aug 6 2023

OUT OF THE BOX----Has a whole new connotation as I try and pack up my two rooms and a bathroom in the cartons to move across the driveway and set up housekeeping, homemaking, or squatters rights in what was once known as the guesthouse .  It should never have been called that.  it should have been more appropriately been called the overflow house as it has been home to my children several of their friends as they graduate from college... miscellaneous relatives who were contemplating marrying somebody.. they bring him/HER  here to crazy acres as sort of a trial run as to how the person would behave in extreme situations .  I can remember one specific case OF  a college friend of gwens arriving with the latest boyfriend just when we were putting on the roof till the deagle house... that guy WAS up on the rafters hammering away but we decided he would be acceptable.. the rest of that story is that that pair of people owned a bar on Manhattan for a very long time I can't remember?? 20 years maybe and finally decided to be married ---I think.. I certainly do remember that guy on the roof.. then there was my nephew arriving with girlfriend and they were responsible for putting in the culvert that goes between the two ponds--and my memory there is of Becky standing knee deep in water telling Greg that we needed more rocks.

and then there is A now retired judge. About whom I have sworn never to say a word but there are some pretty funny stories.

 

and now it's my turn to live there as we transition me to eventually land in the ground level apartment which will be the laundry building.. currently unavailable so I will be in the guesthouse living out of boxes... which is a wonderful way of cleaning house and the yellow boxes around town that collect for the epileptic society are all overflowing now with things I DIDN'T  really need-----I have THREE boxes and three uniforms ... one set is on me second set in the washer or dryer... a third set in a four inch tall box.. and I have tried that for the past week rotating with the three SETS.  .. I do have a backup box of relatively current  stuff and I have a large box called "closet" which would be things ordinarily kept in a closet.  that seemed to be working so I will now today address the kitchen. I'm getting that down too two sets of silverware. two sets of dishes. and then a current collection of  COFFEE,  cereal, mushroom soup, and 90 second rice.. salt pepper and sugar what else do you need?

 

That two sets of silver has a story behind it of course.. when I was a kid we had our daily silverware in the drawer and then we had holiday silverware which was inherited from somebody--- it was Gorham's buttercup pattern... and needed polishing for days ahead of any holiday.. where my mother tried all kinds of things like boiling it in water as long as it touched a piece of aluminum I can't remember that that worked too well however that was our party silverware to be carefully washed dried and... before the trash was dumped....... counted to make sure we didn't throw anything out.. it was a holiday ceremony.. and when my parents house was closed I inherited the silverware....

 

now all of you people who've known me for many years I'm sure our snickering the concept of me trying to polish silverware to set up a proper table For any and all holiday guests..  not going to happen...  and I have two children one is the type to enjoy polishing silverware ----that would be Gwen...  however online I did find stainless steel Gorham buttercup pattern which as far as I was concerned was The Living solution... it was shiny already it didn't need any fancy boiling oN aluminum platters..., so I ordered two sets of that stuff because I knew Janine was not of the silver polishing type..... and mine got all mixed with what we currently use but as I'm now getting to live out-of-the-box I thought it would be appropriate for me to have only two or three sets of that silverware for daily use... it has unfortunately in the past 20 years gotten mixed with four or five shoe boxes of miscellaneous table hardware, shall we call it,  that has been left here during many Sunday stews or whatever... now I'm trying to locate just a few pieces to put together an abbreviated kitchen as I progress from house the cabin to laundry.

 

I will easily store these few Gorham buttercup pieces on the counter in stainless steel  containers which once were part of my husband's medical practice

I won't bother you with those details. it will suffice to say men will not understand what those stainless steel containers could possibly have been used for.

they now hold silverware very nicely.