Friday, March 16, 2012

On The Other Hand

 I like garbage day.

I like seeing all that trash and recycling go to the edge of the streets, then wait for the trucks to roar up and make it all go away.  

I know this is a politically incorrect stance, and I ought to be bemoaning our consumer driven culture.

But I love the magic of garbage day.

 Crust.

I'm the baba that the kids save their pizza crusts for.  "Mom- do you want this or should I throw it out?"  I'm your "one degree separation from garbage day" kind of gal.

The crusts of: bread, brownies, quiche, scalloped potatoes, cheese bread....  Ah!  Culinary bliss.

 Old packaging.  

I have been known to purchase numerous thrift store items primarily to oggle at its packaging.  Examples include:  a necktie holder, an Oster kitchen mixer, cocktail forks, pillowcases, cookie cutters, puzzles.

I have absolutely no logical plan for this collection.

 Hoarders.

Although I'm not a huge fan of television, and would happily cancel our cable, I have a secret compulsion.

Sneak up to my bedroom on sunday evening and indulge myself in TLC's : Hoarding, Buried Alive.  I find the psychology fascinating.  I always want to see a follow up show to see where these folks are at a year or five minutes later.  I think this would be a really major disorder to get under control.

 Nighties from another night.

The long, flowing, lace encrusted, slippery kind.  I don't like them to wear them.  I like them to hang up beside my bed and look at.

I wear one of Brian's t-shirts.

 Fridays.

I know this is not an original thought.  Everyone loves Friday.

Here are some of my reasons:  Friday means that I'm on the very last day of five ten hour days of being patient patient patient with other people's preschoolers.  Friday means that I won't make lunch again until Monday.  Friday means that all the sippy cups go into the dishwasher, the throw pillows go back onto the couch, the high chairs get hidden, there's no baby sleeping in my closet, food will cease being thrown on my floor, and I can leave the remote controls on the coffee table.  Friday means that Brian will come home with coke, chips, and white cheddar popcorn (ie crack cocaine).  The kids will eat pizza (if they're lucky and I think to feed them at all), play video games til their eyes bleed, while I sip on something tall and cold.  On Friday I'll wipe all my surfaces, vacuum like its going to last for more than five minutes, and maybe switch up my collections; just for fun.

Friday means we might have people over.  Comfortable, gracious people who come with food and wine, and sit at our table til the wee hours of the morn.  Or we'll have no one over and have a party for two over feta stuffed chili peppers and ice cold beer.

Friday means that the whole weekend stretches before us.  Saturday could be about sleeping in and thrift hunting for treasure.  It might contain catching up with sister/friends, organizing something that's been bugging me all week, or finding a creative surge for my sewing machine.  Sunday will be about visiting my parents and hearing my dad tell stories he's never told before.  (the upside of a stroke-affected brain).  It may also be about hearing the same stories he's told every Sunday since his stroke.  But lately, his brain has leaked some new ones, and they're awesome.

Today's friday is special already.  I'll have only four little girls, and a birthday girl amongst them.  My friend Marie has invited us all over for a tea party, so we'll get all gussied up in tutus and beads and traipse over there in the sunshine.  We'll eat birthday cake in ice cream cones and drink apple juice tea.  The temperature promises to rise to an incredible 18 degrees, so we won't be seeing much of the indoors on this fine friday.

So there you have it.  Just a few things that I totally get.

I imagine on Monday morning I'll be right back at posting things I just don't get.  But for now, get on your happy, get outside, and think of all the GOOD!

4 comments:

Mary KG said...

Oh where have I been? Haven't checked your blog in eons . Finally remembered today. Too much Pinterest and Scrabble and painting??? Miss you my Schwester.

Anonymous said...

I totally get the crust thing, and the creme de la creme of all crusts would have to be the PIE crust. Unfortunately my kids love it to so I have to wait until my daughter-in-law and son's girlfriend come over for dessert(they have this ridiculous idea that the filling is the real treasure)and I run off to the kitchen with the dirty plates covertly gobbling up the abandoned crust ends. It's shameful! When I was a kid my mom used to make extra pie dough and roll into into a jelly roll with cinnamon and sugar, baking it up just for me. That's probably where this crazy fixation got started.

Wendy said...

I like garbage day too. It's like a fresh beginning. All those bins waiting to be filled. Actually I am constantly appalled at how much of our rubbish is just packaging. Mind boggling. There should be laws banning unnecessary food packaging. Bring back the plain paper wrapping and string bags, I say! ;)

Unlike you, I don't like crusts. I often cut them away - and they get put out for the seagulls. (We have such well fed birds - you should see the amount of poop on our car some days! Usually after the crusts have been put out. So my fault entirely then. I also think the local seagulls use our car as target practice before bombing the tourist cars down at the beach. Nasty birds..it's like biting the hand that feeds you.)

Roo said...

happy garbage day joyce! <3