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Entry tags:
100 Things (or so)
I spent the afternoon working on cleaning out the attic (this is an ongoing process subject to weather conditions, but the section I did today really needed it). Our attic is very small - it's over the whole house, but the area between the downstairs ceiling and the current roof (which was added post-purchase by Dad) is pretty low, about 4' at the highest and rapidly sloping down to both edges, so you have to crawl. Also the floor is slanted because it's the original roof, and the sharp ends of nails from the roofing poke out of the ceiling every six inches or so.
In short, it's the most fun place in the house!
I did maybe 1/8 of the whole attic today, and was inspired to do an inventory while I was at it. So for pure anthropological interest, here is the current contents of Mom's attic :
Attic contents: area straight ahead from trapdoor (counterclockwise from left):
old phones and answering machines
violet wand
antenna control box
tv digital converter
2 ceramic turkeys
3 boxes christmas cards stuff
old small wall hanging pictures from kids' rooms
clip-on lamp
1910 Harvard Classics
Sweet Pickles books
Berenstain Bears books
assorted v. old kids' books
bright & early books/beginner books
small bookshelf
mysterious square brown flat thing on the floor
picture frames
easel
folding lap tray
small computer/printer shelves
attic ventilation fan (not installed)
soapmaking trays
motorcycle helmet
window fans
bowtie antenna
old mailbox
carpet & carpet underlayer scraps
box of random toy stuff
4 boxes of dad's puzzles
2 boxes of wind-up toys
box of building blocks
box of articulated dinosaur bones
box of spare corelle dishware
small rubber mats
trunk cover for subaru
box of cookie tins
box of asst'd jars and tupperware
box of antique wool cards
box of smoked glasses
box of fondue pots
2 boxes empty bags
spare sunhats
box of rainbow brite comforters
box of globe mugs, other mugs & kids' dishes
folding wheeled cart
Taken down to go through and either get rid of or integrate into downstairs life:
pile of buckets and colanders
bag labeled "fleas"
box labeled "fleas"
kids' games and puzzles to get rid of
box of baskets and ass't'd packing material
bag of dad's old shirts
box of disposable aluminum cookware
leaf for kitchen table
big box o' perler beads
weaving loops and frames
Spirographs, map puzzles, paperdoll set, Memory, trivial trivia cards.
I say "anthropological interest" because home inventories are some of the most fascinating documents I ever got to look at while doing research.1 And in general I find the stuff we surround ourselves with, and the emotional capital we invest in it, fascinating! There's a reason I have a hoard-brooding tag on my journal.
I actually thought about doing the "100 Things" meme when it was first going around, about 100 Things - or to put it in BBC terms, A Personal History in 100 Objects - but I decided it's not like I needed *more* ideas for journal entries.
But hey, anyone want to do a variation on that? Several things that would have been on my 100 Things list are in that inventory anyway. If anybody leave a comment asking about something on that inventory, I will tell them a story about it! (Either in a comment or a new post, depending on how much I have to say.)
1And also learning the term "provisionally discarded" in an archeology class has actually helped me a lot in the ongoing 'don't turn into a hoarder' battle - I can "provisionally discard" things without having to decide now, and then if a year later they're still in the 'provisionally discarded' storage - either because I didn't want them or I forgot I still had them - they go.)
In short, it's the most fun place in the house!
I did maybe 1/8 of the whole attic today, and was inspired to do an inventory while I was at it. So for pure anthropological interest, here is the current contents of Mom's attic :
Attic contents: area straight ahead from trapdoor (counterclockwise from left):
old phones and answering machines
violet wand
antenna control box
tv digital converter
2 ceramic turkeys
3 boxes christmas cards stuff
old small wall hanging pictures from kids' rooms
clip-on lamp
1910 Harvard Classics
Sweet Pickles books
Berenstain Bears books
assorted v. old kids' books
bright & early books/beginner books
small bookshelf
mysterious square brown flat thing on the floor
picture frames
easel
folding lap tray
small computer/printer shelves
attic ventilation fan (not installed)
soapmaking trays
motorcycle helmet
window fans
bowtie antenna
old mailbox
carpet & carpet underlayer scraps
box of random toy stuff
4 boxes of dad's puzzles
2 boxes of wind-up toys
box of building blocks
box of articulated dinosaur bones
box of spare corelle dishware
small rubber mats
trunk cover for subaru
box of cookie tins
box of asst'd jars and tupperware
box of antique wool cards
box of smoked glasses
box of fondue pots
2 boxes empty bags
spare sunhats
box of rainbow brite comforters
box of globe mugs, other mugs & kids' dishes
folding wheeled cart
Taken down to go through and either get rid of or integrate into downstairs life:
pile of buckets and colanders
bag labeled "fleas"
box labeled "fleas"
kids' games and puzzles to get rid of
box of baskets and ass't'd packing material
bag of dad's old shirts
box of disposable aluminum cookware
leaf for kitchen table
big box o' perler beads
weaving loops and frames
Spirographs, map puzzles, paperdoll set, Memory, trivial trivia cards.
I say "anthropological interest" because home inventories are some of the most fascinating documents I ever got to look at while doing research.1 And in general I find the stuff we surround ourselves with, and the emotional capital we invest in it, fascinating! There's a reason I have a hoard-brooding tag on my journal.
I actually thought about doing the "100 Things" meme when it was first going around, about 100 Things - or to put it in BBC terms, A Personal History in 100 Objects - but I decided it's not like I needed *more* ideas for journal entries.
But hey, anyone want to do a variation on that? Several things that would have been on my 100 Things list are in that inventory anyway. If anybody leave a comment asking about something on that inventory, I will tell them a story about it! (Either in a comment or a new post, depending on how much I have to say.)
1And also learning the term "provisionally discarded" in an archeology class has actually helped me a lot in the ongoing 'don't turn into a hoarder' battle - I can "provisionally discard" things without having to decide now, and then if a year later they're still in the 'provisionally discarded' storage - either because I didn't want them or I forgot I still had them - they go.)
no subject
Unfortunately I don't think I could do a recognizable David Mitchell with a 15x15 grid and only about 16 colors. :P My skills = not that strong. I will have to consider the possibilities. (There is supposed to be a way to make something using more than one pegboard put together, but I never learned how. And I'm definitely not buying any more beads, no matter how much having more blacks would help.)