This is Garbage!

On my way to Boston yesterday, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to get an iced coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary right?

I pull up to the drive-thru and handed over my debit card. OK ... why I paid $2.86 with anything other than cash is for another day. :D

Back to the window ... we make the exchange ... debit card for straw. I remove the paper from the straw and attempt an exchange of debit card for paper. She takes the straw paper and ...

throws it on the ground.

I'm appalled. "Are you kidding me? Did you just throw the trash on the ground"?

Attitude.

As she hands me my iced coffee, I ask again, "Did you really just throw the trash on the ground?"

"We aren't allowed to take anything from you."

Me: "Then just tell me that instead of littering."

Driving away, I think of tons of other things I could have said. There's a part of me that understands why they don't want to take everyone's trash. It is Grafton after all and I imagine businesses have to pay for trash just like the rest of us. But come on! Throwing it on the ground?

I'm still incensed over this as I enter the Mass Pike and what happens? The car in front of me throws trash out the window!

What the heck?! Twice in one day? Do these folks not remember the commercial with the Native American with the tear rolling down his cheek?

The paper from a straw is just a small thing. But come on ... we know how quickly the little things pile up.

:::getting off my soap box:::

Old Mother Hubbard's Not-So-Bare Cupboard

"Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone:
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none."

So that's the nursery rhyme as we all know it. Here's my version --

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone:
When she came there,
The cupboard was so crammed full of cups and glasses that there wasn't any room for a bone

And so the poor dog had none.

This photo is a picture of my cups and glasses cabinet. Now seriously, how many cups and glasses do we need? There are only two of us. Occasionally Jayme will come home for a night or two, but certainly she won't need this many! And when Sara and Joe come by, we might use a couple more than normal, but certainly not this many. We aren't that thirsty!

I admit that when we go on vacation or visit a cool place, I like to buy a mug from that place. Even taking that into account, there are just way too many cups, mugs and glasses collected over the years and some just have to go. 

We are making room for Sara and Joe to move in for a bit. Ayup, the nest is being rearranged again. :D This is a good thing and it's the reason I'm looking at this cabinet and going "what the heck." 

I'm proud to say that this cabinet is now completely empty. We've selected those drinking vessels that we like the most ... which, of course, begs the question why do we have favorite cups to drink from? Does the drink of choice taste better from a favorite cup vs. one that has fallen out of favor? I digress.

The cups/glasses/mugs that made the cut now reside in a different cabinet leaving this one open for Sara and Joe.

It's interesting how the simple act of cleaning out one cabinet screams out for more of the same in the rest of the kitchen. Game on.

A Photo Fourth

Family

Fun

New Friend

Relaxation

Amazing

Baseball

Daughter

Granddog

Good eatin'

Gluten free

Antagonist

Boston Pops

1812

Celebration

A Do Nothing Day

Being a mom is harder some days more than others.

Lest some say things like "it's the most rewarding job ever" let it be known that I absolutely agree.

However, it doesn't change the fact that some days it's harder than others.

From the moment our children are born we are teaching. Teaching with a touch, a look, a smell, a met need.

As they become mobile, the word "no" enters their world. With my eldest, I remember reading somewhere that it was a good idea to write "no" on index cards and tape them anywhere that she shouldn't be. She would quickly learn that the written "no" meant she shouldn't go there and she didn't have to hear it. I still remember my own mom chuckling at that.

It actually worked with Sara, but not my youngest. She was a born negotiator. Always pushing. Always trying to talk her way into or out of something.

We're standing in the kitchen one day and I'm bustling around getting dinner ready before having to be somewhere and gave her a chore to do. Involved in her own world, she proceeded to discuss it with me. The discussion quickly escalated until I finally blurted ...

"Jayme, you are 3. I am NOT going to argue with a 3-year-old."

As the years went by with each of the girls, I kept true to my desire to never say "because I said so" as I had heard so many times in my own growing-up years. In order to stay on that course, what should have been simple instructions carried an explanation of "why" feeling a knowledge of why would help them make the right decisions presented with a similar scenario in the future.

I pride myself in my amazing daughters. Yep! I had a part in all that they are today.

So when a decision is made that I know is wrong ... stepping back to watch it unfold is one of the most difficult "do nothings" ever. There's a sadness that overpowers me. Finding a way to offer guidance without intruding ... a gentler version of "no" ... is it possible without shutting the door?

I just want to scream "NO!" all the while knowing it won't matter. Life must unfold. Their life, their lessons, their path. 

Jim: "Whatcha wanna do today?"
Me: "Nothing."

And so I thought cuz that was the frame of mind I was in.

To stop my mind from worrying I paid bills, reworked the month's budget, spent time cleaning the room above the garage, watched a movie, wrote this blog post, did laundry and started dinner. A rather productive do-nothing day.

Perhaps there's hope that my worries will have a happy ending after all.