due diligence

Now that I have time at home I am applying diligence to some long neglected "tidying up." Inspired by the need to get taxes done (translation: locate supporting documents in that effort) and by a visit from my mother next week (i.e. clear the guest room of the items that have accumulated there), I have been in something of an attack mode. Taxes were the first priority (no reflection on my mother--the guest room clutter can always be "relocated," as it has typically been handled in the past), and every stack of paper I could find has been gone through and dispatched into three piles: trash, tax-related, or subject to filing. It's amazing how much of that could be thrown away. (Why do we keep such things in the first place?)

Once the tax data was liberated and its various hiding places dispatched it was time to focus on the guest room. I am pleased to say that four boxes and one bag of "stuff" have now been gone through and sorted or pitched. What a good feeling! I still need to determine what to do with the remains of that effort, as well as the things that are still on top of the bed, but this is definite progress. Categories are clear: church-related resources (and some seminary notebooks); art and scrapping supplies; mementos; business documents; and Christmas paraphernalia. There's a little bit of room in a hall closet to store some things, probably the church stuff, and there is still some "reallocation" of existing storage spaces that could be managed, but adequate storage continues to be a challenge here. I will persevere.

After some pleasant, sunny days here cold and rain have returned, so my mission continues. Clean up! It is my goal that the guest room appear as it does in the picture here (except that things are now stored under the bed), and I am confident that it will, with as little relocation as possible.

On with the task at hand!