I didn’t realize another drawer explosion was about to happen until I got home from vacation, couldn’t find the key to my pickup and went drawer-diving for a spare…
I don’t even know WHEN it became a junk drawer, I usually just open it a couple of inches to grab scissors or extra house keys when I need them… who knew the rest of this stuff was there.
My friend Susan says drawers and purses are like Dr. Who’s Tardis, Snoopy’s doghouse, and Harry Potter’s tent — they hold many times more than their actual size would indicate. Sadly, she observes, this does not hold true for suitcases.
Here’s a partial list of loot from the drawer:
- 6 pairs of scissors. Yes, 6.
- 4 pocket flashlights – 1 I just bought, not knowing the other 3 were here.
- 9 keychains – 3 with tiny squeeze-flashlights of their own.
- 2 pocket knives – 1 standard, 1 with Betty Boop.
- Old stuff – an extra key to Bob’s old PO Box, a coupon from 2008 (to be fair, just 1) and these —
A ticket from the Empire State Building Observatory — that would be from 1998, just before Bob’s second surgery in NYC.
A U.N. Guided Tour button — I haven’t been, so, no clue.
A U.S. wheat penny and a 5-pfennig coin, way pre-Euro.
And is that Odie? … I can’t imagine how he got here, either.
Drawer Oddities
Moving on…
- 3 folding rain hats. circa 1950-60. These would have belonged to Bob’s mother because: Kansas. Through what wormhole did they arrive in my kitchen drawer?
I unfolded the Wonder Bread one and, amazingly, recognized that dot pattern, from childhood.
- 3 mystery objects…
Eventually I noticed there’s a razor blade inside the yellow one, so it’s a paper cutter. The silver one’s hard to open, so I haven’t. The black one? I finally got it open.
Apparently it’s a compass, but it’s an indecisive one, much afflicted by the wobbles. And why does it have a ruler on the side?
The drawer’s back together now, with most of its papers and many of its objects filling the recycle bin, with a few useful ones to donate. I even stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond today and treated myself to some drawer organizers to keep me honest. The last job to do is sort through the keys. Am I happy with my clean drawer? Yes — I’m jubilant.
Do you know what’s in your kitchen drawers?
More on the Weekly Photo Challenge
Hoarder Comes Clean 
We have a small basket (about 9x6x6 inches) in the kitchen which is the official dump zone for things we need to keep/put away but don’t know where to put/can’t be bothered to put away.
Because of its size the kind of thing that can be put in there is automatically limited. The usual suspects are jewellery/make up/passports after a trip etc.
The rule is that it is emptied EVERY Friday (and in between if it gets too full). Some things are allowed to live there long term. Eg hairbrush with hairbobble round the handle, small screwdriver, village newsletter (current month only!), nail file, my hearing aid bits and bobs, swiss army knife, cheque book. Everything else gets binned or rehomed on Friday.
It’s great because (a) we have somewhere to put stuff and (b) if something is missing there is a good chance it will have been put in the basket. But you have to be strict about emptying it and don’t have one that is six foot square!
That sounds like a great system (especially the part about keeping it small, not having one that’s six foot square!). Having a clear intent and a scheduled day to empty it out ensures your success. I went wrong by not even noticing that over time I added things to a drawer that was already full. Eventually stuff clumped up in the back where I didn’t even see it. Gotta be more mindful of sneaky stuff.
That is certainly a very cozy drawer there, Sandy. It must have been like a treasure trove sorting through it and discovering things from over 50 years ago that belonged to Bob’s mum. Those rain hats look good as new, and maybe they still work.
My kitchen drawers are very neat and really just hold cutlery and things like aluminum foil and materials for baking. But in my room I have this multi-purpose bag on the floor where I chuck a lot of things in it that I don’t use too often. Think adapters, chargers, headphones, old envelopes, and so on…and quite a few sets of each
Yes, I think there were some rules of treasure trove that activated when I noticed that drawer. Too bad one of them is “distraction”. I spent way too long going through what was basically a bunch of junk, but, it was fun to see the rain hats. I’d forgotten all about how mid 20th C. ladies used to protect their hair with those accordion-pleated rain hats. Those deserve a spot in a museum I’m sure.
Your multi-purpose bag sounds like a good option – keeping things in sight, yet out of the way.
Rain hats is something we don’t see often these days, and I like your suggestion of putting them in the museum. Maybe they will come back in fashion some day, you never really know these thigns.
I can carry my multi-purpose bag around and move it wherever I want. It is convenient.
This reminded me that by the time I was a teen, we liked to wash our hair in rainwater. (some we caught in rain barrels, some we just ran around in – weird, yes?)
Your multi-purpose bag is a great solution. My only fear is that I would lose it – but, that’s less of an issue now that I’m getting things in better order.
I assume the compass is for orienteering? The ruler lets you measure distance on the map.
Brilliant! Thanks, I still had no idea about why there’d be a ruler.