Posted by:
dogzilla
(
)
Date: July 12, 2013 09:51AM
Mormon Hoarding Story: (With regard to hoarding craft supplies)
I've told this before, but it still makes me laugh.
TBM parentals come to Florida for a visit. I drive them down to the National Forest near the shore to hike around the swampy woods for a bit. We find a parking space near a trailhead and start wandering around a little. My stepmonster spots all these enormous pine cones we have down here from these long needle pines that are all freaking over the place. You cannot swing a cat without hitting a long needle pine in this part of the world.
Immediately, her eyes light up because she can think of ten billion crafts she can do with the pine cones. She rummages around in the trunk, comes up with a couple of plastic bags and sends my dad and I out into the wilderness to gather pine cones for her. We walk away out of hearing range and start muttering quietly to each other.
I said, "Dad, you do realize, don't you, that we're going to spend all this time picking these stupid things up, you're going to drive them 1,000 miles home, and she will never do anything with the pine cones, right?"
Dad says, "Yep. I'm aware of that." We continue picking up pine cones, knowing it's pointless.
I pipe up again, "Hey Dad, I bet if you sell the house and move, you will move these pine cones to the new place and she still won't ever use them."
Dad grumbles, "You're probably right about that. Shut up and keep picking up pine cones." :>) LOL
Flash forward about 5-10 years and the did sell the house and were moving. Dad calls me from his cellphone mid-move, "I'm driving the last load to the new house! We're almost done!"
"That's great dad, but let me ask you a question. Were the pine cones still there and did you move them?"
"Shut up, kid. [quietly] Yes, I moved the damn pine cones."
I rolled on the floor laughing. I guarantee you, one of us will be throwing those pine cones out after she dies. Last time I was up there visiting, they were having a garage sale. It was amazing how much kitchy crap she had (that nobody wanted, even for cheap, although I took a rug off her hands). I didn't think their house could fit all that stuff. So I do think the hoarding is encouraged by the food storage and obsession with crafts. She's also raised by Depression era parents and used to make me wash aluminum foil and ziploc baggies for re-use. Ever try to flatten out a piece of used aluminum foil to wash it? It's nonsense, that's what that is.