Ode to a Toilet Brush

In 1980-something, probably 84 or so, I procured a Rubbermaid toilet brush in a little peach tippy front holder, peach being at that time my favorite color, along with dusty rose and aqua, but I digress. 

That little brush and tippy front holder have moved with me ever since. Across states, across towns, through marriage, childbearing, divorce, remarriage, child rearing it was my faithful and predictable partner in toilet bowl cleanliness. One toilet or three in the same house, it never once let me down.

In 2018 we packed me, the pets and most of the house into a uhaul and relocated from NC back here to the frozen tundra that is "home". The brush did not come with me, but I promised it that we would meet again soon. Duty called it to remain in  NC where it could support Gene while the house was on the market. I bought a brush (with an incorporated plunger and holder, very fancy!) at Target just to get by. It felt disloyal, but the choices were limited and I liked the plunger feature a lot.

When the last day came and Gene packed himself and the sparse remains of his Mooresville housekeeping into the car he made a slight error in judgement - two really, that he will probably never finish paying for. So busy being angry that the big extension ladder wouldn't stay on the roof of his car, he left behind two critical items that to him, as the person who has not done most of the cooking and cleaning for the last 30+ years, had no value : my basketville gigantic heavy duty wooden clothes drying rack, and...my 1980's era toilet brush in it's little (fading) peach tippy front holder. 

Today I am grieving as I head to Amazon to buy a decent toilet brush. THIRTY PLUS YEARS. THIRTY PLUS YEARS and still working great! But this fancy ass two year old piece of crap? The bristles are breaking and fraying, and my heart breaks with the firm knowledge that those kids that bought my house probably chucked that PERFECTLY GOOD toilet brush in it's faded tippy front holder into the big Mooresville trash pick up bin on their Very. First. Day.