De-Cluttering Fever Strikes!

This usually happens to me in the autumn...so I'm not sure what is up.  I have this overwhelming urge to clear out, overhaul, cull collections, sell things to get rid of them.  It seems to get worse the older I get.  Don't get the idea that my house is anywhere near a Minimalist Retreat!  But it's a lot less cluttered than it was say, ten years ago.  Which means I had a lot of c-r-a-p back then. 

Our book shelves are lighter today by a small box of books--and we only keep reference, not fiction.  My closet is lighter by two large trash bags of clothes.  The studio is lighter by a very large box of...stuff I was going to make into other stuff. 

I have to be careful when this mood hits.  So far (knock wood) I haven't regretted any purging I've done in the past.  Okay, maybe a time or two I went looking for something and then remembered I'd given it to charity...but no bad regrets and never a need to replace anything. 

As the years go by, and this de-cluttering hits more often, and with a stronger intensity, I have discovered a corresponding restraint when shopping.  Will I really wear this?  Will I really make xyz out of it?  Will I get aggravated at having to pick this up to vacuum or dust around it?  Nowadays when thrifting, I'll put something in my cart and keep looking, but before I go to the register, I reassess what's in the cart, and usually put half of it back.  Sometimes most of it! 

I just checked out a bunch of library books on Minimalism.  I'll never be a minimalist.  I like my house cozy, and it will always be full of books, textiles, interesting boxes, and crafty stuff.  There will always be funny things on tables and window sills, and always house plants galore.  But every year I "need" less stuff sitting around, and find experiences more interesting than things. 

Lest anyone think I'm finally growing up--we'll just chalk it up to getting lazier about cleaning.  :~)  Are you a collector?  Do you go through your collections and change things out?  Do you hang on to things because they "might" someday be useful?  What about sentimental things?

I'd love to hear about it. 
Cheers!

Indiana Bound

This wee girlie is on her way to Indiana tomorrow. 

I don't often get to work with pink on a custom, so this one was a feminine treasure to dress.  The doll-mom wanted both a cloth and a straw bonnet, so that the straw one could later go with other dresses.  Reminded me how much fun they are to make!

Pupdate on Gypsy

We're not believing the change in our sweet girl after only 26 days.  (I'd say 27, but it was only about this time on the 1st that I got home with her.)

She looks a little worried in the early days. 

The first few days, she was so afraid of everything.  I guess six months on death row will do that to a girl.  If anyone approached, she hid behind me, trembling.  The slightest noise would make her startle and cower.  She pulled on the leash like monsters were after us.  Couldn't let me get up from the couch for a glass of water without coming with me.  There was more, but this pretty well sums it up. 

After some dedicated training--just basics like Sit, Down, Stay, Wait, etc.--she began to calm.  We took her everywhere with us, to all the dog-friendly places we could find.  Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, as well as all the pet stores and all the parks we have nearby.  I took home-made beef jerky with us, and enlisted kind strangers to help Gypsy understand that people really are nice (and somehow magically have the same yummy stuff as Mom makes!) 

We started reading furiously about Positive Training.  Zak George, Victoria Stillwell, and others.  I learned, to my horror, that it's a miracle my poor Schultz survived such harsh training as I'd done with him--back in those days, the dominance theories were all I'd seen or heard of.  Poor guy.  It makes me cry to think of how much fun we could have had learning positively to live together.  Well, regret won't help unless I turn it around in this moment--and it's AMAZING how eager a dog is to learn when you treat her with respect!

Gypsy is enrolled (with her humans) in training at PetSmart--the whole shebang, for 18 weeks.  She'll earn her Canine Good Citizen Training when we finish.  We've only gone to two classes, but the trainer was amazed at how she'd come out of her shell just between the first and second classes.  Being unafraid with other dogs, not jumping and shivering at every noise or passing stranger...such a change.

So much reversal of all that fear--she is still a little spooked when the furnace comes on, but if the radio is on, she'll settle.  She and Tater are buds now--Willie is still hissy and afraid, but is down off the high places all the time. 

Walking on a leash is a joy because little by little, Gypsy is learning to stay close and not to pull.  The mysterious Jekyll-n-Hyde behavior of early weeks (sudden on-leash fits of leaping, lunging and play-biting) have almost extinguished entirely.  We gave up trying to find the trigger for this--we can only figure she was ignored and alone in a back yard and never taught to play without being screamed at.  So now, when she starts to jump, we silently stop, turn away from her, and ignore her completely.  No treats, no eye contact, and no scolding.  She's ready to walk normally after a minute or two of this.  It seems like a miracle, because that biting thing was scary!

Worn out from Saturday's class, long walk, and tug-of-war.  The tongue out says it all.

The last thing to add: we got her DNA test back!  So it's official: she's half Great Pyrenees, a quarter Red Heeler, and a quarter mix of terrier, herding, and guard dogs.  I believe we got the best of the mix--she never barks, she has a manageable coat, the perfect size, and an energy level and willingness to learn that guarantees we will live in harmony for many years to come.  We love her.