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found an item that was to be used by April 1961 !!

OK, that's just pathological! My kid goes through our stuff occasionally, and if it's expired even a month ago, she lectures us and throws it out. I tend to go through non-perishables every year or so. H tends to hang on to expired OTC meds because he's worked in pharmaceutical research for his whole career and ignores expiration dates (will grin snidely and say they're just suggestions).

Ah, 1961...what a good year that was....can't blame her for wanting time to stop, back when life made so much more sense, eh?

I'm only half kidding...but I do think that is a record of some sort.

How did that make you feel?

I am sure the task feels never-ending but you are getting there. I admire you and have been following your updates so I just wanted to pop in with a little cheer for you!

I know this task is coming down the pike for me so I have been taking in all your blood, sweat & tear posts.

That is very interesting about the Christmas card; the validation of what your heart knew as a child. Your mom sounds like she did an amazing job navigating that back in the day. I mean, she knew how they were and still went above and beyond!

Grrr. I got a message from my brother yesterday. He's upset that I left a bag of garbage outside, and apparently an animal tore it open and he doesn't "understand why this bag wasn't put in the bin that was empty." It's all I can do not to message back and say "I don't understand why there's a motorcycle in mom's house but here we are."

Has there been a world shortage of bay leaves? I found them all today.

Oooh, send me some! I'm down to the last of a jar of Turkish Bay leaves my late brother brought me back in 2005, still work great in stews and pickles. Matter of fact, since you couldn't sell them, maybe call your local food banks and see if they'd appreciate them as a donation. Many, many ethnic cuisines use them and who among the homeless or impoverished has money for freakin' bay leaves? (I do see them sold in bulk plastic bags at hispanic stores...so maybe there isn't a shortage!?)

I like your mom!!!

I don't think that food banks will take opened items, and this is a big problem at mom's. Even though there were ~10 bags of bay leaves (and big ones at that), they were all opened, and she has always been notorious for not trying in the least to seal bags or containers. Just doesn't have the sense to realize that not sealing leads to quicker staleness or that unsealed leftovers are going to dry out, etc. I found a Tupperware container of "something" in her cupboard, no lid at all. It's just been sitting in there for years. Have no idea what it was. Looked like fish flakes (fish food).

And 5 boxes of salt ... Two of them further back in the cupboard, never opened, yet bought more.

Once I get a couple of rows back in a cupboard, I just stop looking for expiry dates. I know by their position in the cupboard (and sometimes their antique labels) that they will be expired. I've started lying to mom a bit, too. If she says to me "what was that?" as I pitch it, I just say it was "X item, expired in 2016" or whatever. Sometimes it's just not worth the time looking for the actual expiry date so I just make it up.

She actually told me that her microwave needs cleaning. I opened it, and immediately gave up. Just said mom, new ones are less than $100, I'll pick one up for you. She said "you don't think you can clean it?" Um, no. It's hard to believe I have to explain to another adult that cleaning up spills immediately is easy, baking them on for a number of years makes it impossible. And honestly, why should I have to clean that up? I'm doing enough already.

4 more bags of trash out.