Update and Under a Spell

Update on Amanda: sad news; at the last appt., no heartbeats. She had a D and C. And her snarky monster-in-law wouldn't even spot them $10 for gas to get to the doctor's office.


Under a Spell

External clutter = internal clutter, therefore external clutter must go for the sake of clarity of thought and clarity of emotion. 

Clutter must go.
So, a simple declutter spell isn't going to hurt, right?
 Day 1: One candle and a cuppa later:

"If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it".
I wore it last year; it no longer fits. Pack it in the box. Get another box, and pack it. And another. All the sweater-look sweat shirts. All the corduroys. All the Irish wool sweaters. And the jackets and wool coats. Ditto the wool skirts (no heartache there--I can't wear heels anymore, so, so long skirts!). Cashmere sweaters (hyperventilate) packed in a box. Ran out of boxes, so 3 large black trash sacks came to the rescue. All loaded into the bed of the pickup and taken to the thrift store operated by (and for) a group of developmentally handicapped adults. And it only took 6 hours to clear the walk-in storage closet.

Day 2: same candle, same spell, 1 cuppa

5 hours later, everything in the bathroom has been taken out of every cabinet.  Cabinets wiped down (inside and out), reorganized, fixtures cleaned, old items trashed, old meds set aside for disposal at the pharmacy, floor steam mopped, light fixtures washed, and how the hell did I manage to get 2 large black trash bags of stuff to throw away?

Day 3: ditto

6 hours later: all the old videos of recorded TV shows in the trash (Man from U.N.C.L.E., Murphy Brown, Babylon 5, Northern Exposure, all the Star Trek, etc. = 2 big bags). Ceiling fan and beams dusted. Paneling wiped and oiled. Fireplace cleaned, built-in storage emptied, sorted, and 3 bags of useless stuff. Steam mopped the Spanish tile. The spell was meant for me. It kinda bled over on my roommate, who tackled the dining room and her room.

The trash collectors are gonna hate me.

Day 4: ditto.

Everything out from under the bed. All those books. I boxed them up for the Senior Citizens library. The leftover tile from the bathroom remodel. Dust dinosaurs. Bookshelves cleared, cleaned, reshelved. And more useless stuff. (I think wire coat hangers metamorph into cluttery stuff). And laundry. Closet floor cleared, shoes unworn for years--trashed. Purses to resale shop.

Day 5: Didn't use the candle, just the empowered tea (Peet's "Winter Solstice Tea")
Swept, steam mopped and vacuumed the house.
Baked a turkey.
Made pumpkin chili.
Made The Queen's Chocolate Tea Biscuit Cake (Royal chef's recipe--Prince William's groom's cake).
Baked Old German Rosewater Sugar Cookies.
Made white chocolate peppermint bark.
Made dark chocolate peppermint bark.
Wrapped the presents. Every. Last. One.

Took a bath and went out to dinner.

Haven't weighed, haven't measured, haven't walked.

But, by golly, my house is decluttered and clean.
Wahe guru!