Father-in-law passes the buck
Give this one more try. Send her a card or an email (if possible). Say, "It was so great to run into you again! Here's my contact information in case you want to reconnect." And then leave the connecting up to her.
Dear Amy: Wow, I identified with "Grunged," who is stuck with disgusting housemates.
When I last roomed with two guys and a gal, we developed a solution.
We agreed to and referred to it as the 24-hour rule.
If one made a mess in the kitchen and did not clean it up within 24 hours, the dishes landed on that person's pillow at the end of that period. It cured all future kitchen cleanups.
-- Grunge Solution
Dear Solution: This would be hard to implement in a large household where all were separate renters. But it's a great solution among friends.
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(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: ASKAMY@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)
