Collections

This past winter I have been thinking about collections.

I think this may have been prompted by some old photos from my childhood which I recently ran across. In the one photo, I see my Dog Collection. Here it is:

The reason "Dog Collection" is capitalized is because it was such a fixture in my childhood. I kept a log of each dog. I gave each a name and recorded who gave it to me, or where it came from.

When I look at the little notebook now, I see that everyone in my life gave me a dog! Grandma McCaffrey gave me the most! My mother, my father, my uncle, my sister, my cousins, and my friends all gave me dogs. Some I bought at rummage sales, or at a dime store. There are 70 entries; the first dog was purchased on a vacation in 1967. The last was a gift from my sister in 1970. (I had a horse collection too, and a second notebook for them, but, well, really, how much of this can you take?)

I think I only have a couple of dogs left. Here is one.

When I look on the bottom I see it was marked "50".

So, checking the log book, yup, there it is; the name and who gave it to me!

Anyway, back to collections.

To collect means to bring things together which were previously scattered.

I think that photo I mentioned, and the log book, all made me think of how much I have not really changed in 50 years. I still have collections. I still love collecting. As I have aged, some of my collections have changed. Many are now gone - sold at yard sales, or on ebay. I mean, how much STUFF do we really NEED? Especially as one ages...

I work in the Collections Department as a volunteer at the local museum. I like the work. Sorting, documenting, packing things away for storage.

Remember your earliest collection?