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| Today's homework, tomorrow's ephemera |
Ephemera by any other name would be... trash.
But not on eBay.
On eBay, you can buy ephemera, and I do. Lots of it.
I buy cast-aways and cast-asides from a generation back, sometimes even two or three.
I like the milk caps and the jelly molds, memories of kitchens and routines that are no more.
I savor postcards written to someone else with mentions of a mundane trip to Florida to visit relatives, or maybe to see an old friend in Nebraska.
I lovingly turn the pages of yellowed scrapbooks with ripped pieces of magazines pasted in alongside greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries, where I know neither the giver or the recipient.
I buy stacks and stacks of photographs of families that aren't mine.
These things come here to my somewhat crowded home, and I try and find a perfect place for them.
And I think of them as beautiful and meaningful, this ephemera.
But deep down I know: I buy a lot of trash.
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Linking-up to Yeah Write, check it out if you don't already know it. Lots of great stories from lots of great writers.
One man's trash is another's treasure, right? Do you display it or use it in craft projects?
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun post! I personally would much rather sell my junk and not buy another person's. There are a few things that hold memories though, and those I love!
ReplyDeleteAs long as you're storing it in a non-hoarding fashion, I say keep on with it!
ReplyDeleteI think that is really cool! I like old postcards, too. My laundry room has a lot of old soap boxes, advertisements for old soap, etc. I'm obsessed with stuff like that!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds a little hoarders to me ;)
ReplyDeletethe man who owned our home before we did was a collector so i have shelf after shelf after shelf of space in a climate controlled attic. lucky me!
ReplyDeleteyour laundry room sounds awesome! i love old advertisements.
ReplyDeleteshhh, don't tell or my husband will be on to me to stop!
ReplyDeletemostly i pack it in carefully labeled boxes, but a few favs are on display. and when i realize i have really over-bought, i let the kids use it for crafts - which they love.
ReplyDelete