Thursday, March 19, 2009

Just a little stress

It's all a blur. Weekend guests here for just one full day, barely enough for them to get settled before they had to leave again. One day to prepare the room for the next guests. The same night I started sorting through all the stuff in the dining room - stuff for year-end, stuff that didn't really have a place yet, stuff that will be used one day, just not in the near future. Some might call it clutter. With family coming the following weekend, I knew we'd need the table and vowed to get it cleared off - in an organized fashion so I wouldn't just be moving it from one place to the next. I mostly succeeded.

Then our overnight guests arrived, the day the water stopped flowing from the street. A half-full pool filled with leaves from the strong winds we'd had. A half-full pool with water that was murky due to the sand that came in the water supply from Cancun just before they shut us down. A pool we couldn't clean or fill up. A disappointment for our guests. But they enjoyed the bed and the breakfast even if they couldn't sit in the jacuzzi.

The guests forgot a t-shirt. I knew where they were staying, so after filling up the cart with gas, we stopped by and figured out which unit they were in and left the shirt lying on the patio table, secured by a conch shell.

Crunch time now. Family arriving Friday and Saturday and our closets and drawers are still stuffed with our clothes. We moved the dresser downstairs, and I began sorting through piles of clothes, deciding what still fits and looks decent, what still fits and might be worn for dirty chores, what still fits but is basically so horrible that it just needs to go into the garbage (i.e., the shorts with a hole in the back and worn out elastic that keep falling down - Trash!). Decent stuff that I like but know I am not going to wear go into a pile for donation. And then the pile of clothes we need to pack for our trip to Norway. Warm clothes that we'll never wear here and I have no idea where I'll put them when we get back. We don't have enough drawers to hold all our clothes downstairs, they sit in small piles in the bedroom waiting for me to figure out how we're going to organize. My daughter arrived on Friday night with a large duffle bag stuffed with my Canada clothes. I can't even bear to open the bag. Living in two countries I've basically got a double wardrobe, and now am trying to consolidate into just one. I have too much stuff, and too many clothes, and it takes time to go through it all and decide what I will use here and what I won't. We are buried in clothes!

It would be easier to just get rid of it all and start over, but the thrifty part of my personality says that money isn't growing on our trees outside, my job is not secure, and my clothes may need to last me for a few years. So if it fits and is useful, I should keep it. Those who know me know that I am not in the least concerned about whether it will be fashionable in a few years. That's one thing about living here and not going to an office for work - I can wear what I like, what feels comfortable, and not care in the least if it is an outdated look or not.

I simply do-not-care.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

A clothes storage solution: (if you have a vacuum cleaner) why not ask someone to bring you an assortment of "Space Bags"? You put the clean dry clothing in the bag, vacuum the air out, the bag shrinks to a fraction of its original size and is easy to store. No mold/mildew/dust. I use them here on another damp island for out of season clothing, beach towels and quilts/comforters/blankets. Disclaimer: I do not own stock in this company HA, HA !

Bennie said...

I guess it doesn't matter what country you live in you have the same issues. I'm just as bad about having too many clothes and a table full of paper work. I'm glad to hear you made progress.

I think IslandNana's suggestion is great. I've used those spacebags before (just not the large ones). Maybe I'll have to make a special delivery trip for you sometime.

IslaZina said...

Ahhh....I was going to write that item today. It is almost exactly what I have been doing. Went to the ATM with Lora, saw a guy off on the ferry, and paid electricity early today. That makes today different. Now I'll nap before I resume yesterday...and get ready for CFE to change the meter over to the new tower.

Sue said...

Well, I HAD a vacuum, but my son-in-law used it to suck up the sewer water that flooded the first floor when the drain backed up while we were away and they were here on their honeymoon. It was not anything I could clean, so it went in the garbage and since I never used it anyway, and could not find replacement bags for it, I have not replaced it.

However, IslandNana - you gave me a great idea (thanks!), I just might have to get a vacuum, one that I know will also have replacement bags. There is the odd chore around here where a vacuum might be handy.

Bennie - I just might have to take you up on that offer!

Zina - enjoy the nap. I'm envious.

Jonna said...

yes to the suck-em-up bags! We've used those when living in the RV and also going back and forth in climates. Now I use them to keep stuff from molding. Get the good ones though, can't remember a brand, because the others fail. I heart the clearing the table problem. I try and do it almost daily and papers and other cr... um, stuff return magically.

Norway? You're going to Norway? I hope you will blog that trip, I'm fascinated.

Daniel said...

Are you going to Norway?
That`s where I`m from! :p You`ll have a cold expensive time there, hope you`re ready for it!

jeanie said...

Sue, Those bags are on sale this week at your favorite store Canadian Tire.

IslaZina said...

And those bags in roll up form by Zip Lock are available at Costco in Canun, not far from the "Christmas broom."

Sue said...

Jonna - I think tables have a secret reproduction mechanism for junk. Stuff just appears there, and with only two people in the house, and one of them who doesn't tend to put stuff there (because he has other places, like the floor beside the sofa), I guess it's me who does it. The living room, where I sit and work and read and relax, is tidy (except for the afor-mentioned corner by the sofa).

IslaLife - yes, we are off to Trondheim to visit my father and my step-mother, who are unable to travel due to health issues. We are staying out of the US so we don't have to deal with a visa for Miguel, so we connect through Mexico City and then Amsterdam. Although I'm not looking forward to the long travel, it should be interesting. We have winter clothes ready to pack, hauled from Canada. I want to stop by your store and pick up a troll to take, as I think it would be a hoot to take them a souvenir from Norway that was purchased in Mexico. (you are the ones with the Noruega store, right?).

Jeanie - would you believe I wrote Canadian Tire headquarters several years ago and told them to consider opening a franchise in Cancun? Yes - it is my favorite store (how did you guess?).

Zina - I will have to check out Costco whenever I get back. Any tips on the vacuum while I'm there?

Life's a Beach! said...

Sue, I got tired just reading this post. You're doing exactly what I NEED to do! Ugh. But I probably won't get around to it anytime soon. I haven't cleaned my closets out since we moved here two and a half years ago. I had to dig through last weekend and find clothes that were appropriate for work. Thank God I didn't toss all that stuff! What's the old saying -- save it for a rainy day!

Islagringo said...

Glad to hear that you have water. I've found that sometimes I stand in front of my closet or open a dresser drawer and feel totally guilty that I own so many clothers. Ridiculous really since I wear the same things over and over!

BTW, that crazy guy that yelled and waved at you while you were driving away in your golf cart past Carmelina was me! I could tell you didn't recognize me. Probably cuz I was all cleaned up in my go to town clothes!