Sad Hoarder

Aw, man. I brought a guy to Mom's to discuss clearing out the remaining flotsam.

Any flotsam Dave or I might want has long been claimed. This leaves a house full of spoons and occasional tables, rolling carts and picture frames, a living lesson on the difference between antique and vintage.

To take this step I had to admit, "Nothing in this house has value to me." I can't get past the other hoader hangup: surely this has value to someone else.

No.

He gently rambled through the house, with runninng commentary."Well, that's a TV and VCR, but flat screens are so cheap now no one will buy it. And a VCR ... even poor people have DVD players now. But, is that a vaccuum cleaner? That's the best thing I've seen so far. That'll sell."

I heard myself doing the hoarder replay, "Dave got that Major Matt Mason doll because our father worked at NASA, but he never played with it." Luckily, I stopped myself there, but I could have given the whole Jerry / David reunion story.

I did not say, "Stop, we must stop, I'm feeling agitated." So I'm not a total hoarder. But, it made me sad to think that things Mom found so useful (like the toilet-plunger device she cobbled to help her brush her teeth) won't be used by others.

Comments

[Hattie]

I was looking at a ceramic piece that a friend gave my mother in law and finally was able to throw away the hideous thing.

[Becs]

I only had to go through that at my grandfather's house, which turned out to be both shocking and entertaining. My stepfather was still living in the house where my mom died, so all I got to do was pick through her jewelry.

It must be hard.

[~~Silk]

You can give away things through http://www.freecycle.org/. People might want a VCR to transfer favorite old tapes to DVD. Picture frames are always wanted. Ditto old Nat'l Geographics. Nursery school teachers and art students love them because they're colorful for collages.

Things with some value might surprise you - check out www.MajorMattMason.net. Collectors' groups and auction sites are worth a try. At least there you KNOW the item will be appreciated.

[magpie]

That thing belongs in a museum.

Also? My mother would have liked your mother.

[Amy_in_Stl]

I can't even imagine doing this. My parents have tried so hard to pare things down but I know that no-one wants the weird 1950's era end tables that they have or the broken down leather recliner. But memories make things seeeeem valuable.

[~~Silk]

Furniture, no matter the condition or style, is fairly easy to recycle at the beginning of the college year. Put it at the end of the driveway and post a notice either at a college bulletin board, or in the "free" section of Craigslist.

[TheQueen]

Hattie - Did you check to be sure it wasn't valuable?
Becs - I'd forgotten ... I was with Mom when she picked through her mom's stuff. I have one thing she picked out hanging in my bedroom.
~~Silk - Actually, Major Matt may still be appreciated, the dealer was coming to look through stuff today.
Magpie - Maybe a polio museum.
Amy_in_StL - Mom pared down a lot herself. I am happy Dave took the Parsons tables and funky desk with him, it was nice to visit moms furniture. It's crap like the broken box she tried to refinish and fix. I know it's broken, just since mom never threw it away ...
~~Silk - I think what furniture there is (three small tables, three rolling carts, two storage units, and a few lamps) will be sold. Matresses are illegal to sell (smallpox? I guess?)

[Becs]

There's a museum at Warm Springs.

[Hattie]

That ceramic piece was the opposite of valuable. Better it had not ever been created.

[TheQueen]

Becs - You know, I heard a rumor recently that some doctors think FDR didn't have polio, but some other problem. Scandal.
Hattie - Then you have done the world a favor.