blog is a many splendored thing

Just rambling on...   today's post feels a little disorganized to me.  Please forgive me, I am feeling a little dazed by all that's been going on.  I stay home and I wear a mask when I go out. I seldom leave our apartment except to go to the doctor. I have several underlying conditions that compromise my immune system and make it very difficult for me to recover from any type of illness or infection. You may get a cold but if I catch it I will likely turn it into pneumonia, or worse! I have been trying to stay home, stay safe, and not be judgmental of other people and their choices. So in trying to stay home, stay safe, and stay away from Covid-19 what happens to me? Last Thursday, as I was leaving the kitchen after taking pictures for my blog, I fell and hurt myself really badly.  I fell in a twisting motion injuring my left ankle and shin, both of my knees, and my right hip. On the way down I twisted my back, and hit my head on the rocking chair an...

I'm still with you; but I'm really discouraged.   My dear husband and I embarked on a whole house declutter at the same time as I set out on my multi-purpose (MP) office/craft/sewing room declutter.   We agreed to spend one hour a day together decluttering "somewhere" in the apartment.   He would do the heavy lifting, I would do a quick sort and make the quick keep, toss, donate decisions; then, for the more complicated boxes, I would bring them into the MP room to work on papers and personal clutter until a decision was made.   This process usually meant six to eight more hours of work every day for me than for him; but I didn't mind.   I was able to clear some of the clutter in the shared areas of the apartment and make progress on clearing the clutter in the MP room.   I had even cleared enough flat space that I could craft or sew if I had the notion.   Last week we got the entryway closet cleared out and made significant progress getting th...

I’ve had some time to myself this morning.   I’ve done some reading, watched a few YouTube videos, and looked at my “multipurpose” room with a critical eye.   It’s been restful, educational, and illuminating.   One of the things I noticed when I was looking around my room was the poster I shared today.   My mom gave me this poster at least 50 years ago; if you look at the picture closely you can tell that it’s yellowed and that I’ve taped the edges with clear shipping tape to keep it from tearing.   She knew, even when I was a child, that I had a clutter problem.     When I was young, mom would let it go just so far and then she would take control and do something about the clutter.   I can clearly remember, even taste, the anger (rage) of coming home to find that she had gone into my bedroom and thrown away my things.    As I got older she nagged, shamed, blamed, denied privileges, grounded me, and finally forced me to keep my b...

Dear Husband, Ray, and I worked together for an hour and twenty minutes today.  We emptied 3 boxes that are now ready for future use; Ray took two large trash bags out to the dumpster .  We reviewed the contents of two boxes and repacked the items we wanted to keep for our upcoming move.   Today was our third session this week.  I am feeling more and more successful after each day’s accomplishments; but I think DH is running out of energy and enthusiasm for the project.  We’ve only worked together three days out of the five this week and he already told me he doesn’t want to work tomorrow.  That’s a little bit of a letdown for me.   I see 1,000 square feet of clutter that needs to be reviewed, evaluated, and in someway gotten rid of or organized into some less chaotic (less like a storage locker) atmosphere.  I see our one hour of working together daily as a means to getting the help I need to accomplishing that goal.  But I am meeting some...

Today I decided that I would keep an electronic journal of my decluttering journey.   I’m not sure that it’s fit for anyone to read except me; but I think it’s important for me to keep track of my progress so I have a record of my struggles and my success. My dear husband, Ray, hates clutter.   He is a “hider”.   He puts things in drawers and boxes and sometimes forgets where he puts them (sometimes he forgets that he ever touched an item).   I myself would rather have everything out in the open so that eventually my eye will fall upon what I need.   Alternatively, I like having things in labeled containers, drawers, or notebooks so I can find them quickly if/when needed (assuming I’ve taken the time to return them to their assigned spaces). Ray and I have talked, on and off, about setting a timer and working together to declutter our apartment for some time.   We agreed to do it; but we cherish this time together.   Ray doesn’t seem enthusiastic a...

I hope you enjoyed my last couple of posts (lists2 and lists3).  We had a lively and detailed discussion of Daily Lists and Project Lists.  I hope you will be able to incorporate some of the ideas I shared into your lives.  At the very least, I hope you’ve gained a new appreciation for list making, and that you’ll try it.  I’d be wandering about aimlessly without my lists! Today we’ll finish this topic with the more easy going “Someday Lists.”  Someday lists are far less structured than daily lists and project lists.  I jot down things that interest me; things I might like to – see, do, cook, read, have, make or accomplish – someday .  They are not so much lists of urgency or need; but, rather, of imagination, hopes, and dreams.   My Someday Lists include ... People ideas:  We like to encourage others.  It’s fun to do something out of the ordinary and surprise people with a call, a card, or a letter.  It’s nice to give...