1. William Carlos Williams famously wrote: "No ideas but in things." Objects give us a concrete way to experience concepts, whereas concepts alone are invisible, intangible. We can't experience concepts with our senses nor do concepts trigger memories.
I spent much of the morning today carrying things that belonged to Mom out of her basement into the garage. My sisters and I will decide what we'll keep, what we'll take to the dump, and what we'll give away.
I moved dining table chairs that we used over forty years ago, cleaning supplies, numerous and various vases, glassware, including sundae glasses, flutes, cups, and other items; I brought up several electric fans, my dad's bowling ball, bags filled with smaller plastic bags, a bar stool, yard furniture, and more.
There's much more to haul upstairs: boxes of records and receipts stretching back over thirty years, bread machine, numerous books, more vases, a set of China dishes given to her and Dad as a wedding gift, a canner, roasting pans, dried flowers, a box of seashells from Oregon, the artificial Christmas tree, the Tom and Jerry bowl and matching mugs, aprons, doilies, tablecloths, towels, and Mom's store of sweatshirts, pants, blouses, shirts, and sweaters among other things.
Mary Idell West Woolum's character is in these things. Mom's way was to save things, collect stuff, and store up on sales items -- sugar, flour, light bulbs, spices, meat, canned goods, and more.
Moving and sorting Mom's things triggers many memories of when we used that furniture, Mom's painting projects, her devotion to cleanliness and cleaning supplies, the many loaves of bread she baked, her career as an educator, and her love of flowers, fresh as well as dried.
As I make my way through these days following Mom's death, mom is very much alive to me, not as an idea or a memory, but in her things.
2. After a morning of hauling, I went over to Dick and Renae Costa's condo and we gathered ourselves and jumped on the gondola and attended the Silver Mountain Brewfest. About twenty breweries set up shop and I enjoyed samples from all over the Pacific Northwest. I decided to focus on red ale, brown ales, ESB, and Irish Death. The samples were between three and four ounces so I didn't drink much more than a pint and a half of beer and had a great time listening to the Sara Brown Band from Kettle Falls, WA and Spokane's Soul Proprietor. I also saw two great classmates from high school, Susan Dahlberg and Patty Hei and enjoyed shooting the breeze with both of them.
3. Christy had texted me that she was going to grill steaks this evening, so I joined Everett and her on their back deck for a generous rib steak, baked potato, and green salad. I didn't last long after dinner. My day of hauling and going up on the mountain tired me out and I hit the hay early.
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