The virtues of junk

We begin today’s story with a mystery from Baldur Holm. You might know Holm as The Hubcap Man, but this isn’t about hubcaps. So, how can we help?

"Laurie, as a follow up to our meeting in the restaurant, I am sending you pictures of my ‘what is it.’ It has the Knights Templar cross on the top and letters at the side... OS, SC, O1. Some think ‘trench art’ from the war, pill box from some Templar supplier... OR WHAT??? Can you help find the answer?"

I will do what I can Mr. Holm, and put it before a most knowledgeable audience, the Winnipeg Free Press readers. I’m sure one of them will have an answer which, once received, I will report back on in a future column. I don’t know what it is myself and am as eager as you to find out.

It’s interesting that you have this tucked away in your home and it left me thinking about the fascinating stuff people have stored away, why they keep it and what they’ll eventually do with it.

I think one of the biggest tragedies of all is when someone passes away and whoever has control of the estate sees no value in the deceased person’s belongings, so they send it all to the dump. Old furniture, family pictures and sometimes even home movies — as well as so much more. It just kills me when that happens. Excuse me, I need a moment to compose myself.

At one such home, I rescued a whole collection of books on electronics that had been a professor’s teaching books — from the dumpster — and gave them to my son, whose profession is in the electronic engineering field. He absolutely treasures them.

We must make more of an effort to preserve and respect some of the seemingly outdated or irrelevant things we have sitting around the house and make an effort to put them in the hands of people who value them, even if they are monetarily worthless.

It’s not hard to tell where my passion lies, is it? I love to save things many see as garbage — for future appreciation by those who know otherwise.

Some might say, "There’s a name for people like you Laurie — it’s called a hoarder!"

But I am very selective in what I bring home. My most recent treasure, a player piano, I made room for by giving away a beautiful old pump organ.

A friend of mine in the business of collecting and art once said to me, "Laurie, you are not a junk collector, you are a ‘cultural anthropologist.’ "

That works for me. Do feel free to apply that title to yourself if you need a handle to validate your junk.

I love watching American Pickers, and it boggles the mind to imagine what might be sitting in homes, buildings and barns across the land. As long as it eventually gets discovered, rescued and appreciated, I’m good with that. But stuff left to rot, or that gets thrown out? The pain!

Some say, "But why would you keep that... clutter... in your home?"

Let me give you an example. Some of my treasures include a can of pipe tobacco I found tucked away in an old cook stove I brought home. Not only is it a neat piece of history, but I opened it to find it completely full — and the smell is amazing. It takes me back to the ’50s when my Dad smoked a pipe and that rich pipe tobacco smell — as opposed to stinky cigarettes — has some really great family memories attached to it.

I have a huge old syringe (large needle) that I chase my grandchildren with. Why? Because they want me to, screaming and laughing their heads off as they run to escape.

I have a full original tube of Brylcreem, which takes me back to the morning I accidentally, in a hurry in our dark bathroom, cleaned my teeth with my brother’s Brylcreem in a rush to get off to school. I spat it out the second I realized my mistake, but tasted that greasy stuff all day.

Knowing what to keep, what to collect, what to say no to and what to part with — especially when it comes to an estate situation — can be extremely challenging. I try and keep, at least for a while, that which brings me joy. Hoarding is an illness, and there’s no joy in that.

If you have any comments or feedback, I’d love to hear from you!

lmustard1948@gmail.com