unwelcome discoveries in my newly acquired domain

Last night I think I actually dreamt about the fact that today was garbage pickup day.  I know you are envious of the exciting life I lead.  Trust me when I say that the inside of my house could use some attention.  For now, my focus is still on the garage.

Maximum capacity!
Good-bye florescent bulbs that were
 just begging someone to knock them
over so they could shatter in the garage.

Coach was ticked at me this week.  When he tried to bring the kitchen garbage out to the garage, there was no place to put it.  Yes, I admit to being a horrible person.  I cleaned out as much of the garage as I could on Father's Day.  You're welcome! 

Since it wasn't Dad's day anymore when Coach was griping about our lack of an empty-ish garbage can, I didn't hold back.  'Yes, you are right.  My mistake.  Shame on me for locating various crap littered around the garage and THROWING it away!  Life was much better when we had junk scattered all over the garage.'  I mean REALLY??!!!!

The cardboard Amazon boxes that the new bike rack and some other large delivery came in this week were put to good use.  I emptied the kitchen garbage that 'wouldn't fit' in the garage by tying the bags shut and stuffing them in these cardboard boxes.  I put them on top of the overflowing garbage cans.  I guess Coach thought that would irritate the garbage man, so he hauled the two cardboard boxes to where he works.  He put them in the dumpster there.  Hey, whatever it takes.  Besides, so much better than saving garbage and waiting until next week. 

It is pouring rain here.  Pouring.  I went for a run this morning, since I was up bright and early anticipating garbage day.  I was soaked, but managed to be showered and poised in my bright pink dry-fit yoga dress (because it would dry quickly) with my umbrella waiting for the garbage man. 

When I tried to organize the Bermuda triangle area located in the no-parking-zone of the garage on Sunday, I stumbled across 4 bags of yard waste.  Huh?  Shouldn't those be left over near the garbage cans ready to be dragged to the curb? 

I asked Coach this morning why they hadn't been put out at the curb with the other trash.  Coach thought yard waste could only be collected on certain days.  Oh.  Still, I think it was a good thing that I relocated them to the garbage area rather than the great abyss.  How else would someone remember to take them out on those 'certain days'? 

I wandered around the garage a little while I waited for the garbage man.  I planned to ask him the truth about yard waste days.  This isn't my domain, but sometimes if you want something done right, . . . you know the rest.

While I poked around, I spied a couple of burned out fluorescent light bulbs leaning up against a wall.  Coach had just replaced those in the basement storage room.  And this will serve as exhibit A answering the burning question of why the garage looks the way it does.

The garbage truck man pulled up to find me holding an umbrella in one hand and the fluorescent bulbs in another.  I asked him if it was acceptable to put them in the trash.  Yes!  Wonderful. 

Get this:  he asked me if I had any yard waste.  Apparently he was strictly the yard waste guy.  I had to wonder if I was perhaps still dreaming?  Why yes, I have yard waste.  I explained how I had recently made it my life's mission to clean out and organize the garage and that my husband was confused about when to unload our yard waste. 

This is the wall where the garbage cans and recycling
 bins hang out.  Note the huge pieces of board resting up
 against the wall.  Why?  The crazy thing
is that we had a dumpster for over 6 months.
Wish I had thought to toss the boards then. 
You know how you stare at some stuff
long enough it barely registers anymore?  

I raced up to the house and called in the door for Reg to help me, but when I turned around the garbage man WAS IN MY GARAGE GRABBING THE BAGS HIMSELF!

With the yard waste bags gone, I could now sweep out the maggots that were squirming around on the ground.  Gross!!!  Like I said, not my domain.  I decided to be thorough and move the pieces of drywall and plywood that were propped up against the wall where the garbage cans sit. 

NASTY!

Coach keeps mouse traps behind the garbage cans.  One of them ended up getting tucked behind the pieces of board.  There was a dead mouse in the flipping trap.  It had been there for a good, long time. 

Guess what?  Those huge pieces of board will not be allowed back in my garage.  Just what I need - another area of the house to try to keep clean.