Saturday, February 07, 2015
What to Post
It is a bit challenging for some gardeners to post to blogs when it is the dead of winter. We have written about the weather, birds, food, and this being the perfect time for "clearing out". I will follow suit with that last one.
Let's skip the weather for now. Too much of that being batted around already. Birds? I've done that before. Food? I did a little of that recently. That leaves clearing out. A few closets have been attacked and rummaged.
Out went the last of the baby and child furniture; that was painful. The crib, the little chair, the little table with matching seats had been mine when I was a child. I remember using all of them, and writing out my spelling words over and over while seated at the little table. No more small children in the family, now. Life moves on.
Out went the dolls, doll clothes, paper dolls, metal detector, stamp collection... among other things. Magazines and children's books went to a doctor's office waiting room. Miscellaneous toys and clothes landed at the Goodwill Industries store. A slight culling of books went to our library.
Six or seven large bags and boxes of pretty ribbons from the weddings of our two daughters were advertised on Freecycle and were claimed by several people getting married or helping with wedding plans. Considering that both daughters now have college aged children, I told myself: If you haven't used them by now, you never will. Pretty as they were, out they went!
This past fall we had some electrical upgrades done which means we no longer use electrical fuses of any kind. A bag of fuses, assorted sizes and shapes, went away via Freecycle. As did about twenty three-ring binders. (Where did all of those come from?!)
Four stacks of garden catalogs went out to four people. I know where they came from, and I am trying to stanch the flood. Canning jars were grabbed up quickly. And, on and on... stuff went out the door. Stacks and boxes and drawers and file cabinets were lightened of their loads. I began to worry about the dinky-looking axles between the wheels of our recycle containers as their paper loads became so heavy - repeatedly, week after week.
Freecycle is a terrific resource. Its purpose is to put people in contact: those who want to get rid of something - with those who can use it. There is no cost to anyone, and the main goal is to keep all this "stuff" out of the landfills. I have even heard of people offering and receiving sod, dirt, clay, manure, mulch, spoiled hay, etc. Some of that I have taken. It's wonderful to read the daily posts to see all the stuff that has passed from one, to another person who has a use for the things advertised. Here is the link to our local chapter, but you can browse and click around in there and find one near to you.
For the past twenty years I did gardening and garden planning here at Crocker Croft. I spent a lot of time searching the internet for the exact plants I wanted (genus, species, variety). I have enjoyed numerous beautiful catalogs all these years. Now, that I have slowed considerably both physically and mentally, I do not need catalogs. I notified companies to explain my situation and requested they not send any more. I am keeping the latest issue of each one in my garden file for reminders. If I need anything, I can always go to their websites to see current prices and to order.
I will close with a list of some of them.
1. A.M. Leonard's Gardeners Edge
2. ARBICO Organics www.arbico-organics.com/
3. Brecks brecks.com
4. Brussel's Bonsai brusselsbonsai.com
5. Burpee burpee.com
6. Charley's Greenhouse charleysgreenhouse.com
7. DavidAustinRoses.com
8. Drs Foster & Smith drsfostersmith.com
9. Duncraft
10. Dutch Bulbs dutchbulbs.com
11. Exciting Gardens/Richard Owen Nursery excitinggardens.com
12. Forest Farm forestfarm.com
13. Four Seasons Nursery 4seasonsnurseries.com
14. Gardener's Choice gardenerschoice.net
15. Gardeners Edge
16. Gardener's Supply Co. gardeners.com
17. Growers Supply
18. High Country Gardens highcountrygardens.com
19. Honeycreek honeycreeknurseries.com
20. J.L.Hudson, Seedsman jlhudsonseeds.com
21. Jackson & Perkins jacksonandperkins.com
22. Johnny's Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com/
23. jungseed.com
24. Kinsman Garden kinsmangarden.com
25. kitchengardenseeds.com
26. McClure & Zimmerman
27. millernurseries.com
28. McClure & Zimmerman Bulbs mzbulb.com
29. Netherland Bulb Co.
30. New Holland Bulb Co. newhollandbulb.com
31. Park Seed: perennials & shrubs; annuals & tropicals;Trees & shrubs. parkscs.com
32. Rare Find Nursery rarefindnursery.com
33. Paul Zimmerman Roses
34. Select Seeds selectseeds.com
35. Snowpeak Iris and Daylilies
36. Spray N grow spray-n-grow.com
37. Springhill springhillnursery.com
38. Territorial Seed territorialseed.com
39. The Pond Guy thepondguy.com
40. The Vermont Country Store
41. Thompson & Morgan Seedsmen tmseeds.com
42. Van Bourgondien's dutchbulbs.com
43. Van Engelen vanengelen.com
44. Vermont Country Store vermontcountrystore.com
45. Walt Nicke's Garden Talk
46. Wayside waysidecs.com
47. White Flower Farm whiteflowerfarm.com
48. Wild Seed Farms wildseedfarms.com
49. Sunshine Farm & Gardens
50. Heirloom Roses, Inc. news@heirloomroses.com
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4 comments:
Barbee,
I did the same thing about 8 years ago, when Joe and I were married. I couldn't drag my "stuff" into a new home. So, I came with 25 boxes and several pieces of special furniture.I gave things to friends and family...then either sold the rest or gave to Good Will or Salvation Army. When it was over, I felt so much "lighter" The load was lifted from my mind and off my shoulders. I can honestly say that they only thing I regret giving away was my cookie cutter collection.
This must have been such a task for you, but I think that you are going to feel like I did. I didn't want my kids to have a "mess" to go through when I passed...and now they won't. Just think of the people who will benefit from your generosity.I enjoy watching my kids using the things that were special to them growing up. I hope you have no regrets...only a lighter feeling. Balisha
Barbee--I have now retired and need to do so much cleaning out. It is so hard to know what to get rid of and what to keep. Slowly, slowly though it will get done and I know I will feel so much better.
Thank you, Balisha. I hope so, too. Since I wrote that I remembered other things I cleared out. Still have more to do.
I know what you mean, Meadowview Tymes. Some of it is really hard. Our grown children have taken a lot, but that hardly scratched the surface. As Balisha wrote: it is good to see them using what they took.
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