Buried Treasure

 

Yesterday I attacked a stack of stuff that I hadn’t looked at it years. Over time, it became the default place for things I didn’t know what to do with, or was postponing doing something with. The stack grew slowly but steadily.

About 1/3 of the way down the stack I uncovered treasures that I’d been seeking for many weeks.  There was a ziplock bag holding photos and memorabilia that I’d pretty much forgotten about.

And two white binders…

One binder contained old family photos that I’d been searching for. Several years ago I’d used some of them for a YouTube video about my paternal ancestors, but had no idea where they were now.

It also held my WWII ration books from when I was a baby. 

The other binder was full of CDs holding old photos and data. 

The photos go as far back as 1994 or maybe farther. Most are from the early 2000’s

Other projects are on hold while I travel down memory lane with these CDs. This should be interesting.

 

Decisions, Decisions

 Decluttering isn’t always as simple as “If you don’t love it, let it go”.

What about things that are still useful? The next question is “Will I use it in the future?" There are 3 possible answers:

·      No: get rid of it.

·      Yes: Keep it

·      Maybe: Now there are more things to consider:

o   Sentimental value?

o   Will it likely ever be used? Really??

There are some things that I’m truly ready to toss. The things to keep are pretty obvious. But there are some useful things that I love but haven’t used for years; I have trouble tossing obsolete electronic devices that were once used and loved.

And some of the “maybe”s  have a purely sentimental grip on me. It is difficult to discard the things that bring back pleasant memories.The process slows down when I uncover something that once was significant because I always need to take time with it before I can dispose of it.

This process will go on for a while, but I have nothing but time.

 

Did I fizzle out?

 

 

Today I came across some binders that had been stored for a few years. They reminded me that I once was energetic. In a mental sense. 

They contain notes and goals for several Youtube projects I did. I was pretty well organized. I even had a bullet journal that I kept up. I had design plans and narration scripts. Then I didn’t do any more. Why?  Was I burned out from the effort?  Did I run out of ideas? Did I just lose interest? I did think of more projects and even started a couple of them but never followed up after making a few steps.

I hope that I’ll get inspired by looking at my past work. I hope that I’ll be able to pick up where I left off on the couple projects that I barely started. I need to get the juices flowing again.  I’ve been mentally sedentary for too long.

A De-cluttering Milestone

 

Some milestones are smaller than others.

I had gone through the pantry and removed the things I am unlikely to use – much of it was for Neal only. It’s all been sitting on the dining table for weeks now because I cannot carry heavy things down the stairs and no local food pantry has anyone who can pick it up. I was stuck for a solution.

There was also a collection of stuff that I wanted to get rid of. Today a junk removal guy came to get the stuff.

The great news is that he also took the food items and will see that they get to a food bank.

I regained some floor space and table-top real estate. HOOORAY!!!

 

 

Grief

 

My husband, Neal, passed last month. It felt as if part of me just evaporated. I have learned just what grief really is. It is not weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

It is the loss of those common everyday things that I took for granted. I miss his presence of course but it's the loss of the little things that brings on grief: the daily interactions:

·      Did you see the rabbit in the yard?

·      What do you think about the ……

·      I just read an interesting article.

·      Do you want to …..

·      Should we spend the money for ….

·      I’d like your opinion on ….

·      Can you give me a hand with ….

·      Should I do this? Or that?

·      Where should we go?

·      What if?

·      I love you.

These are the things that make up the fabric of a life together. They are gone. GONE

I thank God for the wonderful memories we made together. Neal will always live in my heart.

Revival

I'm reviving this blog to give me the outlet I need right now. Much has changed since my last post.

The DNA Explosion

When did humans first wear garments?  How long ago did humans drink milk? Inquiring minds want to know.

Most of us look to DNA to learn about family and ancestry. But scientists of many disciplines are studying DNA, learning about the past, and making remarkable discoveries  Paleo(fill in the blank) research has found the residue in ancient pottery indicates that we drank milk perhaps 6,000 years ago.

DNA found in dental plaque from fossil teeth can indicate ancient diets and even diseases. Ancient seeds found in the dusty basements of museums are rich in information.

My first thought is that I’d like to be a participant in some of that research, but I’m a big picture person who’d chafe at the slow pace and miniscule details in laboratories. I like being on the outside where I can read the results of research from all disciplines.

Here’s an interesting online article.