Friday Randomness
I’m finding my ‘get rid of one thing a day’ project very satisfying. On Sunday I went to the Farmers’ Market and came home with a bunch of produce AND three house plants that I had not intended to buy. Erm…I don’t NEED more house plants. However, I like house plants, and I have some empty pots laying around, plus I had a larger pot that had held several plants, but 1/2 of those plants had died. As I was bringing in my haul, I started thinking about how I did not need 3 new houseplants, so the first thing I did was to repot one of them and send it with Maya to a housewarming party she was attending. Does it count as getting rid of a plant if I just bought it? I don’t know, but at least I got rid of the pot that had been sitting empty in my back yard. I also gave away the larger pot on Buy Nothing, and used 3 more pots from my back yard. I count that as a win.
I know you want to see a picture of the plants that I didn’t give away, so here they are. The one on the left is likely my favorite, it’s the little plants that were in the bigger pot and I replanted. We received them as a sympathy gift when Mulder died, so I like having them next to his remains. The other two are just plants that I liked. Nice to put these pots to good use.
Yesterday was brutal, I had a slow day at work, and I tore through my bedroom closet, which was a DISASTER. I cannot say that everything in there now fits great and makes me feel good, Ala Nicole, but we’re getting a lot closer. Several bags to Goodwill, lots of things to Buy Nothing, and sadly, a big bag to landfill as well.
If you’re curious enough to look closely, you can see the little shoe shelf at the bottom of the closet. I bought some for Maya for Christmas a couple of years ago, and bought 2 too many. I had one set up but the other was still in its box, so I took it out and assembled it, and it helped a lot.
There is still a lot in there that can go away, but I was worn out and stopped after a few hours. Looking at these pictures, it’s not nearly as impressive as it felt. I still got rid of way more than 30 things, so that counts for a month of ‘one thing a day’, right? I’ll get back in there for sure.
One thing I should probably get rid of but never do is this shirt. I used to wear it with black leggings back in the early 90s, and I have always loved it. It used to have HUGE shoulder pads, but I took those out. One thing at a time.
Back to my Farmers’ Market haul. In addition to unneeded but much appreciated plants, I bought tomatoes, strawberries, basil, nectarines, grapes, lettuce, salad mix, green onions, green beans, limes, and broccoli. I made this tasty salad as part of dinner one night, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and goat cheese. It tasted like summer. We’ll definitely be having this again.
What could be more random than a silly cartoon? Nothing.
This car got a lot of attention in last week’s anti-Trump rally. I had thought it was going to be at the immigration court, but I was wrong. It was at a park in a neighboring town. The weather was perfect and the turnout was decent, it was a good time.
Sunday afternoon I had some down time to myself. Ted went to a birthday party with a bunch of radio people he has worked with over the years, and Maya went to the fore mentioned house warming party. I took the opportunity to laze about. We recently binged Kevin Can F**k Himself before it left Netflix, and I read somewhere that it was inspired by another sitcom, Kevin Can Wait, and the way that the character of Kevin’s wife was killed off. I had never seen Kevin Can Wait, so I watched a couple of episodes. Not my thing. If you haven’t seen Kevin Can F**k Himself, it’s clever and dark. More my thing, though I wouldn’t say I loved it.
Eventually I got smart and turned off the boob tube and dug into my current physical book, Meet Me in Another Life, by Catriona Silvey. My sister suggested it to me when we were book shopping in Portland. She said she loved it, and if you read the description on the back, don’t jump to any conclusions, because it’s not what you think it is. Here’s the blurb.
”Thora and Santi have met before.
Two strangers in a foreign city, Thora and Santi meet in a chance encounter. At once, they recognize in each other a kindred spirit—someone who is longing for more in life than the cards they’ve been dealt. Before their friendship can blossom, though, a tragic accident cuts their story short.
They will meet again.
But this is only one of the many connections they share. Like satellites trapped in orbit around each other, Thora and Santi will find each other again: as husband and wife; teacher and student; caretaker and patient; cynic and believer. In recurring lifetimes they become friends, partners, lovers, and enemies.
Only they can make sure it’s not for the last time.
As strange patterns and blurred memories compound, Thora and Santi come to a shocking revelation. They must work together to discover the true reason behind their repeating realities . . . before their many lives come to one, final end.”
I’m about half way through and really enjoying it. I read that it’s being made into a film with Gal Gadot, but I’m not positive because the reports were a couple of years old.
Speaking of books, I have all of these stupid Audible credits. I have a membership that I started before I got into Libby (library app), and I pay for it every month and it makes me angry because Bezos. I’m trying to cull my books a bit, because honestly some of these books I am not going to read them or read again. So I decided that I will get rid of some, and use my credits to buy the audio version so I can listen to them, and then give the physical books away. Here are two in one of our ‘Little Free Libraries’. Once I run out of Audible credits I can cancel that membership. It doesn’t seem right to me that if you cancel, they can take away the credits that you have already paid for, but that’s where we are.
32 Comments
AC
We finally ceased Auduble after quite a few years. We put the almost equilvlent $ into YT Premium. are are quite enjoying the non-interrupted versions of whatever we are watching.
J
We have YouTube premium too! It’s always jarring when I watch something elsewhere and a commercial pops up.
Nicole MacPherson
Good job on your purge, J! I say if that shirt still brings you joy, you should keep it. I probably will never wear the I heart NY tank I bought in NYC in 2001 again, but I am not getting rid of it.
It’s funny you mention houseplants. Rob and I were at Costco and they had an enormous display and I just stood there and stared…and then Rob was like “where would you put it?” and I had no idea, and he suggested I GET RID of Noelle, my dud of a Christmas cactus, and so I left without a houseplant because I am not replacing Noelle until she dies. BUT THOSE PLANTS WERE BEAUTIFUL. Also, I do NOT have a space for one and I am refusing to bring more things into the house if I don’t have a good reason. BUT HOUSEPLANT.
J
I’m with you on the houseplants, clearly. And yes, the selection at Costco is SO tempting.
Elisabeth
I love before and afters and your closet looks great! Hooray for purging and handing things along to new homes.
I love houseplants. I’m not great at keeping some of them alive for the longterm, but right now I have 5 or 6 that are thriving (or some approximation of thriving). They really bring a space to life! So I fully support you buying plants.
J
We’ll see how these plants fare…I’m hopeful, but not confident.
nance
I love that shirt and would wear it all the time with black leggings. That’s my uniform–flowy tops I love and black leggings or jeans. (Rick suddenly started calling my shirts Fun Tops–very unlike him and his lexicon.) Theo would love that shirt, pointing to all the animals and making their noises.
I think you made a big difference in your closet; at least it’s clear to me. Rick made me a bigass wooden shoe thingy, but it’s slanty and now I think I’m going to ask him to remake it so that it’s flat and can hold more than just shoes because you inspired me.
Meet Me In Another Life is going on my TBR list immediately. It sounds like a book I’d love. You’ve also inspired me to go through my bookshelves and see if I can make a donation to our Little Free.
Don’t forget about making lovely flatbreads with all those tomatoes–so easy. And a dessert flatbread with fruit is always nice, as is one with a smear of Nutella and marshmallow or just marshmallows and some chocolate chips or broken chocolate bar.
J
Nance, yay on the shoe thing being used for other stuff! I have a couple of pairs of (not very high) heels in my closet that I need to get rid of. Sigh. I loved wearing heels, and those days are (sadly) OVER.
This whole giving books away thing has been kind of amazing. I LOVED the Narnia books, and have re-read them SO many times, but now I’m thinking, will I read them again? If I really need to, can’t I just get them at the library. So likely I will give those away. Wondering if the Friends of the Library might be the best place for that, since they’re in great shape and could maybe sell and make some money.
NGS
Torrie at To Love and To Learn does these decluttering projects where she declutters 1001 items in 90 days or whatever and she lists what she declutters and it’s amazing. I always think I’ll do something like that, but then I clean one closet and I’m exhausted and I just give up. So what I’m saying is that you can write about decluttering forever and ever and I will be here for that content. Even just a list of what you got rid of would be fascinating.
J
Oh goodness, you’re in for it now. I can’t take a picture of the stuff that went to landfill, but I can certainly take pictures of things I’m donating or giving away.
PocoBrat
Such great work on the closet, J. I can see how everything is hanging with space between and I remember you giving away lots of dresses recently too–so that’s a lot of culling and decluttering.
I have heard that even things you think are landfill-worthy can be used for stuffing etc. if donated… IDK, but maybe worth checking.
I’m feeling a bit bewildered because what do you mean “too many” plants and “too many” books? 🙂 My mind cannot compute. (I saw a sign somewhere that said, “it’s not hoarding if it’s plants or books”–and I’m clinging to that for dear life.)
I should work my closet… but oh, look! It’s the start of the semester, so I guess I don’t have time to do something like that. [Phew!] But I do try to fill a small bag with things that other people could use every week, so let me try to keep doing that for now.
Your salad is summer embodied! Love it!
J
Thanks for that information about reusing…I looked at the website for Goodwill, and they do indeed try to pass things on that they can’t sell for stuffing or whatever. I had no idea. Next time, my bag of things for the landfill will be MUCH SMALLER.
Regarding books and plants, I can see that from pictures of your beautiful home, which looks so inviting and warm and has so many books and plants! Our townhome is tiny and I work from home which takes up space as well. So I’m trying to declutter a bit.
Margaret
That book sounds a bit like “Life after Life.” I’m reading “The Names” which is about alternate realities too and is very well-written. (in my opinion) Your plant pots are beautiful and make me want to invest in some for my annuals. I’m only an outside plant person though; my cat nibbles on leaves and flowers and just cost me $500+ at the vet because of a flower arrangement I got for my birthday. 🙁
J
Oh no! Mari! I guess that answers your question as to what was going on with her. I haven’t been great about keeping up with anyone on every post, so I guess I missed that one, I just remember she was feeling poorly for a bit.
Jenny
I’ll tell you what- your “before” closet pictures looks about 100x better than my closet before i cleaned it! Mine was so bad, I didn’t even take a before picture.- it was too depressing. So I think you did really well! It feels good, doesn’t it?
On to the important stuff- I TRIED THE TEA! It is so, so good. I’m actually pretty picky about my Earl Grey- I’ve had lots of kinds that just aren’t very flavorful. The bergamot was really prominent in this one, which I LOVE. Thank you so much for thinking of me!!! I hope you’re enjoying the bags you kept, as well.
J
Thank you for making me feel better about my ‘before’ photo. I was hesitant to post it because it’s embarrassing, but decided that this is a safe space. 🙂
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed the tea! I am not a big fan of Earl Grey, but I really liked it. I wasn’t sure how that would translate (I’m not a huge fan, so if I like it maybe my taste is different, etc.) So now I’m rethinking my preference and wondering if maybe I’ve just not had good Earl Grey before.
I saw a great joke today I was going to text you but I don’t have your number. I’ll put it in an upcoming post.
Lisa’s Yarns
The before and after picture of your closet is so very satisfying!! Well done! And that cat shirt is so great. I can see why you aren’t quite ready to part with it!!
J
Thanks Lisa! I am loving my closet now, and have plans to further cull. I just ran out of steam, and my goal was never to finish it in one day anyway.
Common Household Mom
As a person who sorely needs to do that kind of work on my closet, I can say that I definitely see a huge difference in the closet before & after photos. Based on the space between the hangers on the rod, it looks like excellent progress.
If only the Four Horsemen of The Cartoon could be prevalent in the world. I will dream that this will happen.
That’s a brilliant visual on that car, but I absolutely could not stand to have that nasty face on my car! Bravo to you for going to a rally. I haven’t been to one in ages and need to go to one for my own sanity. I went to all the big ones and a few small ones, and it was hot & sweaty weather every time. Glad to hear somebody had great weather for a rally!
J
Thank you, I do feel much better about the cloest so far. 🙂
I don’t go to the protests when they are too hot and there is little shade. They used to be in one location and there was plenty, but now they vary week by week. Around here though, there is at least one protest a week, so lots of opportunities!
Melissa
Can you have too many plants? I need to replace one of my indoor plants, it developed an bug infestation while at the girls and is almost dead. I don’t think I can resurrect it. My daughter insists it came to her with the bugs on it. I’m not sure about that, it lived happily in our bedroom for months before it went to her place. I love the look of your salad, I do a similar thing when I have really good tomatoes, but with buratta.
J
My MIL gave me a plant recently and I loved it but it was dying and I could not tell what was wrong, so I gave it back to her. It’s doing great at her house, so it will stay there. Her thumb is very green.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I just had to come to terms with that i killed just another plant. Sigh. But I am also keeping some alive. Yeah.
I am so so amazed with your decluttering project. I need to do one. But it will not happen this year.
But I am cheering you on and your closet looks so good. Yeah.
J
Plants have a 50/50 chance around here.
Thank you for cheering me on, I’m so happy about my closet!
ernie
I was gifted a beautiful calla lily from a mom I babysat for this past school year. Her daughter’s name is Lily. I am freaking out, because we transplanted Lily into a bigger pot to move her inside when it freezes and apparently the one hole was not enough drainage and she is not doing well. I replanted her into a pot with extra holes, but I’ll be so sad if she doesn’t make it. All this to say, I’m not a house plant person and I’m clearly not a plant person at all and I’m wishing I knew more than I do. I lean on Tank to help me out and he’s the one who chose the wrong pot and replanted it. Eek.
Good for you for making so much progress in your closet. It looks great. There are a few things that I may not wear again, but that I cannot get rid of. I cleaned out my closet months ago, intended to share about it and I never did and now I fear that my closet needs another cleaning. Yikes.
Also, I’m not a tomato person. I eat them if they are finely chopped in a salad, but dang – that salad you have there really looks delish. I do believe that it tastes like summer.
Your cartoons are always hilarious.
J
Oh, I have a lily as well that has died off, and I wonder if they just do that and then come back? I’m not sure. I should look it up.
Daria
Ohhh so satisfying to be able to purge, isn’t it?.. you I did mine, too, and folded the sweaters and felt so good lol
About that tomato salad… I remember when we were in Tropea, Italy, they had this tropean salad which was basically tomatoes, local purple onion, olive oil and some salt. It was so delicious! I want to try putting goat cheese onto my tomato salad. And, I looooove a good tomato!! I even used to eat them as apples just with a shaker of salt when I was a kid.
J
Summer tomatoes with salt are one of life’s great pleasures!
K @ TS
I love house plants, and I don’t really consider them to be “stuff,” maybe because they are alive!? Anyway, you can always leave them on your curb with a “free” sign and people will grab them up, so if you do want to get rid of them, it won’t be hard. I speak from experience!
I see your response to a comment “I LOVED the Narnia books, and have re-read them SO many times, but now I’m thinking, will I read them again? If I really need to, can’t I just get them at the library. So likely I will give those away.” and I want to say YES! This is something that at first I struggled with but once I realized how easy it is (espeically with older books) and started getting rid of books with this in mind, I felt so much better! Its like a snowball, you won’t be able to stop!
J
Yes, it’s a paradigm shift for my brain, but I’m enjoying it!
Anne
The four horsemen meme. So very, very true. Does it ever seem to you that there are days where it’s just a barrage of hideousness until you feel ilke you are drowning in the hideousness and can’t even figure out what’s the worst part because it’s all so awful? That’s been this week for me. Sigh.
You know I just moved – twice, sigh – and you’d think that would lead to a Great Purge of everything, but I purged so much in the time leading up to the move that I was struggling to find things to get rid of. I’m sure I’ll get back in the swing of things but I’m currently envious of your big closet clean out. And kind of wishing I had one of those shoe things. Not for shoes, necessarily, but for organizing stuff. Hm.
I have had that book in my Apple library forever and now I really want to read it. I just finished The Cartographers and loved it. The right book at the right time. I love it when that happens!
J
I’m sorry you had a shitty week, Anne, I hope next week is better.
We used to move every 2 years, and now here we are, having lived in our place for 27 years. That’s what homeownership does for a person, I guess. Kind of stuck. But when we moved a lot, we purged a lot. Whereas now, we are more likely to shove things in the back of a cabinet and ignore them. That’s what has been helpful about this project I’m doing. The shoe thing is from The Container Store. They’re having 30% off of EVERYTHING right now, so it would be a good idea. They are stackable, I have two stacked up.
I hope you enjoy the book! I finished it a couple of days ago and really liked it.