Wednesday, May 6th

A recent purchase. A pure white, spring cactus. The flowers open into a star shape (at some point in the day) and have yellow stamen. I usually view this pretty cactus with it's flowers closed. someday I will catch them open.

Yesterday I bought nothing. Quite proud of myself as there is nearly always something I want at the greenhouse. But I held firm. And this morning this was my internet horoscope for the day:

Take a look at your closet today and count how many things are in there that you never wear. Chances are, no matter how high the number is, every single one of those forgotten items was an impulse buy -- wasn't it? Today, remember those neglected outfits when you see something you think you must have. Think about all the money you could have now if you had just resisted that compulsion. Don't spend money on something you don't need.

I think the percentage of items in the closet that we actually wear is like 10% eighty percent of the time. We reach for the same few items, over and over again. Now that I work in a greenhouse (and get dirty) I have been wearing few (none) of the clothes in my closet and the items I would like to wear, don't fit. In fact, what I am wearing is stuff I purchased in May, 2007, at that point in the 365 day healthy eating plan.

These days I am wearing whatever I can find in greenhouse green @ the local Goodwill. Men's cargo pants. I have the company tee shirt in medium (wear alone) and large (wear layered with something under). I used to be able to layer under the medium. My coworkers have begun wearing shorts. I'll need to visit the Goodwill and see what they have in the men's shorts section since last year's shorts may be too tight. I want nice and baggy. One pair, washed often, will be enough. Most of the cargo pants I have fit high and tight in the rear. Not something I appreciate on a hot, sweaty summer day. I could always "go hippy" and wear long, floaty skirts to work with the company tee. Or tie a sarong around my hips. Laughing!!!!!!

So, my closet. I have been eliminating stuff all along as lots of things in there were too big. Now I have to work on removing things I haven't worn in the past year or two. I even have things in there I haven't worn in the past 10 or 20 years. Those things have all sorts of emotional attachments. Harder to pull out of the closet and bag up. Easier to do when the things don't belong to you. I can clean out someone else's closet pretty darn quick.

Hard to break the emotional attachment to these clothes. Hard to break the emotional attachment I have to stockpiled ephemera (old papers and books) and fabric. Baby steps. I think I will return to the brown paper grocery bag approach and just fill one grocery bag with stuff in the closet. Not a "big deal". I have been walking around the house finding little items and placing them in the "yard sale" box out on the porch. Vases, baskets, salt and peppers, a set of small tumbling bears. Little crap. Little crap that clutters up the horizontal spaces.

So, dear readers, do you have a brown paper grocery bag? Can you walk around the house and put things into it? Can you take the bag over to Goodwill when you have it filled? Put the really awful stuff in the garbage can. If I lived in a well traveled neighborhood ( I live at the end of a dead end street) I would set up a small table with a "FREE" sign and be done with it.

I love to stop the car and look at the "FREE" stuff people put out on the lawn. Windows, screens, doors, computers, televisions, couches, chairs, empty pails. G & I have a huge pile of windows we picked up. We have plans to make garden boxes (cold frames) with these windows. Someday. And last week I saw an incredible stack of lovely, old green windows and screens. I didn't stop but they were lovely and quite large. So if your situation is conducive to a table or pile on the curb--go for it. And fill a little jar or can with flowers.

And don't buy anything today.