Scanning the Horizon... and Everything Else

LESS THAN TWO MONTHS UNTIL WE SCAN THE HORIZON FROM MALAGA.

I have scanned, so far this week, 361 individual pages.  That includes: photos, my junior high school yearbook, poems, cards and letters, and a variety of other personal and legal documents.  Jerry has been very busy (and very bored) scanning, as well.  He, not being anal-retentive, has not kept track of how many documents and photos he has scanned.  There have, I'm sure, been many.  But, I'm equally sure he hasn't been nearly as productive as I.  Who could be?  Unfortunately, I repeated this claim to Jerry and he said he plans to count HIS files, too.  I may have to eat my words (or I could just lie when I report the results).  Or, even more likely, Jerry won't bother counting his files (OK... now that I've written that, he definitely will be counting).

We have discarded (recycled) the originals of all those scanned items, which means that I personally have discarded more than 361 pieces of "stuff." Come to think of it, considering the fact that all those cards and letters came with envelopes, I've easily discarded more than 500 pieces of stuff.

A NON-MINIMALIST LIFE IN SANTA BARBARA.

I continue to be amazed by how easy it is to part with things I've been carting around for I-don't-want-to-say how many years.  I think my new obsession may well be minimalism (well in addition to continuing to straighten chairs in restaurants as I pass empty tables).  Don't worry.  I don't walk around the entire table; I just give vagrant chairs a gentle nudge back into position.

STUFF EVERYWHERE (AND THE COUCH IN BETTER DAYS)

A rep from our local consignment store was here yesterday afternoon and they're going to sell some of our remaining furniture.  I should have realized, however, that a posh Newport Beach consignment store wouldn't take just any old thing.  I had created a spreadsheet with a room-by-room breakdown of what we would like to sell — remember, anal-retentive.  The rep started in the living room, looking slowly and deliberately at the first item on the list, the sofa (I believe the view was down his nose).  He then looked up and quietly said, "We'll pass."  I was shocked.  And offended.  But he explained it was simply because of its age.  Admittedly, the matching love seat was so tired that we gave it away four years ago.  He then "passed" on the next two items on the list, our old den recliners (they look like overstuffed wing chairs), not just because of their vintage but because, as he said "the fabric is completely out of date and old-fashioned."  Well!  But, OK, again he's right.  We've had those for 14 years.  He did like — love actually — our dining room table, our kitchen chairs, and many other things on the list.  He turned down our everyday wine and champagne glasses (as if we actually use them every day).  He said he'd love to take the sets of champagne and wine glasses in the antique cabinet.  Of course he would.  We're keeping those.

THESE CAN'T BE SCANNED, SO THEY'RE HEADED FOR SPAIN.