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Posts Tagged ‘hoarding’

Toilet Paper: $20 Dollars a Sheet

Posted in Books, Journeys, tagged , , , , on March 22, 2020| 4 Comments »

“Nothing creates cool like scarcity.” – Neil Blumenthal

I wouldn’t mind having those 13 rolls of toilet paper that Scamp destroyed in the early months after I rescued him. — Photo by Pat Bean

I just finished reading Monkey Dancing by Daniel Glick, which is about the father taking his 13-year-old son and his nine-year-old daughter on a trip around the world to see the wonders of this planet that are disappearing.

It was a trip that opened his children’s eyes to how humans are desecrating our planet, and how the poor and unprivileged in many countries eke out their daily lives. It’s a trip, at least in my tree-hugger-peace-loving-eyes, that would benefit many, especially home-owning Americans.

I know my eyes were opened and appreciation for my own life increased dramatically when I saw Maasai women daily walking miles across Africa’s lion country to fetch water.

What horrified Glick’s teenage son most on the trip, however, were instances when he had to use primitive bathroom facilities that lacked toilet paper, or even toilets. He worried so much about this that he made sure to always carry some of the behind-wiping tissue with him wherever he went.

I thought about that this morning on my 6 a.m. walk with my canine companion Scamp. One of the quaint, a bit off for sure, old guys who live in my apartment complex passed me carrying a huge package of toilet paper.

As advised because of the Corvid-19 virus currently sweeping across the planet, I kept my distance.

Scamp, before I could stop him,, went in for a hug and a scratch behind the ears, which the man always gives him. Not sure if this was OK or not, but I washed my hands thoroughly when I got back to my apartment.

Anyway, after giving Scamp attention, the red-faced and slightly tipsy man waved the large bundle of toilet paper at me – “I’m going to sell this for $20 a sheet,” he said.

I’m not sure he was kidding.

Bean Pat: If we were sharing coffee https://collinesblog.com/2020/03/22/weekend-coffee-share-one-week-done/ Living with social distancing.

Pat Bean is a retired journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion, Scamp. She is a wondering-wanderer, avid reader, enthusiastic birder, Lonely Planet Community Pathfinder, Story Circle Network board member, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon, and is always searching for life’s silver lining.

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Stuff Happens

Posted in Journeys, tagged , on February 27, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Mother Nature gives us so many beautiful sights for free. I should enjoy them more and buy stuff less. — Photo by Pat Bean

          “Often when looking at a mass of things for sale, he would say to himself, ‘How many things I have no need of.’” –Socrates

The Accumulation Mystery

I went to a craft fair the other day, and fell in love with a ceramic garlic grater. My chef friend Jean, who was with me, bought it for me. I protested, but of course was delighted with the gift. And it’s been a delight to use.

Thankfully, it’s smaller than a regular saucer and fits neatly into my utensil drawer. In recent years, I have become increasingly concerned with having a place for everything and everything in its place — and not bringing home stuff.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job abiding by this philosophy until my recent move. In a seven-year period, I went from moving into a small apartment with only the stuff from my 21-foot RV and feeling like I was living in a mansion to the same apartment feeling a bit too small.

I simply don’t know where all the stuff came from.

Once again, when I moved to a slightly bigger apartment back in December, I discovered I had way too much useless stuff. I downsized and vowed I would never again let stuff accumulate. But that I will succeed in my resolution is not something I would bet my life on, perhaps not even a dollar.

Stuff Happens!

Bean Pat: Birding in Mexico https://www.10000birds.com/an-unexpected-yellowthroat.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+10000Birds+%2810%2C000+Birds%29 A

You can read about hikes I took in my late 60s and early 70s in my book: Travels with Maggie, which is available on Amazon

bit of armchair birding. I’ve never seen the black-polled yellowthroat, but the common yellowthroat, found north of the border is one of my favorite birds, as is this blog.

Pat Bean is a retired journalist who lives in Tucson with her canine companion, Scamp. She is a wondering-wanderer, avid reader, enthusiastic birder, Lonely Planet Community Pathfinder, Story Circle Network board member, author of Travels with Maggie available on Amazon, and is always searching for life’s silver lining.

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