Hoarders?? No! We Are Keepers of Really Important Stuff

Thanksgiving is over. And yes, I still have some leftovers in the fridge which will be disposed of before the month is out, maybe. Sometimes I like to think of the refrigerator as a science experiment gone awry, but it's my fault, really, since my husband has this problem about throwing stuff away, even refrigerator stuff. It's a guilt thing...throwing out food when folks are starving all over the world. Our mamas drummed it into us just as their mamas drummed it into them. It's what mamas do.

Our daughter kept calling us hoarders at Thanksgiving. Granted, we have accumulated a lot of stuff in the past 42 years, but I don't look at us as hoarders. It's just that we both think that maybe we'll use that old frying pan someday. Of course, all the non stick surface has been scratched and scrapped away, but we could start seedlings in it for spring planting.....well, we could. Okay, Maybe that pan does need to go.

I have a huge black garbage bag full of discarded clothes to go to our charitable thrift store here in town. It's been in my car for a month. Things have been periodically added to it. That gawdawful yellow sweater (and yellow is my favorite color) I put on this morning to wear to work is going to be added to the bag. Why I bought that thing is beyond me. The material is a thin sweater knit. The color is pale and it is about the most unflattering thing I've put on in a long time. It showed way too much flesh through the material, lumpy, not svelte flesh.. I still picture myself (quit dreaming Brooks!) as a slender young woman of 25. That young woman disappeared a long time ago. And that yellow sweater is going to disappear, too.

I have so many pairs of flip flops that I could just about start my own beach footwear store, only these things are ugly, faded, and probably some are 20 years old. I haven't worn many of them in about that many years. And, let's face it, I also have flip flops with no partner. I wonder if there is a reality show for this. And the moldy old Birkenstocks are hideous. Why do I still have these?

I have so many plastic storage containers that I do believe they are being fruitful and multiplying. The burning question is...how come I have so many lids, but not near as many containers to fit them on? If I open a door, they sometimes come tumbling out. What do I do? I quickly shove them back on the shelf and dare them to fall out again. It's a losing battle. Those plastic thingies have brains. And some are pockmarked from being put in the microwave when they shouldn't have. Some are stained reddish pink from spaghetti sauce. I think I can safely say that they should be tossed. Maybe I'll do just that this weekend.

We used to have a collection of socks, single socks, socks without partners much like the flip flops. I mean, I had a whole big bag of those things...black, white, brown, green and blue, yellow, purple, pink...all sizes...cotton, nylon, stretchy wool...with all manner of wear and tear. Why on earth did I have those socks? Did I think that all their partners would miraculously find their way back to the fold? So....one day, just because I was sick of moving that bag of socks everywhere, I boldly took the whole sack out to the garbage can and chucked it in. I know. I know. I could have recycled them, used them as dust rags and such. I did, in fact use a few, but new ones would inexplicably appear. When I walked away from that garbage can, I felt free, yes, free. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Hoarders? No, we aren't hoarders. We are savers of stuff. We are keepers of things we think we'll use. We are...nevermind.

Thank God for Yubawazi...It's Over

Yes, most definitely...thank God for Yubawazi. In truth, I don't know where I got these words. Looking in a search engine did no good. So, I don't know from whence it came, but I've been saying it a while. Maybe my husband said it sometime in the past. According to my daughter, he might have gotten it from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." He comes up with goofy stuff that makes me laugh a lot. This could be the reason we have been together for so long.

Anyway, I write these words because I am more than thankful that the election is over. In fact, I am ecstatic, not because my candidate of choice was victorious...(yes, I voted for President Obama, and I make no apologies. Why would I. No one could fix the mess he inherited in four years. Even Mitt Romney attested to that...),but because I am sick of the almost nefarious actions taken by some of the folks when I disagreed with their political leanings. 

I mean, come ooooonnnn people, if a woman is raped and a pregnancy occurs as a result of the rape, this is God's plan? Really?? Really. I'm still trying to absorb that thought into my idiotic (yes, I have been called an idiot for voting for Obama) brain. This guy, Richard Mourdock from Indiana, was actually running for the senate, and thank goodness he lost!! I can't imagine anyone, especially a woman, voting for this creep. And I don't know where his "god" comes from, but he surely isn't any deity I'd want to worship.

I grew up in a military home. My daddy was a career Air Force officer and WWII veteran. He always taught us (my brother, sister, and me) to show respect to the President of the United States and to the office he held. He said that the president was the Commander and Chief of the military forces and that any president, whether we voted for him or not must always be treated with respect. There was no exception. This rule has been with me all my life, and believe me, on occasion, it has been difficult, but I have always followed my father's advice. He was a most honorable man and would have been appalled by all the goings on and disrespect shown President Obama.

So, it's over. My president is still my president. I will continue to support him. I really hope that the folks who incessantly questioned President Obama's citizenship, birth place, and so much other stuff , will just get on with their lives. I hope they will stop beating their breasts and crying out that the apocalypse  is upon us. Really?? Can I get another REALLY?? This country is just a little blip on this planet. Billions of human souls exist. Did it ever occur to anyone that we might, just might not be that important? I know that's hard to swallow, but think about it.

The people who have such fear and loathing of our president need to get over it. Where did all this come from anyway? People just seemed to follow some fearmongers and others blindly. They believed any negative thing written or said about President Obama from whispers of him being a Muslim (he isn't, but so what if he was) to he enrolled in school as a foreign student (false documents). Again, so what? And that silly Trump guy with that ridiculous hairdo starts calling for a revolution. Really?? Again, REALLY??

I truly believe that President Obama is a good man, a good husband, a good father, and a good president. Fearful people need to get a grip and lighten up. Let the president get on with his job. And I hope the House of Representatives will put aside all this petty discord because so many are Republicans. They are supposed to be for ALL the people. If they spent so much money getting elected to represent the people, they need to start supporting their leader, also. They need to get off their power trip and do what they were elected to do...represent all the people and not just Republicans. Mitt Romney, in his concession speech, actually said this. I think he's right.

Yes. Thank God for Yubawazi, it is over. No more nasty political rhetoric. No more name calling. No more loss of friendships. It's over. The fat lady has sung and the bows have been taken. I feel like tip toeing through the tulips and singing in the sunshine.

Now, let's get on with the really important stuff and focus more on who will win "Dancing with the Stars." Plus, "American Idol" is back in January. That's a good thing.