Frankly, it’s sometimes embarrassing to admit that we live so well that we can’t remember all the stuff we have. If you’re the owner of an attic, basement, or any other kind of storage space, Mrs J bets you can not come up with an exhaustive list of everything that’s in there without looking. She knows she couldn’t, anyway.

Mrs J will come out and say up front that de-cluttering is a good thing. Especially if you’re prone to squirreling away things that have no historical, monetary and/or emotional value. And even more so if your clutter is spilling out of your attic and into your living space. You definitely don’t want that.

But some stuff is very difficult to throw away. And if you have the space to store it, why should you? It’s not like you need your attic to be empty just because. Do you really have to throw away your favorite toys from your childhood? Or the painting that used to hang in Granny’s living room? Daddy’s old camera? Grandpa’s handlining lure?

Even if they have no practical purpose except to collect dust and you only see them on occasion, some things just make you smile when you do see them. Because they bring back good memories. So maybe those things aren’t clutter, after all?

Mrs J kind of digs dusty stuff. It doesn’t mean she wants it all in her living room. But she likes history. And there’s nothing like old tools, plates or photos to kick off the imagination.

Who were these people? Are they related? Where did they live? Did they read this book? You might never find out.  But isn’t it fun to speculate, to imagine?

It may have been somebody’s clutter. But now it’s history.