[AT] FW: Misc.

[Francis Robinson]

        Gasoline is $2.07.9 here now. A few stations in Indy are at $1.97.9
"finally".

        Diana and I feel like we have been moving forever... Someone asked
me recently if we were done. I said "no, but at least it seems less horrible
and overwhelming now". When you move from 2,500 square feet that was stacked
to the rafters with stuff into 5,000 square feet that was absolutely crammed
with stuff (some good, some junk) and reduced to paths, dealing with the
stuff just takes over your life. The actual moving of our furniture and
clothing etc. is not a problem. Still a lot to do and the now "empty" house
is filling up with stuff that does not have a home. Some of it is stuff that
my sister is supposed to come up from Florida and take home with her. Much
of a whole lot more of it will end up in an antique auction somewhere that
specializes in them. A van load of "stuff" recently went to the Salvation
army and they will get more. One room of the other house is full of Diana's
mom's stuff. She recently said to get rid of all of her stuff that she does
not have in the home with her (she had lived with us for 3 years). That will
involve Diana's 7 siblings and we may have to push that process a little to
make it happen. A couple will drag their feet mostly due to denial.
        I should maybe mention that my mother is still living, sort of...
She is in a home and has little conception of the outside world or even most
of the small world she is in. Advanced Alzheimer's is not your friend.
I had more books in the other house than a 12' wall of shelves would hold.
My mother had thousands... They are going to take a lot of sorting... At
least I can wait until this winter to do that job. There are hundreds of
them that I have absolutely no interest in. I have not read fiction for many
years. Other than technical stuff and a lot of "how to" stuff I tend to lean
toward history and biography. My mother had a lot of collectable books like
first additions etc. I have accumulated quite a few books that I just bought
because they were well over 100 years old and selling at some yard sale for
a dime. I figured that unless I bought them their next home would be a
dumpster...
        Happily my sister took my mother's extensive stamp collection. I had
no interest in it or in the process of properly selling it off. I believe
one of my nephews will end up with it and my mother would have liked that.
        Diana has been going nuts sorting out kitchen stuff and dishes. We
of course have a 43-year accumulation of our own and my mother had latched
onto stuff from her mother as well as stuff from a couple of my father's
sisters. She also used to go to auctions and bring home boxes of stuff. She
kept "everything"... Lots of the stuff is the type of things that absolutely
do not fit our chosen lifestyle. We just don't do fancy or formal. We have
several sets of good china and nice stainless flatware and any visitor we
might have that doesn't think it is good enough won't be in my house long...
:)   Most family dinners are served on high quality paper plates.   :)   If
you dine in my house expect to only find one knife, one fork and one spoon
per person.   :)
        Disappearing for a day or two for antique tractor shows or family
function has been a big aid in helping to maintain some level of sanity.
Hopefully we can deal with all of this excess stuff now and "simplify,
simplify, simplify" so that it will not drive us mad in our later years like
it finally did my mother...
        Things are finally shaping up and hopefully will be somewhat settled
by about Halloween. Thanksgiving should be fairly organized. BTW, I was in
Wally World yesterday and it is now Christmas there...   :)
        I am really getting excited now about being able to work in the shop
most of this winter. It's the first time I have looked forward to winter.
        We will drop down to the Brookville IN tractor show this weekend...



"farmer"

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net