Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

Buried Treasures

Random Musings and Idle Chit Chat

We have boxes and boxes of stuff that we have accumulated over the years. 

Photos, memorable newspapers and magazines, souvenirs, political memorabilia, family records and correspondence.

Part of my inheritance from dad included additional boxes of stuff.

Last winter I vowed to begin sifting through the boxes to winnow and sort what should be saved for the next generation, donated to a worthy organization or simply discarded.

I believe I opened one box.  I spent an entire day perusing ancient family photographs and my parent's high school memorabilia.  I repacked the box - accomplishing nothing.

Have you considered that you might have some strange manifestation of OCD?

I have considered this.  Although of particular concern to you should be my propensity for carrying-on conversations with imaginary readers on my blog.  With regard to the OCD business - I think not.  All the items I hoard have value.  Therefore it is politely referred to as my pack rat syndrome. 

Here is some advice.  Never own more than one house, a barn or a large metal building that is your workshop. 

Gas Pains' Theorem goes something like this - Empty or unfilled spaces are unnatural as they go against the laws of nature and physics.  They will ultimately be filled with more stuff.

I know that I am not alone.  Robyn Bruskotter. one of the other contributing bloggers here, has struggled with this as well.  She is managing it better than I am.  Maybe she could form a support group.

On the other hand my wife has been diligently sifting through her boxes and in a disciplined fashion deciding what to keep and what to discard.  Cataloging all of it in the process.

Just the other week she completed a winnowing of correspondence from the very early 1970s.

There were postcards from her dad.  All composed in his precise and neat handwriting chronicling vacation trips.

She discovered that she still had in her possession important stuff like a program flier personally autographed by the speaker - Bella Abzug.

And a postcard with a message and a signature from none other than Billy Carter.

There were some letters from a fella she dated who was doing a tour of duty in Vietnam. 

On the envelopes where the postage would be affixed was scrawled FREE.  Mail service was free for those in the service apparently.  Do they still do that?  Does anyone still send letters?

Jill is a long-time Brewer fan.  And in the early years an ardent supporter and attendee.  I am told that the routine was to purchase upper deck tickets and then conveniently sit in the lower box once inside County Stadium.

You could get away with that back then.  Attendance was sparse.

As the story goes - Jill and one of her pals went to a game and purchased some of the cheap seat tickets and settled in the lower box seats.  This pal knew a friend, who knew a friend who said there was going to be a tailgate party following the game and that they should come around.  Some of the players might be there.

Sure enough.  The mother lode.  Ooooh baby!

Autographs from Don Money, Jim Gantner, Bob McClure and Robin Yount - obtained at that tailgate party where everyone was hanging-out following the game.

Do they still do that?

Better get at those boxes.  There's just no telling what surprises and treasures await.

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