Wax(ing) and W(e)an(ing)

Living with a hoarder, the saga, the musical, the tv special of the week continues with ...

1. Wax. The husband had, at one point, made a conscious effort to create his own candles. He had even gone so far as setting aside a 'dedicated pan' for wax melting. But, like all hoarders, his intentions were better than his follow-through. And in an odd cubbyhole cabinet in the kitchen, I found two boxes (10"x12"x16") that were filled with pieces of old candles, broken candles, wax parts, parafin, unkempt candle holders (some quite lovely) and gewgaws that were probably intended to be added to melted wax for visual effect. The boxes were overflowing, covered in dust (even though they were in a cabinet).

I should also add that we really don't have much use for candles in our apartment. We love them, we would love to use them ... but we have cats (and one of them is quite clumsy). Cats and candles are a dangerous combination. Wanna hear a good one? We had a candle burning one night and our clumsy cat stood next to it, got too close and his tail caught flame ... and he didn't even notice. After we put out the flame and cut away his seared fur, he started sniffing around trying to figure out where the fire smell was coming from. Egads. No candles with that one around.

I went on Freecycle to see if anyone wanted two large boxes of candle pieces. Sure enough, two people responded. I went with the first -- a very nice social worker who creates her own candles with her son (it's apparently a family project). She was so kind to take all the wax, but didn't want the other paraphernalia (pots, candleholders). And in exchange, she gave me one of her homemade candles (a beautiful, scented rectangular candle).

2. Sheets. Now, I don't think it's unusual to have 3 or 4 sets of sheets for your bed. You need a couple of sets for everyday use, one set for winter (maybe flannel), one set for guests. Yeah, 4 sets makes sense, right? And keep another set for animals when they're sick, right?

I can see 6 sets if you go camping or go to Burning Man. Sure.

Are you ready for this? We had 14 sets of sheets (with pillowcases). Fourteen. FOURTEEN!?! What is this for? The friggin' Brady Bunch?

I went through the piles of sheets and pillowcases crammed into the closet and pulled out six sets, got on the bus and gave them to SF Animal Control. I still think eight sets is too much, but at least it's a start.

3. Samples. Those little trinkets you find inside giftbags. Those little handouts you get at the mall. The stuff you get handed while walking down the street. My husband had kept all of them. You know what I'm talking about here? Tiny vials of perfume and cologne. Little plastic containers of eye cream, aftershave, talc, lotion, moisterizer, shampoo, conditioner, gel, etc. Keychains with logos. Paper coasters with logos. Giftback notions. Junk, junk, junk, junk, junk. Well, useful junk, sure, but junk to us. I gathered them all up and gave them to our clients, many who are lower-income folks and enjoyed the surprise of it.

Next up ... the thinning of the porn collection.