Old Mother Hubbard

Several years ago, I was visiting a friend who had just moved into a new home. After showing me around her house, we settled down at the kitchen table, and I commented on how much I liked her kitchen cupboards. She grinned and started to giggle. I had no idea what was funny, so I asked her what was amusing. She very sweetly said she had never heard anyone say “cupboard” before and it made her think of Old Mother Hubbard. I didn't realize they were called anything else and asked her what she called them. Trying to keep a straight face she answered "cabinets". We both stated laughing. My parents, having grown up in northern Maine never called them anything but cupboards, so of course, I did as well.

This story came to mind the other evening while cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. I went to retrieve a piece of plastic-ware, and as I opened the door, an avalanche of mismatched lids and bottoms poured out of the cupboard. I'd had enough. I sat down on the floor then and there and pulled out a hodgepodge of various shapes and sizes of plastic containers. They covered my kitchen floor. I spent 20 minutes matching lids to the corresponding container, wiping out the shelves and throwing away all unmatched/damaged pieces. I gathered several that were not being used and put them in my donation box. I then stared and smiled at my lovely “less cluttered” space. This prompted me to move to a deep drawer that “breeds” plastic cups and I cut its content in half. A few days later, I tackled under the boys bathroom sick with the help of my youngest, put in new drawer liners and threw away a very large bag of trash!

Unlike Mother Hubbard, these days our cupboards are rarely bare rather overflowing with excess. So, go ahead, feel the liberation of purging what you no longer need.