Sorting weekend, part one

[innocent_lex]

I know, anyone who reads this journal must think sorting out my house is like some kind of second career. But still, I'm making progress in small steps, and considering it probably took around 15 years to get into this position, taking months and months to get out of it is pretty good.

Today was clearing out of space in the garage. This was space to clear so that I could get at the stacks of storage boxes and the shelves, not so that I could actually get into those boxes and sort them - box sorting upstairs is a priority. So, ticky for that.

Next is burning yet more papers, but the sky has just opened. The rainfall radar is telling me it's just a shower so I'll give it five minutes and then head out. I also have upstairs boxes to sort, but I need empty boxes first for that task so that I have places to throw things while sorting: keep; burn; throw out; undecided. See, there is some kind of method in there somewhere.

Tomorrow is painting, I think. I have to finish off the hall (edges and second coat, plus woodwork) and also the last bits in the kitchen (I know, should've done that last year). Just the garage door / doorway and the windowsill to do in there and it's all finished.

In other news, the birds are going through my bird seed a massive rate. At the moment there's a swarm of sparrows out there, about 20 of them. Usually I only get swarmed by starlings, which turned up on Thursday afternoon just after I'd refilled the table and ate the lot in about 3 minutes. Quite astonishing. I've discovered I can order direct from the RSPB, though, so have a huge bag of sunflower hearts arriving next week. Should last me a few weeks at least, but the local birds really do seem to have voracious appetites.

ETA: one hour later and I'm most of one box of papers down, only three to go. Paper takes a buggering age to burn properly! Am all hot, smokey and stinky. Blech. More of that tomorrow, I guess. Time for a tea break and then upstairs boxes. Target of 2 boxes properly sorted today.

Comments

[readerjane]

Yay for progress!

[ejcaldera]

"considering it probably took around 15 years to get into this position, taking months and months to get out of it is pretty good"

I can relate. We've been in this house for 12 years now, and for the last six (since Victor was born), I've been chucking things into the basement and piling them in various corners around the house to be sorted later. When I do get around to clearing it out, I'll probably be in the same boat you are. I've been majorly procrastinating, but I should really try to take care of it before next May, when the neighborhood yard sale usually takes place.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

Your basement and my garage have the same function. I had to clear out the garage completely last year when building was going on, and it was quite the adventure. Still have a tonne of boxes in there, though. You wouldn't have thought it possible.

[corbyinoz.livejournal.com]

Ohh, I hear you! I had a pile of boxes full of paper in my Melbourne flat, that I packed up and transported to my NE flat, that I transported again, unopened, to this house - where they have remained, unopened, for the last five years. Which makes at least eight years of being unseen by human eye, and there they sit, still. Burning sounds like an excellent option.

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

I've only had one move since I really started dumping papers and all kinds of other stuff in boxes, but there are still boxes that haven't been opened since I moved in here over 11 years ago. Our ability to ignore stuff (well, mine, certainly) can be quite unfathomable to some people. I work on the theory that anyone who comes to my house and comments on how much stuff there is (whether in or out of boxes) doesn't really need to come back to my house... ;-)