Packrat

packrat
noun
1.	a collector of miscellaneous useless objects
2.	any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of western North America; hoards food and other objects As I've already mentioned, I am a packrat. Except for the bushy-tailed rodent part, both definitions of the word fit me. My cupboards, closets, crawl spaces and refrigerator are all equally overwhelmed with what I can't throw or give away. For instance, I decide I want to teach myself how to make dosa, an Indian snack made with rice and urad flours. (They are a snack in Indian; here they are a 3 lb. meal). I live far from an ethnic grocery so I buy three bags of each. Three years later, one of each is in the refrigerator and two of each are in the freezer. I've made dosa maybe three times. I'm going to pack it though and move it 2.5 miles up the road. My other problem is that I have a lot of beautiful things that are broken--cracked, chipped, nicked or otherwise damaged. I either inherited them that way or if they were in perfect condition when acquired, I managed to take a chunk out of them. I don't even feel as though I'm clumsy. These things happen mysteriously when I am out of sight, but I still hang on to the collectibles. Someone else should be the judge of that. I think you all might agree that the following is an example of something best bestowed on a local thrift shop. I picked it up free at work from a friend who was moving to CA. I hear she might come back this way. Perhaps I should give it back. But that would require moving it. So the first vote on this blog is yea or nay for the chipped, faux majolica appetizer tray.