Dear Mrs. R.L. Woods (I got your name from a receipt I found in the attic):

I know you have been dead for over five years but I wanted to thank you for allowing me to go through your closet today.  The care with which you crocheted coverings for all of the clothes hangers impressed me greatly, and it was actually the hangers that had my husband asking me to peek into the dark recesses of the "upstairs"/attic closet.  (You would be appalled at the condition the rest of the house is in, but your closet is as though you left it yesterday, if yesterday was about 30 or so years ago.)

It was like pawing through a history of fashion, from shirtwaist day dresses to polyester double-knit suits to a couple of crazy 70s tunic tops.  I liked the brown trim you hand-stitched onto the white dress, and how you got some of those big city labels so far out in the sticks I'll never know.  While the moths wreaked havoc on the tailored wool suits that someone mistakenly dumped into a couple of Hefty bags, I salvaged several items, mostly from the closet.  I doubt I can fit into any of the dresses, but I hope to clean them up and find buyers for them on eBay.  You took such good care of them it would be a shame to throw them away.

The other revelation of the day (aside from the horrors of rat poo) was your early effort at recycling.  The large boxes of glass jars, metal jar lids, plastic tubs, and the occasional Styrofoam to-go container stored in the attic prove that you were a woman ahead of your time, or perhaps simply a product of the Great Depression.  We decided to keep several one gallon glass jars (not for moonshine!), including one that appears to have been for providing water to chickens.  There is talk of salvaging some of the old lumber, though getting it out without making the upstairs even more precarious makes the project quite a challenge.

From the books left to rot in the attic, you appear to have been a teacher. I was able to salvage only a couple of books, including one titled Books and Children. I think if we'd been able to meet, we would have had a lot in common, which I hope makes my removal of your belongings more palatable. Please consider it a continuation of your recycling program.

Sincerely,

K.C. Lewis

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