I woke up this morning and I tripped over my camera gear. I’m sure God will forgive me for the words I muttered out loud. Lorraine doesn’t like clutter, but sometimes we leave things in the wrong place. I keep telling myself I’m going to go out and take pictures again. This is one of those hobbies that you can keep doing even as you get older. Of course, there always seems there is something more important to do.
Take this past week for instance. First the toilet was leaking, then there was a problem with the floor, then the hedge needed trimming and the lawn needed mowing. Oh and did I mention the garage? Here’s the thing, I have lived in my house in Gonzales for over 30 years. Think about that for a minute or two. In that time I have raised my daughter and two sons, not to mention a number of dogs along the way. So you can imagine how much stuff you can accumulate in that time. Where do we go from here?
If you have the kind of marriage I have, then you know there are times where you need to sit down and have a conversation about a problem. Well this is one of those times. “We have too much stuff, George, we need to get rid of it.” Of course, I was shocked! I can’t imagine what she could mean. I know exactly where everything is and why I need it. But after a lot of back and forth I realized that she could have a point.
So yesterday I began the painful process of going through some of the “stuff.” I began in the garage, which houses my tool boxes, work bench and assorted cabinets. Lorraine keeps telling me that it would be much easier to just throw it all into the back of the pickup and drop it off at Fairview Middle School on Oct. 18 right here in Gonzales. Also on Oct. 11 and 12, there will be a citywide garage sale. I’ll probably cry a little bit, however, I have enjoyed the extra foam sheets that I bought to go camping with my boys, along with the extra paint that I used to buy by the quart and now I just wash the dust off.
Going through everything brings back the memories of what it takes to raise boy children verses girls. Each one has different needs and wants. There are so many things that they just can’t do without. And when you look into their eyes you don’t want them to think you don’t love them. I look at the photographs of Tara when she hung out with me in my truck. Or Austin’s first touchdown, and of course Reed’s first wrestling pin. I kept pulling items down from the shelf in the garage, but they can’t be thrown away or sold because they are mostly photographs and clothing that hold so many memories.
When my daughter was but a small child, my pickup was the only transportation that I had. I would button her up and put her on top of the armrest that I usually had my elbow on. She loved that. It was almost like she was driving the truck. We were a team and she went everywhere with me. That is a time I will always cherish as we would go shopping together to buy whatever was in style at the time. I always wanted her to know that she could do anything a boy could do. Today she is quite the plumber, electrician and handy “person” to have around. She will always tell you, “Why call someone when I can fix it myself?”
Raising the boys was different. I felt I knew exactly what they were thinking. Lorraine lived with boys and she was outnumbered. Every time they would make a mistake she would say, “You are overreacting.” I would look at her and say, “Just remember, I was their age once.” It’s funny now because both of the boys tell her I usually knew what was going on. I wouldn’t change a thing.
All three of them are living their lives and contributing to society in their own way. My youngest is on his way to living his “American Dream.” He just bought his first home, and has a baby on the way. He has been saving and scraping, and we are all very proud. Austin has found a job that seems to make him happy and continues to make us laugh on a regular basis.
Tara continues to be the family manager. Lorraine has told me that every family has one. She loves her brothers and always wants to make sure that we are all OK. She is strong and fearless and my only wish is that she was closer. But Las Vegas is only an hour flight and I see a trip in our future.
As I finish up this week’s column, I would like to bring a couple of issues up. For the record, President Trump did win the popular vote in 2024. My fellow columnist did clarify, which was the right thing to do. As for the comments on TPUSA, he spoke of research. I would ask readers to do some of their own. Don’t pull a snippet here and there. Look at the entire thing.
I also recall many columns back my fellow columnist commented that this publication may not be the appropriate forum for political views. I have tried to stay away from politics in my most recent writings. However, in the past few weeks, I have struggled as I have read such horrific comments on many different platforms. I am doing my best to stay positive and hope you will do the same.
That’s it for this week. Be safe and remember, “One man’s stuff is another man’s treasure.”
God Bless.
