Collections and the results.

 I'm Back.

What do you collect?  I realize you don't think you collect stuff, but I betcha do.   We see the hoarders on TV.  Those folks are crazy.  I'm not crazy; I just have some extra things that I enjoy having.  You don't collect?  How many DVR -c.d.s - VCRs - DVDs - { I never can get those initials correct.} do you own?   How about coffee mugs or cute figurines or shovels.  Video Games - how many do you own?   Huh?  Huh?  Make fun of my collections will ya?

The philosophical question is:  what makes a collection VS.  what makes a pile of junk?  There you go. I'm not sure I collected things when I was younger.  We didn't have any room for storage or shelves for placing.  Then, we moved into a bigger place  - closets were more than ample - shelves and spaces were lying empty.

I once had a collection of Instrumentalist magazines - maybe 10 years of monthly issues.  Never read them a 2nd time.  But, they were on a shelf in the garage.  I remember throwing them away one day.  SAD.  Someone would have liked to have those.  And HIS wife would have loved seeing them stashed on a shelf in his garage.  I do still have several years of National Geographic in the garage.  I went to an auction once in Lubbock and saw a collection of Natl. Geo sold for several hundred dollars.  I didn't buy them.  I quit collecting N.G. a few years back when most of their articles started expressing way liberal views.  sorta a shame really.  Example: they had an issue where they exploited this lady who wanted to raise her son as if he were a girl.  C'mon.  They have lost focus.

I made a short list here of collections that I have.  Wait.  I forgot to ask.  What makes a collection.   Is it three or more items - or do you have to get up to 20?  Some of my collections are only 3.  A few are less than three.  It is just how you go about looking at it.  My granddaughter bought a new mattress recently.  Where is the old one?  If it is in the garage or storage space, does that mean she has a collection of mattresses?  I think so.

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pause for a commercial:  Grand dot Megan has her own post - go see at:

https://meganmetze.wordpress.com/author/meganmetze/

I'm somewhat prejudiced, but I think she does a good job.

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I could talk for a long time about each collection below - pulling out special things to view.  I won't.  Now I shall list a few of my priceless collections:

1.  Post cards:  several years back I started.  I  have them back into the early 1900s.  They are quite interesting.  Several have precious messages.  Mail was different back in the 30's.  I once subscribed to a service that sent me a packet of post cards monthly.  I selected what I wanted and forwarded the remainder to the next name on the list.  I enjoyed the experience.  I wonder if that company is still in business?

2.  Cards:  like the kind you get at Walmart and HEB.  I have several - many quite funny - stashed throughout the farm - I even have some that were sent to my parents and the wife's parents.  I enjoy remembering.

3.  Key Rings:  A while back it dawned on me that you cannot own one of each key ring ever made.  I tried for a while to collect them all.  I would guess that I have somewhere between 1000 and 2000 key rings.  I like them.  I bought a new one last Wednesday when my spouse and I visited Buc-ees on our anniversary.  It is a stuffed Buc-ees mascot.  I figured I needed one of them. 

How did I get into this collecting?  When we lived in Plano, daughter Christine was on the Texas Tech plant identification competition team.  They traveled to Florida for a contest.  When she came home, she brought Florida presents for all the family.  Mine was a key ring.   Casually, I remarked, " I guess I am collecting key rings now."  It never stopped.  They started bringing me more and more.  I don't suppose it will ever stop.  I got one from Ireland a couple years back from Roger and Penney.  Tom & Laura brought me one from Mackinac Bridge in Michigan last year.  I do love them all.

4.  Music boxes:  All sizes and shapes.  One Christmas when we were visiting my mom in Levelland, I remarked (it was innocent enough I thought) that I would love to own a bunch of music boxes.  I visualized turning them all on at the same time and making background music for a horror movie.  Catching myself - I made a point of saying that I didn't want one or two at a time - I wanted 200 of them ALL at one time - no slow collecting - either 200 of them at once, or none.          That didn't work.  I started to get one or two at a time - gifts.  I love music boxes.  Don't get me wrong.  I love them.  But, where do you keep 200 music boxes in a small house.  They are in the garage gathering dust - on a shelf.  A few select ones are inside the house.  I've got this great one which looks like a cannon - you remove the barrel of the cannon and it is a kaleidoscope.  Great piece.  Plus, I have the big wooden music box that belonged to my parents.  They bought it used back in the 40s in an antique shop in Bethany, Oklahoma.  It has a coin mechanism.  Put in a penny, wind the crank handle, and play the music box.  I would guess that I have 15 metal records for the machine.

5A.  Various stuffed animals:  Sure I have these.  My most prominent are dachshunds and elephants.  I do love dachshunds (doxies for the purest) - and elephants are so cute.   My wife has a large box of TY cats in the garage; and, she loves owls.    I even have a stuffed chicken. There are clowns in one bedroom (waiting to pounce on you after you go to sleep heh heh)   "Guys shouldn't have stuffed animals," you say.  Nonsense.  Why not?  I have 5 little creatures called "Sing*a*ma*jigs!" You press the tummy and they sing songs.  

5B.  Also, there are elephants and doxies and clowns which are ceramic and wooden and metal.  I like elephants and dachshunds and clowns.  Don't you?

6. Time to stop:   I won't even mention my other things:  books, banks, coins, stamps, M&M items, various trinkets, pencil sharpeners, Louis L'amour leatherette books, Robert Jordan's epic books  - I must stop writing.  I would love to own a collection of electric trains.   Maybe later I'll bring this back up.

May things go nice for you at your abode.

Today, it is peaceful around here.  I expect it to remain so until time to throw the ball for Oscar.

Mtz

(P.S.  Have you looked at your collection of Christmas decorations lately?)