So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye --- Sort of

Abe loves his mother.  All nine siblings love their mother and really, really do not like to upset her.  They are respectful and kind and gentle with her.

And that is one of the reasons this family reunion was a little tougher than others.  We had a big project to undertake.  You see, Mom Fox moved into an assisted living home a few months back and it was time to clean out FoxHill (primarily the basement) so that Daniel (who bought the home) can use it as an Air B&B.  Thankfully the house will stay in the family and we will still be able to use it for reunions and visits to Spokane.  But the whole endeavor sort of represents the end of an era and a lot of change.  Something that Mom Fox (and some of her children) do not readily embrace.  

It was a massive undertaking-- to ensure that all photos, letters, cards, childhood memorabilia and such were not disposed of.  This is where THE WORKERS got busy.

A lot of stuff went to the dump.  Roughly 8,000 lbs.  Plus there was much, much more that just went into storage.  We really tried to be respectful of what was important to Mom Fox.  Remember, no on wanted to cause her distress.  

Katie and I were kind of the dynamic duo in the basement.  She handled mostly clothing and bigger items,.  I handled books and sorting out the photographs from the memorabilia.  

Then those sorted boxes of photos, letters, memorabilia were delivered  (by the runners) to the photo team (led by Phil) and the historical team (led by Melissa) upstairs.  Phil ran his scanner nonstop.  I never even saw him get up to eat or use the restroom.  DEDICATION!

So now we have access to little gems like this.  Little Abraham is on the left and little Jesse on the right.

Another angle of the controlled chaos.

FoxHill will never be quite the same.  Of course, nothing can stay static.  Everything is constantly shifting and changing and evolving.  And while it feels somewhat bittersweet right now, I am a believer that there is always something better to come.

So while the glory days of Grandma and Grandpa stocking the freezer with Totino's pizzas and popsicles and a pantry full of Goldfish and tubs of Red Vine licorice are over, FoxHill will continue to be a magical refuge from the worries of regular life.