This pile of red oak was here before I arrived. It was cut on this property, and Ken helped mill and plane it; he worked at a local mill in exchange for getting wood sawed and planed so he could build. This pile was intended for the flooring on part of the main level. The other flooring is tiles he made. A divorced friend asked about it once. Ken explained that someday it would be …
Today I finished sorting through old VHS and cassette tapes. It took emotional strength to handle and make decisions about things Ken and I watched and listened to together. Music tends to create a backdrop to my life – songs I listened to in high school, college, while dating Ken, while dancing with Ken. While doing this task I kept humming that song from Damn Yankees – You’ve Gotta Have Heart. “You’ve gotta have heartAll …
The sun inspired me to return to sorting, clearing and cleaning. And I found a piece of wall as a result! I consolidated all photos and slides. I will sort through those soon!
Since Ken’s death I have been cleaning, sorting and clearing. As I planned to visit my parents, I decided to skip to the top floor and clear a nice space for my farm sitter to sleep. The area was all torn up as I had given away a queen sized futon from a double bed frame (it was as Garrison Keillor would call it a deep valley bed). When friends took the futon, they offered …
Ken viewed everything as a potential material for a project of some sort. He loved finding things. He was a hunter and gatherer. Some people called him a pack rat, but he used what he had. Who else could build an entire chicken coop from scavenged materials? People called our place the “Reuse center.” But now I want my house back. I am sorting through boxes, drawers, tubs of rags people gave me …
