just hand over the money and no one gets hurt

don't worry, not another ramble about my war with NY State for Mom's extra money. They want it, I'm not giving it up. I don't particularly want the money and will donate it to the activity dept. at Mom's nursing home. It's that the money grubbing State had it's greedy little hand out before we could think. 

This is about deciding who to buy from, who to disappoint, and trying to figure out where you'll put thirty boxes of Girl Scout cookies, tins of Boy Scout popcorn and all the coupon books you've been buying. This is soon to be followed by magazines out the ears. Yup, it's buying season. And all those people who once bought my boys crap now have little ones or first grandkids selling crap. Pay back is a true bitch. 

We only sold cookies and wreaths as kids. Cookies from my Girl Scouts and wreaths by my brother's Boy Scout troop. No big deal, Mom and Dad bought an equal total of each. One wreath equaled appx. 4 boxes of thin mints and short breads. At Halloween-eve we'd go house to house with our UNICEF boxes. The honor system still lived back then. And we did it because we really believed our little orange boxes of loose change made a huge difference. I still choose to believe it. 

Now, they start selling in pre-school: wreaths, Kindergarten: magazines, and soon the onslaught hits. Every year, several times a year. Coupon books, car washes, bottle drives, chocolate, popcorn, cooking  kits, pizzas, Christmas paper, gift cards, more than you can imagine. And every hand is out. 

Now, I was once guilty. I pimped stuff in my time. I was the winner of the 'Parent who bought the most' three years straight. I bought the hell out of that wrapping paper. Wrapping paper isn't the devil (chocolate, I'm allergic), it doesn't spoil, expire or start to smell after a while. Everyone needs wrapping paper (or bags, which isn't a bad idea. I'd buy gift bags. Save me trips to the dollar store. ) Unfortunately my prize was a basket of wrapping paper. I only recently ran out. 

I get e-mails from people's kids. I get phone calls from parents. I even got a postcard in the mail. When did pimping stuff get to high tech? We had to go door to door, every door. We had to trudge back out and deliver it all weeks later. And we only did it once a year each. Now it's school, sports, activities, clubs, you name it ..they fund raise. And we are reduced to avoiding calls, pretending we didn't see e-mails, and hiding behind the couch with the dog whenever the doorbell rings. I can only buy so much and I'm at my limit.

Unless my granddaughter is selling. I can always use more of whatever she's selling. And I'm sure who ever is reading this would like to buy some too..... I'll have her give you a call.