• one magnifying cup for catching bugs. this was a favorite for years.
• one ball. why oh why do we have balls roaming the house?
• three usb squares. they seem to outnumber the cords by quite a few.

• three fake tupperware containers. converted to candle holders. done.
• two pairs butterfly wings. gifted to tiny people.

• a paper rainbow hanging decoration. cute.
• a pocket mirror. without a pocket.
• a small plush toy. uninvited guest.
• a "splat ball". shudder.
• a small stack of temporary tattoos. adorable!

• two plastic flashlights.
• one battery-operated radio.
• a pack of crayons and a 'fun book'.
• lots of leaking batteries.
• when buying emergency supplies, only keep the ones that are solidly made and if possible do not choose items that require batteries.

• one power cord. gleefully tossing things i may later need.
• four tiny pencils. as a child i would break new pencils to make these.
• a plastic tray. possibly part of a printer. not an important part, apparently.
• four parts of a toy. that we no longer own.
• two pencil cap erasers. which are useful but somehow irritating.

• two bottles medication. one human, one lizard.
• one plastic... something. which once had name and purpose.
• a pack of stickers. purchase date: early childhood.
• a piece of ribbon. too short, too short.
• a yellow marker. always the one unused.
• a tiny yellow plastic cup. used quite a bit.

• one very nice sweatshirt. not that sweatshirts are generally flattering, but.
• a pair of ski boots. that fit someone in this house several years ago.
• gooey rubber window climber toy. throwing this away meant touching it.
• jar that was once a snow globe. but is not now.
• strap that once attached something to something. else.

• two small dinosaurs. the jurassic period is almost over here.
• a magnetic metal bookmark. in this item, simplicity is more valuable than innovation.
• a tiny metal sculpture incorporating an alligator clip. if it were also magnetic i would have kept it.
• black suede boots. sexy, yet unworn. pointy and pointless.

• three balloons. kind of a pointless toy, in the end.
• a coin of no nationality. talk about pointless.
• a pipe-cleaner pencil grip. innovative, but sharp.
• a pile of pencils. of limited value when eraserless.
• a pile of homework. of limited value generally.

• a paper rocket. cool!
• textbook. old edition. one wonders where they all end up.
• another broken flashlight. i just want one that works.
• one map. i am unlikely to start bike commuting anytime soon.
• seven little rocks. she may be doing this on purpose.

• one bottle eyeglass cleaning fluid. this seems like a fake product.
• photos of family furniture. that i own. 
• a plastic ruler. substandard straight edge.
• one whoopie cushion. well-used.
• a set of crayon/pencils. very nice, barely used.

• one toy. possibly the only toy for which i have bought replacement batteries.
• one textbook. sold back to amazon while still relevant.
• three t-shirts. seriously, how many t-shirts can you wear in a week?

• a babysitter training cd. mac and cheese, hide and seek, time for bed. done.
• pocket diary for 2010. no entries.
• remote control for discarded docking station. don't get me started on the amount of money i have spent on substandard technology.
• stuffed dog. ugliest toy ever made.
• huge pink pom-pom keychain. for this we have rendered the earth nearly uninhabitable.
• seven magazines. I should stop being shocked every time i find another stash.
• four books. outdated eventually becomes uninteresting.

• a pair of sunglasses. surprisingly effective, but one of possibly eight pairs in this house.
• small pink hippo. when did we become a household overrun with stuffed animals?
• the small bag that holds a fold-up umbrella. I am quite sure the umbrella will never fit back inside.
• a calculator. still in packaging. why does a calculator need packaging?
• a glass coaster/window ornament. made by me.                

• one slinky with ceramic face. toy?  sculpture? creepy? yes.
• a whiteboard eraser. you guessed it, no whiteboard.
• a plastic bracelet. utterly charmless jewelry ever made.
• a plastic egg. first drop of the tidal wave.
• one half-full box nag champa incense. truly, words fail me.

• grammar and writing practice book. what? we're not using that?
• a stack of watercolors. process, not product.
• a small pink stuffed elephant. so much cuter than it sounds.
• a rubber duck. with a painted tartan hat. oddly creepy.
• a hairbrush. from shortage to overabundance.

• a cloth. for polishing? so soft....
• one paper kite. well-engineered.
• one twisted length of copper wire. purpose unknown.
• a plastic die. downscale version of the magic eight-ball. 'ask again'
• set of three plastic measuring spoons. you can estimate the quarter teaspoon.
• a piece of white ribbon. too short to be useful.
• one change purse. if we had a dollar for every money container we own...

• a pair of black pants. bought a replacement, forgot to ditch the originals. 
• plastic parachute guy. one-time fun.
• a rubber ball. filled with glitter and a flashing light. so cool i almost kept it.
• two hand towels. only somewhat handy.

• a pair of toy boxing gloves. where do i begin?
• one splint. let's be optimistic.
• last year's ski passes. i wish i were skiing.
• one fish magnet. so large that it obscures that which is posted.
• a small plastic cup. remarkably indestructable.
• another magazine. i swear they breed.
• two picture frames. i blame ikea.
• five pieces children's art. there is more where that came from.

• one green pinwheel. top? plastic junk either way.
• one red flashlight. it does not work. i'm accepting that.
• one film camera. nice in its day.
• two allen wrenches. ubiquitous before ikea?