Well, I took a (not really) momentous step yesterday. I shredded all my blank checks. How long has it been since I've written a check? At least five years, I think, and the ones I had were so old that they had our East Brunswick, N.J. address on them and came from a bank that no longer exists. The account still exists, because that bank was absorbed by another bank, and in theory the checks were still negotiable. But honestly, they needed to go. If I need more checks (doubtful) I'll order fresh ones.
This was part of a larger cleaning-up effort that I'm making around the house. I took all our bedding to the laundry for a spring cleaning, to get rid of the stray Olga paw-prints that inevitably wind up on the bedspread during muddy February and March. (Alas, the mud season isn't over, as you can see above -- I'll get to that in a minute!)
I also helped Dave go through his clothes and set aside some stuff for charity. His closet and shelves get so haphazardly jammed with clothing that every once in a while we have to take everything out and put it back in a more orderly fashion, and it makes sense for him to simultaneously discard the things he knows he'll never wear again. He doesn't have a lot of clothes and doesn't buy a lot of clothes, so I don't really know how his closet gets so crazy, except that he is not a -- shall we say -- organized person when it comes to putting things away. (I'm being kind.) Anyway, we've got two big stacks for charity now, some mine and some his.
In the afternoon, I took Olga to the cemetery. The photo above is supposed to show you how muddy she got -- her paws, her chest, both sides of her face. That cherry tree (in the top photo) fell sometime in the last month or so, but it still managed to bloom this year (and miraculously doesn't seem to have taken out any headstones). I wonder if the cemetery managers will remove it or just leave it alone. It's in a far back corner and wouldn't be in anyone's way if it just stayed there.
Olga moved pretty slowly on her walk but she gamely chased her tennis ball and barked with annoyance when I took her picture -- so, life as usual.
On the way back we passed an apartment building where this '70s-looking pottery pitcher was sitting out with the rubbish in the back. I saw it from the street and thought I'd made a great find until I picked it up and realized it had no bottom! Oh well.
I did find this -- a segment of someone's rubber bracelet (I think). Not really useful but mildly amusing.
Finally, I stopped at our neighborhood bookstore and ordered Barbra Streisand's new memoir as well as Rachel Maddow's book "Prequel," which blogger Jeanie recently reviewed. I picked up a couple of British mysteries too. I now have a ridiculous stack of reading to see me up to and through summer vacation. (Not to mention several things I plan to check out from our library!)
I'm always amazed at the little things you find along the way, this pitcher does look like something worth taking, too bad it's not complete.
ReplyDeleteYour appetite for reading is so impressive that I feel very undernourished. If books were food for the body and not the brain, you would look like Humpty Dumpty!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy how happily muddy Olga can get. What a shame about that pitcher. I’m imagining all the options for using it. A narrow glass vase that would fit inside and no one would ever know?
ReplyDeleteThat is serious mud!!
ReplyDeletePity about the pitcher..not my choice of pot, but plenty would have found it very attractive
Olga in mud makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteShame about that pitcher; it's kind of cool.
I have Bab's books lined up to read as well, but have a couple to get through before I start it.
I think that jug is cool - great garden ornament. Ive also become an expert at getting rids of 'stuff' having cleared two houses recently. The next project is to clear a lot of my own so that my kids don't have to in years to come.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Olga wonders why a little bit of mud worries humans so much. I nice clean out of the closet is always a good idea. In fact, I have two bags of clothes in the trunk of my car right now. I keep forgetting to stop at the charity shop. Maybe today.
ReplyDeleteI would have grabbed that pitcher anyway and used it as a "garden sculpture" outside. It's cool!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Olga is enjoying the walks in the mud!
I did the same thing with my closet last month. My stepmother keeps giving me clothes & everything was just jammed in there. It's still too full, so I should probably take another pass at it.
ReplyDeleteI hope they leave the tree alone - it seems happy enough as it is.
You could put dried flowers or some other sort of dried arrangement in that pitcher. It's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteI love how the cherry tree blossomed anyway, even fallen over. Life wants to live, doesn't it?
I enjoyed listening to the audio version of the Streisand book as she read it herself.
I am going to order "James" by Percival Everett. Have you read any of the reviews? It sounds amazing.
Prequel is brilliant. I listened to her own narration on audio book. I've read several of her books, filling in large swaths of recent history I hadn't known.
ReplyDeleteMuddy Olga! I expect she's fine with mud season.
It's always nice to have books lined out! (not that I'm EVER lacking in that respect)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the contented Olga photos. 😊
I hope they leave the cherry tree since it is still obviously thriving.
ReplyDeletewe still write some checks, mostly for bills that aren't paid electronically or for things I don't want to charge. we don't use debit cards.
I need to go through the closets here and get rid of the clothes I will never wear again.
What's spring without mud? Of course, some people choose to live their whole life and never go off the sidewalk.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the picture of that muddy path, I'd say Olga looks pretty pristine all things considered........
ReplyDeleteRachel's podcast, ULTRA, featured Prequel. Astonishing research and format, Rachel is such a great researcher. Listening suits me better than her book because eyesight...Anyway, she makes sense of it all with awareness and warning.
ReplyDeleteI would have taken that "vase" anyway, It is too cool to leave behind, Pretty sure it could be repaired with a bottom- I have been watching The Repair Shop...Anything can be fixed.
Olga, sweetheart!
I understand about closets and clothing - it is like the clothes have minds of their own.
Olga seems so happy with her doggy smile - makes me smile right back at her.
ReplyDeleteIt is mud season in Massachusetts too. I'm still wearing my waterproof boots. Mud or not Olga loves her walks as much as you do. My dog was so muddy today I had to turn the hose on and give him a good rinse. Closets always look so neat after a good clear-out. I need to make a second pass at mine.
ReplyDeleteCherry blossom and mud. Sums up an English Spring perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI got Streisand's book from the library for Judy. She struggled (scanned) through it but said she didn't need to know everytime Barb had the sniffles or how whe felt about her 2nd grade teacher. In short, too much and too long. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could shred my checks. I still have to write the occasional one to the local school system for lunches or annuals and the violin/piano teacher only takes checks too. I guess in another 7 years, when my youngest heads off to college, perhaps I can look forward to a check shredding party!
ReplyDeleteI suppose when there is a lot of mud, it is hard to avoid.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have written a cheque since the early 1990s. R kept his cheque book longer but eventually got rid of it in the early 2000s.
I did a lot of paper shredding this past week too. Old documents, many from my previous address, an entire old cardboard expansion file emptied from A to Z.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm in spam? But I can't get rid of checks because my chimney sweep, plumber, and contractor only accept checks or cash, no credit cards. And you never know how much a job will come to.
ReplyDeleteYael: Maybe I should go back and get it?!
ReplyDeleteYP: Well, I consider it part of my job, but I've always been a person who has a book going at any given time.
Mitchell: It could probably be repurposed if I were more ambitious.
GZ: It would definitely suit a '70s decor.
Bob: It is a big ol' thing!
Bike Shed: It's much harder when it's your stuff, I imagine!
Sharon: We don't make a big deal about the mud until she gets home and hears the dreaded "bath" word.
Ellen D: Yeah, I could do that, I suppose! You all have me thinking.
Bug: There really is a limit to what we can reasonably wear, you know?
Ms Moon: I have an aversion to dried flowers that Dave always teases me about. I think they're terrible dust collectors!
Boud: Yes, she LOVES mud season! I love Maddow's TV show but I've never read anything by her.
Kelly: I will keep them coming! :)
Ellen: I hope they leave the tree too. It's in a place where I think it could stay without causing any damage. (In fact it might cause more damage to cut it down!)
Red: I like an urban existence but I can't imagine never walking a muddy path now and then.
Jim: She does stay AMAZINGLY clean, all things considered, and we call her the self-cleaning dog -- whatever mud she collects often falls off pretty quickly! Still, she got a bath on this particular day.
Linda Sue: How can Rachel have a TV show, a podcast, AND write books? How is this possible?
Wilma: She is a very smiley dog. Sometimes total strangers want to take her picture!
Susan: Yeah, we sometimes use the hose on Olga too -- only in extreme cases! (Or in the summer.)
Caro: Yep, that's it in a nutshell. Daffodils, too. :)
Catalyst: OK, good to know! I've heard it's incredibly detailed. I'm not sure how much patience I'll have for that but we'll see.
Ed: I guess not having any kids has helped us cut the tether to checks!
Andrew: Wow, you guys were way ahead of me. I wrote them pretty steadily until we moved to London in 2011.
River: It's so great to shred all that paper. We really need to keep so few paper documents these days.
Boud: Yeah, I think the UK and Europe have pretty much switched to using cards for everything. Even tradesmen take cards. In fact, some places DON'T take cash!
I'll be curious to hear what mysteries you got and I hope you find both the Maddow and the Streisand books as good as I did. I loved them both!
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