My Weblog

Junk Drawer...........

Yesterday was an adventure. I almost fell twice. We know from how difficult things were last year that falling is bad, and so, to be avoided. First I had one huge trash bin that needed to go to the curb. I looked inside and it seemed there wasn't much in there. But, whatever was in there was heavy. I decided to pull the bin down the driveway to the curb. On the sloping driveway, the weight in the bin increased the speed with which it rolled. And it was rolling right at me as I was trying to pull it. By the time I got to the end of the driveway, the trash bin was outta control and baring down on me. Only the good Lord or one of his angels kept me from going down. Then later in the day my "leash" almost got me. This oxygen concentrator is connected to the canula by 50 ft of rubber hose. It follows me wherever I go unless it gets stuck somewhere. I had been working in the kitchen, including climbing on and off of the Rubbermaid foot stool, My legs were tired and I headed to my chair for a rest. Just at the kitchen doorway I discovered I'd managed to get my feet wrapped up in the hose. Once again He who is always with me saved me from going face first into the floor. I'm so glad He really does stick closer than a brother.

My to do list for yesterday included decluttering the junk drawer in the kitchen. I didn't get to it til late in the evening. when I began pulling stuff outta there, my mind was completely blown by the mish mash that was in there. There were some things I couldn't even identify. Also some things which I couldn't figure out why I had them. There was everything from an assortment of screwdrivers to chewing gum, string, and a bunch of those plastic things they use to close up loaves of bread. Lots of little baggies of assorted types of screws, old batteries, and on and on. I talk to the Lord like you might talk to your husband. I looked at all that stuff and asked: "Lord, I don't even know what half this stuff is, much less why I have it. How am I supposed to decide what I might need and what I can get rid of?" I turned to walk out of the kitchen, on my way to the bathroom, and this thought popped into my head: "If I don't know what it is or what it would be used for, it's no use to keep it. You'll never know to pull it out and use it." I've got to tell you, that was a revelation! It makes sense. I have X baggies of screws in that drawer. If I need a screw for something, I'm gonna go to the hardware store--probably Lowe's--talk to the store employee in the hardware department at Lowe's, explain what I'm trying to do, and wait for his/her recommendation. Then, chances are 99 to 1 I'm gonna buy a new little baggie. So, I went back in there today and emptied a whole lot of junk out of there. The drawer actually looks organized, like you might see on some home organizers you tube channel!  That may be the first time in my life it's looked that good.............

So this morning I had that junk drawer and this evening I've been working on the "baking cabinet". This cabinet houses stuff like cocoa powder, salt, cookie decorating stuff, extracts, food colorings, cake mixes vanilla and so on. I've made it through two shelves of the 3 and I don't think I can go on tonight. I am fried. I have chucked a bunch of stuff in the trash. In fact, I doubt the trash can is any more than 1/3 full and I'm starting to worry that I am not strong enough to carry the trash bag out to the big bin. I could work much faster if I could teach Alissa to pull a wagon full of trash to the outside trash cans. She's a bit of a nervous being so I don't think it would be smart of me to even try that, but it IS a good fantasy. Anyway, there's been a whole lot of stuff in this cabinet that is really old. Extracts are dried up, food coloring bottles are funky, and so on. I also found that my vanilla bean bottle needed topping off with some alcohol of some sort. Opened up the little shelf where I keep whatevver alcohol I happen to own and was shocked at what all is in there. I don't drink enough to drink what's in there if I live to 90. I guess it's a good thing I can use some of it to make vanilla extract. I also don't make decorated cookies these days. Honestly, I've never really gone beyond sprinkling some colored sugar on sugar cookies. And, honestly, other than maybe some chocolate chip cookies, I can't think when was the last time I made any kind of cookies. So mucho stuff has left my life tonight.

I am mentally exhausted, I think. Decluttering is exhausting--so many decisions. I hope if I stop for the day, I will be willing to pick it up tomorrow. I never quite seem to get done all I'd like to, but I have to remind myself that "better" is good and some is better than none. 

 

 

 

Wanna be?

I've been working on decluttering the kitchen. It's getting better but the degree of improvement is not what I'd like to see. In my mind, there is a sort of continuum, from decluttering to "organized" to "minimalist". I wanna be a minimalist, only having in my home things I need. I'm disappointed to realize that minimalist thing is really hard to achieve. It doesn't help that I am living on the edge of poverty. When decluttering, the question always comes to mind: What if I get rid of this, only to need it again in a few weeks? If money were more free flowing around here, I'd simply tell myself that I could probably find what I needed for only a few bucks at Goodwill or Savers. But, these days "a few bucks"--well, that's an important expenditure. These days the idea that I might need it in the future is pretty hard to get past.

I think this is a question of faith. Either I believe that God will supply ALL my needs or I don't. I'm struggling.........

New Year's Eve was interesting. In years past, my beloved neighbors used the property behind mine as a place for setting off their fireworks. Poor Punkin was the most frightened of my dogs. She would crawl into the kneehole of my desk and just sit there and shake out of fear. However, this year the fact that condos have been built on the property behind mine seems to have quelled the neighbors' enthusiasm for fireworks. I didn't hear anything objectionable.

I had been advised by the previous owners of Miss Alissa that she did not do well with fireworks or any loud noises. Beforehand, I got to watch her go running off down the hall when the washer made an unexpected sound while she was close to it. I guess I'm slow, though. I was still expecting her to crawl as close to me as possible and shake. No, she could not establish herself in any one place. She ran from room to room, then returned to my side to cry because I didn't make whatever she was hearing stop. I tried going to bed at my normal time, but Alissa couldn't settle down. She was up and down off and on he bed repeatedly. Finally after lying there about an hour, with the bed moving with each of her comings and goings, I got back up. I didn't even attempt going back to bed til 5AM when I figured the fireworks that had gone off somewhere within her hearing distance had stopped. Needless to say, I am tired and zombie like today.

So, I have a to do list that will carry over in bulk to tomorrow. I don't like that at all.