Too Much

And All. Maybe not ALL, but too much. These are the side trips of my life at the moment - little jaunts that make it challenging to "go with the flow"; things that must be either denied or dealt with on a daily basis. Husband lost job in May - in this economy - in a depressed California County. Said depressed California County is covered in smoke and has been since the beginning of June. Some days the air rates hazardous. Hazardous air that can't be exercised in. I have already expressed how it feels to have the baby girl out of the nest, however, I haven't conveyed that there is still so much of her "stuff" in the house and in particular her bedroom. There is layer upon layer in her room with nary a 4 inch square of carpet cleared. It is like a land mine. She told me not to worry about it, just put it in her room, as if that room was a permanent piece of real estate that would be enshrined in her memory forever. Hello? May I be excited about her leaving so that I can invade her room, conquer it and call it my new sewing/quilting room and make a nice nest for guests. Ummm...hmmm., who pays the mortgage, - oh hell, yes, that would be me and I can be referred to in the near future, I hope, as Atila the Mum.

I feel one of the great disservices that I did for my child was to allow way too much stuff, things, plastic, souvenirs, silly collections, etc., to come into our house and in particular into her life. For instance - Beanie Babies. Need I say more? Of course there was a great rush to invest in the BBs in order to procure a college fund investment plan via BB's value. Okay - do you know of anyone who actually made money collecting BB's? I don't. I have a rich, Republican sister who purchased lovely lawyer glass front covered book shelves in order to display her Beanie Babies. Bless China's little heart! And what about all of the toys that go with happy meals? Or should I say come with Happy Meals? Toys that come and stay and never leave without major effort. So the empty nest is full of the dreggs of a childhood in America. Too Much!