Rambling

Another Easter has passed. Another family gathering concludes with full bellies and full hearts. Now it’s back to the day-in-day-out norm of life during the spring season. It’s all about yard work as we tame the new growth of dandelions and green grass while clearing out the remainder of last year’s leaves. We still have to purchase more garden soil to fill the beds and pots as well as get a couple loads of mulch. All this while I buzz around the house reorganizing cabinets and getting rid of stuff that crept to the back of a closet.

Spring cleaning/clearing was never my thing until I walked into my parents’ home in Florida years ago. Dad was diagnosed with liver cancer and several weeks later, Mom fell and broke her hip. My brother warned me on the trip from the airport to the home but even that didn’t prepare me. Dad, after the diagnosis began hoarding. Our youngest sister was the only one living in Florida but she never let on how bad it was until it was right in our face.

VCRs, stereos, TVs and computers were piled up in every corner. Boxes and boxes of CDs, records, 8 tracks created walls in each room. Clothes that they bought at Goodwill spilled from every closet. There was a path to the kitchen, a path to Mom’s chair, Dad’s chair and one back to the master bedroom. Every surface was covered with something and since he was a tightwad, he didn’t run the AC… ever. The musty smell was overwhelming and the mold made me start to cough within minutes of entering. It took weeks to get the place cleaned out and cleaned up.

We were astonished. We grew up in a “neat as a pin” home where everything had a place and it was in that place. As kids, we had to keep our rooms clean, beds made, clothing folded and put in dressers or hung in the closet. What we walked into was shocking and it left a permanent impression on me. I clear out every 6 months, usually March/April and Sept/March because I made a vow to not become like Dad.

There’s a tendency to keep things because “you never know when that will come in handy” was party of growing up. Mom kept and reused margarine tubs as food storage and cereal bowls. Anyone else remember eating cereal from a tub like this while watching Saturday morning cartoons?

Growing up with parents who were kids during the Great Depression and WWII played a big role in how we viewed things. Being wasteful was a no no. When my Mom was staying with me, she talked about my older sister and how wasteful she thought she was because Susan would throw out food leftover from a meal. To Mom, that was a crime. In this day and age with the cost of food skyrocketing, I’m astonished at how many people toss leftovers. We’re a leftover loving crew in this house.

Leftovers = lunches for the husband who works from home.

We finally heard from the garage door company! They’ll be out Friday to install the new door and opener. We’re so excited because our SUV has been parked outside since late December. Hauling in groceries will once again be a breeze! We love our garage and have missed being able to park inside. It’s one of the top reasons we bought this house. The garage, the large kitchen and the in-ground pool sealed the deal.

I’ve rambled enough for one post and I’m off to do a bit of painting in the kitchen. The Totally Teal color looks amazing and it’s everything I wanted. Bold, bright and not what you usually see in a kitchen unless it’s in a magazine.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!