Preserving Things - Melody Cryns

As I sit here amid boxes and chaos waiting for the movers who are running late, I think of all the stuff I have – that I just got done packing late last night. While I threw out what seemed like reams of paper which will go into paper recycling, I also kept stuff as well – all the pictures, of course, the post cards, cards I’ve received, letters, anything that has to do with music goes into the “keep” pile. Oh yes, and any work that was critiqued in a creative writing class – that also goes in the “keep” file.

Then I packed my file folders – and this time, I thought – this time for sure I’m going to put everything into the file folders so that I can find exactly what I need! I have some things in file folders, but not all. Then I look at the stacks of boxes filled with books, which I just cannot part with – they’re like old friends waiting for me to look at them again. Sometimes it’s years before I’ll look at a given book – like some of the children’s books I still have. But one day, something will possess me to take out say The Four Story Mistake by Eleanor Enright, and Ill glance at it, flip through the now yellowed pages and then start reading, suddenly transformed and in a time tunnel – in New York City in the 1940’s with the four kids in the Melendy family, two boys and two girls.

They were my very favorite family to read about when I was a kid – their first book was called The Saturdays, which I still own – and it was about these four kids living in a brownstone in New York City who get this idea to start a Saturday Club and each kid gets their pooled allowance and has a special adventure in New York City by themselves. But lots of stuff happens, of course – and well, they are the most wonderful family. And I felt as if I was right there with Randy in the Art Museum, and with all four of the kids at Central Park where their row boat tips over in a lake. And poor Oliver running too far from home to catch a dog. In The Four Story Mistake, the kids must move with their Dad from their beloved city out to the country somewhere in New England – and as I read a chapter while I was supposed to be packing, I realized why I love those books so much – the sense of place. The author puts us right there in New York City with those kids who are all mad about having to move away from their lifelong home in New York City – we’re taken on the trip right along with those kids and their beloved Cuffy, and when we get to their new house, called the four story mistake, we can see the funny old house with a cupola on top and all the surrounding lands…I always felt like I was right there with them.

Ooops! What am I doing? I’m supposed to finish up the packing, not reading a book…stop! The movers will be here any moment. I can’t find the coffee filters and I need to make coffee badly.

As of this afternoon, we will be living at the new place. We already have the keys and I went over there again yesterday to get a feel for it. The living room is big – and that’s good…the kitchen is big, and the bedrooms are pretty good-sized, not huge, not small. There are ceiling fans in every room, even the kitchen – and the kitchen is total old school with older white cabinets and the really good tile that you just don’t see anymore on the countertops. The table and chairs will fit in the kitchen. I also loved the windowsill above the sink, the double sink and the little shelves in the corner to put things on…I don’t remember the last time I had a windowsill above the sink. The bathroom also has that really nice old-fashioned tile and well, it’s just gonna have to be home, no doubt about it now.

We’re ready.