THE BARE NECESSITIES: Coffee,
tea, a gingham tea cozy, a sippy straw for the young one, a cocktail glass,
some spices, the cinnamon-sugar shaker, a Book-On-CD for the Bose, sugar bowl,
the ancient Rubbermaid of Sweet’n’Low, which has been with us through four
houses now, and assorted stuff set down with nowhere else to put ‘em.
Nothing left but rubber gloves.
I’m
sure I mentioned that Chris decided that now would be the best time to clear out and
put to rights THE ROOM, and started dragging out lugs and boxes and bags and
great piles of things two weeks ago.
Anybody
with any interest in the original clear Flintstones mugs, there are more than
six dozen. Just come get ‘em.
Though he’s made fantastic progress
with disposing of countless bags of STUFF to garbage and Goodwill, this is
still our path through the house. I
insisted on at least a wide enough berth for the guys hauling up the discarded
cabinets and debris.
Hoarders called, but they changed their minds.
You
can see, above and below, that we’ve invested quite a bit of our retirement
funds into the coffers of the companies SOLO and CHINET.
Needfuls
for when I might need ‘em.
Like
bones in an elephant graveyard.
Still
sturdy and beautiful. I wanted to keep
the top ones and paint them, but Caro and Chris insisted that I have all new
everything.
A
sad vignette of nothing in particular.
You can see the papers stuck in the back, from when this kitchen was added on in 1990, the
year we moved to Indiana. Sort of a full circle, somehow.
Before. How little we knew, and I hope that does not
become a mantra in the next few weeks.
I’m
truly ashamed of how I let things pile up and let things go, but I’ll never
apologize for what was covered by something I could not move. Those aren't dust bunnies, they're wild Jackalopes run amok.
I swear, this room was put together out of Legos and rubber bands.
But
solace awaits upstairs: Caro has invited
us up for an early Cinco de Mayo supper tonight, and I just go up to “her house”
and look around at the serene, quiet rooms.
And
the Fairy Dell on the back lawn has grown to about 40’ by 50’---it’s covered in
violets, and invites me to come for a soothing stroll anytime I want.
Like
til June.
My project in the kitchen looked just the same. I tossed things when my wife was not looking and I told her to do the same when I was not looking. There are so many things that just collect in the cupboards after 35 years.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we do it - gather so much stuff it becomes a nightmare. I have filled 2 houses, 2 garages, a barn and other out buildings and sheds. It is overwhelming and I wish I had the money I spent on it all. I need help in ridding myself of it all.
ReplyDeleteLOL - my house looks like this most of the time. Now that the 5 kids are grown and gone, we are tackling all those projects we should have done years ago. And usually starting one more project before we finish the next. I did my closet last week. 4 file boxes to the clothing bank along with a trunk full of stuff on hangers and then 2 trash bags full to Goodwill. And I still have plenty to wear (unfortunately still in the size I wear instead of the size I want to be). Everytime I almost make headway, I inherit another houseful of household items to add to the storage unit (aka garage). Did eliminate 3 boxes out of the garage this weekend. Did not make a dent.
ReplyDeleteJust keep reminding yourself of how wonderful it will be when it's finished!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of stuff and it does accumulate and multiply quickly....I was hoping to see what a gingham tea cozy looked like...?
ReplyDeleteThere is your mess in all it's glory. HA! It made me think I should take photos of my closet cleaning project. it would make you smile to know my mess is every bit as daunting as yours. Maybe not so wide spread but my kitchen is not involved in this mess. I have a very large bathroom with his and hers closets on each side. I began to think that if Bill walked in, he would definitely trip and fall. Thus, a cleanup messed up my photo op.
ReplyDeleteI can only say that Chris deciding to clean out "the room" will be a good thing with much peace of mind for the future. I do have to add that I too see some charm in your upper cabinets. However, all new is a good thing.
Love and hugs with lots of encouragement for a brighter, and lovely home. You will do the happy dance when all is done.
Jeanne
PS: I am having so much fun with my PS post today. Underlying word is... EXCITED!
Oh, my dear Rachel. I must agree that this qualifies as a mess. But, you have the vision of beauty on the horizon. And, I know it will be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI would come help if only we were closer together.♥
Those pictures remind me of my mid-Christmas decorating shots! Don’t fret. It all gets done. Or it doesn’t. Either way, you have a fabulous family, good friends and can write like nobodies business!
ReplyDelete