Box #41

Cassette tapes. OK. I haven’t heard these since 1995. I don’t even know if I still have a cassette player. Yes there are memories. But, no I am not going to be listening to these any time soon. So they are going into the trash.  

Box #42

My brother’s slides. These are at least 60 years old. I am not going to be looking at his slides of the Garden of the Gods, Bryce Canyon, or anything else in these boxes. I do not have a slide projector. I can take these pictures myself, or look at them online from other photographers. I am sorry to say, my brother’s excellent photography just isn’t important to me.  It’s a long story. I may write it as fiction someday. I may not. He is gone. They are now going to be gone too. Call me heartless, but they too will hit the trash.

Box #43

Books. It shouldn’t surprise me that the large majority of these boxes are going to be books. We moved 17,000 pounds from IL to CT and 4,000 were books. That cost $4,000. We will not be moving 4000 pound of books again. I will not trash these. I will give them away or put them back on shelves. But, there will not be this many ever again,  no matter how much I love them all. They are a piece of my life. They are memories. But they are also heavy,  in every sense of the word.

Box #44  

Computer stuff. Old. We will remove the hard drive and throw the old computer away. And the old printer. And the old keyboard–well maybe not the keyboard. The old mice, the old cords. But the power strip we will keep, use NOW and find useful.

Box #45

Nigh table books and magazines. Jay’s Rifleman. Jay’s books.

Box #46

Various kitchen things. Spring roll wraps. I never did learn how to use these.  I do enjoy them in Vietnamese restaurants. I will have them there. Trash.  

Box #47

Clock. Flour sifter. Shell soaps. Arm sling. Hmm. More evidence of the powers of disorganization. I think these were thrown in a box last minute maybe.

Box #48

Jay’s brackets. Garage tools. Yay!! These go into the garage, my respite for all things I DO NOT have to find a place for.  

Box #49

Master bath shampoo, conditioners, soaps and such from the apartment.

Box #50  

Old passport? 2007. Are you kidding? Jay’s desk.

Box #31

This is getting tougher. Fun idea. A lot of work! But, really, 40 boxes in 4 days. I really should get a medal. Some of these sat in our apartment storage for FIVE years.

Found the kitchen box with the electric skillet. This means eventually, when the sewer leak is fixed, I can cook in something  besides the rice cooker, which I have to say has done Herculean duty as a min-crockpot that only takes 20 minutes. I make one-dish meals from brown rice, frozen peas and frozen salmon. Yum. Actually not bad.   

Box #32

Yay! Jay’s desk. His stuff again, so I now have headphones, and stationery. (Remember, “e” for letter and “a” for at rest.

Box #33

Pantry. Cleaning supplies, ice cream maker, L.O.C. Wipes.

Box #34  

Utility kitchen drawer. Spatula, knives, cheese knives, etc. No where to go on these. They stay in the box for now.

Box #35

Bedroom. CD’s, DVD’s, clock radio, massage oil. Yeah, right. someday!  

Box #36

Kitchen again. Under counter. Crocs, meat loaf pan, mixing bowls–we have too many of these too. Why?

Box #37

Shoes. Boots. Good to know where these comfy slip-ons are. Now if I only had my black pants. Where o where?  

Box #38

Guitar Bag. Jay’s music and guitar strings and stuff.

Box #39

Office. External Hard Drive Back Up. My laptop keeps reminding me to do this. Now I may. CD external drive.

Box #40

Jay’s closet. Have to get these on his shelf. Not really room. They seem happier in the box. Or is that wishful thinking?

Box #21

More spices. Lemon oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, peppermint oil.  OK, just so you know, mice hate the smell of peppermint. So I got a bottle from Amazon to spray in the basement of the River House. There was a mouse nest. The house had been empty for more than a year. The peppermint oil solution did the trick.

Box #22

Office shelves. Yay! Found my devotional.

Box #23

More office files.

Box #24

More olive oil. Garlic. Food. I am learning we have a lot of booze, a lot of spices, and an amazing number of bottles of oil. I never want to run out of olive oil, but really didn’t know I had five bottles going.

Box #25

First aid. Rubber gloves. Vacuum attachments. Hmm, so that’s where they are!

Box #26

More New Yorker magazines. I know.

Box #27  

Bathroom. “Do you know where my deodorant is?” he says. I didn’t. I do now. Hotel shampoos and soaps. These might be good if he needs to get a hot shower at the gym at work–since we don’t have one here yet.  You do learn a lot about a person from their boxes, don’t you!

Box #28

More spices. Cheese grater. I think when I get hot water, electricity and appliances, I will make a lot of spicy foods.

Box  #29

Thermoses. Is that thermii? Honey. Other condiments. Dear me, we do store a lot of those. I will pare down and not rebuy in this quantity again.

Box #30

Chopsticks, plastic ware. Just a small box.