Organization Mode

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I’m back in organization mode. I arranged all the jars on the kitchen shelves and vacuum-sealed them. I still feel that the house needs decluttering.

this Idea

Tuesday

For the two years I’ve lived here, the cat’s litter boxes have been in the laundry room. You may recall that I bought a floor-model navy blue washer and dryer around the beginning of the year.

I don’t like the dust from the litter boxes drifting up and all over the washer and dryer, so I ordered rubber mats to put on top. This is a small problem when I want to open the washer door to load laundry, but it’s not a terrible inconvenience.

Still, my problem-solving mind won’t let it go. Back and forth I go, trying to figure out the best way to fix it. If it were just that, I could probably let it go.

But two black tables in the back room have been turned into desks, and I never seem to use them. I keep thinking I could use that small room better. So I’ve been pondering ideas.

The only real problem with the two black tables arranged in an L is that every time anyone goes into the attic, we have to move everything. The big door with steps in the ceiling is right over them.

When the air conditioner leaked, it dripped from the ceiling attic door onto one of the black desks. I didn’t notice it in time, and it caused some damage.

Trying to Sort the Furniture

Kendra has had to go up in the attic a time or two. And before she can do that, she has to move everything first.

I’m still going to have the energy company come out and fix all the drafts in the house to hopefully lower my electric bill. I need to get that room sorted out so I won’t have to step over and around everything while I’m waiting for it to be done.

But there is limited room. The guest room has all kinds of things in the corner behind the door, where no one really sees them.

The shed out back is not secure. When the wind really gets going, the shed tends to blow over. So I store most everything indoors.

Figuring Out a Furniture Configuration

So I’m trying to figure out another configuration for furniture. Maybe I should take the litter boxes out of the laundry room and put them in the back room underneath the two black tables. Then my washer and dryer won’t always be covered in dust.

I didn’t plan on a navy blue washer and dryer, but the set was a cheaper floor model, so I bought it. You can really see all the dust on them.

Is this a problem for the appliances? I looked it up. It says: Dust itself cannot chemically wear away paint, but it acts as a micro-abrasive that will scratch and dull dark appliance finishes when wiped or rubbed.

The cats’ food and water bowls are in the dining room, not exactly a great spot. If I could get the litter boxes out of the laundry room, I could move their bowls, food, and such back there.

Too Much Stuff

That still leaves me with too much furniture to move. And where will it go? I go back and forth on this. It’s like having something in your teeth you can’t floss out. Your tongue keeps worrying at it.

I tend to be compulsive. And when I get something in my head, a puzzle of sorts, I can’t seem to leave it alone.

I’m always trying to figure out the best arrangement of things in my home. It is just my nature. I’m like a dog with a bone.

I can’t move heavy furniture alone any longer. I have to hire Randy down the street to help. And I’ve already hired him to build a wooden enclosure around Killvester’s bed that’s on the porch.

Killvester seems to be the oldest and most beat up of the outdoor cats. I purchased a large orthopedic pet bed, and he loves sleeping in it.

The Heated Cat House

You may recall that last winter, Kendra bought him a heated pet house. But he didn’t take to it. I think the opening frightened him.

Kendra would call me every few days: “Has Killvester gone into the heated house?” I’d tell her that I didn’t know, because the house was against the wall. And every time I opened the door, the outdoor cats would scatter hither and yon.

So we got to wondering what we could do this year to winterize the porch for the cats. She already put up a shade on the west side to help shield them from the heat.

The cat bed is on the other side of the porch. I tried putting it underneath the wicker loveseat near the shade, thinking it would give him some cover. But he wouldn’t use it there.

So a few weeks ago, I moved the bed back to its original spot on the other side of the porch. And before long, he was sleeping in it again. I could look out the guest room window blinds and see him.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I ordered that Bedsure pet bed. It is huge. You could fit at least three cats in it.

Killvester + Tuna

I suppose a deal was struck, and somehow Killvester warned Tuna that the bed was his and that Tuna shouldn’t even think about getting in it. It eases Killvester’s poor old joints, which is why I ordered it for him.

So here we are trying to figure out some kind of enclosure to keep the elements at bay, because the porch is north-facing. Randy is going to build a wooden box around his bed for winter.

You’re probably thinking that Kendra and I go overboard when it comes to the outdoor kitties.

In the summer heat, I started putting ice cubes into their two water bowls on the porch.

Wednesday

And now it is Wednesday. I just finished dumping out kitty litter, washing out the stainless steel containers, and putting fresh litter in them.

This is always an arduous task. I have to put the old litter into contractor bags and put them on the seat of my walker to take them to the trash. Then I lift the bags over the side of the porch into the trash receptacle.

I am exhausted, and every part of me aches. Too bad I can’t figure out an easier way to do this. But the laundry room, where the litter boxes are located, is at the south end of the house. The trash cans are far north next to the porch.

So for now, I’m going to rest my knees. And then I’ll get back to trying to figure out if there is some alternate way to arrange all my stuff.

How on earth do we accumulate so much stuff?