TEAPOTS
Teapots seem to have gone out of fashion, although I do
use a small brown teapot every day. What I really mean is: fancy teapots are out of fashion.
A recent decision to lessen the contents of one of my
many cupboards made me think that I should start chucking out what I don’t use
to save someone else having to do it when I’ve gone. In my bungalow there are wardrobes,
cupboards and drawers galore, and another load of cupboards and drawers in a
side passage outside the house… all full. A lot of the contents are in use but
mostly they are merely stored on a `just in case’ basis.
Am I the only one that hoards? Actually, it hurts to see
all the things Joe and I bought together and treasured together and are now
lying in cupboards unused and unwanted. It wasn’t always so. At one time all
the items in the cupboards were used, particularly when people visited. Now
even the visitors are in short supply since we’ve all aged together and don’t
get out much.
Quite by accident I found a new way of reducing the number
of beakers … break a few! This time it was a sight problem, or so I thought. I
could see perfectly well to reach up to take a cup from a shelf but the colour
of the doors was also the colour of the shelf and everything else in the
vicinity. This meant the brain couldn’t judge distance and bang would go the
cup. I got fed up saying damn and blast so I rearranged everything to stop it happening
again. I mean, there are only so many cups you can break without feeling a
right ninny.
Hints would be nice if anyone cares to drop a few in my
direction.
Anyway, the ladies next door are very good. Every time
they take stuff to the charity shop they ask if I have anything to send. My
motto now is ‘don’t break it, give it
away.
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My wife has a slight breakdown before she is able to toss anything. If there is a place to store it, I generally put it away and think on it.
ReplyDeleteI keep wanting to have a clear out, but Mac says no, he's much more sentimental than I am.
ReplyDeleteIt's a difficult decision, almost as if we're throwing the memories away.
DeleteI am in the downsizing mode Valerie. So many things around here that were once used a lot but now hardly at all. What I can't give away I am going to find a hospice to see if they would like them. There are also very large containers that you can donate to, especially clothes, shoes and books. I fill the boot of the car and off we go :) To get motivated I sort out five things a day, and as time goes on and I get further motivated it's more than five. I just keep going until things are done. At this rate I should be clear in ten years, lol!
ReplyDeleteDenise, you are doing better than me. I guess if I still had the car I would dispose of stuff in a flash.
DeleteAnything we don't want anymore I sell on ebay for a few quid. I get rid of it and someone else gets something they really want. Win, win I'd say.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know where to start. I guess, though, that being without car and other problems would prevent any attempt at selling.
DeleteI'm a bit of Womble and think I could feature in one of those Hoarders programmes. Think I should have a car boot sale or even several trips to the charity shop.
ReplyDeleteI am in favour of giving to charity shops, Dave. Unfortunately they don't collect unless it's big stuff like armchairs and tables. They do house clearances but I don't want to go that far..... not yet!!
DeleteValerie, your mention of teapots instantly reminded me of when I worked as a waiter at an English Tea Room in Orlando, Florida that was owned and operated by a husband and wife from the UK. We served scones, lemon curd and tea that was served in a chine teapot with cozy. It was so cool!
ReplyDeleteLast year, when I was getting ready to move to New York, I did a major clean-out in my apartment because I wanted as little as possible to pack and move. I've always been a minimalist, so it was easy for me to minimize even more, but getting rid of such things as: pictures, mementos, books, movie and music tapes. It actually felt freeing. When I was much younger, I used to hang on to certain things because they would remind me of great times and memories. But then one day I realized that those memories are within my mind and heart, I didn't need those "things" to remind me.
Also, because I've always lived in studio apartments, having less stuff makes for a more open space.
Have a fantastic weekend, my friend!
X to you and Charlie
Ron, your mention of space got me thinking. If I get rid of as much as I'd like the place would be awful to live in. I live in a bungalow which holds as much as a full size house. I know what you mean about memories and I agree that chucking stuff would not remove them from our hearts and minds. Thanks for reminding me of that fact.
ReplyDeleteYou too have a good weekend.
You're right - teapots aren't as fashionable as they used to be - especially here in the U.S. The ones that I've seen lately are elaborate, and most likely for show and not for use.
ReplyDeleteI have an enormous amount of cups, dishes, and kitchenware - 90 per cent of which is stored in the garage. I had a huge house when I lived in Texas (where both of my parents died). My place here in Tennessee is MUCH smaller and I don't have room for anything. I not only have a lot of my own stuff, I have many things that belonged to my parents.
As a hopeless sentimentalist, I'm always reluctant to get rid of anything.
Like you, I have some things that belonged to my parents, stuff belonging to Dad outweighing stuff my Mom. At my time of life, though, I need to be practical no matter how much it hurts.
DeleteMrs. Shife and I are in a purging mode right now. Most of the stuff we didn't even remember having so we are donating most of it. Good luck with your donations.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Matt. Doing it that way at least brings pleasure to people who buy our stuff.
DeleteSometimes I tend to get rid of things too fast, then I regret it when I can't find something.
ReplyDeleteI suffer with my conscience but don't really know why. I should just get rid without attaching memories.
DeleteI know that sad feeling when objects associated with a loved one no longer seem needed or relevant. I don't know how to get over that, except by giving them to charity. You can then think that you could be raising money for a worthwhile cause, and also giving someone else pleasure or something they need at a reasonable cost to them. Selling on eBay can also be interesting, but then you have the problems of taking the photos etc. and sometimes it doesn't really seem worth it for the amount of money you get PLUS the amount of hassle it somehow is. And, there isn't that nice feeling of doing a good deed!
ReplyDeleteI don't do eBay, Jenny, so all my stuff went or will go to charity. It is so much better than chucking stuff in the waste bin.
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