I have many "likes", not the least of which is leather. That comes from a childhood of horses ... real, live ones! To this day I cannot pass by a leather goods shop without stopping in for a "sniff". It's to my nose what comfort food is to my belly! As a result, I've collected some leather bags over the years. I mean quality leather ... not the stuff that Coach now passes off as quality. I'm talking Frye. If you don't know that brand, check it out. My mom didn't have to tell me twice to clean and polish my saddle or hers. That's where the love began, that and the sounds the saddle would make while riding on it. As for the bags, purses, or whatever you choose to call them, I only hope that someone will recognize them for what they are, and will enjoy them as much as I have.
Another attachment is pens ... writing instruments! Ever since learning cursive in grade school, I've been fascinated with what these can do. Not that my handwriting was ever stellar, mind you. It's just something about putting pen to paper. But ... it has to "fit", and the ink has to flow a certain way. Some are too big for the female hand, and some companies haven't perfected the amount of flow. See? Picky. Yes, I even keep those cheap little handout pens. I have tons of those, but my true loves are the ones of good quality ... certain Parkers, Mont Blanc, Retro 51, Lamy, Waterman ... you get the idea, if you know pens. And, even if a pen isn't expensive, but it has a unique-ness, I probably have it. And again, I hope there will be someone who will give them a good home.
Oh, and jackets! Yes, quite a collection of unique, or just memorable ones. I'd venture to say that I have many articles of clothing that should have found new homes long ago, but I have an attachment to them for some reason ... it's either who gave it to me, where I got it, or it's a comfort thing. You do not want to know how many t-shirts and sweatshirts are taking up valuable shelf space. But, if you laid them out in a big enough room, you'd be able to discern my personality at a glance. It will be a sad day if they end up at Goodwill, but by then I won't care.
And yes, there are the lipsticks and the lotions, etc. But I defy any woman to tell me that she too couldn't start her own drugstore. Funny thing is that I rarely get "made up". I've always been into the "natural" look. And my eyes appreciate that I don't muck them up with eyeliner and mascara. I'm sure that I could look years younger if I'd apply those age-defying things, but no. To whomever comes after, just take a large trash bag and swipe everything into it. Unless, of course, you see something that strikes your fancy.
Books? Oh yes! They're one of the biggies. I have lots of what I call "keepers" ... the kind that you WILL go back to, and the kind you can refer to, which have timeless information between their covers. You name the subject, I probably have it. I hope that wherever I go next will have not walls, but bookcases! Although, since I'm an avid Kindle reader, the procurement of actual books has dropped to almost nil. I thought I read a ton of books before, but since my step-kidlets gave me the Kindle, I've read like never before, things I wouldn't pay the price of a paperback for. And some of those books have left me wishing for more!
Jewelry? What woman doesn't like it? But most of my favorite pieces were bought for a memory, or they were given to me by someone else. I plan to keep track of who has been genuinely good to me, and purge myself of most of it before I go to that "somewhere else". No, don't even bother being nice to me if you haven't already. I have an extremely sharp woman's intuition ... sixth sense if you prefer.
Ahhhh yes! I've saved what to me is the best for almost last. I currently have nearly 19,000 photos on my computer. 19,000! All of the ones I took before having a computer, are printed out, and in albums. I'm losing the battle of putting these in their proper albums, but I do send my all-time favorites to the 'favorites' album. Somewhere in that 19,000, there truly is a legacy. I don't know how many times I've had people tell me I should sell my photos. I keep telling myself that I don't because it's my gift that people enjoy them. But I suppose that's stupid. It's my hope that whomever goes through my photo legacies will take the chance, and maybe make a little money for themselves. But I really WOULD come back from that "somewhere else" if they decide it's just easier to delete them. What a waste of time and effort! Looking back through them tells such a story and, yes, I've also been told to write a book. But it's difficult for me to bare my soul that much. If I told all, it would make a helluva story. If I wrote it, then read it, I might learn something in retrospect. But what's done is done. "A picture IS worth 1000 words."
Last but not least is the place where all of these legacies reside. I don't know of a single family member, blood or extended, that have an interest in it or they'd visit it once in awhile. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I've never been one to mince words. I'm not entirely sure what it means, but I've always been told that I'm "real" ... what you see is what you get ... and all that happy ho ho. And, I guess I shouldn't care who wants or gets what. But I do. If I were to do what my heart tells me, it would go against the norm. And God knows, I've done that plenty of times!
One might think that I'm obsessed that I haven't gotten rid of all the "stuff" yet, but my whole point to this is simple ... my mind is an over-active thinking machine. So, if I make myself write out the thoughts, I'm settled. For awhile. But stay tuned ...
Love 'n Hugs!
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