A Time to Gather and a Time to Sow . . . to Ebay

Flour runs in my veins; I got that from my Dad. From my Mom I got my love of crossword puzzles . . . and my dislike of cottage cheese. But I don't know where I aquired my "collector's gene."

I can remember, even as a child, that having two of anything was the green light, in my mind, to start another collection. I had a rocks and minerals collection and a penny collection. I collected the little round cardboard disks out of the center of milk bottle caps. I collected marbles, stamps, post cards and, let's not forget, little troll dolls! This urge to gather and collect didn't stop when I reached adulthood . . . bunnies, antique bottles filled with sand from around the world, Margaret Furlong Christmas ornaments, Harmony Kingdom trinket boxes and milk bottles . . . to name some of the collections that are still clogging my closets.

Yes, clogging my closets! My milk bottles do stand proudly atop my kitchen cabinets, but none of the other collectables have seen the light of day since we moved to Albuquerque, over seven years ago. It's TIME! It's time to let go.

This week I've been pulling milk bottles down and washing them in warm sudsy water, getting them ready to be adopted out to new, loving homes. I'm going to learn the "ebay way"! And when the milk bottles are gone, I'll move on to the first of those unopened cartons in the closet, and then another, until I have reclaimed my storage space.

Wish me luck.

Oh, and let me know if you are in need of a little hotel-sized bottle of shampoo, conditioner or lotion . . . I happen to have a big collection of them.