Well, I'm glad that you were able to retrieve some of the items, it's just a shame that happened.
Another method of preservation that I also use for photos/documents, especially fragile and deteriorating pieces is large zipbags. As any old paper material will eventually deteriorate the longer it is exposed to air, and if it's exposed for too long it will crumble into dust, especially if the paper already has damage to it.
Of course, depending on exterior conditions, it usually takes a few hundred years of exposure to air and other elements for that to happen to most paper, but if you're thinking long term, and you want to preserve them for generations to come, then I suggest acid free zipbags, if it says that they are made with PVC then don't get them, you have to specifically get the acid free bags. When you're sealing them just make sure that you gently press the air out of the bags before you seal them, you don't want to have any air trapped in there. This method will also prevent your documents from being damaged if there's a flood.
For any large items that don't fit in the bags, I wrap them in flame retardant blankets. These are some of the methods I do before placing them in a fire proof safe, where they will sit until I can determine which relative will be the right person to be tasked with their continued preservation.
I guess that's one of the great things about living in the digital age, I can make copies for everybody to enjoy without exposing the originals to potential harm, and since the younger generations are growing up in a ever evolving digital world, it's probably the only way that some of them will ever have access to their family history.
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TheHeadlessHorseman
- Halloween Master
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:26 am
- What is the highest number?: 10992
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Murfreesboro
- Halloween Master
- Posts: 6431
- Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:56 am
- What is the highest number?: 10992
Re: Catching up
I'm actually very impressed that you can carve out time to do all these things for your extended family, while simultaneously building a successful business and raising a young family of your own. Well done you!
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Andybev01
- Halloween Master
- Posts: 13301
- Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:44 pm
- What is the highest number?: 9
- Location: 42°1′30.48″N 70°41′14.79″W
Re: Catching up
My guess is caffeine.
All you that doth my grave pass by,
As you are now so once was I,
As I am now so you must be,
Prepare for death & follow me.
As you are now so once was I,
As I am now so you must be,
Prepare for death & follow me.
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TheHeadlessHorseman
- Halloween Master
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:26 am
- What is the highest number?: 10992
Re: Catching up
Insomnia is the gift that keeps on giving. 
On one side it's great because there's always something to do, whether I'm up doing paperwork for business, building something, watching shows and movies, shopping online, or even archiving family history, I can always find something to occupy my time at night.
I'm always awake, I usually only sleep between 2-4 hours a night, and most nights I can get by with only 2 hours of sleep and I'm still able to function at full strength. It's been that way since I was a kid, doctors can't explain it, along with my capacity for memory, they have called me a anomaly. The doctors said that while it's unusual and they don't know of anybody else like me they don't seem concerned about it, and they said that as long as I'm still operating at full ability then I shouldn't worry about it.
When I do actually get some sleep, I'm usually plagued by nightmares, it's like a horror movie, and it's always monsters, zombies, demons, and the standard end of the world scenarios. I also have a unbelievably high volume of Halloween related dreams, at least a few times a month, some of them are good, and some of them are nightmares. So sometimes I would rather be up doing anything other than sleeping.
At least I have the pets to talk to when I'm up at night, well, I talk to them, they stare at me and probably think I'm crazy, and the only reason they stick around is because I feed them.
I've mentioned before that I miss having a baby around the house. One of the reasons is because when the girls were babies I would stay up and take care of them and talk with them while I worked on things, it was great because I got to spend more time with them, and my wife could get the sleep she needed.
On the negative side of it, uh, well ... hold on a minute, I'm thinking ... oh yeah, here's one ... I don't get to spend more time in bed with my wife.
Yup, that's really the only negative thing that I can think of associated with my lack of sleep.
I do wonder though, will I still be this way when I get older? I'm 44 now and this is the only way I have ever lived, so will I still be up every night 30 years from now? I guess it really doesn't matter, as the old saying goes ... I can sleep when I'm dead.
On one side it's great because there's always something to do, whether I'm up doing paperwork for business, building something, watching shows and movies, shopping online, or even archiving family history, I can always find something to occupy my time at night.
I'm always awake, I usually only sleep between 2-4 hours a night, and most nights I can get by with only 2 hours of sleep and I'm still able to function at full strength. It's been that way since I was a kid, doctors can't explain it, along with my capacity for memory, they have called me a anomaly. The doctors said that while it's unusual and they don't know of anybody else like me they don't seem concerned about it, and they said that as long as I'm still operating at full ability then I shouldn't worry about it.
When I do actually get some sleep, I'm usually plagued by nightmares, it's like a horror movie, and it's always monsters, zombies, demons, and the standard end of the world scenarios. I also have a unbelievably high volume of Halloween related dreams, at least a few times a month, some of them are good, and some of them are nightmares. So sometimes I would rather be up doing anything other than sleeping.
At least I have the pets to talk to when I'm up at night, well, I talk to them, they stare at me and probably think I'm crazy, and the only reason they stick around is because I feed them.
I've mentioned before that I miss having a baby around the house. One of the reasons is because when the girls were babies I would stay up and take care of them and talk with them while I worked on things, it was great because I got to spend more time with them, and my wife could get the sleep she needed.
On the negative side of it, uh, well ... hold on a minute, I'm thinking ... oh yeah, here's one ... I don't get to spend more time in bed with my wife.
Yup, that's really the only negative thing that I can think of associated with my lack of sleep. I do wonder though, will I still be this way when I get older? I'm 44 now and this is the only way I have ever lived, so will I still be up every night 30 years from now? I guess it really doesn't matter, as the old saying goes ... I can sleep when I'm dead.