Bernadette's Profile

My "outbox" was the 2,500 square foot house I bought about two hours away from my 408 square foot New York City apartment several years ago.

I now have an entire room which is a library. However, I have about 4,000 books. They don't all FIT in the library, so I have shelves in the bedroom (cookbooks, mostly French or exotic locales, and series) and I have 7 short bookcases in the dining room (more cookbooks, mostly on tea, entertaining and baking) and I have a standing bookcase in the kitchen with just cookbooks by or about New York or written by African-American authors and I have 4 large bookcases in the living room and 1 small one with art books. My entire house is my art installation. Most people can't figure out what to look at first. No one can make sense of it all the first time they visit. However, it does make sense if you take time to explore!

So....this summer, I realized I had 4 boxes of first editions, some I'd purchased from dealers with prices still in them.....but I had not opened those boxes since I packed them when I moved back to NY from LA in 1996 and put them in storage. So, I took the boxes (I must admit, it was hard to give away my book-into-film collection) to friends who were having a yard sale. Even at $1 a piece, only 4 books sold. The rest went to Salvation Army in Dickson City.

Sigh!

I've been decluttering in my own way and time, believe it or not....books, clothing, bric-a-brac and the like go from New York to Pennsylvania and eventually they go out of my life. It takes time, but in the meanwhile, I do enjoy them wherever they are!

This year, I have learned something I have forgotten, which is to order books and DVDs from the library...so, rather than owning them, I rent them. I have never purchased a DVD! I rent from my local Pennsylvania library for weekend DVD viewing and from NYC for things I have time to read or watch during the week. Online ordering from the library is almost as good as shopping!

If given a book, I read it and immediately give it away. One of the things my building in NYC has, which many apartment building seem to have as well, is a laundry room library. It's been great! I pick up a book or two, then I read them, then return them without leaving the house! Sometimes, I just bring books down that I want to give away without bringing books back. No tax deduction, but it does move the "chi" around and make more room for other things from other sources!

It's a process. Just be kind to yourself as you declutter!

The last time I "camped out" in my Victorian nightmare home which I affectionately call "VEGAS", it was 38 degrees....inside! I can't use the electric heater because it blows a fuse each time I have on a reading light at the same time! This might generate less electricity and would be a good alternative!