Comments | blackbird_tanya: spring cleaning

blackbird_tanya

spring cleaning

Apr 27, 2010 22:01

I decided to start sorting out my stuff on the weekend, preparing for a simpler life in a smaller apartment or to move away for work. Well, it started with basic spring cleaning on Saturday (first the dreaded windows) and ended today with me sorting out a box of recipes this afternoon, a box of stuff that I haven't really looked at since before I ( Read more... )

Comments 4

kattale April 27 2010, 20:42:52 UTC

Oh, dear Blackbird. :)
Scan or photograph the baby things that have no use except for the memories - if he can still wear the clothes, take a photo of him wearing the special things, before you pass them on. The memories will still be vivid, and you can pare the official keepsakes down to one shoebox (instead of several cartons).

(I'm one to speak. Don't look in my basement. Or my garage. I know the theory... sigh...)

blackbird_tanya April 28 2010, 06:01:08 UTC

The stuff is mainly from wee-babyhood. That would be amusing to have him try them on :).

My dream was to keep all the baby things for my .... sigh .... second child. And then to keep the special things for them for their kids. The cellar is very damp here and my alternative storage is a little shed/house in the back yard, also not optimal for storing clothes even in a vacuum pack. It is time to really let go, give the items to babies who need them. I've got his very first outfit in my cedar chest - next to some your Mom's lovely linens that I take out for a tea party from time to time. Actually, the last time I used the "Japanese" cloth was the Auntie Eva memorial tea party. Gasp 8 years ago. Time for another Auntie Eva party. How did 8 years happen?

Off to the amusement park for another roller coaster ride...

pheloniusfriar April 28 2010, 02:07:39 UTC

When I was in North Carolina preparing to move back to Canada, I had to be ruthless with the quantity of stuff I had, and that meant finally cracking those boxes of infinite little things and sorting through it one page or one item at a time. So much given away to Goodwill, much more tossed into the dumpster. It was most assuredly an emotional exercise as much as a physical effort. It felt good to pare down closer to the things that were hard to get rid of that way, and even better to organize stuff into "this goes with that" boxes. However... I may have to go to the next level soon and start cutting into stuff that I wanted or could not bear to part with so I can move into smaller space as well. My challenge for the summer is end up in a lifestyle configuration that is sustainable as a student for the next 3 to 5 years (depending on whether or not I need to go for a Ph.D.). One of the things that happened sorting through all my storage is that I did uncover many old recipes I had (they're all properly in my Eurofolio now)... each one ( ... )

blackbird_tanya April 28 2010, 05:55:25 UTC

Yeah - I'm really glad I didn't computerize those recipes. All those crinkled and torn pages, covered with splashes or scrawled on the back of an envelope have way more to say than a recipe from the computer screen. However, it was rather eerie from time to time to come across handwriting from my first ex or from a former employee. Those little boxes contained time from when I was on the Hill, an Italian wedding, a business that had started to take off and fly, a couple of lovers, my childhood, my youth and hope, two miserably failed marriages, some dreams of a good and happy life and a move to another country. Talk about a roller coaster ( ... )