Decluttering the Homestead

Time gathers things- or, maybe it's better to say 'we gather things with time'. Either way, the reality is.. clutter happens.. and a homestead is a clutter magnet! Over time space becomes filled with this and that- the things we said we will get to later. Items that fell to the wayside and the wayside crept closer and closer to the door. You get the point.

This month's focus on my homestead is declutter: use it or remove it.

The goal: break the homestead into zones and clear the zone.

Repurpose, recycle, reclaim- but do not let it remain!

We are twelve days into this month and let me just say this is hard! One: it's ragweed season so I am battling out the histamine drip while trying to decide keep or cull. Two: emotions and doubt play tricks with your mind as you try to decide in there is any use for 'that old thing' (OTC allergy meds are not conducive to mental clarity!). Three: not everyone in the house is on board with my manic urge to purge.

Since the allergies are winning, my focus turned inward these past few days. Closets, pantries and drawers are the starting line. So far the upstairs spare room (now the sewing room) has been gone through- though I can't say it is clutter free since it is packed floor to ceiling with outgrown baby items. Does every grandparent's house have a baby stuff stash?

From there I pressed on to the downstairs spare room- now the grandbaby room. Despite the toys it is in pretty good shape- if only I could figure out how to make the art table/supplies less messy looking. Wait, why? Aren't all creative, artsy people a bit messy? My room is now where I'm at. Then pantries and cabinets. The house is only one small piece though.

We have a barn, well house, storage shed, greenhouse- four poultry pens, three gardens, three pastures- not to mention the place where the trailers set, the 'bone yard' and the dreaded place where all clutter goes to multiply and mock me..the shop! The magnitude of this mess makes me dizzy. Standing in the drive at the end of my work day causes me to ask myself why I didn't start sooner. I know the answer- it is a pain!

The plan?

Burn the fallen trees - or re-purpose them in the goat pen (they are dropping like crazy right now).
Recycle the metal- damaged metal objects are now being piled on a trailer for a little trip.
Trash the trash- determining what is truly trash is the object of many grumblings. (keeping it real)
Thin the 'herd'- metaphorically, of course. Here we are focusing on downsizing or simplifying the chores: barn, gardens, and pasture care. There are less hands on the homestead, so time to re-evaluate what we focus our energies on.
Finally, there are some areas of disrepair that need a tune up. My goal is to fix those fence 'patches' and make things easier for me to handle on my own... calf panels are this girl's best friend. (If only I could find a gate solution as wonderful as calf panels).

Will I get this all decluttered by November- oh, honey, I doubt it, but there's no reason not to be ambitious!

Now, before I get distracted again (or my sinuses clog up), better go bag some more stuff from the closet!