A bit of history

Generally speaking, I don't care much for history. I took American History while I was in High School. It was taught by Suad Stratton. She was 4 ft nuthin' and from Pakistan. She made all of her "S's" look like kitty cats by adding ears and whiskers. She used to say things like "forward your papers to the back" and "even if your neighbor is bleeding in the neck during a test don't talk to him." I'm serious here. Suffice it to say I didn't embrace history.

Now movie history I can get into. I own the hardcover coffee table book about Gone with the Wind. I've read at least 100 times. I can tell you in great detail how Scarlett O'Hara was cast, but if you want any real world information about Pearl Harbor, the Constitution or Paul Revere, I can't help you. I am one of those poor pathetic American souls walking around who can't name all the members of the cabinet. But I can't tell who won the most Academy Awards. It was Walt Disney.

So it's fair to say I'm not big into the old and dead. Well...kind of. I've recently become somewhat of a trunk 'ho. My decline to 'ho-dom began with, of all things, Craigslist. If you're not familiar with Craigslist. It rules. It's like Ebay but cheaper. It's basically an online version of the local classified ads but without posting fees. I started dabbling in Craiglist trying to pawn off some unused trash and treasure on unsuspecting Madisonians. I'm all about purging. Through my posts I stumbled across a cedar chest. I've always wanted one but the current day cedar chests are these horrible chests that are glorified country style with swirls and spindles. That's not me. I'm more euro-contemporary and eclectic.

My Grandma had a a cedar chest that my sister took possesion of when she died. A lovely 1940's Lane waterfall art deco cedarchest. I got my Grandmothers really cool star shaped Christmas tree stand that need to be stripped sanded and repainted. It's been 17+ years since her death and it still needs to be stripped, sanded and repainted. Ho hum.

In any case - here on Craigslist in front of God and everyone was my Grandmothers cedar chest. Ok, not her cedar chest since that one is actually in San Francisco with my sister, but an exact replica. Pristine condition. Even BETTER then my Grandmas.

$425.00 later. It's mine. How happy am I? I am hooked. Hooked on craigslist. If I can find a cedar chest I can certainly find an old trunk. I've always wanted one of those too. BINGO! I find this old trunk for, uh $40. And it's rough. Real rough. It needs work. Real work. The kind of work that my fantasy of summer and fall spent in the garage lovingly restoring a really cool trunk promptly evaporated into the hard cold reality that I have bitten off more then I can chew with my $40 find. And so I do what any good girl does...

I Google. Trunk restoration. And a bunch of sites pop up. So I start sniffing around until I find EagleTrunks.com. And while I am deciding how I want my $40 trunk fixed up I buy one of Gary's trunks. Because, you know, I want a sure thing and if my $40 trunk turns out to be crap at least I'll have the totally cool 1870's wooden trunk with the original lock and key and the original REAL WOOD HANDLES! Wood handles. Honestly. I bought this trunk because of the handles. And then I buy another one for my son. I have a real problem here. I'm a trunk junkie. I am checking this guys website every couple of days. I'm figuring a trunk in each room. How cool would that be? My husband's head is spinning. And I've scared the nice guy at Eagletrunks with my babbling emails. Truly frightenend him. Crazy trunk 'ho on the loose. Menace to society. Lock up the kids. EEEEK!

I'm sure at this point, if you've hung in there this far, you are wondering where the alien space craft is that took the real "me" and left this trunk loving' ho. It smacks of history. Me doesn't like history.

Maybe because I'm on the precipice of turning 40 (can't stop it might as well embrace it - yeah, ok, I'm grasping here), but I admit there is a certain romance about an old trunk. What is the story behind my wooden trunk. What stories and treasures were kept inside?

My $40, soon to be $400 trunk (once I have it restored) has the original pink satin lining with a little tray and secret compartment. I imagine it was a ladies trunk. Maybe a young lady stored her love letters, poems, diary or dried up corsage in that secret compartment. I admit I patted down the interior lining just in case those old love letters were still there (I told you I watch ALOT of movies - but it would have been a great story if there was something there!) So it could be my, ahem, advancing maturity. A mid-life crisis disguised as a need for trunks. Or maybe it's something geeky and philisophical like the reality of my mortality that has turned a reasonably normal well-adjusted woman into a crazed trunk junkie. I think I just like trunks. They are just plain cool.

Onto my shameless plug for eagletrunks. This is of my own volition. If I like something I tell everybody and their brother...kind of like the pashmina website. I have 4 of those. :) He restores beautiful trunks. The owner has a good sense of humor and writing style. He was in the Navy and I have always had a weakness for military folks and the guy left his corporte job to do something creative. I am jealous of that. I am trying to do that with my little tye-dye gig but the sad reality is I need the healthcare. Frankly when it comes right down to it sucks to be the family benefit breadwinner.

So I'm going to wrap this all up now (you thought it would never get here). The nifty part of this trunk phase is that I am now part of the history of this really beautiful trunk with the wooden handles. And my soon-to-be-restored-as-soon-as-I-package-it-and-mail-it will contain my saved treasures. And then it's back to craigslist to see what other bit of history I can unearth.