My Dad was a packrat! This is what we cleared out of his house!

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Wyatt Burp

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This is the biggest dumpster they had. It took me and my wife twenty hours to fill this thing. We didn't just throw crap in there, we assembled it filling every nook and cranny. There's still more. My sister who just went kyacking couldn't help because she has "back problems". My brother weighs over 400 lbs. and is alergic to anything that involves work. My dad saved everything and had a zillion hobbies. He kept very busy. We're going to start clearing out our shed this week.
MattinDump.jpg
 
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your doing it all wrong.. you just nee da few jerry cans of fas on that thing, call teh waste company back and tell 'em we didnt need it after all..

any guns among dads goodies ?
 
Yeah, I've been there and done that. And my son is going to have to do it. I bet your dad did not make many unnecessary trips to the hardware store either.:D
oldogy
 
oldogy said:
Yeah, I've been there and done that. And my son is going to have to do it. I bet your dad did not make many unnecessary trips to the hardware store either.:D
oldogy
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His shop WAS a hardware store. It made Home Depot look like a toolbox. He was a master carpenter and jack of all trades. He kept busy right to the end. He told me on his deathbed with a sinister grin,"Yer gonna have fun cleanin' out this place".
 
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It gives me a warm feeling inside. You're a criminal for tossing his treasures, without even going thru them to see what goodies he left for you. If you took them to a flea market, you'd be rich!

My sons face a similar future. The youngest would volunteer to call for the dumpster. He'd be MIA when it came to throwing out our stuff. The oldest would be spending nights at the house, making sure he had every last set of Roper and Kearsage grips, along with the nasty old guns from 100 years ago. The youngest couldn't tell a Randall or handmand Hibben from a gas station steak knife from the 1960s.

Both would vote to melt the silverware an sell it for scrap. They've got no class. You can lead them to water, but you can't make them drink. Buy them books and they'd eat the pages.

My oldest got the bad news last summer. His inlaws have no faith in their own sons. When the FIL dies, he's got to inherit all his FILs tools, too. He'll need a warehouse. And a big truck for multiple trips. Packrats aren't sick, they know value when they see it.

The comment about unnecessary trips to the hardware store is spot on. Babyfood jars full of 1/4-20, 1/4-28 nuts. Bolts sorted by length. :)
 
rburg said:
It gives me a warm feeling inside. You're a criminal for tossing his treasures, without even going thru them to see what goodies he left for you. If you took them to a flea market, you'd be rich!

My sons face a similar future. The youngest would volunteer to call for the dumpster. He'd be MIA when it came to throwing out our stuff. The oldest would be spending nights at the house, making sure he had every last set of Roper and Kearsage grips, along with the nasty old guns from 100 years ago. The youngest couldn't tell a Randall or handmand Hibben from a gas station steak knife from the 1960s.

Both would vote to melt the silverware an sell it for scrap. They've got no class. You can lead them to water, but you can't make them drink. Buy them books and they'd eat the pages.

My oldest got the bad news last summer. His inlaws have no faith in their own sons. When the FIL dies, he's got to inherit all his FILs tools, too. He'll need a warehouse. And a big truck for multiple trips. Packrats aren't sick, they know value when they see it.

The comment about unnecessary trips to the hardware store is spot on. Babyfood jars full of 1/4-20, 1/4-28 nuts. Bolts sorted by length. :)
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We seperated all the valuble stuff as per his wishes. His tools are not in this pile of crap. My sister got all the stuff in the house minus the gun collection. Guess who ended up with that. My nephew is a carpenter and got the tools. My brother got the vehicles then tried to steal our stuff. Didn't happen, though.
 
We held a "antique collectors" auction at my wife' grand parents. They haunted farm and estate sales.

Took a week with 5 of us sorting and cataloging stuff for the sale.

Had two sale rings with 2 auctioneer's going.. Deal was everything had to sell. Much of it went for a dime on the dollar. Sale lasted 12 hours and it took 3 days for the buyer's to collect all the booty.

Even at that, the auction netted over $12K.
 
I'm glad you kept some of his important stuff. It's tough when your dad goes. My condolences.
Sonny
 
My father had the clothes in the closet, various bank accounts, and that was about it. I had power of attorney for health & finances, and he had already given the house to the grandson. As executor I was very appreciative of how simple he kept it. I hope I can do half as well.
 
My MIL was a pack rat and I was dreading cleaning out all her junk....but Katrina took care of that ;) SOmetimes I think that having lots of stuff is a curse.
 
Someone posted a couple of years ago here about his parents or grandparents, who were careful not to throw away anything that might be useful, just as my parents were. I will always remember his commenting that when he cleaned out their house after their passing, he discovered one full box neatly labelled "String Too Short to Save."
 
Model520Fan said:
Someone posted a couple of years ago here about his parents or grandparents, who were careful not to throw away anything that might be useful, just as my parents were. I will always remember his commenting that when he cleaned out their house after their passing, he discovered one full box neatly labelled "String Too Short to Save."
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Wow. We found a little box full of those little serrated wheels to spark up disposable lighters. You know, where you light it with your thumb. He took them off the lighters and kept them. Probably for some art project.
 
When my father went some years ago...he didn't have really anything that we had to "split."

I guess, after his first two marriages, he wasn't so keen on getting a lot of stuff that he was interested in that I wasn't. Fortunately for him, I was interesting in everything, and took care of things. :D He never had anything passed down that wasn't taken away by the first two wives and two house fires.

My sister and brother-in-law, really didn't want anything, and I had already been given the tools and such. Now, when Mom goes that's when the family fun begins. :confused:

There are a couple of places that she owns that have been rented out for years- one was my great-grandfather's, and my uncle and his "kids" have lived there on part of it free...I suspect some of the rest of the vultures in the family will be circling- they already have been to no avail with her. It won't be pleasant (for them) when I have to take over.

I could swear some of my family lives near Charlie Sherrill and showed up as cameo appearances in his stories. :p
 
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My mother died while I lived 1000 miles away. Despite her will, half brother stole everything of value from her house. There was nothing but junk there when I arrived. I asked why he took everything and his answer was "you have so much and I have so little". I haven't talked to him in 27 years.

Charlie
 
My two sisters and I are going to inherit 452,736 Kodachrome slides.

Fortunately, we're very generous with each other and will do our best to make sure each sister gets her share.
 
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