cleaning house
So, today, I received 9 emails from my uncle with photos more or less detailing the contents of my grandmother's apartment for the dividing amongst all of us children and grandchildren in hopes that we can each find some meaningful item with which to remember her.
Let me say, there ain't much left to pick from.
I probably shouldn't make assumptions, but looking around in those photos I see some things that are practical, but which hold no memories or sentimental value (like smaller blender jars, cast iron grill pans, a food processor, or mini-chopper) and there are things that I assume are already spoken for, but I would remember her by.
The most valuable to me is also probably the most valuable to anyone. It's a Morris Chair built by my grandfather. It was his favorite chair, and and is still her favorite, and has seen probably 40+ years of use. My mom often spoke of this chair before I had even been to Maine to see it... I know it holds great value in her eyes, too.
The second and third most sentimental items to me are the glass candy dishes given to her and her sister by her grandmother (from Scotland), and any one of the awards given to her as a teacher. Again, these hold sentimental value (and in the case of the candy dishes, probably great monetary value). I think I would stick to the awards, since I am a bit of a clutz and could see easily breaking a candy dish worth a couple thousand dollars.
Next would be the antique cabinet that the dishes and awards are in now, and then the high-backed rocking chair, and an OLD antique armoire, which reminds me more of her frugality. It's pretty, but plain.
She did have this AWESOME bed that was really simple, dark wood... probably matched the armoire. I wonder if my grandfather built that as well... he was a carpenter and cabinetmaker. But, it's gone.
I love my grandmother very much, and I would like to have SOMEthing to remember her by. She was a simple woman, and didn't keep much that wasnt of any practical value. I dont remember anything striking from any of her various homes throughout the years... if there was, it is long since gone.
My memories are mostly of visiting her, and listening to her stories, not of any one thing in her house. Since I saw her so rarely, I never remembered much from any given residence. The Morris chair and the rocker were always there.
Perhaps nobody would want the family histories she had collected... those are mostly in hardback form...
And she did like the Beatles. I remember she had quite a collection of cassettes.
There were no special dishes (I remember no dishes at all, save from her last apartment, and those were new). There were no special pots or pans or serving dishes. No special wall ornaments, no Christmas ornaments (I was never there for Christmas after I was about 5 years old). No special tablecloths or other linens.
Unfortunately for me, the new house came a great many years after she had rid herself of most of the warehouses of antique furnishings. She had moved a half-dozen times, into smaller and smaller apartments, and ended up giving a great deal to charity and to my closer cousins.
[sigh] I have to print this all out for my mom.