Okay, now I have a large clear space on one side of my bedroom, and nothing to put there. I hauled several more boxes upstairs today, taking care to go slowly so I didn’t hurt myself (or fall down (or both)). There’s still plenty of room in the loft for more, too, but I have to decide how to use it. Not that there’s any shortage of clutter that wouldn’t look better where no one could see it.

So what do I do with the extra downstairs space? I was thinking a chair would be nice, but I don’t have a chair. I tried it out late this afternoon, piling a couple of pillows next to the window and trying to read. It just gets dark so early, though, especially when the fog is rolling in over the hills. After ten minutes or so, I couldn’t see the page.

Still, I don’t intend to bring anything back down. I like the wide open spaces. There’s only one big problem, and I’m sure you can see what it is. Any empty spot in my house simply attracts more clutter. I can’t see that beautiful expanse of bare carpeting staying that way for long. Ancient bad habits hang on with the grip of a bulldog’s jaw.

You know, a better solution would be to throw a lot of things away. That’s what Mom is doing, rather ruthlessly in these last few days before she moves. Most of the things I’m storing upstairs are so insubstantial that I wouldn’t miss them if they disappeared. So why can’t I just disappear them?