Ramblings

Oh my but I love thrift shops/garage sales etc. I was on call last night after (trying to) sleeping all day so I spent last night watching a few episodes of hoarders. My husband and kids keep telling me they are going to put me on that show. Well, now I know I am not qualified for it! 

Those poor people are seriously crazy and it all seems to stem from some severe loss - one from her husband’s death; another after THREE failed marriages; another when he was in the hospital at death’s door and family took his ranch away from him (not sure I really understood that one!); and another who was a Vietnam vet. Made me feel sorry for them. And the majority have kids who supposedly had not stepped foot into their houses and did not know how bad it was. The Vietnam vet had children that ended up being raised by family because of his drug and alcohol use. They actually got an apology from him and planned to stay in touch, and at the very end he told them that the cancer he had 12 years ago was back and had metastasized. How sad.

But how I know I am not one? Their houses were STUFFED with TRASH! Floor to ceiling…..dirty diapers….empty soup cans….decomposing meat…..ugh. The Vietnam vet slept outside because he could not get into his house; his food was outside too. said he never got sick from eating old stuff.....gag.....None of them had running water .... some did not have electricity. One woman had TWO houses; the second one she was holding on to to sell so she had money to live off of. But she had neglected it so long it could not be renovated - just demolished. So she only could recoup the cost of the land.

Stuff is one thing, but trash is another. And some of them left a lot of the stuff outside too so everything was ruined. One guy bid on storage lockers and one time won 5 lockers full. And you have only so much time when you have to clear out those lockers and haul it all off. He hauled it off but just put it outside. So he got bargains but did not do anything with any of it. The other woman kept saying she is an "environmentalist" and she would get her 'junk' from garbage left curbside....and she took the stuff to repurpose for those who needed it. But all she did was stuff it into a room.

So after all that, what did we do today? The first Memorial Day weekend I could not get time off - so we could not go anywhere. Hubby went to PG to visit a friend Friday and Saturday. Came home this AM and we went to the antique fair in the next town over! And yes we (I) came home with a few things. But always interesting to see the things you grew up with being sold as 'antiques'! And there were lots of things I wanted but was too cheap to spend the money on!