Update with Pictures in New Beginnings

We’ve been going through the process of clearing out Dad’s house. I don’t recall how much I’ve spoken about the following, but my dad suffered from a hoarding problem. I think that quirk was always there, but after Mom died and I moved out, he had no one to keep him in check. When my mom passed away, my dad couldn’t help but cling to her possessions. Oddly, he didn’t care whether it was something she had held onto since she was a child or decor she bought a few months ago and would eventually get rid of when she wanted to redecorate. If it belonged to, he didn’t want to throw it out, even if she would have. Combine all that with the trash he wouldn’t throw out. I mean, he wouldn’t throw away actual trash: fastfood bags, used paper towels, receipts, receipts, and receipts. The man would go to Wal-Mart, buy a loaf of bread, come home, make a copy of the receipt, and tape the copy to the wall. He would repeat this process over and over and over again. Obviously, none of us wanted to throw away some vital piece of information, like piece of paper with his password for a bank account, but there was just so, so much of it. We quickly decided to have it all disposed of.

My sister agreed to stay down in Eastman to go through the house. My brother and I had to get back to our respective jobs. My sister recently became a realtor, and her husband is loaded, so she had the flexibility and lack of competing financial pressure to take on such a task. I’m especially grateful because seeing how Dad lived was just too hard for me. Items my sister found only further displayed my father’s sad mental condition. She found 16 unopened boxes of heavy duty staplers. She also found over four pairs of exact same running shoes, brand new and still in the box. We may even find Jimmy Hoffa’s body before the house is complete cleared.

As far as divvying up his possessions, we decided not to put a total value on everything then make sure we each get the same value. Instead, our rule was that if anyone wanted anything, let the others know, then take it. My sister naturally took Mom’s jewelry and our grandmother’s china collection. My brother, being a musician, took Dad’s guitar collection. I upgraded my car. My niece is going to need a car to start college in the fall, so I gave her my ‘97 Acura and took my dad’s ‘03 Acura. I’m also going to get his ‘96 Dodge Ram, which was the truck I drove in high school and college. I may sell it later, but I’ll need it to move into my new place, so I’ll make good use of it in the mean time. I also took my dad’s 4th generation Kindle, which I’m now in love with, and more practical items he had hoarded like tools, toothpaste, toilet paper, and computer equipment.

Among the computer items I took were his flash drives, which contained a lot of pictures. I figured I’d share them here, if only guarantee that we’re all real people.

Here’s some random family pictures. The first four pictures below are from fall 2003. I had just started my first fall semester at UGA. My sister’s husband had just left the army and was getting ready to start a contracting position. While he was interviewing for that position he, my sister, and their kids were staying with Mom and Dad. I would have been grateful get out of that house while my sister’s family was moving, namely because I can’t stand living in a crowded house, but my mom still pecked at me to come home every weekend. The fifth and final picture is from my sister’s remarriage in 2007 (spoiler alert: her first marriage didn’t make it). I only included it because there I didn’t find any decent pictures of my brother in any of the other pictures. He basically looks the same now, except with a huge beer gut. His carousing ways have caught up with him, and now he has health problems. It’s actually kind of sad that he was so strong in his youth, and now he problems with his liver and blood clots in his legs. I suppose we all need to be good stewards of our health as well as our finances. For clarification, I’m the gray shirted fellow with the shaved head in the first four pictures, you can probably guess my sister, mom, dad, niece, and nephew. In the last photo, my brother is the dark haired fellow on the far left.

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/tkdrobbo/slideshow/Mom%20and%20Dad%20Early%20Pictures/Random%20Family%20Pics

Here’s some early pictures of my mom and dad. I guess they’re in their early twenties in that first picture. They must be about 9 in the second picture. In pictures 3 & 4, they’re probably 29 and 27, respectively. I should have put more thought into the order I uploaded them.

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/tkdrobbo/slideshow/Mom%20and%20Dad%20Early%20Pictures

This is the world’s greatest cat to ever live. I wrote about Jasmine when she passed away several years ago. I hate myself for not making the 3 hour drive to see her one last time before she died. When I lived with dad for a couple of years during the recession, she slept with me every night. Even during the day, she would sit with me in what was basically my room for the time. Even after I moved out, she stayed in my room. The night she died, she found the strength to go to Dad’s room and lay down next to him right before she passed. I hate myself for not being there; I feel like I abandoned her. My dad cremated her remains, and I now have them on one of my shelves. For the record, when I pass, I want her remains in my coughin with me.

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/tkdrobbo/slideshow/Mom%20and%20Dad%20Early%20Pictures/Jasmine

Below are some pictures from 2005 Thanksgiving and Christmas. I suppose I was about 23. I really hate that last picture of me. I wasn’t a bad looking fellow with hair. I notice that everytime I buzz my head, I sweep up less and less clippings. Maybe on the other side of eternity, I’ll look like that again.

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/tkdrobbo/slideshow/Mom%20and%20Dad%20Early%20Pictures/05%20Thanksgiving%20and%20Christmas

Finally, here’s a picture from Thanksgiving 2007 or 2008, I can’t tell. Now you can see why I included that other picture of my brother.

http://s1258.photobucket.com/user/tkdrobbo/slideshow/Mom%20and%20Dad%20Early%20Pictures/Thanksgiving%2008

Anyways, that’s all for this entry. I’ll update soon.