Uh....not according to my mom.

Nobody moves into a new home and thinks to themselves, “I can’t wait to fill this entire house with clutter.”

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This was a post I saw on FB yesterday and it brought to mind a conversation with Mom soon after Dad died.

We were all concerned about Mom living alone after Dad died.  She may have been capable of living by herself, but her mobility, especially up and down the steps, was hampered.  Since the washer and dryer were downstairs and the only bathroom upstairs, it was hard to stay on one level at the times when laundry was on the day's schedule.  It would have been very easy for her to fall and not be able to call for help.

Also Dad took care of the yard, the maintenance of the house and the little barn, the patio, and the area with the swing.  He cared for the flower beds on the hill where the hostas thrived.  Once again she would need to hire someone for yard care and the normal maintenance would disappear until something was noticed that needed more attention, specifically hiring someone to paint or fix spouting or trim hedges or whatever.

Snow removal?  Dad's responsibility.  Picking up the mail and the papers from the boxes at the end of the drive?  Dad, especially during inclement weather. 

We also knew that Dad had wanted to start the downsizing process before he became ill and that he wanted to move to a place that was easier to navigate and much easier to care for. 

Mom wouldn't even talk about it.

At some time in the spring or summer after Dad died, we approached Mom about two things. One was considering a move to a smaller place on one floor with mail delivery at the door and yard care and snow removal provided. Greta checked several places closer to her so that she could keep an eye on Mom and even include her in some outings during the week since she wouldn't need to drive an hour each way to visit her.  The other was trading in the Buick, which was large and an older model which didn't feature any of the new gadgets, like automatic door locks or a trunk that popped up with the push of a button (that worked).

Her responses?  Negative.  Actually angry. 

We even drove around the local car lots, checking out cute new models, and a few used ones, that would be perfect for her.  Smaller in size, higher off the ground so it would be easier to slide in and out, and lots of buttons to push for automatic door and window openings and closings.  A small SUV would have been perfect.

But no.  She wouldn't even look at one, let alone consider a trade of 'the boat' for a smaller, easier to drive model.

As soon as Gary approached her about possibly downsizing and moving to a place closer to Greta and easier to care for, her first response was a laugh, followed by this:  "Sure I would like to move, but only if it is a BIGGER house.  I need more room for all of my things that I have now and all of the things I need to buy."

Just her version of that passage at the beginning of this post. 

And full of clutter the house was!  Without Dad there to monitor her, she added to her stash of everything each and every time she shopped.  Up until the week before she went to the hospital for the heart valve replacement, she was stocking up on food and other items.  We found a sales slip from Buehlers dated the Friday before her surgery and she had spent a couple hundred dollars on food, including a big bag of potatoes and a large pork roast.   The sad thing is that she left the house on Dec. 14 and never returned. The bag of potatoes rotted.  The pork roast was in the freezer and came home with us.

But that was her way with everything!  We found rolls and rolls of toilet papers, boxes and boxes of kleenex, bales of paper towels, boxes upon boxes of Depends.  Clothes hanging in the closets, on the shower rod in the bathroom, on the clotheslines in the basement - many still with tags and never worn.  Socks, socks, and more socks, still with the tags. 

But I digress. 

Whoever wrote the line that I copied for the beginning of this post did not know Marjorie Henderson.  She would have filled that house so fast it would have made your head spin.  Clutter was her passion!