Steel Pins

I wanted to find a box of old, old papers, from college and a few years afterward. I remember going through them and repacking the ones I thought I might want someday. I have a remarkably clear memory of this considering it happened roughly 35 years ago. And I have a niggling sensation somewhere in my brain that one or two of them might be useful now.

So I want to look through them. The problem is that the basement has been through  many iterations in the past 35 years. The location of this box is anybody's guess.

My intrepid husband started searching for me. The first box he found contained my eighth grade diploma and the receipt for my dress which cost $23. The best item was my autograph book. I read the entire thing, amazed that I remembered everyone in it.

On to some college graduation memorabilia, then wedding keepsakes. They included a reel-to-reel tape with a recording of the ceremony. Perhaps we can take it to a museum some day and listen to it on one of the antique  machines.

Lastly were a few travel brochures and photos from our time in Germany.

And a box of steel straight pins.

I had to spend a few moments staring at the ceiling before I remembered why I had them. Once upon a time I did a craft that involved shaping glue-soaked fabric and tacking it to a Styrofoam board with the pins. When they were dry and stiff I glued a clasp on the backs and had pins for a blouse.

It was a short-lived activity. I quickly had more than enough unusual pins, even after giving one to every woman I knew.

The question, which I haven't found an answer to yet, is why they were in that box of memorabilia.

All the other items were an historical grouping, you might say. But the pins came much later. More importantly, I did dozens of crafts over the years and had boxes and boxes of supplies that I stored for ages, even after losing interest in them. Right up until I found a newbie crafter excited about all the possibilities and was able to unload them.

So why wasn't this one-pound box of pins in with any of the other supplies? I've tried staring at the ceiling repeatedly waiting for an answer, but there probably isn't one.

Honestly, with a system like this, it's no wonder I can't find anything.