For those that don’t know, I moved a little less than a year ago. It was a great cathartic event! The typical downsizing of someone my age. I spent weeks before my move sorting through closets, emptying drawers, reaching into every nook and cranny of my soon to be previous home so that I would take only the bare necessities with me into my new place. It’s amazing how much stuff we can accumulate thinking we need it, only to be faced with a situation where you can’t take it all with you! You realize then what’s really important.

At the time of my move my son gave me some great advice. He said “Everything can be replaced.” So with that in mind I really did donate or throw away a lot of things. If I needed something in the future I could replace it with something new. There was no reason to hold on to most of these things. They were, after all, just things. Even my library got thinned out and my beloved nativity scene collection was reduced to just two. My thought process was I would rather clean all of this out now then to leave it to my children if something should happen to me. So off I set on my. new adventure with only a few things and the idea that everything was replaceable.

I’m not really sure what my mindset was at the time I packed, because in the intervening eleven months I have gone to look for something that I know was important and I can’t seem to find it. Only to then stumble upon something I did bring with me that has no value or meaning whatsoever! It’s the craziest game of “I brought this but not that?” What was I thinking?

For example one of the things I noticed was missing was a gift that my dear friend Teresa had purchased for me when I started my author journey. It was a decorative piece, specifically for Halloween. It was a small old fashion looking manual typewriter but someone had highlighted the H-E-L-P keys with blood. Ghastly but just the thing that I loved putting out on my table when I sold books at shows. Everyone loved it!! Just before Labor Day, and nine months after I had moved, I was preparing to set up at Maine’s Odd & Unusual Show. I began to put my table set up things together and that’s when I realized I didn’t have the typewriter. Where in the world had it gone? I tore this house apart looking for it! I remember exactly where it was in my old house. It was on top of the filing cabinet in my office with a bunch of Bangor themed antique knick knacks. All of the knick knacks are here in my new office, but not the typewriter. I can’t imagine I would have left it behind!!! It certainly didn’t fit the category of “everything can be replaced.” But alas it is no where to be found. What I did find though, an unopened package of glow in the dark plastic stars. Really? What in the world would I ever need glow in the dark stars for?

A few weeks ago Bud got the idea he wanted to make a huge batch of chili so that we could have some meals prepared ahead of time. I thought this was a great idea and suggested that I could even pressure can several jars so that we could keep the meals on hand longer. Fantastic idea! As he cooked I went to the closet where I knew I had stored my canning equipment. There I found my pressure canner, jars, funnel even my tongs! But missing from the ensemble was my big white enamel, antique 21 quart pot that I sterilize the jars in. Now where did that go? It was slightly important! I’ve had it for over 30 years. Actually found it on the side of the road in Iowa, it had a chip in the lid but it was perfectly good! Ironically in my old house I stored my funnel and jar tongs in it! So how did they manage to get here but not the pot? No idea! But I did find a homemade pasta drying rack that I think I’ve used twice in the 12 years I’ve owned it. Somehow that made the trip to the new house. Ugh!

Last weekend Bud and I did a book signing at a Sip & Sign event where there were authors and wine makers. It was a super fun event and we bought a bottle of mead from Run Amok Meadery in West Gardiner to bring home. Once we got to the kitchen though we found another item that had apparently not be deemed worthy of getting packed, a corkscrew! After several attempts with Bud’s jackknife and a literal screw from the tool bench in the basement I remembered there was a corkscrew in the campstore that had not sold all summer. I jumped in the golf cart and zoomed over to the now closed up and winterized campstore to find the dusty corkscrew still in it’s place on the shelf. I snatched it and texted my son “Remember how you said everything is replaceable? I owe the campground $2 for this corkscrew!” We also later realized we had no nut crackers, which we needed to use to crack lobster. How do two kids from Maine not have nut crackers for lobster? But somehow I managed to not bring them! Or little cheese knives! I have no little knives to use for spreadable cheeses. I brought three cracker trays but nothing for the cheese. But you know what I did bring? Three halloween costumes that don’t fit! I just don’t understand what I was thinking?

The final straw came last week as I was putting away the Halloween decorations and getting the Thanksgiving ones out. I put away my scary, spider covered Scentsy burner and dug out the Turkey shaped Scentsy burner. Then I reached deep into the box for my pilgrim salt and pepper shakers. I’ve never used them as salt and pepper shakers, they have always just sat on the table representing that very first Thanksgiving. The woman in her black dress with the puritan bonnet on her head. The man dressed in rustic autumn colored clothing and his black hat. I’ve had them for close to 40 years now. Well until I didn’t. See the Pilgrims weren’t in the box. There were dozens of ghosts that hang from trees that I never put out. Half a box of fake brightly colored leaves. Several scarecrows that I don’t really like and a candy dish that I really don’t want to put out because I put candy it in and then eat all the candy myself. But the Pilgrims are not there! The Pilgrims who have been with me through everything are gone!

I stomped down the stairs with my lone Thanksgiving decoration and Bud saw me fuming. “What’s wrong?” he asked me. So I explained the situation to him.

“Well at least you remembered the turkey!” he smiled.