Day One Hundred Thirty Two

I'm sort of running out of the easy items to get rid of in the house.  There is still a lot I will let go of before I pack up the house and hit the road but since I do have to live here in the meantime and market the house eventually, I have to keep some things around.  So I went trolling in the garage and came across sooooo many pet items.  I have bird cages and cat crates and dog crates and dog beds and a cat scratching tower.  In the past seventeen years we've had dogs, cats, hedgehogs, chickens, ducks, a gecko who stayed only over Christmas break (and was the reason I made a rule that there were no pets allowed who required live food),  goats, parakeets, canaries, lovebirds, finches and a cockatiel.  


I remember a hole that showed up in the drywall at the bottom of the stairs. (This ties in, I promise)  There is an odd phenomenon when you raise kids.  Stuff happens and, incredibly, nobody did it and nobody knows nothin'.  Mind you, I raised the kids saying things like, "Siblings should have each other's back, not stab each other in the back" and other such pearls of wisdom.  I didn't like tattling because it was 99% of the time something ridiculous designed just to get someone in trouble so I would often discipline the one who came to rat out a sibling solely for the satisfaction it gave them while letting the offender off the hook.  However, I also emphasized that if asked directly they had to give it up and tell the truth.  So you can imagine my dismay over the hole in the drywall without a culprit.  Time passes and as the kids grow into young adults it becomes a form of sport to try to shock the mother at family gatherings.  While laughing and playing together a couple of years ago it was revealed to me that they used to put their youngest brother in the dog crate (on a pillow so he wouldn't get hurt) and launch him down the stairs.  They would take the couch cushions and make a barrier against the wall to soften the blow.  It was hysterical to the launchers and the one in the crate said it was a blast.  Apparently the pillows didn't always cooperate and once the drywall got pierced.  Sigh.  The statue of limitations had already passed and I had long since patched the hole.

Now boarding on the upstairs landing....

This clearing things out slowly allows me to remember stories I haven't thought of in ages!


Here are today's items:
1.  A dog crate
2.  A cat crate
3.  Another cat crate
4.  A cat scratching tower (Yes, K, you may have it)
5.  A green and white bird cage


Quote Challenge 
Don Vardo Plans
Gypsy Tour Map