I have touched briefly on Spring Cleaning recently. It’s one thing to clean out one’s own dresser drawers, but I have it on good authority that there is much more to it than that. A dear friend of mine, Jackie, is on a roll and has begged online for friends and family to “Somebody please stop me!” She will have everything spotless before going out to California in a couple of weeks. Sorry I won’t be able to make the same claim before heading out to see my daughter and her brood in Arizona next month. I have not had to beg anyone to stop me, however I am haunted by several cabinets, closets and drawers that I have not gotten to … yet.
Once you have cleaned the attic, there should be no more concern about it unless you are in and out of there on a regular basis. I cleaned ours in preparation for a new A/C and heating system and insulation two years ago. It’s still pristine. Give me a drum roll and a round of applause, please. I'm really proud of the clean attic, and feel inclined to show it off when we have guests.
The garage is The Royster’s domain. The yard is mine. 'Nuf' said about that.
The closet I am considering next is in the kitchen. It’s very large, and I think it was designed to store small kitchen appliances. One could have an entire garage sale based on what’s in that closet alone. I know that there is a Wok in there that has not been used in about 20 years. There are three crock pots, a toaster oven, my mixer, a small vacuum cleaner and a filing cabinet. Oh! … And my nebulizer is right at eye level. That’s very important to know. Beyond that, who knows? There could be a giant Aardvark in there and I probably would not know. By the way, there is a reason that I am not using “we” in this. That would be because I’m the only one that goes in there. Family and friends that come into this house seem to have a natural fear of opening those big double doors. The Royster is just plain terrified. I could hide an entire Christmas in there, if there was room, and it would be safe from prying eyes. The only draw back about that is that all that stuff would be lost … secure and for good. The rest of the stuff in this closet is clutter that was gathered from the kitchen table, counters and desk tops in preparation for guests. Obviously, it cannot be anything that I have needed, or I would know what else is in there.
There are several other areas of community clutter that are in dire need of attention. There are two wet bars in our house. As far as I am concerned, this could not possibly still be considered a selling point for a home. We do not even use one wet bar. We are teetotalers and have absolutely no use of one wet bar. However, that has not stopped us from chunking stuff behind them. The one downstairs has a small TV set that is reserved for when we want to sit out on the deck to watch a ball game or a movie. We even have a TV Converter Box for it. It’s never been hooked up. There are a number of gadgets, candles and small remote control cars; not to mention drawers full of old photographs and memorabilia, like battery operated Cheap Sun Glasses that flash in different colors from a ZZ Top Concert. This rat hole is its own challenge.
The upstairs wet bar harbors all of my sewing notions, supplies, fabrics and craft crap. It started out in some kind of order, but none of it is any particular order now. Don’t get me wrong. I do use this stuff often, and I know where to find whatever I need. It’s a matter of trying to get to the things I need without spilling a huge jar of buttons or a huge bag of tiny beads into the carpet. It just takes a while. I do know where the card table is, and my sewing machine and my glue gun (and I know how to use it). That’s a start. My big plan for these wet bars is to have them torn out and replaced by cabinets, drawers and desks. I keep hearing in the back of my head, “Dream on, dreamer!”
So you see, I have my choice of major community clutters to clean out. My only serious fear is that I could be sucked into the Twilight Zone; not that it would not be interesting. Somebody please stop me!
In the mean time, I will just write a note in the dust on the coffee table to anyone looking for me, “See me in the back yard cleaning out Monster Flower Beds!" … And somehow I feel much safer there among the leaves, weeds, cat briar, bugs and snakes.
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