Don't Pay the Ransom!

[TXGunNut]

Gonna be out of pocket for awhile, finally moving my mom out of her apartment. She's been in a nursing home for over a year and it's time to "bust up the business" as her mom once said. It's amazing how much stuff that little woman stuffed into that little assisted living duplex and as some of you know it's rather agonizing trying to sort the treasures from the trash. Good thing I have a 40ft shipping container in the back yard, she's not ready to let go of most of her stuff so will have to sort it all again someday. Anybody need a piano? Electric adjustable full bed? Golf cart? It's going to be one heck of a garage sale!

[LUBEDUDE]

Best of Luck!

[MaryB]

Wish you were closer, golf cart I could use around town and charge via solar.

[possom813]

Golf cart? What kind and how many wheels :mrgreen:

[texassako]

Good luck, and I understand about the stuff. The volume of possessions my grandparents had when we moved them made it hard to find the treasures amongst the everyday stuff.

[bob208]

lost my mother in law 2 weeks ago. we had to clean out her place by the end of the month. it was a little 2 room apartment on the 11th floor. 2 full loads in a 14' u-haul. and it did not look like it made a dent.

[Wayne Smith]

Yeah, we've been in this house 21 years! I feel sorry for the boys when they have to clean it out!

[TCFAN]

I had to move both of my parents out of their house in to a nursing home about 3 years ago. They lived in the same house for 58 years.The house was very large and had a full basement. They threw away nothing.
There was no time for a yard sell. Most everything went to the dump or good will.This was a very hard thing to do.
My mom passed a year ago and my dad passed last week........Terry

[buckwheatpaul]

Best wishes.....as you go through your mom's things you will run across many things that will evoke memories....take the time to wander down that road and remember.....Paul

[MrWolf]

I agree with Paul. Enjoy the memories as you go through everything. I find the little things keep bringing me memories of my Mom.

[popper]

Finding the treasure is the hard part. Had a party for Mom's 95th last week. She claims to be downsizing but we don't see it. Fortunately we've been able to archive the treasures and important papers where she doesn't mess with it much. Far as I'm concerned, keep the treasures and let the vultures with the rest. Fortunately she made scrap books for us in our single lives to pass down to our kids & G. kids.

[TXGunNut]

Best wishes.....as you go through your mom's things you will run across many things that will evoke memories....take the time to wander down that road and remember.....Paul

Yes, hundreds of memories last several days. Somewhat overwhelming at times. Many items from her parents and her sister. Sorted thru many thousands of items this past week but could only do a quick evaluation and pack away the good stuff. My mother wouldn't let us clean out her place still has hopes of living independantly someday and I won't take that away from her. She would probably disown me if she knew everything I was doing but it has to be done and it's pretty hard on this packrat as well. I've heard true genius generally skips a generation, I wish the packrat gene had skipped my generation, would make things easier for me and my sibs. We were up sorting stuff until 2A, movers were scheduled for 8A today. Things went well, only thing broken was a 65 yr old Ball canning jar.
Ya'll have been busy, I have over 8,000 unread posts!

[TXGunNut]

Golf cart? What kind and how many wheels :mrgreen:

It's a 48V Yamaha, 2007 model IIRC. Put new batteries in it this summer because Mom wouldn't keep them charged or use it. It's fun to use for driveby's on fireants but I have very little use for it. Has four regular, probably original, turf tires, back seat, a windshield and rearview mirrors. I'll advertise it for sale next week when I advertise the garage sale.

[35 shooter]

I understand the pac rat gene well. I'd hate to try and move again and i'm the only one there. Geez where does all this stuff come from? Hope everything goes smooth for you as you go through this. And yes you've got quite a bit of reading to catch up on and hunting season is here. I here all the hogs in Texas gained 50 pounds over the summer...Good hunting!

[Andy]

my dad spent 6 weeks in a physical rehab facility and when he left the nurses asked my brother "Is he a hoarder? We've never seen anyone accumulate that much stuff in any amount of time, much less 6 weeks."

[TXGunNut]

Mom is a bit of a hoarder but nothing crazy. I guess if I were looking for a label it would be "Post Depression Prepper". She was born on a farm in 35 and her family always kept plenty of food canned and stored even after they moved to town. She stocked the pantry after her latest move and barely touched any of it, much of it I tossed last week as it was getting old. Never understand why a woman living alone needed two fridges and a freezer even tho she seldom cooks. Can only say it's not for me to understand. Suffice it to say I'll be retired before I need to buy toilet paper, stamps or envelopes. Probably need to consider taking up crocheting if any of those many unfinished projects are to have a chance of seeing completion. ;-)

[kopperl]

Where will you post the sale? Wife and I love garage saleing.

[TXGunNut]

Denton Record Chronicle, garage sale ad starts 10/16. Please be sure to hunt me down so I can meet you and your bride.

[TXGunNut]

WHEW! Mom's apartment is cleared out, cleaned up and keys will be turned over today. Had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into but it was still a bit overwhelming. Many of you have been in my shoes, folks that haven't I hope you don't have to clean up after a packrat. It wasn't like the hoarding "reality" shows I hear about on TV but it was hundreds of pieces of memorabilia surrounded by a few years' worth of recycling that never made it to the recycling stage, if you know what I mean. Some stuff went into storage, other stuff is boxed up at the house awaiting disposition.
I will soon have a third brand-new mould sitting on my workbench and a newly-acquired rifle languishing in my safe. All will probably have to wait until hunting season but I'm sure glad I'm done with that project!

[smokeywolf]

Been there and done that. Your memories of your folks generally start after they've already accumulated 20 to 30 years of their own memories. Much of what we are doing is sorting our memories from their memories.

When I cleaned out my dad's garage and workshop I thought, wow, he had a lot of tools. Almost 20 years later, I crabwalk through my shop and see that I have accumulated 3 times the tools he left behind. Hope my sons can work together when they have to sort through the tools and whatnot I leave behind.

Hoarding? I can't throw a nut, bolt, rivet or screw away. I might need that some day.

Note to self; new measuring tapes for mom & kids' Xmas stockings for Christmas. Yep, more stuff.

smokeywolf

[Harter66]

It's funny that this came uptoday my grandmother passed last night. Reading through this gave me pause. When my Grandfather passed there was a tremendous amount of vulturizing. My grandmother gave me a few things that others passed by. His pipes an lighters, pocket knives, his 1955 Kern County Constable ID. I think perhaps the slyest bit was after all of the picking and a buyer had been through were 2 fly rods in particular. Both in their aluminum tunes,and flannel sleeves with 2 tip ends. Imagine my joy to discover almost 5 yr later that those who 2 Granger split cane rods were each worth 3 times what the M70 270 bought new in 1955 was worth. More than that is that i have a fly rod that my Grandfather fished with the 2nd rod fished by my great Grandfather together. That is priceless. My grandmother gave me things she wanted me to have when she moved out of the big house into the apartment and a few more before she movedown to the assisted living home. So except for a tiny little 3rd party executive account all is settled.

Being an only child oh how I dread the day I will have to manage Mom and Dad's house...... It I moved into it 2 yr ago,making double payments on their new digs. I have hauled 7 8x12x5 plus foot loads plus a pick up full every time and there are still at least a full 20 foot sea van and a 30x40 loft in the garage full plus the 28 ft Uhaul (1 trip), 24 foot gooseneck (3) and 3 similar loads hauled by there friends. Thankfully a lot of it is tools and probably the Uhaul worth is heirloom furniture with names and places to place it in the family and not just bizarre accumulated stuff. While maybe morbid it is kind of cool to sit at my great grandparents dinner table with my grandmothers silver an mom's china with my grand son on my knee.

Sorry run away ruminations, I now return this thread to its rightful owner

[retread]

A friend of my who recently had a quad bypass was working down in his shop/barn when his wife came down and started telling him how grateful she was that he was doing so well and feeling so good. He looked up at her with a lump in his throat. Then she said: "I have no idea what to do with all this ****!" Ah, true love!

[smokeywolf]

While maybe morbid it is kind of cool to sit at my great grandparents dinner table with my grandmothers silver an mom's china with my grand son on my knee.

On the contrary, you are undoubtedly using the table, china and silver in a way that would bring great joy to your grandparents.

smokeywolf

[MaryB]

Took 5 of us 3 days just to sort through my Dad's garage when he died and mom sold the house. The house took another 2 weeks to sort stuff out and us kids take what Mom didn't want to keep.


WHEW! Mom's apartment is cleared out, cleaned up and keys will be turned over today. Had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into but it was still a bit overwhelming. Many of you have been in my shoes, folks that haven't I hope you don't have to clean up after a packrat. It wasn't like the hoarding "reality" shows I hear about on TV but it was hundreds of pieces of memorabilia surrounded by a few years' worth of recycling that never made it to the recycling stage, if you know what I mean. Some stuff went into storage, other stuff is boxed up at the house awaiting disposition.
I will soon have a third brand-new mould sitting on my workbench and a newly-acquired rifle languishing in my safe. All will probably have to wait until hunting season but I'm sure glad I'm done with that project!

[MaryB]

I took some of the tools my brothers didn't want when my dad died. A bunch of electrical testers, a nice bench grinder, bunch of wire and stuff that will be plenty to wire my shed. Anytime I use some of it I get a reminder of my dad. Memories that are good.


It's funny that this came uptoday my grandmother passed last night. Reading through this gave me pause. When my Grandfather passed there was a tremendous amount of vulturizing. My grandmother gave me a few things that others passed by. His pipes an lighters, pocket knives, his 1955 Kern County Constable ID. I think perhaps the slyest bit was after all of the picking and a buyer had been through were 2 fly rods in particular. Both in their aluminum tunes,and flannel sleeves with 2 tip ends. Imagine my joy to discover almost 5 yr later that those who 2 Granger split cane rods were each worth 3 times what the M70 270 bought new in 1955 was worth. More than that is that i have a fly rod that my Grandfather fished with the 2nd rod fished by my great Grandfather together. That is priceless. My grandmother gave me things she wanted me to have when she moved out of the big house into the apartment and a few more before she movedown to the assisted living home. So except for a tiny little 3rd party executive account all is settled.

Being an only child oh how I dread the day I will have to manage Mom and Dad's house...... It I moved into it 2 yr ago,making double payments on their new digs. I have hauled 7 8x12x5 plus foot loads plus a pick up full every time and there are still at least a full 20 foot sea van and a 30x40 loft in the garage full plus the 28 ft Uhaul (1 trip), 24 foot gooseneck (3) and 3 similar loads hauled by there friends. Thankfully a lot of it is tools and probably the Uhaul worth is heirloom furniture with names and places to place it in the family and not just bizarre accumulated stuff. While maybe morbid it is kind of cool to sit at my great grandparents dinner table with my grandmothers silver an mom's china with my grand son on my knee.

Sorry run away ruminations, I now return this thread to its rightful owner

[TXGunNut]

While maybe morbid it is kind of cool to sit at my great grandparents dinner table with my grandmothers silver an mom's china with my grand son on my knee.

Sorry run away ruminations, I now return this thread to its rightful owner. -Harter66

So sorry to hear of your loss, can only imagine the memories you'll be stirring up in coming months.
I still get a little misty-eyed when I recall last Thanksgiving at my house with my mom's dining room table, china and china cabinet. Some of the dishes were her mother's, one was even older than that. I don't know if she'll make it to another dinner at my house but if I have to carry her up the stairs in my arms I'll do it to see that look on her face again.
Ramble on! No one owns this thread, I just started it.

[TXGunNut]

When I cleaned out my dad's garage and workshop I thought, wow, he had a lot of tools. Almost 20 years later, I crabwalk through my shop and see that I have accumulated 3 times the tools he left behind. Hope my sons can work together when they have to sort through the tools and whatnot I leave behind.-Smokeywolf

Most of my dad's tools are in my storage shed. Many tools and fasteners had dupes and more because he had so much disorganized stuff he sometimes couldn't find what he was looking for so he "replaced" it. Just the other day I was telling someone about how many levels he had and then I realized I had nearly as many as he did. I don't know who'll get my stuff when I'm gone. No kids of my own and the nieces and their husbands have little interest in tools, guns or reloading. Guess I'll just have to do my best to wear it all out before I go. ;-)

[TXGunNut]

Another thing that gives me pause is how hard I had to work to give things away. I was just barely able to give away a fine old piano that was in the family for over 80 years. It's amazing how few things will actually sell even when the asking price is a small percentage of what I think it should be worth. Good hardback books bring almost nothing, new and gently worn clothes were simply given to charity because they never sell around here at garage sales. Amazing commentary on today's society.

[MaryB]

Dad had a cabinet makers table saw, 240 volt motor, everything on it was either cast iron or cast aluminum. We could barely give it away. I would have taken it but my shop is way to small for something that big and none of my brothers and sisters do any wood working.

[TXGunNut]

I understand, Mary. Can't buy that kind of quality these days, can't give it away either. These are some strange times we're living in today.

[Lance Boyle]

my mom sounds like your TX gunnut.

Born in 39, grew up with fairly limited means/thrifty parents. My mom is a pack rat. About 7 years she sold the huge victorian house they bought in 68. Raised us 7 kids there, remarried another depression era packrat. Cleaning that house was quite the chore. Lots of memories, a hutch full of baby books, picture albums, and worn out holiday decorations from the 70's to present, some of them we made as kids. Fortunately with 7 kids there were places to send some stuff. Then last year she sold her downsized home which was still too much for her at that stage. She's living with my sister at the moment but she has the general plan to go in an assisted apartment type place. Even the last house was filled with stuff. Some of it you just scratch your head at. She wanted to keep about 40 years of free travel brochures on hotels, restaurants, campground maps, etc. as she liked to travel. I politely pointed out that half the places have changed hands or closed since 72. In the bin it went. A calculator that she bought in the 70's when she sold life insurance door to door. It was new technology then. She was forethinking enough to make packages for all us kids, our baby books and packets of photographs from our youth as well as some pics of our ancestors from her era and before.

It's hard. I don't relish the job for when I go on to the beyond. All the lead, tools, etc. They'll have some work! My old boss just went through the old house after his step father passed. The house he grew up in in the 60's. His step dad was a pack rat and would go to the dump and bring home more than he brought. Had a huge barn and several outbuildings. All packed with furniture, old appliances, the contents from his electrical parts business that he closed 25 years ago. They didn't have time to go through everything. The threw away probably thousands of dollars of now rare vacuum tubes which I told him are valuable to radio enthusiasts and old amp afficianados.

[Wayne Smith]

Dad was a farmer. He moved several times in his older age, downsizing each time. He had, years ago, build his own sprayer for the farm and still had small drawers full of nozzles for that and the pump that powered it. He had two toolboxes that I struggled to lift, he estimated over a thousand dollars worth of tools in each. He had multiple woodworking hand tools, all still in the shed in Florida. As you can imagine, that's just a tythe of what he had in a shed packed to the gills. When he died we talked to Bea about what to do with it all, only had interest in a couple of items and my brother wanted to take none of it to California. About a a month after he died she called and had cleaned out the shed and said she hoped we didn't mine that she had given it all a way to a couple of missionaries who were delighted to get it all!

[Wayne Smith]

Dad was a farmer. He moved several times in his older age, downsizing each time. He had, years ago, build his own sprayer for the farm and still had small drawers full of nozzles for that and the pump that powered it. He had two toolboxes that I struggled to lift, he estimated over a thousand dollars worth of tools in each. He had multiple woodworking hand tools, all still in the shed in Florida. As you can imagine, that's just a tythe of what he had in a shed packed to the gills. When he died we talked to Bea about what to do with it all, I only had interest in a couple of items and my brother wanted to take none of it to California. About a a month after he died she called and had cleaned out the shed and said she hoped we didn't mine that she had given it all a way to a couple of missionaries who were delighted to get it all!

[mold maker]

My Dad Passed in 97 and his treasures were guarded by Mom til she passed in 2012. We moved into the home with what was on our backs just after her death.
I left my own home full of 50 years stuff since it was only a block away. I've been going through parents treasures since. Things like 23 years of Sears catalogs, and 2 sets of encyclopedias from the 50s. His tools were buried under many years of too good to throw away, but in the way junk.
To complicate matters the kids want to save everything that they remember Mom and Dad having. This a a 2200 sq ft home with attic and basement, all full to the brim. I have quietly hauled off pickup loads and an extra garbage can per week for 18 months, just to find floor space for my casting/loading equipment and supplies.
I tried a yard sale, but the kids brought it back in faster than I could display it.
Lord help them when it all becomes their problem.

[dakotashooter2]

Warning... If your mother has been in the home for a year the home probably already "owns" that stuff................

[MaryB]

That 70's era calculator could be a collectors item and should be price checked on ebay


my mom sounds like your TX gunnut.

Born in 39, grew up with fairly limited means/thrifty parents. My mom is a pack rat. About 7 years she sold the huge victorian house they bought in 68. Raised us 7 kids there, remarried another depression era packrat. Cleaning that house was quite the chore. Lots of memories, a hutch full of baby books, picture albums, and worn out holiday decorations from the 70's to present, some of them we made as kids. Fortunately with 7 kids there were places to send some stuff. Then last year she sold her downsized home which was still too much for her at that stage. She's living with my sister at the moment but she has the general plan to go in an assisted apartment type place. Even the last house was filled with stuff. Some of it you just scratch your head at. She wanted to keep about 40 years of free travel brochures on hotels, restaurants, campground maps, etc. as she liked to travel. I politely pointed out that half the places have changed hands or closed since 72. In the bin it went. A calculator that she bought in the 70's when she sold life insurance door to door. It was new technology then. She was forethinking enough to make packages for all us kids, our baby books and packets of photographs from our youth as well as some pics of our ancestors from her era and before.

It's hard. I don't relish the job for when I go on to the beyond. All the lead, tools, etc. They'll have some work! My old boss just went through the old house after his step father passed. The house he grew up in in the 60's. His step dad was a pack rat and would go to the dump and bring home more than he brought. Had a huge barn and several outbuildings. All packed with furniture, old appliances, the contents from his electrical parts business that he closed 25 years ago. They didn't have time to go through everything. The threw away probably thousands of dollars of now rare vacuum tubes which I told him are valuable to radio enthusiasts and old amp afficianados.

[twc1964]

Good luck with the upcoming work bud. I helped sorr thru my dads things ys ago. Take care bud.

[Lance Boyle]

Mary- Well it's in a box at my sister's place I'm sure, compounding value while switched off! [grin] It's an old black and yellow TX instruments if my memory serves me correctly. Pocket type about 5x3.5x1"

[MaryB]

Check the model number then check ebay sold listings... some are worth a lot some not so much