Gifting memories

In addition to donating or selling things after recording their meaning to me in this blog, I've begun to look at my possessions and consider them as potential gifts.  I have too much and a gift with a "story" of the memories surrounding it may be more precious to the recipient.  Besides, the story will be lost if I'm not here to share it.

I recently gave as gifts some books - a child's picture book to a grand nephew, a book on rural living to a niece living on an old dairy farm, a coffee table book on Fractals to a sister who's interested in the topic.  I gave away some watches that I haven't worn since I left the corporate rat race to a niece on the edge of jumping into it.  These items will receive more use in their new homes and new memories will be made.

Purging my library

I have a library, I would guess of over 300 books.  I love them.  They have been my companions all my life, with me at every stage, through every life experience.  Many haven't been opened in years yet remind me of who I was, where I've been and how I got here.  Today I started to purge them so that, when I'm gone, someone else won't have to do it.  My book friends and I have been together a long time, some over 35 years and only we know the times we shared.  Here's some that I'm passing on.

From before the 90's
Beyond Freedom and Dignity - B. F. Skinner
Passages - Gail Sheehy
The Closing Circle - Barry Commoner


There's a couple diet books in there too.  The Before 90's collection has the flavor of the decades of ecology, social issues, feminism.  Sigh.

From the 90's - my second childhood
Approaching Zero - Turning Stones - Managing Your Mind - Darwin's Machines - Collapse of Chaos - Beirut to Jerusalem - Being in Dreaming


The collection here shows someone looking for something, different thinking, self-improvement, what the future may hold.




If any of these titles strike your fancy let me know and I'll hold them aside for a little while, maybe the end of the month.  After that, out they go.  Keep in mind these are some that I'm getting rid of.  What remains on the shelf are still a part of me that I can't or don't want to let go of yet.  If you want to know those titles you'll just have to visit me!

Technology aging faster than me

A while back I finally whittled my computer collection down to 2 - my everyday laptop (now 4? years old) and my WINXP desktop.  Of course, I then turned around and bought a mini-notebook because it would be easier for traveling.  So, this post is about saying goodbye to old technology. 

This gutted PC is my WIN95 desktop, surrounded by other obsolete pieces and parts of bygone days.  I bought this before 2000 and had kept it, ostensibly to be able to help friends who were still running WIN95 operating systems.  It also had some old DOS programs I was fond of, in particular my Managing Your Money (MYM) original finances tracking software.  It still worked perfectly, albeit slow by today's standards.  I'd installed a "zip" drive, a high capacity (700MB?) 3 1/2" drive and had to convert the stack of disks I had laying around to my newer USB backup drives (200GB).  I kept the hard drive because I'm paranoid about being able to clean off everything so it's a useless shell and on its way to Goodwill.


Check out the other goodies: A joy stick (I played Flight Simulator, Myst, Mech Warriors with it), multiple serial port mice, 3 or 4 parallel port printer cables, telephone plugs (before universal ones) and even a USB camera (now their all built-in).

I still have a WINXP desktop that reads 3 1/2" floppies and I'm going through stacks of those in preparation for eventually retiring that desktop too.  It's serving as my music machine for now.

I'm looking at getting a new PC, an all-in-one monitor type with a giant screen and the PC integrated in the monitor.  So, computers are still a **BIG** part of my life.  

Toot toot tootsie goodbye

A few weeks ago I decided it was time to part with some musical instruments I had acquired.

Many years ago when I became an empty nester and number one son moved on, I decided to do something I'd enjoyed before work, family and such got in the way - back in when I was just "me".

I'd played flute and piccolo since 4th grade and gave it up when I went to college.  I sold my silver flute to my brother-in-law-to-be (a real musician).  Fast forward 25 years and I decided to pick it up again.

Unfortunately, my embouchure  (that's the way you hold your lips, don't you know) was shot so I found a recorder instead.  I went off to my favorite "adult camp" the John C Campbell Folk School in North Carolina and took a week's worth of group lessons with the first flautist of the Florida Symphony Orchestra.  Ureka!  I could still read music and play with others.

Back home I joined a Early Recorder group and played with them at Renaissance Fairs and weekend workshops.  Check out the "wench" picture!

It's been a few years since I've played with them as my skill and talent fell far short of my desire.  So the tenor and alto recorders I'd purchased have gone on to a middle school teacher eager to share how beautiful these instruments can sound in the hands of a practicing artist.

The soprano recorder will stay with me for those times when a little jig or melancholy tune is called upon to soothe the soul.

Out with the old (furniture, that is)

Last week I gave this set of couch/loveseat/chair to my brother's family.  Still in good shape.  I hadn't noticed, but it was pointed out to me that they were no longer the right "scale" for the living room and if I got rid of them I could start imagining other uses for the space. 

I liked the color a lot against the tan carpet and white shutters and teak bookcases.  The empty space is calling to me and for now I'm ignoring it.

Funny how many different ideas come to mind when you have a clean slate to work with.  With Spring in the air, I'm ready to move more stuff. 

Wishing won't make it so

A couple of nights ago I made a list (computerized, of course) of all the sewing patterns (over 85) I have that I want to get rid of. Well, really, I'd like to sew some of them again or even for the first time but I haven't made my own clothes for probably 20 years now. It was a real trip down memory lane, remembering making some of the clothes, the places I wore them. It gave me a picture of myself those many years ago - who I wanted to be. I was surprised at the complexity of some of the patterns and felt good that I had that level of sewing skill.

There's the hide-a-bed cover I made for the first apartment.  And the sweatsuits I made one Christmas (that was a disaster!)

It's hardest to let go of the patterns I never made. I had fabric (that's another night of review sometime) and notions to complete some of them and never did. It's like I can catch up someday where I left off, where that life ended and finish it properly.

Wishing won't make it so, though. So I'm moving on, sending them to a friend, an artist, who hopefully will find a good use for them.

The first step

Being in what's likely the second half of my life I've felt bogged down by the physical things I have from the first half. I love my things and the memories they evoke. Wanting to move forward with less stuff, this is my journey of letting go, de-cluttering and preserving the past but with room for the future.

I've saved physical things to remember a time, a place, an experience a person.
I plan to take pictures of them, record their story and send them on their way.