Packing up and give away

This week has been something of an adventure.
Monday morning my sister drove us to Boston. My husband and I started packing up the stuff we wanted to take back to New York almost as soon as we walked in the door.

We took a break to have dinner with one of our parents’ dear friend who is himself in declining health. He gave us a poem he had written about our mother.
I think perhaps because my mothers decline was so long and so difficult I have been fairly un-weepy during this period of mourning. But this poem had me sobbing.

We knew the movers were coming on Tuesday morning and there was a ton to do. So we packed and packed until 3:30 am when I fell asleep so I could wake up at 6:15 to go to morning services.




After services I napped because my husband gave me no choice in the matter. I am grateful that he stepped in and was bossy and insisted that I sleep. After I woke up it was back to work.
I had ordered to giant rolls of bubble wrap to be delivered to my mother’s apartment . I am so glad I did. I love the stuff. It’s just amazing.

The movers arrived and worked away.


My mother’s apartment isn’t empty yet, but it is far emptier. This is all that is left on my mother’s window sill.


This Hebron glass vase has been broken and repaired. it is standing on solitary watch over the view.

My husband found a letter from 1990 written in my mother’s handwriting. It was from both of my parents and it contained my parents wishes for who of the three of us should get which of their many, many things. There was a long, long list of objects each one marked with one of our initials. My mother had never shared this list with us. She never brought this list to the lawyer to be included in her will.
When my sisters divided up our parents things a few weeks ago we each had stickers that we put on the objects we wanted. Most things had just one sticker. Several objects had two or three stickers.
Amazingly, the process was contention free. I think each of us ended up with things that we were surprised to have received. ( I d thought that my sisters would have wanted some things that I wanted more than I did)

As I read the letter from my mother it blew me away how often our choices had lined up with our parents wishes. I was happy that the process of choosing with my sisters was strife –free. I am even more delighted that our choices were what our parents had wanted.
After the movers finished their work, my husband and I tidied up in the apartment.

We took the MBTA to the bus and got home just before midnight. I probably don’t need to tell you that all of my internal clocks are completely out of whack now.

The vanload of stuff arriving from my mother’s house means that we need to get rid of stuff from our apartment. yesterday my sons and I unpacked the bookshelf in the dining room The books were double and triple shelved on that book case. many of those books are touchstones from various points in my husband’s life.
At the moment our apartment is filled with stacks and stacks of books. We are deciding what can go and what will stay. My sons just went through the video and videogame collection. My son is, as I type this bringing s fully loaded shopping cart to Book-off to sell off a giant stack of rejects. I made three trips to our buildings discarded books bookshelf to add to that collection.

As part of this effort I am announcing a sewing magazine give away grab bag bonanza. The magazines include about two decades worth of Burda, about ten years worth of Threads magazine including several from the heady early years, a few European sewing/pattern magazines and a few Japanese magazines.The magazine have been well read, nothing is in pristine condition.There are some rules though.

• This is for pick up only – no shipping
• As my mother used to say “ You get what you get”, no picking and choosing. I will pile magazines into a bag until they are full.
• Tell me a volume amount that you can take in grocery bag quantities and I will pack it up for you.
• Send me an email if you want to participate in the bonanza sj.hand@verizon.net

One bag is already gone.