Treasures

 

       There have been multiple posts in which I have referred to treasures of the past.  I had six boxes of memorabilia which I had left behind in West Valley.  I really thought that we would have returned to Utah long before we did.  I thought we would return in a large rental car and I’d be able to retrieve my boxes.  I wasn’t thinking logically.

       Meanwhile my sister had gone to the West Valley house to retrieve my six boxes – which she kept in her house for at least a couple of years.  When we finally returned to Utah it was for Jen’s funeral.  We had reserved a rental car, but it wasn’t available when we went in to pick it up.  Five other customers were also waiting.  I didn’t even know what position we were in.  We ended up driving back in the Saturn.  We barely had room for a luggage – no room for boxes or souvenirs.

       When Shelly and Todd came to visit the following year they brought what Shelly said was the largest box.  There were a lot of photos, a couple of old hymn books, I don’t remember what else.  Over the years she reminded me of the boxes taking up room in her house.  I couldn’t even remember what was in them, but had asked her to go through and pull out what might be important – though her idea of important is not the same as mine.  Steven and I have always been pack-rats while Shelly and Keith have been more practical and far from sentimental attachment.  Shelly ended up throwing out four of the six boxes - at least that is my understanding.

       Anyway, during our trip to Utah, Shelly said she had one last box for me to pick up and brought it to me at Su Casa.  Steven also had a much smaller box filled with items retrieved from Aunt Eloise’s house after she had died.  My cousin gave him three items to bring out to Oregon during one of his annual drives – but the pandemic got in the way and so he’s had these three items at his house ever since:

 The madam Alexander doll is supposed to be Gretel from Sound of Music.  My cousin and I adored Sound of Music and she thought I would like the doll as a reminder.  Aunt Eloise had a coveted black baby doll that most all of the girls wanted - but then nobody ended up claiming it.  I would have liked to have one of the Russian doll nesting sets, but heard those had both been claimed.  Really.  It didn't matter.  I have pictures to remind me and don't need the tangible items.  Isaiah said I did right picking out the rag doll (which I decided would have been more practical than the larger and heavier baby).  My cousin picked the cat out for Jaime (who still has Hi-Five - and we also have the Madam Alexander bears.  So we are good on memories. 

       Steven and Isaiah’s house already looks like a museum overflow.  And this is only the entry way: 

       As I mentioned on Day 8 post Isaiah had given Jaime some gifts – trying to declutter his own accumulation and gave her the following:

                                     

Brooch that Isaias made (he does a lot of 

art for day of the dead and Halloween)

fungal pops

David Bowie shoes may be collector items

but she is currently wearing them on her feet

       As for the items I had saved . . . well . . . about half was a rediscovery and some items I had recently been thinking about.  No Expression Magazines – but there is the legal sized record book with the 16 temples at the time.

 

Ugliest cabbage patch doll – I saved thinking perhaps it might be valuable someday.  I used a picture from the internet in this post.   Here is the actual doll I ended up taking home. 

I had purchased some coca-cola pins when I had worked at Swire expecting that I could sell them one day also. But they are missing from my collections.  And no pictures to show either. 

I had purchased two sets - one to wear
and one still in bag - now lost forever! 

Made things with hands – a wreath and Christmas tree card.  Spider made in pre-school (it’s missing an eye) a hat from her first birthday (which she actually wore in honor of her 18^th) her first placemat and Mickey mouse platter from first time we went to Disneyland.  Pictures would have worked fine.  I saved them all before knowing that Jai is even less sentimental than is Patrick or Shelly so will get thrown away probably.  (Currently it is in the back room along with other memorabilia waiting to go into the shed)

There are cards I had saved from a time before I was born.  Kept the old fashion sentiment along with a poetry book in the shape of a girl that comes with six cut-outs. 

 

There were four or five journals plus a couple of yearbooks that both Jai and Richard seemed to enjoy.  Stamp collection and watercolors I think my grandma had created. 

And then there’s the clothing.  Our dinosaur shirts,

 

Other items I purchased just because:

 

Kevin had given Jai four safety posters which she hung on her wall

not to mention all the arcade treasures she acquired

Whatever Happened to My Collections?

        At the time  I was enrolled in seminary, there was a program for students who had the desire to participate in afterschool programs of challenging seminary students from other schools in what came to be known as "The Seminary Bowl"

        Seminary Bowl included a panel of students trained to answer questions relating to that year's gospel topic.  There was also the "scripture chase" on which team could find a certain scripture the quickest.  Each week (or however often we met) our instructors would give us ribbons featuring our school color.  On the ribbon was marked in letters that started each word of different scriptures;  one made up for a certain scripture that we should have memorized that week

        I had saved them all in a scrapbook.  I think it might have been the one that grandpa had given me; one that fell apart, one that I had attempted to recreate. I reminded myself of this as I was planning the lesson I'd be teaching yesterday.  I had planned on doing something similar for my class . . . but that will be for another post perhaps.

        None of my collections seemed to make it with us to Oregon.  I am sad that the ribbons had been left in the shed in West Valley along with my coin collection and a box of dolls that grandpa had given me when he and grandma would fly Western Airlines.  The ribbons themselves may have been in one of six boxes that Kayla had retrieved but eventually threw out, they had been thrown out by one of the boys - probably Randy as Tony seems to be even more of a pack rat then I am.  It doesn't matter now.  It is writing on the wall.

        I do wonder what may have come of my coins that had evolved into something that grandpa had introduced me to.  He had introduced coin collecting my brother, Patrick, and the neighbors across the street as well.  I remember dragging the collection out of the shed when we had introduced our boys to coin collecting.  And later Roland tried it with his two oldest girls.  Did not pan out well, I'm afraid.  Those actually made the move to Oregon, and now it is an activity that Roland and Jenna share.  I wish I could find mine to show to Jenna.  I know some of the coins have more value than others.  It would be interesting for me to know where they ended up.  I am certain that they still exist somewhere within the family - probably tucked away in a box in a closet. 

        I also had a box of identical looking dolls dressed in various costume to represent different countries from around the world.  The clothes couldn't be removed.  Probably not even worth anything except they all came from an airline that was eventually bought out by Delta.  It was more out of sentiment that I hung onto them.  And there was one I had actually designed clothes for.  Don't know what became of them either. 

       I also had some pins: Mary Tyler Moore and Coke Bottle/Olympic memorabilia.  Those I did purchase for the sake of collection believing someday they would be worth a lot more than what I paid.  Lost in the sauce, I'm afraid.

Dang!