray car wash, no matter the time of day or night. Peter was so good at the sneaking out, that he could apply the soap, return inside, and appear as if nothing happened. Many mornings, as I was leaving for work, did I realize that my now burgundy car was white. Usually, cutting my time close, I prayed for rain on those days. And if people stared, no big deal, I just smiled and waved...if they only knew, I thought!
One of Peter's "best jobs" was the night his bro and his bro's date agreed to watch Peter for me while I left for a few hours. I am not sure how much watching was going on as when I returned late on that cold frigid night, there stood Mike's girlfriend's car...looking like a Lemon Meringue Pie, completely covered in white frozen soap. Now there is a way to get to a girl's heart. Luckily, Mike's good friend worked at a gas station with a car wash that stayed opened late...so you where that date ended.
Peter's love for car washing remains to this day. And so, a new theme to discuss...car wash theme.