Ninja Squirrel & Communication Problems

I would like to share two, count them, two stories with you today. One involving a ninja squirrel and the other involving me being a little to ambitious with my spanish skills. (P.S. Never taken Spanish in my life).

So here goes.... for the past month I have noticed a major problem with putting the garbage out on our doorstep. The squirrels will undoubtedly want a midnight snack, and I wake up in the morning to a decimated garbage bag. So yes, I learned my lesson - no more leaving the garbage out overnight. But what about ten minutes? ...Come on! I should be able to set it outside for ten minutes....wrong!!

Today I set it on the porch, grabbed a few things, and headed out, only to find that again the ninja squirrel had struck...and this time he had a fascination with my empty starbucks cup and our dryer sheets. He must have binoculars in the nearby tree - and I imagine him very stealth like and with an expensive taste for Starbucks coffee and soft clothes. I hope I learned my lesson this time!

The second story involves some of the painters that have been around our apartment complex for the past three weeks. They decided to paint the entire complex, so it has been a massive undertaking. I always smile and wave at the guys and usually ask how they are doing. I quickly noticed that they don't speak english, and so wouldn't really answer me when I asked how they were. So today, I came up the stairs and using my best spanish said "Hola!" The guy smiled and replied back to me, "Hola!" Then I decided to take it one step further.."Como Estas?" .....and then came his answer, which ended up lasting a couple of minutes, and I think involved something about paint, the weather, and probably something about my ninja squirrel!

Unfortunately, all I knew to say back was ,"Muy Bien, Gracias!"...with a big wide smile! I think it was just about that time he realized that I don't speak Spanish... Maybe I'll just stick with "Hi," the next time I see him!