Half of these cards are from dead people!

There's nothing like being forced to prepare for tradesmen coming into your house to get you to go through your drawers and cupboards with an eye for ruthlessness. My china cabinet has been stuffed to the max for years now with stuff I didn't even realize I owned as it turns out. I finally had to face the bulging drawers and shelves because it had to be emptied in order to move it away from the wall for the electricians that are arriving on Tuesday. I hate to admit it but I am a bit of a pack-rat. I found partially empty packets of napkins with clowns on them from a birthday party I threw for my daughter about 10 years ago, an assortment of paper plates in groups of 2, 3 or 4, in varying patterns that I would not even use if I had to they were so dated and ugly. There were dozens of half melted candles in an assortment of colours that I thought I might use again, but never did. The list goes on. I used to scour garage sales for treasures. Many of the things I thought of as treasures at one time, looked like complete junk to me now. I had the boxes all lined up. Keep. Toss. Good Will. Store. I had no idea one china cabinet, one armoire and one bookcase could hold so much. I got rid of vintage linens I had collected. If they were stained, they went. If something was ugly or useless, it went. It was cleansing. There was a drawer in my antique bookcase at the bottom of the stacked rows of shelves that was full of old greeting cards - easily 15 years worth. There were so many, I could no longer open and close the drawer without a struggle. I had to take a trip down memory lane to get through that one. I didn't re-read every card, but I sorted through them all and pulled out the hand-made ones from my daughter, a few photos sent by friends of their children and the odd card that had some sort of sentimental value. I got a bit choked up reading cards from both my grandmothers, a great aunt and a few other old folks that have since passed. I couldn't keep them all - now they have been re-cycled - ashes to ashes, so to speak, just like them. The circle of life. I now have an empty drawer - a miracle in my house. Makes me wonder what will fill it for the next 15 years. It took me two half days to complete this task. Starting Tuesday, my house will be upside down for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, while the old wiring gets replaced, electrical outlets are added, the chandelier is moved to the right spot, the ceiling gets repaired, the trim and moldings are repaired and or replaced and a fresh coat of paint is applied at long last! By spring, I hope to have a bit of an updated living and dining room to come home to at the end of the day. Just in time for golf season when I will no longer care to be inside. Ah well, next fall when I head back in, it will have been worth the mess and chaos. I hope.