Lost & Found: A Memoir

Lost & Found: A Memoir

By: Phyllis Nash

I have most admired the housekeeping skills of a butler who worked in the castle of the Carnavon family line in England. This was seen on TV, and he could find anything. He could open a drawer, which was clean and dust-free, to show off an artifact from the Howard Carter King Tut expedition. I haven’t had much luck emulating such skills, but I try to read books on a clutter-free life. Too many coat hangers are one problem I’ve managed to eliminate fairly well, but other things I need more help with.

I don’t covet or have a desire to have room-size closets that hold semi trucks of shoes and clothing! This is fine for opera costumes at the Met, Oprah, or even Goodwill. My small closets are status symbols of simpler days. I think each to their own and it’s not for me to be in the often-futile white-knuckled rat race of accumulating wealth.

Maybe I should really covet walk-in closets as they could be used to store items to be hidden. I always feel joy when a misplaced item pops up! That is the benefit when looking for a current item that I can’t find!

We speculate why a much-enjoyed green gingham summer dress never turned up. Even after 55 years, I remember that dress and wonder, “Did it get thrown out by error?”
What I really coveted years ago in the 1950’s & 60’s were the Gold Bond and Top Value Stamp Premiums. I plotted, schemed, and saved to get the 4 Vollrath stainless mixing bowls, big cake pan, small round cake pan, and the square pan. That square pan was much used for Jiffy Corn Bread even to this day!

When one buys more things, it seems for me too much to keep track of. I’d stored some new pans in the box that they came in. But the favorite old corn bread pan was nowhere to be found. Then one night in bed, I heard a big crash. The box of pans had busted open because it was too full. I was annoyed to have to get up and hated to pick up the pans at that hour. However with the kitchen light on, I saw the cornbread pan had popped out of the box. I was so happy to find it because I had looked in that box before!

So far I can’t say the same for the TV remote. I have lost it many times before, but this time I think that it really did get put out in the garbage.