In my twenties, my student loans felt like a boot on my neck that kept me from traveling as much as I wanted to. My younger brother (who wisely chose a much less expensive public university education) didn’t have those constraints. He started collecting dirt from places he traveled, giving them to me in pretty glass bottles so that I could touch some of the parts of the earth that I hadn’t seen. It was a kind and lovely gesture. I still have them.

Apparently, someone believes that those of us who don’t get to feel the brunt of natural disasters somehow feel left out, like a roving weatherman who’s been forced into retirement. And so they’ve collected a mason jar of water from Hurricane Fay, even offering a tree limb or a gallon of extra flood waters to sweeten the deal. There’s also the thoughtful reminder that the water isn’t for drinking.

What would the motivation to buy this be? To be a part of an historic flood? To contain a wrathful element peacefully in a jar?

Visit the storm water from Hurricane Fay auction.