Obsessed

I think I must collect dust. Sometimes it accumulates is barely accessible spots, annoying nooks & crannies, and then it boldly reappears....in the form of dust bunnies. During my Bohemean Period, my eclectic friends insisted that appliances like vacuum cleaners were manifestations of neurotic attachments to conformist values. I agreed, at least I did so until the dust bunnies got to be the size of tumleweeds. Finally I was convinced that reform was necessary, or at least pretextual reform.....otherwise how would I ever snag a serious girlfriend? A rhetorical question whose answer seems elusive to this very day.....

.....tumbleweeds.......!!!

Moments of History ... Evidence of Mans' continuing(Hopefully) developing ability to think ... Expressions in/of Art/Perspective ... An exacting depiction of Life as it was ... and then, there is the idea that each piece of one's "Collection" was made by a Man, who spent his Time and Toil, his Wealth and his Life ... to make whatever the thing might be ... Hitchcock called it, "The McGuffin" ... a Reason to be, a Reason for the Next Step in the Play, the impetus ... Every Scenario has to have something that the whole thing is all about, else there is no Story to tell ... there are some people that Collect near about everything ... perhaps because they want Time to STOP, where they are/were most comfortable ... Some of us resist change just for the sake of change ... (If it isn't Broken, don't Fix it)  But some people abosolutely MUST, mess with stuff ... They are usually Control Freaks, who realize deep down that they have no control over their lives, so they want to control everything that they can ....... And then there are those who Collect things, as pieces of Art, expressed in one medium or another ... and those who Collect because some things are just ... Neat .......
 
I have an Ice Box, and a Washing Machine, operated by what is actually a Lawn Mower Engine ... They have been completely Re-Conditioned and sit in a safe little Room off the Garage ... But I guess my Biggest thing is ... Old Iron ... My Very First Love, and the only one that has endured ....... Still have my first Flathead, and she starts when nothing else will ... That kind of Dependability and Durability deserves to be petted and taken Good care of, inside and out ....... Collecting can really get out of hand, become Obsessive ... but it is a Fine Madness indeed .......

Take heart, Bert. Amuse yourself by looking up Quentin Crisp quotes, such as "Some unkind people say I have my dust bought in from Harrods"
I'm in the process of reverse collecting - decluttering. Is it an age thing? At one time, I could not go to a garage sale or car boot sale without coming home with a kitch ceramic cat model in my pocket.
When I started on this garden, I unearthed a dump of old household refuse, which set me off on glass bottle collecting. I managed to give away a book yesterday - only 'cos I had two copies. There is something really comforting about our junk - the observation from above that women use it as nest decoration while men tend to keep secrets is interesting.
Where would our museums be without the work of collectors? Passionate, obsessive, gifting us with marvellous exhibits. OCD is not always a bad thing.

nice one, Ivan!

My passions are books, cooking equipment and hand tools, with emphasis in about that order.  Reading has always been a passion.  And my book collection has varied over the years with whatever the emphasis is in my life.  Cooking stuff?  Whatever I can actually use.  I tend now to get into a professional cooking equipment store.  I am slower now with hand tools, but I do have a few that belonged to my great-grandfather.  If it is things, I prefer it to be what I have a real use for.  I do have a few art objects, mostly Chinese.  My latest book?  Susan Cain's Quiet about introverts.  Fabulous book.

I used to "collect" things...  Things that, yes, reflected who I was, or who I wanted to be and then after a, um, shall we call it a rough patch?  I stopped keeping just about anything, I don't even keep leftovers anymore.  Now as I get older, I keep lists...  Lists of everything.  What I should clean, things to pack, things I need to do.  I keep lists.  That's almost as bad as Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing and her line "I carried a watermelon".  My mother-in-law has a smaller two story barn and it is full of things she can't bring herself to part with.  Mind you it's all basically ruined because of time and weather exposure, but she keeps it just the same.  She recently built an addition on her house so her sister could move in with her and now, a lot of things from the barn (that were nicely hidden mind you) are being repurposed into the yard by her sister.  I have threated to not come over anymore because it's starting to get embarrassing, but it isn't doing any good.  So, I guess the clothes rack turned bird feeder holder or the various things turned plant holder or the thing (not sure what it was originally) in the front yard covered in empty colored bottles, etc. shall keep their new found homes and we can only hope it doesn't get any worse...

I collect interesting people. No ownership no satisfaction guaranteed more like a short term lease on life and boy howdy; caveat emptor. A carbon jar of celestial surprises and unpredictability. Hee Haw. Molds are thrown away.

Hot Wheels, ever since I bought the first 2 when I was 9. I don't leave them in the blister packs, I put them in collector's cases, greatly reducing their collector value, but I don't care.And model kits. I have more model kits than anyone could build in a lifetime. Now, I look at some wondering why I bought them in the first place. And what am I gonna do with all these?

Hot Wheels, ever since I bought the first 2 when I was 9. I don't leave them in the blister packs, I put them in collector's cases, greatly reducing their collector value, but I don't care.And model kits. I have more model kits than anyone could build in a lifetime. Now, I look at some wondering why I bought them in the first place. And what am I gonna do with all these?

Perhaps we should all be required to attend a screening of the select best episodes of the television show "Hoarders." I suppose that there could be a contest to design an effective 12 step program, but alas I'm afraid that the "disease" can only be treated, never cured, reigned in only by the metes & bounds of the available space.....

What is it that fuels the collector urge in some people?  And, to me, collecting is certainly different than just simply not throwing things away.  I think there must be a real charge in searching, searching and then obtaining the next piece of the collection.  The satisfaction can hardly be shared by others.....unless they also collect the same object.   A true collector has standards and doesn't just amass, he becomes a connoisseur.  Even young children can get very refined ideas when they collect whether it be matchbox cars, baseball cards, dolls, etc.  They will turn down an addition it they already have that particular one......or work out a trade to get something else.   Those rooms full of indiscriminate stuff that someone can't throw away are not truly collections.   Altho' I couldn't read the NYT article, it sounds from what Mr.P said that the good doctor collected things that had some tangential connection to the medical field.   And just think--what if some DNA were needed to prove authenticity to something today?  The man had a gold mine of that......    

For those who haven’t heard Doc Watson sing Columbus Stockade Blues.

There is not another angel in heaven can sing it better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXKrnLT4l54

I have a lot of stuff. I have collected just about everything: dolls, bunnies, green pitchers, wooden carvings, bird houses, Wedgwood, ash trays, matches, bird pitchers, rocks, seashells, old mixing bowls, plates, books, oriental carpets, more dolls, glassware, china...the list goes on.  I used to stalk antique malls hoping to find a new treasure. As Carol says above, there is a real charge in the search. I even convinced myself that I had to purchase a little something every time I visited a mall to keep the "Antique Mall Goddess" satisfied so that on subsequent trips I might find a real treasure: the match to a set of plates I had been working on, or a really cute German porcelain rabbit.  I'm not a hoarder, my collections are all neatly displayed in packed curio cabinets and shelves.  I've slowed down in my collecting now, mainly because I'm out of space.  I'm trying to focus my energy on more productive ventures like gardening and exercise.  But there always has to be something to give me that "charge".  I get the bug from both parents: my mother was almost a hoarder and my father collected pretty things.  I have some of his items and cherish them.

For my 60th birthday, an old friend gave me a baseball
autographed by the 1976 World Champion Cincinnati Reds.  The best team to
ever take the field.  The last National League team to win back to back
world championships.  The last team to sweep the NY Yankees in a world
series.  

I also have a bottle of Kentucky’s Finest Horse Piss Beer a product of Louisville
KY, that I won on a bet.  I will never
drink it, it will remain on permanent display, top shelf naturally.

There are no secrets here.

My dad used to keep interested in Coke bottles that he found.  Then people used to think "Oh Lou likes coke I'll bring this coke can/toy/bottle/pin/tray/calendar/puzzle/pen/stapler/etc. back to him".  Now coke memorabilia covers almost ever flat surface in his office.  He will turn 90 in July and is getting to the point where he wants to get rid of the whole collection but doesn't know how or what to do with it all.  I LOATHE it as I am the janitor at our family business and once a month I have to pick up every piece and dust it and dust under it, it takes about 3 hours just to dust the coke collection.

Malcolm Forbes had the most wonderful collections of everything from Fabarge eggs to trains, toy soldiers, trophys, model boats, and fine art. His family is nice enough to share them with the public at a museum in the Forbes Building at 12th Street and 5 Avenue in NYC.

Unfortunately there will be no museum for my well loved collections. And yes, acquiring them was a great deal of the fun. Aside from the obvious, like books and records, oh and matchbooks and hotel stationery, my main 4 collections are my teapots, tins, cookbooks and Delft china.

Having spent a great deal of time in the past six years sorting through and downsizing my parents collections the last thing I want to do is stick my kids with the job of disposing of them. Yes, they would certainly each like a couple of teapots, and a modest selection from the other collections, but they do not want them all. And I do not want them to feel guilty and have a lifetime of cartons in their garages that they can't quite bring themselves to get rid of, so should you stop by you can be sure if you admire a teapot I will give it to you!

NACHISTA Thar's gold in them thar coke things----go online and find someone w ho specializes in either advertising or coca-cola collectibles and have them come and appraise the collection. Could be very valuable. Perhaps you could be dusting it for the last time!

Chef Deb, there is wisdom in your words. My dad had about 18 months warning before he died and he was able to dispose of many of his collections. One of them was some antique Baedecker travel books; he was honored that the Metropolitan Museum in NYC accepted them. They don't take just anything.  As for me?  I'm working on it...Sometimes I take some dolls over to the Goodwill and hope that someone just stumbles on a "treasure".

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."  Surely, surely to some collectors that's very true.  At one point I thought I'd collect teapots......that didn't last, as I couldn't find a way to display them to admire them...my mother tried to make sure my sister and I each had a very modest collection of "Storybook Dolls" which I have to this day---stored away somewhere.  I just don't have the urge to have a lot of any one thing--except more money would be nice--I love many things: china, silver, artwork, etc., ; I've never considered myself very pracitcal or pragmatic, but when I think of collecting, I just wonder what on earth I'd do with it.  Which is probably about as anti-collector as you can get!   Nachista---ChefDeb is correct--get someone knowlegeable to weed it out for you!

CD, most of the collection is junk.  It would be too hard to pick the treasuare from the trash.  I think if he ever gets serious about selling it we would just have a yard sell and sell the cans for 50 cents and the bottles and bigger stuff on a sliding scale.
 
I never want a collection, EVER.  I hate dusting.  Wait, maybe a collection of money, that's a collection I wouldn't mind.  Or a collection of stocks for coke, pepsi, apple, etc.

Mostly books and western(cowboy) art. At one time I collected beer mugs and steins. Now with a collection that is well over 100 pieces its time to get rid of a lot of them. Later this month qll three kids ar going to visit and decide which ones they want. Then ship some to nieces and nephews. the rest we havent decided what to do.One of my favoeite ones is my father-in-laws private mug from the Club Royale in Cedar Rapids, Iowa from the days of prohobition. Several are over 40 years old and from Euorpe. Several from now defunct brewies from different parts of the country. A lot of BBQ cook books, I have a weakness for them.  

Come for a formal dinner at my home and you will enjoy your consomme in one of my 35  or so, all differnet, two handled cup and saucer sets.   As Carol mentioned I want the unusual, the lovely, the different, so there is everything from an antique Prussian to a very modern looking, metalic glazed J. B. Crosman from Bavaria to a danty, lidded, blue and gold L (blur) S from France to a plain white set with no mark on it anywhere.  The best part for me is that my collection is used regularly and enjoyed by others.

Rusty---That's marvelous that you use them!  My mom, like so many ladies in the fifties, collected teacups that she would regularly use whenever she hosted her canasta club, or the ladies from church, or someone special would visit.  We divided it amongst the three of us when she died, but I rarely use them.  It is fun once in a while to get them out and remember the caution and care she always used with them since they were so important to her.  

oh NACHISTA I know it seems like a pain but even if you photographed them in groups and the Emailed them, one item might be worth so much you wouldn't believe it. One thing there is a HUGE steady market for is Coca Cola memorabilia. One of my favorite expressions is "you don't know what you don't know." Sounds as if your Pop is a well liked fellow.

Yes Deb, dad is a genuine gentleman and a sweetheart, everyone who meets him loves him.
 
I guess I do have one minor collection.  Every year the local university's ceramics guild has a chili bowl sale.  Buy a hand crafted bowl and get it filled with chili for free.  I buy one new bowl every year.  I like having mix and match plates, bowls, cups, etc., that way if you break one you aren't messing up a matched set.  But these things are functional.  I just can't get down with what my sister in law calls "Shelf S***", purely decorative collections that just sit there and multiply while you aren't looking. 

Ha!  Shelf S***! Love it. And Guilty As Charged.  I posted a couple pics of my shelf S***. 

Not a great collector here..Just a few special little things I enjoy looking at: 20-30 pieces of window leaded glass hanging on the suction cups -- on the glass of my panes in reds: cardinals, strawberries, cherries, hearts, candles, etc. for the sunlight to make them glow, then, blue glass small pieces of eye cups, candle holders, tiny vases, plus Delft Dutch designs on the window sills in another room that are so pretty when the afternoon sun brings out their cobalt blue hues!

In the guest room, little painted houses on the sills like colonial homes, and in t he other room, bears, about 20 of them in all sizes. In my own bedroom, clear leaded glass in etched designs like flowers, leaves, trees, and on the sills, cats in all colors and textures. I have about 30 little cats here and there, including some painted crouching ones with tiny pink flowers on them as door stops.....They make me smile. Yes, they do get dusted. (Daughter threatened to stop speaking to me ;-) if I got another cat figurine, so I slowed.) As I said, not a great collector, just a few (dozen) little things that make me smile.

Imarjorie----you do have some lovely things collected......

So where exactly is the cutoff between collecting and hoarding?

nachista--that is a tricky question. I think a hoarder is someone who accumulates stuff because they think they need it.  A collector is someone who accumulates stuff because they enjoy it.

Simple, nachista~ collecting is what I do, hoarding is what other people do.

I like Hazel's answer better!

I collect smiles.

I do it by giving them away.

I think I should focus on collecting friends, memories, and photographs.

Bank of bad habits. Got a great collection. Making chocolate sundaes at midnight. Drinking too much around annoying party guests & with my big mouth. Not allowing enough time to get anywhere regardless of importance. Hate wearing socks and underwear. Sing loudly and rarely have correct lyrics. Endless.

TT--TMI

I was asking my husband what he collected as he seems to enjoy beauty in wooden objects.  He said that he didn't think he collected anything, but that I seem to collect rubber bands and make balls of rubber bands.  He's correct.  You never know when you might need a rubber band in the kitchen.

I TRIED TO CHANGE MY AVATAR BUT THE FILE WAS TOO BIG.
IF YOU GO TO MY PHOTOS YOU'LL SEE THE FIRST BLOOM OF THE 2012 SEASON.

Oui. Si. Yes. At the core of Obsessed. At the heart of high anxiety ad when Hitch ordered 2 meals with Mel Brooks. One was not enough. Why do I still watch Murdet She Wrote in my John Lennon PJ's...

Grenah, welcome to the Village where -- to purloin a phrase -- all of the women are beautiful, all of the men are strong and all of the children are smart and well behaved.

Your initial post is right on target -- rubber bands are essential to life. We collect 'em too.

Pictures of Bette Davis' eyes

Ten minutes to four in the morning is not a great time to wake up ..... Grenah~ welcome. Being a cat person, rubber bands worry me. Do you have any idea how much it costs to extract a rubber band from a cats intestines? "I think she has in interscupectiion" says the vet with ££££ signs flashing in his eyeballs.
I had a dog who was a hoarder - she'd hide her trophies in the back of her kennel and guard them. A very good natured dog in all other respects, it was not wise to put your hand inside her kennel as she would bite.
The birds are just starting to sing - think I'll lie back and listen to the concert.

haze, do enjoy the concert.

In a few hours, I will be doing the same.

Over years I have collected hundreds of found seashells...and managed to give them to people, children...and use them in gardens and leave them behind when I've moved. I don't suppose I'll ever get tired of collecting seashells.

ChefDeb, your 12:34 says it all and perfectly too...just what I've been thinking lately..that I don't want anyone to have to deal with whatever is left behind. Too much stuff. A small collection of thimbles...easy to deal with. A good size collection of albums(vinyl)....all in good shape that I listen to...maybe not to hard to deal with, but enough fabric to last me a couple of lifetimes...gotta go...have to start giving it away....boxes of special fabric saved for something special, but will I ever get around to it?...rolls, bolts...most great stuff...but too much. Lots of patterns and ideas...but time? not enough.

Skywalker ~ I think you pretty well defined the difference between collecting and hoarding.

Jane:  if we could only figure out how to collect moments of time, and blocks of time - I used to say I was a moment collector, because I was, I translated the moments to words and put them in journals.  Now I collect the images I make with the camera - on my walls and into journals, again.  Pictures of moments...words descibing moments - and they all fit neatly into a journal or ten.   Bolts of fabric - oh that would break my heart to part with, but sometimes so much of something can make (me) feel guilty that I'm not nor will I ever make anything and seeing it, is a reminder...I guess like you I'd have to try to let it go.  Alas. 

Very lovely post, Park. I used to put photos in albums, but now with a digital camera, I download the photos and store on my computer. I "visit" my photo storage now and then, but here again, I have so many photos of those moments in time, that there isn't enough time to view them all...but I do enjoy those little trips down memory lane and will probably continue to take lots of pictures. Nothing to compare with the quality and composition of your photos...mine are mostly candid shots of the grandkids, the garden, whatever I find save worthy, etc. and I don't have your eye for what makes a good picture...but still I think the photos I love most are the ones in the physical albums....