Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Heavy Handed Memories

A simple enough assignment on the surface: pack up and organized my dad’s belongings. Dad was not a hoarder, not ever much of a collector. He did have several fields of interest that he enjoyed and since moving to our Scripps Ranch home in 1970 he had managed to accumulate about the normal amount of stuff. On the one hand many of the items are easy decisions—“keepers” all the way: home movies, family photographs, career memorabilia, billiards trophies, favorite hit DVD’s (blockbusters and sleepers alike!) On the other hand are the easily decided upon “non-keepers” like the extensive auto-service records from the 80’ and 90’s for long-ago sold vehicles, the belt collection that appears to contain a different entry for every day of the year, and the junk-food stash tucked away in various cupboards throughout the house…the man loved his sweets! Finally, on the third hand, if there is such a thing, there are the great unknowns. They can be anything, for instance, a glass paperweight with the image of Shakespeare that I bought for him several years ago. I know it would probably fetch $5.oo at a garage sale if I were so inclined. I’m also certain that the Goodwill would be more than grateful to haul it away along with our other discards. It would certainly make a very touching gift for any number of my dad’s family members that would welcome a reminder of their shared bond. And, of course, it would make an outstanding paperweight on my own desk. I suppose the Goodwill will have to hold off on this one for awhile.

                                        Daniel J McAuliffe
                                        8-31-10
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance

A simple enough assignment on the surface: pack up and organized my dad’s belongings. Dad was not a hoarder, not ever much of a collector. He did have several fields of interest that he enjoyed and since moving to our Scripps Ranch home in 1970 he had managed to accumulate about the normal amount of stuff. On the one hand many of the items are easy decisions—“keepers” all the way: home movies, family photographs, career memorabilia, billiards trophies, favorite hit DVD’s (blockbusters and sleepers alike!) On the other hand are the easily decided upon “non-keepers” like the extensive auto-service records from the 80’ and 90’s for long-ago sold vehicles, the belt collection that appears to contain a different entry for every day of the year, and the junk-food stash tucked away in various cupboards throughout the house…the man loved his sweets! Finally, on the third hand, if there is such a thing, there are the great unknowns. They can be anything, for instance, a glass paperweight with the image of Shakespeare that I bought for him several years ago. I know it would probably fetch $5.oo at a garage sale if I were so inclined. I’m also certain that the Goodwill would be more than grateful to haul it away along with our other discards. It would certainly make a very touching gift for any number of my dad’s family members that would welcome a reminder of their shared bond. And, of course, it would make an outstanding paperweight on my own desk. I suppose the Goodwill will have to hold off on this one for awhile.

                                        Daniel J McAuliffe
                                        8-31-10
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.