When I moved to Texas in 1986, I hadn’t planned on staying – just came to take a job for awhile. After working as a nurse at the Women’s Prison, I found I enjoyed the work. Applied for the Director of Nursing job, got it and stayed. Retired from the state once I hit age 55…..not much of a retirement, but it was a chance for me to devote more time to my parrots and the critters at a little operation I had in my home, Charlie’s Bird House –
A Home for Cast-Away Treasures: We Accept Handicapped Birds.
So, here I am in 2007 with lungs that don’t work very well and eyes that find it difficult to do those things nurses have to do. It was time to cash it in and really be ‘retired.’ It was time to do what I wanted to do for the time I had left to do it. How many times had I heard someone say, “When I retire I’m selling it all and hitting the road.” Well, when I retire I’m selling it all and hitting the road!
Sorting through 63 years of prized, and extremely valuable (!!), possessions is not an easy job. The memories – what do I save, what do I toss out. How much can I take with me – how much can that Billy-Truck tow. What memorabilia do I take, which go into the trash? What clothes will I need? What to keep from the kitchen? In comes Brenda, a really great friend, with her ‘3-trashbag” technique of sorting – one for trash, one for Good Will and one to keep. That sounds much easier than it is! When I would try to keep something, Brenda would just look at me and say, “Why?” – nothing else, just “Why?” Eventually I found myself making up stories about items to make them more important…. Just because I wanted to keep them!
So, here I am in 2007 with lungs that don’t work very well and eyes that find it difficult to do those things nurses have to do. It was time to cash it in and really be ‘retired.’ It was time to do what I wanted to do for the time I had left to do it. How many times had I heard someone say, “When I retire I’m selling it all and hitting the road.” Well, when I retire I’m selling it all and hitting the road!
Sorting through 63 years of prized, and extremely valuable (!!), possessions is not an easy job. The memories – what do I save, what do I toss out. How much can I take with me – how much can that Billy-Truck tow. What memorabilia do I take, which go into the trash? What clothes will I need? What to keep from the kitchen? In comes Brenda, a really great friend, with her ‘3-trashbag” technique of sorting – one for trash, one for Good Will and one to keep. That sounds much easier than it is! When I would try to keep something, Brenda would just look at me and say, “Why?” – nothing else, just “Why?” Eventually I found myself making up stories about items to make them more important…. Just because I wanted to keep them!
Getting a pack rat to toss out “things” is not easy! Brenda certainly had her hands full!
My lifestyle remained constant after several respiratory episodes because of Brenda and her family. Brenda comes equipped with a husband and a daughter, three (and sometimes 5) nieces and great parents that would come and help at the drop of a hat! Brenda and the girls picked up the bulk of the cleaning and tending to my critters when my lungs couldn’t take the feather, fur and seed dust. And her husband was always there when something needed to be done.
During the summer I convinced my sister to come down from Iowa and help me with yard sales. Oh, what a tiring experience. How sad to see my worldy possessions going out the door for a nickle or a dime! But, I didn’t have room for them, no sense in paying a storage rental monthly fee, the house was to be sold….the stuff needed to GO! And GO it did!
My lifestyle remained constant after several respiratory episodes because of Brenda and her family. Brenda comes equipped with a husband and a daughter, three (and sometimes 5) nieces and great parents that would come and help at the drop of a hat! Brenda and the girls picked up the bulk of the cleaning and tending to my critters when my lungs couldn’t take the feather, fur and seed dust. And her husband was always there when something needed to be done.
During the summer I convinced my sister to come down from Iowa and help me with yard sales. Oh, what a tiring experience. How sad to see my worldy possessions going out the door for a nickle or a dime! But, I didn’t have room for them, no sense in paying a storage rental monthly fee, the house was to be sold….the stuff needed to GO! And GO it did!
What was left after 2 sales was delivered to the local Good Will.
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