We’ve been going through the basement getting ready for the big neighborhood yard sale on August 1st… We have lots of things we’re going to offer – from computers and scanners and TVs and DVD players to dishes, glassware – stuff we’ve had forever and just don’t use any more.

One thing that’s been on a shelf in the basement forever is 20 bottles of St Pauli Girl beer.

One of the more ludicrous aspects of the Pennsylvania Liquor Laws (as if the whole thing wasn’t ludicrous) is that one can only buy full cases of beer – from a beer distributor.  Doesn’t that promote responsible drinking?  “I’m sorry, sir, you can’t purchase a single six-pack for your weekend of football watching, you have to buy 24.  Drive safely.”  Yes, one can buy individual bottles from certain bars and restaurants with off-sale licenses, but that’s just as stupid.  “Thanks for the fun happy hour, Mr Bartender.  Can I have two beers for the ride home?!?”  Yeah… makes a lot of sense…

Totally asinine, especially, if you’re not a huge beer drinking family.

This particular 20 bottles of beer came about because of Victor’s mom’s 75th bithday bash – back in 2001.

After the party, it went into the fridge in the basement.  Then the fridge died.  For a couple of years we pretended it didn’t have anything in it and it just sort of lived in the corner with stuff piling on top and around…

One day, I got up the nerve to open it…

Other than a little musty smell, it wasn’t too bad.  There were the aforementioned 20 bottles of St Pauli Girl, and some sodas.  The sodas were in packs so they were easy to get upstairs and to the trash.  The beer was single bottles, so it went onto a shelf.  For another 4 years.

We hauled the fridge to the curb, called the trash company, and arranged for them to pick it up for a rather exorbitant fee.  They hauled it away, but were a bit messy with the parts, and I ran over a door hinge and got a flat tire.

I called them and they didn’t charge for the pick-up and we bought a new tire.  All because I had to buy a case of beer we didn’t really need in the first place!

Okay… that’s stretching it a bit, but you get the point.  Having to buy a case of beer at a time is stupid.  Especially if you don’t drink a lot of beer.

It gets old and you have to throw it away.

Next time I’ll just drive to Delaware.

In the meantime, the basement is getting cleared out and the shelves are being emptied.

And if we’re smart, we won’t fill them back up, again.