Author / clumpaday

by clumpaday

Take Out the Papers and the Trash

Clump #181: Remove trash from son’s bedroom.

So this was obviously an easy and straightforward clump … call it a mini vacation in my 30-day, 30-post Bedroom Blast Challenge.  Our younger daughter kindly — and willingly — devoted some of her college break to shoveling through the accumulated rubble in her brother’s room while he’s studying in Norway for a year.  She left labels on the sorted-out piles. This one made me smile:

IMG_5068

The trash basket on the left, above, was from our son’s college days. The one on the right stayed in his bedroom at home … fascinating, right?  The truth is, that one does have its fascinating aspects.  It was a relic from my husband’s youth.  He says he might have gotten it in middle school, or junior high, as we called it way back then. Little did he know that it would turn out to be a time capsule. Remember the old computer punch cards that couldn’t be folded, spindled, or mutilated?

IMG_5073

When this trash can was made, the war in “Make Love Not War” was the Vietnam war.  And I guess everyone in every time period thinks they are living through “nervous times,” but …

IMG_5074

the phrase: “Draft The White Knight But NOT Me” (below) makes clear that those truly were nervous times for young people.

“Chairman Mao Is A Fink” is so dated in terms of history and linguistics. When did the word “fink” go out of fashion?

IMG_5072

It was the 60’s, man, even the trash cans were radical!

by clumpaday

A Mixed Bag: Books, Bravo, and Bulbs

Clump #180:  Send son second list of book titles.  Day five of the 30-day, 30-post Bedroom Blast Challenge … moving clutter and chi.

The second box of books included 33 titles.  I have a dream that one day this basket will be used for laundry again:

IMG_5062

The journal on top has the quote below on its cover.  Pretty nice to consider while assessing a load of books; we tend to look outside ourselves for wisdom.

IMG_5066

On another note, I’ve mentioned a few times my guilty pleasure of watching The Voice.  Last night my fellow Voice enthusiast neighbor and I went to see former contestant Matthew Schuler perform locally.  He was known as having the fastest four-chair-turn in the history of the show, and his rendition of the song “Hallelujah” made it to the top of the iTunes charts.  The photo below was taken when he sang “Hallelujah” at the show.  Amazing!

Such a fine young man, and great to hear that his experience on the show was positive.  I even got to talk to his parents who were manning the merch table.  I knew them, too, from the show.  They are both ministers and were super nice.  I asked his mother how she handled the experience of her son going through the incredible ride of the show. Her answer was, “I just said, God, have your way … cover him.”  The concert benefited The Peacemaker Center, a non-profit mental health counseling organization.  Bravo Matthew!

IMG_5024

And today I passed a chorus of crocuses on my way to my mom’s.

IMG_5027

It was difficult to adequately capture how gorgeous they were.

IMG_5041

Each little grouping was more beautiful than the next.

IMG_5036

Hallelujah!

IMG_5038

 

by clumpaday

Weighty Books and Horsey Looks

Clump #179:  Send son list of book titles.  Day four of the 30-day, 30-post Bedroom Blast Challenge. Mission: clear out our son’s bedroom before he returns home and deposits more stuff in there.

I sent our son an email listing all 44 titles from the box below so that he can decide what to keep and what to give away.  I added that I would not mind a bit if he wanted to let go of any I had given him.

Continue reading →

by clumpaday

Supergood Films

Clump #177: Sort through son’s DVD collection.  Day two of the 30-day Bedroom Blast Challenge.

We split it into three piles: on the left, music performance videos of some of our son’s favorite groups; on the right, regular movies to keep; and the small pile on top to give away (not much).  You might wonder why George Foreman’s LEAN MEAN FAT GRILLING MACHINE is on the musical video pile.  I wondered, too, and our son said he had been considering projecting it in the background during one of his band’s performances.  Oh … of course … I should have guessed!

IMG_4985

Continue reading →

by clumpaday

Another Challenge Takes Flight

Clump #176:  Start Bedroom Blast Challenge; sort out electronics.

This is a post about stuck-ness in various forms.  Some readers might remember the goose with the rotating wardrobe I drive past in Strasburg, PA on visits to my mom.  During the end of winter, and what should have been spring, I had begun to worry about the goose’s clothier … the outfit hadn’t changed in weeks … maybe months?  This photo was taken a week ago, at the beginning of our last (LAST) snow.

Continue reading →

by clumpaday

Technophobia and Other Clumps

Clump #175:  Get more cyber-storage space and recycle plastic bags.

Good Lord, I am so thoroughly technophobic.  Loyal readers might have noticed a lapse in my clumping and posting, and it’s because I reached the limit of storage space WordPress allows for free.  I’d filled up my allotment of cyber space in the process of freeing up the storage space around our house.

And then I became flummoxed about how to fix the problem … I eventually figured it out, by myself (not whimpering to one of my family members) (well maybe just a bit).  My younger daughter pointed out that this resolution is its own type of clump.

Continue reading →

by clumpaday

Habit Hooks and Hamster Tracks

Clump #174:  Get a clump to Goodwill.

So far I’ve had a good record for using my tickler file.  My strategy: I’ve promised myself I will look inside the day’s folder before I look at anything on the computer.  The two are close to each other, so it has been a cinch … kind of a habit hook.

Today’s folder contained a couple of Christmas carols that my younger daughter had found in a whirlwind of room cleaning.  I know just where to put them!  And, even better, I’ll know just where to find them next December.

IMG_4699

I developed the other part of my strategy on day two, when I skipped looking in the folder because I knew there was nothing inside.  It occurred to me that I need to know there will always be something inside a day’s folder in order to maintain the habit … thus, a second promise.  I will put my to-do list for the next day (using discarded pages from a page-a-day calendar) in its folder the night before, and do it before I turn on the television, pick up something to read, or otherwise chill for the evening … a nightly habit hook bookending the morning one.

IMG_4695

On today’s list was a trip to the Goodwill.  My husband had weeded a bunch of clothes out of his closet , and my younger daughter was galvanized to do the same, adding books and other sundry items …

IMG_4701

including the cage and hamster toys for her dearly departed hamster, Steve.  I had no idea he had a “HAMTRAC.”

IMG_4703

Giving these things away felt good and made walking into her hamster-barren room much easier.  Let’s all imagine Steve enjoying an awesome HAMTRAC in the sky.

IMG_4705

It was a perfect day for spring cleaning and crossing off errands from the list:

IMG_4707

warmer temperatures, bright blue sky, and puffy clouds like bright white linens snapping in the breeze.

by clumpaday

1 Day without an Accident

Clump #173: Finish “do” tasks; take down red outdoor decorations.

I might just have to post a running tally like the industrial “__ Days without an Accident” signs to keep track of the number of successive days I have checked the tickler files pictured yesterday.  I can crow that I checked my “Day Eleven” folder this morning.  One Day!

In it was an old bill causing creeping discomfort.  (Radioactive!)  One of those, “I’m-pretty-sure-we-paid-this…” bills, and it turns out we had, but in the onslaught of neglected paper, who could tell for sure?  Well, now I know.  It was a great comfort to speak to someone in the billing office and hear, “You’re all paid up.”  Phew.  I stared down and removed several similar items from the list.

images-1

Driving through Lancaster County today, not only were the farm fields predominantly brown instead of the all-pervasive white, this was the vibrant scene of businesses opening again:

IMG_4679

And then this!  My first flower sighting of the season!

IMG_4676

Hallelujah!  Sunshine to the soul.

IMG_4671

I was inspired to take down our Valentine’s Day wreath featured in an earlier post:

IMG_4680

Also the red ribbon threaded through window boxes before Christmas:

IMG_4681

Soon enough will be spring pansy time here.

IMG_4683

I put up a wreath made of paper roses …

IMG_4690

which I found at a paper shop that was advertising half-off Valentine’s Day merchandise.

IMG_4426

So wonderful to be in an old-fashioned stationery shop.  I’ve noticed we no longer have “stationery” aisles in grocery stores; it’s now “office supplies.”  A significant cultural shift.  I marveled at the shop’s rainbow of snail mail products:

IMG_4425

I’m sure this wreath was meant to adorn an indoor setting, so I sprayed it with a water repellent before putting it out.

IMG_4691

It will proclaim to the world that a Paper Clutter Conquerer lives here!

by clumpaday

Seeds of Change

Clump #172:  Fly through “Do” pile.

I’m experiencing a bit of whiplash right now.  My younger daughter pounced on the “Do” pile today and said, “Let’s just sort this into different sections.”  Three categories presented themselves: items that could be taken care of in the house (phone calls, etc.); items that needed to be taken care of outside the house (errands); and things I needed to send out.

I thought sorting would be a good start, and imagined chipping away at the pile in the coming week or weeks.  But my younger daughter’s energy and perseverance drove me to take care of most of the pile today!  It was like having a personal trainer by my side.

She even tore through tasks I’ve been meaning to get around to for an eternity.  Here she is entering the packing list for our annual week at the lake into Excel.  She wrote up another list for holiday dinners at my mom’s place. Now we won’t forget that one thing … one year a corkscrew, last Thanksgiving a carving knife, etc.

IMG_4655

The mail came in, and we tore through that, too.  I had the perfect file waiting to save instructions on how to handle electronic recycling.  The car registration and sticker went directly out to the … car!  For once, not set aside to fall into the paper void.

IMG_4660

I was amazed at how quickly and easily, with the right attitude (okay, the right helper with the right attitude) things I’ve put off for so long just magically got done.  I had cut this article out of The Philadelphia Inquirer ages ago about volunteers who perform Reiki for cancer patients as a part of Gilda’s Club.  I had been interested in volunteering, and suddenly all the barriers to do so fell away when my daughter found the application and background clearance forms.  I was able to get the criminal check done online, almost instantaneously (“No Record”), and could print out the others.

IMG_4666

We also resurrected a filing system I’d previously failed to keep up.  It’s sort of a tickler file for items that will need attention in the future, and — ideally — keeps them from becoming lost or forgotten.  The file for tomorrow (eleven) holds a paper that’s a “to-call” reminder for an office that was not open today.  Each day of the month has its own folder …

IMG_4668

As do the months of the year, for papers and reminders for the months ahead.  The system is only successful if I consult the the files every day. Will I be able to do it?  We shall see.

IMG_4669

While at the post office I asked if they had any pretty stamps.  The postmaster showed me these flowery ones.  I had to get both:

IMG_4662

The vintage seed packets seemed appropriate on a day when my daughter and I dug in with a host of actions sure to reward us over the coming months.