Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice"
for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday
and nurturing our writing lives.
Some of you know that I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel. As part of that process, I had to empty all my lower cabinets and drawers. Because I've done this before, I tried to keep each drawer or cabinet contained in a specific box (for the most part), except for the piles of stuff that I put on the dining room table and another folding table. I discreetly covered them with sheets to keep the dust away, but when I glance into the dining room, they look like two coffins with a path between.
I am rather proud of my ability to find things in the middle of the current mess. When my husband mentioned needing painter's tape, I immediately went to the first shelf of the laundry room where I keep a blue basket of tape and twine. However that shelf has been repurposed to hold containers in the makeshift kitchen. Less than one minute later, I walked into the dining room, located the blue basket, and retrieved the painter's tape. He wanted the big glass mixing bowl on Saturday so he could boil sugar water (in the microwave) for the hummingbirds. That took a little longer ,and I must admit to looking in 3 or 4 boxes before finding the set of 3 bowls wrapped in a tablecloth at the bottom of a big box. I finally moved the Rolodex from the dining room to my desk since I needed it so frequently (I know, who besides me still has a Rolodex?). Old habits and routines die hard.
But my proudest moment came when I was cleaning out and packing up the junk drawer so it could be used as a silverware/plastic bag drawer in thelaundry room makeshift kitchen. That's when I discovered this piece of gray plastic!
You don't know what it is? Usually I throw random finds like this away only to discover in a few days the real use of the item. But this time, for some odd reason, I recognized the original use of this plastic thingamajig. With a smile, I grabbed it, walked to the laundry room trash can, and snapped it in place.
I'm not sure why I didn't recognize it months or maybe years ago when I stashed it in the junk drawer. But I'm glad I remembered and every time I look at the trash can, I'm reminded that in the middle of a big mess, it's the little things that bring us joy!
I am rather proud of my ability to find things in the middle of the current mess. When my husband mentioned needing painter's tape, I immediately went to the first shelf of the laundry room where I keep a blue basket of tape and twine. However that shelf has been repurposed to hold containers in the makeshift kitchen. Less than one minute later, I walked into the dining room, located the blue basket, and retrieved the painter's tape. He wanted the big glass mixing bowl on Saturday so he could boil sugar water (in the microwave) for the hummingbirds. That took a little longer ,and I must admit to looking in 3 or 4 boxes before finding the set of 3 bowls wrapped in a tablecloth at the bottom of a big box. I finally moved the Rolodex from the dining room to my desk since I needed it so frequently (I know, who besides me still has a Rolodex?). Old habits and routines die hard.
But my proudest moment came when I was cleaning out and packing up the junk drawer so it could be used as a silverware/plastic bag drawer in the
Funny! My problem is that nothing in my junk drawer ever looks vaguely familiar. Hope the remodel continues to go well, Ramona.
ReplyDeleteYou are my hero! I don't know if I could handle this and still cook dinner in the laundry room. Glad that grey bit of plastic found its real home. Hope this is winding down and soon it will only be a distant memory of inconvenience.
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny. I'll tuck away the junk drawer theme for SOL starting way too soon. My husband has a hate relationship with the junk drawer. He never can find what he is looking for. My wheels are turning.
ReplyDeleteLove your find and the fact that you knew exactly what it was for. I probably would have thrown it out because I had no idea what to do with it. Hope you remodeling is soon finished and you get things back in the proper kitchen and out of the make shift one.
ReplyDeleteThe gray plastic thingamajig is the hero of the story! But your ability to adapt during this time makes you the star in daily life! Hurrah for both.
ReplyDeleteWe remodeled our kitchen long ago & everything ended up in the dining room. So funny that I remember 'looking' for things too. This is such a great slice, Ramona. Your ending is quite perfect!
ReplyDeleteYour post makes me laugh! It probably should make me cry, because this is my life on a regular basis, not just in the middle of a kitchen remodel! Hurray for all your terrific problem solving and flexibility! Not to mention a great sense of humor which goes a long way in these kind of situations! Can't wait to see the remodel!
ReplyDeleteRamona, what a system you have to retrieve misplaced items in the midst of clutter. I still sit in the midst of clutter since I retire. The boxes from my administrator office get taken apart as I need them but I need to search through many before finding what I want. Then, the mess lays on the floor of the once beautifully finished basement (only to my husband's dismay). This is one of those off from consulting jobs but once again I need to prepare for the next two days of PD facilitation. Once again, the boxes will be unattended. Writing seems so much more productive for me than sorting my boxes. By the way, do you your winter whispering?
ReplyDeleteI found myself laughing as I read through your post. It reminded me of the mess we were in as we moved. We want to eventually redo the kitchen in our new house. I may have to come to you for advice when I'm going crazy.
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