a chair is: Kitchen Decluttering Continues

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Kitchen Decluttering Continues

Progress Report:
As usual, I've forgotten to take pictures of many things. Roy and I continue to work twice a week. The 'small-increments' or 'little-by-little' method is starting to add up nicely.

We moved on to the kitchen counters a couple of weeks ago.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What I don't have pictures of is the progress in my basement pantry/laundry room.
Just to make you feel better about your clutter and disorganization and procrastination, or at least not so alone, if I had taken pictures, you would have seen the wasteful, shameful result of years of whole foods co-op organizing, social activism and good intentions paired with little time for cooking and family resistance to things labeled 'organic,' 'whole,' 'low-fat,' 'vegan', 'macrobiotic,' 'sodium-free,' 'natural' . (Except for Annie's Mac and Cheese, Little Bear Tortilla Chips and Ambrosia Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)
You would have seen me toss things dated 1994, use by December 1999...you would have seen go:
part of a case of chocolate soy pudding (acquired before moving to this house in 1996)
half of a 10 lb bag of long grain brown rice that had turned yellow
2 lbs of rancid organic almonds
lemon juice from Israel acquired pre-move
old, old organic flours in several varieties

There was more. I can't bear to contemplate it. Shameful.
But not unforgiveable. And I forgive myself so I can keep on trying to change the things that led to the situation...

2 Comments:

Clean ClutterFree Simple said...: Amazing transformations!; 5:42 PM, April 07, 2007
Anonymous said...: 'Zann, I came here via the Happiness Project blog and have read the archives in the past 24 hours.

I'm sending deep sympathy and prayers to you for Patrick's loss.

The blog has made me think about my own family history of clutter and my own unruly mess of books and yarn (and the frustration of a patient and incredibly neat spouse) everyday. I look forward to reading about the continued progress.; 8:16 AM, April 11, 2007

Welcome to my decluttering blog!

I began this in early 2006, focusing on decluttering my home, organizing my life. I accomplished a lot in a short time, but then tragedy struck our family again when my youngest son died in March of that year. I found myself completely unable to continue as I had planned. I found myself on a very different healing journey.

In May 2009, I began the most basic decluttering of all - a project to lose weight and create healthy habits for the rest of my life. It seemed appropriate to write about that here.

Two years later, I've gained back 15 of the 40 pounds I lost, turned 60 and am going through some sea change in my thinking. Though I doubt I'll ever be a 100 Things minimalist, I'm getting a lot out of reading minimalist blogs and I am definitely freeing myself of more. I do this blog to keep myself motivated, but it will be a splendid bonus if I can also provide inspiration and comradeship to those on their own journeys to creating joyful lives.
Namaste!
--Zann 10/13/2011 About Me

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