We have begun the dirty task of cleaning out the basement.

[kimmerspixelated]

There's a lot of crap, there's much to re-organize, there's a lot of keepsakes and sad, passing emotions, there's plenty to donate or re-sell, but it's moving, it's moving!

A real job with payment better than money, really.

STUFF****-Get outta here!

[Ricochet21]

1. That's the first good sign

Getting rid of the baggage
Congratulations

[kimmerspixelated]

5. I thought you'd like that.

Past the excuse of," we'll need a truck" ....just bag it.

[WhiteTara]

2. Talk about metaphoric.

I'm working on cleaning out the basement of my life. And, the real thing too. I had a friend who called it the Night Soil of Life.

[BrendaBrick]

22. Good for you!

I've also heard it described as: 'taking out the cosmic trash'

[I Have A Dream]

3. We are too!

Seems to be a pattern around here. :)

We've been saying that we were going to do it for well over a year, and we've finally started. 30+ bags out the door so far.

:bounce:

[Celebration]

4. we don't have a basement

we have an attic! One hundred and three forecast tomorrow. I think I'll wait a bit........

[I Have A Dream]

6. I don't actually have a basement either...

It's the ground floor, but we store things there the same way most people do in their basements.

103 degrees? Yikes!

[Celebration]

10. Good luck with your project!

My daughter was in town recently and she kept telling me that I needed to have a huge garage sale. She wants me to get rid of EVERYTHING. She couldn't keep quiet about it. Then, she wanted a fan for her room. I found one in a closet. I told her she probably would have sold that fan in a garage sale!

[kimmerspixelated]

7. Yeah,good thing that basements ARE cooler,

They might never get cleaned.

[Celebration]

11. I cleaned the attic once

It looked great until my kids cleaned out their rooms and dumped everything in the attic.

Good luck with your basement!

[Ricochet21]

8. HONESTLY

When I have a client in my office that is going thru major Pluto times, the FIRST question I ask them is, "Are you cleaning out your basement?"

It's very telling.
Usually, they say, "That's funny...." and when they say, "That's funny..." I know they're right on track.

:hi:

[kimmerspixelated]

18. Once again,

This is why, You Da Man!

[Tumbulu]

9. I am cleaning out my 40' x 60' barn that was packed!!!

All this stuff has to go- given away, sold, dumped, so that seeds that I have been paying to store can be put in the building.

It is a huge undertaking. The entire eastern wall and doors had to be replaced (dryrot)....the rebuilding job is nearly finished and the seeds get to go in in a few days.

I am facing my mortality, my memories from both my old adult life from the farm I had 13 years ago as well as boxes never opened from my parents/childhood home when they moved to a senior apartment 18 years ago. Many memories, many things have been ruined by mice...it is really hard. But it is something I need to do and, for once, want to do.

I want to make room in my life for something good to come. And I feel that I have to get these things out for that. And clean up all these old messes.

Good luck, I had to slow down to stay at it, but I am staying at it.

[murielm99]

16. My husband is tearing down our barn.

It is a huge job.

Right now, he can't work out there. We have temperatures in the mid-nineties. The heat index today was 112.

But he has made good progress, and will continue.

We are doing some renovations inside, too. Quite a few things will be going in the trash. Some things have gone already.

[Tumbulu]

21. Good luck to you- it feels huge and overwhelming to me

but I have been able to work on things every day. I have to get it all done, but I do have time before the rains normally begin, so I should be able to keep to a pace that does not kill me.

I hope that you have the same luxury.

[southerncrone]

12. Looks like an epidemic!

When I finally recover from my foot surgery, I'll be cleaning out my HOUSE!
The garage will be next; hubby already hit a big lick in there.

Feel like I need to shed my skin (theoretically), or burst out of my shell!

A new day's comin'! :bounce:

[findrskeep]

13. It's happening here too!

It must be something in the air! We just went through the entire house and made a list of what to put in the yardsale (coming up sometime this month, HOPEFULLY)and what to give away. Now comes the hard part, the actual SALE! I'm hoping it moves some stagnant energy!

[Ricochet21]

14. Yes, It's in the air.

[BrendaBrick]

23. ...talking about bursting out of your shell...

check out this incredible video!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QIgW639Oog&feature=related

:-)

[FirstLight]

15. interesting...

I was just thinking it was time to knuckle under and DEEP clean before the kids went back to school, including the garage stuff.
you are inspiring me ;) and merc retro is a good time to clear the crap right?

[Why Syzygy]

17. Me too

I've been making some progress on the "files" for the first time in memory. Been 'working on' them for a few years :blush:

Over the weekend I caught myself cleaning and arranging everywhere I went in the house! That's not like me. I'm lazy.
I went into my storage bin to bring out some shampoo and ended up moving stuff around and repositioning. Been doing
desk drawers, closet shelves, kitchen cabinets .. Anything I touch has to be made right rather than just used.

How interesting this is that we are all doing the same activity.

eta: I also notice it is easier to throw things out. I like that because I usually try to keep just about everything for one
reason or another...

eta2: Oh yeah! GET THIS! I actually spent the required amount of time on the Internet and phone to get my credit reports ordered!
I have also needed to do that forever! What an accomplishment that is. If you only knew ..

[Mnemosyne]

19. I have moved three times since Sept. 2009. Each move was easier, but this last one, into a camper

was the easiest. I lived in a horrible mold hole the last year and a half and had to get rid of most of my things due to infiltration. Yes, Rick, I hear you loud and clear. :)

Now I have two 10 x 10 storage spaces; one with the furniture I could salvage, the other not even half full of other crap. I basically only brought bare necessities when I moved into this camper in my daughter's driveway. I had to abandon my precious baby grand though... :cry: ...couldn't afford another space for it. :cry:

When I finally do find a place to "Be", more will be tossed or given away. Hopefully very, very soon.

Rather cathartic to toss the 'junk', isn't it? Best of luck letting go, kimmers! :hug::hi:

[MorningGlow]

20. I did a vicious purge of my closets fairly recently

Felt good.

Now I'm getting the urge to divest myself of all my tchotchkes and ornaments. I'm a terrible collector of decorative "stuff", but now it's just irritating me. I tend to do "fall cleaning" instead of "spring cleaning", so maybe once MG Jr. is back in school, I'll get to it.

[FirstLight]

24. Started day one in the garage today!

had to start by creating spaces for dump - donate & yard sale...

I had moved stuff around in there over the 4 years i'v been here, but lots of boxes haven't even been opened since the kids were in preschool!
Found my herbal medicine books and nutrition stuff i thought i had lost or loaned out and never got back!
Got halloween and christmas stuff side by side on a shelf!
cleared off the workbench, and found stuff for making the new greenhouse!
...and found my own kindergarten clay handprint, circa 1976...
and my son's, from 1996, and the two little ones, from 2006 (when they were only 2 & 3) :cry: awwwww! :loveya:

already looking like it will be an interesting journey to do this deep clean...
going to do EACH room of the house over the next week.

my room and kitchen are gonna be big ones too
Im so glad we are all doing this together! ;) :hug: Happy Merc Retro!

[FirstLight]

25. day 2, narly, kitchen...

I am less than 1/3 done, it's noon and i am just now stopping and having a bowl of cereal...

I forgot that cleaning the kitchen can be really grody after 4 years in one place... :(
having to also get under the stovetop, and oh god...the refrigerator too!? ewwww
Rearranged the counters, new homes for microwave and coffeepot, see if it helps the feng-shui in there
so this is the day that will really help shift alot i am sure.

(ironically, i just started my mooncycle too, and this is the LAST one, since surgery is within the next month...lots of release going on this week for sure! phew)

...just gotta keep on trucking...