Clump #159: Clear pile number 18, receipts … and shred.

Today’s pile was tedious, but most of it could just be shredded, shredded, shredded.  I do have a few good habits, and one is putting all my Christmas receipts into a big envelope.  This one was from 2012, so if it ain’t broke, and it’s over a year old, we won’t need the receipt.  There were exactly four pieces of paper in this pile worth saving: the type of receipts we would normally tear the house apart to find.  Big step forward!

As for the third installment of my week-long pigment therapy for the winter blahs … some of you might remember months ago I posted photos of a floral shop I walked by one night in Chicago.  It seemed magical, and I was entranced.  Here are two photos from back then:

The store was called New Leaf.

This winter I was back in Chicago visiting our older daughter and, cheapskate that I am, got a great hotel price on Expedia.  It was one of those steeply discounted deals where you pick the general area you want to stay, and you don’t find out the hotel name until you pay.  I took the gamble, and was very pleased with the resulting hotel and location, especially for the price.

Here’s the amazing part.  Below was the view from my hotel window.  The lit up store is none other than New Leaf.  Chills!

Since I was right next door, I was actually able to stop by and go inside!

It was just as magical in daylight.

Oh, rich and gorgeous color!

Blossoms from a warmer land.

Wickedly frigid Chicago became tolerable in this plant paradise.

I realized that I have included a song every day with the color infusion posting.  In yesterday’s pile I uncovered many notes to myself, and I’d undoubtably jotted this one down upon hearing the song It Goes As It Goes, from the movie Norma Rae, on the radio.

I looked it up today, and what a beautiful song it is.  From 1979, written by David Shire  and Norman Gimble, and sung by Jennifer Warnes (not Warrens, as I had scribbled).  The song won the Oscar that year.

I was moved to think of this Clump A Day project like the flow described in the lyrics, below.  What we keep and appreciate gets better, while what holds us back gets gone.

So it goes like it goes
and the river flows
and time it rolls right on
and maybe whats good
gets a little bit better
and maybe what’s bad gets gone.