Didn’t take much time this morning to stack a bin full of the split Hickory. Now I have all four bins filled and I’ll need the others moved back over here so that I can fill those too. Given the volume of split wood I could likely fill three more bins and get a good way through a fourth I’d wager. So with that in mind along with the whole wasp incident I might just curtail the wood splitting operation until the conditions outdoors settle into a cool frosty morning chill. No more swarms for me if I can help it.
I do however need to find the desire to get out into the garage and pick up where I left off on the furniture build. I have gotten side tracked by cleaning up the basement and organizing the chaos that was left down there by the Girl Guide craft supply hand over to another unit. The kids are turning to their devices for entertainment now more than ever so the doll houses, dolls of all sorts, Shopkins and Lego can all get reorganized and packaged up together for storing away.
We sent away the Peppa Pig, Trolls, and Paw Patrol toys to the cottage so our niece & nephew could enjoy them. Now I think that the LOL dolls and the Shopkins might join them. However, at this point I would just like them tidied up and organized. I don’t need them to leave the house. I’d like to have SOME toys here for when tech inevitably goes down, or they feel like being actual physically able children again for a brief spell. We have some stuff split into bins and baskets stored nicely on a shelf. I’m good with that. I’m not looking to erase their childhood, I’d just like things to look tidy now that the fair is over, and before the Halloween/ Christmas crafting begins.
A cleared off table and a clean island top work wonders for my mood. I took the liberty of removing much of the paper recycling last week by going through last year’s paper that came home with both children. Not as much went out as I would have liked, but it was better than nothing. I felt like I did something. In the end that’s what matters to me. A slightly cleaner home, and the feeling of having done something towards that goal. Incremental bettering of our surroundings. The age of whole sale slaughter is done. I did that the very first year I had both children off to school and out of the house — finally! I opened closets, drawers, cupboards, chests, ottomans, and every nook & cranny that I could get into. It wasn’t until last summer that I finally got under the basement stairs! My kids are now Grades 7 & 4, so I’ve been at this for a while.
Several winters ago I started slashing my hoard of books. I donated or recycled about 400 paper backs, hard covers, and design text books, and fancy satin finish full colour art and design magazines. I went over it three or four times over several months and again the following year just removing stuff I didn’t like. Books about things I had lost interest in. I did the same to my closet and wardrobe. I don’t need business attire for every day office life. I work from home and now spend most of my time in work pants for manual labour tasks, or in sweats. I had to keep some for obvious reasons, like weddings, funerals, and the odd in person meeting. But I don’t need a closet full of that stuff. I also pared down my t-shirts and sweater collections. I was ruthless where my own property was concerned. Less so with my kids.
But I will say this, I care not for Play dough and I will toss that shit in the trash in a single heart beat if I think it has gone off. Jammed up shapes, jigs, presses and the like will go to the tip along with the crusty ass playdough. Anything cracked and broken will go to the curb too. I don’t care!
Also now that I look at it I’d really like to get a move on the furniture build so that I can remove this massive dog crate from my front entrance. Swap out twenty four inches for 11.25″ in depth is a win for freedom of movement by the door. Then the kids mini couch can go downstairs too. That blocks the hall closet door. He’ll, the inside of the closet is a mess and I need to pull all manner of boots and shit out of it that doesn’t fit either child anymore. The cycle, it never ever stops!
