Storage War

Storage War*

I have with some difficulty accepted most of Mrs. Cranky’s edicts.  I don’t wash Tupperware in the dishwasher even though I know it to be dishwasher safe.  I separate colors in the wash, even though I know that after several washings colored clothes will not bleed.  When we buy something new I save the box because…well I really don’t know, but still I save the box.  I will not throw things away, not even a 25 year old VCR rewind machine or instructions to operate machines that we no longer own.  I accept that to protect our sink from being scratched we need a smelly germ and food catching rubber mat that blocks the drain.

There is one place where I am drawing a line in the sand.

Storing dishes in the cupboard.

 Mrs. C. has some everyday dishes.  There is an assortment of large plates, medium plates, saucers, cups, and bowls.  When stacked in the exact Mrs. C. order, all of these dishes will fit between two shelves with just enough room left to slide a sliver of paper.



If you need a large plate, you have to carefully pull out the bowls and cups, and then lift up the small plates and saucers to slide out the large plate.  You then put back the bowls and cups (the cups have special handles that allow them to be stacked inside the bowls.)

When you are done with the large plate and want to put it away you have to reverse the process. 

There is room in the cupboard to stack the bowls and cups separately from the other dishes. 

Mrs. C. prefers the jenga puzzle method of storage.

Let the battle begin.

“It’s crazy to store the plates so they barely fit in between the shelves!”

“Everyone stores dishes like that.”

“No they don’t, I’ve never seen them stacked like that!”

“You’re a WASP.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“WASP’s are so structured and rigid; let yourself go and stack like the rest of the world.”

“What, the rest of the world is nuts also?”

“You’re a jerk!”

“What if we had one more friggin dish?  It wouldn’t fit.  What then?”

“We don’t, and you’re a jerk.”

"I don’t care.  I’m not backing down.  I’m putting the cups and bowls on a separate shelf."

Let the Storage War begin.

*This re-run from October 2012...believe it or not, I won this battle.