Love this story and finding all of the stuff that gets stored and hidden. My parents' house had 2 of those small, slanty-roofed areas. One side you could go in if you bent over, the other was much longer and lower, you had to crawl in and back out. When we finally thought we were finished clearing out their house, I did a last check in the one side and found about 500 National Geographic Magazines tucked in between the beams in the back of the space. We used a plastic lid to slide them in small stacks from one person to the other. and said bad words about the magazines.
You had a proper magazine mine going. I don't know if anyone ever read National Geographic, but people sure held on to it. It must have been the most saved magazine in the world.
You used one of my favorite words: egregious. At first thought, I'd love a room like that, but at this point in our lives, we need to have less stuff packed away so it's better that we don't. My first family home had one of those very heavy attic doors in my parents' bedroom. I was barely able to open it. I lived in fear that the door would close and no one would hear me in there so I don't recall many visits into it. I suppose it held all the boxes of stuff my parents kept during their lives which now has been left up to me to make decisions of what I should do with it all, and that process hasn't been any fun.
I am sorry for your loss, My mom had over 1,000 puzzles, a gazillion books and so many clothes, it took 4 trip with 2 SUVs fully loaded to get rid of them all. She kept cards, paper, and shells besides, so yep, I get it.
This reminds me of the fairy tale Bluebeard - didn’t he tell his Nth wife that she could go into any room in his massive castle except for that one room at the end of the corridor on the top floor that was bolted and sealed? The fact that it was forbidden was of course all the more reason for Nth wife to want to find out what was inside (probably not the wisest decision).
The 3rd floor attic bedroom is a great refuge until one gets older and climbing stairs becomes more and more of a challenge 😉
The room you describe is mixing within itself two that are in the place I live - it's the size and shape of a closet behind what we call "wardrobe room" / [sewing] workshop, but the stuff here is similar to what's here kept spread in both the closet and the basement. Contrary to yours, everybody knows at least some part of what's in both respective rooms, as they are storing belongings of all household members.
Last paragraph reminded me of how once I went to our closet, took all of my former, "mysteriously disappeared" 😉 clothes from the boxes and made for myself a "retro-revue", claiming back few longsleeves and jackets. It was all fun and games until I learned I actually did a "rampage" and should've asked first or at least learn to properly fold clothes when my mum came and caught me red-handed. Luckily, she accepted what I wanted back and said those still look good on me.
Also, this post is a nice description and reminder of your many home improvements.
We just had that crisis! Waffle and Lucy had been rummaging through bins without refolding stuff. It looked like the totes had been ravaged by racoons.
Wait - does Lola ACTIVELY plan to keep clothes/stuff for grandkids? I have bins in our similar storage area labeled “for grandchildren” and my husband thinks I’m nuts. To be fair… I was 40 when my first was born, so I might die of old age before my kids have children of their own…but at least they’ll know what the bins are for! 🤣
Oh the mention of the attic nails brought back memories. Our attic was not finished, access was through a hole in the hallway closet. The closet was filled with stuff so the ladder was leaned against the stuff to be able to move the wood off the attic entrance. Since I was the youngest, I ended up with attic duty. There were some boards up there, but to get to the side you had to walk on a 2X4, carefully. No one told me of the nails, so the first time I went up, my mom yelled make sure you don't stand up, but of course I could not hear her well and stood up to go back to the opening and promptly put 2 of the 4 inch nails in my head. My loving mother told me it was fine, finish up putting the stuff up there, then we can go get you a tetanus shot. Gotta love her lol A couple of years later I slipped off the 2X4 and fell through the ceiling, or actually just my legs because I managed to land on the 2X4. Dad and I were rolling and mom was crying her eyes out, not because she thought I got hurt, but because we had taken the insulation down because it has asbestos in it. ( yep, that was my mom's doing too, so yeah I hate attics LOL
Your mention of contractors put me in mind of yesterday’s Pearls Before Swine comic. Check it out: https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2025/01/12
Whoa! If I only I had that translator before our project.
Having gone through renovations, I am familiar with contractor speak which made the comic all the more enjoyable.
Perfect!
Love this story and finding all of the stuff that gets stored and hidden. My parents' house had 2 of those small, slanty-roofed areas. One side you could go in if you bent over, the other was much longer and lower, you had to crawl in and back out. When we finally thought we were finished clearing out their house, I did a last check in the one side and found about 500 National Geographic Magazines tucked in between the beams in the back of the space. We used a plastic lid to slide them in small stacks from one person to the other. and said bad words about the magazines.
You had a proper magazine mine going. I don't know if anyone ever read National Geographic, but people sure held on to it. It must have been the most saved magazine in the world.
I read a lot of them WILLINGLY from my science teacher's collection in school, and really enjoyed them!
It was for the neked pigmys according (aware of spelling, did not wish to offend)
You used one of my favorite words: egregious. At first thought, I'd love a room like that, but at this point in our lives, we need to have less stuff packed away so it's better that we don't. My first family home had one of those very heavy attic doors in my parents' bedroom. I was barely able to open it. I lived in fear that the door would close and no one would hear me in there so I don't recall many visits into it. I suppose it held all the boxes of stuff my parents kept during their lives which now has been left up to me to make decisions of what I should do with it all, and that process hasn't been any fun.
It's also a great place to hide birthday and Christmas presents. The scariest doors keep the best gifts safe from curious kids.
I am sorry for your loss, My mom had over 1,000 puzzles, a gazillion books and so many clothes, it took 4 trip with 2 SUVs fully loaded to get rid of them all. She kept cards, paper, and shells besides, so yep, I get it.
Love the "super natural wifely powers" and we all need a room like this!
It's really more useful than mysterious. If we didn't have it, we'd have to move.
This reminds me of the fairy tale Bluebeard - didn’t he tell his Nth wife that she could go into any room in his massive castle except for that one room at the end of the corridor on the top floor that was bolted and sealed? The fact that it was forbidden was of course all the more reason for Nth wife to want to find out what was inside (probably not the wisest decision).
The 3rd floor attic bedroom is a great refuge until one gets older and climbing stairs becomes more and more of a challenge 😉
The room you describe is mixing within itself two that are in the place I live - it's the size and shape of a closet behind what we call "wardrobe room" / [sewing] workshop, but the stuff here is similar to what's here kept spread in both the closet and the basement. Contrary to yours, everybody knows at least some part of what's in both respective rooms, as they are storing belongings of all household members.
Last paragraph reminded me of how once I went to our closet, took all of my former, "mysteriously disappeared" 😉 clothes from the boxes and made for myself a "retro-revue", claiming back few longsleeves and jackets. It was all fun and games until I learned I actually did a "rampage" and should've asked first or at least learn to properly fold clothes when my mum came and caught me red-handed. Luckily, she accepted what I wanted back and said those still look good on me.
Also, this post is a nice description and reminder of your many home improvements.
We just had that crisis! Waffle and Lucy had been rummaging through bins without refolding stuff. It looked like the totes had been ravaged by racoons.
Wait - does Lola ACTIVELY plan to keep clothes/stuff for grandkids? I have bins in our similar storage area labeled “for grandchildren” and my husband thinks I’m nuts. To be fair… I was 40 when my first was born, so I might die of old age before my kids have children of their own…but at least they’ll know what the bins are for! 🤣
Oh the mention of the attic nails brought back memories. Our attic was not finished, access was through a hole in the hallway closet. The closet was filled with stuff so the ladder was leaned against the stuff to be able to move the wood off the attic entrance. Since I was the youngest, I ended up with attic duty. There were some boards up there, but to get to the side you had to walk on a 2X4, carefully. No one told me of the nails, so the first time I went up, my mom yelled make sure you don't stand up, but of course I could not hear her well and stood up to go back to the opening and promptly put 2 of the 4 inch nails in my head. My loving mother told me it was fine, finish up putting the stuff up there, then we can go get you a tetanus shot. Gotta love her lol A couple of years later I slipped off the 2X4 and fell through the ceiling, or actually just my legs because I managed to land on the 2X4. Dad and I were rolling and mom was crying her eyes out, not because she thought I got hurt, but because we had taken the insulation down because it has asbestos in it. ( yep, that was my mom's doing too, so yeah I hate attics LOL