the doog
lol, you didn't much understand women at that point in your life, did you? ![Big Smile]()
Honestly, I'm not surprised by what she did. A woman's house is HER house, and I think that if you had a "double stall garage full" and then it crept like a styrene kudzu vine into the closets in the house, it was just a matter of time before she snapped. I truly believe that all men--if they don't KNOW it already---learn this fact--sometimes the hard way.
My stash is discreetly confined to what I can fit in my "man cave" room and closet, and one big cardboard box on the floor in the spare room closet. My rule is "one in, one out", so it doesn't grow, and I have pared it down three times in the last two years. ![Smile]()
With all due respect, Doog, the only woman I didn't understand at the time was the one I married.
Our mutual plan was to use the kits to start a hobby shop of our own after the kids had left home, because they had proven to be a decent source of supplemental income for us, particularly after my son was born. While you interpret things as "hoarding", this was our agreed-upon plan for sustaining an income in retirement and frequently became a resource to use for advancing the interests of our family. Believe it or not, she was happy with it. It was a point of pride with her for a while.
As far as it being "her" house, that doesn't quite ring true. After being told by the bank that no financing would be provided if her name appeared on the paperwork because of her poor credit, I purchased the place with cash I'd saved since childhood. More to the point, however, is that she did nothing to maintain the house. She couldn't hold a job, never once cooked or cleaned, and she showed absolutely no interest in raising our child. Absolutely zero contribution to our responsibilities in any manner. That was all up to me. In essence, I was a single parent raising two kids without a real partner. Trust me when I say that my "hoarding" very much helped to keep things moving forward from a financial sense, despite the fact that it took up space.
A manipulative hoarder I am not, not have I ever been.
What happened? She checked out of the game. The model kits were a reminder to her that I was still committed to the dreams we decided upon together and a daily reminder that I could remain dedicated to those dreams even after the passage of time, when she had moved on to another dream where she did not have the responsibility of a family and a never-ending stream of new lovers who would simply take care of her every need. We each define our personal sense of freedom and this is how she chose to define hers.
So, tossing the collection out was her way of taking a cheap shot at me; a spontaneous act of malice purposefully intended to simply inflict a wound and nothing more - her words, not mine, are on record in the transcript of our divorce proceedings if you want to review the veracity of my claims, since I have paraphrased greatly here.
While I'm not familiar with the kudzu vine, I am of the impression that the value of any vine is found in the fruit it bears. In its prime, my vine bore beautiful flowers that were a wonder to behold, put food on the table, and fetched fair profits at market. It gave my kids joy, taught them about responsible finance and business, and gave me quality time with them that was priceless. Very sweet fruit, I would say.
The fact that it p*ssed her off just happens to have been the sweetest berry on that prosperous vine.
What do I understand about women that I did not then? If you're going to take a partner, find one who will help you tend your garden, whatever that might be which you intend to grow, no matter the weather.