Whew!!

Another closet and the spare bedroom nearly done, stuff moved around from closet to closet to put "dead storage" items in dead storage, put stuff that I occasionally need to get to where I can get to it with a little less digging and work, and stuff that I have wanted to get to mor eoften but haven't because it was inaccessible in places where I can get to it rather easily. Another large load of stuff for Goodwill. I could use the money from a yard sale, but when I factor in the time and prep, and keeping all this "stuff" until an opportune time for a yard sale, Goodwill is the sensible choice. I wish my local ecumenical ministry thrift store was open for collections on Saturdays. They need the dollars much more than Goodwill to stock the food pantry, etc.

It was sad and difficult to make the decision to get rid of my extensive hand-thrown pottery collection. No pleasure, however, in having all those pieces wrapped in paper and packed in cardboard in a back closet. This house is simply too small to either use the functional pieces in the kitchen, or to have much sitting out. A few pieces were small or flat enough that I was able to hang them on walls when I moved in, and I have kept a few favorite vases in the hope I will one day have flowers to cut again, but 98% is out on the carport. Annie called as I was going through the boxes, and is going to make it a bit easier. She has a large circle of friends and old-time musicians. She is going to pick up the entire collection and find good homes for the individual pieces among her far-reaching crowd of friends that she travels to play music with - gifts for people who host her, etc. Hauling it all to Good Will felt really bad. These pieces were carefully and lovingly collected over 30 years, and most have memories and emotions attached to them. Now, it is likely they will have meaning to some one else who receives them as a thoughtful gift from some one they care about and with whom they have made memories.