Are you a 1%er

My parents. Dad was a pack-rat. Mom says he learned that from his parents. His father worked for the railroad all his life. When he put in for his retirement, he was told there was no record of him having ever worked for the railroad. He went home and got all his check stubs from day one and showed them.

Dad passed in February of 2023. So now Mom has a basement full of Dad's stuff. I never wanted to bother it while he was here but Mom said there was nothing she wanted so I was in charge. So last few months I went through boxes and totes and bags and shelves full of stuff... probably 90% trash to me. Bags of rusty nails, cardboard nail boxes that contained a random assortment of nails, screws, washers and nuts. Very little was organized or sorted. Banana boxes and tomato boxes may contain a shelf bracket, a cabinet knob, a box of screws, a pair of moldy leather gloves, a golf ball, a used electrical outlet, screw in glass fuses, hardware store receipts, etc. Then the next box would be the same. I found an Army ammo can packed full of envelopes. It was their tax returns starting in 1956. As I looked through them, I saw my name on them beginning in 1969. I don't even remember that my Dad did my taxes until 1975. Kinda cool so I kept them for now.

Mom just turned 90, so I have been spending lots of time with her. We can sit and talk for hours. She tells me about her life from as early as she can remember. Her father would send her on her bicycle to pick up something from a grocery store ½ mile away. When she was 14, she would drive their car to that store even though she wasn't licensed. After she married Dad, he joined the Army. They lived in El Paso for a while. Then he was sent to San Francisco. They had an apartment, but Dad was on a 24 hour on / off schedule. So every other night and day she spent alone. She was young and scared. They didn't need a car until it was time to return to North Carolina. They bought a used car and started cross country. Driving day and night crossing the desert with no AC. Sleeping in the car. Adding oil and coolant along the way. Having to replace tires also.

We have looked through hundreds of old black and white pictures, many of their travels, many of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends that I never saw. She could probably fill a book with these stories. And I can listen for hours.