Summer wardrobe

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Packing continued in earnest today, aided by the fact that I could actually SEE progress yesterday (provided that you opened the closet door.) Today was a bit more complicated, since it involved packing up the spring/summer wardrobe - a wardrobe that I happen to also be wearing, and simultaneously using as a basis to pack for my trip to Africa. Plus I needed to keep a few items out of the boxes in order to take to my sister's for post-trip (since after several weeks in the same 3 pairs of pants and 4 shirts, I'll have no desire to have anything further to do with them except perhaps watch them burn in the fire pit.) So the usual three piles turned into ....

1. Items that will be put into storage
2. Salvation Army donation pile
3. Throw away (today, nothing was thrown out! Yay!)
4. Things to bring on my trip to Africa
5. Stuff to keep at my sister's for when I return

This made things a bit more complicated, and I found myself at times simply staring into the closet with a blank look on my face trying to figure out how all of this was going to actually happen.

End result: Success! (If you round up, which I do.) A few stragglers remain (a pair of sandals that are ugly, but waterproof, so may have some value while traipsing around Victoria Falls) but overall, a banner kind of day. And another heavily laden trip to the Salvation Army Women's Shelter. Today's stuffed-to-the-point-of-exploding suitcase load included:

• 2 dresses
• 1 sweater
• 8 shirts/blouses/tops
• 3 pants I'm too fat for
• 1 pair jeans I'm too skinny for
• 2 work blazers
• 1 fleece
• 10 purses/bags/totes (!?!!)
• 2 scarves
• 1 hat
• 1 pair of pantyhose (unused, thank you very much)
• 1 pair of dressy 'going out' shoes (they gave me too many blisters)
• The remainder of the bottles from the collection previously mentioned, which came to 76 bottles/tubes/boxes (Yes, I counted them. Anything for procrastination.)

The apartment is a disaster area, but progress is being made. And can I just tell you, there's something extremely rewarding about taking a daily trip to donate to a shelter and unloading a MASSIVE suitcase full of stuff for a good cause. It made me smile the whole way home. (They were a little bummed, I think, that I didn't donate the suitcase... both times I've stopped by, they have asked if I'm leaving it as a donation, and eyed it longingly.) Still, it makes me appreciate what I have, even in this time of extreme personal life upheaval.

There is a lady at the shelter who sits at the front door - I think she's a resident there. A little lady, with white hair. Yesterday, I said "Hello!" and she didn't respond. Today, I said "Hello!" and she said "Hello" back to me. It made me smile.

Now, dinner and bed. I'm *exhausted*.

Tomorrow's task: Pack up the living room (including taking LARGE amounts of coins to the bank. Perhaps it was a bad idea to donate all of those tote bags today... hmmm.)
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