This
winter I’ve been focused on clearing out – using up what’s on hand and
replacing with fresh if need be. It’s amazing how things just sorta sit in the
cupboard getting old, and it happens all through the house if I’m not on my
toes.
Some
things get old gracefully and it doesn’t matter if we hoard them. Case in
point: candles. My mother was a candle hoarder and I guess I inherited that
tendency from her. In fact, I still have some of her candles on the farm. I
suspect Mother kept some candles as an emergency precaution against the time
when she might be without electricity, and candles should always be part of our
readiness plan. But rotation is good is every aspect of life, and this year I’m
using my candles – tea candles, votive candles, pillars, tapers, jar candles, and
decorative candles. I’ve made good progress in using up what I have on hand,
and I will replace them.
Other
things get old, too. My towels are rags before I part with them – likewise my
sheets. Let’s not even talk about the underwear drawers. Then there’s Mike’s
wardrobe. Identifying a box of rags in the attic years ago, Clint remarked that
for Mike they would be everyday clothes.
More
important is the food. I like to have staples on hand, but sometimes they stay
on the shelf longer than I realize. This winter I’ve paid attention to
expiration dates on cans and packages as I cook, and I’ve also researched my
supplies and planned meals around goods that need to be used. I’ve combined partial
packages of baking chips and dried fruits in cookies, and I’ve tossed a few
things.
It’s
amazing what gets old. I found a tube of toothpaste on the farm with an
expiration of 2008. (I used it anyway – shhhhh.) But the winner is the jar of
“IcyHot.”
Mike
tweaked his back last week and when that happens, he asks me to massage it, and
this time he made a new request – rub in IcyHot.
“I
bet that stuff expired 25 years ago,” I said.
“1991,”
he read from the bottom of the jar. We laughed –and used it anyway. He said he
felt some “iciness” from it and my hand felt “icy,” but I suspect its effectiveness
isn’t what it was prior to 1991. Yes, it’s on my grocery list. KW
[Photos: Nellie learned long ago that Mike drops Sugar Babies and peanuts on the floor in the pantry and volunteered to keep it clean. It's a job she performs at least once a day -- usually while I cook supper. If the pantry door is closed, she waits patiently for me to open it.]
Oh, I love this post! I'm a fan of sorting!! (OCD anyone?) And it's such a virtuous thing. :-)
ReplyDeleteSugar Babies?? Be still my heart--I haven't thought of them in years. They still make them? (No! I WILL NOT go looking for them. I hope...)
Obviously I can't brag on sorting virtue . . .
ReplyDeleteWe get our Sugar Babies at the Clarkston Dollar Tree store. I've discovered that not all Dollar Trees are equal, but you could check there. These days they come in a rectangular box in the tradition yellow and red colors. I don't eat them much and I don't know how Mike gets away with it. But -- if I am hungry for their sugary goodness, I nuke them for 5 seconds. They also have small Sugar Daddies.
Mike also enjoys Tootsie Pops (big box at Costco) and mini Tootsie Rolls.
Does Nellie find a Sugar Baby EVERY day??
ReplyDeleteMike questioned that, too, but Nellie finds something often enough to remain dedicated to the pantry. Your dad pours Sugar Babies into his mouth from the box, and I don't think he realizes how often one of them escapes to the floor. Nellie does, though. And apparently they have a little aroma to them because she knows if there's one behind a bottle or sack or whatever.
ReplyDelete