An Organizing Goddess

This month has turned out to be all I had hoped for after my January letdown. My bookcase is plastered with the valentines I received from friends and family. I didn’t get any sent out. Other things called for my attention.

Valentines

As I’ve mentioned, I have been trying to clear clutter and make my space more user friendly. It’s been ongoing since I moved into my house. I have a lot of stuff for creative endeavors.

On Valentines Day I received a special gift. My blogging friend, Alys from Gardening Nirvana came to visit. It was our first meeting and I was looking forward to it as she is dear to my heart. Alys is an advocate for kindness, animals, and an uncluttered life. She has another blog that she rarely posts on entitled Organized at Heart. It’s how she makes her living.

Coming off the airplane I’d recognize her anywhere

Soups all gone Very tired traveler.

I spent many days cleaning and clearing before she arrived as you would guess. There is more company coming next week. I couldn’t think of where to take her to show her around the Portland, Oregon area. So we just let it happen. We had a simple dinner of homemade lentil soup and veggies,  The next morning we went to Bob’s Red Mill for breakfast. She buys their products but had no idea of what we would find there. Who knew it would be a huge birthday party for Bob’s 89^th birthday with a band for entertainment. We even got a slice of birthday cake and a free cup of oatmeal to take home.

Entertainment getting ready

Bob at 89 stops in every weekend when he’s not working. The oldest working CEO in the country I think.

He looks great at 89. Saying happy birthday.

After breakfast we needed to walk a bit so I took Alys to Fabric Depot. It’s an acre of fabric and notions where you can find anything you can possibly imagine. She did find something that had to come home with her. I left it all there. I shop at home now. The party continued through the afternoon. Back at my house, I had to sit and rest my poor sore foot and Alys started to move like someone had set fire to her. She was everywhere at once. Asking how I felt as we proceeded. She immediately honed into the areas that were causing me the most grief and visualized an immediate solution. I was awestruck!

Right at home

We can make this easily

Watch yourself Vanna

Shelves were emptied and moved and other shelves were emptied and moved and then everything went back together looking like a department store had set up a beautiful display but she didn’t do what I was so afraid an organizer would do. She didn’t suggest I throw things away. I looked at things with different eyes and a lot more left to the thrift store. We found things my daughter wanted to keep with her.

Above the washer has never been so pretty. One day maybe a closing cabinet.

The next day, we had a light breakfast to fortify us for a trek through Powell’s City of Books, occupying an entire city block and housing approximately one million books. We only spent and hour and a half but managed to find things we couldn’t live without.

My sister had to drive us there as it’s out of my safe range. Then we went to have lunch at a nice and noisy restaurant friends of my sister own. We waddled out but stopped at Salt and Straw for our evening dessert to go. My sister drove us by the Rose and Japanese gardens but it was too cold and wet to stop.

Much lighter without the bookcase on top.

This bookshelf was on the kitchen desk.

That rack was originally in the laundry room looking quite ugly. Much better here.

Getting back home, Alys once more became more energized and the next thing I knew three more rooms had their Chi fluffed big time. I hobbled along the best I could but Alys was moving like lightning making changes to make my life so much easier. It’s like she read my mind and saw how I needed things to flow. I’m now able to do my sewing and crafts in a way that brings peace to my soul.

This was next to the desk in the kitchen. An emergency basket on the floor by the back door. I’ll paint this bookcase and the others this summer.

Will be putting a tension rod to cover the detergents.

 

My daughter came the next morning and was overwhelmed by how well Alys had read my needs and provided them. My daughter has dubbed Alys her new Goddess Hero for making my life so much lighter. She was gleeful as we moved more things around. In Feng Shui, there is a phrase that if you want to change your life, move 27 things. I think big changes are coming now.

Would you be able to let an organizer help you?

From my heart to yours,

Marlene Herself

Tech Support

Where in the world would we be without good tech Support in this high tech age? My heart goes out to those who don’t have it available to them. I am blessed to have both of my children turn out a little techy. They got it from their grandma, my mother. My youngest brother was tech support for her. I don’t remember exactly when she got her first computer but I’m sure it was well before I finally got one. Mom took classes at the adult school and the senior center to stay current with technology. I have done the same to learn new programs and how to finesse them. Mom also liked to get the newest updated technology as often as possible.

 

Would you guess she was a techno geek?

Since my post a couple of weeks ago, my damaged laptop arrived at my son’s. He is working to resurrect it with a new hard drive. He sent a laptop that was in the back of a closet for me to use while I waited for the repair. It worked for slightly more than an hour before doing a tab dance without music. If I could show you the gyrations it performed all on it’s own, you would probably give it a 10. It took all I had to click the cursor quickly enough to shut it down as the cursor was having a party all it’s own. Trying to work with my tablet was not an easy task. I’ve been advised to purchase an external wireless keyboard for it and may soon. In the meantime,  Tech Support (my son) had me log on to the laptop he sent and quickly before it started dancing again, download a remote operating program. Once I had that accomplished, he quickly signed on and took control. Within minutes the laptop was working perfectly. A few adjustments later, I’m pretty much back in business.

Tech support at work. There are more computers in the office. Gracie’s waiting to play.

Why has it taken me so long to get back to you? You know the rules don’t you? Everything comes in threes! I had an old friend come to visit. It’s been a year and a half since our last visit when I went to see her and right after leaving her little dog pulled her over causing  head and body injuries that left her in rehab for several months. I made only one plan for our time together and figured we’d wing it from there.  All went well through lunch and dinner time until after we put on our cozies for bed. An infection causing extreme pain surfaced quickly and I was looking for an emergency room at 10 pm. I am again grateful for our current technology as without GPS we might still be trying to find it. I don’t drive at night due to vision limitations but somehow, we arrived safely and I guarantee I’m not sure I could find it now.

My friend finally got well enough with medication and much sleep to make it to Fabric Depot. As the quilter who got me started down this addictive path, an acre of fabric and notions is like visiting the chocolate shop. They have electric scooters for those who can’t make it on foot. I heard a lot of exclamatory comments as she motored through.

Just the beginning of the fun

The next morning there was a phone call at 6 am. Family had been trying to reach her but we have poor cell reception here. There was a family tragedy. After getting grounded enough to take care of business, she changed her flight and headed back to deal with all that is laying ahead. Every time I think my life is harder than it needs to be, I look around and someone else is having a tougher time. This was one problem Tech Support couldn’t fix but he could give me moral support as I gave some to my friend.  Life is strange and challenging.

How are you fixed for tech support?

 

From my heart to yours,

Marlene Herself