My aging dad lived alone for nearly 10 years after my mom died. But recently we all came to the conclusion that living alone was a lonely endeavor. That, accompanied by his increasing need for assistance with some things, led us to find him a new home. His moving to a new home meant cleaning out the old one, a task that fell to my sister and me. Through it all I got a glimpse at what 50-plus years of accumulation looks like. My parents grew up as farm kids in large families in small towns. They both had plenty of siblings, but ...