Boxes

Visiting with my family over the weekend the topic of the ‘storage boxes’ came up.

Before I got married I boxed up my life into 8 Rubbermaid containers and stuck them in the garage.   I was moving across the ocean, and knew I WANTED to keep the stuff inside the boxes, but didn’t want to travel that far with the contents.

A few years past, and when we came to visit the running joke was my parents threatened to throw away the boxes.   I would get all in a tizzy about it, saying that my whole life was in those boxes.  I was already sensitive about it, as they had converted my room to a computer room which they now lovingly call “the middle room”.

It was very clear that I didn’t live there anymore.

When we moved back to Montreal and we lived in our small downtown apartment, we simply didn’t have the space to accomadate my boxed childhood.

Since buying our house my parents have been insistant and almost forceful about me taking the boxes.  I’ve hestitated.   Perhaps I’ve been trying to keep a bit of at my family home, I’m not sure.

With heavy heart, and perhaps a little joyful excitement I took two of my Rubbermaid containers back with us to Montreal.

Last night I opened them up to reveal their contents.

I ended up with the boxes that contained some of my books, my diaries, photo albums and boxes of photos.  My collection of un-opened McDonald’s beany babies and the vintage Barbie clothes I had collected.

I found the wooden box I had made in shop classes in Grade 7, filled with nic-naks from my dating relationship with Colin.

There was also a large plastic envelope with ever letter, note, card and correspondence Colin sent me in highschool.

I opened up the envelope and peered inside at the worn and yellowing lined papers with the beautiful, romantic and slightly awkward words he said to me all that time ago.

I kept every little drawing, table napkin & gum wrapper.

I truly loved Colin, and finding all these things makes me see how much I love him still. I don’t believe I tell him or show him that near enough now. . . . .

I’m looking forward to our next trip home, so I can get a few more of my Rubbermaid containers.  These memories have been making me very happy.

The World’s Uglist Couch

 Its been almost two years since we sold the beloved ugly avacado puke green leather button back couch.   I have an odd sense of mourning about it.

Before I was married, and Colin lived with a few chaps in a rented house in Chertsey (Surrey, in the United Kingdom) .  In order to furnish their place they gladly accepted ‘handouts’ when ever they could.

This couch was one of said handouts.  It was given to them by a mutal work colleauge, who had quite an interesting genre he collected.  He collected all things ‘casino’ – which is really no small feat in rural England.  He had a garage full of one armed bandits, bar ware and lounge furniture.

This couch apparently spent its glory years in the lobby of some European casino, sadly we never found out which one.  What a glamourous life.

Scars of its past life of splendor were evident, to the worn drink rings on the arms, to the scuffing on the round ball feet.   The leather was worn the middle of each seat cushion, and the back of couch was yellowed from natural light aganist it.

After we got engaged and the guys went their seperate ways, Colin ‘inherited’ the ugly avacado puke green leather button back couch. For the time we lived in England it was the faithful heart of our living room.  It was the butt of many jokes, but Colin stayed true to his couch.  When the time came to move back to Canada Colin seriously contemplated the cost of bringing his free avacado puke green leather button back couch back to Canada to adorn our need abode.  Needless to say I wasn’t as keen on the idea.

Thankfully after several days of “Don’t worry Honey, we’ll find the couch a good home” He finally agreed to let me sell it on Ebay.

I put a reserve of 100 Pounds and a week for the auction.  We watched, and waited.  Many people “watched” the auction with us, but no bids.  The day the auction came to an end there was a frenzied bidding war on the ugly avacado puke green leather button back couch that Colin had got for free.  When the smoke cleared we were surprized to learn that we had got 500 pounds for the thing!   In fact, when I spoke to the chap who bought it on the phone he’d said he’d been looking for a couch just like it for ages, and was actually prepared to spend almost 1000 pounds to get it!

Its certainly true, people will buy anything on ebay.

Dear Ugly avacado puke green leather button back couch, 

I hope your life has been good, and your new owners cared for your as much as we Colin did.

Sincerely,

Colin and Joey