Downsizing

Downsizing to get my lifetime of accumulations into a three-room cottage is going to be a challenge. I have family pieces of furniture, silver, etc. that I don’t think will fit in my new quarters but I don’t want to part with them. I will of course offer them to the children, and there are some things I want to hang on to for now but someday I hope one of my children will want then. Like the wonderful oak chiming clock on the mantel that my mom went to school by as a child.

For years I thought I wasn’t going to think about this downsizing problem. I’d just let my children deal with it after I’m gone. But now that we’re into it, I’m glad to be able to be part of it, to voice my opinion. Tonight Jordan pulled silver pieces, badly tarnished I admit, out of a buffet I seldom open except to get the ice bucket. There were two silver tea services, and I was chagrined that I couldn’t tell her which belonged to who. I think the more ornate one was my paternal grandmother’s, and the more sleek, modern one belonged to my mom. I am more casual in entertaining and almost never use silver, which I realized with a pang when Jordan pulled silver serving dishes out and said, “What are these for?” One covered dish—Mom’s or something she inherited from Dad’s mother—is of the ornate grape pattern, but on the serving dish there is a place where the silver melted. I remember when I was a child and Mom set the dish too close to a flame and melted a bit of the pattern. Makes it more precious now.

Jordan also packed up Christmas today. I had it all in a pile on the dining table, but she wanted to pack it in a way that would make sense to her next Christmas. No more of my grocery sacks. She brought plastic bins with lids. As always, she got it all packed and discovered Christmas items she’d left out. She also organized all the wrapping material, which I generally just stuffed into black plastic bags. How did I get such an organized daughter?

Next on her agenda is what she refers to as my ten drawers of T-shirts. A slight exaggeration but I do have more than I use. And a small cabinet full of athletic knee-high sock which no one in the family would ever wear. I’m hoping we can give away a lot of this and avoid a garage sale.

All the kids will be here the weekend of the 29^th, and I’m hoping they’ll take a lot home with them.

This is an ongoing process, and you’ll probably hear a lot more about it. Meantime, can you think of a better ticket that Donald Trump and Sarah Palin? Oh good gravy. I stumbled into the kitchen this morning, turned on the TV, and heard this horrible shrieking, grating female voice. Sarah, of course.