It’s getting down to the time when we really have to make some big packing decisions.

I’ve cleaned out so much already. My desk is empty, because we only have room for one desk in our apartment, and Bill’s desk won. We’ve managed to combine all of our pens and pencils and staplers and Scotch tape and paper clips. And by “combine” I mean getting rid of half of them, because we both had the same sort of supplies in our desks. My clothes closet is empty except for those things I’m bringing along. I have managed to limit the number of puzzles I’m bringing with me to a mere 17, which means I’ve packed 30 or 35 puzzles in boxes to donate somewhere. You have no idea how hard it was to figure out which ones I will bring. Sophie’s Choice. I’m planning to donate most of them to Wind Crest so that I will at least have visiting rights.

Yesterday I cleaned out the plastic storage bins that contained all of my yarn. I was reminded that I have a seemingly endless amount of yarn. And I’ll bet I had 30 crochet hooks, most of which I won’t use, and many of which were the same size. These days I have to be careful about which crochet hook I choose because of the arthritis in my thumbs and wrists. I don’t know if Goodwill accepts yarn. It occurred to me that perhaps a nursing home might welcome such a donation. I’ll bet there are a number of elderly women who crochet but can’t afford to buy yarn or don’t have any way to get to a Joann’s to purchase yarn. Looking into that will be a goal for this week.

As the moving date draws near, we are having to take second looks at some of the things we have been planning to take. Do I need my juicer? Just where would I put that pretty hat box that contains one hat I wore exactly once for a 1940’s-themed party, one white straw hat that I haven’t worn in over 30 years (I’m pretty sure it made the move when we got married and purchased this home), and one mink hat that was my mother-in-law’s. Should I bring my canning pot? What about my pretty wine glasses that I used when I set a nice table?

It’s much easier telling Bill what he shouldn’t bring than it is to convince myself that there are things I shouldn’t bring. How can I convince him that we don’t need to bring the 50 or so DVDs that currently live in our basement when I’m bringing my Kitchenaid Pro 600. Vroom, vroom.

I managed to convince myself that the Royal Albert Flower-of-the-Month teacup collection is a necessity and must come with us to Wind Crest. After all, one never knows when one is going to have a tea party, especially when one lives with elderly women. Plus, they fit into my hutch, which was a big selling point.

Some decisions are easier than others. Given that I haven’t ironed more than a handful of times in the past 10 years, the ironing board goes bye-bye. We might buy one of the little tabletop models in case I have a sudden urge to wear clothes without wrinkles. No likely to happen.

As the days go by, we are going to have to use a lot of tough love.