This morning I was left alone again, and so I decided to explore this property, that has not received a name yet, but is known as La Casa de Tus Papás by my in-laws.
My mother -and this runs in the family- has a problem with physical attachment to things, people and animals. My father decided to build an annex where things would be ordered and stored, filing cabinets and because you might spend a little while there he also added a bathroom. When some relatives come to visit they ask for that annex to be set up as a bedroom, because it can be quite an experience, it is extremely private and fresh most of the year and warm in the winter week, which in Mante is rare. It is now getting messy, because it stores stuff for three generations and my nieces and nephews are very good examples of mass consumption, yet the oldest is 10 years old.
I decided to go there, I call it Ali-Baba’s cave because it is dark and once you light it up and look carefully, you can see treasures. It was completed 4 years ago, it also responds to the growing distances between my parents and where their children were; and I will describe some of the things found here. If I survive both my parents, when they are both gone (knock on wood) this place will hold the hundred years fight, unless somebody moves in here and… no, a fight will definitely take place there.
The first armchair my parents bought is there, we are talking when they got married, 37 years ago and they lived in Acapulco. Next to that is a pile of wood boxes, beginning with the 50’s each box represents a decade of my father’s hobby-no-more, Ms. Photography, so yes, all those embarrassing pictures, naked babies, faces covered in cake icing, cakes, Christmases, new years, graduation –even if it was from kindergarten- christenings, confirmations, first communions, XV años, weddings, passed relatives, my father getting his offspring drunk, him smoking (!), former boyfriends and girlfriends, presents given to my father – lamb, baby pigs, turkeys, veal- and so on and so forth are there.
Do you remember those silly colouring books that you screwed up using only the black Crayola? Baby teeth? Baby Shoes? The candles you lit when you did your first communion? Your oldest sister’s first bra? Your oldest brother’s first Play Boy Magazine featuring LaToya Jackson? Your Boy Scout gear? Somebody’s weird and cheap gay magazine? Your Cepillin record? The winnie-pooh you cried for when it would not stick to the car window anymore? Your crystal growing Mi Alegría kit? A 7.8 kilos IBM think pad? A map of all dead pets buried in the garden with pictures of them on it? A very good Venustiano Carranza beard wore on a Mexican Revolution parade? Sea shells from all beaches in the republic? Fresh water Shells? Shells from deserts? Shells from stores? Star fish from the Gulf of Mexico? Star fish from the pacific? Star fish from the Caribbean? One of Pamela’s exoskeleton –fangs included-? A 35 year old baby Jesus and his substitutes? Your first microphone? A black and white portable radio-alarm-tv? Garibaldi, José José, Yuri, Calo, Air Supply, Rick Astley, Enrique Rocha cassettes? Flutes? Guitars? Cowboy boots and hats? Your cedar crib? Your cedar bed with the original bed head? Official Mexican Flag? PRI paraphernalia? Clothes from 5 decades? Accessories like sun glasses, hats, shoes, gloves, necklaces, earrings? French dolls? Japanese dolls? An army of Barbie’s? Hot Wheels? Care bears? Trompos? Baleros? Dominos? Home made Resorteras? 12 sets of Turista Mundial? Foot ball? Volley Ball? Your first tennis racquet? Trophies? Medals? Diplomas? Two versions of the Bible? Qumran? Chilam-Balam? Popol Vuh? Quixote? Octavio Paz’s, García Marquez’s, Pellicer’s and Villaurrutia’s complete Opuses? Suite cases filled with souvenirs and postcards? My three siblings’ weddings centrepieces –which can be used anytime, just get fresh flowers-? Fossils? Rocks? Quartzes? Dried leaves? Dried flowers? Feathers? A picture of a red, green and purple chick –that turned into real hens and then eaten covered in Mole-? A picture of a two headed cow? Mugs from theme parks? Tequila shot glasses? Atari? Nintendo? Betamax? Guns that look like jewellery? ... I will keep looking around!
My mother -and this runs in the family- has a problem with physical attachment to things, people and animals. My father decided to build an annex where things would be ordered and stored, filing cabinets and because you might spend a little while there he also added a bathroom. When some relatives come to visit they ask for that annex to be set up as a bedroom, because it can be quite an experience, it is extremely private and fresh most of the year and warm in the winter week, which in Mante is rare. It is now getting messy, because it stores stuff for three generations and my nieces and nephews are very good examples of mass consumption, yet the oldest is 10 years old.
I decided to go there, I call it Ali-Baba’s cave because it is dark and once you light it up and look carefully, you can see treasures. It was completed 4 years ago, it also responds to the growing distances between my parents and where their children were; and I will describe some of the things found here. If I survive both my parents, when they are both gone (knock on wood) this place will hold the hundred years fight, unless somebody moves in here and… no, a fight will definitely take place there.
The first armchair my parents bought is there, we are talking when they got married, 37 years ago and they lived in Acapulco. Next to that is a pile of wood boxes, beginning with the 50’s each box represents a decade of my father’s hobby-no-more, Ms. Photography, so yes, all those embarrassing pictures, naked babies, faces covered in cake icing, cakes, Christmases, new years, graduation –even if it was from kindergarten- christenings, confirmations, first communions, XV años, weddings, passed relatives, my father getting his offspring drunk, him smoking (!), former boyfriends and girlfriends, presents given to my father – lamb, baby pigs, turkeys, veal- and so on and so forth are there.
Do you remember those silly colouring books that you screwed up using only the black Crayola? Baby teeth? Baby Shoes? The candles you lit when you did your first communion? Your oldest sister’s first bra? Your oldest brother’s first Play Boy Magazine featuring LaToya Jackson? Your Boy Scout gear? Somebody’s weird and cheap gay magazine? Your Cepillin record? The winnie-pooh you cried for when it would not stick to the car window anymore? Your crystal growing Mi Alegría kit? A 7.8 kilos IBM think pad? A map of all dead pets buried in the garden with pictures of them on it? A very good Venustiano Carranza beard wore on a Mexican Revolution parade? Sea shells from all beaches in the republic? Fresh water Shells? Shells from deserts? Shells from stores? Star fish from the Gulf of Mexico? Star fish from the pacific? Star fish from the Caribbean? One of Pamela’s exoskeleton –fangs included-? A 35 year old baby Jesus and his substitutes? Your first microphone? A black and white portable radio-alarm-tv? Garibaldi, José José, Yuri, Calo, Air Supply, Rick Astley, Enrique Rocha cassettes? Flutes? Guitars? Cowboy boots and hats? Your cedar crib? Your cedar bed with the original bed head? Official Mexican Flag? PRI paraphernalia? Clothes from 5 decades? Accessories like sun glasses, hats, shoes, gloves, necklaces, earrings? French dolls? Japanese dolls? An army of Barbie’s? Hot Wheels? Care bears? Trompos? Baleros? Dominos? Home made Resorteras? 12 sets of Turista Mundial? Foot ball? Volley Ball? Your first tennis racquet? Trophies? Medals? Diplomas? Two versions of the Bible? Qumran? Chilam-Balam? Popol Vuh? Quixote? Octavio Paz’s, García Marquez’s, Pellicer’s and Villaurrutia’s complete Opuses? Suite cases filled with souvenirs and postcards? My three siblings’ weddings centrepieces –which can be used anytime, just get fresh flowers-? Fossils? Rocks? Quartzes? Dried leaves? Dried flowers? Feathers? A picture of a red, green and purple chick –that turned into real hens and then eaten covered in Mole-? A picture of a two headed cow? Mugs from theme parks? Tequila shot glasses? Atari? Nintendo? Betamax? Guns that look like jewellery? ... I will keep looking around!
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