  &emailalert=no&email=adgrant@indiana.edu&url=http://closeproximity.blogspot.com&name=Proximity&bgcolor=003399&fcolor=FFFFFF&link=FFFFCC&words=comments&title=Comments &width=350&height=350"> Ok. By demand of those who are lucky enough not to know what a Longaberger basket is, please direct your attention to the photo at right. You know how bored suburban moms like to push junk on each other like it's crack? Consider Longabergers to be the purest form of sweet, sweet cocaine on the streets.
It's expensive, addictive and extremely dangerous. Once you get just one little basket to organize your bills or store your collection of Family Circles, look out, because bears in American flag sweaters and wooden ducks with bonnets and aprons will soon be invading your home, and they're not Longaberger-induced hallucinations. Rehab is inevitable when you find yourself wandering around the Yankee Candle store in the nearest mall looking for the perfect olfactory confection to place in the middle of your ivory lace doily atop the antique Singer sewing machine (Cheryl really has this! ) you use as an entryway table. Tupperware, Amway, Avon and the Pampered Chef have nothing on this crap. At least you can use/eat some of that stuff. People pay crazy amounts of money for these baskets too.
Most of the time, women buy them at "parties" hosted by "friends" or "coworkers", ahem, dealers is more like it, but I looked on ebay, and a spread like the one pictured above is worth close to $300. There's even a single basket going for $600. urlLink For serious . Want to learn more about the pressure-cooker culture and effects these parties can have in your cul de sac, read urlLink this article . Or check urlLink this site out. It was the first one to come up when I Googled "Longaberger Baskets suck. " 
