Spring Thoughts

It's in the sixties today, cold for the desert. Nonetheless, I know we're moving headlong into Spring.

 Brody stops to listen to a hawk making a magnificient sound in the palm tree.

In addition to new growth on the rosebushes, another indication that the season is changing is all the talk of spring cleaning. The magazines at the grocery store and emails from Oprah.com headline messages like Time to do a deep cleaning, Time to unclutter and Ten quick ways to clean your closet. 

Are they forgetting that keeping old stuff can be a good thing?

Although I have the desire to spring clean, to freshen up the house and clean stuff that needs cleaning I don't have it enough to actually do it. Not yet anyhow. Maybe it will come as the temperature rises.  As far as clutter goes, I have a feeling this year I will be reorganizing my clutter (again) rather than getting rid of it.

Today is my day off from work and babysitting (aka my weekend.)  I am content to sit at my (cluttered desk) and contemplate clutter.  Lately, some of my so-called clutter has been companion and comfort. (Some, not all.)

For example, on top of a pile on my desk is a picture from a coloring book I bought Kenz when she was around three years old. A couple days ago she dug it out of a stack of old coloring books. Oohing and ahhing she exclaimed, Nana, I love this coloring book.  As she turned the pages we came across some of her earlier works. We compared her skills from then and now. Time in a bottle. Priceless. Certainly not clutter.

I keep Kenz's crayons in an old CLARK's shoe box. It's filled to the brim, no broken ones, but ones that are long enough to color with. Kenz found a crayon deep down in the box that she used for the skin color. She showed it to me and I was amazed. I didn't know they made the color... macaroni and cheese. Did you?

 BTW, if you are familiar with the green Clark shoe boxes then you know how valuable they are. They are sturdy and handsome especially when stacked one on top of the other. I have saved at least twenty of them over the years. Certainly, they are not in the clutter category.

The playroom closet is brimming with good clutter. (And so are all the others.)

You never know. You never know when you're gonna need something like.... a bird costume.  Luckily, I saved a Cupid costume Kenz got at a birthday party last year. We colored the wings blue with a magic marker, strapped them on and patted ourselves on the back for the ingenous remake. Kenz is a bluebird, one of the stars in the play Peter and the Wolf next week at school. Old costumes are not clutter.

It could be the recession helping to boost the value of clutter, but it's always been creativity.  As much as I would like to see space where stuff is, there is great reward in recycling and  enjoying something you just knew in your heart would come in handy one of these days. 

Happy beginnings to Spring!

To be continued.