Friday Report

[adair]

I've been sluggish this week, and had too much other activities to get much done. I did a little more work on my attempt to move 500 personal books (not counting stuff I got for Books to Prisoners) out of my house. So far I have taken 22 books to B2P for sending out or for our spring booksale. According to me calculations I need to get over 40 books out per month to meet my goal. I am about halfway there for January, but I don't think I will make the total amount. However, keeping at it is the key to getting things done, removing books included.

We had some sort of wetness issue in our over-stuffed coat closet, so I pulled everything out and piled it on the futon in the living room. I put back coats and jackets I had worn recently, one had had not worn but can see the need to keep, and my mother-in-law's mink that I can't and don't wear, but B hates to just get rid of it since Helen waited a long time to get it and it meant a lot to her.

I did throw away one coat, from the 70s, with an open seam that would be difficult to repair. There is still a big stack of jackets that I need to make decisions about. The coat closet is now fairly full, but it is much easier to take things out and hang them up. I was forced into this closet clearing, but at least I am slowly making decisions to move things on.

Comments

[yukonsally]

I had to do a similar coat closet cleaning with our hats and things, to find a child's certain hat, a few weeks ago. Such a pain.

Good luck! Is there a nearby outreach group that would give the coats to those in need?

[adair]

Yeah, it is annoying when you find your self in some sort of sort and discard process when you had not planned it at all, and really do not have time.

I have a couple of places to take coats and jackets that are still fit to use; one of my nieces runs a donation program in the small town where I grew up - she will get all the coats she thinks she and find people who need them.The need in these small towns and villages is greater than it used to be.

[kalloway]

Oh, coats are difficult. I'm in the Midwest and get a full range of Weather and need a coat/jacket for pretty much any possible temperature, which looks like overkill when I open the closet but I really do wear all of them. (I do have one from my grandmother - faux fur - that I wore a few years ago during a horrible cold snap and I have a nice parka now, but I keep thinking I may need 'dressy cold snap' instead of 'shoveling sidewalk in middle of night at work during cold snap', which is 100% my parka.

[adair]

Yes, the Midwest requires a whole range of coats and jackets. Here we have had temperatures in the 25 below 0 changing in 2 days to in the 40s, and then moving down again. It's always a question of what coat, what hat, scarf or not, which gloves, and keeping track of all these things. They do fill up a closet. Then you add the issues for women of what color for what you are wearing. That's what causes the keeping of several jackets. I am dumping a couple that have odd sleeves from the 80s, and one sweater I knit myself (really good work, in Irish wool in an Aran cardigan pattern( that I do not wear because the sleeves a waaay too long. The Aran pattern needed the length to shape the sleeve for the armhole, but it hangs about 5 inches over my hand.

[tanaqui]

It sounds like you still made some progress, despite the sluggishness, so well done!

I have now dealt with all of the things I pulled out of the spare room (even if that just means putting them in the right places to go out of the house in various directions at some point.)

I tried to get rid of a bag of stuff in one of those kerbside collection charity bags -- except they didn't come and collect it (or the one my neighbour put out). Grrr. However, I got another bag for a different charity through the door, so I will pop the first bag inside the second one and try again next week.

[adair]

Getting things in place to move on is probably the biggest step in clearing things out. Decisions are made. Moving them on just means you haave to remember to do it. I am amazed that you have a charity pickup at all. I have to take stuff to the back doors of various places - there are 3 that I know of - and at least one has been known to refuse things. Onward!

[fred_mouse]

Good job on finding some books to rehome, even if you don't think you will make the target. Sorry to hear about the forced cleaning, hope that everything is sorted in the cupboard now.