3 garbage cans

1 year, 8 months, 26 days to my 65th. Birthday

I am determined to do something every day towards getting out from under a huge house and six garages full of stuff! Yes, I said six garages, plus a large collapsing shed on the property that also has "stuff" in it.

We have been married 44 years. Except for the first few moves in Milwaukee, each time we have moved someone else (an employer) has paid for the move and we have moved into larger and larger properties. Our present home is four thousand square feet.

My dear husband rarely throws anything away. Early on I learned that he would get very upset if I tosses anything of "his" without permission. I tossed some of his old college books ten years after his graduation and heard about it for years after.

I am an artist and have tons of art materials. I will hang on to most of them until it is time to move into a rig, but I also am trying to take a very critical look at everything and see what I can get rid of TODAY.

We pay for three garbage cans per week. Often they are not full. I am committed to being sure they are from now on. This morning I tossed a can full of old VCR tapes. Movies we taped in the 90's and never re-watched. With DVDs and movies on Netflix we don't need to keep them. I have set aside a box full of old sports events for him. Things like the 1988 Olympics. These will all go eventually, but he has to do it.

I found a few that are family treasures. Tapes of several TV interviews I have done and my daughter's wedding and PHD presentation. I will get these transfered to DVD's eventually.

I also have a box full of good children's movies that are commercial tapes. I think these might sell at a Rummage sale. I have started a Rummage Sale and Goodwill table in the garage. I should have saved some of the stuff I took to Goodwill for a Rummage sale. Oh well, I'm just glad it is gone.

I have art work to do this afternoon. Sometime soon I will blog about my art and where it fits into this dream.