What do scrap metal and dirty laundry have in common?

Do you remember a television show called Sanford and Son from the 70’s? It starred Redd Foxx as a 65 year old junk dealer. If you didn’t see the show or if you are to young to remember it, just use your imagination and envision any junk yard. Why? Because junk is scrap metal and scrap metal is worth money. How do I know this? Because my nephew and two teenage sons have become teenage mutant Sanford and Sons.

If something isn’t nailed down and resembles junk, they haul it off. We lived in a mobile home while we were building our house and I was really afraid the boys were going to hook up and haul it off while we were asleep inside. If they could have gotten a good enough price they probably would have tried.

Yesterday I looked out in my backyard and this is what I saw.

I don’t know how long this lovely yard art will be there but I walked around the stuff amazed that my boys, the same boys who can not pick up dirty laundry and get it to the laundry room, can pick up such a massive amount of metal. (Hint-the answer to the title of this post is in this paragraph)

I’m guessing these dirty clothes do not weigh one tenth what the stuff on the wagon did and yet the only way they are going to get to their final destination….the laundry room, is if they sprout wings and fly or I take them there. I will concede that at least they are in a chair and not on the floor. I have come home and found their jeans in the foyer, on the floor, where they have come in the front door, shed their pants, grabbed their ball shorts and then went on to ball practice.

We built a laundry chute in the hall and discussed putting a ball goal over it, thinking that might entice them. No such luck. Then I found a place online where you could order cute phrases and so I ordered something that I thought might inspire them to get the clothes to the laundry room.

That hasn’t worked either.

Unless I pay them what they make from hauling off metal, I don’t think things are going to change. If you drive by my house and decide to stop by for a visit, please ignore the mountain of junk in my backyard and step over the dirty clothes in the floor. They say it takes a lot of living to make a house a home and there’s a whole lot of living going on in this one!