Saturday, January 24, 2015

Friday night "toss and organize"

I have too much crap.

Let me rephrase. I have plenty of crap that serves a purpose, but I can never find the crap I need, when I need it. For example, I bought hardware for this buffet Valarie and Craig gave me. Can I find it now that I need it? I canNOT!


Nellie is having a joyous time exploring. You can be sure I am being a good girl and not swearing. Otherwise Nellie would be off hiding, as she is the most shy cat in the house. No, I am quietly simmering at my disorganization.

I have finally gotten fed up with it and have been picking away at my worst offenses. Number one on the list: cat records. You would think after almost 30 years of this I would have it all down, but the night before an adoption will still find me digging through the most recent pile of veterinary receipts searching for a rabies certificate. Ridiculous!

Things I have! Old worn out cat laser toys. I get them when they are on sale for a dollar. Will I really ever buy batteries that cost more than a new toy? Probably not. Out they go, after divesting them of their hazardous-waste battery innards.

So as I am pawing through drawers I'm finally: &$&%@#!!! Don't paw through them! Stop and deal with them! The buffet can wait. It's going to have to, isn't it, since I can't find the hardware.

What I can find:

More Post-It pads than anyone person should have. I work in a paperless office. Off they go to the "give away" box
VHS tapes on trapping feral cats. I gave away the VHS player to a neighbor who helped carry in the free bureau. All these are now available on YouTube. Out they go!
Two three-hole punches. Two? OK, one goes upstairs to that desk, and one will stay down here.
A DYMO label maker Mark gave me that has been out of label tape for six years. I check Amazon. Yes, the tape is still for sale. I put two in my Amazon cart and continue on.
Oh look. ANOTHER three-hole punch! A cheap one. Garbage.
Many flat mailing boxes and envelopes. I organize them in one spot.
A ziplock baggie of Ivan's combed out fur that I one day plan to send out to be made into this cute remembrance. I miss Ivan. Keep.
A Netflix DVD from back before the Kindle. Slumdog Millionaire. I've never watched it. I hold it out because now I have a DVD player and a donated secondhand flat-screen TV (thanks Cary!)
A twisty digital camera stand I've never used. I guess I'll put it with the defunct digital cameras because it won't work on the iPhone. Anyone need one?

No buffet hardware.

A number of weeks ago I got totally fed up with the fact that A) my cat records were scattered all over the house and B) I did not have a comprehensive email list and the holidays were looming. I wandered into Staples to find something attractive to keep current records front and center rather than shoved in a file cabinet. I found two boxes, but darn...they were ripped. Disappointed, I started to put them both back, then figured the rip on one of them was at the back, so I would take it anyway. At the checkout I showed the rip to the clerk and he said he'd give it to me for two bucks. I said "well, for that I wish I'd picked up the second one, which is in even worse shape." He immediately ran back got it, plunked in down and said "how's a penny? Otherwise we just have to throw it out." So for $2.01 I got two nice boxes that normally would have been $18.00. I never would have thought to dicker at Staples!

That's the kind of deal I like.


I've been lusting after a PassionPlanner but can't justify the cost for something I'm not sure I will use, so I used their free download to print off ten weeks to try and keep track of what I'm up to. Rose immediately sat on it.

I also went searching for a calendar after the New Year when they are dirt cheap. I get a lot of calendars from national animal welfare organizations, but they are usually small with not-so-much space to write. When I go looking for a calendar, so I look for cats and kittens? Wildlife. No. I look for....LARGE PRINT! Yes, I am over 50. My friend (and adopter!) Gretchen got me a beautiful leather wallet, which I loaded with postage, a few cards, and a tiny pretty writing pad, to take with me when I am traveling so I won't put off thank-you notes just because I am on the road.


Hey, I found the hardware! Where was it? In the catch-all baskets by the front door. Why were they there? I have no idea. I guess I'll go organize them next!









2 comments:

  1. I love to do records and organize and clean. Wish I were there. I am salivating at the thought! You'll get it done. I know it. I keep electronic records for easy access, and, back when I was doing adoptions, I kept file folders, alphabetical, with cats up for adoption and any vet receipts, rabies certs for that cat. That's how I did it. I still have most of the electronic records for the last ten years, although I've had some computer failures and some may be gone. I love record keeping. I'm OCD.

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  2. Organizing, the January thing to do ;)
    Glad you found the hardware :)
    Nancy and the kitties

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