Try as I might, I can’t get overly enthused about America’s 250th birthday, to be marked today.
The release of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 certainly was a cause for celebration.
So was the centennial, July 4, 1876.
So was the bicentennial, July 4, 1976. Who could forget that?
If the 50th anniversary on July 4, 1826, or the 150th anniversary, on July 4, 1926, was a huge deal, I never read or heard anything about it. That makes me think that the 250th anniversary — though surely worth noting — is not especially different than any other Fourth of July.
That’s just me; others, including the president and every flag and firecracker manufacturer, would disagree.
Let me report, then, on my love affair with a total stranger. Her name is Taryn Maria.
I have never met Taryn, seen Taryn, or spoken with Taryn. But I’m crazy about her.
Taryn, you see, recently wrote an article for a website whose address is http://www.thesimplifydaily.com. Its stated focus is “frugal creative living.” There, you will find articles on such things as homemade cleaning solutions, reusing prescription pill bottles, converting a water bottle into a mini-greenhouse and 21 household uses for WD-40.
Many home-improvement articles these days focus on “decluttering,” that is, donating, discarding, or “gifting” non-essentials. The goal, I guess, is to create a nice, clean, sterile environment where you can contemplate your navel or eat rice, preferably using reuseable chopsticks.
Taryn, however, geared her report to 12 things that you should never get rid of. She’s my kind of woman.
To me, a house is sort of a personal museum, each unique and filled with the things that we like to live with, preserve, stash for a rainy day, or help us remember.
A few of the things on Taryn’s list are obvious, for instance, paper products (would anyone throw away unused paper towels?); reserve linens (which will eventually be needed); and “items that aren’t yours,” which can be dangerous to discard, especially if the lender is a muscular guy who lent you his favorite Crescent wrench in 2015 and wants it back.
My attention, and the reason for my attraction for Taryn, focused on other things on her list.
1. Infrequently used items. “Just because something only gets used once a year doesn’t mean it’s clutter,” she writes, mentioning such things as turkey roasting pans and gravy boats. “Store them somewhere else, like the basement instead of the kitchen.”
I have tons of “infrequently used items” that aren’t going anywhere. I’m thinking about my railroad jacks, capable of lifting loaded boxcars; winter clothes and wool blankets that haven’t warmed a soul in 25 years; and books that I read once and are now waiting patiently, silently, for my return.
2. Historical photos. “Don’t feel pressured to keep ALL your photos but definitely don’t get rid of them all either. There’s something special about holding an old photograph of a family member,” Taryn says.
I am the family archivist, so to speak, so I can show other family members some rare surviving images — photographic and artistic — of various ancestors, some of whom were born in the 1700s. It’s always a little breathtaking to think that my great-grandparents are the great-great-great-grandparents of our grandchildren, and that my grandmothers remembered, quite vividly, grandparents born in the 1820s.
3. Solid wood and vintage furniture. “Furniture just isn’t made the way it used to be,” Taryn says, stating one of the great understatements of our time. “I don’t buy ‘fast furniture.” I prefer solid wood, quality pieces. I found a gorgeous dresser on Facebook Marketplace for just $40. If you’ve got vintage furniture that’s still functional and beautiful, hold onto it.”
I hear you, Taryn. For less than the cost of cheaply made, stapled together, chipboard junk, anyone can buy solid oak, solid walnut, solid cherry and solid maple tables, chairs, desks and bookcases. They’re beautiful, timeless and high quality. We keep our canned goods in a handmade walnut jelly cupboard, circa 1850, that I bought for $25. In our dining room is a five-legged oak table from about 1900, which we got for $50 in 1982. The parlor table in the living room, hand-carved walnut with brown marble top, cost $100. We’ll never get rid of my Grandmother Cullen’s mahogany dresser, or the ladder-back chair that my great-great-grandparents received as a wedding gift in 1856.
“You don’t have to get rid of everything just to live clutter-free,” Taryn says. “If you love something and it brings you joy, keep it.”
We need more people like Taryn Maria. I bet she appreciates old buildings, too.