Decluttering Kym: A Continuing Saga

The holiday weekend seemed the perfect time to do several things:

1. Go for a bike ride.
2. Finally see Darling Daughter (for the first time in 3-1/2 months).
3. Wash my car.
4. Get rid of some clothes.

Here in Ohio, we’ve gone from winter to summer once again, do not pass go, do not collect $200, no spring for you.

To illustrate my point: On May 9, we had snow, and not just a few flakes either. Oh, no, this was stick to the ground snow, bend over branches because it’s so wet and heavy snow, kill the buds on my rhododendron snow.

Today, a little over two weeks later, it’s nearly 90F.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m delighted to put away my sweaters. It’s just, sometimes it would be nice to work up to the heat.

But, enough complaining. My bout with cancer taught me to be grateful for each day I get. “Happy to be here, happy to have hair,” continues to be my motto, as well as a reminder to keep things in perspective.

And yesterday, I was happy to see Darling Daughter and her partner. He’s just bought a house, which means they’re still picking their way around the boxes. Never one to miss the party, we were bringing more — including the china cabinet I mentioned in my previous post.

It felt odd, and somewhat dissatisfying, to have to sit six feet away and wear a mask, but I work with the public, and The Engineer lives with me, so we’ve been cautious about possibly exposing anyone to coronavirus. And Darling Daughter and partner are just careful, which is good, I think.

At least we got to see them and explore the house before heading home to top the day off with a bike ride on a cool, tree-lined path. It was delightful.

That left today for the car and closet.

By the time I got back from visiting Mom and our late breakfast, it was noon. The Engineer told me it might be a good idea to wait on doing the car.

Did I mention it’s a sunny, 89F today?
And we have mineral-rich well water.
Also, the car is black.

Suffice to my pigheadedness about doing the task on my schedule made the job much harder.

You probably know this, but don’t wash a black car at noon on a hot day. The whole surface looked like the bad example from a movie on how not to wash a car. It took a lot of muscle to get it presentable.

After that, the closet was easy, taking less than 30 minutes to fill three boxes.

Hangers Emptied by My Purge Today

I was disappointed not to fill all five boxes I’d brought home, but I did empty a  lot of hangers! You can’t tell, but I’m blushing to realize I had enough clothes to empty fifty hangers without much effort.

I’ll use the other boxes for the book clean-out.

Addendum: I did take a moment to remember the purpose of Memorial Day and be grateful for those who have fought for our country. This day always make me think of my dad. He was in the Navy, 1944-46, enlisting at the age of seventeen.

Dad died in 2002 and is buried in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.

Leonard Bujak (possibly Byak) and Dad — just a couple of sailors during World War II

I share Leonard’s name in the hope one of his descendents might come across this blog and see this picture of him, just in case they don’t have a copy.