Dearest Rachel –
So, after being invited to two different backyard events in a single Saturday (and it’s not even a holiday weekend; what gives?), I had to get something to bring to each of them. Now, technically, I didn’t have to go out shopping to do that; the one asked specifically for a dessert, and we have a large quantity of brownie mix that we still have from our last trip to the island. I think I can still whip up a double batch for the occasion, as it doesn’t require all that much effort to assemble. Meanwhile, the get-together in the evening didn’t specify that we had to bring anything, but I don’t see why not, given that we’re already out and about for the first unnecessary thing.
So, while Daniel is still dealing with a cough and the sniffles, I figured that getting him out into the fresh (if absurdly hot; it is August, after all) air might do him good. He did claim, after all, to be feeling better than he sounded, for whatever that might be worth. Why not put that to the test? He might even be able to help me pick out stuff (or contrariwise, he might be able to rein me in, and keep me from excessive impulse purchases).
I did try to inveigle him into accompanying me by offering to buy us dinner while we were out – there’s plenty of options out there in what we refer to as “the triangle,” after all, to say nothing of the fact that he hadn’t bothered to eat all day up until that point. And he accepted – although, like you, he’s a cheap date, opting for the sandwich shop and smoothie place he generally visits once every week. There was, however, a slightly ominous rationale for his choice; he didn’t want to bother with anything too expensive or flavorful, as he claimed not to be able to taste too much. This might not be a cold, after all… although the severity of this possibility is nothing compared to the days when you were around (or the last time I knowingly dealt with it).
All of which is a sidelight to what caught my attention in the moment yesterday. There was more behind my plans to go shopping than picking up potential essentials for today’s invitations. It so happened that I ventured into the garage the other day, and discovered that we had left behind – or perhaps gathered over the several years since it was purged – a shockingly large number of grocery store carrier bags. In fact, there were carrier bags stuffed with carrier bags in there. And yes, like you, we’ve been using them as liners for our various wastebaskets throughout the house, but the thing is, honey, we collect these things faster than we throw them out. It has always been thus; it’s why the house had to undergo the purge in the first place, because we were accumulating stuff faster than we were using and getting rid of it.
Fortunately, I recall your mentioning that the big box grocery on the south edge of the triangle having a recycling area for used carrier bags. I doubt they actually re-use the bags returned to them – they have their own ones with their logo printed on them, and I can’t imagine them offering anything else – but they must do something with them, and it’s at least a step up from having them end up in a landfill, even if it is as a container for other, less manageable waste.
The only difficulty with this is remembering to take the many bags we’ve accumulated over the years with us when we head out there to shop for… whatever. And while I’ve told you about how we make a point of shopping there at least once a month, to burn off all the coupons we collect from my store credit card, after all this time, I can’t recall ever bothering to bring bags with to drop off there, despite having assembled a considerable amount, even since your departure. It just doesn’t cross our minds; and it doesn’t help that the bulk of them wind up in the otherwise empty garage. Anything still in there has been forgotten about for years.
Honestly, I don’t know what you’d think of these efforts to reduce our stashes like this. It’s a reminder that we have to – and for all the things you would get attached to, these carrier bags weren’t among them, unless they were specifically from some place overseas we’d travelled to, and wouldn’t be back to again. So maybe it would meet with your approval, especially since I’m preventing things from getting too overwhelming for the foreseeable future.
Still, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep an eye on us – another set of eyes monitoring this clutter would be welcomed – and wish us luck in our efforts. We’re going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 