bird & cleaver

 We have mentioned a few times lately about how it has been pretty crazy around the Bird & Cleaver camp. So, this week we figured that rather than write another vague apology about why it is that we are unable to bang out a few new recipes, we should probably do a little explainin'. And quite possibly, a little soapboxin'. Deal with it.

Currently we are about 5 weeks deep into a  home renovation that is going to change the ways thing work around here. We lost a garage (full of all kinds of magical junk), and gained a brand spanky new master bedroom and a den. Why do we need another bedroom you ask? No, not another little Cheesebrew. I payed good money to make sure that doesn't happen again! But, we will soon have one extra person under this little roof. L's mama is moving into Casa De Cheesebrew.

Despite the fact that whenever we tell people about our plans they seem to turn a few shades lighter and change the subject, we assure you that we have actually discussed this in great detail and thought it out thoroughly. We fully acknowledge that ours is a unique situation, but is it really that odd? Given some of the responses we have gotten it is apparent that the answer is yes, many people really don't get it. We get the distinct impression that people suspect crazy pills may be involved.

Since we have not had a good source for crazy pills in years, obviously it has to be them, not us. However, just for good measure, I am going to break it down for you all. If you have been here for a while you know L's mama just turned 85! If we could all be so lucky! I am happy to have made it to (almost) 35. I cannot even begin to imagine another 50 years! Thinking about it objectively though, I suppose our lifestyle choices do not exactly parallel one another. I don't really recall her ever telling me any stories about crashing things just because, or living out of a smelly van eating ramen noodles in gas stations at any point in the last 8 decades. Either way, 85 is a big deal. Wait, where the hell am I going with this? Oh, right, I was about to try to say something poignant.

We are not crazy. On the contrary, statistically we are pretty normal. Well, that is if you include 100's of other cultures besides our own. Unfortunately, that right there is the hang-up. Americans are selfish people. We want to own everything. Sharing is not something we do well, it has to be ours. We are taught that what you accumulate personally is the measure of success. To have our own space, filled with as much useless shit as possible. Pretty much sums it up, I think. We have no respect for moderation, or for seeing needs beyond our own. I will tend to mine, and you to yours. But, what happens if you can't?

Sadly, in our culture we don't see much value in those who have become incapable of the things we take for granted. It's the "Get out of the way, you're taking up space" mentality that is so ingrained into us that we fail to see what we are missing. Once you reach a certain point, you just become something to take care of. How sad is it that we just shuffle off people that we love just so that we can maintain our little bubbles. Have we really gotten to the point that taking care of one another is just another thing we cannot be bothered with? It's really not surprising when you look at how much people rely on things like social media. We have become overly dependent on these things because of how shamefully devoid of real community we are. But, I digress. And truthfully, when you look at it, it's a pretty easy fix. At least, if you ask us it is.

We love her, she loves us. She needs a little extra help, we have the hands. She needs a more manageable living space, we have more than we need. So we adapt. We get a little closer. We help each other out. We have enough, and that is enough for us.