Among the oldest items was a box with dusty quilted nylon bathrobes that must have belonged to one of the girls who grew up in this house, decades before me. Of course, I recognized the clothes from old photos and felt a little sad they went in the trash.
I also found an oil painting covered with attic dust and dirt. I remembered being unable to throw it away all those years ago, and couldn't do it yesterday either. No one seems to recall its provenance, so I think it may have been in the house when Bob and his first wife, Sandy, took possession in 1965. I "reverse imaged" a photo on the Internet, with no luck, but maybe this picture will job someone's memory.
I cleaned the painting kind of following instructions for amateur conservators. However, I'm a little too squeamish to do much with Q-tips and spit, so I ended up outside this morning with a dry paintbrush for the worst of the dust, and a damp cloth to wipe off the darkest stains. The canvas brightened up immediately and I'm looking forward to finding a frame.
It will find a good spot in the new house.
