Winter Wonderland

I should mention that we live on a court, so there's no sidewalk plowing. The street that our street joins is also not cleared by the city. However, the next street over the sidewalk is plowed. It all works out, but it's annoying that homeowners can't do some work. I wonder how I'll get to the plowed sidewalk this morning with the girls. I'm walking on the street, I guess. 

So when I was in BC last year—Penticton and West/North Vancouver, to be exact—I would NOT want to live there if there was snow and ice, as there has been this year—at least in Vancouver. M lives at the top of a steep hill, and it's been icy for days. Little Bear does not cope well with walking in one direction and turning around. He needs a circular route! 

Speaking of snow - there's LOTS outside this morning. It started at 3 pm and became nasty as I walked to the grocery store and back. It was not terrible, but the wind was brisk, and the snow was more icey pellets than snow. I put the car in the garage when I got home, and I don't need to go anywhere today. I don't expect anyone, so I'll tackle the driveway and sidewalks a bit at a time. 

Car parked in the garage

The girls are beside themselves with a desire to get out and play in it, but we have to wait until 7 am because a certain someone can't contain herself if she spots anything to bark at. This is what it looked like at 4:00 pm yesterday. 

The calm before the deluge

This is what it looks like now. The best gauge is the electrical box in the middle left of the top photo. And now, look at it. The forecasters say we got 20 cm, and I suppose that's about right. Thankfully, our driveway was made smaller a couple of years ago! Now, where's that neighbor of mine with the snowblower? If he at least does the sidewalk, I'll be happy. And if he doesn't, that's OK. 

The front after 

I can do other things because Studio B and my day job events are under control. What did I do? I struggled with the mess in the upstairs hallway, so I did this. 

I got some smaller boxes and sorted the ten boxes that were too heavy to carry. 

Sorting through boxes

I found many fashion-related books, now in smaller boxes at the front door and ready to be dropped off at the high school. I must email the teacher to make arrangements. 

Boxes of stuff to donate to various schools

The empty boxes went into the office's box storage area. Because of all the decluttering, I don't throw boxes away, at least not now, as I always need a box. So these are tucked into a corner, and no one knows. The pile was a lot higher a couple of months ago, but I needed a lot of boxes lately. 

Storing boxes

 I tell you, there was so much stuff in those boxes that M had collected over the years, and much of it needed to go. So, I've started refilling my recycling cart. What kills me is how universities are screaming for money, yet I found this very fancy and thick book for course offerings at a school. How do they pay for this? It is a waste of resources; hopefully, all their stuff is online. 

University course book

Oh my gosh -- my local radio station discussed whether getting a 10% discount or a free gift is better. Many women who called in wanted the free gift, while the men said the discount. I think you know which one I voted for. Seriously? Why would you take a free gift of something that you'll likely never use and that will become clutter? Gym bags with logos and mugs and glasses with logos on them. PLEASE say no - stop making it "cool" to want these free gifts. They become CLUTTER. You know it - I know it - the companies need to know it. Take the discount, and you'll save enough to buy a coffee that week, and there's nothing to get rid of!

I quickly went through the boxes and sorted out the fashion stuff. Some stuff went into recycling, and some belonged to me! Five boxes are still in the hallway, but it all looks and feels neater. They are not full and much more manageable weight-wise. I'll still get smaller boxes and pack the books for the thrift shop. Then, I'll deal with what else is left. I don't want the boxes to get mixed up, so I didn't go further. I may end up bringing them into the office to clear the hallway. Yep - the office is the dumping ground, and I'm OK with that. 

Boxes in the hallway

So what's left? Most stuff, including teen novels, can be donated to the thrift store. But I wanted to sort it further, and I didn't have time for that. I know life would be better if I could complete a job, but I'm OK with my progress. It's almost like I need to savor the process of decluttering. But all the steps, even the tiny ones, are huge, and I'm happy. 

The giveaway area in my house is becoming HUGE. This needs to go to the local school. 

A donation box

Part of the Pony Express staging area. 

Stuff for the Pony Express

And more stuff for the Pony Express and that massive pile of boxes you saw earlier. Not my orange cushions, of course!

 

More Pony Express items

There's only one big problem with all this. As much as we've sorted, culled, recycled, and donated, there still seems to be a vast amount of stuff in the house. Imagine if I hadn't started. What would it be like to deal with all this when I need to move? Thank goodness common sense popped into my head ten years ago, and I'm on top of it. 

Once the Pony Express area is cleared, I can restart. I hope each new project will be less challenging, and I should have less stuff to sort through—I can only hope! But I've donated boxes and boxes of stuff. 

I will tackle areas of Studio B, but I'm not quite ready yet. I also have a lot of Diane's stuff to deal with, so it's a slow process. 

While organizing the box area, I remembered this wire mannequin. M bought it years ago, and it's been waiting for a new home. Does anyone want it? It's more decorative than functional. If there are no takers, it's going in the giveaway pile. 

A decorative mannequin

While I was getting ready for my evening presentations, I spotted my cutting mat for my digital cutter. Oh, I guess I had better clean it. We talked about how people cleaned their mats before putting them away so they would be ready for the next cutting session. It's on the cutting table! 

My filthy cutting mat

I was messing around with files on my computer the other day. I have no idea what I did, but Outlook is now syncing like a charm. When I send an email from my phone, it almost instantly appears in my inbox. How did that happen? I have no idea, but let's hope it stays that way. And, of course, as soon as I said that, it didn't sync right away!

These girls are going to drive me mad. They start around 6:30, pacing and pacing and bothering me because they want to go out. They know they can't go before 7 am, so don't ask! They are worse than children!

Yesterday, I had fun puttering around Studio B and doing some machine embroidery. I also put things away and made decisions about things that had been sitting for months and are now gone or put away. Why haven't I been doing that? Sometimes, we are our worst enemy when not achieving things. 

My sorting bins under the tables in the film area are working like a charm. I needed some stuff at the last minute, and I could get it all out without getting off my chair! 

I needed another bag this morning, and imagine my surprise when I opened it and found a missing thread cone! When I unpacked from the retreat, I did NOT do a great job! 

A missing cone of thread

So I have something else to give away if anyone wants it. It's a heavy stiffener, like Peltex, but I'm not sure it's Peltex. It came from Diane's stash.

Heavy stiffener

There's an entire bag of it. What would you use it for? It's great for making postcards and anything else that requires structure. I have some and will likely keep a bit more (I also use it for machine embroidery), but if anyone can use it, again, you MUST have a purpose for it, not just take it for the sake of taking it. 

Structural interfacing

And there's my cutting table - almost cleared off and ready to cut some fabric for Spice Market this morning. 

The cutting table

While this may still look like a horrible mess, it's neat and organized. Of course, my supervisor was watching the entire process! 

Studio B is looking much better

I have some things to prepare for my lecture tonight, and tomorrow has already been prepped, so I'm good. That will give me time to prepare for the weekend classes. Some show and tell, so there is not much prep other than putting pictures in the slide show, and others require a bit of work to get them done. All is good.

Here are a couple of things to contemplate today since there's too much snow to go anywhere: 

• Take the discount, NOT the free gift
• Continue to declutter. Are you done with the drawers? Start on some of those boxes or shelves. It's a snowy day—perfect for clearing out junk. 
• Shovel your sidewalk if the city doesn't do it. 
• Be neighborly and help someone with their shoveling. If you live near a sidewalk that fronts a park or the entrance to a woodlot, shovel it. A few extra feet won't kill you. 
• Be thankful. If I see someone shoveling their sidewalk, I always say, "Thank you." They need to realize that their efforts are appreciated! 

Lastly, here are the links for the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, February 15 - starts at 6 pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, February 16 - Starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And on that note, I'm out of here!!! 

Have a super day - take it easy shoveling if you have health issues! 

Ciao!!!