Normal Goings-on

[Zzzptm]

Summer in Finland and 3 weeks to enjoy - that sounds like you are set for great fun!

[Vyn]

After years with the same profile "signature", recent events have prompted me to alter it slightly

If you don't know who Sophie Scholl was, do yourself a favor and look her up. Metal as fuck, she was.

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
Thanks for the information, Vyn.
I had never heard of Sophie Scholl, and now I'm glad I did. 

[Vyn]

Right on!

I don't know how she managed to walk around with those giant steel balls she had.

[Charger]

Never heard of her either...seems to have been something of heroine back in the day.

[Vyn]

Graddaughter and her fiance stopped by today, dropped off some homemade soup and cookies. Heck yeah!

[Vyn]

Today, I am starting to go through and pack up some of my wife's stuff. Beginning in the bedroom. Just a little at a time. Making decisions about what I want to keep of hers, things that I won't use, but want to keep. I have her hairbrush, with hair. I'm keeping that for now. Not the most glamorous thing, but...

I'll probably spend this upcoming week finishing the bedroom, master bath, closet. It's primarily clothes and shoes, but then there's things like toothbrush, her shampoo...personal items. She bought a complete set of new bath towels, wash cloths, hand towels right before she died. Her words: "This way you have a nice new set of towels." She knew.

This is an easy task. I know what needs to go, it's just a matter of getting it out. Yet it's amazingly rough.

[Zzzptm]

It is rough. But if you pick the few things that will bear the full burden of the memories, perhaps saying farewell to the other things will be made easier. They are just things, after all, and we have the power to cling and to let go.

[Vyn]

For sure. Four weeks from now, this place is going to look a lot different. I've distributed those items Debbie specified for various people, except for our youngest daughter, who has yet to make it up here. And I've told everyone that if there is anything of hers they want that is still here, to let me know soon. I'm not going to live in a museum in order to support one person's fear of facing facts. She's "afraid" of how she'll feel. Well - yeah, it's going to suck. I've told her she needs to face this head on or it is going to live in her head for the rest of her life. Her mother did not want that nonsense for her. Jeez.

[Typhon]

The closest thing I can relate to your task, Vyn, is when my parents died within 9 months of each other.  They had a small house, but it was loaded with all kinds of belongings.  I'm an only child, so the job was all on me.  My parents had a decent wardrobe, but I'm taller than my dad was, so I couldn't use any of his stuff.  I remember giving a lot of clothes to charity.  I figured if I can't use it, someone else should.  That actually made me feel pretty good during that tough time.

[Vyn]

It is amazing how much stuff a couple accumulates over the decades if they stay in the same place. A friend of mine has a mom who died a few years ago and his dad is on his last legs. The dad was borderline hoarder and just last week my friend and I were discussing how much he dreaded having to sift through all of the stuff. Thier house, plus two small sheds, plus one outbuilding the size of their house. Full of crap. My parents weren't like that. And in a fit of forward thinking about ten years ago, they went through the stuff they do have and wrote it all down, boxed it up, labelled it, added going value for any of it that had value (my mom collected depression glass and carnival glass). I can't thank them enough for doing all of that. Now my mom has dementia, can't walk and requires 24/7 supervision, and my dad is hammered taking care of her. And either one could go any time, but I think my dad will hang in there until my mom passes, and then I'm sure he'll follow right along. Seems to happen that way when people are really old.

[Charger]

I can imagine it's a very hard task going through all that stuff...

But I can also imagine it might be very therapeutic.

[Zzzptm]

The closest thing I can relate to your task, Vyn, is when my parents died within 9 months of each other.  They had a small house, but it was loaded with all kinds of belongings.  I'm an only child, so the job was all on me.  My parents had a decent wardrobe, but I'm taller than my dad was, so I couldn't use any of his stuff.  I remember giving a lot of clothes to charity.  I figured if I can't use it, someone else should.  That actually made me feel pretty good during that tough time.

That's one of the best ways to let go, knowing it's going to where it can do some good.

[Vyn]

Well, cleared out her dresser today. Ten drawers of various sizes containing all of her intimate apparel, socks, some denim jeans, that kind of thing. All bagged up. Ended with one bag of clothes suitable for Goodwill.

I think I'm done until tomorrow - her closet is on deck, and that accounts for 90% of her clothes and shoes. She kept her jewelry in there as well, but I've already passed most of that out to family members whom she directed to get what. I still have a sapphire ring that was her grandmothers'. She told me to give it to whoever I think would keep it as the heirloom it is and not sell it. Which was odd because she didn't have that concern about any of the rest of her stuff. I guess this ring was made somewhere around 1910, and is just a small gold band with one small sapphire stone. Looks like an engagement ring except for the color. I think I'll give it to my oldest granddaughter  - she's getting married on June 20th, and Debbie actually mentioned she's going to let her wear it as the "something old" piece. Her and her husband are solidly grounded and I think she'd appreciate it.

Now, if my youngest daughter would get her ass up here lol

[Charger]

Deep Purple show tomorrow!!

Can't bloody wait!