I had a headmaster back in the Jurassic period who used to send the girls off on holiday breaks with the admonition that "fish and visitors smell after three days." I later learned that this was one of Ben Franklin's aphorisms, but at the time, it seemed pretty original to my 16 year old mind. And it's probably telling that I remember very little else about the headmaster--I'm sure he offered other lessons besides that one, but they didn't stick.
Our house is full of young men. They come and go, leaving in their wake a drift of debris--books, socks, empty soda cans. Apart from that exasperating trait, it's wonderful to have them. And in a few days, our lives will be quiet and dull once more. And while they have been here for more than three days, they don't smell yet. They may be slobs, but they take showers.
