Six and one-half Hours Doing What?!?

The garage cleaning-sorting-tossing out started just after 10:00 am yesterday, and with only two small breaks, I finished for the day at 4:40. These photos show you the parts I got done, and it amounts to only one half of the garage. This is where I design flowers for weddings and parties. All the supplies I need, plus inventories of vases and other supplies are resident here. The only thing I needed over the years to make it complete was running water, but that was available either in the kitchen - a few short steps away - or from the hose on the front of the house. Needless to say, no one has been able to park in here since I officially started my business - Tickle Your Fancy - in 1984. I have a small wedding this weekend, and now I have a clean, neat area in which to work.

Need any spray paint? I probably have your color.

When I am designing, I stand behind the station to the left here (the white cabinet with the cubbyholes). It has a laminate top and is okay for getting wet. I bought this piece from a business that was closing. It was their cashier's stand, and the cubbies were for invoices and receipts - but it is perfect for my knives, etc, and for watching TV.....lol

Here's a better view of my station. When I have other designers with me, they work on the tables to my left. My folding tables got so cruddy that I covered the tops with Cont*ct paper, and I re-do them every year. When the weather is good, I open the garage door, which is very nice - not only for the fresh air - but because I admit to being nosy, and that way I can see anyone who drives into the cul-de-sac.

You wouldn't believe the pile of stuff I packed into my car for transport to the county dump today. I should have taken a photo of it before I packed it. I have been saving plastic wares for years; margarine tubs and the like, because I can use them for liners in some containers that might otherwise leak, or if the client wants to take the flowers, but not the fancy container. It saves money to use them, rather than buying liners from the wholesaler. I have saved multitudes of them, and I know now that I will never be able to use them all in my lifetime. So, off to the recycle bins I go, with hundreds of those and boxes galore. I also have a tendency to save boxes, and about every 4-6 months I have to sort them and take the excess ones to the dump for recycling. I still have one other cabinet to sort through before I move to the opposite side. When I finish the other side, I will show you the whole thing. It should be much neater when I am done!

You may remember that I've mentioned recently that my excesses (saving/hoarding) have begun to weigh on me heavily. I know it might not look like I got rid of much, but it is a good start. When I close my business (probably next year), I will begin to divest my house of all this inventory. I plan to have a garage sale for both business and personal goods, advertising it to florists as well as through the usual channels. The thought of doing it is overwhelming, but I have to start somewhere. Wanna help?

"Mack.... the Knife"

More stuff I found last week: my mother's knives. They are fairly small, and two of them are pearlized. I know they were mom's because they were found in her dresser after her death. My dad had his own share of pocket knives, which I'll post after I locate them again. They were larger than mom's (more manly, I suppose). Do you carry a pocket knife? I never have, unless you count my folding florist knife, but I don't carry it all the time. My dad used the blade of his to clean his fingernails and as a young child, I marveled that he could do that without cutting his fingers. He never did, that I know of.

Florists often cut themselves, especially when they're in a hurry. I haven't done that in a long time, luckily, but I have scars from previous cuts. There is a faint scar on the back of my left hand that I have had since I was nine. I was playing hide and seek with a group of neighbor children and I hid around the back of our house, peeping out around the corner. The kid who was "it" sneaked up behind me and I was scared out of my wits. When I jumped, I cut my hand on the metal flashing under the siding of our house. I bled like a stuck pig! That scar is barely visible, but I have never forgotten how I got it.

Do you know what this is?

Click to embiggen.

This is a very old comedone extractor.

It belonged to my mom, and when I found it recently, I was struck by the design on it. A lowly instrument, but with such a pretty design! The newer ones might work more effectively, but they surely aren't as attractive as this one.

Have you ever used one? I probably fiddled around with this when I was a teenager, but most often my fingernails did the job for me. TMI, huh?

When I g*ogled comedone extractor, I was surprised at how many hits came up. Apparently they are more popular than I ever thought.

Have you ever used one?


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