“… the Fugitive Slave Act handed enslavers octopus powers, allowing their tentacles to extend to the North. The Act criminalized abettors of fugitives, provided northerners incentives to capture them, and denied Blacks a jury trial, opening the door to mass kidnappings. To William Lloyd Garrison, the act was ‘so coldblooded, so inhuman and so atrocious, that Satan himself would blush to claim paternity to it.'”
I received this book for Christmas last year. I suppose I ought to get going on it? I’ll admit to being a little intimidated by the length. The date of the Act’s passage, by the way, was 1850.
And watching Marie Kondo on Netflix.
I bought her book, “the life-changing magic of tidying up,” several years ago and followed many of her strategies to good effect. But here’s the thing. It was a solo venture. This time K is on board and it’s got a different feel to it, and there are different possibilities (think: tools, basement, and garage). Here are two sets of before and after pix.
Everyone is talking about that show. I don’t netflix, but I do need to tidy up. Maybe the before-after pics would be a good trick! But not today.
I didn’t work all week don’t forget.
I also got her book and the underwear drawers here are still in tidy little rolls. Not so much the kitchen towels. Perhaps if the drawer space was deeper. There was a Hallmark movie of controlling mom with a little boy–she was rolling her son’s tee shirts. Her visiting mom told her to “loosen up”. I laughed.
My junk drawers, with all their inserts, have never gone back to a hectic mess. I ALWAYS know where my shoes are now — what a relief! My fabric stash is a horror, tho, and even tho I repeatedly give big bags of it away, it never feels under control.
Love your before and afters … I started cleaning out earlier this month, then lost momentum after five bags of stuff went off to the thrift store.
And while I’ve never done the “pile all your ________ in the middle of the floor” thing, I am a fan of the folding method for knitted clothing (t-shirts, sweaters, etc). It even works for cloth storage … although I’m terrible at keeping up with it
I never did the big pile step, either. It seems to be key that I be able to walk away from my efforts at any moment. Otherwise I might never start them. These declutterings are meant to be cyclic— maybe five bags is enough for now?
Haven’t watched the show and doubt I will, but I go through spurts of decluttering and winnowing. I think the sports closet is next!
Oh god — sports equipment. For us, that’s the garage. I know part of why it’s hard to get rid of lacrosse equipment: because it cost so damned much!
There was another blog with a “get rid of ten things” sort of daily practice. The number of things is arbitrary. Could just be one thing. I used that theme to clean out the misc. drawer in the kitchen and the put my spices laying flat in the drawer–in ABC order. Lord, that was wonderful.
With “ten things” echoing in my head, I tackled a medicine cabinet, not all that rationally, I’m afraid — chucking some sun screen with dates of 2013, keeping others with dates two years earlier. But out went several things and the cabinet breathed a sigh of relief.
Ps. I alphabetized my spices years ago (after initially kind of sneering at the idea). What a nice difference, as you know.
It is so good to have a clear out. We have done two big cupboards this year and I get such a thrill every time I open the doors and see how tidy they look. I never knew neat shelves could make me feel happy.
I read The History of Mary Prince this year, it made me feel quite humble.
I haven’t read that slave narrative. I’m adding it to my list. Just read historic fiction about a fugitive slave — “Washington Black”. It was truly a good read.