Broadsheet: Just call me Imelda

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Just call me Imelda

How is it that after spending 2.5 solid hours cleaning out my closet and creating three, huge lawn and garden bags of shoes, belts, old purses, and clothes to take to Goodwill, that there are still more than 40 pairs of shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, flipflops, clogs and slippers in my closet? Men need about a half dozen pairs of shoes: black, brown, dress, athletic, boots, and maybe one other. Women? Hell, I've got a half dozen pair of black shoes alone: sling backs, pumps, mules, loafers, and an assortment of heel heights ranging from comfortably frumpy to, "3 hours max" before they cripple me (but they're hot!).

I was ruthless. I threw away stuff from the 80's. Sweaters with shoulder pads that would make Joan Collins proud. Loud belts, more T-shirts than I can count from events I don't even remember, shoes that were so old they were almost back in style. Power blouses from the yuppie years. All gone.

You can actually see the bottom of my closet again, and I can close the doors without having to stuff the clothes inside like an overstuffed suitcase.

Now, all the sweaters are neatly folded on the shelf, and I have two wicker baskets full of neatly folded scarves and shawls. There is even a basket full of baseball caps that were once strewn in the mayhem on the floor.

I did a thorough scaling down of all my clothes and household goods when I moved into this house and gave away a LOT of stuff. Even had a yard sale. The problem is, that was 7.5 years ago.....

Oh well, I also found a bunch of stuff I'd forgotten about, and even found my good binoculars that had gone missing last summer. They were stuffed in the bottom of a beach bag.

Feels good to be organized again. Let's see how long it lasts.....

posted by Broadsheet @ 3:57 PM

3 Editorial Opinions:

At December 04, 2005, Double Dogged said…

Hey Imelda, I mean Leenda, you are right, we men don't have that many shoes or purses. Not that I have any purses. LOL I need to clean out my closet as well and your post only reminds me that I have to do it. I am a saver and I will have things I don't use for years and wonder why I saved it.

Oh well, thanks for the reminder and maybe, just maybe, it will get done this year.
At December 05, 2005, Anonymous said…

DD is rightSra Marcos, men don't have that many shoes or, indeed, purses (I have a couple but that's another story). What men do have however is t-shirts; millions and millions of t-shirts. Some of these may be decades old but none of them can be got rid of.

That and piles of socks that now don't match even if all of them started out the same colour.

C
At December 05, 2005, Broadsheet said…

DD: New Year's is coming up - perfect opportunity to clean out the old and bring in the new!

C: The fact that you have purses is no suprise, however, you do not strike me as the T-shirt type. I threw out dozens of T-shirts from all the Blood Drive and Charity events for the last 10 years.