Preparing for an Uncertain Future

No, I’m not suggesting that we should all become preppers. It’s a good idea to be prepared for whatever kind of natural disaster your area is prone to, but I don’t think it pays to mortgage your present for a merely possible future.

I have, however, been preparing for a change this past month. At the beginning of February it seemed distinctly possible that by the time the month was out we would have moved to a house half the size of the one we currently live in. And while that didn’t happen, I still needed to prepare in case it did.

Bernkastel BW 1
Cue a major pruning. So major, in fact, that I gave up the idea of writing for the month (apart from keeping up with the blog, obviously) and didn’t bother with trying to keep a purge list, because it would have taken too long. The downside of that is that I have trouble remembering everything that has left our house (a sure sign that we had too much stuff).

There was a whole boxful of kitchen things, including the sole survivor of my first ever set of wineglasses (the other three leapt to a glittering end during the first Canterbury earthquake); there were more books, some cassette tapes and CDs, a variety of clothing (some so worn that it had to be binned), and half a recycling bin’s worth of stuff I’d been keeping in my desk. Also a whole bunch of what might be described as general stuff.

I’ve also been working on my stash of unfinished projects – important for peace of mind, freed-up space, and maintaining my Finishing-Person reputation. The crazy quilt was finished last year, it is true, but that still left me with the rose quilt (a project even older than the crazy quilt, if my memory serves me correctly at this distance), a pair of half-knitted gloves, a block quilt to be assembled, a cardigan to be knitted from recycled wool, and a large backlog of mending.

StateLibQld 1 92432 Interior view of a woman mending clothes, ca. 1910
During February I made progress on the rose quilt, finished the gloves, and did most of the mending – there’s just one more waistband to be done and it’ll be finished. I am pleased with my progress, but also horrified at how much work there still is to be done. The Grand Purge is now mostly finished, and I’m back to writing (or rather rewriting) in March, but chaos, as ever, still lurks on the horizon.

Chaos, you ask? In a post-purge household? Well, yes. While we didn’t end up moving into the half-the-size house, we may find ourselves three weeks from a move at any time. This is exciting, but also somewhat stressful, particularly since we have no idea what size house we’ll end up moving to, and therefore whether or not a further Grand Purge will be required to fit. Because as much as we’ve got rid of, there’s always more that could be pared away. Like the rest of life, our simplicity is a work in progress – but the progress is feeling good.

15 Replies to “Preparing for an Uncertain Future”

  1. I didn’t realize that knitting had become so popular again. You’re the fifth knitter I’ve come across in the past three weeks. If you’re happy where you are, I hope you get to stay for as long as you want.

          1. Yarn phobia… Well, I suppose it’s possible. There are people who are allergic to wool, but then, there are also knitters who are allergic to wool – they tend to knit a lot of cotton.
            I’ve never thought of the possibility of getting a knitting needle in my eye, but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Thanks a lot!

          2. Lol! You’re welcome. 😉
            I’ve sat on a knitting needle before and punctured my thigh. It wasn’t bad, but it did hurt… always handle knitting needles with caution!

          3. Oww! I am happy to say I’ve never stabbed myself with a knitting needle, although I did once puncture my thumb with the eye end of a needle. You’re right, blunt hurts more. These days I use a metal thimble.

  2. “the other three leapt to a glittering end during the first Canterbury earthquake” Gotta say, I absolutely love this image. I think I will keep it in my head to look at again, later.

    Purging is a lot of work, but it does feel good, I am working on helping my parents purge after almost 30 years in the same house. Daunting.

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