Crystal clear

3/29/10 Cracked snowman plate, given away

If I hadn't given a cracked plate away at school today, I may still have returned to find Joanna cleaning and organizing glassware, but I don't think so. See, my theory is that one downsize leads to another, and the spirit of downsizing leads to a general drive to de-clutter and organize.

The snowman plate, which Joanna painted herself, cracked when she put some extremely hot food on it last night. The crack was so slight that we probably could have ignored it and continued using it, but Joanna is definitely in a zone.

"Let's get rid of that," she said without hesitation. I married the right woman.

I took it to school because our art teacher often incorporates broken pottery into her ceramic creations. It was either a brilliant move or a terrible mistake for her to tell me that, since I'm now heading to her anytime I want to downsize a chipped plate or broken mug. Watch out, Eva.

With one less plate in the kitchen, perhaps Joanna decide it was time to tackle our (loosely labeled) China closet. Actually, we're not planning to get rid of the good stuff, but it needs to get organized and packed up for our eventual move.

To be fair, after talking to Amanda this weekend, Joanna was already thinking about the crystal project. While half of it belongs to Amanda, we've housed the entire collection at our house since we moved to Maine. With the exception of pulling out two champagne flutes a few times a year, we almost never touch any of it, which is why it was coated with a fine patina of dust.

When I arrived at 4:30PM, she had it neatly arranged on the kitchen counter and was just finishing washing the last few brandy snifters. I don't even know how to snift brandy, but those glasses make me want to try. And how about cordial glasses? I don't even know what they are for, but they sure make me feel friendly.

But, back to the point: All I downsized today was one lousy plate, but it led to a whole lot of organizing and tidying.

Plus, we re-discovered the huge beer stein with my name engraved on it that I received for being in my sister's wedding party. Now that's a productive downsizing day!