A Look Through Papa's Junk Drawer

One of the things that fascinates my oldest grandson, "The Boy", is looking through my junk drawer. Face it, we all have some place where we stash things that are junk to everyone in the world, but us. Some of the items in my junk drawer actually are quite valuable. Other, not so much. Here's a sampling of some of the things that my grandson enjoys in my drawer of "good junk" (as Fat Albert would call it).

This is a collection of foreign money that I have accumulated over the years. Some of it was given to me from friends & relatives, but most of it was found in the change that I get back from my everyday transactions at various stores. Look close at your change. You may be getting a Rand, Pence or Franc.

Here is a handful of small plastic soldiers that I have had since my youth. You can tell the size of them by comparing them to the quarter to the left of them. If my train layout had a combat scene, these would be on it because they are the same size as my HO scale people.

These are some knives that my grandfather found in the trash during his trash route. I got them after grandma passed. The top knife has a crown of brass on the hilt with a brass braid winding down it. The bottom knife & scabbard don't go together, but look good when combined.

Here are some prehistoric scene card that came on the backs of Pom-Pom & Junior Mints boxes in the 1970's. At one time, I had the whole set of 16. This is all that remains.
These are mementos that my great Uncle Charles brought home from WWII. Pictured are a hat, uniform patches, an armband, a small U.S. Army flag and a buckle with the Luftwaffe (German air force) logo. I also got these after grandma passed (Uncle Charles was her brother).
These are pins given to me by my brother, Sir Gattabout. He spent eight years in the US Army. He was a paratrooper in the 82ND Airborne. Many of the coins above were brought back by him from his jaunts in Central America.

These are the notes from the first sermon I ever preached. We were having "Youth Emphasis Sunday" and two of the teen-age boys got to preach that Sunday morning. I haven't been a teenager in a long, long time. The sermon was titled "Not The Ten Suggestions".

Finally, here are some mementos of the Symphonic Band trip I helped chaperon during Lady Lemon's senior year (she was first chair bassoon player). We went to Toronto for a band competition. While there we went to Medieval Times restaurant, Pantages theatre (and saw The Phantom Of The Opera), Hard Rock Cafe in Sky Dome, The CN Tower, and I, and another chaperon, ventured to The Hockey Hall of Fame while everyone else was spending 90 minutes shopping in a big mall. We figured you can shop anywhere. There may never be another time to visit the Hall of Fame.

There are many other things too wonderful to mention (or to junky to show). I hope you've enjoyed the trip through Pap's junk drawer.