Time Capsules

Just a short while back, my mother and I decided to crack open a bottle of cherry kriek to share. The beverage had been rolling around in the fridge awhile, and I thought it was time to give its poor little soul the satisfaction of being drunk. The only problem is, these things are bottled pretty absurdly.

As you can see, they have a specific method of sealing the bottles. Our brand, Lindemans, presented us with an even greater challenge. First, there was a foil wrapping. That was easy enough to remove. Next was a screw-off cap. Also, not too much of a challenge. Then came the cork. I have trouble with corks; see my earlier post. We searched the house high and low for a corkscrew, which was not to be found. You know how sometimes you bring your corkscrew with you to a party and forget to bring it back home? Yeah, that's probably what happened. Good for the hosts, bad for the corkscrew-bearing guests!




Then I remembered I had a Swiss Army knife in my French package. The package is a great big orange box I shipped to myself right at the end of my stay in France - I had way too many things to take back in my suitcase, so I went to the post office and bought a couple of 5-kilo boxes to keep the things things I wouldn't need while traveling. I didn't open the boxes up when I got home because A) I obviously didn't need to use its contents on a daily basis and B) it's already packed neatly in a box, perfect for moving!




I didn't truly want to open my Pandora's box, but we had come this far, and I wasn't about to try to dig that cork out with a knife. So I dove in. It's like a time capsule, seeing all the things that were a part of your life a few short months ago. A book I haven't finished (almost there!), letters I received, hiking boots I wore to school on rainy days, gloves, and more. Of course, the stuff won't fit neatly back into the box - I had a heck of a time getting it all in there in the first place - but if I had to open the thing, it sure is interesting to see what I don't really need, but just had to keep!