Okay, we’re making progress. Our Virginia home is 16 sided (a hexadecagon, for anyone who cares). So the attic is divided into 16 sections, and I’m proud to announce we’ve cleaned out 9 of them – we’re over half-way there! Actually, well more than half-way, as much of the stuff was consolidated around the entrance (understandable, as the ceiling/roof is so low one can’t stand upright). Thus far, Don’s done two dump and one Goodwill trip – the dump trips comprising mostly broken down cardboard boxes.
One thing that’s surprised me is how things that I would have never thought would deteriorate have done just that. Plastic bags that have lived in the attic for 40 years do weaken and crumble. Cardboard boxes holding items become brittle. Even virtually indestructible laundry baskets suffer — and here’s the proof. (I did discover, however, that likely before the laundry basket made it’s way to the attic, it had undergone some kind of traumatic event – hence an initial repair with filament tape.)
We’ve found things that we don’t have a clue what they’re for – for example, 4 lengths of wood, 2 of which are 8′; the other 2 are 42″, each with evenly spaced drilled holes, all wrapped in fabric sewn to fit them. At first we thought it might have something to do with a bed – but the 8′ lengths are way too long for that. My closest guess is that they had something to do with a boat that my folks had in the late 70s; Mom sold it shortly after Dad died in 1980.
I’ve made a couple of fun finds, but those will have to await another day.