Sunday, January 1, 2012

The New Year and old regrets

OK, we've lived in the house for 19 years.  Every year we put lights up at Christmas time and each Epiphany we take them down.  So why have I never taken a picture of the house with lights?  More importantly, why did I wait until New Years Eve to do it?  It's not the best shot, but when I am sitting in assisted living someday, drool running down my chin, I can look at the picture and ask myself:  Where the hell is that?
Moved boxes yesterday....four wonderful workers came to do the bulk of the lifting.  Among the items moved were:  a parking meter; Jackie's grandmother's China; my wine making supplies; 10 plastic tubs marked simply 'pictures'; two boxes of 78 records; and a box marked 'Emily's childhood.'
Boy did that bring back memories!  Emily's childhood. Some of it carefully preserved (ok, tossed in a box) for maybe 28 years, on its third move; dusty...perhaps.   Musty smelling....definitely.  But that is what memories are.
As lovingly carried it in to Emily's I showed it to her.  Opening it, I pulled out the Care Bear ballon, the tower made of poplicle sticks and filled with erasures.  She looked at it wide eyed and said, "Wow, I can't believe you saved all that crap."
And that sums up the basement move....I can't believe I've saved all that crap either.  But it's there.....in Emily's basement.

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