a chair is: October 2006

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Micro De-Cluttering, Happiness Project

I know I am never going to be able to get back the same spirit and energy I had when I first started this blog, but I am still committed to simplifying and decluttering my home and my life. I am just unable to focus on A Plan anymore. I am in a period of time that I just have to live and be and do the best I can at the moment. But I try to keep the Big Picture in mind.

The Big Picture is of me is in an environment that is pleasant and soothing, not distracting and guilt-inducing, space that invites creative thought and work.

Lately, I've been doing micro-decluttering. That's what I call it when I clean up a very small space -- not even a whole drawer, but a corner of a drawer -- in a very short time -- two or three minutes. I haven't done this in a systematic way by working on the same drawer or flat space. It's rather nice to have little spots of organized, simplified space appear here and there all over the place. They speak to me of hope....

Yesterday, I hired my daughter's boyfriend to come over and help me a bit. Together we got rid of a huge pile of cardboard boxes ( I will confess they were mostly Amazon boxes, I've been ordering a lot of books lately.) We also made some small progress in my basement work area. It was all mostly vacuuming and gathering things for the recycling center -- cardboard, old printer ink cartridges, catalogues and magazines. Then, and I think this is key, those things were taken immediately to the Goodwill recycling center.

At the last minute before he left, I suddenly saw two halogen lamps we had decided not to use YEARS ago. They had been sitting, unused, gathering inches of dust, since a hapless moth had burst into flame after flying over one, a flame that was perilously close to the basement ceiling.
We dusted them off as best we could, and off they went.

So, between the micro decluttering and the somewhat larger areas Roy and I tackled yesterday, there are spaces throughout my house that are speaking of hope quite convincingly.

This morning, through one of those serendipitous Google wanderings (that started because I googled a phrase I had in a dream), I found a blog called The Happiness Project. Oh, just go there. Look around. You'll see why I'm recommending it from this blog and why I'm going to put in a link on my sidebar. And you might be happy I sent you there!

Organizing Books I Like

It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys by Marilyn Paul

Official chair is...
Folk Song & Folk Tale

Why an official blog folk song & tale?

There's A Hole in the Bucket

There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole.

So fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
So fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.

With what should I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I fix it, dear Liza, with what?

With straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, with straw.

But the straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long.

So cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
So cut it dear Henry, dear Henry, cut it!

With what should I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I cut it, dear Liza, with what?

Use the hatchet, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Use the hatchet, dear Henry, the hatchet.

But the hatchet's too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The hatchet's too dull, dear Liza, too dull.

So, sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
So sharpen it dear Henry, dear Henry, sharpen it!

With what should I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I sharpen, dear Liza, with what?

Use the stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Use the stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, the stone.

But the stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry.

So wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
So wet it dear Henry, dear Henry, wet it.

With what should I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I wet it, dear Liza, with what?

With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With water, dear Henry, dear Henry, water.

With what should I carry it, dear Liza, dear Liza,
With what should I carry it dear Liza, with what?

Use the bucket dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Use the bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, the bucket!

But...there's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza...

The Old Woman
and Her Pig

ONCE upon a time an old woman was sweeping her little house, when, to her great joy, she found a silver sixpence.

"What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I think I will go to market and buy a pig." So the next day she went to market and bought a nice little white pig. She tied a string to one of the pig's legs and began to drive him home.

On the way the old woman and her pig came to a stile, and she said:

"Please, pig, get over the stile."

But the pig would not.

Just then a little dog came trotting up, and the old woman said to him:

"Dog, dog, bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

But the dog would not. So the old woman held up her stick, and said:

"Stick, stick, beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

But the stick would not.

So the old woman gathered some bits of wood together to make a fire, and set them on fire, and then threw her stick into the fire and said:

"Fire, fire, burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

But the fire would not.

So the old woman fetched a pail of water that was standing near and said:

"Water, water, quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't get over the stile,
And I sha'n't get home to-night."

But the water would not.

Then the old woman saw an ox coming; so she said:

"Ox, ox, drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't bum stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go;
I see by the moonlight
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."

But the ox would not.

So the old woman turned around and saw a butcher, and she said:

"Butcher, butcher, kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."

But the butcher would not.

So the old woman took a rope out of her pocket, and said:

"Rope, rope, hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't .drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."

But the rope would not.

Just then a large brown mouse ran across the meadow, and she said:

"Mouse, mouse, gnaw rope;
Rope won't hang butcher;
Butcher won't kill ox;
Ox won't drink water;
Water won't quench fire;
Fire won't burn stick;
Stick won't beat dog;
Dog won't bite pig;
Pig won't go.
I see by the moonlight
It's long past midnight;
Time pig and I were home an hour and a half ago."

"Yes," said the mouse, "I will, if you will give me some cheese."

So the old woman put her hand in her pocket and found a nice piece of cheese; and when the mouse had eaten it:

The mouse began to gnaw the rope,
The rope began to hang the butcher,
The butcher began to kill the ox,
The ox began to drink the water,
The water began to quench the fire,
The fire began to burn the stick,
The stick began to beat the dog,
The dog began to bite the pig,
And the pig began to go.

But what time the old woman and her pig got home you, nor I, nor nobody knows.

--Tales of Laughter (1902), eds. Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith

a chair is

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Micro De-Cluttering, Happiness Project

Links

Organizing Books I Like

Previous Posts

Archives

Official chair is...
Folk Song & Folk Tale

There's A Hole in the Bucket

The Old Woman
and Her Pig

a chair is

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Micro De-Cluttering, Happiness Project

Links

Organizing Books I Like

Previous Posts

Archives

Official chair is... Folk Song & Folk Tale

There's A Hole in the Bucket

The Old Womanand Her Pig

Official chair is...
Folk Song & Folk Tale

The Old Woman
and Her Pig