Socially concious spring cleaning
Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 10:10:35 AM PDT
So, as a native Floridian, I am immune to most of your Northern-centric passages of time. You all call them "seasons" and look for things like frost on pumpkins or different color leaves. Around here we look to see when the British tourists have turned from a pasty white to a more vibrant Lobster-red to tell when summer is over. Fall is denoted by clearance prices on beach towels, winter is that day when you get to wear a sweater, and spring, ah, spring. A semi-mythical season whose presence is noted by a few days of light green leaves, no sweater, and for me an irresistible urge to get things done around the house.
Thank goodness it only lasts about a week!
Yesterday I took a good hard look at my kitchen, and then I sat down to read for a few hours. Then I looked at the kitchen again; no discernible change. I sighed and put down my book. After doing the dishes and making some half hearted swipes at the crumbs on the stove I decided real, actual, "organize while you go cleaning" was in order. I began in the pantry.
There I immediately noticed (after 3 weeks of the shelf no longer sliding in and out) that the shelf was broken. The big shelf, where I keep the cereal, and the granola bars, and the oatmeal and the wheat germ. After emptying it I realized it had come off the track, bent the wheel and was hanging very precipitously. Apparently all that fiber will kill you.
I banged the wheel back into place with my meat tenderizer (or as I call it, the kitchen hammer)slid the shelf back in and reloaded it with only the cereal boxes. Clearing these out I realized I had doubles of many packages, probably at the cereal two for one that happens weekly at my grocery store. (I suspect this sale is underwritten by the milk company).
We had extra Raisin Bran. I am the only person in my house who does not believe, deep in their soul, that Raisin Bran is poison. So I put those in a (reusable!) shopping bag for church. Then I realized we had several types of hot cocoa. These orphan bags of sugary ersatz chocolate substance were combined into a single box. Perhaps unwittingly my husband will now drink some of the "No Sugar Added" but somehow I doubt it. I made some for Darling Girl and returned to work. Next I discovered some instant mix lemonade, I product I would not usually countenance except I bought it during a weird pregnancy craving in my first trimester. "The "anything that will stay down' months... I made a pitcher and put it in the fridge and recycled the empty can. I was starting to feel pretty good!
Extra vinegar, in the bag! Two bags of red beans? One for the church! Who needs this much rice?! And so on, combining open packets, pulling things for dinner, dumping old stuff, and recycling everything I could. I found enough stuff to make a REALLY nice dinner in my pantry and freezer, and didn't have to go to the store, as I had planned to earlier. So I saved money! And I have a huge sack of food for the church food bank, yay!
I felt so amazing I even tackled the dreaded dining room closet! I won't go on and on, but let me tell you one thing. It is WAAAAY easier to live up to your commitment that THIS will be the year you use the cloth napkins when they are all (47 of them!!) in a big basket on an organized shelf. I even found a box of conventional cleaning products that I will now use up as I switch over to more environmentally friendly products.
So I can't be the only one that uses "Not-as-Hot", uh, I mean "spring" to make a fresh start. What are you all up to? Any suggestions for me? Today I got the laundry room organized and last weekend I installed a retractable clothesline on my balcony! Have you got Spring Fever too?
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