An Archaeological Dig

Cleaning the basement.  This has been our focus the past week in preparation for the semi-annual "Big Garbage Pick-up" in our town.

The process showed us we don't need to keep all the cartons for every darn thing we've purchased during the past ten years of living in this house.   And we don't need items we haven't unpacked since moving here: bowling shoes, ski boots but no skiis, knick-knacks (when did we think those were pretty?).

Sure, we have the space to store everything we want to keep.  The basement isn't used for anything except storage.  And we have filled it.

But to no good end.  We have forgotten what is there, can't find it, if we can remember and now feel overwhelmed with the cluttered mess lurking at the bottom of the stairs.

We threw out an embarrassingly large pile of soiled cardboard and packing stuff, nonredeemable garbage.  And are waiting for the garbage pick up to remove it from our property.  Bless them for offering that service.

Anything good or useful is going to a organization that resells clothing or small housewares and donates the funds to charity. Anything someone else wants goes, if they come to fetch it; one person took all our wine making equipment.  A couple of kitchen gadgets we thought we had to have (but used once) are in new homes.  Recyclables will go to the appropriate depositories.

What's left?

We ran out of energy and ability to say yes or no to the choices by the time we hit the boxes of photos.  We'll save that for sorting another time.  The useless bits of wood and wall board will go to the dump when we can borrow our friend's trailer to haul the stuff away.  The 10 file boxes of paperwork from our past lives will require a call to a shredding company.  Hazardous waste, an old propane tank, batteries, empty paint cans will go to the HW pick up next Saturday in Riverview.

After the basement floor appeared again and we washed the dust from ourselves, we decided:
we will be discerning and disciplined about any new purchase;
we will remind ourselves that we already have everything we need;
we will enjoy the new found space in our basement and will not re-fill it.

The declutter process feels healthy and encouraging.

What's next?  The upstairs den, which is the whole top floor of our house.  It is a TV room, a reading room, a spare bedroom for company, a toy room and my knitting storage area.

Yikes!  Another dig through dust and stuff.

Now, we have a goal and are looking forward to seeing our way though the piles, to spacious rooms and to regaining control of unhealthy accumulation.

Who knows what possibilities will open for us?

New ways of being more responsible for our lives, and perhaps downsizing to a home with less space for unneeded junk.

We can do anything we want.

Gets Worse Before It Gets Better

Wordless Wednesday

 

Christmas Tree Progress

We buy our tree at a nearby lot run by a local charity, supplied with trees from a local grower.  It is smaller than usual, needs trimming and settling of boughs before we decorate.  Now the house is full of the fragrance of winter, cold air and balsam.  We inhale the outdoors, breathing deep contentment.

After the tree branches settle, we add lights and the tree topper, a poinsettia fairy with feathered collar!  The warmth from the lights enhances the balsam smells.

Gradually, we decorate with the lightest weight ornaments,

as the tree's branches are tender

and easily bend with too much weight. 

Much of what we usually add to the tree

are handmade ornaments

and keepsakes from over the years,

which are too heavy to hang.

Now it's time to clean up the boxes and bags left behind

and sit with an eggnog by the fire, enjoying the tree,

breathing in Christmas.

Cleaning for Company

The sun is pouring in the windows, lighting this room and revealing all the places where I missed the dust while cleaning, getting ready for company.   I’m chuckling to myself over this, as I suppose floating dust motes and missed dusty spots will grab the least attention from anyone who is arriving soon.

They are solely interested in seeing each other.  When family members “from away” come home to visit, no one is appalled at whatever level of housekeeping I have or have not accomplished.

They’ll burst through the door, hug everyone and start chatting with each other,  delighted to spend time with one another, after having been so long apart.   The adults will gather in the kitchen, share laughter and wine, cheeses and fruits, and later a huge boisterous dinner. 

The children will tear off upstairs to investigate all the toys that await them in our den.  They’ll occupy themselves with games, trucks, cars, building blocks, dolls, playing grocery store and keeping house, stuffed bears and dinosaurs.  Not one will say, “Oh, but Grammy, you missed a bit of dusting here!”

So impractical to worry about cleaning!  I suppose I have to admit that I do it for myself, so I will feel better.  Silly!  The only person who cares is me.  But part of me believes that caring is shown in preparedness and tidiness.

Each person here will spend the time visiting, eating, laughing, sharing stories of “Remember when?” or “Guess what?” or just enjoying being home again.  No one will say, “My goodness, what a sparkling house this is!”

When they leave (after staying…always it seems, too short a time), I’ll tidy again.  There’ll be finger prints and spills, sticky places and cat hair, crumbs and crunchy spots, laundry and dishes to wash.

What will I be doing?  Cleaning.  So yes, is it silly to do it beforehand…so it seems!

This is a wisdom that I have to re-learn many times!

I remember a comedian (I can’t recall which one) saying that she never cleaned before company came; she just wiped off her kitchen counters and sprayed some furniture polish into the air and a squirt behind each ear.  Everyone always thought her house was fresh and spick and span.  Their sense of smell fooled their eyes.

 I wonder where my furniture polish is.

Closet Cleaning

I cleaned my bedroom closet today.  It took just over three hours.

It seemed like a great rainy day activity and I needed to make space for my summer clothes, coming out of storage.  I live in hope that warm weather will eventually come.

Normally, I am orderly about the house and meticulous with my clothes. I have one bad habit. It is possible that I have more than one, but this is the only one I’m willing to own up to today.

Once in awhile when I am rushed at straightening up messes and there is a time pressure, I will chuck things on to the floor of the bedroom closet to hide them. I always mean to get at cleaning, sorting out and putting away directly after someone leaves, or after the perceived deadline is passed. 

However…once I start doing this, I can get worse and worse with it, until the closet is decidedly in a muddle when I open the door. And thank goodness there is a door on my closet; otherwise contents would spill out everywhere, in disarray.  

The mess grows exponentially and quickly becomes a helter-skelter pile of shopping bags and small, lovely boxes, colourful ribbons and sparkly wrapping, bright sandals, plain and dressy shoes, shoe polishes, picture hanging hooks and wires,  a couple of pictures waiting to be hung, white string and silver safety pins, a warm wool blanket, empty gift bags for all occasions, my own small hammer, delicate pliers and numerous measuring tapes, beige files of information on my three cats, old worn suede-covered journals… partially full,  out-of-season purses,  cards I have received and loved, and a bit of grey fuzzy dust, since vacuuming has become impossible in there.

Today is the day to tidy it all up again.  It always feels like a gigantic task, consequently I avoid it, coming up with ever more creative excuses about why I can’t face it.  But…today is the day!

I was going to post “before and after photos” on my blog, but the reality was just too awful…so I haven’t done that.  Instead I searched online for images of “cleaning closets”.  After looking at hundreds of photos of messy closets, I feel much better about mine, even a little superior!

It took me only three hours once I got organized:  

• a blue garbage bag for “throw-aways”,
• a cardboard carton in which to pack winter clothes to go to storage,
• another bag to hold clothes that I will give to someone else,
• a small box for items, with which I can’t bear to part and yet, don’t know what to do with…so back into the closet they go, albeit in a tiny, tidy neatly-labelled carton.

I’m pleased with myself and admire the way my immaculate closet feels and looks.  Until the next time, when I’m in hurry and needing to store something out of sight, it will stay in pristine condition, all items freshly folded, neatly hung, color co-ordinated.