Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me

In my continuing pursuit of individual improvement this year, I’ve been going through shelves, drawers, closets, boxes, etc. and trying to determine what is essential in my life and what can be repurposed, regifted, or plain ole thrown away. I recently blogged about decluttering and I said that I had been unsuccessful in that endeavor. However, I actually have made some progress.

I have not intentionally been on a mission to declutter. I have simply been more observant when I open doors and drawers to see if there’s something in there that might could go away. During this new-found “enlightenment,” I have come to the conclusion that certain things are becoming extinct. I know because I decided to get rid of some things only to find that nobody else wanted those things either. Below is my list of things that I’ve discovered – nobody really wants any more. See if you agree.

1 – China (As in dishes. I think we can all agree that we still need China the country.)

I remember when I was growing up, whenever an elder member of the family passed away, their offspring would often fight over who got Grandma’s china, crystal, silver, etc. Used to be when young couples got engaged one of the biggest items on their bridal registry was china. They’d select their pattern and set forth how many place settings they were requesting and then guests would proceed to purchase accordingly. The goal was to have a complete 8-piece setting (or 4-piece or however many settings they designated) by the date of the wedding.

Not anymore. In addition to 2 “everyday” sets of dishes (and all of my catering dishes), I have 3 sets of china here at the inn. 1 was my mother’s, 1 I inherited when I bought the inn, and the third we purchased because there was matching service for about 30, which we need. A 12-piece setting (which is what the other 2 sets are) won’t be enough if I have a full house. I still have my mother’s china because I love it and – well – it’s my mom’s. But I had a hard time finding someone who wanted the beautiful 12-piece setting that came with the inn. I asked at our local antique mall and the consignment store here in town and they all said that dishes aren’t selling these days. I think that’s sad. I think more people need to return to a sit-down family dinner with “good” dishes at least once a week, but I’m a little old fashioned I guess.

I did finally find a nice home for my extra set, and I am ever so glad it’s going to be loved.

2 – Curio cabinets

Used to be almost everybody I knew had at least one curio cabinet in their home. You know, a glass-enclosed cabinet to showcase your collectibles, curios, memorabilia, etc.? Nowadays, nobody has these items in their home. I rarely see them. In fact, I don’t even see them in furniture stores anymore. This fact, ties in with the next item:

3 – Collectibles

Remember how your grandma used to collect Hummel figurines? Or maybe your mom collected Iladros? Tiny spoons or thimbles were also common collectibles among our predecessors. My dad had 3 miniature spoon display racks full of spoons that his mother, my grandmother, had collected from her adventures around the United States. Those are still hanging in my kitchen. Even my dad didn’t really want them when he moved back to California. So now, I have a miniature spoon collection. In addition to my shot glass collection.

4 – Musical instruments

I remember almost all of my friends in high school used to play a musical instrument, or at the very least, have taken lessons on a trumpet, flute, guitar, piano, etc. Maybe they rented their instruments while they were in band class, but it was quite common to find musical instruments in the average household. At least where and when I grew up. In this day and age, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a musical instrument in most households. I’ve seen quite a few musical instruments at flea markets, garage sales, consignment stores and antique shops. Seems like nobody really wants these items anymore. Think about it: how many times do you go into an old building, house, church, wherever and see an old piano? They’re heavy, take up lots of space, and hard to move so people just abandon them. Everything is electronic these days. Heck you can write an entire symphony on your laptop and it’ll sound like a real orchestra playing. Techno is the new thing. Give me “real” any day of the week.

5 – Canister sets

Again, think back to your grandma’s house. Or maybe your mother’s house. Remember that set of 4 canisters setting on the kitchen counter? Usually they’d be marked “flour,” “sugar,” “coffee,” “tea,” or something similar? Always a set of four, usually in graduated sizes. Does anybody use these anymore? I do. I have 3 sets. I put everything in canisters. I hate boxes and plastic bags. But, I’m probably in the minority. I hardly ever see them in department stores any more.

6 – Cookbooks

Personally, I LOVE cookbooks. (After all, they are books.) I love to browse the cookbook section at bookstores. I love to look at the pictures and read the names of the items. I have a plethora of cookbooks at my house. And I clip recipes from magazines. I print them from the internet. I have little boxes and big binders full of paper recipes. I’ll never, ever, in my entire life make all of the things I have recipes for, but I LOVE recipes and cookbooks. I’m not sure how anyone can put together a cake or pie or whatever using their tablet or laptop. Yuck. Doesn’t your screen get all mucked up when you swipe it? No sirree, give me a paper recipe any day. I love all the little splatter spots on the pages. The dog-eared edges. The faded ink. To me, that means that dish was extra delicious because it got used a lot.

7 – Antique furniture

Some antiques are still fetching top dollar. Sideboards and unique pieces are still a “thing.” But parlor sets, you know those little settees and matching chairs, or fainting couches, or parlor chairs, nobody wants those anymore. For one thing, they’re not especially comfortable and for another, they’re not designed to hold the same amount of weight as furniture does today. People used to be smaller. Quite a bit smaller. Two average sized ladies could sit on one settee and there’d be room left over. Nowadays, one average person takes up most of that seating area him or herself. When you add another person to that piece, it is overly strained. Which makes them not comfortable. Or safe. I know, I have these items in my home. I cringe every time one of our oversized guests sit on these too-small-for-them chairs.

8 – Grandfather / Grandmother clocks

I remember my mother wanted a grandfather clock in the worst way. My dad finally splurged and got her one. It was a pretty good sized one that sat at the end of our hallway forever. Like most of these clocks, it eventually wore out and stopped working. Because we don’t have tinkers these days, nobody knows how to fix these clocks and so they just sit there, dejected. I see old grandfather and grandmother clocks all the time in antique shops. Nobody wants them.

Here’s a challenge dear readers: ask your children, grandchildren, or someone a generation or two down from you if they’d like to have your knick-knacks, your figurines, your sports memorabilia. I think you’ll find that, when you’ve left this earthly planet, nobody will want that stuff. I shudder to think what will happen to all of my treasures. I don’t have any children, but I have a Will. It’s up to the persons that I bequeath items to, to decide how to dispose of all my “valuables.” I’ll just bet most of it will wind up at a second-hand store, a garage sale, or a trash bin.

So tell me dear readers, do you have anything to add to this list? Are you sad to think of how your precious collectibles may end up after your demise? Do you collect anything special? Inquiring minds want to know.

Word of the Day: Uintahite

Fun fact about me:  I’m the one who actually chose the china pattern for my mom’s dishes. I guess that’s why I like it so much.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2020. Images by Pexels and Google Images.

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