You. Can't. Take. It. With. You. A phrase I hear often these days. Mostly from a friend who is getting close to his ninth decade here on earth. And he is right. You can't take it with you. Whatever "it" may be - money - possessions - more money. It is unfortunate that we will all end up with the same fate - our earthly remains cremated and stashed in a small container or preserved and sealed in a casket to be buried or entombed. And all of our earthly prized possessions will not be coming with us. Oh no. We won't need them where we are going. Instead, they will be distributed among the living; friends, family, charities, and the like. Their joy of use to be continued - just not with us. Whatever we have taken such pride in amassing will be dispersed. However much we have in our savings accounts will also be dispersed. And it is important, perhaps, that we get to decide, to pick and choose, who will be on the receiving end. Th
I love garbage day. I mean I really, really love garbage day. Perhaps more than a person should. It would be fair to say I am obsessed with garbage day. I count down the days until it arrives. Looking forward to its ultimate arrival. Every other Thursday. I would say this obsession started when we moved to a municipality where garbage pickup is every other week. What?! Who can go two weeks without their garbage being picked up? It seemed inhumane. To expect us to hang on to our waste for two very long weeks. Granted, recycling and compost is picked up every week. And I guess the thought is that most waste is recyclable or compostable. But it is amazing how that garbage can gets filled up so quickly. By the time garbage day arrives, it is brimming. Two large garbage bags or one can is the rule. And it can't weigh more than 45 pounds. There was a time when our garbage man refused to take our can because it was too heavy. He slapped a