When my MIL passed away last fall, we found some unexpected things in her belongings. She still had her mom's pay stubs from the 1950s, countless obituaries for relatives of her friends, as well as a nude female salt and pepper shaker (one boob for salt, one for pepper).
But, by far, the most unusual thing we found was her long-dead dog's gallstones in a prescription pill bottle.
So, I am wondering what unusual "treasures" you have found in your own clean up efforts?
And, for those brave souls, what possession do you have that might raise some eyebrows from those you leave behind?
I'm realizing that none of my stuff will be unexpected - maybe I need to paint outside the lines a bit!
Hoping to find some things to laugh about! Thanks.
Mum has been helping to clear out the home of her friends as the husband has now gone into a nursing home, the wife went last year.
Their 'kids' live too far away to help out.
Yesterday I was helping Mum sort through some of the boxes that came to her house to see what would go to the thrift shop and what needs to be kept for their kids and what is junk. I am helping to settle two international students at my Uni and have been able to fully outfit their kitchens with stuff from this home. Except can openers, we have found 8-10 graters, but no can openers. I think the wife probably had to use an electric one.
We found a small blue notebook. It is a daily log from a steamship company that ran ships from the West Coast of North America to Asia. The dates in it are from around 1920. We will give that to the Maritime Museum.
There is a package of letters, not love letters, but from an uncle to a favourite neice. I could not make out the post mark, but the envelopes have 4 cent stamps.
My parents were 3 states away visiting Mom's oldest sister and her husband. A few days later they packed up and headed for home. They were barely leaving town when Mom screamed and said, "get me to the hospital" while slouching over. So off to ER in a strange town.
The surgeon brought out a huge handful of stones, salt size to pea sized.
When Dad told me about all the stones, I asked how many. He didn't know, so I asked him to count because he sounded so panicked and relieved at the same time. He also said he wanted to show friends because it was a shock to see so many.
At the next holiday Dad unveiled Mom's stones. Sister, brother and I were all howling. All I could think of was my neighbor's cat bringing home a chipmunk, holding so softly in his jaw. Mom was less amused and said she didn't understand Dad showing her stones to people. I told her it was a conversation piece to be cherished as long as Dad enjoyed telling the story.
Fast forward about 15 years later and going through Dad's stuff. Mom said Dad wanted me to have his conversation piece. I was the child who first asked about this, so I won the prize. I was also the best at saving/preserving what was of value and ditching what wasn't of value to anyone. So it's still in the little catch-all box in the back bedroom. I'm still asked to save it by my siblings!
So the 3 of us still howl over this. We've actually considered hollowing out a dry vegetable - the kind you see for holiday displays at Wal-Mart and sealing it up. Sort of like ashes? I've thought of dividing it by 3 and putting 1/3 inside each veggie and shipping the artifacts to my brother and sister. By the way, I counted all the pebbles, large and small. There is 163 total.
If anyone has an idea for what artistic use these stones could be used, send a note along.
Many people put colored glass or river rocks (1-3 inches in size) in the bottom of a clear glass vase and then put artificial flowers in the vase. Maybe you could choose the larger and most interesting "pebbles" and put them in a glass vase with some fake flowers 🌷.
Or you could spray paint the smaller "pebbles" and glue them (with Gorilla glue) to a small plastic flower pot or small box that you could use for your pens, pencils, pocket change, scissors, car keys, etc.✏✄👓👛💵📱
We had a good laugh (he lived on a golf course and on his daily walks would pick up stray balls) So BIL said he would count them out and sell them back to the golf driving ranges. Would have made maybe $500, I don't know.
We packed 6 of the BIGGEST bins with these things---and BIL put them in garage and there they sit, 15 years later. They have not been able to park their cars in the garage, but by darn, those balls have a warm, safe space.
I'm sorry, I cannot think of anything craft to do with gallstones. An intriguing problem, for sure.
Onice my FIL passed away, we had to go through that shed and get rid of many boxes of old tax returns and obsolete paperwork that they kept for no apparent reason.
But in this trunk we found that my MIL had been secretly married in Mexico (her Mexican Marriage Certificate), to a man who was Already married! Apparently this was her way to legitimize her unborn baby, but I don't think it works that way! Anyhoo, there were also many nasty letters back and forth between my MIL, this guy, and his real wife who was also pregnant at the Same time! This guy was a real scoundrel, and my MIL did get divorced from him, just in time to marry my FIL. Those were Crazy times (the 40's), when there was so much stigma and shame attached to illegitimate children.
I bought my grandmother's house from the family when she died and I kept hoping to find something really interesting of hers in it. Money. Letters. Whatever. But nothing. She was pure.
I would wait to make a final decision unless someone in your family has already claimed them. If more than 1 sibling wants them, have everyone draw straws.
The holidays are almost upon us, so they would make a great gag gift for somebody. Or maybe a New Years party decoration for someone?
I would keep them available for "selective viewing" namely adults with a sense of humor, but not young grand kids. When you've all enjoyed the weirdness of family oddities and no longer wish to keep them, just choose wisely whom you would give them too.
Since they belonged to your MIL, your husband needs to initiate any gifting of such items. That way he won't come back later and say you gave away his family heirlooms! Really, if spouse or his siblings don't want them, I would still secure them and revisit this topic with your husband when he and siblings are no longer grieving.
Families are just weird, but a good basis for many good stories.