After John died, I got down here in July 2018.

One of my plans was to organize the master room closet but somehow I just took John’s stuff out and never really got it arranged.

And now I’ve gotten heavier! A lot of the clothes I wore will never fit me again and I’m also getting older so my style has changed. I can’t imagine I’ll ever wear all the crocheted sweaters I’ve collected. It’s time to purge.

So I’ve started the job.

I’ve made piles in my bedroom: nearly new, toss out, wash, hang up. I’m moving some to the guest room closet. Let’s face it, I may never need a winter coat, but in case I need to fly back to Michigan for a funeral I’ll need to have one available. I have lots of new comfy robes for the different Florida seasons. I need to eliminate all the old ratty ones.

I’ve been working on the closet project for several days. My back limits the time I can be on my feet but little by little I’m seeing improvement.

I’m concerned that the stuff to be donated may not be accepted because of the Covid virus. I could just dump the stuff but some of it is stuff I just purchased but it didn’t fit when I got it. It’s brand new!

I know that this declutter mood is prompted because I know my life is winding down. Even if I’m fortunate, I probably won’t live another 15 years. I’m pushing 80. Fifteen years was just a blink ago. It feels like I’ve wasted the past six months. Damn Covid-19!!!

I have some questions: How many robes do I need? (Especially when it’s cool here, I put on a robe early.) Should I save Mom’s once-valuable fur? Should I save some of my cutest outfits that are too snug now? (I do want to lose weight.) If I have enough cute tops for a different one every day all year, is that excessive? If I haven’t worn something and I’ve had it a couple years, is it time to chuck it? Party dresses are sort of a waste of space since I doubt that we’ll ever need party attire again.

I also need to get rid of stuff stored in the bins in the storage room. If I haven’t opened a bin in two years, chances are I’ll never want any of it and it’s not fair to Kelly to think she’ll use it.

My tchotchkes (pronounced chochkeys) keep multiplying. I have too many small trinkets and vowed I wouldn’t have any. My dining room’s corner shelf unit needs to be cleaned off (eliminated). I hate little nick-nacks.

My friend, Linda, will be staying here. At this point the guest room closet is overfilled. Hopefully I can weed things out so there’ll be room for her stuff. At least it’s motivation.