Aug. 13th, 2025 07:09 am
Literally, stuff.
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k2daisyI moved back from Florida this March with a Pod full of stuff. About half of it was from my parents' house, the other half was vintage goodies I had found while I was there for 4 months. It took about a month to get it all unpacked (although I just realized there are about 4-5 boxes in the garage I forgot about).
It is both comforting and depressing to see some of my parents' things around the house. They catch me off-guard sometimes, like when I started crying at my dad's favorite ice cream scoop yesterday. They had many, many smartly functional items that I kept for myself, especially for the kitchen. As sad as they make me sometimes, I also admire their ingenuity, and appreciate that both my parents were good shoppers who knew how to find items that helped them live their lives more easily. Sure, they balked at my buying them a rollerator and wheelchair (until they realized how much it helped them get around the house), but they weren't stubborn about everything.
Here are some of the things I incorporated into my house from theirs:
-the ice cream scoop (it's so smartly designed, with a wide claw that scoops up more easily than the ball design one)
-brass anchor letter openers (2)
-fire safe/suitcase for important papers
-a few of the gurgle pots I bought for Dad's collection
-the cement bulldog in the garden
-a kitchen timer that looks like an angry bulldog
-a smaller painted cement bulldog that is anchoring the plant stand in the porch
-the best skillet ever (with a fitted lid)
-a bag of white-handled oyster knives (I don't open oysters but they were my dad's and I can't get rid of them)
-two drawers full of office supplies and writing pads
-a color printer
-boxes of photographs
-toilet paper holders in both bathrooms
-the hardcase mini-wallets my mom used
-the small spongeware crock to hold pens and scissors on my desk
-the big shallow basket my mom had in every kitchen we ever lived in (holds my fruits now)
-their original Whiffenpoof boat sign (still needs to be hung in the porch)
-the big ottoman and white faux-fur rugs they bought for Molly
-their dog, Molly
-the lucite jewelry box Mom had in her walk-in closet
-the wooden shoe rack Dad had in his walk-in closet
-many of their clothes
-the Miss Connecticut crown
-the Yale dining hall waiter station from the early 20th century (been waiting for years to own that)
-a lot of kitchen utensils, like nice spatulas and spoons and a good small rubber spatula
-all the Mason jars and special pot Mom used to make Molly's food (I freeze it now in baggies so I have a ton of useless Mason jars now)
-the Kitchenaid mixer
-the small chopper and small salad spinner and a couple of other small appliances
-a bag of styluses
-the scary dark portrait of my mother
-two of her flat round serving baskets (now hanging on my gallery walls) that we used hundreds of times at parties and tailgates
-their copper burial urns
-the super-soft blanket they used for naps in their lovely peaceful bedroom
-a great Spanish painted terra cotta flowerpot that is sitting in my office window with a thriving plant in it
-the weird metal-and-glass piece that hung in their kitchen window and is now in my office window
-a bunch of pretty glass-and-metal butterfly window hangers that never stick to the windows
-the round yellow suncatcher that was sitting in a drawer in their office (but is now hanging in my office window)
-the small fold-up captain's table they used to use on the boat for happy-hour snacks and drinks
-the wooden slat bench now holding up a big plant stand in the porch
-my grandmother's wooden table that I need to get repaired
-my grandmother's old green pottery bowl (now holding onions)
-the antique pink and blue Persian Kerman rug we have had in every home since I was a kid
-all of their credit cards, licenses, and passports that I have to figure out how to destroy
-the cute display of crab claw hammers from Florida fish houses
-a soft-cover pocket Constitution of the United States
-the Keurig coffee maker (for emergencies only)
-the sage green ottoman my Mom used to raise her swollen feet (SAME, Mom)
-all the solar-powered Tiki torches and butterflies scattered across my garden (they used to ring the lanai at night, it was so pretty)
-the Ring camera that I need to install overlooking my front door/garage door (I paid for a year's subscription in February)
It's funny, I started taking this inventory yesterday because I moved a book my dad gave me a few years ago so it was on the top of the TV shelf. Both of my parents gave me me many things over the years, stuff of theirs they knew I would appreciate (Mom always called me the sentimental one) or gifts they wanted to give me to celebrate occasions. Like the maple tree they bought for the backyard of our new house, or the Yale dining hall chairs Dad gave me when they moved to Florida. So my house was already a blend of my and their stuff well before I brought the Pod home.
Anyway, the funny part is that my husband noticed the book move. "The Encyclopedia of Gardening," he said quietly. "I look over at that one at least once a week. Your dad gave you that." He nodded at the new display; the book now sits under a big vintage planter of succulents. "I like it up there."
Me too.
(I should do a reel or IG post of pictures too. Hmmm.)
It is both comforting and depressing to see some of my parents' things around the house. They catch me off-guard sometimes, like when I started crying at my dad's favorite ice cream scoop yesterday. They had many, many smartly functional items that I kept for myself, especially for the kitchen. As sad as they make me sometimes, I also admire their ingenuity, and appreciate that both my parents were good shoppers who knew how to find items that helped them live their lives more easily. Sure, they balked at my buying them a rollerator and wheelchair (until they realized how much it helped them get around the house), but they weren't stubborn about everything.
Here are some of the things I incorporated into my house from theirs:
-the ice cream scoop (it's so smartly designed, with a wide claw that scoops up more easily than the ball design one)
-brass anchor letter openers (2)
-fire safe/suitcase for important papers
-a few of the gurgle pots I bought for Dad's collection
-the cement bulldog in the garden
-a kitchen timer that looks like an angry bulldog
-a smaller painted cement bulldog that is anchoring the plant stand in the porch
-the best skillet ever (with a fitted lid)
-a bag of white-handled oyster knives (I don't open oysters but they were my dad's and I can't get rid of them)
-two drawers full of office supplies and writing pads
-a color printer
-boxes of photographs
-toilet paper holders in both bathrooms
-the hardcase mini-wallets my mom used
-the small spongeware crock to hold pens and scissors on my desk
-the big shallow basket my mom had in every kitchen we ever lived in (holds my fruits now)
-their original Whiffenpoof boat sign (still needs to be hung in the porch)
-the big ottoman and white faux-fur rugs they bought for Molly
-their dog, Molly
-the lucite jewelry box Mom had in her walk-in closet
-the wooden shoe rack Dad had in his walk-in closet
-many of their clothes
-the Miss Connecticut crown
-the Yale dining hall waiter station from the early 20th century (been waiting for years to own that)
-a lot of kitchen utensils, like nice spatulas and spoons and a good small rubber spatula
-all the Mason jars and special pot Mom used to make Molly's food (I freeze it now in baggies so I have a ton of useless Mason jars now)
-the Kitchenaid mixer
-the small chopper and small salad spinner and a couple of other small appliances
-a bag of styluses
-the scary dark portrait of my mother
-two of her flat round serving baskets (now hanging on my gallery walls) that we used hundreds of times at parties and tailgates
-their copper burial urns
-the super-soft blanket they used for naps in their lovely peaceful bedroom
-a great Spanish painted terra cotta flowerpot that is sitting in my office window with a thriving plant in it
-the weird metal-and-glass piece that hung in their kitchen window and is now in my office window
-a bunch of pretty glass-and-metal butterfly window hangers that never stick to the windows
-the round yellow suncatcher that was sitting in a drawer in their office (but is now hanging in my office window)
-the small fold-up captain's table they used to use on the boat for happy-hour snacks and drinks
-the wooden slat bench now holding up a big plant stand in the porch
-my grandmother's wooden table that I need to get repaired
-my grandmother's old green pottery bowl (now holding onions)
-the antique pink and blue Persian Kerman rug we have had in every home since I was a kid
-all of their credit cards, licenses, and passports that I have to figure out how to destroy
-the cute display of crab claw hammers from Florida fish houses
-a soft-cover pocket Constitution of the United States
-the Keurig coffee maker (for emergencies only)
-the sage green ottoman my Mom used to raise her swollen feet (SAME, Mom)
-all the solar-powered Tiki torches and butterflies scattered across my garden (they used to ring the lanai at night, it was so pretty)
-the Ring camera that I need to install overlooking my front door/garage door (I paid for a year's subscription in February)
It's funny, I started taking this inventory yesterday because I moved a book my dad gave me a few years ago so it was on the top of the TV shelf. Both of my parents gave me me many things over the years, stuff of theirs they knew I would appreciate (Mom always called me the sentimental one) or gifts they wanted to give me to celebrate occasions. Like the maple tree they bought for the backyard of our new house, or the Yale dining hall chairs Dad gave me when they moved to Florida. So my house was already a blend of my and their stuff well before I brought the Pod home.
Anyway, the funny part is that my husband noticed the book move. "The Encyclopedia of Gardening," he said quietly. "I look over at that one at least once a week. Your dad gave you that." He nodded at the new display; the book now sits under a big vintage planter of succulents. "I like it up there."
Me too.
(I should do a reel or IG post of pictures too. Hmmm.)
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Not sure about licenses because of the lamination, but my basic-ass bought-the-cheap-model-from-Target shredder actually has a specific slot for shredding credit cards. If you don't have a shredder, you might be able to check if your library does; mine rents them out as part of their library of things and says it's capable of shredding credit cards and CDs.
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This weekend I am *finally* making a start on clearing my Mom's storage units. When I moved her to assisted living and rented her house, I only had time to shovel everything into 3 storage units. They cost a fortune and the stuff has been in there since 2016. I only brought home some of her paintings, some kitchen items, and basically ALL her paperwork, most of which I ended up shredding. Min is right -- the right shredder can easily handle credit cards and anything laminated, though the passport covers might be a challenge.
During the original process I swore I was going to convert to Buddhism and throw everything away, I was so overwhelmed with, as you say, *stuff*. But despite the cost, I'm glad I now have time to go through the things and *think*. It's fascinating what things end up having the most meaning.