It’s going to be a very different Christmas in our home this
year. First Born and The Groom will be spending their first Christmas as a
married couple in their Philadelphia apartment. Second Born will be celebrating
her Christmas and the end of her semester abroad in Rome with her best friend.
Because Spouse is on call for his job we’re not able to make much in the way of
plans. I was just thinking that maybe it’s time for a change in seasonal
decorating, when a unique motif presented itself quite by accident.
A few days before we were leaving for our Excellent Adventure I
somehow veered off on a cleaning spree. It wasn't on purpose - cleaning never
happens on purpose in my house.
I headed toward the bathroom planning to grab a few washcloths
for our impending trip abroad. Don't ask me why - someone suggested bringing
washcloths. Upon opening the drawer that I’ve been stuffing washcloths into for
several months (years maybe), several of them threatened to jump out at me. I
dug a little deeper to find out what was causing the overflow that I had been
ignoring.
Toothbrushes, that's what. Old toothbrushes had been stuffed
into the bottom of the drawer under the washcloths. I do believe there was a
couple in there from when First Born was in middle school (she’s 27). These
were old toothbrushes that would most likely never be used for anything but had
been saved "just in case" we needed to scrub every wall in the house
with them.
Let me just point out that the idea of saving these toothbrushes for future use is not based on factual studies or previous experience. At no time did Spouse ever wipe out a dozen or more brushes while cleaning grout. We have become toothbrush hoarders because nobody said to stop saving them. I have to admit it made for a colorful array of handles against washcloths. Naturally, I took a picture.

Besides this not-so-interesting discovery in the bottom of the washcloth
drawer I also unearthed 12 plastic clothespins. On occasion I will put
something on a hanger and need a couple of extra clips to keep it on there
while it dries hanging in the bathroom. Apparently this collection of a few
clips morphed into half the bag of clothespins, which explains why I always run
out during the summer when I’m hanging clothes outside.
It’s a mystery to me how the smallest room in the house with the
least amount of drawers has become the collection room. We won’t even discuss the
bathroom cabinets. Even though they go through a period cleaning (is every
three years considered periodic?) I strongly believe someone sneaks in when we
are at work and jams another box of bandaids or an extra tube of sunblock in
there just to mess with me.
At this point the last thing I should be concerned about is
what’s in the bathroom drawers. I’m leaving within hours for vacation and there
is still plenty to get done. In fact, I just thought of one more thing I can’t
quite scratch off my to-do list yet.
I still haven't packed washcloths.
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