Next project = master bedroom

Well, whether I like it or not, the master bedroom re-make has started. I kept stalling because it was daunting and I just couldn't pick a place to start. I was going to box up books to give to the library as that seemed easiest. But then I thought, oh why don't I just list the waterbed on Thurston County's recycle site??? That was even easier, so I did and this a.m. someone responded. Wow!

He's coming from Rainier with a cousin to dismantle it and take it home. So I had to empty it out....it holds a LOT. Big job. I had to take all the stuff from inside the bed to another room which is now filled to the gills. But, you know what? Even if the guy doesn't show up I got the momentum moving.

Next step: books. Then a new floor. Yowza. I finally decided not to stress about a deadline. At least the bed will be gone and I can put a big old airbed there if someone needs it. I was hoping to have it all beautiful by the time August guests showed up, but I just can't get freaked out by it. Got enough else to freak about, no need to add another useless worry to the list.

I am listening to the most beautiful Hawaiian music in the world. I've been re-stocking my music library from iTunes and the results are sweet. I even found an old song, Lani, that apparently wasn't a big hit as it was hard to find. I love it.

Here's a picture I took last year from the driver's seat of my car. See the little black and white happy face? You won't believe it, but it's BIRD POOP. It amazes me every time I see it.

Say what?

Last post was over a month ago. How does the time fly like that? I'll tell you...a full life is why. And a mysterious fatigue that plagues my productivity. Not to worry, I'm investigating and am sure to come up with a cause and a cure.

In the meantime, my famously crammed garage got a makeover last week. I rented and filled a 3 yard dumpster twice. I hired professional organizers to make mincemeat of the clutter. By 4 p.m. it was spotless and organized and minus all the piles of useless Stuff. I loved what these women did for my sanity, and, oddly enough, the name of the business is "Habitat for Your Sanity." Aptly named.

My brother, Steve, is also making himself available to do some fix-ups around here. I'm so relieved because at my pace I would've driven myself starkers before I'd be able to feel at home again here. Just too much stuff and there I am, with no abilities for delayed gratification. If I want something done, it has to be NOW. And if I can't do it quickly enough, I have to enlist aid.

I've discovered a new food blog: Coconut and Lime. Something about it is appealing and I want to cook everything she posts. I have quite a collection of food blogs now so maybe will list them here for you.

Before I do that, here are some pictures. The one of Mia and Claudine is from my most recent trip to Brooklyn. Claudine was very skilled and happy with my iPhone; Mia had her head buried in a book most of the time but in this picture was diverted by something interesting Claudine had just done. The abstract what's-it's are my newest iPhone diversion. With hardly any effort I make colorful doodles to my heart's content. Oh, and there's a picture of the born-again garage.

Seattle trip coming up

One of my favorite things about my birthday this year was spending an extended period of time with Lara, alone! No busy schedule etc. So we're doing it again, but for even more days. I'm catching a train at 4:30 or so...getting to Seattle an hour and a half later. I get a senior discount so it's not even $12. That SO beats driving, which I don't like to do anyway. Wow. I can read on the way up, look at scenery...I hope. This is new for me but I have a feeling it's going to be nice.

Yesterday Dan and I continued to sort the stuff in the garage and my long-held dream of finding some specific items came true. A long time ago I'd put some of my favorite clothes in a box. They needed buttons sewed on. I put the box in the living room where it sat for months. The box got moved to another room...sorta got forgotten and one day someone put a bag of old cassettes on top of the clothes. That did it. They were gone forever. The box got swifted off to cassette heaven in the garage and the clothes were never to be found again. I kept thinking, "Someday I'm going to clean the garage and find those things" and sure enough, I did! Hurray for garage-cleaning.

I just found out someone's actually reading this little blog of mine so I have renewed energy to continue. Good thing because I love doing it. And, for good measure, here's a picture of a shadow of my legs. Lara's got me into shadows these days.

Ode to garage-cleaning

This has been a whirlwind week of newness. Not only Mr. Freezer, too. (Freddy is his name.) But also installed upgraded version of iPhoto. Yesterday tried to put pictures on here and for the first time ever I got a message saying there was an error. Tried plugging in a picture on another blog and it worked. So here goes again. Dan is the blur sweeping away dust and various interesting bits to make the "freezer hole" (another Dan-ism) ready for Freddy. And of course, there's Freddy the Freezer, happy in his hole.

Let's all give a big hurrah for clutter-clearing!

Clutter

Clutter! Who doesn't have it? And I'm fascinated with the whole subject of it so am going to write an article on clutter and how it relates to your life. One of the main Feng Shui principles is "Your Space Reflects Your Life." When you know how to look at your clutter with "feng shui eyes" you will learn how to interpret the meanings of your specific clutter. It may even begin to heal your life in a few different ways. Love, health, job, & "stuckness" in all forms.

When you see a lot of inactive clutter around your house or office, and if it gets you down, it's a pretty sure thing it's mirroring some aspect of your inner life. An example is if your Wealth area is where you have an overgrown catch-all of boxes and piles of filing that you haven't touched in 2 years, then perhaps you have been experiencing lower income levels than you'd like.

If it's the Health area that is blocked with clutter, then ask yourself if you are having blood circulation problems...or breathing issues, or constipation. If you practice long enough at the "feng shui seeing" you will begin to identify these kinds of relationships to your body and maybe even be motivated to clear those areas. (Because there may be other issues, clearing clutter may not be a magic wand and a quick cure. You likely will have other steps to take as well, but clearing will probably give you the little energy boost needed to move you along to better health.)

Tell me your clutter stories or ask questions. Your input will help the article come to life.

Namaste