The years went by, and half hearted attempts to rid the house of "the junk drawer" did surface from time to time. But what to do with these useless trinkets? They didn't "belong" anywhere. Or rather, if they did "belong" as in the case of small game pieces, it would take hours to locate all the games and deposit these pieces in their respective boxes. Nor was it appropriate to toss a game piece. Perhaps we would search out those pieces when we next played the game. In the meantime...into the junk drawer it returned.
Now we are all grown up and the games, if still in the house, await grandchildren to play with them. So my mother finally cleaned out the junk drawer. And she found our memories - drawer sized.
She made "the junk collage" with nothing more than a shadowbox and some glue:
Can you find...
...the house key that was replaced when I got home before my parents in the first grade, and decided to "break in" with a screwdriver?
...the newspaper clipping announcing the results of the Ugly Duckling Swim Team, mentioning both my sister and me?
...the swimming medal from one such race, likely brought home with great pride and lots of celebration?
...the red button from a red corduroy coat my mother wore for several years?
....the Rainbow Bright hairtie worn by my sister and me around the same time?
....the Rainbow Bright hairtie worn by my sister and me around the same time?
...the matches from Conneaut Lake Park, where our family visited for a "Dream Picnic" each year?
...the business cards and nametags for my father for Khols Building Products, Allied Building Products, and Weidenhammer Systems?
...the "It's Rad to be Plaid" button I was forced to wear in junior high, promoting Catholic schools? (note, this is obviously unworn)
...the game pieces from "Connect 4", "Memory", "Bedbugs", "Gears", "Monopoly", and "Hi-Ho-Cherry-O"?
...the rabies vaccination tags for one of our childhood dogs?
...the GATX magnet, from the train manufacturing company that employed my grandfather?
...the US Air keychain, from the company that employed my cousin?
...the Montgomery County Head Start exhibitor name tag, where my mother worked?
...the caterpillar magnet made by my sister in nursery school?
...the candle holder, from the days when my mother was regularly attending cake decorating class?
...the two cloth diaper pins, from the days when my mother was busy with other things?
...the Crayola crayon box, belonging to my mother when she was only dreaming of a family? (not sure how this came to be in the junk drawer...)
...the food stamp?
...the jack?
...the ballet slipper pin (mine from age 5), the I Heart Bears pin, the Strawberry Shortcake pin, and the Girl Scout pin?
...the Girl Scout Troop number patch?
...the Tulpehocken Soccer Club patch?
...Barbie's spoon and hair dryer, and a goblet she likely used, but was not likely "official Mattel craftsmanship"?
...the Cracker Jacks prize featuring a baseball player?
...the Transformer from a cereal box, likely given to my brother but probably stolen because it would not be likely he would be deemed worthy of the cereal box prize?
...the birthday candle, and the cake insert featuring 101 Dalmations' "Lucky the Dog"?
...the Little Wooden Boy that invokes no memory in me?
...the Smurfs shoestring I wore in kindergarten, or the beaded bracelet I made in junior high?
...the magnet indicating it was Tiff's Turn to do the dishes? - she was always hiding it and replacing it with "Nicole's Turn"!
...the Penn State keychain, and the "Penn State: We Call It Home" pin?
...the coin wrapper for quarters, left over from the days when my dad had us sort all his change and separate out the "special year" coins?
...the beer cap?
...the letter "A" magnet which hung in its heyday on the fridge with 25 other letters?
...the Easter egg dye kit "dipper"?
...the tickets for Cirque du Soleil, given to my mother for mothers day?
...the Strawberry Shortcake protractor?
...the seashell from one of our Florida vacations?
...the candle from Quaker Steak and Lube in Sharon, PA?
...Did I miss anything?
3 comments:
VERY cool! So many fun memories :) LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
A year or so ago I got fed up with my junk drawer and dumped it in the garbage. I made sure I did it the night of the daily pick up so I wouldn't run out there and retrieve it. Haven't missed it at all. HOWEVER,
a lot of JUNK has replaced it. I think I will make that my January 1st activity....'THE ANNUAL DUMPING OF THE JUNK DRAWER." Yep....sounds good! (But I must say that I didn't have any of the neat things your mother did.) kt
You missed Basil.
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