Some shots below...
Collecting or when collecting goes bad and becomes hoarding or when you just keep things far too long thinking you are going to use them ... sometime... and how to deal with that.
First... throw everything out!
Second. Don't buy anything your not going to use right away.
Third. No one eats leftovers after three days and the same goes for the bottle of nails your saving.
Invariably you will have that bottle or jar of nails but they wont be the exact ones you need for the new project so you still have to go to the hardware store for the right ones.
Really. I just forced a purging of my shed area. Making it so awesome was the set of rules below.
First.. wait until the hottest time of the day to get in the shed so that the metal roof makes it triple hot in the shed.
Second.. start sorting things into .. throw away now.. throw away tomorrow.. and never let go.
Third... decided on day two to just throw it all away except for actively functioning tools and paperwork that has to be sorted and shredded.
It never works well but it had to be done.
I brought back so much from moving my Dad that I had to do something to open up space in the garage... I accomplished that much.
No really I did achieve quite a lot. I also found some things out.
I took two loads to the dump. I organized what I could not throw away for various "real" reasons.
I cant throw my second balloon envelope away so it stayed in its bag but its now in the corner with pillows and pads for fiesta on top..
Perfect. Beside that there is one large bin and two small bins full of paperbacks that I have to sort through. I am going to take pictures of each of the covers of the books I want to re read and look them up on line but in the end this is 16 square feet of stuff that can go. I also have a bunch of boxed of docs I have to sort into shred and copy piles.
I do have a pile of paint cans too.. who doesn't! Those are going to the hazardous waste point during the week.. that's another 8 sq ft area clear. The table top is clear, tools in their place, I can even get to my shop vac!
Oh.. and a long time back when I was crewing I so wanted a flag for my truck I could fly while chasing balloons..
Serious overkill here.. must be 20 in there now ... including a 1984 fiesta flag and I think a Kiss A Hoy flag. Also.. if you could try to get these to fall on you any time you looked away it would never happen but they decided on a minute to minute basis to fall on my head every time I looked away... bastards!
After those trips to the dump I could add two of my favorite gardening utensils to my tool corner.. both from my dads place. Both I used constantly after I got in trouble as punishment...
Weird that I wanted them.. Said I was going to screw them into a wall to show how I won over them.. and as a warning to other hoes out there.. but really.. they do work nicely on weeds... so they will be used for that function when needed.
Along with those two is a British machete that my Dad had for ages and we would use to hack back the stinging nettles and hog weed in our back yard... well our back yard in England was very big and the back quarter was a mini forest with all the things you would find in a forest in England.. Nettles and hemlock. Both very uncomfortable if you brushed up against them.
It needs a good sharpening....
So many things kept... but I did purge a lot too. Along with the shed I did some work on clothes in the house. It feels good. Its cooler in the house so of course it felt good! LOL. Second look next weekend.
The garage is going to be a hateful thing. If it was just me I think I could dump all the things and just enjoy the space but there are things you cant do away with .. as I am not buying Christmas decorations every year.
That was the mornings .. this evening we went to Joe's Pasta House in Rio Rancho for dinner with my second cousin. Great food and since he is in the Air Force and usually in parts unknown its great to chat with him about family goings on's. Our family has grown so much from where it started when my Grandfather came from the old country and settled in New Jersey. Now we are in almost every section of the US. So very strange. I used to be able to tell you where each of my cousins were and how they were related.. now there are children and children's children.. its all so ... everywhere now. We are planning to sit down and take a head count using my Dads family tree docs to get it right in mind.
Should be a fun day.
Also during this week I had thoughts on life in New Mexico as it was brought to me by multiple people that it was strange to live here. Why pick HERE! It was very strange that it was three people talking about the same thing. Very strange.
I live in Albuquerque and in New Mexico for reasons... One is the job. Since I work with some awesome people that makes it fantastic to work HERE. If these people and this office were in Florida I would live in Florida... Or in Pennsylvania... but then there is the after part.. After I retire.. if I can retire.. will I move from here... Heh... Probably not. Albuquerque and New Mexico grows on you.. its an insidious thing too.. I am sure going to travel but I will always come back...because...
It starts so simple... Dry hot air.. no sweat... no humidity.. nice... then you get that first taste of REAL green chili... and the hook gets set.. then the smell of sage on the cooler breezes off the mesa.. Hot sandstone and Sage.. you just turn your whole body in the directing the wind is coming from and stand there breathing it in.. there is nothing anywhere like it... then the tang of roasting chili's hits your nose.. and at first your freaking out as its acidic and cloying and goodness what the hell!! Then and now its ahhhhh..... lets get closer... and that tang has you walking closer to get more of it...
Then there are the people.. the people who have lived here forever... and are the nicest people anywhere. They are true salt of the earth people. Their people have lived here forever too. They just grew right up and out of the ground. I met two today.. one old lady who was working and living life and one completely tattooed guy also.. just there...living.. both I would not mind sitting down and over coffee or something cold hearing about their lives. Which reminds me I really have to chat with someone at work about this...
But I go off track..again... Albuquerque is a special place. Bad things good things its still got its feet so far in the past but reaching for the future... New Mexico is a very old part of the country.. Thousands of years of known history here and so much wild still. That is one of the draws for me.. I can go out into New Mexico and stand and see forever and smell the grass and stare off and see not another human being.. know for sure that I am at least 50 miles away from another human... You just have to do it for yourself.. Go out on one of the small roads... get out there.. pull over.. turn off the car and stand on a rock and look out... its worth it.
And then you run across some seriously funny memes out there to do with this place.. and they are so apt.
This was perfect... even knowing that the rain will make every weed in your yard go nuts you are still loving the rain... and yes.. somewhat just like that.
And this makes my mouth water even now... Chili's!!!!!!! mmmmmm.... Pain is a flavor!
And yes.. pretty much.... even!
I've been to every corner of this state.. I need to go back.
Back to the beginning-ish.. Angel fire is wonderful.. its interesting to fly as its at 8000 feet and there are ridges and you are flying a valley.. and that's novel in a hot air balloon.... This year I had a bit of a problem with catching my breath..
A great shot of us slowpokes getting off the ground.... Good shot too.
Lift off as light as a feather and about as quick .. until it was very quick.... and flingy.
Mo in The Reverse Gravity Machine heading across the valley.. why.. because it was different...
And how most of us are when balloons are flying.....
I did post up one short video of flying in Angel Fire.. not great but it is what it is sadly.. A better one is coming.
http://InvisibleBlack.zenfolio.com/p715442282/eaf063d15
Its fun enough.
So very scattered my brain is right now. I want to fly but I want to keep clearing the house and I want to go take pictures and I want to travel and then take pictures and talk to people forever and sleep in and try different things and and and..... tomorrow is Monday....
Mmm... one last thing..
If you are in a totally cool place and you are taking amazing pictures with your cell phone camera.... just flippen well stop.. stop and go buy a Nikon or Sony or Canon DSLR with at least 12 meg pixels.
You will appreciate it later when you need to blow one of them up or lighten it so you can see the details because even though your cell phone can take a kick ass shot .. it cant be enlarged or edited for color or light very much.. and that is sad.
You will pay almost a thousand for a cell phone but not 500 on a very good DSLR...
Very sad.
And that is my screed or Soap Box statement for the week! Need to find a soap box to stand on and get a picture of... that would be cool.
Have a fun fun week!
