Finding Treasure

As I get to the second half of the calendar year, while my initiatives to pursue have not yet reached final form, I am committed to making my bedroom the kind of place I would like to seek out.  Most Sleep Hygiene advice, which I have begun to follow recently with considerable benefit, advises restricting the bed for two specific activities.  But my bedroom has a lot of stuff that can expand its use.  I want to place a mini-stereo system there.  My office had two stereos, one in the waiting room to block any conversations in exam rooms and the other in my personal office, a truly compact model.  The larger was kept in storage, harvested last winter, and placed on a flat surface sans speakers and remote which remain at large.  The smaller, I came across yesterday, just opening boxes that were taking up space.  Found the remote in an adjacent hall amid a pile of miscellany, so that one gets a nook in the bedroom while the bulkier one finds its way to DSWA electronics recycling unless I find the other speakers and remote first.

Our upper ceiling has a crack requiring repair and repainting, forcing me into the upper hall.  More treasure.  Found my vacuum's utility accessories wedged against a wall.  Harvested four bags of childrens clothes which I took to a bin for donation.  Wife's papers are insatiable.  They comprised multiple bags, now relocated to a single Staples cardboard storage file size box where they can be placed upright, which beats the random pile.  The box can then be stacked someplace else.  Found a belt, el cheapo model falling apart but containing a good pewter buckle.  Lots of medical equipment separated into a box of medical equipment.  Another box designated as Dad's Stuff to be combined with Dad's Stuff from the bedroom. Found a Walkman which is a radio-tape player but not a full tape recorder.  Found a color watchman.  Put batteries in it but it did not play as it predates digital broadcasting requirements.  With sadness, off it goes to electronics recycling.  Got some FM radios just right for fishing or the beach.  Some earphones to test for viability.  Have a fondness for cheap metal bracelets.  Found three that need some links removed for proper fit and an unopen one that I once got as a Hanukkah gift for my son.  Probably makes more sense to keep it for myself.  And while I have metal bracelets, I also found some stretchable plastic ones with messages.  Now duly labelled and in a snack bag.  Restoring either of my bed desks was a lost cause.  My fondness for them when they functioned well aside, new home in landfill.

I made some rules.  No bags for piling things, only boxes where papers can be upright and the boxes stacked.  Ownership assigned, about half mine, half my wife's.  I deal with mine periodically, the rest can be expected to remain in the boxes unattended for perpetuity so those will eventually find their way to a defined section of the basement.  Kids stuff not very plentiful, though I was pretty ruthless about assigning most of their school papers to the recycling bin.  Toys bagged for donation.  Took some papers to Staples for shredding.  Our shredder malfunctioned.  Important enough to replace, though not really suitable for high volume.  Not much financial material upstairs.  I harvested what is not obvious shredding or recycling and moved those papers downstairs

While I worked like a farm animal this week to do this, its progress gives some accomplishment even if I never use the Walkman or get around to resizing the bracelets.  I will install the mini-stereo without fail.