Feng Shui or Phooey Shui

One of the metaphors my Feng Shui friend uses is that water represents money, and so perhaps the water flowing INTO my basement means I should buy a lottery ticket! More than likely though, this water is "moneyed" only in the sense that this drain tile project is costing us $7000!

The project actually went quite well. I arranged to be away for much of the day because I really couldn't bear listening to the jack hammers or seeing the utter destruction of the lower level of our home. There is a fine layer of dust on absolutely everything including the inside of the medicine cabinet in the UPSTAIRS bathroom. So, that's the downside of all this.

But there is an upside! It is yet another opportunity to continue on our mission to de-clutter. Forty-three years of marriage, two houses and two daughters later we have acquired a lot of stuff. And much we don't use or need any more. We acknowledge that the LPs and 45s we saved from our youth aren't really ever going to be worth much, judging from the thousands just like them listed on eBay. If we get rid of the vinyl there is no need to save the Fisher-Price record player, the only turntable we still owned. And the dishes, appliances and household items we held onto for our "someday" cabin can go too. J likes to say our cabin is in our kids, and more precisely in the tab for 16 years of private school tuition, times 2. It's a sure bet if we could ever afford a cabin, we could certainly afford to furnish it - and not with castoffs! The amazing thing is how united we are on this effort to downsize: Wall storage unit we have had since 1974 - gone; unused desk - out with it; extra toilet seat - who needs it; suitcases that don't twirl on wheels or for that matter, even roll - not taking any more trips with us! We have been almost giddy, cleaning out closets and clearing shelves. He questions my need to keep sewing patterns from the 70s and I wonder about the huge assortment of old clothes he keeps for camping and working out, but overall we have agreed on the three loads he has taken to Goodwill.