02-14-25

Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - February 14, 2025

" ... More fun than ... a movie!"

I un-boxed the new file cabinet, broke down the sturdy enclosure it was shipped in, and tossed the resulting cardboard pieces into the back of our van in anticipation of my next trip to the local recycling center. To that load, I added two bags and a couple of boxes to take to a thrift shop. Then, I switched to rearranging some items in the kitchen, while thinking about that new cabinet. Maybe I'll put my unfinished writing projects into one of the file drawers.

And all this because my sister Gaila is here!

She came on January 11 - her 70th birthday - and I've kept her busy ever since. For the past few years, we've frequently talked about her helping me "organize my life." The time to talk is over! Now is the time to act!

Husband Art scratched his head and wondered, in passing, how many people would think it was a treat to be invited for a visit and then keep them busy cleaning and organizing.

But we've had fun ... or at least I have.

I should be able to do this with Art as a partner, but our styles are too different. He's inclined to think things are clean enough when nothing is in his way. And since Gaila and I see family things in a similar light, when she says, "Toss it," whatever "it" is probably needs tossing. Art might have reached the same conclusion, but I'm always suspicious he's giving me whatever answer will cause me to quit asking.

One of the first things Gaila and I did was to pare down my snowman and nativity collections and put them into smaller, more-easily-handled plastic totes. I'm tired of "schlepping" heavy boxes of Christmas decorations off the basement shelves and up the steps before the holiday, and back down when the season is over. We’ve also cleaned kitchen and bathroom cabinets from top to bottom and have rearranged wall hangings and added new ones.

For a change of pace, I've been taking photos of items and asking our daughters Mariya and Katie whether they want them. If they say "no," I move on to other relatives and friends!

"I can tell your mom is here," daughter Mariya told her cousins Gabriela and Larisa. "She's helping our mom go through stuff and mom is trying to pawn it off on us." The four girls have a "cousins chat" every now and then, comparing notes and commenting on the things their mothers are up to.

It IS true that I try to find homes for things - whether that is with family or a thrift shop or the local archives. I might be done with something, but that doesn't mean it can’t find a new life with someone else. Right?

We also went through my uncle Stan's collection of family slides and a shoe box of mom and dad's old negatives that ranged from their wedding in 1946 through the 1980s. We're using a light table I borrowed from a friend, but sometimes it's still hard to identify people. We've gone through about half of them and are becoming more discerning as we go along. Too bright? Too dark? Blurry? A mountain we can't ID? All those are gone!

I have mentioned some of this before, but here is where it's a bit strange. I've always heard spring is the time when the house-cleaning bug hits, but there must be something in the air because fellow columnist Ron, neighbor Jim, and friend Bryce seem to be in the mood too.

Ron wrote in his "Musings, Meanderings and Mutterings" column of January 11 how old photos without identification often end up either in the trash or in antique shops. I've seen them as well - sometimes labeled as "instant ancestors." Ron's plan is to take time now to identify as many of his family photos as possible.

Jim has been on a tear the past few days too. He did me one better by parking a huge skip in his driveway, filling it up, and hauling it away. He also towed several trailers' worth of stuff to the dump. He's my hero!

But Bryce is also holding his own on this score. He told me he recently went from room to room in his house methodically cleaning out drawers, cupboards and cabinets. One night, he sent this progress report.