Article: Our stuff burying us alive: The mountains of garbage we call "collections"

[Float On]

Beverly Hillbillies

Paul Henning, the producer, had ties to Branson. They filmed several episodes at Silver Dollar City. And I can visit the Beverly Hillbillies truck just 4 miles from my house at the museum at CofO campus. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/14355

[Float On]

In my efforts to do the entire year's 100 items a month challenge, I have pared down a few collections. My old camera collection now has just 3. My old key collection is down to 12 from 30 or so. My old lock collection is down to 4. My mini-globes are down to 3. And they all make a nice display together on some old sewing drawers I made into shelves. I think that's it for me for "collections".

[Ultralight]

In my efforts to do the entire year's 100 items a month challenge, I have pared down a few collections. My old camera collection now has just 3. My old key collection is down to 12 from 30 or so. My old lock collection is down to 4. My mini-globes are down to 3. And they all make a nice display together on some old sewing drawers I made into shelves. I think that's it for me for "collections".

That is some pretty dang good progress right there!

[iris lilies]

Our Lily Society, which has been dying slowly, has suddenly taken a downward spire with the president out of commission due to health, and the Vice President unreachable by email.*

Now I am looking at disbanding the group after we host the national convention in 2017. Why am I posting on this thread? Because the Society owns "stuff" and I will have to deal with it. We rent a storage locker for $500 annually. Ugh. We have collections of tubes that hold lilies for a show and those will be offered to other Lily Societies across the country, those are useful. The rest if it, collections of plastic baskets, backdrops, signs, etc not so much.

once I got access to the storage shed, I threw away the stuff that always blocked the entrance. Our club had several men who like making things out of heavy wood back in the day, so there were multiple large items used for displays and it required two trucks to haul everything to a show.

*tangential rant: I do not understand how someone expects to fulfill duties for an organization if he cancels his email account. He is pretty much out of the loop now.

[Ultralight]

Our Lily Society, which has been dying slowly, has suddenly taken a downward spire with the president out of commission due to health, and the Vice President unreachable by email.*

Now I am looking at disbanding the group after we host the national convention in 2017. Why am I posting on this thread? Because the Society owns "stuff" and I will have to deal with it. We rent a storage locker for $500 annually. Ugh. We have collections of tubes that hold lilies for a show and those will be offered to other Lily Societies across the country, those are useful. The rest if it, collections of plastic baskets, backdrops, signs, etc not so much.

once I got access to the storage shed, I threw away the stuff that always blocked the entrance. Our club had several men who like making things out of heavy wood back in the day, so there were multiple large items used for displays and it required two trucks to haul everything to a show.

*tangential rant: I do not understand how someone expects to fulfill duties for an organization if he cancels his email account. He is pretty much out of the loop now.

By hook or by crook it seems that the collections of others work their way into our lives and can cause chaos.

[iris lilies]

By hook or by crook it seems that the collections of others work their way into our lives and can cause chaos.

Yep, but you know what? I kinda feel that this is my God given role, to close out the Lily Society. I am not afraid to call it quits. Others would be more comfortable flogging this dead horse for a few more years, but not me. Others would be paralyzed about cleaning out the storage shed, but not me.

In in addition to the "Stuff" we also have a treasury of around $7,000. I expect the few remaining members will be able to agree how to disperse this money, I don't foresee much argument because this has always been a collegial group.

and I'm now retired and have time to do,this work! So that's why I doubly feel it should fall to me.

[Ultralight]

Yep, but you know what? I kinda feel that this is my God given role, to close out the Lily Society. I am not afraid to call it quits. Others would be more comfortable flogging this dead horse for a few more years, but not me. Others would be paralyzed about cleaning out the storage shed, but not me.

In in addition to the "Stuff" we also have a treasury of around $7,000. I expect the few remaining members will be able to agree how to disperse this money, I don't foresee much argument because this has always been a collegial group.

and I'm now retired and have time to do,this work! So that's why I doubly feel it should fall to me.

I admire your willingness to take this on. Will it be emotionally bittersweet?

[catherine]

What emotions got stirred up when she asked you to keep her collection after she passes? In her? In you?

My MIL worried out loud to me once, saying "What's going to happen to my Royal Doultons when I'm gone?" She knew I was not interested in them in the least. She also had a collection of Hummels and Edinburgh crystal.

As of now, they still sit where they were the day she died 5 years ago, because BIL has not touched the house since then. Her bedroom looks as if she might wander out of it at any time. It's like Miss Havershim's house. I know DH and I should encourage him to pack the stuff up, but it's not easy. I don't know if it's grief or laziness that's keeping him from getting rid of the stuff and making the home his own.

[Ultralight]

My MIL worried out loud to me once, saying "What's going to happen to my Royal Doultons when I'm gone?" She knew I was not interested in them in the least. She also had a collection of Hummels and Edinburgh crystal.

As of now, they still sit where they were the day she died 5 years ago, because BIL has not touched the house since then. Her bedroom looks as if she might wander out of it at any time. It's like Miss Havershim's house. I know DH and I should encourage him to pack the stuff up, but it's not easy. I don't know if it's grief or laziness that's keeping him from getting rid of the stuff and making the home his own.

That is all very sad...

I know my dad is relieved to know my sister will properly deal with his stuff when he dies.

My mom though, she will enter the next life in a state of major anxiety thinking about what stuff my sister just threw away!

Of course, they know better than to leave me anything but cash -- which I don't think they have much of.

[iris lilies]

I admire your willingness to take this on. Will it be emotionally bittersweet?

Oh sure, it will be sad to close it down. The founder died in 2014, and his widow still chugs along in the group. She is our treasurer. I'm sure she will be sad.

Lily societies all over are struggling to get new members. None of them stepped forward to put on the national convention, and so that is a sea change. My group is hosting the 2017 convention but will not take financial responsibility for it, technically the Morth American Lily Society is running that convention.