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| Box of old letters |
Finally, after forty years I'm going to use the rest of my cedar boards and have my two walk in closets lined.
When Bill and I built our house in Pennsylvania in 1980 one of the luxuries I insisted upon was having all the closets cedar lined. I had that written into my contract with my builder. However, when it came time to line those closets my builder tried to cut corners (as they often do) and suggested that I instead put cedar chip boards in my closets. "No way" I told him, it's in my contract that cedar boards are to be applied." My builder went into a snit for a while but eventually he put the tongue and grove cedar boards in all my closets. He had five packets of cedar boards left over. I paid for them and I kept them, stored in the space above the garage in our Pennsylvania house for the twenty-five years we lived in Pennsylvania.
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| Left over cedar boards |
Then in 2006 we moved to Delaware. We had another new house built by Ryan Homes. I was so immersed in selling our Pennsylvania home that I neglected to get our closets here in Delaware cedar lined. I did bring down those left over five packages of cedar boards though, planning to eventually use them to cedar line my two walk in closets here at our Delaware home, also known as Casa Tipton-Kelly.
That time has come. Thirteen years later, that time has come.
This weekend I have arranged with a local contractor to cedar line my walk in closets. Of course that's going to cause major disruption but it is something I want done before I die. I love the smell of cedar. But first I had to clean out all my "stuff" in my closet. Not a job I look forward to but one that is necessary.
Yesterday going through some of those things I found a box of old letters I have save. Several of them are from former lovers. "Lovers", for those of you of a certain age that is what we gays used to call our partners/husband/affairs.
I started to read one of those letters this morning. By the way, "letters", what a quaint term in this time of the Digital Age, FaceTime and text messages.
I'm glad I've saved all my old letters.
I read part of the letter that Joe Labriola (I mention his name because maybe he's still round and will stumble across my blog and contact me), a Ice Capades ice skater I met in Pittsburgh in January of 1963. 1963, a time when many of you who are reading this blog weren't even born. Yes, that's how OLD I am.
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| Joe Labriola Mexico City 1962 (on tour with the Ice Capades) |
I'm going to read that whole letter and transcribe it to type text (Joe's handwriting isn't the best). Just another project I have to complete before I checkout of this life.
Life is interesting folks and I have had one very interesting life for which I am so thankful.
6 comments:
I love the wonderful smell of cedar and wish I could have cedar closets - but it would be impossible in the small place where I'm living now. I hardly have room for anything (I really miss the big house I had in Texas).
It's great that you have kept old letters. I have a suitcase filled with old letters and I cherish them. I miss the good o' days of snail mail, and really hate email and texting.
By the way, the headboard on your bed looks almost exactly like mine.
Certainly a striking pose.. Joe's handsome, hope he is still around.
Cedar lined closets.... homes here have them... keeps the bugs out... a very nice touch to a home.
Jon,
I too love the smell of cedar All my closets in Pennsylvania were cedar lined. A little luxury I allowed myself. Scott, my local handyman, is here now lining one of my two walk in closets. In Pennsylvania I had two huge walk in closets. My walk-in closets here aren't as big.
Handwritten letters are an artifact of a different time. I am so glad I kept most of my old letters. When I was in high school I was about seventy pen pals. When Bill discovered I kept all those letters, he made me throw them away. I wish I hadn't done that now. But I still have a lot of letters from old friends, friends who are no longer here. I wonder what will become of them when I am no longer here. Makes me sad.
I love headboards on beds. The only way I would have it. We have a lot in common Jon. Not everything (smile) but a lot.
Ron
"Tommy",
Joe was a class act. I tried to look him up to see if he's still alive but unfortunately there are too many "Joe Labriola's" in Pittsburgh, including one who had a sausage factory! Believe it or not. I doubt that was the Joe I knew.
Ron
We have a cedar chest full up with CDs.
I should get rid of the them to make room for me to crawl in whenever I want a sniff of cedar.
Ur-spo,
Ah, all those CD's. I just got a CD bookcase shelf at a local thrift store. Those CD's will stay there until I die. I love the smell of cedar. My closet isn't done yet. Hopefully the contractor can finish one of my closets this weekend. Then he only has one to go. I put all my clothes in those closets so they're infused with the faint smell of cedar. Brings back memories of ancient forests and a more simpler time. Also makes me fell special, luxurious and pampered.
Ron
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