In which I share with you some of my prized possessions.
Part One: Espresso Maker
This is my beat up old Italian stove top espresso maker:
I bought it at Merchant’s Deli, in Walla Walla WA, about thirteen years ago. Merchant’s has been open on Main street for thirty years, but has just been purchased. (My New Year’s Eve gig there on Thursday will be the final event in that particular business.)
I’ve made espresso with this thing thousands of times. I don’t really drink that much coffee – not as much as I’d like, because my body gets pissed off at me when I try – but it’s really nice to be able to brew up a couple of shots of espresso whenever I want.
It cost less than $20. I’ve had it for over a decade and the gaskets are still good. It can be used over nearly any source of heat, it’s small and portable, and I’ve made lattes with it in at least five different states.
I’ve chosen to keep this thing three separate times during three different purges.
I think I keep it because it’s small, it does its job well, I use it a lot when I’m too poor to buy lattes, it’s imported, and I’ve had it longer than any man or pet.
If you don’t have stove top espresso maker, you should get one! They’re awesome, and far cheaper and more portable than any countertop-style espresso machine.
—
In the early 90’s, I deserted my life in Oregon and went to Iowa “for a year.” I left the vast majority of my stuff with my roommate, including but not limited to an antique dining room set and all of my vinyl. But because I stayed in Iowa for five years, I never got any of that stuff back: I went from having a home full of stuff to pretty much being able to carry all my worldly possessions.
In the late 90’s I moved again. I ended up trapped in Albuquerque with no way to transport what little stuff I had, so I threw most of it into a dorm incinerator. When I was done, everything I owned in the entire world amounted to about six boxes of stuff. (I’d left the rest of my stuff back in Fairfield, had given most of it away.)
Two and a half years later, I drove I-80 from San Francisco back to Fairfield. Everything I owned fit in my little Toyota pickup. I’d gotten rid of yet another sofa, set of kitchen implements, and bevy of houseplants, and owned only clothes, a few small items of furniture (a futon and a wooden asana), and other random knickknacks like books, my cat, my computer, my altar, and heirloom items like photographs.
When I arrived back in Iowa, I got an apartment within the month and was immediately given a household full of furniture. Eventually I got married and bought a farm house and ended up with 3,000 square feet worth of stuff. Sewing machine, desk, shelves. Books. Sheets, blankets, towels. Laundry baskets, Windex, bread machine, candles. Dog bowls, recliners, end tables, chrome citrus juicers. Blender, futon, Christmas decorations. Bowling ball, framed prints, entertainment center, flatware.
In 2007, I drove from Fairfield out to Washington state. Everything I owned fit in my jeep. I’d abandoned all my stuff once again.
There are a few items I’ve kept through several downsizing phases, and I’ve decided, since I’m unemployed and have the time, to share them with you.
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What a lovely little slice of your life! I may gank this idea from you for a series of posts once I get back home. I can’t drink coffee either — in fact, I haven’t had a drop of the stuff in going on five years now. 🙂
Gank away! I can drink coffee, but only a cup a day, and only for a week or two. Then I have to quit for a week or two. I always start up again, though, because I love the stuff! -m
Abandoning stuff is good. We had 4.5 tons of stuff when we moved from California to too-big house in Colorado ten years ago. I’m sure we have ten tons now. Christine dreams of renting a dumpster.
I think the more stuff one has, the more one worries. Will it break? Age? Get stolen? The less stuff I have, the less I fret about, well, stuff. Do it! Rent a dumpster in the spring! Start a fund now! -m