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Little projects can help pass time during winter

The winter chill and more snow than usual this January has kept me indoors more than I would like.

As a result, I’ve been doing some projects that I might not otherwise have gotten around to addressing. Most recently, my husband, Mike, and I went through several boxes stored in a closet that we plan to freshen up.

What did we find?

All sorts of pieces of my childhood. The first nostalgic item I pulled from the shelf was a white satin pirate-style hat with a bright blue and sliver badge on it. I immediately recognized it. It was part of a uniform I wore to march with a baton in parades around the area. My little group studied dance, baton and tumbling in Barnesville under Candie Bruce, better known today as Candice Fleagane of the animal rescue Belmont County Cat Stray Shun.

After getting that blast from the past, I pulled down a small white box filled with Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. Among them was a yellow AMC Pacer, which I remember buying with my dad, the late Jim Compston, shortly after he purchased a candy apple red Pacer station wagon for our family.

Next were the dolls — lots of dolls. As the only girl in my immediate family, and as the youngest grandchild on one side and nearly the youngest on the other, I received many Christmas gifts of dolls of various types and sizes.

In these boxes were a soft vinyl Tender Love, a Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy of two different sizes, a doll that appears to be very old that I do not recall, so I suspect it may have belonged to my mother, the late Grace Compston and several more, including my “Baby Coo Coo” that I dragged around everywhere from the time I was about 3 until I was in first or second grade. (She looks like I dragged her around, and I have no idea why I named her that.)

There were also doll clothes, rubber Pillsbury dough figures and a couple of poseable dolls that are still new in their unopened boxes.

We found an old tennis racket that I remember playing with, though I was always terrible at tennis.

We also found a box filled with heart-shaped candy boxes that Dad bought for Mom and me.

I doubt much of it has value beyond the sentimental. It’s the memories those sorts of things conjure up that can mean the world to people.

So, cleaning that closet out was well worth it. Piece after piece that we pulled from those shelves made me smile.

I recalled stories about them that I shared with Mike, and we speculated about what we should do with each item. Some will end up in a yard sale. Some might get sold online. Still others might get handed down to the next generation or two.

So, if you’re feeling blue because the weather is limiting what you can do, remember that there is always something to do right there at home. And, depending on the path you choose, your activity might even take you back in time.

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