Reimer Tapes, 1963 through 1967

From the store of audio reel-to-reel tapes found at the Bayham house...

01 Baby Tracy squeals
02 Janet reads a poem about Girl Scout camp, 1963
03 Bobby and Carol, First Communion songs
04 Dad and Brian talk about cartoons
05 Christmas Carolers at door, Mom answers, December 1964
06 Mom and Dad interview 2-year-old Tracy, a bit of Brian
07 Girl Scout songs, Janet and Carol, 1964
08 Dad talks with two-year-old Tracy, then Mom and Brian join
09 Carol reads nursery rhymes, almost nine years old, Feb 1963
10 Dad and Mom talk with Brian, May, 1963
11 Brian interviewed by Dad, Tracy cries, June 1964
12 Piano music, girl, maybe Tracy, singing, maybe 1967
13 Janet - piano tape

The Car Goes Away With St. Vincent de Paul

The Diplomat had 1985 plates on it, and in the glove compartment was a map I once drew for Mom and Dad to get to our house from the interstate. Nothing else was inside; it was in fairly pristine condition, though it certainly wouldn't start, having sat still for a quarter century. This was Mom's car, the only automatic transmission we owned while she was alive.

Because we had the keys (thanks for sending them, Carol), we could unlock the steering column and the transmission wheel lock. Pulling it up onto the towing flatbed went very quickly.

Here the SVdP guy makes a slight steering adjustment as it heads up onto the truck bed.

Loaded and ready...

...to...

...go.

The Evil Racoon

This story is still being written, so to speak. Only check out these pictures if you are okay with wild animals living in your house...

So... there have been racoons in the house for several years, off and on. Raccoons like to be inside at night, and then outside during the day to forage for food  (unless there is food inside (which there is not (anymore))).

The house itself is pretty secure, so the only way in (or out again) is through the Chimney, seen here from our Parents Room. Originally, the beasts crawled down it into the fireplace, and from there into the house.

Once we realized what was happening (and once we could get to the fireplace), we barricaded the fireplace. Not to be stopped, the beasts then came down the furnace flue (also in the chimney stack) and into the furnace itself (obviously, shut off), then did a u-turn into the duct work of the house, then pushed out through the only loose return vent (the one in our Parents Room). Said grill is now more firmly blocked.

But in case you wanted proof it was a raccoon and not, say, a really strong mouse, check out the footprints in the dust on top of the Dad's dresser.

At this point, we have blocked (1) the vents, (2) the furnace, (3) an open plenum in the basement duct work, and (4) the fireplace. We have hired an "animal control service" (think: exterminator, and not "ex-terminator," as in the former California governor) which has blocked the chimney from further entrance of said beasts with a trap system. The trap has successfully captured one (female) beast leaving the house. She was not a nursing mother, so there aren't any babies left behind. Only footprints, and lots of bad memories (on my part, not hers). Once the trap is clear for a week, they will cap the chimney permanently.

By the way, our neighbor kindly offered the use of his shotgun. It was only Carol's cool-headed recommendation to go the "animal control" route that has kept the drywall in the house intact. For now.

Stuff on the First Floor

Lingo used here:

Items in the house are either UNCLAIMED or "green-taped." This assignment is NOT permanent. It is based only on my best effort, and yes, raccoons distracted me this time out. Please let me know to what extent you DO or DON'T want what I am listing here for you.

UNCLAIMED means that as best I can tell, none of us have spoken for the item. This also means that if none of us speak up now, and none of our Cincinnati friends speak up, the item will go to Goodwill, or St Vincent de Paul, or  the Tool Bank, or Habitat for Humanity -- or the dump.

"Green-taped" means we have a wide piece of green painter's tape pulled over the item with a NAME written on the tape, and that name is a "claim." Please note: sometimes I assigned you things you did not request, based on my own guessing. I imagine sometimes I am guessing wrong, and sometimes I imagine I missed your actual request and am assigning it to the Wrong Sibling. PLEASE LET ME KNOW how these assignments sit with you; do you really want to come and get (one way or another) the items attached to your name below?

The Garage:

Presently, one side of the garage is relatively empty, the other side is fairly full.

In this first picture, the lumber stacked along the back wall is green-taped for BOB.

The broom is only one of dozens of standard garden and garage implements, all UNCLAIMED.

 

There is a jumble of stuff in the garage, most all of it UNCLAIMED.
The green Dolly is one that Bob brought up from Atlanta and will take back home at the end.

The Flexible Flyer Sled is a cool memory item and is UNCLAIMED.
The folding workbench behind it is green-taped for BOB.

Another view of the full-side of the garage. Everything in this picture is UNCLAIMED -- except for the Orange Cooler, which Bob brought up from Atlanta and will take back home.

Good Luck charms? UNCLAIMED. Shape your fate now and put in a claim.

The Hallway Closet:

 Yardsticks, a few clamps, a glass pane, some wood, and a few fluorescent light items. All UNCLAIMED,

Who needs Booster Cables? You need Booster Cables. But these are UNCLAIMED.
The item to its left is a Spiral Saw, which I believe is still there (unless Mike H. took it). If it is here, it is UNCLAIMED.
In the upper right is a "Wissota Trader" shoebox, unopened and UNCLAIMED.

Across from the closet is the Oval Mirror. It does not include a picture of me. It is UNCLAIMED.

The Living Room:

Not pictured here: Mom's Secretary Desk, which is UNCLAIMED, but Bob will take it if no one else does.
Not pictured here: Piano and Piano Light, both UNCLAIMED.
Not pictured here: an End Table that matches the one shown below in the Parents Room, UNCLAIMED.
Not pictured here: a Dad-made Floor Lamp (without a lampshade), green-taped for BOB.

Records (in the cabinet and the two boxes on the left) are UNCLAIMED.
The Record Cabinet itself is also UNCLAIMED.
All tools pictured here are UNCLAIMED.

More tools, UNCLAIMED.

And more tools, UNCLAIMED.

Yes, UNCLAIMED.

Still UNCLAIMED.

These tools are feeling unloved and UNCLAIMED.

The Dining Room:

Underneath the table are several bins filled with items claimed (or assigned to) TRACY (Mike) and CAROL.
On top of the table, Voltage Regulators. Guess what? UNCLAIMED.
The Dining Room Table itself now has the extra leaf in it, and is UNCLAIMED.
The seven (maybe eight?) Table Chairs are also UNCLAIMED.

These Two Low Cabinets are green-taped for BRIAN, though he didn't ask for them. One has Board Games inside it, and his children are approaching that age.The other has some china-like dishware.
The Plastic Bins are UNCLAIMED.

I remember calling this dresser "Brian's Desk," though I am not sure if anyone else called it that. It is green-taped for BRIAN, though he didn't ask for it, and may not want it. If he doesn't, does anyone else?

The Kitchen:

 Only a few dishes remain, all UNCLAIMED. Namely, Wooden Salad Bowls, Metal Mixing Bowls, Metal Mug, and Tarnished Metal Display Bowl.
Also, the infamous "R" glasses (made infamous by Hitchcock in his movie "Rebecca") are UNCLAIMED.

The Kitchen Table and Chairs are UNCLAIMED.
The Coolers on top of them are UNCLAIMED.

The Family Room:

Not pictured here: There is a Dresser like the next item green-taped for BOB.

This Dresser is green-taped for BRIAN.

The Table Desk is green-taped for TRACY.
The Tripods are UNCLAIMED.

The Rocking Chair is actually yellow (see picture above), and is green-taped for BRIAN.

This Rocking Chair is green-taped for JAN.

This Rocking Chair is green-taped for TRACY.

The two Magazine Racks are green-taped for BRIAN.
The two Tool Chests (and the barely seen cardboard box behind them) are green-taped for BOB.

The Quilt Rack is green-taped for TRACY.
The Floor Lamp (partially seen here) is UNCLAIMED.

This Bookcase is green-taped for BRIAN.

Stuff Upstairs

The Boys' Room and Jan's Room are completely empty.

The Girls' Room:

The Tall Bookcase below was made by Dad and is UNCLAIMED.
The rolled up posters on top of the bookcase are JAN's.
The Hanging Wall Mirror is UNCLAIMED.

This Low Wide Dresser is UNCLAIMED.
The Balalaika With A Broken Tuning Neck Thingie is UNCLAIMED.
The Clear Glass Beer Stein is UNCLAIMED, but I think it was Tracy's.

The Misc. Slide Projecting Equipment in the closet, including Actual Slides of us, is UNCLAIMED.

The Parents Room:

Dad's Dress is green-taped for BRIAN.

Mom's Dresser is green-taped for TRACY.

The Tall Stool is UNCLAIMED.
There are four Card Table Chairs (two shown here), plus a matching Card Table (not shown here), all UNCLAIMED.

Lots of old 8mm Movie Projector Equipment, all UNCLAIMED.

The Bedside Table below is one of two matching tables. It is UNCLAIMED. (The other, also UNCLAIMED, is in the Living Room.)
The Small Table Lamp on top of it is also UNCLAIMED.
By the way, all the lamps in the house still work.

The Smaller Wall Mirror appears to be (formerly) from a dresser-and-mirror combination; we don't have the dresser part. This mirror is smaller than the one on the wall in the Girls Room. It is UNCLAIMED.

These are the three Store-bought Collapsible Bookcases. Once unfolded, I believe they naturally stack on top of each other. They are UNCLAIMED.

This is a flat Twin Bed Headboard, made by Dad. It is green-taped for TRACY.

This is a Collapsible Bookcase Made By Dad. It can be disassembled into six flat boards with a screwdriver and wrench (easily found in the living room). It is green-taped for BRIAN.

This is a Non-collapsible Bookcase Made By Dad, green-taped for BOB.
Along the wall is the Card Table that matches the four chairs. It is UNCLAIMED. 

The Hallway:

 All that remains in the upstairs hallway is a nice looking mirror, which is UNCLAIMED.

Stuff in the Basement

Nothing has changed in the basement. Go check out the older post for details. It's all still there... for now. A friend of mine here in Atlanta (whose son works at GE in Cincinnati) has asked for the Drill Press and Band Saw (both nearly fifty years old) is no one else wants them. But basically, everything in the basement is UNCLAIMED.

The House

We have lots of memories, but here are a few of the facts about the place:

• Built in 1966 on a 0.31 acre lot.
• Lot backs directly into the county woods (developer-proof!)
• Four bedrooms.
• Two and a half baths.
• Eight rooms, plus baths, plus basement, plus enclosed garage.
• Two stories plus full basement.
• Two car garage.
• One fireplace.
• Gas furnace and water heater, but an electric stove.
• Central air conditioning, though presently non-operative.
• Zillow.com puts its value at around $128,800.

Here is a fairly accurate, hand drawn house plan: