Most of you know that my father, Fast Freddy, passed away some 17 months ago. I honestly can't believe it's been that long. But life does go on as they say and chasing grandkids, elk, fish, bears and Miss Trixie does keep Ol’ Dutch a’hoppin. 

My stepmom recently downsized once again and decided to use one of those online estate auction type things to get rid of her extras. There are plates and cups, chairs and couches, tools and cookers, skillets and forks and well you get the idea. Just a lot of stuff. 

This got Ol’ Dutch to thinking – a dangerous activity according to Miss Trixie – about just how much good “stuff” I actually have. 

Just last year we sold our big RV and all of the things in there either came in the house or went into my storage building and barn here on the farm. I was over in the storage today looking for a glue gun and could not believe all the things I found. 

I mean I did know that I had double some tools and doodads etc. from traveling full time in the camper, but I was not aware I had that much extra stuff. All of it good but all of it duplicates or triplicates of what I already had in the barn. 

As I sat there contemplating just how I might go about sorting through it all and getting it into a semblance of order so that I know where things are, I had to look back on where I had gotten all this stuff in the last ten years. For it was just ten years ago that I bought the farm in Texas, and I remember thinking that big old barn sure looked empty as I had lost most of my tools, tractor, and other man things to divorce. 

Little did I know that the barn itself had some kind of anthropomorphism magic going on in there. For those of you wondering how Ol’ Dutch got such a big word, I actually remembered that from college. So, the money spent on that must have been worthwhile. What anthropomorphism means is an inanimate object is seen to take on human traits. And that old barn, while not haunted, sure has something magical going on in there. 

All I have to do is place an item in there and leave it alone for some period of time and magically it seems to multiply. All on its own. I can recall when it was literally empty but now it's chuck full to overflowing.  And everything there seems to be of value or needed around the farm at one time or another. And some of it hasn't seen the light of day for years, but it's not even worth getting rid of. 

It's been bothering me of late and so I have to at least make an effort to sort and pack away stuff I guess and maybe Miss Trixie can come up with some sort of Merlin the Magician organizational magic. But someone once said, “the man who dies with the most toys wins” and I think I am in the running for at least a good finish in that competition. 

My kids threaten to disown me if I don't get rid of most of it. Ol’ Dutch gets a lot of giggles imagining them having to sort and file and sell all that “good stuff.” It's really kind of my plan for going out with a sort of a bang and it will at least make them spend a month, two or ten together as they try and reduce the enormous amount of treasures that I have collected. 

And they have not even thought about all the “stuff” at our Colorado abode. 

Speaking of treasures and Colorado, the famed Ladies Aid Rummage Sale in Creede announced 2026 dates, July 15 and 16. I'll surely add some great stuff to my kid's inheritance there. Long live Fred Sanford. My hero. 

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.