Music to My Ears

"I think I'm ready to get rid of my albums," Mr Y. tells me this weekend.

 "Are you SURE?" I ask as I am opening the garage door, starting the car, and heading for the second-hand music store downtown.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll never play them again and I've lugged them from Germany, to three homes in Missouri and five homes in Kansas. I haven't even looked at them in years. It's time. "

Molly Hatchett, REO Speedwagon, Linda Rondstat, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.........

This is momentous. He is ready to let go of 150 albums that were collected, organized, fawned over, and catalogued while serving in the Air Force. Rock groups that he saw in concert, songs that he has associative memories with. You know how that is. "Oh man, I remember listening to this song when I was training for......" and the stories start to flow.

ABBA, Soundtrack from Footloose, Journey, The Beach Boys, Styx, Alabama, Bob Seger........

We talked as we removed his name and social security number (!) from inside every single album cover. ("The Air Force required us to label every personal possession with name and SS number. If it wasn't labeled it was Air Force property.") We talked about why he had an Elvis Presley album ("Had to be my brother's.") and a Tex Ritter ("Had to be my dad's."). We remarked about what pristine condition they were in because he purchased special sleeves for the records and how now we just click a button on iTunes and store our music in a handheld device.

More Molly Hatchett, Black Sabbath, Loverboy, Rush, Chicago, Nazareth...........

We kept the four albums we have displayed on our basement wall for the last eight years because they are still special to him: Kansas (Dust in the Wind), Bruce Springsteen (Born in the USA), AD/DC (Black in Black) and Lynard Skinnard (Street Survivors). We remembered that is was fun to give my son and his new bride the album that contained the first song they danced to as newlyweds to display in their NYC apartment - Arthur's theme "Best You Can Do" sung by Christopher Cross. And we let all the rest of it go.

Daily Downsizing Tally - The above post says it all.

Me Calling Me

I cannot tell you how many times I have searched for my Smart phone this week. Yes, I can tell you after all. Five times. That's what my Smart phone tells me from my Recent Calls list.

How can this be? I usually carry my phone on me in a pocket. It has become an essential part of my wardrobe. Who knows when I might come up with the perfect word to zap (Zap! Oh that's a good one! Hopefully on a triple letter/triple word combination) a Words With Friends opponent with? And what is the temperature outside right this minute (as opposed to sticking my nose out the door and testing)? I don't want to miss a text message and I might want to look up a recipe for Szechuan Chicken. No, that wouldn't happen because I don't cook Chinese food but I do check my bank balance occasionally. My cell phone is just always there.

But when it's not there is when I have to start looking. Where was I a minute ago? When did I last use it?  Have I been outside? Did I hear it drop? Closet? No. Purse? No. Beside my favorite chair? No. (Sigh) I'm going to have to call myself. Thank goodness we still have our landline. Pick up the landline, call my Smart phone. Pause. Pause. Please tell me I don't have it on MUTE. Oh! I hear it! That's Adele singing "Set Fire to the Rain" and, wait, wait, yes it sounds like it's coming from the guest bathroom. Quick, get to it before it stops ringing and I haven't zeroed in on it!

The other day I was ready to run an errand and realized I didn't have my phone. I called myself and thought I heard my phone in the bedroom, no, wait, it's behind me in the kitchen, no, mmmm, behind me in the bedroom? No. Behind me as in my purse that is slung over my shoulder and pushed behind my back.  My Smart phone was literally following me. I pull it out of my purse to see that "HOME"  is calling me. Duh.

I now realize the only time I call from my home phone is when I am looking for my cellphone so why not just label it what it is? A quick edit and it now shows the true picture. Me calling ME.

Daily Downsizing Tally: Shipped out a fly fishing vest and fly fishing fly tying bench -  items sold on E-Bay. Yep, Mr Y's hobby is now two items lighter. Trust me, there is plenty more where that came from. And yes, he knew they were being sold. Also gave a friend a book off my bookshelf and told her it must NEVER BE RETURNED! Had the same friend take 3 tubs of dishes to transport to friends in Denver but since the dishes didn't actually belong to me and were just temporarily being stored I will NOT count them in my tally. Just keeping it real.

Goodbye Popper!

The downsizing continues with the exit of The Popcorn Machine we HAD TO HAVE. This is the trouble you run into when you have big basements that need to be filled with, well, stuff. Mr Y. thought this popcorn machine was a must have 9 years ago for all the entertaining we were going to do. Have I mentioned that up to that point we had never entertained? Have I also mentioned that we still don't entertain?  My guess is that this machine was used maybe nine times. Seven of those were in the first year.

How complicated can you make popping popcorn? Start with a commercial size popcorn popper, popcorn kernels of choice, oil, variety upon variety of salts and flavors, an electrical outlet, the little paper popcorn serving bags, and then open all the windows in the house because that thing is going to smoke! Oh, the fun of dumping the popcorn out of the kettle just like the concession guys at the movies. And how terrific that it could be rolled to any location in the house? As if we were going to park it next to our chair while we watch the latest episode of our favorite show and dip in for a handful.

The thing is it never tasted any better than my microwave version that requires me only to make sure the "THIS SIDE DOWN" instruction is followed and I hit the POPCORN button. Automatic, no timing, no watching. no special oils, and no special salt. Easy Peasy.

Yesterday The Popcorn Machine moved to a new home. A guy named Bob came and bought it to put in the building he built just for playing games. Poker nights every Monday night and family gatherings required the presence of a super popcorn machine and ours fit the ticket. Perfect. The Popcorn Machine is happy, Bob is happy, and I am really happy.

Daily Downsizing Tally: College Sophomore came and took all his clothes out of his closet and left a pile for donation, The Popcorn Machine is gone, and we are watching two more items on E-Bay to be shipped out this week. Oh, and Bob took our weight bench. We paid $20 for it, he got it for the price of hauling it off. Win-win! However we did buy a bluebird feeder yesterday. Oops.

Wait! I Have a Card For That!

Friends and family have become used to receiving inappropriate cards from me.  No, not THAT kind of inappropriate. I'm talking about greeting cards that pop up in their mailbox out of the blue for no apparent reason denoting an occasion they aren't celebrating or a feeling they are not experiencing.

I have always enjoyed picking up "just in case" cards. Hallmark knows this because I was a card carrying (literally) Gold Crown member. I was rewarded for picking up cards on a whim! I was at the top of my game when I found the perfect card for someone.  But I also wanted cards handy and ready to go. Sympathy, Thinking of You, Thank You, Happy Birthday, cards that have flower seeds embedded in the paper, blank cards, and cards celebrating each and every holiday.
Cards telling you to pick up your room, that I'm a good listener, that the dating scene leaves something to be desired, and to let you know we are far apart - as if you didn't already know that if you're receiving that card. How long has it been since you celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a card? I have one! "On St. Patrick's Day, which would you rather kiss, me or the Blarney Stone?"
The problem is the occasion passes, their situation changes, or my mood shifts. (No I am NOT feeling "Love me ten-deer" as it says on the front of one Christmas card sporting reindeer with hearts over their heads.) I know for a fact I have kept some of these cards for over 30 years. It's time to let go.

I have three baskets full of cards I plan to distribute to all my friends, family, and acquaintances around the country. You may not feel like getting a new job, being sick, or having surgery just to get a card from me and that's the beauty of it. You don't have to! I'll send you the card Just Because. As a matter of fact I think I have a card here somewhere that says just that. Or you could be finding this card in your mailbox soon:

Open it up and it says: "Gawd, don't you just hate slow drying roll-ons...

Daily Downsizing Tally: Well, I think I'll send some cards!

A Confusing Day

I was raking my fall leaves today when I realized my spring flowers are coming up.  First of all, it's JANUARY.  I should be shoveling snow off my sidewalk, bundling up against the north winds, or reading a book by the fireplace, not raking leaves that I had procrastinated doing two months ago. Second of all, I should not be seeing the first signs of spring. At this rate I will have peonies blooming for Valentine's Day instead of Memorial Day. Plants should be dormant right now. Resting. Taking a break. Instead,

what SHOULD look like this.....

Has these beauties coming up at it's base today.

And what SHOULD look like this.....

Has blossoms on it already!

The bird fountain usually has a snow cap by now......

but instead the birds are still able to enjoy a chilly bath.

I'm thinking maybe I can still get my spring bulbs planted if this keeps up. Now that's confusing!

Daily Downsizing Tally: Took 2 bags of books to the 1/2 Price Bookstore, threw away a garden pot, posted more stuff to eBay!

I Can't See Unless You Tell Me Where We're Going

I know it's important to pick out the appropriate top, bottom, and shoes when going out. I also know to comb my hair, brush my teeth, and add a titch of make-up. But if you really want me at my best you better tell me where we're going so I can accessorize with the appropriate eye wear. I'm not even talking about fancy frames I'm just talking about the ability to SEE.

Going to the movies? That would be my distance contact lenses, unless we are going out to dinner afterwards and that would require taking along the pair of reading glasses that corrects my distance vision.

Sitting in an easy chair reading the newspaper?  I could just wear my bifocals but getting my reading portion focused on the right place on the page takes real skill. Someone help me here. Am I suppose to move the glasses or the paper? Tricky. My other choice is to insert one distance lens and one reading lens. Mono-vision my eye doctor calls that. One eye gets to read and the other one gets to look out the window - just not at the same time.

Working on the computer? The bifocals will work if I want a neck ache for the rest of the day from tilting my head up and looking down my nose through the reading portion. Don't you just hate it when you reach the age that you have to do that? Add a squint and that elongated jaw and you just added twenty years to your looks. Better to go with the mono's again.

Driving at night? Well, let me just say car lights, street lights, and neon signs take on a whole new sparkle, and not in a good way. Two distance lenses seem to be my best shot. But a better shot is just to clear the streets for me.

Going to bed to read? I want my reading-only glasses. Not to be confused with the reading glasses I use to correct my distance vision.

Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Just extend arms, walk slowly, and hope for the best. So far I've refused to put on ANY glasses for that trip.

Daily Downsizing Tally - It was a BIG day. Shipped two E-Bay orders, took two large bags to Goodwill, put aside a box of purses for donation, AND pitched another trash bag of stuff. Speaking of glasses, I need to figure out where to donate a couple of pair.

My Name is Motel 6

My husband (Mr. Y) emerged from the bedroom the other day and told me I had a new name, "From now on I'm calling you Motel 6."

"We'll Leave the Light On For You" is the tag line the Motel 6 hotel chain used a few years ago, or maybe still does (I pretty much skip commercials these days so I haven't see one for awhile). It was a pretty catchy line at the time, delivered by a deep reassuring voice, and easily associated with their hotel chain. It was meant to invoke that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing someone was waiting up for you no matter how late you were arriving "home". Everyone liked that tag line, it won awards, people said it to friends who were coming for overnight stays. I apparently embraced it a little too much.

Seeing lights left on around our house does not give my husband a warm fuzzy feeling. It does not make him happy and it does not make him see me as being nice and thoughtful. He doesn't understand that I left that closet light on just in case he needed to see if he is holding a pair of navy socks or black socks. The fact that the light is on in the middle of a sunny afternoon probably contributes to this.  He also doesn't understand when I say "But I was JUST in that room and I was going right back in! Why is the light off now!? I'm sure there have been studies that show it costs MORE to turn the light off and turn it back on within a short span of time. I think you just COST us money!" No, that argument does not fly in our house.

I'm working on turning those lights off. I find myself looking over my shoulder as I leave any room just to make sure. Those warm, fuzzy feelings come at a price and I don't want to pay any more than I have to for my electric bill. Come to think of it I don't think Motel 6 uses that tag line anymore. Are they not leaving the light on either?

Daily Downsizing Tally: Mailed 2 packages of items sold on E-Bay, a necklace and concert tickets. Yes, those are small items but they are still out of my house!

Saving My Pennies

The car. The junk drawer. The sidewalk. Pockets. Under chairs. The washer.  These are all great places for finding change. My husband and I each have our own methods of grabbing up this errant currency and squirreling it away somewhere. His in a Tupperware container, mine in a Celestial Green Tea can. Then there is The Penny Jar.

The Penny Jar has moved with us to at least three different houses, maybe four. I think we emptied it between a couple of those moves but I can't be sure.  Anyway, it has resided in our basement guest bedroom for about 3 years. If I remember correctly the color I chose to paint the walls in that room is actually called TruePenny by Benjamin Moore, but I digress. I make it a point to sort out new found currency and always put the pennies in The Penny Jar.  (My husband is not so discerning, he keeps everything.) 

Today my husband was making a trip to the bank and decided this would be a good day to add to The NYC Move Fund by cashing in all of our change.  "Mmm, how much do you think we have in the Penny Jar?" I asked, thinking we won't be paying for any 5th Avenue apartment but maybe we could afford a taxi ride from the airport to Midtown.  $75 is my husband''s immediate guess.  "No way!" I said, "Remember it takes 100 pennies to make just one dollar. 100 pennies!  Does it look like there are 7500 pennies in that penny jar?"  Guessing that it did not I guessed $23, 2300 pennies. Sending the attached picture to my son and DIL their estimates came in at $27 and $35 respectively. I was certainly in the ballpark. Surely.

 No, I (we) was (were) not.  $71.23 was in The Penny Jar, along with a wood screw, 2 pieces of asphalt, and an industrial staple. Go figure. If we keep up the penny saving maybe we can afford a taxi ride all they way to Jersey.

Daily Downsizing Tally: Today we Upsized our NYC Move Fund by $232. Woo hoo!

No! Don't take that!

She seemed so nice. I grabbed a couple of items at the grocery store and headed to the self-serve checkout. "Would you like one of these?" she smiled and asked. I am internally recoiling at accepting one more thing to have to give away or throw away as my head is nodding and I hear myself saying "Yea, sure" and smiling back at her as she places the item in my hand.
What is wrong with me? I don't even drink beverages in cans. I have NEVER liked using cans. So why am I now the proud owner of a Sunflower Showdown Koozie? It must be a team loyalty thing. Or superstition. Don't take it, we lose. Take it and we win BIG! All because I said yes! Or what if the store clerk gets an extra bonus if she convinces at least 25 people they really need this Koozie? I can't be responsible for her not meeting her quota can I? That could mean she doesn't get that coveted coffee gift card.
This goes a long way in explaining why I am in the process of cleaning out so much "stuff".

Please win tonight, Jayhawks. I'll be rooting for you as I wrap my cup of hot tea in a very nice Koozie.

Daily Downsizing Tally: Items thrown away - 0
                                    Items accumulated that I don't need/want - 1

One Drawer at a Time

One of my first steps to downsizing is cleaning out drawers. Sock drawers, desk drawers, junk drawers, and bureau drawers to name a few. This is not a fun process so I am trying to come up with a "Degree of Clean" scale that I can live with. (I was going to call it "Stages of Clean" but that sounded too much like a terminal illness, like when you get to Stage 4 you pretty much are down to a pair of clean underwear and a toothbrush. No, this is not that serious of a process. The "Degree of Clean" is more like the Taekwondo scale. When you get to a 4th level drawer you should have a kick-butt looking drawer. The black belt of drawers, if you will.)

I'm thinking it will work something like this:
1st Degree - Junk/Trash
2nd Degree - What you can live without/give away
3rd Degree - What you want to keep
4th Degree - What you NEED to keep

The 1st Degree is throwing away junk/trash. This is the easy step. The one that gives you no pause. Obviously you can toss a gum wrapper, scrap of paper, holey pair of underwear, or hairbrush with no bristles and not feel a pang of pain. Unfortunately I have pretty much done this with most of my drawers already so I'm moving on to...

The 2nd Degree. This one is a good one because you feel benevolent. The "I can live without this but can someone else use it" stage. This applies to the bazillion candles, candlesticks, decorative flags, decorative pillows, picture frames, frames and more frames. The only reason this stage gets painful is deciding how to dispose of all these items. If they were trash they would already be gone during 1st Degree so now I have to decide how to get rid of these items. More on THAT process in another blog.

The 3rd Degree starts getting a little trickier. This level addresses things I want to keep but will have no use for in a very small apartment. This category includes some of the kids little pieces of grade school artwork, lots and lots of printed pictures we have taken over the years, homemade afghans and baby blankets. I would love to keep all of it but it is just not practical. These items I will have to give careful consideration on who inherits them or what ceremony I am going to come up with to part with them.

The 4th Degree will include things I need. Come to think of it the list of things included in this degree should be very short. I mean, after all, who NEEDS four sets of measuring cups? That's what I found when I cleaned one of two kitchen utensil drawers today. Really? Four? I guess I figured if a recipe calls for 4 cups of four different ingredients there is no washing involved. Just the kind of thinking that has me in this mess.

So now I start my quest for a houseful of 4th Degree drawers. Anyone need a homemade wok dish?

Daily Downsizing Tally: Cleaned 6 drawers. Threw away 1 full trash bag.

Take a Deep Breath

We have decided to move from the Great Plains to NYC in the year 2012. This was not something we just came up with over New Year's Eve cocktails either. We have been discussing this move for almost a year now and the timing seems to be right. The first grandbaby (who will reside in NYC at least for a little while) is expected to arrive in late March, a 50th birthday that qualifies my husband for retirement is around the corner (late July),and it is time to downsize from the home we upsized to ten years ago.

Now the hard decisions need to be made. This is where we take a deep breath and plow ahead. We need to decide when to put the house on the market. What to sell, what to store, what to get rid of. Downsizing from 3700 square feet to 900 square feet will be no easy feat. This will chronicle our journey for the next year. From the Midwest to Midtown.

Daily Downsizing Tally: Nothing thrown away, sold, or donated. It's a holiday!