One of the things on my 50 at 50 list is to complete my household inventory. I know that may not sound like much of an achievement in the long run, but I put it on there because it is truly something that I love to do. Strange, I know haha! And I've written here before that it all started with Aunt Sara's estate. She did two household inventories: one of her possessions and one of the family items. She lived in the family estate after all and there were things still there that belonged to all of the children, not just her. I loved reading those documents. They are history. And that is what I want to preserve. I am not sure who the history would be for, but I still enjoy doing it.
I love the learning that comes along with doing this inventory. Looking at each item and writing down the history that I know of the piece. Who it belonged to. How that person came to own it. How long they had it. One of my pieces of furniture has "lived" in Wingate, New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Raleigh, Wilmington, Monroe and now Greensboro. It's done a hell of a lot more traveling than I have! Then I like to look things up and learn more about the pieces. I learn styles, patterns, manufacturers. I love what things were used for, how they were part of everyday life in different eras. For example, I have a celery dish. Who uses those anymore? Well, in all honesty, more people than I thought still have these and use them. Not necessarily for their original purpose because having celery on your dining room table doesn't have the same impact that it had 150 years ago! It is also a good escape for me. Looking at things from the past and imagining what life was like in those days. I wonder how my family members used these things and cherished them. I love that.
It is just interesting for me to learn these kinds of things. I love learning. I didn't always love learning, but I do now. And that's one of the main reasons I love doing it.
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