Clearing out cupboards

is like slowly sifting through an archaeological site.

My parents moved into this house almost forty years ago. I know people who have lived in the same house much longer than that. There are even people whose families have lived in the same place for centuries. What they must sometimes find would be extraordinary. 

But this should have been relatively simple. The Senior Cat no longer needs suits or business shirts or ties or any of those "dress up" things. He was talking with concern about the needs of our incoming refugees from Afghanistan. Once he would have been volunteering his services to help with their English, repair furniture so that they could use it and so on. He cannot do those things now and we do not have the financial resources to provide much in the way of donations.

"Is there anything we don't need that they could really use?"  he asked me.

So I suggested I might give away some of the good clothing he was not using.  And of course that meant going carefully through it. I will not give away things that are not in good condition. It needs to be clean, pressed, ready to wear. There cannot be buttons missing or seams coming apart or anything but truly presentable. 

Since our mother died Middle Cat and I have always tried to keep the Senior Cat in some sort of clothing good order. He is not very interested in clothes. He loves his hand knitted socks - made by our good friend I... He keeps the tweed jacket his father made for him 76 years ago. (It has now been relined three times but good Harris Tweed lasts and he can still wear it.) His other clothing is of much less interest. 

In his residence he wears casual clothes. The last time he wore a collar and tie and his suit was to his grandson's wedding several years ago. Visits to the medical profession do not require a suit. 

So I went through the wardrobe and pulled out the business shirts. I inspected them and sorted them. His tie collection was never great but I have retained his clan tie and the clan tartan tie he wore in winter. The rest I rolled up and put in the bag. I doubt they will be of much use to anyone but there is someone at the charity shop who might turn them into something else altogether. I added other things. 

And I found things...like the pen he thought he had lost, a watch that doesn't work, a notebook, a packet of seeds, three "pocket" tricks, a mini pack of cards, and another pen-knife. In his drawers I found several packs of cards - of no use to anyone other than a magician (they are "doctored"). There were also some wooden puzzles he had not finished making - he had probably brought those inside to glue together. There are some board games and an incomplete set of dominoes - the rest must have gone into the magic trick he made for his friend P...

It was all interesting I suppose but I found it unsettling. Perhaps it is better to do some of that now and ask him where he wants the other things he is not using to go? I don't know.