Amazing story, and even more amazing storage situation!!
My husband is in the army, and we usually live in military housing, and the turnover is every 2 years or so. In one of our previous houses, there was a wall in a basement closet where every kid who’d lived there since like, the mid-80s had signed their name and written messages to the next kids!
When we bought our house, there was a stuffed animal dog on the kid's bed in the staged photos. Our daughter, 4 at the time, was so excited the house came with this dog, but otherwise surprisingly distraught and freaking out about moving. I thought, how are we going to find this mystical dog?! Then we searched on Amazon and realized, oh, of course, it's just the stuffy at the top of the results - it's not like staging companies are using priceless heirlooms.
We got the dog and excitedly set it up in her new room for her to find. But then the former owners, who are so lovely - they had owned the house for 50 years(!), had left her a bunch of presents and a card. Really stole the spotlight from our Amazon dog, but it was so sweet of them.
If I found that sketch in my house, I would assume my childhood fantasy of being in A-Ha’s “Take On Me” video was finally materializing. *...Waiting for the hand to reach out of the sketch...*
Your before basement is so not that messy in comparison to my basement right now which is also the Calico Critter vault. At the end of 2022, my father-in-law basically ran out of new critter sets to buy her (he gave her one every week) because after two years, he had literally bought all of them. They are all in my basement. We got windmill houses, tree houses, schools, shops, a clinic, several styles of vehicles including buses and a bicycle balloon. We have so much. (If you go to my ig @fire4hairlady I will do a tour today and it will master most people feel their basement is quite tidy)
Leaving aside discovering Dorian, I hired a professional organizer to do my bedroom closet and dresser and see if we could get my clothing to all fit. For the first time since I had a kid and lost my “spare” closet, I do not have 3 baskets of random clothing on my floor. Best. Investment. Ever.
Years ago when we were young, wild and free a friend of ours broke up with his girlfriend (Art Institute prof) who had given him a painted kabuki mask as a gift. He hated it, but being somewhat superstitious, was afraid to throw it away because it would bring bad karma. He didn’t want to give it away because he didn’t like it, so that would also bring bad karma. So he hung it on a nail outside his west side Chicago walk up apartment across from the Twisted Spoke (if you know, you know). It was gone the next day. As it became known “The Nail” was a place many of us brought such things that couldn’t be gotten rid of in typical ways because of potential paranormal blowback. Sometimes stuff would last for days on The Nail. But would inevitably disappear into the Chicago diaspora of stolen goods. I recommend putting the charcoal drawing on The Nail. I’m pretty sure it’s still there.
Amazing story, and even more amazing storage situation!!
My husband is in the army, and we usually live in military housing, and the turnover is every 2 years or so. In one of our previous houses, there was a wall in a basement closet where every kid who’d lived there since like, the mid-80s had signed their name and written messages to the next kids!
Hahaha. I love this.
When we bought our house, there was a stuffed animal dog on the kid's bed in the staged photos. Our daughter, 4 at the time, was so excited the house came with this dog, but otherwise surprisingly distraught and freaking out about moving. I thought, how are we going to find this mystical dog?! Then we searched on Amazon and realized, oh, of course, it's just the stuffy at the top of the results - it's not like staging companies are using priceless heirlooms.
We got the dog and excitedly set it up in her new room for her to find. But then the former owners, who are so lovely - they had owned the house for 50 years(!), had left her a bunch of presents and a card. Really stole the spotlight from our Amazon dog, but it was so sweet of them.
That was a wild twist I was not expecting
If I found that sketch in my house, I would assume my childhood fantasy of being in A-Ha’s “Take On Me” video was finally materializing. *...Waiting for the hand to reach out of the sketch...*
David Tennant was my first reaction, as soon as I saw the sketch, which means you’re dealing with timey-wimey stuff.
Oh good you found my drawing hahahahah j/k
Your before basement is so not that messy in comparison to my basement right now which is also the Calico Critter vault. At the end of 2022, my father-in-law basically ran out of new critter sets to buy her (he gave her one every week) because after two years, he had literally bought all of them. They are all in my basement. We got windmill houses, tree houses, schools, shops, a clinic, several styles of vehicles including buses and a bicycle balloon. We have so much. (If you go to my ig @fire4hairlady I will do a tour today and it will master most people feel their basement is quite tidy)
Leaving aside discovering Dorian, I hired a professional organizer to do my bedroom closet and dresser and see if we could get my clothing to all fit. For the first time since I had a kid and lost my “spare” closet, I do not have 3 baskets of random clothing on my floor. Best. Investment. Ever.
This has been in my inbox since March and I'm really glad I read it today. Currently trying to stop myself from laughing in an open office.
WTF! This is what fireplaces are for. Burn it immediately!
Years ago when we were young, wild and free a friend of ours broke up with his girlfriend (Art Institute prof) who had given him a painted kabuki mask as a gift. He hated it, but being somewhat superstitious, was afraid to throw it away because it would bring bad karma. He didn’t want to give it away because he didn’t like it, so that would also bring bad karma. So he hung it on a nail outside his west side Chicago walk up apartment across from the Twisted Spoke (if you know, you know). It was gone the next day. As it became known “The Nail” was a place many of us brought such things that couldn’t be gotten rid of in typical ways because of potential paranormal blowback. Sometimes stuff would last for days on The Nail. But would inevitably disappear into the Chicago diaspora of stolen goods. I recommend putting the charcoal drawing on The Nail. I’m pretty sure it’s still there.
I look forward to the inevitable follow-up where you find the drawing back in the basement again and nobody knows how it got there.
Claire! I love the photos and I love you!!!
Plot. TWIST!!!
this was the perfect story about an organizer.