What things do you keep and cherish?

I collect coffee table books about coffee tables and coffee table books.
I don’t have a coffee table though

I love nice linens. I know, weird, but I like the old-school quality cloth napkins, table linens, old lace, etc…

Gentlemen’s special interest literature. I have almost 2TB of that stuff.

@rebbel you and Kramer.

Chairs. It’s ridiculous. I just have this thing about chairs. It’s time to have a garage sale.

@ragingloli hahahahaha! “Gentlemen’s special interest literature” aka p-o-r-n? You are a hoot/ funny!

@KNOWITALL
I steal only the finest of jokes.

Hand blown glass:
vases and bowls and marbles and paperweights and goblets.

I have to stop going to glass shops.

@ragingloli And anniversary edition Playboys? lol

Funny story, growing up here in the country, we can be very innocent and naive about adult matters. One summer we discovered my friends dad had a garage full of Playboys. We learned a lot that summer, us kids (maybe 10 yrs old) and never told a soul. :)

I have never seen a “Playboy”.

@zen Ah, see, I thought I recognized something when I wrote it.
So much for originality…

I watched an autobiography about Hugh Hefner last night.

All my cherished things have come from my daughter Jen over the last 20 years.

My refrigerator is covered with art and handwritten notes she has given to me as birthday gifts.

One time when she was little, the mailman knocked on my door and showed me an envelope addressed to some boy at Jen’s school. It was full of assorted junk: pennies, a small screwdriver, random computer parts. The mailman said he couldn’t deliver it, but he figured I would enjoy it more than Jen’s schoolmate would anyway. I still have the envelope, unopened (I determined the contents by listening and holding the envelope up to the light).

I used to bicycle competitively. When Jen was maybe seven years old, she picked up the hobby of making little craft objects. She made a kind of braided bracelet out of colored twine for one of my birthdays. I attached it to my bicycle handlebars and it’s been there ever since. Race officials won’t let you race with any paraphernalia attached to your bike, but Jen’s gift always escaped their notice. It has seen many, many miles, and all kinds of weather. Even a couple of crashes.

I saved the best for last. Some background is necessary. Jen has never said “I love you” to me. Not once, in 20 years. That’s how reserved she is. I think she said it once to her mother. She will grit her teeth and let me hug her once or twice on the days that I see her, but that’s about it. She stopped letting us kiss the top of her head when she was 15. She won’t visit me at my house (she lives with her mom), and if I don’t call her, I never hear from her, except when she needs homework help.

There’s much more, but you get the idea. I rate somewhere between dog food and Barney the Dino with her. But a few days before Christmas last year (2017) she sent me a text: “will u come over for xmas”. That text is the thing I will always keep and cherish the most.

Hmm, I also have video of her when she was about five, drinking fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Guzzling it and asking for more, in fact. Not a gram of sugar. I like showing that off to people who ask me about my kid.

Very old books ( I have some 400 year old ones )
These are cheap in costs as in the UK they have too many there already and thus have a yearly Book Festival .The most I spent was $100 CDN shipping included and the seller sent others that I wanted ( wish list) for Free!
I live in Canada and order from one of there online bookshops called Addeyman.
Have not purchased for couple of years now and still view there online store.
They have so many antique books that they have not even gone through all of there inventory yet?
Some collections are so overwhelming that they are stored outside under a huge tarp.
One day someone will discover a treasure trove of hidden History . I like reading Biographies from everyday people in old times as it transports me to a different way of life and shows what they lived on a day to day basis.( sometimes actual diaries are located).
www.hay-on-wye.co.uk/

I also have kept all written letters from all relatives (and cards) whom some are deceased .
I have numerous photographs of which I scan and place into a Family History book (2015).
Plus edit and restore then get colorized using Colorize – It .com which allows one to colorize old black and white pictures in about one minute ( algorithm free ) ...sometimes I redo these to get full colour on all of these photographs since not all at times in the picture comes out. I am presently creating a book showing the before ( in black & white) to color , showing the difference in detail that color creates in a photo. Details never before seen are brought to light.
Some of these black and white images where from my late mother’s photo album and others sent to me via email etc
I make Christmas cards using some of these images to send to my relatives and others as well.

The holiday journals I filled out with friends and family on shared trips. A stuffed bear I’ve had since I was three. A small wooden box of my deceased dog’s toys.

That’s the things I don’t want to lose in a fire.

What are the titles of the books @Inspired_2write?

My personal diaries which I began writing 42 years ago.

My report cards.

Tea pots and penguins and art and photograph books of my children..

@Dutchess_III
Oldest one I have on hand presently are:
1. The Guardian ( two volumes carefully revised and corrected) from year: 1762
2. Les Miserables By victor Hugo year 1911 ( 2 vol)
3. Baedekers Paris and its Environs year 1904 with maps and street layouts.
4. The Last Days of Pompeii year 1908
5. Mrs J.H. Ewing ( and her books) year 1892/1893
6, The Book of Common Praise year 1909
7. Readings for English History year 1883 Part I
8. Rome Vol II Year 1905
9. Ruskin Day by Day ( selected by rev Albert E Sims Year approx 1912
10 Speeches for Study Year 1913
11. The Fireside Dickens ( only 2 vol)
a) Our Mutual Friend photo image 1870 ( book prob early 1900“s)with illustrations.
b) Barnaby Rudge
12. Tolkien Year 1977 ( a Biography with illustrations and photographs)
The Silmarillion 1977 with Map of Beleriand and Genealogies I – V
13 The Silmarillion (1983 reprinted) edited by Christopher Tolkien
14. The Century Handbook of writing 1923
15. Tono-Bungay 1935, H.G. Wells
16. An English Grammar for Secondary Schools 1929
17. The Plains of Abraham 1928

Plus numerous books that i ordered and gave away as gifts.
one book being : How to Decipher Ancient Texts.
Another A story about the Spanish Inquisition
Another about a story that took place in the Roman Empire time period.
At one time had collected 300 books on many subjects and stories but when I moved I donated to the local Library ( however in my 25 year diaries I noted the titles down in them etc
One can learn about anything in Books on many topics of interest.
Have read the series of Outlander recently ( 8 books & made into movies) to read something out of my comfort zone and it was invigorating.

Things that belonged to close family members that have passed away. I have things from my grandparents, my mom and dad and my sister.

Photos of just fired housestaff as they walk out the back door, tails between their legs.

I meant, what books do you have that are 400 years old @Inspired_2write? Sorry I didn’t make myself clear.

@Dutchess_III
It was an estimate when I wrote my hobbies down. I estimated 1700,1800,1900 and 2000 years totalling 400 years. Actually total is from my present list earliest 1762…256 years from present yr. ( geesh)

I have the Iliad and the Odyssey, by Homer. I also have a copy of Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack floating around here somewhere.