declutter

Another glorious day with full on sun accompanied by the tinkle of water in the downspouts.

Oh wait!

Okay, I’m back… I just had to chase Adia out of the house. She and Spike were going berserk ricocheting around the house. It wasn’t just her - Spike was egging her on. Anyway I went out with her and she went crazy running through the snow. There is nothing that has as much energy as a young ridgeback!

before the trouble

The snowshoes got used again this morning, but I didn’t drag them out this afternoon as Carm was out, so I was using the opportunity to play some music. I don’t know why, but when he leaves the house I get all sorts of energy and putter around getting things done. He must be some sort of energy drain on me! 

All the little fake evergreen trees are packed away, along with the pretty Christmas balls. Still to go: garlands - but I like to have Carm here for that as there is a lot of climbing chairs. Usually I leave it all a little later in the winter, but the false spring these last few days has tricked me. Plus I’m feeling a little claustrophobic from all the ‘stuff’ and want to pare down a bit. Declutter is not a word that often passes my lips so I must act quickly! 

If I were especially energetic, I’d dig out some cream fabric and make curtains for the cupboards that are stuffing places… not so though. (inspired by this thought I dug out an old lace curtain from the camper and draped it over the junk - it may be a slight improvement… or perhaps not.

To be fair to myself, this open cupboard is full of important stuff: Grace’s travel cage - closeby the door in case of emergency; bin of stuff to go into the camper; bin of chargers and other electronic bits that live at home but have to migrate to the camper when we travel. All stuff that needs to be at hand (or so I tell myself).

I’ve been trying to teach Adia to put her two front feet on a box using just operant conditioning with no prompts or lures. The almond milk box is getting pretty beat up - I fear for the contents - but she’s starting to get it. She gives up quickly though and offers her default behaviour which is to lie down. She’s not the quick study that Spike was, but I have to remember that she’s new to this game and not call her a ‘big dummy’ so often 😃🤣 

Spike sometimes tries to participate but all he can seem to do is stand in front of me and stamp his feet back and forth like he is on the verge of dementia. He looks so bright and eager, well almost, his eyes have a cloudiness in them that was never there, but his ears are pricked and he looks alert. He remembers half the game. I have to remind myself to remember that it’s been years since he played it. It seems like it was just the other day...

“I may never be happy, but tonight I am content. Nothing more than an empty house, the warm hazy weariness from a day spent setting strawberry runners in the sun, a glass of cool sweet milk, and a shallow dish of blueberries bathed in cream. When one is so tired at the end of a day one must sleep, and at the next dawn there are more strawberry runners to set, and so one goes on living, near the earth. At times like this I'd call myself a fool to ask for more...”

~Sylvia Plath