For petite little things, my daughters are amazingly strong. I'd been trying to move this one sofa all week. I'd move it about 4 inches, hurt my back and call it quits on that for the day. I did this every day this week, and barely got that behemoth moved. This is my parents old sofa, and I think they stuffed it with their early 18th century anvil collection. The fact that it's so heavy must be a good thing. It must mean that sofa is built to last through this century and then well into the next. But man, is it heavy to try and move.
So why move it? My thoughts exactly, halfway through the week. Oh yeah, it was sitting right in front of the heat register in the living room, blocking the flow of warm air. So I wanted to rearrange the furniture and try and open up some space in there, and allow heat to actually reach human beings who may just choose to sit in there this winter.
In come my two teenage, near champion, weight-lifting daughters (or at least they could be, or maybe I'm just getting weak and frail in my advancing years). They muscled that thing around like it was made of cardboard. And not only did they move the sofa for me, they helped me move a piano. Now that's impressive, don't you think?
So we got the sofa off the heat register, moved the piano to the other side of the room, and discovered that we have too much stuff!
Most everything in that room has been wished upon us. What do you do with furniture and knick knacks, that one, are too big for the space, and two, really aren't your style? It's difficult, as these things belonged to my parents, who passed away many years ago.
Some items are small, and I couldn't part with them, but don't know how to store or display them. My mom collected little angel figurines. I have a share of her collection. But I don't think squeezing them onto an already crowded fireplace mantel does them justice.
Some items are large, like the 4 1/2 foot square Parson-style coffee table. If that thing were dinner table height I could fit 8 people around it! Again, something of my parents. I'm not as sentimentally attached to this coffee table, however.
I'm reluctant to just give most of these belongings away to strangers, because these are my ties to long-gone loved ones. I guess I'm waiting for some of my kids to have places of their own, and then I can wish some of this stuff on them . . . er . . . I mean, I can help them furnish their new places.
Friends, what do you do with items that have been wished upon you?
