“The decorating season is over. I have painted all the kitchens in Stillwater; I have prepared all the rooms in Elm Street's new apartment building. There is no more work until spring, when people will want their houses painted."
Mr. Popper is conversing with his wife about his job uncertainties. His job is not stable, and it does not run all year round, making him worried. He is a house painter, and almost all houses in Stillwater have been painted until next season. The wife is also concerned, but she is comforting him that all shall be well though it will be boring to have him outside all day reading. Additionally, Mrs. Popper is worried that her little savings might not sustain them for long, so she has to adjust the food program, mainly by removing the beef from the shopping list.
“Shall we have beans every day?”
Janie and Bill are Mrs. Popper's children, and they are surprised to learn that their eating program is subject to adjustment due to the probable financial constraints. The work of their father has come to an abrupt end till next season. Mrs. Popper has little savings, which she doubts that it might not sustain them till next season. The kids are worried that they are not going to be eating beef. They are asking their mother if they will eat beans every day. Consequently, Bill and Janie are not happy with their mother’s decision to remove beef from the shopping list.
“I am reading a book called 'Antarctic Adventures.' It is very interesting. It tells all about the different people who have gone to the South Pole and what they have found there."
Mr. Popper is a man whose hobby is reading while at home. Besides doing his painting job, he loves reading adventure books to discover what different people are doing the other parts of the world. Mrs. Popper knows her husband's behavior, and she once told him that she would get bored when sweeping while he is reading his books. She later notices that Mr. Popper is reading, and she inquires which book he is reading. Mr. Popper replies that it is an adventure book about what people are doing in different parts of the world.
