Ah, spring cleaning! An annual ritual modeled by my mom. She’d wash the walls (!), launder the curtains and then hang them on the clothesline, and clear every cupboard in the house. Psst…I’ve never done any of those things because, as a working stiff, I had money to employ a maid.

While I don’t adhere to the German cleanse regimen, I do perform the seasonal ritual of changing out my winter vs. summer clothing. It’s actually great fun to re-discover clothes I’d forgotten I had and forestalls expensive forays to the mall.

Though, as you may/may not recall, I confessed to my non-return to many malls near my ‘hood. I had my reasons and you can read them here: https://www.pjcolando.com/shop-a-holic/

It all began when I had to find a formal dress that fit to wear to a must-attend wedding in the Midwest. Though I have three dresses, purchased for the family weddings i missed during COVID quarantine, none of them fit. I’d begun a diet in January but lapsed because of too much fun – and chocolate – from my birthday through Easter. Alas, the six pounds gained during that two-month escapade equaled a dress size.

During the ’80s and ’90s my husband and I attended many formal events, all conceived to fund nonprofits we supported. My closet contained suits and dress and gowns galore. Why I’d not tossed one when I bought another as proposed by de-clutter specialists, I don’t know.

Perhaps I adored spangles and baubles and bling and longed to retain the Cinderella feeling of being the belle of the ball with my fella. More likely, we thought we’d wear them aboard cruises – and I did once or twice – but cruises became less formal in at the turn of the century.

So, I uncrammed both closets and carted several of my formal apparel items, including shoes and handbags, to consignment shops.

https://www.stjohnknits.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwgr6TBhAGEiwA3aVuIfF-UeLcLMYbxcdVY6txMUn9Yr-tgcSjXvgfPiS8ttJdIOy4-0We1RoCD0UQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds My St. John Knits will bring top dollar, as will others of my marvelous cache. Click on the link to check if you don’t believe me.

Productivity augmented by beacoup cash – to spend at the malls when I eventually get there.

After all, I have a dozen free hangers to fill… and pages to fill with my writing, too.