Another great read Fran! I think Portland is the perfect place for the re-usable cup project. I saw this first hand in Killarney, Ireland. It has had great success. I was so admiring and thrilled to hear it is in Portland.
I love to collect heart rocks. The universe knows and I am always finding them ;-) Otherwise, I collect bicycles, tape measures and antique oddities. For many years, estate sales were a favorite past time. An opportunity to venture through some ones home. Find a treasure. What stories could be told. Then ironically, I became an inspector for Real Estate puposes. 10 years inside thousands of homes. I realized we all so similar but very different. Profound. Like operating the bus 'It takes every kind of people to make the world go round'...(thats a good song).
So much to unpack here. Thanks for replying. I, too, find heart rocks. My husband tells me that Jews have a tradition of placing rocks on graves. I often put a heart rock on my mother-in-law’s.
I have to be careful about leaving books out as they breed in the night 😉 Roses are just starting to come out in Cork - not so prolific as Portland but lovely still.
Oh, my: plastic bags ~ check! Plastic that is wrapped around take & back pizza ~ check! Wooden spools ~ check! "Good" boxes ~ check! Wrapping paper ~ check! Fabric scraps and books almost go without saying. Also, I save plain snippets of paper for lists and use them 'til there's no room for a list any longer.
I even keep the paper used to keep things from shifting in shipping boxes. I iron it! Sometimes I decorate it with stickers or potato stamps to make wrapping paper. Good for children’s arts projects, if only there were still children in the house.
I cut up waste paper into smallish pieces and staple them together into little pads to take notes.
Thank you so much for quoting me here, Fran - it means so much to me to know that other people can relate to this experience that was so poignant for me.
Just yesterday I came across a box on the street with a handful of tiny earrings and some striped shoelaces in it. There was even a handy drawstring bag! I took all these treasures home. Sort of a reverse hangover.
Oh, Fran. Your posts are as refreshing to me as being on vacation. Your writing is sheer poetic.
A little of my history:
The house from birth until age 8 was a pleasant 2-story house with garage and stable and a chicken coop. It stood across the street from a beautiful oak forest where I spent most of my time because I didn't like the company of rowdy other boys. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries grew by the bucketful.
The block where we lived was between the Wabash Railroad tracks and Ecorse Road in Taylor, Michigan, a bedroom community of Detroit.
It was an extremely disfunctional neighborhood. I could walk to Ecorse Road and back (we were in the middle of the block) and hear almost every adult repeating their arguments of every night previously, including my own parents.
I would lie awake waiting for the arguing to begin. I hated it. So, it was my fault my mother, brother, and I moved out of that lovely home. I was helping Ma, drying the dishes, and I said, "Why don't you divorce him?"
She'd never thought of it. She divorced him. She met a handsome man who met my approval. She married him and they bought a 28 foot trailer and we moved up to Vassar.
The last time I visited my brother he took me to see our old house. It was beautifully redone. I found it on Zillow and found I'd just missed learning it was for sale.
I'm now trapped in this one bedroom apartment in extremely expensive San Diego, luckily as Section 8 housing. Hud pays almost all of the monthly payments of $3,000+. I pay $827.
I used to joke that I've had as many addresses as I have years. Still closer than I'd like to admit . But the moving has been my lesson in American history. Much of it was horribly unpleasant and now it's just too expensive to enjoy.
Thanks again, Fran. I seldom dwell in the past. This was most pleasant.
It was so much easier to remember Memorial Day when it was on May 30! I didn't realize it was moved to the last Monday in May so long ago. Time really does fly!!!
I accrue books, and also slips of paper with notes from my kids, and also kitchen appliances, and also socks. I used to (intentionally) collect Happy Meal toys. No idea where they all are now.
This was a joy to read. I've also loved lookie-looing on real estate sites, especially when we were thinking of moving to Tucson. I got quite addicted. Now that I've finally "settled" in Minden, I no longer need that fix. Oh, and I learned that my nephew invented the application of real estate sites decades ago when he worked for his broker father while studying computer science at college.
Purging has almost become a hobby. When I get a large plastic bag from a foray at Ross, I'll keep it handy to stuff with stuff like clothes, books, even a pair of compression socks I couldn't even get over my shovel-shaped feet. Mercy! But the purging continues with putting aside furniture, blankets, etc. for my daughter for when she moved into the house her husband is building. Maybe by Christmas, all this stuff will disappear and we'll see how much is left to throw away. Jeff and I have threatened to rent a dumpster and purge the shop, a huge metal building where his tools, etc. (lots of etc.) are stored. I can't wait to get that cleaned out so our daughter doesn't have to do it when we need to move either into assisted living or the urn on the shelf.
Anyway, another great article, Fran. I love reading your missives.
OOO, thank you for the reference. I've been looking online (amazon) and reading the one-star reviews and found nothing that looks feasible. I'll look into Figs. Thanks.
My daughter accurately calls me a compulsive chucker so there’s not much I accrue besides books and fabric. I do collect one particular kind of fabric — double gauze by Japanese designer Nani Iro. Double gauze is a bit fragile but it’s a dream to hand sew and I can’t seem to resist it, especially for making Kawandis. Have you ever made a Kawandi? The most meditative, relaxed form of quilting ever!
Another great read Fran! I think Portland is the perfect place for the re-usable cup project. I saw this first hand in Killarney, Ireland. It has had great success. I was so admiring and thrilled to hear it is in Portland.
I love to collect heart rocks. The universe knows and I am always finding them ;-) Otherwise, I collect bicycles, tape measures and antique oddities. For many years, estate sales were a favorite past time. An opportunity to venture through some ones home. Find a treasure. What stories could be told. Then ironically, I became an inspector for Real Estate puposes. 10 years inside thousands of homes. I realized we all so similar but very different. Profound. Like operating the bus 'It takes every kind of people to make the world go round'...(thats a good song).
So much to unpack here. Thanks for replying. I, too, find heart rocks. My husband tells me that Jews have a tradition of placing rocks on graves. I often put a heart rock on my mother-in-law’s.
The Washington Post just did a story on how we’re addicted to Zillow now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2025/05/29/real-estate-listings-new-gossip/
I have to be careful about leaving books out as they breed in the night 😉 Roses are just starting to come out in Cork - not so prolific as Portland but lovely still.
That explains the ever growing stack on my dresser! Thanks.
Oh, my: plastic bags ~ check! Plastic that is wrapped around take & back pizza ~ check! Wooden spools ~ check! "Good" boxes ~ check! Wrapping paper ~ check! Fabric scraps and books almost go without saying. Also, I save plain snippets of paper for lists and use them 'til there's no room for a list any longer.
I even keep the paper used to keep things from shifting in shipping boxes. I iron it! Sometimes I decorate it with stickers or potato stamps to make wrapping paper. Good for children’s arts projects, if only there were still children in the house.
I cut up waste paper into smallish pieces and staple them together into little pads to take notes.
I could have written these very words! Are you my long lost twin???
Thank you so much for quoting me here, Fran - it means so much to me to know that other people can relate to this experience that was so poignant for me.
Ahh I love that!
Just yesterday I came across a box on the street with a handful of tiny earrings and some striped shoelaces in it. There was even a handy drawstring bag! I took all these treasures home. Sort of a reverse hangover.
Oh, Fran. Your posts are as refreshing to me as being on vacation. Your writing is sheer poetic.
A little of my history:
The house from birth until age 8 was a pleasant 2-story house with garage and stable and a chicken coop. It stood across the street from a beautiful oak forest where I spent most of my time because I didn't like the company of rowdy other boys. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries grew by the bucketful.
The block where we lived was between the Wabash Railroad tracks and Ecorse Road in Taylor, Michigan, a bedroom community of Detroit.
It was an extremely disfunctional neighborhood. I could walk to Ecorse Road and back (we were in the middle of the block) and hear almost every adult repeating their arguments of every night previously, including my own parents.
I would lie awake waiting for the arguing to begin. I hated it. So, it was my fault my mother, brother, and I moved out of that lovely home. I was helping Ma, drying the dishes, and I said, "Why don't you divorce him?"
She'd never thought of it. She divorced him. She met a handsome man who met my approval. She married him and they bought a 28 foot trailer and we moved up to Vassar.
The last time I visited my brother he took me to see our old house. It was beautifully redone. I found it on Zillow and found I'd just missed learning it was for sale.
I'm now trapped in this one bedroom apartment in extremely expensive San Diego, luckily as Section 8 housing. Hud pays almost all of the monthly payments of $3,000+. I pay $827.
I used to joke that I've had as many addresses as I have years. Still closer than I'd like to admit . But the moving has been my lesson in American history. Much of it was horribly unpleasant and now it's just too expensive to enjoy.
Thanks again, Fran. I seldom dwell in the past. This was most pleasant.
Richard
It was so much easier to remember Memorial Day when it was on May 30! I didn't realize it was moved to the last Monday in May so long ago. Time really does fly!!!
I accrue books, and also slips of paper with notes from my kids, and also kitchen appliances, and also socks. I used to (intentionally) collect Happy Meal toys. No idea where they all are now.
What about those little ceramic charms from Red Rose tea? Eventually they had to stop offering them in the box. I think it was post-9/11
My mom had tons of them lined up on her kitchen windowsill. She'd toss the duplicates.
This was a joy to read. I've also loved lookie-looing on real estate sites, especially when we were thinking of moving to Tucson. I got quite addicted. Now that I've finally "settled" in Minden, I no longer need that fix. Oh, and I learned that my nephew invented the application of real estate sites decades ago when he worked for his broker father while studying computer science at college.
Purging has almost become a hobby. When I get a large plastic bag from a foray at Ross, I'll keep it handy to stuff with stuff like clothes, books, even a pair of compression socks I couldn't even get over my shovel-shaped feet. Mercy! But the purging continues with putting aside furniture, blankets, etc. for my daughter for when she moved into the house her husband is building. Maybe by Christmas, all this stuff will disappear and we'll see how much is left to throw away. Jeff and I have threatened to rent a dumpster and purge the shop, a huge metal building where his tools, etc. (lots of etc.) are stored. I can't wait to get that cleaned out so our daughter doesn't have to do it when we need to move either into assisted living or the urn on the shelf.
Anyway, another great article, Fran. I love reading your missives.
I buy compression hose from Figs online. They are so easy to put on—like regular knee-his. Yet they still work to keep the swelling down.
OOO, thank you for the reference. I've been looking online (amazon) and reading the one-star reviews and found nothing that looks feasible. I'll look into Figs. Thanks.
My daughter accurately calls me a compulsive chucker so there’s not much I accrue besides books and fabric. I do collect one particular kind of fabric — double gauze by Japanese designer Nani Iro. Double gauze is a bit fragile but it’s a dream to hand sew and I can’t seem to resist it, especially for making Kawandis. Have you ever made a Kawandi? The most meditative, relaxed form of quilting ever!
Really interested in Kawandi. Thanks for pointing me there!