Wretched Excess

Saturday morning, due to some unexplained burst of insanity, my darling husband decided it was the day to clean out the Toy Closet. To understand what a bad idea this is, you first have to understand that the toy closet is a walk-in closet in my youngest son's bedroom (you know the one - he's the one who has to save EVERYTHING, from the rocks he finds on walks to the cardboard packaging that comes with toys). This closet is the place that all toys get sent when they are not being actively used. Things don't get put away in this closet so much as they get THROWN, usually with force and a flip of the wrist.

When I first opened the door (believe me when I say I don't do that often) I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. The giant Rubbermaid tubs we used to hold all the stuff (several of them, originally each sorted by type of toy - sports stuff, guns and weapons, etc) had each been emptied onto the floor, then left sitting on top of the pile. It appeared as if a tornado had hit a toy store, and then left everything inside this closet and shut the door. If there hadn't been the four of us ready to work I would have shut the door and backed slowly out of the room.... but there we all were. No turning back, I guess.

I won't bore you with all the details - just a few of the highlights. We found a dirty sock and three pair of boxer shorts. We found candy wrappers. We found pieces for games we no longer have. There was one stray puzzle piece - plain gray, of course, so there's no hope of figuring out where it went. Oddly enough, we did not discover what was causing the place to smell like pizza. Even more puzzling, we did not discover any trace of insect or rodent infestation. You know it's bad when even MICE won't chance it!

When we finished (7 1/2 hours later!) we had filled 2 large yard garbage bags, 2 kitchen garbage bags, a big boxes, plus we burned several wood and cardboard items. We saved a large laundry basket full of things he thinks he can sell (or give away). Everything remaining fits in the front half of the closet (shelves, mostly), leaving the back half empty. We have a plan for that, but I think I'll save that for another day..... as my husband said once when I wanted to keep adding to a project like this, "The job is big enough."