A Tale of Two Crates
Over twenty years ago, a man (who later became my husband) bought two milk crates for holding files (you've seen them, they have metal bars along two top edges to help the folders slide). Enter the wife, who does not care for milk crates as decor. The files were moved to the desk drawer (to join other files) and a metal filing cabinet, because there was plenty of room. The milk crates, poor things, were used to hold "stuff" in an apartment closet. Two years later, there was a bit of excitement (for the crates) when they were loaded into a moving van. Alas, in spite of new address, they still languished in a corner of a closet until one fateful day... The wife (that would be me) was blessed with a brilliant idea. What if one crate could be used to hold the overflow of toiletries and baby products from the bathroom? Ta da! The Toiletry Crate was born. It sat proudly (but still in the closet) holding spare toothbrushes, soap, baby powder, toothpaste. It was a happy little crate; things went in, things went out. Sure, there were a couple of odd bits, like an old Norelco, that visited longer than they should have, but it wasn't a bad life.
But what about it's twin, did it ever get a real job? Unfortunately, there are a few gaps in its history after the Great Move. Languishing in the closet, it may have held discarded clothes for awhile. It may have held spare parts (the metal rails from both crates), or old electric razors or wrapping paper. In any case, about the time Crate One became the Toiletry Crate, Crate Two found a vocation. With great ceremony, it was christened Art Crate! First, it was emptied of old bits, like that old Norelco. Then, it was placed in a corner to hold things like AOL disks, bits of felt, juice lids, milk bottle caps. In general, things that the children of the house could use for their works of art. Time passed (like years). One day, the crate awoke to find that all of the office furniture was gone. What happened to its friends Printer Stand, Desk, File Cabinet, Craft Organizer and Rolling Cart? The creaky floor whispered that the old computer, affectionately known as Tiffany, had been kidnapped (literally by a kid, age 10)! As Art Crate was to discover, while being transported to the mysterious Scout Closet, Desk and Printer Stand were no more. Those barbaric humans had butchered them mercilessly! Only a drawer or two (or three) remained, consigned to the basement. The rest? Possibly left to buzzards (Art Crate was pitifully ignorant of things like dumpsters and trash collection day). File Cabinet and Craft Organizer, although left intact, had also been banished to the basement. Art Crate never saw Rolling Cart again, but suspected something horrid. Rolling Cart was actually enjoying a promotion to the second floor study and was a little too busy (and snobby) to be sending postcards.
Art Crate's new home in the Scout Closet (not really so mysterious when the light was turned on), was a bit substandard. That wife-person had kicked it under a set of shelves. It missed the light of day and definitely. didn't. like. spiders. All was not lost, however. After a year or two of wallowing in self pity and discarded AOL disks, Art Crate sent in a volunteer application to a newly formed Brownie Girl Scout troop. It had heard that volunteers were desparately needed and the leader was even willing to waive the registration fee for non-humans. Overnight, it's life changed! There were meetings to attend, camps to visit, interesting items to contain. Sure, Scout Crate was find itself living in the back of a minivan for months at a time, but anything beat the dark and the spiders. Just a few weeks ago, Rubbermaid Tote officially joined the troop (after being an occasional volunteer), but Scout Crate was gracious. After all, there was plenty of work for all.
Now back to Toilietry Crate (and the present)...
Among the things I decluttered today were about ten bars of soap from the basement, which were sitting in the "spare toiletries" crate. I moved it to the basement about the time I bought plastic storage drawers for the master bedroom closet. The only thing is, I often forget what's in it (and then buy more soap). I will be delving into the crate on another day to see what's left inside. Right now, I am fantasizing about how to use that crate once its fully decluttered. Twenty years ago, it held files and it may do so again along with its twin. But don't tell Scout Crate! It doesn't suppect a thing and might accuse Rubbermaid Tote of kicking it out of the troop.