Notes from the Chore Girl

I spent the entire afternoon cleaning out my nests. There are so many of them! One in my kitchen office, two in the living room (one on either side of my chair), one in my bedroom, and that is just one level of this house. I am my mother's daughter; she makes nests too, but hers are small, organized, neat and they make sense. Mine are chaotic and disgusting.Today's dig was downright nasty: I found pieces of cat treats mixed in with crumbs of candy and other snacks I've enjoyed in each of these locations, and almost popped some Fancy Feast into my mouth at one point. I know, gag. My Waterloo is baskets: I have many and have recently acquired more. They are just dandy for carrying things around - at night (or so I planned when I got my last batch) I'd take a basket to my bedroom, like Dorothy with Toto, all tricked out with my glasses, my journal, a good pen, my Kindle, a glue stick, my inhaler, a small flashlight, a bookmark, a pick comb and my cell phone. What do you suppose I encountered today in said basket? Newspaper clippings, backings from strips of Velcro, candy wrappers, innards of pens, a Chinese takeout menu, capless markers, a pencil with gum stuck to it, expired coupons for LubePros (which no longer exists), RegisterStar rubber bands, random pieces of My Twinn white ribbon (you collectors know what I'm talking about), Beauregard's rabies shot certificate, a floppy disc (we have NO computers in this house that use floppy discs) and a tape cassette. A TAPE CASSETTE! This is recent, too. And we won't even talk about all the AARP magazines and catalogs that accumulate to be read "one of these days."

Take heart, Paul Dale Anderson - at least I found my TGI Fridays November and December Deals coupons. I think. Right now, I only see one.