Regular readers will recall that, in late August, my partner and I made the decision to sell our house and then embarked on a massive downsizing and decluttering adventure. We sold hundreds of items at a yard sale, donated what didn’t sell to a second-hand store, moved some things into a storage locker, packed up others ready to move into our new apartment and threw out anything we considered to be garbage.
Our real estate agent took stunning photos of the house and gardens, and we made plans to visit friends for the week after our listing went up in mid-September to facilitate what we assumed would be a steady stream of motivated buyers coming through the house. After a quick sale at or above listing, we thought, we would return home, begin packing in earnest and start painting the apartment for which we were about to sign a lease.
Not so fast. Early into the first week of house showings, my partner and I both got COVID, so we were not really the kind of house guests anyone wanted to have. (Fortunately, my daughter and her partner took us in.) Interest in the house was sparse. With no offers in sight, we soon moved back home, keeping the place as pristine as possible, just in case the perfect purchaser were to come along. We eventually received one conditional offer, but it fell through. Around us, we saw the real estate market tanking.
Out of the market
Last week, we called it quits. The for sale sign on the front lawn came down; our agent came to collect the lockbox and we signed some papers to wrap things up officially. He left us with a bottle of wine, and we sent him on his way with some homemade fruitcake (which he swears he loves). We’ll try again when the real estate market picks up.
While we’re disappointed not to be in our new apartment living a more streamlined life, we’re also relieved not to have to think about moving for the foreseeable future. Life has more than enough complications without the stress of a hypothetical move.
Even before the for sale sign came down, we had begun moving a few things back into the house: the cat was reunited with her house and perch, and we repositioned stools in her favourite windows; I put the visitor’s chair back in my office and got a bit less fastidious about clearing the kitchen counters of everything every day; we brought a few items out of their hiding spots.
Now we’re getting serious about making our house back into the warm and cozy place we love, especially as winter weather edges ever closer. If we have another season of snow shovelling and car windshield scraping ahead of us, then we need the comfort of our “stuff.”
On the weekend, I unpacked my office bric-a-brac that had been stored in the workshop. I can once again turn to RBG to help me think through a challenging legal question; glancing at my table of fish always helps me feel more serene, and my room once again is filled with a citrus scent thanks to my aroma diffuser.
My partner has brought in the plants that he wants to keep going until next spring. The firewood is stacked, and enough kindling for a couple of months has been chopped. He’s about to plant garlic, maybe for one last time.
Careful clutter
Next weekend, I plan to lug in the box that contains all the bits and pieces that make our dining room feel welcoming. Then, I will carefully go through its contents, deciding what I really need to keep and what I can get rid of.
The truth is, we liked our house with less clutter and, while we want some of our favourite belongings around us now that we’ll be here for at least several more months, we want a more streamlined look. To use the jargon of the day, we want to be more intentional about what we have in our house.
I don’t want to replace items we sold or gave away in the fall. I’m going to make sure I don’t have something before I buy it. No more finding six jars of capers in the pantry after I return home from the store with more. I am going to think hard about how much I will use or enjoy something before I buy it.
And, maybe, as we reclutter in a new and more careful way, we will also declutter, continuing to shed those items that no longer have value to us.
Rest assured: the potato ricer stays, even though it has enjoyed only one use. A friend and reader of this blog recently sent me an article extolling the ricer as the ideal way to mash potatoes, and who can argue with Bon Appetit?
The Notorious RBG! Whoot,Whoot!!