This morning, driving through the rain on the way to work, I nearly ran into a rainbow. It was right in front of the car, just came out of nowhere! A patch of sunshine had strayed from between the clouds and was blundering about looking for its way out again. After a few moments of sun-bathed sparkliness it vanished once more for most of the day. But! Out it came again to play in the early evening and how did I choose to celebrate?
By cleaning the garage.
Why yes, I am clinically insane, thank you for asking!
Do you know how many mouse turds can accumulate in damp and musty cardboard boxes over the course of 4 years? Enough to build several dozen mice, that’s how many. EW. Why we thought storing things we didn’t really need or want in cardboard boxes in an uninsulated garage would be a good idea, I don’t know. Probably because there really wasn’t any place to put them in the house.
The impetus for the madness came in the form of a flyer stuffed in our mailbox today: FLYINGE LOPPIS! INSAMLING LÖRDAGEN 27/8 10-13!** Every year the village throws a big giant excuse for cleaning out your crap in the form of a monster garage sale and auction. The only things they don’t accept are large appliances and tires, and they prefer that any electronics you donate work, thank you very much. We have only gone to the flea market/auction a few times because mostly it’s a football field full of, well, the same kinds of things I am getting rid of now:
- 42 million mismatched flowerpots and baskets
- old baby paraphernalia including a travel baby-buggy bag and an åkpåse that miraculously escaped the ravages of the mice
- a baby doll with weird hair
- a purple and pink girl’s backpack decorated with a caterpillar with 6 legs dangling from the bottom
- a child-size plastic lawnmower and wheelbarrow
- 2 children’s umbrellas shaped like a ladybug and a yellow bubble with transparent eyeholes that my kids didn’t like
- a cast-off motorcycle helmet
- 8 bags of unwanted and outgrown clothing
- a set of 8 plastic margarita glasses with cactuses on the handles
In addition, I have given Anders an ultimatum: get the old computer and the bikes put up for sale online by this Saturday or they are going on the block as well next week.
From the open window 4 feet away I can hear a symphony of screaming babies. There are 3 relatively new infants, all born this summer, living in a row across the street from us, and apparently they are all seriously PISSED OFF about something tonight. I do not miss those days one bit.
*What Phyllis Diller says cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like.
**Flyinge Flea Market! Collection Saturday August 27th from 10-1!