The Friday Five

Ijoined the RevGalsBlogPals Webring a little while ago, because I was already reading quite a few of the blogs in the ring. Though not a minister, I certainly think of myself as a friend, so I joined. I've enjoyed the Friday Five, but this is the first time I've ever participated.

1. Are you a hoarder or a minimalist?

I'm a minimalist, but not by nature. My husband takes hoarding to the pathological level. It's truly falls into OCD territory for him. I've had to make sure that he doesn't retrieve stuff from the garbage can. At one point, we had three rental storage buildings to accomodate his obsession. When you live with that kind of collecting, you have two choices, join in or throw things away with a vengeance. I learned minimalism, and between his hoarding, and my desire for less and less, we hoped for balance. Needless to say it didn't work, and this is actually one of the reasons behind our separation.

2. Name one important object (could be an heirloom) that you will never part with.

This has to be my father's clock. I've heard its style described as Empire. I've also heard it called a grandmother clock. At not quite three feet in height, it's designed for a mantel or a table top. With an hourly gong (you can't call this a chime) run by counterweights, it has be wound by key weekly. It's been in my family for six generations (the womanchild makes seven), and our emergency plans in case of fire or forced evacuation include getting the clock.

3. What is the oldest item in your closet? Does it still fit???

The oldest item in my closet is an Etienne Aigner purse I've had since I was 18 years old. I still carry it, and it still looks good. Good leather goods in a classic design have always been worth the price to me. Earlier this year, I cleaned out all the clothes that didn't fit anymore from my closet. I can't regain my weight. I'll have nothing to wear. The only thing I kept was my wedding dress, and right now, it's just one size smaller than I'm currently wearing.

4.Yard sales- love 'em or hate 'em ?

I used to hate yard sales, but I'm slowly coming around. I did get my set of Wedgwood Countryside (Wedgwood's version of Blue Willow) dishes at a yardsale for only $25.00, and my daughter did find my treasured alabaster jar at a yard sale. They've also been a great source of clothes while I'm dropping weight.

5. Name a recycling habit you really want to get into.

I'm trying to get a local campaign going for our garbage collection to include curbside recycling bins. When recycling is made convenient for people, they're more likely to do it.

The Friday Five starts at RevGalsBlogPals.

The Friday Five