I think I was disowned. Or maybe it was not personal and I merely lost claim to my possessions after fifteen years of storage. Here, let me tell you what happened. I went to visit my parents this week. They are nice people. You would like them. My parents are alone in a large house and the stairs are getting more and more of a challenge for them. They have been talking about moving out of my childhood homestead for a few years.
Think about it. Moving after living in the same place for 47 years is a huge challenge. Heck, moving is a challenge in itself. I was in my last place for four years and it took a couple months to pack everything up. It took me a year to unpack.
47 years of accumulated stuff. Forget about packing, the clean-up is an enormous task. But, my parents finally took the plunge and started the clean-up. They started with my stuff.
In a big box labelled as garbage lay not an inconsiderable amount of my childhood memories. Toys, games, books.
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| Phil and Tony Esposito Action Hockey Game |
Now they didn't say, there is Ohara's stuff, let's throw it out. It was more like, see that dusty stuff, let's throw it out without looking at what's inside.
Amazingly enough, they have tons of their own things to go through. I don't think they know what is in the bottom of their hall closet. Or pantry. Or pockets.
How does this work? Do I lose claim to my possessions after a number of years? I suppose squatter's right won't apply as we aren't talking about land or a building. What is the statute of limitations for claiming your belongings from your parents? I am trying to remember from my studies how this applies but I do not believe this was ever addressed in any Law and Order episode.
Am I supposed to be notified by the Department of Unclaimed Properties and Effects (D.U.P.E)?
As I mentioned my parents are nice people. You would like them. Mostly because they didn't try to throw out your stuff.
