Stuff, Stuff And More Stuff

It's absolutely amazing how much stuff we accumulate throughout our lives.  And is it any wonder?  We live in a consumer's paradise.  It is ingrained into our little heads that we need to buy, buy, buy!  Without things you can never be truly happy.  Even if you don't need it, you should still get it.  Everybody else has it...you should too!

I've even seen a Target ad on the TV lately...prodding you to get in their store and buy anything and everything in sight.  I'm disgusted.

And it's even worse for those of us that are packrats.  Accumulating stuff with no intention of ever getting rid of any of it.  And the piles grow and grow...eventually the walls of stuff tower above you and the walls begin to close in on you.  Claustrophobia isn't an option...you're trapped in a tumbling maze of stuff with no escape in sihgt.

I like to think of myself as a reformed packrat.  There was no twelve step program for me...no therapy to escape my addiction to stuff.  Instead, I began watching those television shows where people are so trapped in their clutter-filled lives that their stuffhas taken over.  You know that these people have floors in their houses, but you can't see them.  Furniture has to be under all that junk somewhere!  Where do these people sit, sleep, eat?  How do they live?

I would watch those shows and watch the clutter expert come in and help them make sense of all of the junk that has been ruling their lives.  Why are you keeping this?  What hold does it have over you?

I began looking around my house and noticing that I had a lot stuff, too.  (This realization was compounded by the fact that my husband and I were living in a 900 square foot shoe box at the time.)  And the more I looked around, I couldn't figure out why I had it all.  How is it that I had made it through so many moves in such a short time and still managed to hang on to all of these things?  Some of them hadn't even been out of the boxes since two moves ago!  They were languishing down in the basement...just sitting there waiting for me to rediscover them.  And even worse...I thought about how much stuff we had already gotten rid of!  What would our lives be like if we still had it all?!?  Do we need an intervention???

The turning point for me was when Hubby and I moved into our new house.  The sense of pride that comes with ownership took over.  I was putting a lot of myself into decorating this new nest of ours, and I didn't want it cluttered up with a bunch of junk.  As we unpacked boxes (and there were a lot of boxes!), we found ourselves asking why we still had some of the stuff that we were rediscovering.  The simple solution was to wrap whatever we couldn't bear to see in the new house back up and put it into another box.  Box after box after box began to accumulate in the garage.  Why was it all here?  This stuff that in the past we couldn't bear to give up had now turned into something bigger than us...stalking us from location to location during the course of our lives!

It felt good to pear down.  Slice objects from our lives...dead weight that served no real purpose in our existance.  As I moved through the piles and piles of stuff I discovered that it became so easy to let go.  Old clothes that I never wore or no longer liked made it into the pile (never mind the fact that I had gotten rid of bags and bags and bags of clothing while in Germany, and even before leaving for Germany...here I was now getting rid of more!).  Odd dishes that I couldn't even remember exactly whyI had bought them.  Glasses and coffee mugs of odd sorts...board games, books, unwanted household decor.  Hubby contributed, too...video games, elecronics, toys...more clothes. 

The stuff piled up until we were able to fill our front yard with it on a nice, warm and sunny day.  We thought we'd see if we could make a few bucks off of it before giving it away.  And we did...that felt good, too!  And to top it all off, we found someone to come haul it all away at the end of the day.  Everything that was left went...enough to fill up her van.  We weren't sorry to see it go.  That was probably the best part of the day...the weight of all of that stuff being taken from our lives.

And we haven't missed any of it.

Tonight, I worked my way through the last part of the house that needed to be squared away from the move...my craft nook.  More stuff.  As I shifted through the stuff that represented my past, I still found myself asking why I had hauled some of this stuff with me...why had I allowed it to stalk me across the world?  The more I let go, the easier it is to toss things.  Old things...things that really don't mean as much to me as I thought they did. 

Sifting through the piles and piles of memories, I found a few things that were too sweet to let go of.  A few letters here and there (representative of a practice that has been lost since the implementation of computers and emails!).  A note.  An invitation.  A program from a special event.  Photos.  Handmade cards.  These things stayed.  Most of the items that I sifted through went.  Memories that I no longer care for, or long ago forgot.

Now I look around me at my newly created area.  An area for inspiration - void of the senseless clutter that resided in here for months and months...taunting me and forbidding me from using my nook.  The piles grew and grew until I couldn't bear it any more...I had to cleave it from my life before I went mad!

Yes...I am a reformed packrat.  Bound and determined to be free of the choking grasp of the stuff.  Sometimes I think that I may go a little bit overboard in my desire to live a stuff-free life.  But, really, I think that I'm better off because of not having it.

Don't Bash My City!

I am deeply offended.  Today, I read an article on CNN Money Magazine online bashing the town that I live in.  The article listed Fresno as #4 on a list of 10 places that you shouldn't be investing your money in real estate.  (Great...perfect timing now that Hubby and I have bought a house here!!) 

OK...I can understand that they're saying that the housing market here isn't going to be doing so hot in the near future, and that's not where my gripe is. (Although I do believe that the market here won't be so bad - but that's just my humble opinion.)

I have a problem with the way they portrayed this city.  I'll put the very short two paragraphs that they wrote about Fresno below:

Fresno, CA

Yet another valley city with an economic base of low paid agricultural industry workers, Fresno real estate rang up impressive price hikes during the boom.

Today, the potential for more growth seems very limited. The landscape is mostly uninspiring, the weather unfavorable and the cultural amenities negligible.

 

WHAT?!?

 

In case thay haven't noticed, Fresno is undergoing an economic boom right now.  Unemployment is incredibly low - the job market is growing, and companies from across the country are looking to grow here.  The Central Valley is an agricultural paradise - responsible for growing a major part of the nation's fruits and veggies. 

 

And while it's not cheap to live here - by any means - it's still one of the most affordable cities in this state.  Toss in the fact that we're centrally located, and Fresno starts to look a little better.

 

Also, if they had bothered to come out here and take a look around, they might just notice that we have three (count 'em three) national parks at our back door.  In less than an hour, we can be in Yosemite, Kings Canyon or Sequoia National Parks, taking in the sights and wonders, and smelling those gorgeous trees.  Oh - by the way...we've got the nation's largest tree right here in Sequoia.  Oh...and the Nation's Christmas Tree, too.  Uh huh - and a canyon that runs deeper than the Grand Canyon right here in our very own Kings Canyon National Park.  AND we've got the highest point in the lower 48 - a mere few hours drive from the lowest point in the lower 48.  Uninspired landscape, my ass!

 

We're only two hours away from the ocean.  Three or so hours from San Fran and LA.  Major culture meccas for sure, and right down the road from us.  Snow skiing is a short jaunt away...and I don't have to drive in the snow or on icy roads to boot!

 

We're lacking culture, you say?  We might not have the major cultural attractions that San Fran and LA boast - but we're not the tourist attraction that they are, either.  Fresno is up-and-coming.  We get Cirque de Soleil, automotive shows, and major performers.  We're becoming a major stop on coucert tours...heck, when Madonna passed through this summer, she put on two shows!

 

Fresno now has many of the major shopping and dining opportunities that the bigger cities have.  And there are more coming!  Right off the top of my head, I can think of two major shopping complexes in the works - to add to the (at least) four major shoping areas already in place.  That isn't too bad, I think!

 

Now I can see how the natives here can think that Fresno doesn't have much to offer.  When you compare this big little city to the major metropolises nearby, we're not going to be able to hold a candle to them.  But you know what?  I've lived in a crummy place or two, and Fresno ranks up there as one of the better places to be.  It's got everything that you need - and you don't have to sit in traffic while trying to get to it! 

 

We've got a AAA Minor League baseball team, with a pretty nice stadium.  I don't evenlike sports, but I enjoy going to a Grizzlies game.    We've got a college football team.  We're constantly amazed at the amount of support that the locals have for their teams.  There are museums, upscale shopping and dining, two water parks, gardens, trails, parks and there are awesome lakes just a short drive up into the foothills. 

 

And for the weather - really it's not all that bad.  We moved here in December of 2005, and I have yet to find myself wading in knee-deep snow.  Oh, sure....it rained a lot last winter, but really...I'd rather have rain than snow.  Oh, and I forgot...the valley hasunbearable heat.  Get real...two or three weeks of temps above 110 degrees wasn't so bad.  So I lost a few plants and the electric bill went up a bit from running the a/c.  Big whoop.  Spend a few years in the Florida heat and humidity, then come crying to me about walking to your car from your front door in this dry heat.  Or better yet, be like my husband and spend a year in the Middle East - with intermittant a/c. 

 

OK - I'll admit that this pea-soup fog unnerves me.  I have a hard enough time trying to see at night - I don't need that kind of obstacle in my way.  But I'll make it through OK.  I even understand that earthquakes here aren't so bad.

 

The bottom line is that Fresno isn't a pit.  And it certainly isn't the pit that CNN Money Magazine online claims that it is.  I genuinely like it here.  There are plenty of things to keep us occupied for whatever time we'll be spending here, and it's right in the middle of the state - the perfect base to have for seeing the rest of the amazing (and very inspiring) landscape that this area has to offer.

Morning Revelrie

The alarm clock cuts through the dark and silent cocoon of my sleeping haven.  I am jolted out of my peaceful escape.  As I nudge my husband with a not-so-gentle reminder to hit the snooze button, I roll over and desperately try to hold on to the blissful sleep that was just robbed from me. 

Before long, I am surrounded by my faithful furry companions – the cats are awaiting their breakfast and the dog needs his time outside before his breakfast.  But for just a few more moments, we all snuggle together in the warm cocoon of the bed.

Just a few minutes before I reluctantly pull the covers back and throw my legs out of the bed, I am hit with a wonderful realization – today is Friday.  This is the day that leads into the weekend…one of the rare weekends for which we have made no plans.  At this thought, I am overcome with a warm calmness.  In mere hours, I will return home from work to absolutely no obligations.  I will be free for two days!

The weekends that have no organized plans tend to be rare for me.  My husband and I are firm believers in getting out and seeing whatever there is to see in our area.  We visit the national parks that are at our back door (we're blessed with three!) and check out other things around town.  Last week, at the last minute, we decided to embark in a whirlwind drive from Manteca to Death Valley.  The weekend before was spent hiking in the great Kings Canyon, and the weekend before that we traversed the Tioga Pass over the Sierra Mountains to see an amazing volcanic formation of basalt pillars known as Devil's Postpile.

My mind starts to drift over the days of the upcoming weekend.  The weather has been absolutely wonderful as of late.  Crisp autumn days with stunning blue skies to frame the changing leaves.  I can put in some much needed time in my garden – that beloved escape of mine.  Hubby can indulge one of his favorite hobbies – working on his project car. There will be some standard chores…groceries need to be purchased so that we have food for the upcoming week, of course I will need to visit the garden center to purchase supplies for my weekend spent in the garden, and the house could use a thorough cleaning. 

But those chores can be spread out over the weekend – they don't have to be completed with a sense of urgency.  I don't have to get out of bed…I can sleep in until my natural alarm clock gently nudges me.  And if that doesn't happen early enough, the furry ones aren't too shy about giving mama the nudge that she needs to get out of bed and put some food in their bowls.  ;)  But the important thing…the thought that fills me with that warm and calm sensation, is that we have a weekend to our selves…one that we can use to indulge ourselves and rejuvenate our minds and spirits.  Those are the best weekends!

Autumn Perspective

Autumn is here.  Seasons continue to change.  I look around my surroundings, and my eyes fall on my garden.  My sweet little sanctuary in the front yard. 

Since I fell in love with gardening, I've started to really take note of the changing life cycle of my leafy little friends.  I find great joy in locating new growth or a new blossom.  I get excited when I notice that one of my little treasures is bursting with an unexpected flower, as has happened this past week with my plush plant.  I can't wait until the buds bloom and I can see what is inside!  And the delight I felt when I found three unexpected sunflowers in my front garden…remnants of my summer sunflowers that were mostly eaten by birds.

There really is no rhyme or reason to my design in the garden.  I've got a hodge-podge of plants scattered through my beds.  I love going to the garden center and just immersing myself in all of the plants.  I stroll through the aisles, taking in the textures and colors on the tables beside me.  I study the height and visual appeal of the plants…what pleases me?  When something catches my eye and I can't resist…that's when the fun begins. 

I take my new purchases home…gently placing them in a waiting area in the flower bed, so that they can still get sun and water until I find a few hours on the weekend to divulge myself in this new hobby of mine.  Digging into the soil doesn't bother me.  Nor am I repulsed by the occasional earthworm that wriggles out of the dirt at me.  Mixing the soil with additives gives me satisfaction…I'm providing my new little friends with nutrients to help them succeed.  I carefully size the hole, making sure to give the roots plenty of loosened soil to grow into. At the end, a cozy blanket of mulch to protect my new little bundles of joy.  There you are little ones…be nourished and thrive.

Color in my home has pleased me, and color in my garden allows me to continue that pleasure outdoors.  Swaths of reds, blues oranges and purples mix in with the standard greens of the landscape.  Punches of color here and there, a riot of rainbow samples to break through the green.  And for only a little bit of time here and there, my garden provides me with outstanding enjoyment.  I sprinkle a little water here and there, and mix in some beneficial fertilizer, and I am rewarded with pride as I stand and look at the outpouring of color in my garden.  I just know that my leafy little friends are happy because they show me their emotions when they succeed or fail.

I enjoy the mixed feeling that my garden has.  I've incorporated my own tastes into the landscaping that came with the house.  I'm experimenting, really.  Finding out what I like and what works.  Eventually, I'll pull up most of the prior landscaping and put my very own garden in place.  Everything that I love and enjoy…things that I've nurtured and cared for.  Plants that bring me joy and satisfaction.

In the mean time, I'll be providing my little garden with a new winter blanket of fresh mulch.  Something to protect the delicate roots of my little ones until the warmth of spring arrives, and a new season of growth can begin.