When Terry and I got married we both owned three-bedroom homes. I sold my house and moved into hers, and a lot of what I moved into her place sat in a spare bedroom and the garage. Between us, we had more stuff than we’d ever need.
Eighteen months later, when we decided to become fulltime RVers, we sold it all and spent nearly two decades living and traveling in a 300 square foot motorhome. We did not have a house or even a storage locker someplace. We carried everything we owned with us, including a drafting table, a waxer, and other supplies and equipment we needed to publish the Gypsy Journal RV newspaper, which is how we supported ourselves on the road. We were quite comfortable and had everything we needed.
A little over three years ago, we bought an 1,800 square foot house with an attached 1,100 square foot garage. It was actually much larger than we had planned on buying, and we both said we’d never fill it up. Guess what? We did in no time at all. Everywhere you look there is stuff, stuff, and more stuff.
Miss Terry is a weaver and her loom room is bigger than our entire RV was, and it’s full. She has two huge Glimakra looms in there, the folding Baby Wolfe loom she used in the motorhome, along with other weaving equipment, bookcases, and her desk. And let’s not even mention all of the yarn, wool, etc.
My office space is much smaller, maybe 100 square feet, but it holds a large rolltop desk, bookshelves, an antique cabinet radio, and a slot machine. The walls are covered with cases filled with police badges, an airplane propeller, and a few pictures.
As for that huge garage? Somehow, we managed to fill that up, too. Don’t ask me where this stuff all comes from, it just shows up.
We both like antiques and we furnished much of the house with vintage items. Just the other day we saw a beautiful old curved glass front buffet but realized we’d need a bigger house to have a place to put it.
I’m writing this because I read a thread on Facebook the other day about how as people get older, they should be getting rid of things so their kids don’t have to do it when they’re gone. I’m not really sure if I agree with that or not. Why not have the things we like around us while we’re here to enjoy them? As for my kids, what they do with it when we’re gone is their business. My only hope is that they don’t sell all of my guns and my badges for the amounts I told Miss Terry I paid for them.
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Dog’s Run, my mystery set in a small Ohio town in 1951. I have 28 mystery novels out, as well as about 10 nonfiction books, and I have to say that Dog’s Run is my favorite. It’s a gritty tale that is loosely based upon an actual crime that took place in that part of the country when my father was a young police officer there, and I warn you in advance that there’s some rough language, but it’s appropriate to the time and place. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Today I wore something from five years ago and it fit. I’m so proud of myself! Yes, it was a pair of socks, but still, let’s be positive.
