RLs Dream

Day 49: RLs Dream and Other Good Reads

Remember how 200 years ago hardly anyone could read? 

Giving away ones we've read.
Keeping ones we haven't, and
Calvin & Hobbes

Is the ability to read a good novel a precursor to successful relationships, financial stability and professional success? Should I be harassing my kids to put down their iPhones and pick up a paperback?

Or are they just getting smart in ways I can't even predict or understand?

When I was a kid, people worried that t.v. was stupefying us. There were studies showing that kids who watched too much t.v. were dumber, fatter and more lethargic. We didn't know much about brains at the time, but people talked about brain hardwiring and how t.v. was going to change it forever. We were going straight to hell in a handbasket, all because of Scooby Doo.

My younger kids, who read books voraciously, have been replaced by older teens with fewer screen-time restrictions and more texting, cute cat photos and Clash of Clans. I read that kids now actually read much more than kids used to read, but they're reading thousands of phrases like "Indiana Jones and the Bad Hat-Shop #BadPrequels" instead of entire novels. 

Anyway. For the stuff project, books are starting to feel like cheating because it takes only a moment to sort out the keepers. A lucky thing, too, because in the next 48 hours I've got to hem a seven-layer crenoline and silk prom dress, work two full days, attend a Greenhills School Shakespeare performance, and have a Cluck Ole Hen rehearsal. Oh, and buy a car. 

And it's raining.

Still. More. Bedsheets.

Day 48: Still. More. Bedsheets.
Just shoot me now.

Stuff Hider for Unknown Car

Day 47: Stuff Hider for Unknown Car

The Subaru? The Villager?

Invisible stuff becomes visible when you start looking. This thing was designed to hide stuff, but has itself been hidden in plain sight. It's been leaning against the back wall of the garage, right in front of the windshield as we pull in and out, yet it's been at least six years since I last noticed it. The garage will be fertile ground for the stuff project.

This thing fits in well with the theme of the last couple weeks: cars. Should I get one? If so, should it be new or used? Should I lease or buy? American or not? And what features matter most? Price? Storage? Gas mileage? Leather? (Yes, I love leather. You can just wipe off the honey, dog footprints and spilled coffee. And it smells good.)

Meanwhile, I don't know which car this thing once belonged to, so I can't even give it away. Off to the landfill, with all the other car stuff that's heaped up there.

Fencetop Planters

Day 46: Fencetop Planters

Free stuff is hard to refuse. Especially if it's nice stuff. Especially if it's stuff you'd use for your hobbies. Like gardening.

My dad gave me these fencetop planters. I used them one summer three years ago, but never since. They're good for annual flowers, but they weren't good for annual vegetables. They're a bit shallow and need frequent watering.

I'm making a resolution to say "no" to free stuff, unless it's stuff I would have been willing to pay good money for. That ought to make my life simpler.

Composter

Day 45: Envirocycle Composter

I'm no chemist. The sad truth is, no matter what kind of compost operation I try, I can't get it right. I've

tried open piles, beehives, and rollers.

I give up.

There's nothing wrong with this Envirocycle composter. It's a little heavy to spin, but otherwise, it works fine. It's just that you fill it up once and then it has to sit there for weeks. By the time the compost has cooked, you've forgotten all about it and it just sits there for a few more months, filled with dirt and taking up space. When you remember it, the amount of compost isn't quite enough to cover your beds, so you've got to go buy some more. If you've got to buy compost anyway, why not just let the City take care of everything?

For sale: one Envirocycle composter. If somebody bites, I'm taking Joe and Larry out to dinner. They're the ones who gave it to me. Thanks for the thought, guys!

GPS

Day 44: Garmin GPS

Have we sheep thoughtlessly surrendered our personal freedom in exchange for the latest shiny object? eProbation - whereby people wear an ankle tether that tracks their location and raises an alarm if they leave home - is available to alleviate jail overcrowding and reduce costs in some jurisdictions. What with the incursion of GPS devices, some say we are voluntarily slipping those e-tethers into our pockets every day.

The Man always knows where I am.

But that assumes that the Man is actually interested in me, and smart enough and organized enough to track me down. As far as I know, the only interested man is Rich, and he doesn't need to be that smart and organized. He can just give me a call.

A co-worker pointed out that the location of any kid who plays Angry Birds can be pinpointed. So if you've just been through a contentious custody battle, perhaps checkers is the way to go.

I've had the thought that it is both harder and easier to commit crimes these days. There is now such a wide variety. The choices are dazzling. Some of the possible crimes would be quite interesting to design and implement. On the other hand, what with location services and all, it's a lot harder to disappear forever with your spoils.

My Garmin GPS is now for sale on Craig's List for $50. Yes, that's right, just $50, $15 less than the other 205Ws on Craig's List. The Garmin actually works a lot better than the iPhone for giving directions, but I never use it any more. The iPhone is always in my pocket.

Tea Cosies

These tea cosies have to be
removed to pour the tea.
They're going to the Goodwill.
Probably few shoppers will
know what they are

Day 43: Tea Cosies
Four tea cosies, three teapots. I haven't used any of them in years, but they are hard to give away. My mother - bless her Scottish heart - gave them all to me.

Keepers - the left because it's tried and true,
the right because it's never been used.
My mother knitted them for me

I'm a coffee drinker now. We drink tea only to warm up on cold winter evenings. My grandmother is probably rolling in her grave, but in my house, we use mugs and teabags.

Worldwide, tea is still the beverage of choice. Tea is healthier for people, but apparently its production is no better for the environment than coffee.

In six months, I'll probably revisit those underused teapots. The handknit tea cosies can be carried out with me, feet first.