Studio time has been sparse this week. Jim decided he wanted an office at home and will soon be moving files, etc., into my old photo office. That meant two days of sorting and shuffling stuff. I found slides that should have been filed four years ago, expense receipts that never made the tax filing, a purchase receipt and warranty from my highschool class ring, the small hand of a clock, two unfinished wooden carvings of birds, knitting markers, the tassle from a chinese sword, two pieces of broken china taken from Sadam Husseins palace, a phamplet on how to make flavored vinegar, oil change records from the first car I ever owned, and an old autograph from O. J. Simpson (before he fell from grace).

Needless to say, I am THE original pack-rat. Most of this stuff was easy to shed. No emotions, no problems, just toss 'em and forget 'em. But then came the old letters. A big box of them. In my mind, I flash forward 40 years to my rocking chair days and know I will never sort through and read these letters again, except those from my dearest Jim and my mother. If I am the survivor of either, I know I will cling to these letters with everything in my soul. So I begin sifting out the cards and letters from Jim and mom. Most others, I just read the signature and smile and toss. Some are bewildering because the sender has long ago faded from my mind. (Who were these people?) A few I read and they bring tears of laughter, joy or regret. Two I'd written in anger and never sent. The emotions went up and down and up and down.

I stuck to my plan and only Jim and Mom's letters survived along with a strange emotional mix I can only describe as letting go. All this in an attempt to simplify my mind and my space, to continue to simplify life. My time is better spent quilting in my studio, spending time with friends, and cooking good food than in participating in that great American dance, "The Stuff Shuffle."

So I spent this week mostly in the past and in the trash. But before all this got started, I did manage to work on one more fish quilt. He is almost done. This one has black netting to tone down the background and bits of yarn to simulate weeds.