Friday, March 15, 2024

Spring...

The weather has been telling us it's spring for the last month, but the calendar assures me it doesn't actually arrive until next Tuesday, the 19th.  I seem to remember not that long ago spring would appear on the calendar weeks before the weather would concede to its arrival.  The last few years it seems just the opposite.  We feel the tease of coming spring weeks (this year, more than a month) before the calendar confirms it.

All sorts of plants have been growing for the last few weeks, but today I finally snapped some pictures.  When I started taking these pictures two years ago, I didn't realize what a nice record it would prove to be.  

For example, in this post on April 22nd, two years ago, I can see that today's asparagus patch is producing a whole month earlier.  Even with last year's early spring, we didn't eat asparagus until the middle of April.

On Monday of this week, there were just a few small spears:

By Friday, this had happened:

I didn't get a picture of the whole patch, just the spot where there were a number of spears growing.   Our nights are supposed to dip below 30 a couple of nights this weekend.  If that doesn't ruin these spears, I think we'll be eating asparagus come Monday!

In the same vein, my various plant pictures are probably more for my record than for your enjoyment, but humor me as I post what's growing here.

Irises

Daylilies

Clematis


Egyptian Walking Onions

I remember, the first spring we were here, I was going to dig up these walking onions and do away with them.  I am so glad I didn't.  They provide entertainment all summer long as they produce new bulbils on the top of their green stalks and then fall over and those bulbils eventually produce new plants.  We've given away a bunch of these plants the last two summers.  I think I'm going to be a little stingy and let these replenish this year.


Somehow, I missed until this spring that this is a forsythia bush.  
Forsythia blooms make my heart happy.


And these Daffodils bloomed on Wednesday.  
Yes, I was watching that closely.  

They're not pictured, but I noticed that the sedum was growing in February.  And this week, the Bradford Pears and I think a Maple tree are budding out.    

For weeks, we've been serenaded by birds from early morning to evening time. It's nice to be treated to green growing things now too.  While our winter has been nothing to complain about, and even when I don't quite feel ready for it to warm up, spring always feels like a gift.  


~~~~~


The blossoms have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
~ Song of Solomon 2:12

Friday, March 8, 2024

Papercrafting supplies...

The  office finally got whipped into shape earlier this week.  Part of me wanted to wait to publish this post when I got the room more prettied up, but the bigger part of me needs to move on.  So I'm posting what's finished, and calling it day.  For now.

As I looked at the two places in this room I keep paper crafting supplies, it was quickly obvious to me that organization, per se, isn't my problem.  I guess I kind of knew that, but taking a picture helped me see more clearly what the problem was.


The worst problem was stuff piled up in a corner, in boxes next to the credenza above, just being an annoying eyesore. While I spent the last two years trying to ignore it, it stared me down every time I sat at the desk right across from it.


There was no pride in that corner. That bulletin board you see there came off the kitchen wall of the house we moved out of almost 2 1/2 years ago.  And it has sat in this corner ever since it got here, with all the same old stuff thumbtacked to it. 



The bookshelf above houses mainly art supplies, some scrapbooks and the three boxes on the bottom hold things like paper punches, stickers, and some embellishment odds and ends.  

Since I haven't used much of the craft supplies in this room in two years, I decided an inventory needed to happen.  I knew with doing an inventory, consolidation of like items would follow suit.

Before I started an inventory of stuff that would stay in this room, though, I decided I would remove everything from the office I didn't want to stay in here. Things that had either migrated into this room or were put here because it seemed as good a place as any at the time.  

Things like...

...files collected and created for settling my brother's estate after he passed three years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long...

... the old kitchen bulletin board with tired old stuff tacked to it.

...a couple of boxes of young children's science items (magnifying glasses, a bug collection container, a variety of magnets).  There was even a box of stuffed animals. 🤔

In other words, all the random stuff tucked into that embarrassing, neglected corner came out of the room. 

As I started removing these items from the office, I decided to make a rule that nothing in this room would be stored in an ugly cardboard box.  And ideally, I will also eventually whittle down the number of plastic storage containers in this space.

With everything removed that I didn't want to stay in the room, it was much easier to inventory what would be staying.  As the inventory happened, two somewhat opposite things occurred:

1)  As expected, I was able to consolidate like items and that helped me decide on some obvious things to let go of.

and

2) I realized I wasn't ready to part with as much as I first imagined.

But that isn't all bad.  Putting my hands on everything and deciding on what to get rid of and what to keep, I found I had a renewed interest in these items.  Of course, that is natural, and I might find the feeling is fleeting, but that's okay.  Sifting through one's stuff sometimes has to happen in layers.  Time has a way of making me clearer headed - usually.

And it doesn't mean I didn't part with anything.  These things are going:



In addition to a bunch of glossy photo paper we brought home from my mother-in-law's house, the above things are boxed up and waiting to be given to a young therapist in my life who sometimes incorporates art therapy in her work.  She also has an art studio and I'm pretty sure she'll make better use of these things than I am.  And if she doesn't, that's okay.  It's a relief that I've made the decision that these thing won't be my problem anymore. 

Another thing I did in this office was to tidy up all the cords that go with the computer, modem, router, and printers.  Greg and I are still pretty old school here, both of us preferring to type on a keyboard, and liking the larger size of a monitor to that of a laptop. While I'd love to be more cordless here, it doesn't appear that's happening any time soon.

Until recently, the mess of cords looked like this:


After studying some smart looking cord corralling products online, I decided none of them would work well for this situation, so I just bought some velcro zip ties, and with some command strip velcro pieces we already had, I got to work coiling cords, and tacked most of them up under the over-hanging area of the desk...



I don't exactly love it, but it's a considerable improvement.

As for the crafting supplies.  Things got consolidated, some drawers were relabeled, and I think I can now easily put my hand on anything it might occur to me to want to use.

While this room may not ever be what someone would call pretty, it's definitely more functional. I do think my paper craft supplies may get more use now, and perhaps more importantly, my mind is clearer when I'm in here.   

There are still a few boxes (that are not coming back into the office) that need sorting through - mostly they are files and pictures of my late brother's.  That sorting may not happen immediately, but it is my goal to take care of that task this year.  

I hope I've inspired you to also tackle some spot in your home that's been nagging at you for attention.  I find my mind is freer when it knows where things are, and when there is some "white space" in a room.  Empty corners and walls count as "white space" in my book.

Thanks for following along on this endeavor!












Dried tea bags waiting for an art project




Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Just nuts...


Remnants of Christmas

Delicious, nutritious treat

Broken craggy shells 


Nod of approval  


Thursday, February 29, 2024

The card monster...

The process of sorting through paper craft stuff has begun, but it has not been nearly as straightforward as I imagined it might be.  More on that in another post, perhaps, but for now I will talk about some success I've had.

I decided to start with cards, and card-making supplies.  And here enters the character of my fantasy self.  I trust by now everyone has heard of this concept of a fantasy self - a version of ourselves that we, perhaps, aspire to, or just wish we were.  One facet of my fantasy self is that I am a card maker, and sender of cards for any and all occasions - birthdays, holidays, get well, thinking of you...  This fantasy self pats herself on the back for being thoughtful and timely with good wishes.  And everyone who is fortunate to receive a card from her is in awe.

The truth is, I am a terrible sender of cards.  Except for my immediate family, and my sisters, I don't even TRY to remember peoples' birthdays, and long ago, we stopped sending out holiday cards.  I also got honest with myself, and admitted that while I love the idea of beautifully hand-decorated cards, I don't actually have the desire to make them.  I do sometimes like to make simple or funny or quirky cards for certain people.  Not everyone.  Just the lucky few who I trust will get my sense of humor or who have no choice but to indulge my other fantasy self who likes to imagine herself as a sort of artist (note the emphasis on sort of).  

Long before I ever collected the first card-making item, I had a small stash of store bought cards.  My original card collection started innocently enough with Current cards and a little spiral bound book that had a pocketed page for each month.  Inside the pocket I could put birthday or anniversary cards, and there was space on the front of each pocket to write special dates and names of anyone I wanted to send a card to that month.  For the longest time, this was a very handy and sufficient system. Until it wasn't.

At some point, I collected enough cards (admittedly many were blank cards purchased for thank you notes) that I needed something larger to put them in.  This pretty box was purchased for the purpose, and for another decade or so, this was a perfect container of cards.


I would sort through it it occasionally and it never got out of hand.  I have dividers to keep the cards organized by categories.  Have I already mentioned how perfect it is?

When my MIL passed in 2020, and we were clearing her house, we uncovered a massive collection of cards she had been storing.  Unlike me, she was probably a true sender of cards, even if she had too many.  Corralling them from their various hiding places, I sorted them into categories into a dozen or more boxes.  Before donating them, everyone took what they wanted.  I thought I was being selective, and not taking all that many, but when I got them home and tried to figure out where to put them, I began to realize I had more cards than I could use in what's left of my lifetime.

I'm happy to say, this week, using the container concept, I decided to get back to only having as many cards as will fit in my perfect-sized card box.  And I (mostly) succeeded. 


Sorting through them all, I packaged up a bunch of cards to donate to a thrift store in town, and a large box of Christmas cards are going to wait to be sorted through and most of them donated next winter.  The only other cards I've kept are a photograph box full of blank cards for whatever crafty card making I might be inspired to do.  It's all still too many cards, but at least they're whittled down, and more space is made in the office.  Most importantly, the cards I've kept fit us, and the scenarios we might actually send a card for. 

Most of the cards below have a new home in a local happy-to-have-them thrift store.  



The card monster has been tamed.  The other paper-crafting supplies will be addressed another day


Monday, February 26, 2024

So many thoughts at once...

 


Why do ideas come to me so many at a time?  Is it like this for you?  It seems I either drag along for days on end, not overly motivated, or the ideas for things to do are so many and varied and come so fast that I feel overwhelmed by the choices.
 
I'm going to let you inside my brain for a bit and let you see how the train of thought winds its way around in there.  Tell me if you relate.  

Things on my mind at the moment:
 
Finishing organizing this office I’m sitting in 
 
Organizing and streamlining my craft stuff 
 
Making some (maybe hard) decisions about what crafts I even want to do at this point
 
It’s occurring to me that my papercraft stuff is mostly what's left to organize in the office, and that thought gives me comfort as I realize this job shouldn't be as overwhelming as I've been allowing myself to feel about it.
 
My craft stuff, in general, is a big chunk of what is weighing me down, causing my motivation to lag.  I've known this for years.  It's time to come to terms with it.
 
Figuring out the entirety of my craft stuff is going to be a process.  I enjoy different hobbies, but having a sufficient (sometimes an abundance of) supplies to pursue those hobbies can be detrimental to the creative process.  This is going to take time.  I will do well to accept that up front.
 
It doesn’t help that even as I type, I want to craft, draw, paint, sew, crochet - just make stuff.  But I can't cull through and organize, and create the mess involved in making stuff at the same time. 
 
Things other than crafts I'm thinking about:

I also want to go through my closet and see what I will feel good about wearing for spring.  My body has changed, and much of what I wore last spring just isn't going to work well now.
 
I’m continuing to deep clean the house.  Fortunately, this doesn’t require a lot of thought, and my strength and energy seem up to the task for the most part.  Keeping up the momentum is the main thing.  With all the sunshine we’ve been having recently, dusty windows are starting to bother me, so maybe I’ll tackle some strategic ones this week.  Or not.  It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so maybe I can just put that thought off for later.
 
I also want to plan a garden, maybe order seeds, and maybe even try to get some seedlings going.
 
And, with this crazy warm weather we’ve been having, I can't believe I'm already starting to wonder if I should uncover the strawberries and get that bed ready for spring.  The strawberries usually don’t get uncovered until late March or April.  And what about the asparagus?  Could I possibly have any coming through the soil already?  Surely not, but I should check sometime this week.
 
And none of this touches the personal disciplines I feel the need to be about, too.  Exercise, planning and cooking healthy meals, Bible study, even pleasure reading…   That list seems to go on, too.
 
And somewhere in between deciding on things I want to do, is the necessary and often mundane stuff like laundry, grocery shopping, dishes, sleeping…  I don’t find these things particularly onerous to do, but they do slow me down.
 
Earlier this month I printed out a free habit tracker from here.   I've mostly failed at habit tracking in February, but a new month (which feels like a new beginning) is right around the corner.   I love new beginnings.  I seem to live for them – wanting to cast old failures aside as soon as I can turn a calendar page.
 
Last week I began reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.  When I put it on "hold" a couple of weeks ago, I was something like 36th in line.  Even with four or five copies in our library system, I figured it would be months before I would rise to the top of the pack of people wanting to read this book.  I was shocked to get it last week, and assuming there are others behind me, I must be disciplined if I'm going to finish this book before I have to return it.  I’m in the second chapter, and I can say right from the beginning James Clear has some real gems to share. 



As I consider whether or not to publish this post, I will be the first to say I'm not sure it's worthy of publishing.  But I do know it was worth writing.   Getting my jumbled and competing thoughts in print is often the route to clearer thinking – eventually.
 
Since I've decided to go ahead and hit "Publish", and since I’m putting myself out on a limb with this post, I’ll invite you to watch this space for more posts I’m thinking may be a series as I tackle some of my organizational projects. 
 
The first project being papercraft supplies.


Don't think for one minute that this is the total of my paper crafting stash. This is just a teaser to pique your interest.  In a future post, I'll invite you into my actual process.  Dawn (The Minimal Mom) would say I'm about to embark on an inventory process, Dana White (AKA A Slob Comes Clean) would encourage me to use the container concept.  James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, would say I'm deciding on the type of person I want to be.  They would all be right.  And since this isn't my first rodeo, I'll be adding their wisdom to my lifetime of experience of, yet again, tackling my stuff.