Date: 20 December 2013. Kitchen Clutter.

© janice142
 

(With apologies for the delay in posting; the weather has been cloudy so not much power for fun!)
 

We have almost completed the kitchen clean-up and hopefully yours is now in much better shape than when the Becoming Clutter-Free series began. Alas, though my notes said we would be totally done by the new year that is not going to happen. Oh well, this is life. I am always optimistic. Besides, we have to find time for the important things: like boating!
 

If you are me when I was a dirt-dweller, you have gathered an enormous amount of Stuff. That same clutter creates obligations that prevented me from boating. You probably complain about the space in your lockers. I had items within my cabinets that had been unused for years.
 

The whole process of de-cluttering is not to get rid of all your special things. Even cruisers like our things. Instead, your job is to select the very  best and keep those items. The rest can be passed along to others. This way, when the time comes to move aboard your boat you will have done the hard part already.

I enjoy watching DVDs. These are my favorites. The rest I left with Baby.

 

You will be as amazed as the rest of us were when you discover
how wonderful it is not to be loaded down by the burden of Stuff.
 

There truly is a sort of relief in having not a lot of junk. What I have is treasured all the more because I know it is the very best of what I'd gathered over a lifetime. There is a joy is sitting down with my threads to stitch knowing that the floss is 100% silk. When I pick up a screw driver, it's of good quality -- no more dollar store knuckle-buster junk for me. When I drink coffee the mug is a Star Trek one. These are not necessarily the most costly, however they do bring me happiness, and that's what I want for other folks as well.
 

So, this week during the holidays go through your collection of dish towels, pot holders, wash rags, trivets and oven mitts. The ones you do not absolutely love need to go.  You deserve the best, so why keep the second-rate ones?
 

No, it is not necessary to have a set of china for each holiday season. Just a few days ago I went to dirt and bought a package of Christmas plates -- disposable ones! Right now I'm testing one out with a little treat:
 

In examining my snack I'm reminded of something from my aphorism collection:
 

You were born under the sign of Pistachio... the nut.
Jackie Gleason - Honeymooner's Game
 

And yes, some day I'll tell you about serving drinks to Mr. Gleason aboard our 40'er, back in the day when the stars chartered yachts and cruised the inland waterways. He drank, a lot! The men folk retired to a bar along the wharf and closed the place down. That was a wild time.
 

But I digress.
This week is the next to last in your kitchen and this chore is an easy task. Simply go thru your kitchen towels, oven mitts, placemats and trivets. Select your favorites and the rest need to go. As for me, I have a pair of pot holders a friend (Tara) made a few years ago for a Christmas gift. I do not have an oven so there is no need for an oven mitt!
 

Remember these? A lovely girl made this duo especially for me and each time I use them I remember
Tara's kindness. I keep them hanging inside my galley locker -- handy and easy to locate when needed.
 

Aboard Seaweed, to celebrate each holiday or change of seasons I treat the boat to a new galley towel. At the end of the holiday the towel is chopped in half and turned into work rags. Those become disposable. They might be washed a time or three, however I do not keep Stuff. Yes, I do have a couple of dish towels that I use year to year because I really like them but mostly they are bought for the holiday at hand and then o-u-t they go.
 

That is it from the smoky waterfront today. My eyes are burning (as is the forest) so I'll sign off for now, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a festive holiday dinner with lots of yummy desserts. The diet starts on New Year's Day, so in the meantime, enjoy!
 

I'd love to hear of your progress.
And, are you interested in the the series continuing?
 

COMMENTS:
 

© 2013, 2023

Categories: Becoming Clutter-Free, Characters, Memory Lane,

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