KISS... Keep It Simple Sweetheart!

"A man is rich 

in proportion to the number of things 
which he can afford to let alone."
- Henry David Thoreau

If I could point you to just one very helpful blog I would tell you to read Leo Babauta who publishes a couple times a week at ZenHabits:Living the Simple Life.

Click here to see his post for yesterday. Truly, a man after my own heart.

His gospel of simplicity in life is one I have been trying to live for some time. Leaving the busyness we had in our last life has helped some but just now, after 12 years we are getting around to discarding the riffraff 'stuff' that we brought with us and cleaning house in our two storage spots here at our island home.

We have this little tin shack tucked in the trees off our driveway that we call The Tin Shack.

No, not the dirty little old trailer... the shack to the right of it. The trailer gets the treatment next!

The Tin Shack is 10x20x8 feet tall and it has been so full of unnecessary items and papers that you could barely walk into the little house. Sherwin helped me start so we could move out one piece of furniture we wanted up in our new studio.

Well, that took some doing, but that one item did not clean out the place. Not sure exactly how many hours I spent there but this past Sunday I gave it a final sweeping and announced I was done. What is left there can be gone through at his leisure, whenever!

Also, if any of you are looking for large white envelopes for a project... Here are at least 3000 for the asking. Only one hitch, they all have Acorn Developments return addresses from Westbank days!

The folks down at the local recycle depot know we are cleaning house. They were a little horrified two Wednesdays (they are only open on Wednesday and Sabbath) in a row as we emptied out two very large truck loads of paper, two different kinds of plastic and glass.

What a relief!

But, alas and alack... that was only the beginning. This week we started on the garage, another case of riffraff up to the ceiling. Sherwin wondered why I didn't do a before photo as I was starting this job. I said, "I think we should be too embarrassed to show anyone what it looked like before!"

So your fine sensibilities are being protected. By yesterday noon we were about 1/3-1/2 done. Like the Tin Shack it is another 12 year drop and run disaster. Don't know what to do with it so just drop it anywhere and run for you life before it all fell on top of you.

One complication in this building was MICE! Now my granddaughters know my love for MICE. Maizy and Lucy, I truly tried not to screech when I came upon them but I did hate every evidence of their busy little lives intertwined around our worthless goods.

Anyway, we are well on our way to having a great garage that will never see a vehicle parked inside it but it will be a giant workshop and storage place for tools and our crafty machines!!

On the left table you can see two machines for rock cutting and polishing... and at the far end of the room is a laser machine to write words/quotes/whatever on rocks or wood.

And many shelves with bins of rocks ready for action!

Facing the other end of that room I found a closet jammed with totally unnecessary bags and boxes, cleaned out the debris and made this into a safe place for household 'can't-get-rid-of-yet' stuff. At least wood and rock dust won't have such easy access to these things.

Wish us well as we wind up that job this coming week. Oh, and do read the blog post I recommended at the beginning. Leo is a great inspiration.

This morning as we went for our first walk of the day I said to Sherwin, "I didn't think to ask 48 years ago, before our wedding, if you were a hoarder... Big Smile." He said it never crossed his mind either.

We are receiving The Cure for Hoarding!!

You all have a great new week.
God be with you and above all, be well.