Cleaning House

19 July 2014

We spent one night in Japan, near the airport in Narita.  Nice hotel, nothing special - although they had "pajamas" for guests to wear.  I know, not something you see every day.  Hotels sometimes have bathrobes (which I think is a wonderful luxury, I love having a hotel robe to use!).  Most hotels in SE Asia, even in northern Asia, provide slippers so you can leave your shoes at the door.  But this hotel had "pajamas," which turned out to be a heavy cotton blue and white striped nightshirt.  So of course I wore that while hanging around the room.  Because I don't travel with along nightshirt, despite the fact that I love them for lounge wear.

So then we had a long flight (9 hours) to Seattle.  Yes, we're back in the USA.  Richard and I are back in Bellingham to help my two youngest brothers who have ended up with the task of dealing with our parents' house.  The house we grew up in, more or less.  Forty plus years accumulation of stuff in the house, to be downsized, cleared out, sold or saved, and eventually the house to be sold.

It's sad, to be emptying out a house, clearing out all those items that trigger memories.  Some things will be saved, like family photographs and other keepsakes.  The cradle that the five of us used as babies, each with our own little metal plaque with our names and birth dates, attached to the bottom of the cradle.  This will definitely be saved, for subsequent generations.

But other stuff - the freezer in the basement that looks like some Antarctic archaeology dig - well, some stuff is slated for the dump.  Piles of junk mail that has accumulated.  Vitamin pills.  Boxes of pudding mix that was "best if used by" five years ago.  Just, the stuff that piles up when you have a big house.

So we're clearing things out, while trying to not be too sad about it.

We also have some fun planned, because, well, that's life.  Happy and sad.  Up and down.  

I'm awake since the wee hours of the morning, maybe still on Korea or Japan time.  

So I think I'll go attack a room and just throw away all the stuff that needs to be tossed, recycling as much as I can, and, well, just cross one more task off the long long list.

And we'll keep you posted about the excitement planned on this trip.