It all seems a little weird and surreal. I'm. here at mom's packing up her house, her mementos and her memories. Some of the stuff I'm keeping, and a few mementos for the grandkids.
The weird and surreal is that she isn't dead, just living in a small apartment. Small compared to a 3 bedroom house. At first, I was not going to tell her what I'm doing, but then a little slipped out and we talked about sharing things among the family.
For the most part, she seems to accept that it has to be this way. Other times, she will ask me to bring her something, telling me where its at. At her old house in Cali. She lived there nearly 60 years and knew where everything was. Things started slipping after she moved.
But what surprises me (but only a little) is that even though things are "put away and organized", they really aren't. She could certainly qualify as a hoarder. There's a small dish of safety pins not just in her sewing drawer, but in the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom. Same with rubber bands and clothes pins. I counted 52 kitchen towels. And there must be 25 or so tablecloths. I don't think she's at the point where she can laugh about it though! So I don't say anything.
It took me an hour and two 39-gallon trash bags to gather up the plastics with lids to donate, and another baggie of mismatched items to recycle. And that was just in the pantry!
And all this has me wondering ..... what will MY daughter be saying or thinking when she finally goes through my stuff?? Eeks
There's a fine line between collecting, keeping and hoarding.
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