Tuesday, August 02, 2011

HIGH GEAR

This morning Paul's and my goal was to begin getting boxes out of Amy's room, putting what we could of her belongings out of our Wynne attic (dolls, high school stuff) up in the Iuka attic. I'm gradually transferring all to plastic bins, which should bake nicely up there, since it's about 200 degrees. But we just worked this morning and Paul handed down or threw down about one-third of what's up there. We didn't get anything of hers put up, but quite a bit taken down. Previously he had said there wasn't much, but there is; oh, yes indeedy, there is. The cardboard boxes have baked to the brittleness of old veneer, plastic bags have turned to ash. I salvaged a couple of quilts which are iffy, and one quilt top (never quilted); a pretty glass serving platter, a Corning Visions casserole dish. Paul found some odd little tools; there were a couple of boxes of Tommy's old school notebooks and some school annuals.  Sandra is going to look at the quilts to see if they're worth trying to save.  Paul said, "Throw them away, like we need some more quilts!" "But they are art and a lot of work!" "We have enough art," he sighed, throwing his arm over his eyes as he lay on the couch. He knows it's useless... But I have to say I have "let go" of a lot of stuff. I'm sure when I get to my old letters and notebooks it will be easier to go through them.

And jars. I asked Paul if they ate a lot of mayonnaise or if his mother asked people to save them for her. She canned so much food, jellies, in her life. I kept one of each kind of  "real" canning jar (Kerr, Mason, Ball), and will take the rest to Bren. There was a ton of old plastic freezer containers, too. I could only imagine all the work Mama Nick did over the years.  One yellow, brittle note had written on it: "jelly 75 up at Leo's." No idea. 75 jars? 75 cents?

This afternoon I discovered (or Bren added me) a group on Facebook "You Know You Grew Up in Iuka If...." and was a goner. It was too hot to do anything else; we had worked hard this morning. So I've been remembering the good old days off and on this afternoon.  Woodall Mountain (highest point in MS) right here in Iuka; Curtis's Drug Store; Claude Curtis's hamburgers; new school/old school; who worked where in town when they were in school; Cutshall's furniture store which included caskets on the top floor (furniture stores used to carry caskets, and furniture makes built them); favorite teachers; where we were when JFK was shot; who streaked through town; the Jack n Jill hang-out; Pan Am Cafe; Southland service station - not gas station, but service... Lots of fun.

Two men from Iuka Baptist came to follow-up on our attendance Sunday. One man lives down the road from us, our county road. Very nice.

Tomorrow I just must go "out town," as Mama used to say. Have to get that paper notarized; we're out of cheese and milk. I want to take some Beanie Babies to the hospital: Bren said they can use them on the floor and in the ER; take her jars, or take them to her house if Jim's there. Some books need to go to the library, and I have some to take to Carol, along with Tommy's things. My truck is full and I have to make room for other things. That should keep me busy. (What will occupy my time when we get moved in?? Maybe I can use my library card!)  About the time we get a path through a room, something else takes the place of what we put up or got rid of. It's one thing to move into an empty house; quite another to move in on top of someone else's possessions and knowing how to handle distribution, what to get rid of. So far all has gone well. It just takes time.

Paul washed his Camaro today...


Oh, and the kitchen, friend TBC, is coming along. I was trying to get the new fan/light fixture we put up, but it's so bright here. The fan makes a lot of difference. The A/C vent in the kitchen needs to be enlarged. Small things tend to find their homes in the kitchen window and I need to do something about that. But that's what makes it become home, I guess.

No comments: