Anatomy of a backpack

On Monday afternoon, Ben had to stay afterschool for a rehearsal.  I offered to take his trombone and backpack home with me so he wouldn't have to lug them all the way as he walked home.

Now, I've watched him struggle under the weight of that backpack for quite some time now.  I'd sigh, roll my eyes, and tell him to clean it out at least once a week.  However, once we're in the door, and the backpack is in his room, I/we don't think about it again.   At least not until the next time I'd see him take a few steps backwards as he put it on, in an attempt to maintain his balance.

He handed it to me and I swore gently under my breath.  "This thing weighs more than your sister.  I thought I told you to clean it out."  "I know, Mom,"  he responded, as I held up my hand to shut him up.

I lugged it to the car (oh my aching back) and once I got it home, I put it on one of my dining room chairs (I heard it swear under its breath) and cautiously opened up the zippers.

I half expected a clown to jump out.

Nope.  This is what was inside:

*Lots of useless papers.  Some from December.

*A roll of aluminum foil, on a roll that was forever oblonged by the crush of items it was in between.  Been there since the Science Fair....which took place months ago.

*Hey, a couple of field trip slips. 

*The enrollment form I asked him to turn in for his siblings...in March.

*Four, yes four,water bottles, 3 16.9 oz and one 8 oz, all about 3/4 full, one of them cloudy enough that I didn't bother emptying it out, I just threw it away

*A dog eared book

*Math text and 3 ring binder

*3 pencils and a Pokemon keyring

*A few Valentines and Valentine candies

*A 100 pennies (finders keepers)

*4 batteries--3 C and one 9 volt (Science Fair)

Then there was the pocket I kept pulling sticky stuff out of.  I had no explanation for this, and as he has a separate lunchbox, I had to wonder what the hell was making the stuff sticky--the Valentine's candy was sealed and non-chocolate.

I spied something putty gray-beige and for a minute, I thought that I was looking at the bottom of the backpack.  But something made me reach in and poke it.  It looked like clay or something.  I pulled it out.  It was a quart size ziploc bag and I was perplexed at the contents.  I wracked my brain, no, I didn't make him Playdoh, no, that's nothing from any lunches...what did I send him to school with.....

Oh, yeah.

A couple of months, maybe more, ago, I made him salt dough for a project.  Salt dough is flour, salt, and water--so it's white to start out with.

And definately not bubbly.

Yay, fermentation!  (I got your Science Fair right here, beeyotch.) 

After I was done with the "eeewwwww" dance, I stuffed the baggie in the trash, threw the backpack in the washing machine......

.......and made a beeline for the shower.

I may need a tetanus shot too.