I Hope It's Not Genetic

While organizing some things, I came upon a box of "treasures" that my mother had packed when my grandmother moved.  I have many such boxes and sometimes I go through them and sometimes I just pack them away.  This particular box--a tiny one--contained the following:  a rusted sewing machine needle, a two-inch long pencil, a one-inch red crayon, and two notes written by my grandmother.  One of the notes is written on a small piece of an envelope postmarked 1979 and the other is on the back of a receipt dated 1986.  My grandmother set the standard for recycling.  The notes contain information about yardage for pillows and the number of squares needed for, presumably, a pieced quilt.  These items have been sitting on my bathroom vanity for at least two weeks, and I fear I can't throw them away.  Apparently, it IS genetic.