Air, Space, Freedom!

Well, at least Caesar came over tonight, and Vicky was here (that strong, strong woman), so I am now missing the absolutely AWFUL broken down armoire that my late husband dragged in (yeah, that would be the one made out of badly chipped particle board with the permanently stuck door that he found on the street one night and decided we needed), the old dresser of Sarah's that Joshua lugged downstairs, and ditto the bent and dented file cabinet. I feel immensely lightened.

I will now (since we've run out of large garbage nights until next Wednesday) continue to pile up nice neat bags of garbage. Next Wednesday it's those awful rugs that Joshua kept dragging home, which were bought new, but his color blindness (well, he'd have to be) kept him from seeing that in a black, red and white living room, an olive, gold and avocado rug was not quite what one had in mind. Not to mention the pale beige one he dragged in off the street for my bedroom. It is deeply amazing what one elderly incontinent cat (who also throws up, like any normal cat) can do to a beige rug in an astonishingly short space of time.

Oh, I tell you, I'm going to have to watch myself very closely here before I throw out everything I own. This massive cleaning up spree is truly liberating and altogether delightful...I have started on the small closet in my room (I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss the abundant storage in this house...but fewer things equals better living). So far I have removed and dispensed with ANOTHER large bag of Sarah's damn stuffed animals and a whole raft of Joshua's awful suits...as they have been sitting in that box in that closet for about seven years, I did so without fear of reprisals. If you haven't thought of or looked for something in seven years, you really, REALLY don't need it.

So I cooked dinner for me and my helpers, and tomorrow...yes, well, that's tomorrow, isn't it. It's supposed to be a perfectly ghastly day. We have a large storm bearing down on us, but no one seems quite certain whether it will deliver high winds and a horrible rain/snow mix or 14 inches of snow. It depends on something or other called a storm track...hey, am I a meteorologist? I am stocked for food (mine and Horrible Cat's), and I can ALWAYS battle my way to the deli for the other necessities of life...i.e., cigarettes and my three daily papers.

And gladsome news! My dear Saint Tiger Lily is madly procreating! So as soon as the weather makes it possible, I am off to the yarn store to make something pretty for what I'm sure will be the loveliest baby ever in the world. Actually, I can't wait...I like knitting baby clothes because they're small and manageable. Unlike my two knitting specialties, which are large afghans (which get very cumbersome to drag about toward the end) and classic Irish sweaters...because I use the proper unbleached lanolin filled wool, which weighs a ton. Baby stuff, on the other hand, is tiny and light. Oh, and if you should feel like embarking on an item for a baby, it must have one essential property: WASHABLE. In a machine. Dryable in a dryer. If you don't have children, trust me on this one. NOTHING intended for a baby should EVER say "hand wash only" or "dry clean only." That's just silly.

And now, having found (behind that damn dresser, because Joshua chose to shove it right against a bookshelf that HAD BOOKS IN IT, I am going to bed with a favorite old collection of science fiction stuff from the 50's and early 60's.

I shall leave you with this thought: GARBAGE IS GOOD!

Love, Wendy