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Grandmother's attic
Sep. 21st, 2006 08:43 amWhen I was a kid, my favorite part of going to the Boston Children's museum was grandmother's attic. I could have spent all day in there, trying on hats and mismatched costume bits.
I've also always loved old homes, and have been lucky enough to live in or around them. Most of them had grand walk-up attics that housed the kinds of things that were at the museum. My actual Grandmother's attic was host to a lot of old dusty books, greeting cards (she saved everything), toys dating back to my father's childhood, and costumes. Gram loved hats and loved to dress in costume, and some of her old favorites were all stored in the attic. As my Dad and his Sister have been cleaning things out they've located hats from the 30s and 40s perfectly preserved in hat boxes, old party, show and halloween bits, and on the complete other side of the fence - old relics from when my grandfather was still alive (machinist manuals, engineer handbooks, rifle magazines).
My parents are going through a similar process in their own attic now too. Part is a finished room, where each of us took space for bedrooms at various points and my Dad had used for an art studio. The other half is unfinished and has served the family well as storage. As my parents scale down for a move to a much smaller place (and their ultimate move to "the lake house" for retirement) they need to find a home for things in there. I took my old plastic canvas dollhouse from them last week (my Sister's is still up there). My Dad is going to repair the old lamp I had in my bedroom as a child. Scores of oil paintings from my Dad and watercolors and pastels from his grandfather are stacked up, ready for transport to God knows where. The space where we'd play hide and seek, where we'd look through Dad's old art supplies when he had put down the brushes for many years, where my parents would stash Xmas presents before their presentation (which of course we knew about, and we'd sneak in to see what they were). Soon the space will be emptied. Soon a friend will store some things up there, which I think is the best tribute that special place could have.
My brother took some pictures and shared them in his LJ http://ej-geno.livejournal.com/259456.html that I thought some of you may like.
There is so much richness and so many stories in the stuff that lives in old places. Don't forget to check out your own from time to time, to remember what's important to you.
I've also always loved old homes, and have been lucky enough to live in or around them. Most of them had grand walk-up attics that housed the kinds of things that were at the museum. My actual Grandmother's attic was host to a lot of old dusty books, greeting cards (she saved everything), toys dating back to my father's childhood, and costumes. Gram loved hats and loved to dress in costume, and some of her old favorites were all stored in the attic. As my Dad and his Sister have been cleaning things out they've located hats from the 30s and 40s perfectly preserved in hat boxes, old party, show and halloween bits, and on the complete other side of the fence - old relics from when my grandfather was still alive (machinist manuals, engineer handbooks, rifle magazines).
My parents are going through a similar process in their own attic now too. Part is a finished room, where each of us took space for bedrooms at various points and my Dad had used for an art studio. The other half is unfinished and has served the family well as storage. As my parents scale down for a move to a much smaller place (and their ultimate move to "the lake house" for retirement) they need to find a home for things in there. I took my old plastic canvas dollhouse from them last week (my Sister's is still up there). My Dad is going to repair the old lamp I had in my bedroom as a child. Scores of oil paintings from my Dad and watercolors and pastels from his grandfather are stacked up, ready for transport to God knows where. The space where we'd play hide and seek, where we'd look through Dad's old art supplies when he had put down the brushes for many years, where my parents would stash Xmas presents before their presentation (which of course we knew about, and we'd sneak in to see what they were). Soon the space will be emptied. Soon a friend will store some things up there, which I think is the best tribute that special place could have.
My brother took some pictures and shared them in his LJ http://ej-geno.livejournal.com/259456.html that I thought some of you may like.
There is so much richness and so many stories in the stuff that lives in old places. Don't forget to check out your own from time to time, to remember what's important to you.
