I’m certain most people over 60 know the cartoon figure “Weak Eyed Magoo.” As I contemplate another move, I’m beginning wonder if I might qualify as a different Magoo, the “Weak Minded” version. I’m not worried about packing the house. Books, dishes, clothes, and other household items sort of have a logic as to how you pack them.<\/p>\n
But when I look in the garden shed and in the garage, all I can think is “Too much stuff!” Most of which I have moved six times and almost all of which I intended to dump years ago. It is the detritus from the time when money was tight and when I personally rebuilt my car engines, replaced a front spring on my pickup, did my own brake jobs, painted my own house, poured my own concrete, put new shingles on my h0use and made up for lack of money with sweat.<\/p>\n
On one level I know it doesn’t make sense to pack all that “stuff” around with me. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t like an adult version of a teddy bear. Like a kind of safety net, one which I sort of draw comfort from, knowing I can walk into the garage, pour a box of nuts and bolts out on the workbench and\u00a0 find what I need to fix things. And maybe I can match a voltage converter to a gadget and save a buck or two. And I know I can fix the old Coleman gas lantern if I can find the right washer. (It’s only been broken for the past ten years.)<\/p>\n
What I need is a boost of realism and a touch of character to help me reduce the clutter. I have cardboard boxes and plastic tubs full of nuts and bolt…some of which are actually rusty…a box of converters for only the Lord knows what…chargers for gadgets I probably don’t have anymore…a few plugins, each with only a short cord attached to nothing, but which could be attached to something.<\/p>\n
There is a drawer in the fishing cabinet filled with spools of fishing line each of which holds maybe fifty yards of monofilament which will never be used for anything but leader…an old Mitchell fishing reel I haven’t used in years…and will never use again. And in the pole rack…fifteen fishing poles.<\/p>\n
Two tall cupboards sit in one corner of the garage, one stacked with cans half full of paint, a couple of which might be dated around 2003. The other cupboard has cans of oil I’ll never use, transmission fluid I’ll never use, wheel bearing grease I will never use again, and other “stuff.”<\/p>\n
The list goes on and on. Oh, yeah, and two piles of boards I could use to build “something” some time. And probably won’t. (But how do you turn good lumber into firewood??)<\/p>\n
I think it is time for this Weak Minded Magoo to dump a lot of stuff and move on. Now, I wonder if any of my neighbors would want…<\/p>\n
Rod<\/p>\n
p.s.\u00a0 I’ll let you know how I did…maybe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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