Day 1 without Facebook was just fine. I found plenty to keep me busy. We finished insulating the attic at the new build. Tim worked on some one man jobs and some mowing this afternoon. I came home to deliver some DVD shelving to someone who needed it. We sure didn't, and we had three of them stashed in the old house. It just amazes me still that people walk out of a house, shut the door and leave everything behind, dishes in the cupboards, furniture, clothing hanging in the closet.
I walked up to where Tim was working. 'Did you find them?' he asked. I told him that I had, and then mentioned that he hadn't locked the house up when he left the previous day. He looked surprised. "Is everything okay?"
"Nope," I answered. "The place is completely cleared out. Everything gone."
Tim said, "Well, that's good news, isn't it?"
There is a lot of stuff to get rid of in that house. I don't even know how we'll get the massive dressers down the narrow stairs. Might be easier, when we are done pulling all the things out of the house that will be used in the new house, just to call the VFD and let them come and set the place on fire and use it as a training exercise. Seems like an awful waste, but the house has major damage from two large trees falling on it, and it is not structurally sound.
While I was upstairs retrieving the shelves from the bedroom they were in, I saw a flash of white in the hall from the corner of my eye. I did not get a clear look at it, but it looked like something has moved in for the winter. I don't begrudge it.
I came home and made a stirfry for supper and chopped up another gallon of peppers for the freezer. I put the beds in the guest rooms back together with fresh lavendar scented bedding. They are pretty rooms and comfortable, but not often used. I am looking forward to all my kids being home and in them.
I found an old box of letters and stuff from a painful time in my life under one of the beds in a box. I read a couple of them, but the memories were just too much. Why do I hang on to these things? I threw them away, and felt the better for it.
My grandson is here, and his friend who had all the difficulty with the bully is here for a sleep over. They are going to a fishing derby with Tim tomorrow. The boy has gone from being nervous and awkward on his first visit to bursting in the door as if he'd been coming here all his days and it made me happy to see that he's doing so much better. We try to make a point of including him whenever it is possible. An extra kid is not a problem.
William says that his friend has gotten a lot more confident in school. Good news. The more confidence a child has, the less likely he is to be picked on, in my opinion.
Please get help to move those heavy pieces of furniture! Some moving companies will let you hire guys for a minimum of 2 hours. They're fast and you won't have any additional pains at the end of the day! You've been a real blessing to William and his pals. He'll really realize that when he's about 30 years old. Be safe! Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI really am not all that sure that the dressers will even fit down the narrow stairs. They walled it all in when they remodeled the livingroom that the stairs lead down to. I worry about ripping a wall our of a house that has had two massive trees fall on it. It just seems very dangerous.
DeleteI realise now that some of our furniture, assembled in situ, may never be moveable to another house.
ReplyDeleteWilliam's race car bed was like that.
DeleteSell the stuff and let the buyers move the stuff for you Debby. One person's trash is another person's treasure.
ReplyDeleteFirst you have to find a buyer. All the upholstered furniture was taken out and burned.due to a severe mouse infestation. It was horrifying. The furniture left is wood, not antique (except for one bedroom outfit) and not of high quality. We've been giving as much of it away as we can divest ourselves of.
DeleteI know from when I cleared my mother's old house that selling old furniture, or even giving it away, is not as easy as it sounds. Sounds like William's friend is doing well - that's great to hear.
ReplyDeleteI really feel as if Chris' life has been launched on a different trajectory.
DeleteWe couldn't even give away our big oak dresser when we moved house. P ended up chopping it up for firewood. Such a waste.
ReplyDeleteIt does amaze me what you can buy very old furniture for there. A song really, which is why some Americans make quite a business out of going there and snapping up furniture to ship over here and sell for big bucks.
DeleteGood to hear that William and the other boy are getting on well.
ReplyDeleteThey are walking each other through a hard time.
DeleteJust dismantle it. The wood might come in useful.
ReplyDeleteThat actually is not a bad idea.
DeleteSome charities will come with a truck and take items away.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I like the firewood suggestion made by others.
The room at the bottom of the stairs was remodeled, and I think at that time, they made a decision to wall off the narrow stairs However, the old dressers are huge. I actually don't think they'll fit down the stairs any more. The house is structurally unsound, and I worry about ripping down walls. The wall was not load bearing when it was put in, but who knows what it (or if) it is supporting something now. Tasker's idea is not a bad one.
DeleteUgh. The more we own, the more problems we have. And somehow, we just end up owning so much, don't we?
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear that William's friend feels at home there. I know that makes you feel good. And also, so nice to hear that William is feeling more confident.
Actually, it is his friend who feels more confident. I think that simply being an encourager has encouraged my grandson as well.
DeleteAt least you have/had letters to read. I'm guessing my daughters generation won't have to worry about old emails or text messages hanging around and bringing up memories.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things best forgotten. But electronic transmissions have changed the world. It is interesting to wonder what will be left for the geneologists of tomorrow. Just a sterile recording of birth, deaths, and the statistics in between. Nothing to breathe life into those people.
DeleteEven if you put up a sign free stuff people are so picky sometimes, they want more, will you move it, is it clean I don't have a truck but want the stuff, the list goes on. Good for Chris, does his family have the money he needs for school stuff? Let me know if he needs a little help. Not rich but always ready to help a little.
ReplyDeleteThat's kind, Ellie, but his problems are not related to money. They seem to be fine in that respect.
DeleteThat's great news, how that boy's life has apparently been transformed!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with "stuff" is that it's so cheap now, and there's so darn much of it, that no one has a reason to hang onto it or treat it well. We make things last. We don't buy new stuff until we really need to!
It is cheaply made, not really 'cheap' here, when you're talking about a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. That's why we have always preferred buying old furniture. You get so much more 'bang' for your buck'. The stuff is always better made and out of real wood. My bedroom is 100 years old and shows every sign that it will last for another hundred. We've got a victorian bedroom set upstairs that is older still. Like you, we see no need to replace anything unless we have to. It always amazes me to see people redecorating because their rooms have gone out of style. It seems so wasteful.
DeleteHow you (and others after you) handled the bullying situation is textbook for how teachers are trained to deal with bullying. I've been retired for 6 years but still remember the trainings we had. Once it's been identified (that's the hard part because kids are ashamed and secretive), shining a light on it and getting other kids and adults to support the one being bullied are key. That takes away much of the bully's power.
ReplyDeleteIt has not be handled well here. I remember the case of one child who was so badly bullied that his parents removed him from school. He wanted to return the following year. I imagine he was lonely. His parents let him make the decision. He returned to school and there was a terrible incident, one that happened at the bus stop in a teacher's presence. The teacher did not react. The kid came home and killed himself. His father was broken. Well and truly broken. 3 months later, he killed himself on his son's grave.
DeleteI think that may have changed things a bit in the schools. We had two more suicides within a week of each other maybe 3 years ago. I think that these incidents have spurred better responses. Up to that point, the approach seems to have been if a kid wants the bullying to stop, he needs to stand up to the bullying.
Very happy to hear about the transformation in young Chris's life. You had a big part in that. You did a good thing for that young man.
ReplyDeleteWilliam did a powerfully good thing to bring that situation to the attention of an adult.
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