As most of you know, Miss Trixie and I are in the final throes of building a house. And when I say “building a house” I don’t mean we are having someone build us one, but we did most of the work ourselves. This has been a real test of our relationship but living in an RV for 12 years together probably cemented us together in some kind of JB Weld bond that cannot seem to be broken no matter how sick that may actually be.

So here we find ourselves trying to close in on the target of moving in and for the first time in 15 years, Ol’ Dutch can see some light at the end of the tunnel that is not a train coming down the tracks. So in these final building days we have had to get new appliances and soon will be finding pictures and other accouterments to decorate the walls and side tables etc. All that looking at and planning for items to come in the new house got me to thinking – a dangerous proposition for Ol’ Dutch according to Miss Trixie – that no matter what we get today, it will someday be old and out of style or date and need replacement.

I was perusing the Internet the other day and came across a video that Jerry Seinfeld had made concerning “stuff.” You know, those items that we just cannot seem to live without and buy thinking we just have to have them. His take on what we collect down through the years really make sense. .While no one starts out planning on collecting, he said, so much “stuff” it still happens no matter our good intentions. And everything, no matter how good it is, that comes in that front door of our abodes really is just on a path toward becoming trash.

The first stage toward what he calls “trashification” or the turning of good new purchased items into landfill tonnage is when you purchase a new item such as a television, couch, vase, picture, curio, or really any item you decide you cannot live without at that moment. New things come in the front door and we proudly display it front and center for everyone to see and for us to enjoy. And the time we do enjoy it can be short or long depending on our “wants” and never our “needs.” But sooner or later we grow tired of looking at a picture of a cow being herded, a glass bowl with shiny balls in it, that magazine rack or vase that we just could not live without and its relegated to a drawer or closet.

And generally speaking, once enough of these items are collected so that there is no more inside storage, then its time for them to go out to the garage for more storage. And we do know one thing for certain. Once it hits the garage that item is never coming back in the house. And it's there that stuff remains being tripped over, sworn at, threatened with disposal, moved and stacked, shelves purchased to hold more stuff efficiently and countless plastic tubs bought to store it in until such time as it moves once again into the worst of possible places.

Yes, you guessed it. The dreaded rented storage unit. For it is here that seemingly highly intelligent creatures will keep $150 worth of “stuff” and pay $1500 a year for the pleasure of visiting it once in a while. And there it will remain until such time as we die when our kids will clean it out and put it all in the dumpster headed for the landfill.

So in essence wherever we live, be it an RV, trailer, apartment, house or mansion, what we really have basically is a place that turns new items into garbage. It may take some time to do so but eventually it all goes the way of the landfill.

But regardless of the seemingly absurdity of buying stuff only to dispose of it later, it all keeps the world going round and creates jobs making and selling and disposing of said “stuff” so do your part and fill those landfills to the max. And get plenty so your kids have to do the work you should have done from day one.

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.