Do You Snoop?

Do I snoop? Hmmm... I'll let you be the judge.

One of my best friends and I babysit each other's dogs which is a very nice and convenient arrangement. As all pet owners know, "Who's going to watch the baby?" ...oops, I mean the dog, cat, guinea pig, snake, turtle, fish, or whatever dependent creature(s) residing with us, can sometimes be an issue. It's one of the first things we want to check off on our list of things to do before leaving our homes for an extended amount of time. My friend (I'll call her BFF) and I don't have to worry about our dogs unless both of us are on vacation at the same time, and in that case, we hire our friendly neighborhood pet sitter.

So BFF calls me to let me know she'll be gone a day and a half. "No problem," I say, "I'm in town."

On my first trip over to let the two pooches relieve themselves, I notice a pan on her cooktop--a shiny, pretty, new, pine green pan. I just bought a frying pan a couple days ago, an expensive Calphalon, that is a typical black and gray color. Darling Husband bought a smaller one a week prior to my purchase. Our scratched and peeling pans have been on our minds, hence, the sudden interest in cookware.

"Hmmm... I wonder what kind of pan that is?"

I lift it to find the brand name, and...

"Oops, there's liquid in it."

It's a cloudy morning so hardly any sunlight is coming through the kitchen window. Maybe that's why I didn't see anything in the pan; or maybe it's the ol' diminishing eyesight.

"Umph. Why is there water in a frying pan?"   *wishful thinking*

I put my finger in the water just to make sure I'm right.

I'm not.
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IT'S OIL! AND IT'S ALL OVER THE COOKTOP!

"Oh, Snap!" as my oldest daughter says.

I grab the paper towels as I watch a line of it drizzle down the cabinet. Six paper towels later and I've hardly made a dent in the mess. And what do I do with them?

Over to the doggy box, I quickly grab a poop bag, a.k.a. a Food Lion bag, to put the greasy paper towels in.

Progress.

But as you know, grease needs a serious combatant, i.e. soap or a degreaser. I look under the sink where I find Windex, but no Fantastik or 409 spray.

"I'd better spray a little of this Windex on the slippery spot on the floor; wouldn't want anyone to slip and fall."

"I don't know about squirting the cooktop; don't know the effect of this chemical when BFF turns on the burner to cook, plus the grate is greasy, too."

Sooo... I know what I gotta do--fill the sink with hot, soapy water to finish cleaning the cooktop and to dunk the grate.

Success.

I pour the remainder of the oil from the pan (that I've splashed soap suds in) into the mess of bagged paper towels and reinforce by putting that bag into another plastic bag. Food Lion bags are notorious for having small holes in the bottom.

My dog, Layla, during this escapade, has eaten a meal from one of BFF's dogs' bowls, so I refill it, say goodbye to the pups and leave; grease bag in hand to put in my outside garbage can.

Was I snooping?

Usually, when in someone's home alone, I don't touch anything that I don't need to touch. Of course, I couldn't help but SEE BFF's fancy cowgirl rainboots on the floor in the kitchen and a ladder leaning against the wall and her new vaccum cleaner still in the box and that shiny...new...pan!

Okay, so I have gone in the fridge once for some feta cheese. Oh, and once to the cabinet for some vanilla flavor.

But, I must say that I try to avert my eyes from paper work. You never know what's on a letter or document. I'd rather be told by the homeowner than to see and possibly misinterpret on my own.

But a shiny, new pan...