Enough, already.

I have spent most of the last 8 years of my life fighting STUFF.

First my own STUFF, for a year.

Then my late mother's STUFF, for most of three years.  That's because she was exposed post-mortem as what I would now call a Class 1.5 hoarder (basically a Class 2 without pets) whose tastes unfortunately did not run to much that could simply be kicked to the curb or into recycling.

Then back to my own STUFF (including inherited) for three or four years.  Long periods of near non-stop workin' the stuff: sorting, purging, and reorganizing, major league donating,  freecycling, recycling, and even, in a couple of cases, taking recalcitrant items out into the driveway and smashing them to bits with a sledgehammer *smiles evilly* very satisfying...hell bent on making sure that I never do to anyone else what my mother, in her greed and laziness, chose to do to me.  And no question, by the time I decided to give myself a break last year, after a last brief round of throwing things out inspired by Throw Out Fifty Things (which I then donated to the next charity book sale at my place of work) I've made a lot of progress.  Most areas in my house, the average person would rate as clean and organized to near ready-to-show standards.

However:  after taking a year off from the relentless tossing, I can see that everything's getting a little tighter, again.  Developments in terms of my taking up one new hobby this year, and getting back into an old one (both of which seem like reasonable life changes I have some entitlement to make) have also made it clear that for the new to enter, in my nice little house with about 400 square feet to each floor, the old must leave.  Add that within the next two years, I want to see about moving to a larger house with the studio and workshop space I will need to pursue my creative interests once I retire in 7-10 years' time, and that I do not want to find myself packing anything more than I have currently in use, and the conclusion is clear:

I have had enough.  It is time to cut the crap, and strip this place to the walls. 

Seven rooms, nine or ten functional spaces.

Allowing 1-2 days each, my goal is to be done before spring.   Throw lists to follow.