Cold November Pain (Monthly Mini-Rants)

They would, but what’s the point? It’s not like a few empty plastic bottles and some paper are going to decompose into a horrid stench. I’d just be happy with setting out a basket every couple of weeks and not have to deal with stashing a green plastic 50 gallon container.

Our HOA went through a phase of demanding that all trash and recycling containers should be stored in the garage…to which I said hell no. I do have enough space in my garage to store two vehicles, along with various shelving units and cabinets, plus a fridge. No way was I going to rearrange all of that to accommodate trash. The recycling bin isn’t offensive, but it’s big. I’m one of those weirdos that does rinse out the trash can, but I also cook things like fish and garlic…that’s not going to be pleasant after a week. No way am I keeping stuff like that inside near my vehicles.

Fortunately, most people in the neighborhood can barely get a subcompact car in their garages, so the HOA eventually settled on requiring cans to be stored next to the house unless it’s trash day.

The generous provision of these gigantic bins happened shortly after a change in the garbage schedule, wherein weekly pickup of garbage AND recycling was now changed to alternating weeks, garbage one week, recycling the other. So I suspect one reason the county was willing to invest in these large heavy-duty bins is the possibility of yet more service cutbacks in the future: “Sir, the masses appear to have quietly accepted the every-two-week garbage pickup.” “Good, now tell them that it will be monthly.”

Kitchen waste/composting continues to be picked up every week in its own bin. Complaints about the stench of garbage sitting for up to two weeks were countered by advice to make better use of the kitchen waste bin for the stinky stuff. As a mostly one-person household I don’t produce enough garbage to really warrant separating out “kitchen waste” from garbage. I’m good about recycling, leave me alone.

My city offered an option: Large trash bins for most people (many of whom DO seem to manage to fill them to overflowing every week) and smaller bins for people who couldn’t handle the larger bins. There is also a regulation in place that when the bins are not out for pickup they should not be visible from the street. Sometimes “complied with in the breech.”

Interesting connection of the dots; the precursor to further service cutbacks. That hadn’t occurred to me.

“On November 13, Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence. That request came from his wife. Deep down, he knew she was right, but he also knew that someday, he would return to her. With nowhere else to go, he appeared at the home of his childhood friend, Oscar Madison. Sometime earlier, Madison’s wife had thrown him out, requesting that he never return. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?”

Why does my local Walgreens stock condoms in a section marked “Sexual Wellness”, but the bottles of bourbon on the shelf at checkout aren’t in a “Mental Wellness” section?

*of course the drugstore has a selection of bourbon at the checkout. This is Kentucky. "Let’s see, I got my Covid shot, stocked up on Tums for Thanksgiving, and oh yeah, we’re running low on “Maker’s Mark”.

I went to the supermarket last week to pick up another six-pack of pumpkin ale (DON’T JUDGE ME!), only to find that they stopped stocking it after Halloween. I had to go to BevMo to find the last two four-packs they had. Memo to brewers: pumpkin beer season doesn’t end on Halloween. It ends when pumpkin pancake season ends.

. … (TOO LATE.)

I am intrigued by the mention of pumpkin pancakes and would like to know more. Especially since my local grocery decided to stop carrying the sweet potato pancake mix. :rage:

I would like to know why, if pumpkin spice season is over and Christmas has begun, am I still seeing (and smelling) fucking cinnamon brooms?

IHOP, Denny’s and a few other places ought to have them.

Yeah I see IHOP advertising them on TV.

We ate food from Bridge City Brinery. They’re into pickling stuff and making sandwiches with various pickled items.

Their seasonal special side dish was Pumpkin Kimchi.

At least where you are they are cinnamon brooms. My local grocery has gardenia-scented brooms.

I tripped over something in my bedroom last night and landed on the TV stand, knocking the TV to the floor and pulling the cable and DVD boxes down with it. I landed on the stand and broke two ribs in my back.
Yay, me.

OW OW OW OW. Hope you heal soonest.

Don’t you have those continuing catastrophes? Like tripping over a bicycle in a dark garage. You’re never quite sure if it’s over.

Damnit, that would have been perfect to send to my estranged aunt’s funeral. She loathed gardenias.

And ouch, Rick_Kitchen! :frowning:

YEOCH.

Pure sympathy sent your way. That sounds painful as hell, and I bet it’s worse today.