Fibber McGee's Closet

I don't remember for sure but I think in my childhood my mom must have called my closet Fibber McGee's closet.  I've used the term all my life for a messy closet and today I decide to research how the term came about.   Fibber McGee and Molly was a radio show that started in 1935 and ran until 1959.  It seems that Fibber was always the butt of jokes in the show,  and we thought the TV shows today were hard on Dads.

  In 1940 the Fibber McGee's closet show aired and was played upon for years to come until it became part of popular culture to say Fibber McGee's Closet.  He would open the closet and stuff would come down all around him.  In later episodes guests would open the closet and stuff would fall on them.  Remember this was on radio.  I wasn't even born when the 1940 episode aired but it's title has been a part of my life since I was a child.  I'm not sure how long you have to have heard something before it becomes part of your vocabulary, but I think I heard the term a lot as a child.  I still have a closet like Fibber McGee's and this one is like a pantry-storage closet.

My oldest daughter shortened the named to "Fibbers" and all three girls have teased me about the closet for years.  It's not that it has never been straight. It has, really.  It just didn't last long.  It's just so easy to open the door and stick something in there.

  How is it that could have three daughters who are all organized.  Maybe it's generational.  My mom was a neat-nick and loves to clean and is very organized.  Then came me, I'm a messy.  I'm not dirty but I'm messy.  I'm trying to change it but it's very hard work for me.  As for my three daughters, one  would run the sweeper out of her room before she would go on a trip so that when she came back it would look beautiful.  I'm not kidding.  I barely got the bed made before we left.  Of course, I'm the one who got all the laundry, food and etc ready to go.   All three girls are list makers, receipt keepers, and may I say wonderful people.  There is hope for me, I have a granddaughter who lives with an organized mom.

Recently my youngest said,  "Mom you are a hoarder."   Then she said, "It's good none of us have allergies or we would all be dead from dust."  I love her and I can laugh about that because she is helping me clean out "Fibber's"  We're on day two and the closet looks great but it's the stuff I'm not allowed to put back in there I'm worried about.  I'm getting rid of a lot and I know it's the right thing to do.  I don't think I'll be able to sneak anything back in there either, as long as you know who is living here.  So I didn't take any before pictures because I couldn't take the picture and keep the stuff from falling, just kidding.  You'll have to imagine what it looked like before.  Think of it as a trip to radio land
with Fibber McGee and Molly.   Here is the after!  Oh, in case you are wondering, my husband is organized too!