Yes We (watering) Can!

3/31/10 Tiny watering can, recycled

I was really struggling this evening. After my two loves were asleep upstairs and I finished up some schoolwork a little after 10PM, I wandered down to the basement, hoping to find something to throw out.

I listlessly pawed through a few storage boxes, looked over the random pile on my workbench, and peered into the darkest corners. But, my heart wasn't in it, and I wasn't having much luck.

It's work to do most downsizing. It's just not right to take most things -- even if you don't want them and they have no clear value -- and throw them into the trash. I am getting better at identifying things I can give away to specific people, but that doesn't help me when I'm trying to downsize two hours before midnight. (Side note: one key to successfully giving things away is targeting specific people to give them to. It's easy to say, "Oh, someone will want that!" but not always so easy to find the someone. You've got to start with the someone in mind, otherwise it can just get frustrating.) Donating things can be almost as tricky, and requires some planning. Even worse, selling stuff takes energy, initiative, and time.

It's just not easy to do downsizing on the spot. But, at this hour, I had little choice.

I'd almost given up on the basement when my eyes fell on this little watering can collecting dust behind the laundry detergent. I believe I bought the can back when I lived in New York, and it was an absolutely ridiculous purchase from day one. The foolish thing is so small that you'd be better off just filling a coffee mug with water and using that. No plant worth keeping alive could survive on the paltry drips of water this can provides.

So, of course, I brought the can with me to Maine and held onto it for another seven years. The layers of dust verified that it was a safe item to toss, and the still-attached price tag ($1.99) confirmed that I wasn't exactly sacrificing an investment.

Into the recycling bin.

There, that wasn't so hard, was it?

Flawless

3/30/10 Perfectly good candle holder and dish, given away

I warned Eva to watch out. Now we're bringing out the big guns: unblemished pottery. We're in such a groove that we don't even wait to chip or break our dishes anymore, we're just giving them to her in factory condition.

All in the name of art.

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!

The ski's the limit

3/28/10 Complete set of skis, bindings, boots, and poles, given away

In the end, the stories make it worthwhile.

Today, I gave away one of my more significant possessions, at least in terms of value measured in use over time. In high school, I received a set of downhill skis from my parents for Christmas. I think it was my junior year, so it must have been around 1988.

This was a big deal because skis were seriously expensive. I remember being in a little bit of disbelief when I got them. They were even engraved with my name, which really sent the point home that they were mine.

Owning your own pair of skis makes the difference between skiing and not skiing. If you have your own, you: A) Only have to worry about the price of the lift ticket, and B) Don't have to waste time and aggravation dealing with rentals. Those things can be enough to prevent most of us from bothering to head to the mountain. But, when you've got your own, you can grab 'em and go, which I've enjoyed doing countless times over the last twenty-plus years.

I never ski as much as I'd like, but when I do, it's pure joy.

Two years ago, however, I bought some much-newer used skis off a ski-fanatic colleague of mine. I was about five years behind the shaped-skis curve, but I finally caught up. (Thank you, Patty!)

I've held on to my original skis since then but finally realized there's no reason I'd ever use them again.

Of course, this was probably a $500 package, and they are still practically as good as the day they were made. I was sure I could net a little cash for them.

I posted them for sale on craigslist. I started with $25. Nothing. Dropped it to $15. Silence. Went to $10. Nada. Oh, well.

I finally threw those babies up for FREE. I had six replies within twelve hours. Yep, once again, the Strange Price of Free. It's a powerful force.

The first person to respond was a woman named Jean, who came by this morning to get them. Turns out Jean has five kids, and her middle son wants to take up downhill skiing. Of course, with five children, Jean doesn't have the luxury of throwing money around, especially not on the sporting whims of a middle-schooler.

But, she was thrilled with my offer of skis, which would allow her son to try out the sport. They should certainly serve him well.

She was appreciative, he'll have fun, and I guess that's all the payment I need.

Bed to bed

3/27/10 Laura Ashley bedding set, returned

After yesterday's installment of the Great Christmas Downsize, Joanna decided to press her luck.

We've had a complete set of Amanda's bedding since we moved here, and it's long been the bedding of choice in our guest room. Since Amanda's been one of our most frequent visitors, it's fitting that she usually sleeps under her own comforter.

On her last visit, when Joanna suggested that we were ready to downsize the bedding, Amanda played the role of the goaling, deflecting. She said that she liked coming here, knowing that we were using it. "You should just keep it until you move," she replied.

Amanda has a fantastic condo in Charlestown, MA. But, although it's a super place, it is a Charlestown condo, which means she doesn't have a lot of extra space. Plus, Amanda has proven to be a world-class downsizer, herself. You cannot easily pawn things off on this woman.

By the time Amanda arrived yesterday, Joanna had taken a proactive stance. The bedding was in the washing machine, and we were determined not to take "No" for an answer.

Amanda, of course, is not only a great aunt, but also a good sport. She accepted the bedding (back), without complaint, and loaded it into her trunk, where it may well need to stay, since she has so little closet space at her place.

Oh, Amanda, watch out. We're attaching a trailer to that Honda the next time you come to visit.

It's beginning to look a lot like... Christmas?!?

3/26/10 Box of Christmas decorations, returned

Auntie Amanda has come up for the weekend to visit nephew Chase, but we roped her into our Great Christmas Downsize. She and Joanna spent several hours going through box after box of childhood baubles. The living room looked like a hurricane hit The Christmas Tree Shop, and they went back and forth between laughter and (near) tears as holiday memories flooded back.

They were also definitely in the giving spirit. I'd roughly estimate that for every item they saved, they set aside two to toss or give away. In the process, Amanda filled a box with some select childhood decorations she couldn't bear to part with, and she'll be taking it with her when she leaves.

We've still got many boxes to go, and then there's the challenge of how to get rid of some things that seem too good to trash. Those are challenges for another day.

As for today, we can hang our stockings on the mantle with a sense of yuletide pride. Progress has been made. Ho, ho, ho!

Just plain tired

3/25/10 Single tire, given away

Remember yesterday's tire-switch on Joanna's car?

Here's the rest of the story: while I went in to simply have the tires swapped and the oil changed -- about a $50 job -- I ended up needing to buy four new tires and get a break job. Grand total: $712. It's always a treat when having your car serviced costs ten times what you thought it would.

It's also a treat when you get home after dropping the better part of a grand, open your trunk to take out the snow tires, and discover that the shop has left one of the "useless" old tires in there, as well. I suppose it was the one with a little bit of tread left. Maybe in my pre-downsize days I might have considered holding onto it. Now? No way.

So, with too much already on my plate for the day, I stopped at the shop to drop it back off this morning. Since they weren't open, I left a nice little note saying that I had no use for the tire and expected they could take care of it for me.

"Give me a call if I need to pay a disposal fee," I wrote.

Let me assure you that I would NOT have been happy if I had actually received a call.

Seventeen and a half hours after dropping off the tire and beginning my work day, I am about ready to go to bed. I did take about two hours off to hold the baby and eat one of Joanna's delicious dinners, but other than that it's been all work. I have to lead three separate workshops tomorrow during our school inservice, and I'm still not completely ready. But, at this point, a few hours of sleep may be more important to my success than any more planning.

For the record, even though I'm posting this after midnight on March 26, it totally counts as "on time" for March 25, since I haven't gone to bed yet...

Yep, "tire" pretty much sums it up.