tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post1432111342512724815..comments2024-03-28T03:31:23.570-04:00Comments on I Think; Therefore, I Yam: Holding Onto the PastSusan Flett Swiderskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-27444776980237015982011-04-12T13:23:26.993-04:002011-04-12T13:23:26.993-04:00Mybabyjohn, (or can I just call you "my baby&...Mybabyjohn, (or can I just call you "my baby" for short?!)Thanks for stopping by. Good to hear I'm not the only one hanging on to those old records!<br /><br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Jeffrey. Oh, you better hold onto those baby clothes! At LEAST until your wife is five years past menopause. One of our daughters-in-law keeps getting rid of the baby clothes, and darned if she doesn't keep getting pregnant. She has eight now ... so BEWARE! Thanks for coming aboard.<br /><br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Karla. Welcome aboard. Oh, and no worries about me throwing stuff ... or words ... away in haste. I hang onto both for dear life!<br /><br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Lauracea. (what a beautiful name!) OK, everyone's convinced me to hang onto the records a little longer. (didn't have to twist my arm too hard, though!) As for clothes and shoes, I'm just the opposite from you. I HATE to buy new ones, so I wear the old comfy friends until they're beyond repair. (and if I keep them long enough, they come back into fashion again!) Take care, and thanks so much for stopping by.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-77353082106197595162011-04-12T12:40:53.653-04:002011-04-12T12:40:53.653-04:00Hi, I also found you through the A-Z Challenge. Do...Hi, I also found you through the A-Z Challenge. Don't throw the vinyl records out yet - they'll be worth a fortune in a couple of years. People are already looking for them. I have a thing about buying new clothes. So my closet doesn't get too clogged, I buy something and then throw one thing out (something I haven't worn for a year). How many times,though, do I go back and think 'I wonder where...is?' LOL.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186491465911432817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-8963986734040859032011-04-12T12:36:39.811-04:002011-04-12T12:36:39.811-04:00Hi Susan
Good to have found you via the A-Z (Chall...Hi Susan<br />Good to have found you via the A-Z (Challenge, obviously, not the street map). Very much enjoyed this post - good fun and so true (love the not needing to play the records to hear them) ... And as for the bits you end up cutting being the most troublesome in the first place - I can identify with that, too :-)<br />All the best - and don't throw anything away too hastily (from home or novel!)<br />Karlathe writing padhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07221319693189380703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-60149568088008112382011-04-12T12:28:35.171-04:002011-04-12T12:28:35.171-04:00I still have baby and toddler clothes I'm hold...I still have baby and toddler clothes I'm holding onto, even though our youngest is five years old.Jeffrey Piercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17031056305581520834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-70214402737841149292011-04-12T12:00:34.012-04:002011-04-12T12:00:34.012-04:00Got a pile of those records myself..hubby won'...Got a pile of those records myself..hubby won't part with them.<br />Thanks for dropping in on thefeatherednest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-23517868782292610282011-04-12T10:44:19.300-04:002011-04-12T10:44:19.300-04:00Hi, Nicole. I've actually read in many writing...Hi, Nicole. I've actually read in many writing books that other writers religiously save the parts of their books that don't make final cut, but did I apply that wisdom? Noooooo. Will try to do better with the rest of the book, though. <br /><br />And very good on saving mementos. (Pack rats of the world, unite!) The thing is, after sorting through an unbelievable amount of stuff after my parents died ... I'm talking stuff dating back to before their births, even ... I'm beginning to see the wisdom of getting rid of some of those things that hold meaning only to me. It's just stuff. The memories will remain. <br /><br />Take care.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-53044316974247745592011-04-12T09:14:16.689-04:002011-04-12T09:14:16.689-04:00It's hard to cut words, but I agree you should...It's hard to cut words, but I agree you should keep them all! (In a different document...not in the wip.) But I'm a pack rat who collects tiny mementos from every chapter of my life. They may be meaningless and worthless to everyone else, but to me they conjure memories that are priceless.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01899768909313326172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-89524280275540561062011-04-12T07:51:41.340-04:002011-04-12T07:51:41.340-04:00Hi, Doris. You're right; editing and treasure-...Hi, Doris. You're right; editing and treasure-dumping both involve tough decisions, but having to dump treasured words in the process of editing is the toughest. Thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />+++<br /><br />Hey, Becca. Thank you so much for visiting! Hmmm, I'm thinking your way of keeping the clutter down tops the way my husband and I have always operated. Neither of us is a hoarder, but we certainly do qualify as pack rats. The room in our house that was specifically built to accomodate a pool table got so overrun with amateur radio equipment and other electronic gadgets and projects, we haven't been able to shoot pool in there for years. Happily, my husband made a new years' resolution to reclaim the room, and victory is in sight!<br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Dianne. I got a chuckle out of your post. When you said the records belonged to your mother, it reminded me of a funny story. It isn't because of anything I've done, I don't think, but I've always looked younger than I am. (Which I hated when I was younger ... like, on our honeymoon, people kept thinking I was my husband's daughter!) Anyway, when I went to the doctor's office one day, there was a temp receptionist there. In the course of chatting, we discovered that we were both originally from Maryland. She asked what town, and I told her, "Dundalk." "Me, too!" she squealed. Then she wanted to know what high school I attended. "Dundalk High," I replied. "Oh, WOW!" she enthused. "What year did you graduate?" Then, I told her the year, and her face fell. I mean, it was night and day. One second, she was all lit up, and then she was crestfallen. "Oh," she finally said. "Maybe you knew my mother..."<br /><br />Take care.<br />++++<br /><br />Hi, Sam. We held onto our baby stuff for a long time, too, mostly because my hubby had a theory that getting rid of them would lead to another pregnancy! And here's a thought: maybe you could hang onto some things for your grandkids. It's kinda neat to see your grandchildren using and wearing things that once belonged to your children.<br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Anne. You're right on both counts. At least, saving writing scraps won't take up any floor or closet space. Unlike the old books and boxes of pictures and picture albums around here, some from as far back as the nineteenth century ...Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-23754129553556224232011-04-12T06:52:18.897-04:002011-04-12T06:52:18.897-04:00Don't get rid of the records. Not only are th...Don't get rid of the records. Not only are they full of memories (and you'll regret it if you do nix them) they're probably worth a lot of money. Jukebox restorers are always looking for 45's. <br /><br />As for the cutting -- again, never throw anything away. You never know when you'll need it again. Always save it in a 'scrap' file. <br /><br />And I know just how you feel right now. Cutting does make the story stronger, but you may be able to use those fab lines somewhere else.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-36705985668331345922011-04-12T04:58:06.349-04:002011-04-12T04:58:06.349-04:00I'm finding it impossible to get rid of my chi...I'm finding it impossible to get rid of my children's old baby clothes. Sigh.Samantha Sottohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14116257082088369600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-78343422494348526482011-04-11T22:46:22.551-04:002011-04-11T22:46:22.551-04:00I didn't have any 45's of my own, but inhe...I didn't have any 45's of my own, but inherited some from my mother. I still remember them ... can hear them plainly in my mind... <br /><br />"Got along without you before I met you, gonna get along without you now ... Gonna find someone who's twice as cute, 'cause I didn't like you anyhow ..."<br /><br />It's amazing how your post brings those memories vividly to life -- AND THAT SONG WAS WRITTEN BEFORE I WAS BORN. Musical memory may be the very strongest memory we have!<br /><br />It hurts to cut words I love from a manuscript, but if they didn't really fit in the story, I doubt they'll last as long in my memory as lyrics from the songs on my mother's 45's!Dianne K. Salernihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16459839567235304842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-85161444556387107772011-04-11T20:49:58.329-04:002011-04-11T20:49:58.329-04:00I've always been a pathological thrower-outer....I've always been a pathological thrower-outer. I despise clutter and throw stuff out as soon as I realize it's no longer useful. When my daughter was born, I realized how far I had taken it because I had so few keepsakes from my own childhood. So I decided to relax a little bit come closet-cleaning time.<br /><br />The same is true of my writing; most of the time, it's too sparse. Instead of cutting pieces out, I have to sew new ones in. I guess we all have our crosses to bear ;)<br /><br />And as for your keepsakes, the records are so cool, even if you don't have a player for them. Instead of getting rid of them completely, maybe you could pass them on to someone in your life who would get a kick out of them. Then you'd know that someone you love is enjoying them.<br /><br />Becca @ The Bookshelf MuseBecca Puglisihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08945707666707799601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-63433180249200883232011-04-11T19:37:49.274-04:002011-04-11T19:37:49.274-04:00Both, editing and getting rid of our treasures are...Both, editing and getting rid of our treasures are painful decisions. But often we need to do it, should we want to look into something refreshing...<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments. Hope you have a great week!!<br /><br />DorisHold my hand: a social worker's bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06283197748791227012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-76677294885221570642011-04-11T18:15:59.592-04:002011-04-11T18:15:59.592-04:00Hi, Linda. I don't reeeeally want to get rid o...Hi, Linda. I don't reeeeally want to get rid of the records, but after wading through 60+ years of my parents' treasures after my father died last year, I've been thinking about weeding some of this stuff out around here to make things easier for our kids. (We have so much "stuff" around here right now, I think our kids would rather burn the house down than deal with all of it!)Then again, our son-in-law is a musician. He might like the records. <br /><br />And you're right. I should've saved those darlings in a separate file. Doggone it. <br />+++<br /><br />Hi, Connie. Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if the reason we have to work so long and hard at some passages is because we're trying to force something to fit that simply doesn't belong. Live and learn, eh?<br /><br />Take care.Susan Flett Swiderskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425315552148200073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-79283525474027766192011-04-11T16:57:42.509-04:002011-04-11T16:57:42.509-04:00As hard as it is, you've got to kill your darl...As hard as it is, you've got to kill your darlings because you're right--they draw attention to the writer. Sometimes it's so hard because they always are the passages I've spent hours and hours "perfecting." But when they're gone the story is so much better.Connie Kellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10774616533630985219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034142332858737641.post-4895198410832862462011-04-11T16:09:31.104-04:002011-04-11T16:09:31.104-04:00No! Don't get rid of the old vinyl! They'r...No! Don't get rid of the old vinyl! They're classics! <br /><br />Um, yeah. We have hundreds of old albums. But we do have a turntable, and sometimes we even have "album nights" with the kids and their friends. We take turns picking out an album, and then we see who can guess the group/singer first. The kids think this is "quaint" but fun. <br /><br />Re cutting words: it's tough to kill your darlings, so I don't. I move them to a special "leftovers" file, where they can live on eternally without gunking up my ms. Easier than hitting delete. ;)Linda G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04576828490765434497noreply@blogger.com