Taming Hillbilly Heaven

It's spring, time for spring cleaning and decluttering. As I looked around, my thoughts turned to those hillbillys who live in trailers and shacks with junk all around, inside and out. It's not that bad here but it still feels overwhelming today.

Over the years, we have accumulated many things. Almost nothing has any resale value and if it does, it would be things like an old sofa or table. It's just stuff. There is plenty I like, plenty we use, plenty with good memories and some that belongs to others and not us. But sometimes it feels overwhelming.

Miles and June are moving soon and we are getting their beds for bedrooms that do not have one. Each time the kids have moved in and out, they take their beds but do not bring them back. We do have many of their belongings. But belongings take up the space where the beds were. As our lives change and people move in and out, the stuff accumulates.

The decision becomes what to get rid of and what to keep. It's hard for me because I get attached to stuff a little bit just like many people do.

It's like a huge puzzle, the kind where you have to slide one, or many pieces out of the way temporarily to slide something where it needs to go before sliding the other pieces back where they were, sometimes sliding them other places first, then into their place. Over and over it goes.

My goal is to give away or throw away at least one item every day, including one thing daily that has been here for a minimum of 6 months and is not a regularly consumed item, (such as throwing out a paper towel I just used). Most days, it is possible to get rid of half a dozen to a couple dozen items. Most are small,but everything counts.

Lots of items go into transitions stacks. I'm building one of towels right now. As I do loads of laundry, worn out towels are pulled and put into the stack. When there is a group, these will find a new home as a group or be used for washing cars and messy clean ups then be tossed when in too bad a shape to be used. Going green.

Like things are gathered into groups as they are found and dealt with in ways appropriate for the group. Duplicates, as they are found are donated to the appropriate place. It is like a big puzzle. In a sense, this is a part of going green. I am not filling landfills with things that still have use for somebody. It is a kind of recycling. Some of the stuff I uncover, I use up myself and do not have to buy more quite as soon. Here's an example. That Christmas red plastic wrap I bought on clearance very cheaply several years ago does not have to be saved for Christmas and can be used up. It works just as well as the clear plastic wrap.

Most people are comfortable visiting our home, so it is not that bad. A few are very critical and do not understand why we are the way we are and have such poor manners they have to say so to us and everybody else. Since I am not fond of criticism from people who have no business criticizing in the first place, I am selective in inviting people over.

That, too becomes like a big and complicated puzzle. If I invite certain people, other people will be "hurt" or feel entitled to come over too and those will be the critical ones who feel they have a right to question and make nasty comments about my home. I'd rather stay on good terms with those judgmental kind and not have them over. My words may seem overly harsh but they are not if the reader knew the horrible and abusive statements people have made about me and to me that are really none of their business. I think every aspect of everything I have had, from the carpets to the colors of the walls, to clutter on a table, my garden shed and the inside of the cabinets (yes, they go snooping), and every other thing has been criticized at some point in my life. To top it off, those who are so unmannerly sometimes feel so superior, they actually help themselves to our belongings without permissions. (Yes, they are arrogant thieves) Some people are just abusive, they can't help it. But they have no right to tell me how to live or be critical or judgmental. Furthermore, many of these kind of hateful people are also gossips. They go and announce their hateful opinions to everyone. It's just a horrible experience.

But there are good people and many good people have been in our home. We have a houseful at Thanksgiving and sometimes other times. Most people like our house and are comfortable here.

But back to today. In the bright sunlight, some things just look faded. Time for them to move on.

So I'm taming Hillbilly heaven a little bit at a time. I'm doing it the green way.