Pluggers by Rick McKee for July 01, 2018

My mother was always a neat freak about her house. I was often reminded not to let my room get messy and if I wasn’t using ‘it’, throw it out. Oh my the mess I had cleaning up her room after she died. I didn’t know one could pack that much into a desk or a closet.

“One day, son, all this will be yours.”

A columnist in the paper is always talking abut getting rid of stuff & not leaving it to the kids. A reader finally took her to task. It’s her life & memories & she wants them there to remind her of things. The kids can toss it after she’s gone, but they stay while she is still alive!

Started de-cluttering several years ago and even told people to just think of me instead of buying it for me. I’m tired of all the excess dusting.

The problem is that when it gets to be so much clutter, it isn’t the memories that you remember — it’s the knowledge that you have things to remember. I was the ‘kid’ who had to clean out the house after 4 generations ‘left it for the kids to take care of’ . Not only was it painful, but, it was confusing — all those things stuck in the attic and basement but nothing to tell my why they were saved. Were they really important to my ancestors or just shoved out of the way?

my mom was never a clutter bug but in her last few years became a squirrel. She had tissue and batteries and cleansers in all kinds of nooks and crannies. The idea was that she wanted these things handy when she needed them.

My folks left over 50 years of “collecting” for me to deal with. What we kept, minus the furniture, filled a 10×10×12 foot barn top to bottom, side to side. My daughter and I made a pact. If…okay, when, my house starts to get cluttered she’ll let me know it and we’ll “debride” the house.

My mum was an Olympic class pack rat. When she died, my sister and I each took home the income tax papers from the year we were born – ‘42 and ’47. Emery boards with no more emery, one legged panty-hose – carefully marked Left or Right. Mind you, most of us here are of an age where our parents survived both the Depression and WWII. First you couldn’t afford it, and then you couldn’t get because of rationing. “Keep it, you might need it” was a good idea.

Hubby and I are playing “Let’s Pretend We’re Moving” simply to cut down on the amount of stuff we have. If the kids want to get us something, make it a gift certificate to a nice restaurant. At my age, if want it, I can afford to buy it; otherwise, figure I don’t want or need it.

We simplified….moved into a tiny apartment! We have a pet house rabbit. No extra junk. We knew someone who was such a packrat, the house had to come down, and another packrat that caused so much trouble for the one who inherited the estate! Money and insurance policies, car titles, and other very important papers were stuffed between piles of newspapers, magazines, towels or other items. You could barely walk in these homes. Now another situation arises, a person with a huge home, very neat, uncluttered and fairly clean, but full of expensive items. What a chore this will be! I’m guessing all of our things could fit in a small U-Haul trailer. Which is good in case we have to move to a “home”.

Yet 25+/- years later, there are still things that I regret not salvaging from my in-laws’ and my mother’s homes.

Mom de-cluttered and threw things I wanted to keep. Sad.

They are all just things, and while you can’t take it with you, while you are here, enjoy! Only de-clutter if you want to!