Decluttering

Both Woody and I but especially me are engaged in ongoing de-cluttering.  I have been working on my office and getting rid of mountains of old files, printouts, and small useless objects.  Then in my bedroom, I have gone through many drawers and the closet in an ongoing effort to get rid of clothes I no longer use.  I got rid of outfits I only wore for readings. I can’t stand anything against my neck in old age. My neck breaks out in front if rubbed.  So, I discarded old seaters that aren’t v-neck or scoop neck. Cotton sweaters, cashmere, heavy and light sweaters. Threw out half my long underwear.  I no longer walk in winter in the woods.

None of this except stained or torn items is actually thrown away.  Rather, it all goes to Mass Appeal for people who need clothes to take home or items they sell and use the money for people in need. Until I finally joined the middle class when I was 25, I dressed from thrift stores and rummage sales. I like the idea of people getting use out of the clothes I no longer wear.

In the office, recipes I imagined I might use, old drafts of poems, requests I have no intention of fulfilling, etc,  all pile up until they cover anything I might actually need. I have removed 4 big lawn bags so far.  I am also going through drawers in my office – items like a key punch I haven’t used in  years,  and of course more paper, paper, paper. Woody asks why I print things out but I can’t proofread well on the screen. I am far more critical also when I see my work printed out.

We have yet to tackle the hall closet for real; and kitchen drawers, the pegboard, the kitchen cabinets. I bet we find things forgotten a decade ago. Winter is a good time to tackle decluttering, but the garden is not yet finished. I am pretty much done but Woody has a lot of tasks. This weekend, he had to take the screens off the sunporch and put on glass windows. It’s too cold to use now, even for the cats.  They miss being able to go out there.

They cuddle with each other even more now than when it’s warmer. Shaman has been super affectionate with both of us, particularly me, and also his bro Schwartzie and his girlfriend Willow.   

The wild turkeys are back as of yesterday. The hens have chosen a gobbler for their winter protector after spring and summer in small groups of hens with their poults. I love to watch them and so does Shaman. They look so prehistoric I feel I see the dinosaur in them. We have a huge number of birds at the feeders this season. Wood sometimes has to fill the feeders twice day. Also, the grey squirrels eat from them. So far, we haven’t seen the red squirrels. Shaman is fascinated by them. They stare at each other through the window

I have finally gotten back to work on beginning my next poetry book. All the revisions to THE HOUROF MY DEATH interrupted that for over a month. The last couple of days, I was able to resume where I left off, very preliminary work. Just going through so far two folders of poems on my computer to sift which (at least in the first go-round) are good enough for the book. Once I have printed out those poems (another week’s work at least, probably two) then I will start the second winnowing down.