My house is usually reasonably clean and tidy, but my car is a pigsty.
It’s not utterly gross, there’re no food remains anywhere. But there is Stuff. I throw stuff in it, and it’s never seen again. Donations for charity have spent an entire summer in the back seat, except for a week when it was moved to the trunk because people were visiting and I needed the seat for them.
Let’s start with the trunk
Far in the back of the trunk is a folding umbrella-style baby stroller, in case I ever go to a farmers’ market again. I like to hang the bags over the stroller’s handles, put potatoes in the seat, etc. That stuff gets heavy.
Next to that is a collapsible dolly, aka hand-truck, for when I’m doing volunteer work with books and need to move heavy boxes of them. Best $30 I ever spent.
Then come four cardboard boxes, permanent residents, because they hold the grocery bags up nice and straight, so I don’t have forgotten boxes of crackers flung into the corner, not to be found for two years. Actually only three boxes are available for that purpose, since one is reserved for the recyclable grocery bags I sometimes remember to use. Often I leave them behind on purpose because I need paper bags with handles (for the Friends of the Library bookstore) (Trader Joe has the best ones, nice and strong). Or I might need plastic bags (for garbage liners) (most other grocery stores).
There’s also an old blanket in with the recycle bags, since I’m a northerner and can’t quite break the habit of having storm-supplies in my car at all times. There are jumper cables in there, too.
Now the cabin.
A tire gauge. Quarters, but never enough for whatever I need them for. A water bottle or two (when you’re really thirsty it doesn’t matter if it’s a couple of weeks old).
Somewhere of the floor in back is a length of pipe for something on the shower that needs fixed. There’s always a stray book or two. Probably some flyers that have been left on the windshield over the past few months (years). Gas receipts (why do I even bother getting them?).
Currently, no CDs at all. Not even the cartridge for them, because I brought it into the house to change out the CDs and I can’t seem to find it. I’m sure it’s around somewhere.
All pretty mundane stuff. I’m sure y’all out there have, or have had, much more interesting things end up in your car. Do share. Lurkers, too, please – come out and play with us!
Photo: John Lloyd, via Wiki Commons.
