It’s a very quiet day, today. I’m not really sure what makes it different. It’s often more quiet than it used to be. I only occasionally turn on the TV. I haven’t listened to radio in decades. I would turn on my iTunes, but it’s on the computer in my library and I hardly use that one any more. And though it would be nice to have my eclectic music in the background, I’m having difficulty getting Alexa to find it.

I wish I had some new sewing or embroidery or crochet to post, but alas! I don’t seem to be able to do anything in little bits of time. I think about doing it. I even try, but, in that case, I usually end up with needle, thread and fabric in hand while wondering what to do.

What I have been doing is cleaning and purging. It’s not a major purge, by any means. I had started last spring, but stopped amid the mess when Iqbal got sick. The whole house is a disaster because last spring I started in the sewing, art and storage rooms. This year I’m up and down. Up, because my sister moved in part time and the guest room needed serious cleaning out. Down because I have been looking for papers in Iqbal’s den and it’s a big mess and I don’t need it as a den. (I’m going to move the exercise equipment into that room, so I can use it.

My sister cleaned out the guest room, mostly, I still have 1 closet (of 2) and some drawers in there Because a lot of it was linens and Iqbal’s clothing, it went into the living room for me to sort, and the living room became a huge mess. Finally we did get many boxes to the mission. And the kitchen takes about five minutes to become a mess. The living room is about 90-95% cleaned up, but yesterday I decided to rearrange some cupboards. Getting rid of lots of stuff there. Tea and cocoa was overflowing, and I don’t know where the coffee came from. The tea and cocoa is going to my son who drinks more of both than I do. The coffee, except one unopened package, is going to my garden since it’s all mostly more than half empty packages.

I already gave three sets of dishes to charity (1 daily set I just didn’t need, and 2 Christmas sets I always forget to use). The daily set was, I think, a 16 place setting, but some plates have been super glued back together (and have survived several washes in the dishwasher!) and a couple pieces are missing. My sister packed them as 3 four place settings, and a set of the extras. I have an incomplete four place setting with the glued pieces. I also have Corelleware.

This is what my “new” dishes cupboard looks like. The mess below is what came out of this cupboard, canisters, and dishes to be washed, and cannisters (both emptied and in use). The top shelf is dinner plates (which I rarely use) and platters (ditto). There are more dishes–mostly bowls, way in the back of the previous cupboard and in the dishwasher (and I see a grab-it in the mess).

When I tackled the mess on the counter, I decided I needed to clean another cupboard to be able to put things away. I think the one I chose was 50% tea! There was also way more hot chocolate than needed, and six or seven smoothie mixes that I’ll probably toss because they’re old.

This is an “almost before” picture. I’d already taken out all the food items (except the grapes) that are on the counter below.

This is my after photo:

This is everything that was here before, that I’m keeping, plus what I’m keeping from the other cupboard. The top shelf is still all tea, but it’s not overflowing to the other shelves or cupboards as it was. If I find a better place, the dried beans on the Uncle Ben’s tin and the barley in the clear cannister will go somewhere else. Otherwise the middle shelf is breakfast stuff I use daily (more or less). The bottom shelf is mostly for drinks. From right to left coffee behind the baking cocoa, butter, honey and peanut butter, sugar and stevia, drinking cocoa. The stuff in front is packets of tea and fruity water add-ins, and unsweetened Kool-Aid in the blue dish (with a tiny bottle of lemon-lime).

Only four more upper cupboards and a panty cupboard to go!

And hours later, it’s still quiet around here.