Still working on cleaning out garage storage. Huge job. One carload to Good Will already.
The things in my garage….A flare gun for when I’m lost at sea.
Haven’t tackled this since moving here 12 years ago this month. A scary thought, as is having been here 12 years, longer than I’ve lived anywhere. Ever.
Like tree rings, the deeper I go, the older stuff is. Kids toys. Stuffed animals. My girls’ doll clothes. And then we get to MY baby clothes. Mama is a saver, too, so at least I come by it honestly. And mine aren’t just any baby clothes, but fancy dresses made by my grandmother and great-grandmother. Sigh. Can’t get rid of those.
But old skis? Golf clubs? Torn dog beds? Gonzo. Old computers. Sock organizers. Girls’ textbooks. Clothes that will never be in style again, and may never have been in the first place. Done-zo.
Anyone need a box of flotation vests?
A few techniques I’ve come up with to make the parting easier:
Some nicer items I’m giving to people I know. At the last Scrabble reunion I took a box of wonderful clothes. I got the fun of watching Pam fit perfectly into the Keen sandals. And Linda got the Arche shoes too big for me. And if I ever really want to wear that burnt auburn silk top, I’m sure Kate would let me borrow it back. I won’t, but just knowing who has it is comforting.
Among the books I’m swapping….or giving away…
Mama is, simultaneously, doing the same thing. She took pictures of all of the wedding corsages in her refrigerator…ALL of them. I’m telling you, 35 year-old corsages!…before she threw them away.
Mama cannot discard pictures of people she loves, even really bad pictures. So she’s sending them on. She sends me bad pictures of me? I can toss them. Watch me.
And the books!
I’m having a book swap party….everyone can bring and take as many as she wishes. I’ve got two boxes already in the dining room. Legends of Prague, anyone?
Book are my weakness, my vice, ever my softest spot. Cannot tell you how often I can’t lift my suitcase into the overhead what with all the books.
At the swap party, I hereby resolve take very few books, and deliver all extras to charity.
You have my word.
