We are in the throes of moving from our home of 19 years to a newer, larger home across town. The amount of crap we have accumulated can only be described as nauseating. However, moving can provide a bit of amusement amid the chaos - case in point:When we moved into this home almost two decades ago, among our kitchen wares we had a small glass mortar and pestle set. We used it in the kitchen to grind up spices or what have you. But I would say within a week, we had misplaced the pestle. Gone! Nowhere to be found. So we simply used the mortar as a syrup dispenser or ad-hoc creamer over the last 19 years.
Friday we began cleaning up dishes in preparation for them to be packed for the move. Nancy noticed the mortar had a large crack in the glass. Now of no use, and with the pestle long gone, we tossed the broken mortar into the trash.
Saturday Nancy was standing on a stool retrieving dishes from the uppermost cabinets. Calling to me to come in from the other room - there in her outstretched hand, one single day after the broken mortar had been discarded... was the missing pestle!
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Editors note: The last household items to be dismantled and moved will be the computer room and equipment. I love visiting your blogs but may be offline for a few days until my Internet isolation can be restored. But, I'll be back (hopefully sans a major heart event).
18 comments:
Oh the tragic synchronicity.
I find this happens to me whenever I get into spring cleaning, particularly with Tupperware containers.
I sort them out, and then throw away the lids that have no bodies and visa versa. A week later the other half reappears when it's all too late. I have the same problem with odd socks.
Your tale is far more dramatic, given the passage of time.
I hate to imagine all the lost objects we might find when we eventually move. We've been living in the same house for over thirty years now. There must be many hidden 'treasures'.
When you're done, I'm missing a few things around here after our 20 years in this house. Since I have no intention of moving, EVER, I'll need you to find that stuff.
When the kids were little, and had games with thousands of tiny pieces, I invented a radiotracking device. Too bad the engineer was then too young to build it for me. Coulda been really useful.
I am impressed with your determination. I am still moving to larger places, yet 'unloading' stuff on my daughter that I no longer wish to cart around. I'd probably be safe in saying it will take me ten more years to get down to a 'spare' amount of 'things.'
Peace be with you while you reorganize your new place!
You're moving to a larger house with less stuff (i.e., mortar and pestle). Will there be echoes, then?
Dlisabeth Tupperware is notorious for ending up mis-matched containers to lids. Right now when my wife and I ask where something is we find ourselves frequently saying "it's over at the other house". [sigh] I hop that ends soon.
Dr. Mom There is an Alternate Universe which I blogged about a while back where I have determined all that stuff ends up. Like the screwdriver that was JUST IN MY HAND that I put down and is now missing!!!
Entre Nous I am discovering how many items I have "two" of simply because I could never find the original and had to go out and purchase another one. I just packed two Christmas tree stands, as just one example.
Charile I'm hoping so... echos like the Grand Canyon. Actually I will have my own "office" and Nancy will have her "craft room" (aka Warehouse).
I'm sure a man of your creativity will find a good alternative use for the pestle. Will you be having a house warming party?
Remember this handy decision making ditty: When in doubt, throw it out.
I believe it is a rule of the universe: The Day After Throwing Away an Item Unused for a Long Time, You Will Find That You Need It. They say moving is more traumatic than divorce or maybe even a death. Good luck with it. And take care of yourselves!
Nothing like moving house for having a good clean out. Perhaps we should all move more often :)
You will miss your beautiful garden though, but perhaps not the hard work that went with it!
Bananas It's rather nice that the pestle is one of the few useful devices that does not require batteries.
Awkward Right - I throw it out and Nancy pulls it back out of the trash. (NOT kidding!!)
BackRow I had a box of plumbing odds-and-ends which I was going to toss as I haven't touched it in years. Yesterday my son-in-law called; he had a leaky sink which we completely fixed with the "odds" in that box. It now remains on the shelf in the new house.
Penny We moved every two years for some time, usually on a weekend so all the accumulated crap got moved with us. It just grew. NOW we are trying to sort it and not move it if not necessary.
Yes, I will miss my Japanese garden. It is lovely, but now someone else who loves to garden can take it over. For those of you who haven't seen my backyard Japanese garden, the link is Here.
I think that thing was asking to be thrown away.
They say moving house is the most stressful thing to do, so good luck, and don't kill each other!
Sounds like what we may be going through as soon as we sell and move to Naples, FL. Isn't it a nice feeling though to get rid of things you don't need? We have less clutter the more we move. Good luck to you. I'm surprised you're moving to a bigger house. Don't we usually downsize when kids are gone?
Are you 'missing' any cats.. I seem to have a few extra.....
We may be moving unexpectedly as well, place went up for sale, at least you have given me something to look forward to, I'm missing some stuff...
Hook up the computer in your new place FIRST! Please?
I am RECONNECTED to the InterWeb (Thank you, Comsast)
Rachel This move has brought the two of us even more closer together; out of sheer necessity, if nothing else. Our most intimate conversation now consists of: "Do you have any idea where we put the _____?"
Gutsy Unfortunately we have been living a "downsized" lifestyle for 19 years; three rental houses, all are larger (and air conditioned). Nancy was shuffling her craft items from room to room at the old house and there was literally no place for our kids and grandkids to visit and stay over night. Now we have TWO guest bedrooms, Nancy has her own workspace and I have my own office. Now there is ROOM to get rid of stuff.
Still this isn't our "dream house", but maybe someday we will have a Mid-Century Modern (which IS the dream house).
Entre Nous No cats, thanks. We miss our little Angelina but are enjoying being "kidless" and "petless". Soon there will be no Koi pond to maintain either. Leaves me more time for blogging!!
Ah well, if you got along without it for that long, how important was it anyway?
I down-sized quite a bit when I moved out here, and hope to get an even smaller house when the kids move away. Less to clean, less to heat and cool. less to furnish.
SecretAgent It is interesting how our lives are sometimes effected (or not) by "stuff".
I think we were ready for a change, a new perspective. We often stop to reassess where we are going and what our goals are. I am very fond of a quote by Louis Pasteur: "Chance favors the prepared mind." He reminds us to occasionally consider the unexpected, the third alternative, the path less chosen.
I think it's one of those corollaries to Murphy's Law.
You did become reconnected quickly and I thank you for your comment. Trust no heart event, whew, and a sense of order pushing chaos aside. Our last move, 8 1/2 years ago, required the letting go of things I have spent way too much energy regretting. To be reminded of the change - and stress - of moving may help me finally let them go. Happy new home (with Mid-Century modern waiting down the road...)
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