Sometime during the years of marriage and kids and hobbies and endless preparations for to-do projects that remain undone, my little old empty house became my littler, older, overfull house. I tried selling and giving away as much of the accumulating clutter as I could, yet our possessions multiplied even faster. Somewhere we crossed the philosophical line of half-empty/half-full and began racing dangerously close to that quaint expression of "hoarder".
My mother used to say, "Out of sight, out of mind." As a child, I used to think how silly that expression was as I stumbled around in the dark, constantly proving how out-of-sight protrusions would become in-of-mind with my out-of-placed shin.
Of course, that's when I was a child. Now I'm an adult, and often out-of-my-mind. So I bought one of those metal buildings to put in my backyard and squirrel away our many goodies for another time.
Fortunately, I bought a do-it-yourself shed kit during one of the great sales. (In fact, if it wasn't for those wonderful sales, I probably wouldn't have my wonderful clutter. "Look! Canned yams, 20 for a $1! I know we don't eat yams. Still, what great deal!") Unfortunately, I bought the kit during the dead of winter when exposed body parts instantly freeze and the lure of outdoor work is in hibernation. But I'm not a quitter ... or a hoarder. I resolved to put my storage savior together when the warmer days of spring arrived.
An excellent idea ... had Spring arrived. But over the course of a few weeks in March of that year, we went from freezing cold to sweltering heat. Not that I'm trying to make excuses for leaving my shed unassembled. You know how balmy, hundred degree days make it impossible to do anything constructive outside without being naked and under a hose of cool water. And, being the dry, considerate neighbor that I am, I decided to wait for the comforting days of Fall.
There was much rejoicing when those cool, refreshing autumn days fell upon us. There was also billions of dead leaves to dispose of, storm windows to install, and football games that had to be watched least the wrong team win (which often happened anyway). Soon, the frigid winds of winter arrived and I had to wait upon the fair days of spring again.
I'm happy to report that this winter makes the ninth year that my metal shed has remained crated - an unbuilt building. Of course, my wonderful family has accumulated even more stuff. So tomorrow, I plan to go out and buy a second storage structure. At the very least, my purchase can keep my first unassembled kit from feeling lonely.
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