Suprises under the stove

So a project that was waiting till later became a top priority. Not for any special reason but I started to put a couple of plasic grocery bags in the cabinet under the stove and there was absolutely no room.  It was a billowing cloud of plastic bags.I would try to shove one in and 10 floated out. I intended to take them to Walmart to recyle, but I just never thought of it at the right time. So I grabbed a paper grocery sack and started filling it. Then I took out another paper bag, then another and then a shopping bag from Macy's, plus 5 empty paper towel tubes stuffed full of plastic bags.  I think we could have crocheted a giant rug from all of them. Thankfully I have NO emotional attachment to these bags and out they went. The childproof locks are also gone. Now there is lots of lovely space the cookie sheets and pizza pans and a very few plastic bags with a very strick limit on the number. It makes me want to make pizza from scratch. Yummy. So far my New Years resolutions are going pretty well. I told Memphis to go look under the stove that there was a surprise. He ran over opened the cabinet without hinderence and his remark was, "I thought there would be donuts under here!"

Burn Baby Burn

I was rockin' to the oldies on the way to work today. Good beat, great to sing a long with.....Burn Baby Burn....Saturday Night Fever, dancing the night away. And I won a dinner at Mr Hibatchi!. Did you know men are having their ears done?  And I didn't use Google. Plastic surgery on the ears for men. Who would have thought. Although I do  judge men by the amount of ear hair that is visiable.  Sorry guys. I know I shouldn't judge,  women get that random weird goat hair on the chin or lip. Sunlight in the rearview mirror is the best place to see them and get rid of them.
I never thought I would get old enough to complain about modern music but come on, I want to sing along. Even Jennifer Lopez went over to the dark side. I remember that my parents always played the radio while milking the cows. It helped keep them calm and not get startled by random noises. We know all the words to Beatles songs but I don't know what the cows would think of Everybody on the floor!

Deathtrap stairs part 2

This morning Memphis came up stairs to wake me up.  He said he had been waiting a long time for me to come down stairs and play with the barn animals in the pit.  I started down the stairs and Dameon decides to throw himself across the very step that I am about to step on. Squished cat or Amy at the bottom of the stairs.  REALLY? The stairs really look rather strange with nothing on them but a few hair balls.
Memphis says when he is sad, he is mean and that does NOT mean he needs a nap. He put all of his stuffed toys in his bed, covered the top with a quilt and tried to get the cat to stay with him.  I think it was  too hot because he wouldn't stay. If only a snuggley cat could solve all problems. Come to think of it, it does help to make a person feel better to pet a soft squishy cat. Petting animals is supposed to lower blood pressure and produce endorphins.
So for just a little while, Comcast had me convinced I could get cable and internet, for 2 hours I thought I could see IU play basketball and watch some normal TV. But of course that person was in "Bombay, India." When I was finally put through to the "local" installer,  I was informed that my address was no where near a cable.  I knew it. Build me up to let me down. There is cable in WILLIAMS for crying out loud. There is no justice. 
We have been lazy all day today. Although I went to town for a bit. I went to the best store. It had a room full of fancy embroidery and sewing machines.  And another room of thread and fabric.  This, mind you, was in Bedford.  I will definitely have to go back. 

In a rut or a groove?

Yesterday was a busy Monday. The days are gone when everyone did the washing on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, etc. Now I do the laundry when I need clothes, and ironing? Are you kidding me? There are a few die hards out there, my Mother for example. She always washes on Monday. Wednesday is clean the bathroom day. I try to keep that one at least. But I actually did laundry on Monday and it was great. Also got the rod brackets put in Annie's closet, got Memphis's bed moved, put away some Christmas presents,mopped the kitchen floor and made a lot of calls to Direct TV and Verizon.  It seems no one wants me to have access to the IU games without a huge monthly fee. I am too far from Williams and not close enough to Bedford. Come on IU give a raise so I can watch the games!!!!
So, the question for today is: Am I in a rut or a groove? For a long time I felt like I was in a rut, a very muddy rut with my wheels spinning and no way to move in any direction. My 3rd resolution is to get out of the rut and into a groove. So to review the resolutions:
1. put one thing away each day
2.take my phone to bed with me
3.Get out of the rut and into the groove
My countdown to 60 will be the path to the groove.
Peace!

More resolutions

So I am still putting one thing away everyday. But I totally trashed Annie's apartment because I am in the middle of "making room". Then I found out this morning that she was stranded with a flat tire after I went to bed. I usually don't take the cell phone upstairs because I either left it in the car, my purse, or on the sofa. I don't need to call anyone after I am asleep.  But there are those pesky what ifs. What if I get sick in the night? What if there is an emergency from a family member? What if I've fallen and i can't get up? Someone runs through the fence? Or Annie gets stranded with a flat tire? I hadn't worried about it because she has Onstar but the previous owner had put on locking lug-nuts and didn't leave a key. She got a tow to the dealership but still needed a ride home.  Thanks Stacy, I love you. 
So my 2nd resolution is to make sure I have the phone fully charged and with me at all times. And to finish the mess I started in Annie's room. I did get the new shower head installed.  Lots of lovely pressure.
The cold snow blowing around gave me the shivers but not for long. My body thermostat is broken so it is not long till I need a break and a cold drink.  Annie used my car to get to work today so I went out to  start it up and brush off the snow. ( in my summer nightgown) No I didn't get cold. As soon as I get the floor mopped I will start again in Annie's closet. I am hoping to add a rod in the closet so she can get everything hung up and make some more progress on the Meemster's room. I did put up blue curtains with the Cars characters. I don't know how he will feel about me taking out the old sofa, though.  Remember he doesn't like change. And it will have to be dismantled to be removed. But with room for his toys in one place, I am hoping he won't mind when everything is done. 

Death trap(stairway) CLEAR

For those of you with the nostalgic ideas about stairways, let me tell you about mine. There are "count em'"13 steps to get to the upstairs. Not counting the 4 more if you are in the "pit".  That was romantically called a sunken living room in the 70's. In the 80's the stairway was a showcase for baskets and cute stuffed bears. Lots of dust in the 80's. Then it became a way to avoid taking something up stairs till later. I even have a step basket to use for that very purpose. Then at bedtime, who has the energy to take stuff upstairs and put it away then? It slowly turned into temporary storage for shoes out of season, shoes I only wear for dress up, the jewelry and bra I take off right after work, a magazine I want to read in bed, and my broken red purse, which by the way was the last thing I put away yesterday. (more on that later). Then comes a grandchild. Kids love stairs, they climb them, play on them, they fall down them, make a hideout of them, and also an office and a place where Memphis decided he wanted to keep his 'portant' papers and a Hebrew Bible, which he reads frequently, either upside down or right side up. He is five so it doesn't really matter. If I would dare to move said papers or book while he is gone it is a serious crime. Things are to be exactly where he leaves them until his return.
Yesterday, I put the last item from my stairs away. The broken red purse. Yes, I took it upstairs. It is still good except for the strap on 1 side. It could be repaired, it is small and handy for a trip, Memphis loves it, because I would let him play bank with it. But is this the way hoarders get started? There is a fine line between those who hoard and those who are just industrious enough to find a use for everything. Recycle, upcycle, throw it out, reclaim it, give it away, clear the clutter. The artist in me says find a use for it, the Great Aunt Dillie in me says you might need it someday, the practical person in me says get it repaired and then give it away, and the organizational gurus say pitch it and don't look back.
For the new year the magazine racks will be full today of headlines for organizing, clearing clutter, living simply right beside the pictures of houses made of trash and covered with stucco, reclaimed wood and upcycled sweaters made in to coats and skirts.
I guess it is like the Bible says" moderation in all things." From the T-totaler to the drunk there is a happy medium we must all find. Or you may one day be found buried under a pile of magazines, clothes, and a red purse that you MIGHT use someday.
Oh yes, and have a Moderately Happy New Year.