Too Much Stuff

Yep, that’s what I got.  Waaaaaaaay too much stuff.

But it’s not like it’s all useless stuff.  Really.

Those two dozen empty half-gallon cider jars will one day hold our homemade wine.  We’ll eventually get to building that lean-to with all the reclaimed decking we got from a friend.  And that bailing twine I’ve been saving?  Well darned if I’m not going to figure out something to do with it even if I have to make myself one of those old-lady macramé plant holders.

Any homesteader (or packrat, hoarder, recycling junkie, etc.) would agree with me on saving the above items.  You’re with me….right?  Please say you’re with me.  Please.  (muffled sobbing)

Anyhow, I’ve been trying to do some much needed Spring Cleaning.  I’ve been working very, very hard to get rid of the (real) junk around here as well as finding homes for those other useful-to-someone-else items. 

Like books.  I’m a book junkie.  Not only a book junkie, but a hardcover book junkie.  I can’t pass up a library book sale.  I can sniff out a pile of old cookbooks or how-to books stuffed under a pile of musty wool army blankets at the local thrift store.  Fortunately, I’m pretty specific on the subject matter and have very few fiction or New York Time’s “best sellers” in my library.  Not that there aren’t some darned good ones out there, and I admit to having a number of science fiction novels, but I’m more of a reference or history book kind’a gal. 

I don’t think I’ll ever get to the point of giving away my Storey’s Guides, Peterson’s and Audubon’s field guides or how-to books, but there are definitely a bookshelf or three of other bound parchment treasures that I can manage to part with.

And that’s where you - yes you - my lucky blog addicts, can help me with my Spring Cleaning.

As much as I’d like to be able to ship out all my discarded and unloved books (I swear, I feel like I’m hurting their feelings when I get rid of them), I can’t really afford to do that with everything.  So I’ll be giving away only the homestead-y type books when I can scrounge up some extra egg or milk money.  Here’s the first book:

 

I believe I got it from my friend Kathy (another book junkie whom I believe has no less than thirty-six-thousand-four-hundred and twenty-two books in her second bedroom alone), and I hope she understands that this is in no way dissing her gift to me.  I’ve had this book for some time now and have read it at least twice.  And honestly, I’m probably going to read it again before I ship it out , because if I don’t, the next three months I’ll be wishing I did then end up going out and buying another copy just so I can read it one last time.

So if you want to win a gently used copy of Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance, just post a comment here and I’ll pick a winner next week……let’s say next Sunday.  Oh, and to make it even more interesting, give me the name(s) of your chicken(s) - you do name your chickens, don’t you??? - or, if you don’t have any chickens, what you would name your chicken.

Oh, and if you’re a book junkie, but can manage to actually part with your books, might I suggest becoming a member of Paper Back Swap?  The web address is www.paperbackswap.com and it’s a pretty cool site.