easy come, easy go

just when we thought it was safe to sit back, roast marshmallows, and watch the leaves turn red, orange, and yellow...POOF. as easily as the vacation house came, it went. yes, folks, my mom's house in vermont has been rented for the next few months.

in preparation for the dreaded take-over, and because i love my mother, i spent forty-eight hours this past weekend getting the house ready for its new tenant. this meant sorting, tossing, and organizing my mom's belongings. she didn't expect anyone to rent the place, so the house looked like she had merely stepped out for the evening instead of moving to hawaii.

hello, my name is dabney, and my mother shamelessly hoards hotel soap and shampoo. it was everywhere. in baskets. in closets. in drawers. in ziploc bags in drawers. totally unopened. halfway spent. days inn. westin. sheraton. i swear they were breeding.


this was just ONE basket. there were more. oh, there were more.

other accumulated things that merit mention (but fall just short of grey gardens crazy-lady hoarding classification):

1. soap (regular bars, not hotel size). i was able to fill an entire drawer.


2. jumbo-size cans of tomatoes. my mother doesn't cook. and when i say she doesn't cook, that means she does not cook. ever.


3. orange jello. i threw a tower of boxes before thinking to snap a photo. tell me, what adult eats orange jell-o?

4. anything and everything from the christmas tree shops. if anyone just loves a bargain, it's my mother.