Friday, March 15th, 2019
The Ides of March
An Update on the Decluttering Business

A slow process from which I am often dissuaded by the sunshine, by the essays I am currently reading, by the music I am delighted to find tucked away in numerous wicker baskets, drawers and bags, and which I am so tempted to put on the piano and let my fingers find the harmonies that were once so familiar to them....

And the memories that evokes.  The duets that Charles and I used to play at one time, - the Clemanti Sonatinas that were part of my practise when learning to play...

A musing aside,  --  as I remember walking to lessons, waiting on the bench at the foot of the stairs leading up to the lesson room,  a little nervous if my week's practice sessions haven't been up to par!

Today, as my fingers fumble along, and I note the little reminders left by my piano teacher, I am reminded of the affection I had for her and her many kindnesses, which I tried to acknowledge by "trying hard".  I have a Second Place medal to prove it, won in a Music Festival....

What shall I do with all the organ music  - or with the old tattered sheets of music that were the favourites of various members of the family.  My father - "Charmaine" and my mother, The Rosary and Ramona.

And the music that Charles played, although he gained his inimitable style from his cousin's player piano where he learned to play by ear.   Great bass, especially on "The Dark Town Strutters' Ball"
He also had the traditioal Toronto Conservatory  lessons, so was well versed in reading music.

Well I took all this music out and found that there was ONE book that I felt I could grow older without.

I have to say decluttering played second fiddle to the delightful hour I spent playing old familiar dear-to-my-heart pieces.

Such a great part of my life!!

It was the same with my threads, despite the clutter on the shelves in the weaving room - along with all the weaving books and magazines!

I will start small.

I have a very limited supply of empty bobbins, but a great display of bobbins half full, quarter full, perhaps only a one third full, - cottons of all different sizes and silks of all different colours.  Threads of no use to me, left over from other projects.....

Until it came to me that I might transfer those lovely colourful threads from the bobbins to the warping board!!!

And thus it was - de-clutter the  bobbins and create a lovely airy summer scarf, dented generously between warp threads to increase the width of the scarf,  and the weaving going at the speed of lightning as I weave twelve weft threads and then skip half an inch before I start on the next twelve.

Is this de-cluttering??

Well, I like to think it is.  The bobbins are all shy, bashful and bare, waiting to be dressed and re-filled, anticipating the chance to do their thing in some new scarf or towel or table mat or......?

I will work on the music and find somewhere I can put it out of my sight - perhaps present it to one of my piano playing children, or put it on the shelves that sit behind the organ at the Church.  Probably not Charmaine or Ramona, but The Rosary would feel quite at home there.

A work in progress!!