Our Newest Family Member

Meet Dave's new toy, my new housekeeper, and Gidget's worse enemy.

The Roomba.

In the rush of the Holidays, exotic illnesses, and get-away vacations, Dave and I neglected to ever report on our Christmas Holiday!! Dave's sister Jennifer spent the holidays with us, and arrived with a suitcase stuffed with presents! Since the Roomba wouldn't fit in the suitcase, Dave's parents bought a copy of the movie "I Robot" and slipped a picture of the Roomba inside the casing (the company that makes the Roomba is called "I Robot").

The Roomba is from Dave's parents, and I REALLY like it. I was worried it would be a gadget that didn't do what it advertised...but I seriously underestimated the geniuses that work at I Robot. It goes under and around furniture, can vacuum under the bed, gets up the cat hair that our normal vacuum doesn't get, and it doesn't seem to miss many spots. All this while we're at work. These things are so smart I'm convinced that they might actually try to take over the world, and Will Smith will have to save us all. Then again, as long as I don't have to vacuume, I'm willing to share the world with the Roombas. I'm sure they will be kind and benevolent leaders. If you're interested in a Roomba, they have fairly inexpensive refabricated models on Amazon.com.

Notice how sneaky Gidget thinks she's being as she slowly creeps up behind the Roomba. Dave was also thrilled to learn that it came with a remote, and has been chasing her with the Roomba ever since. This leads to a cleaner house and picks up cat hair as it is deposited on the floor, so I have no objection. My Roomba manual assures me that pets will eventually adapt and become friends with the Roomba. So far Gidget isn't convinced.

Maybe we should see how she reacts to the Scooba...