Clean up that mess in the garage – it’s a trip back in time!

I took a look at the garage that is part of the home where we live. Wow! What a mess; stuff everywhere. It is time to take a stand and get rid of some of the wonderful junk that somehow has taken over the area.

The clutter didn’t happen fast. Rather it was one of those things that just seem to occur when you have a little space and you want to just drop off some old chair or table or whatever. Somehow, as if by magic, the area has turned to a wonderland of treasures that will either stay forever where they have been dropped or will find their demise at the junkyard.

I have a pickup truck that cannot make it into the garage unless 2 1/2 feet are shaved off the top. That’s what happens when you buy before you measure.

Still, there is plenty of room for two cars — that is if a massive family venture using that pickup to shuttle the unwanteds to the dump could be accomplished.

A decision was made to spend valuable time to “clean up the garage.”

What we found was a walk through yesteryear when we were much younger. There were skis — I used to win a considerable number of downhill and slalom races — dusty now, in a corner, abandoned it seemed.

Then, as the Greeks said, “The scales fell from my eyes and I could see.”

I’m pushing a lot of years since those skis produced wins all over the Northwest and Canada. They were just a dusty pair of my favorite wooden slats that had served me well and often.

Camping gear needs to be gone through to salvage the necessities. There’s a Marines Corps parka, just like new after duty in World War II; they make a great tent ground cover.

Then there is a 3-by-3-foot box that must be holding thousands of pictures. Can’t toss that away. There would be an uproar. Maybe.

This started as an article about cleaning out the garage because its size has been shortchanged by too much cluttering stuff. There are items in this garage that are never used — ranging from tools for all reasons to aircraft parts that had been part of a dream that never materialized. It goes on and on.

This house really isn’t for sale. We like it. Perhaps the best test is to donate some of the material, toss it away or try to decide just why it is still in the place it was laid down many moons ago.

My wife has been working on me to “clean out the garage.” I get started, but just what do you in the end achieve? Memories are made of this. For one reason or another, these items never seem to fade away.

This started as an article to encourage people who have homes for sale to take a stand and actually get that storehouse of a garage cleaned out because it does not look good to the family interested in buying the place.

Neatness counts for sure. We’ve decided to put our best foot forward and bring the garage back to a new look. We even decided to paint it, clean up the storage area and, who knows, maybe we will find some ancient marvel and treasure somewhere among the tools, lawn mowers, hoses, etc. There is always that chance.