2 minute read
atHome with Marcia
Spring Cleaning
I’m in a constant stage of purging stuff, especially in the spring. It amazes me, truly, how fast my home accumulates things, like books, for example. This winter (in preparation for spring and out of pandemic desperation to “do something”) I got rid of boxes and boxes of books. I had created a little library a few years ago and just shoved, willy-nilly, all the books I had scattered under beds, in various bookcases, in the basement into just one place: “The Library.” It was a tiny room that once was my son’s nursery. It was a lovely project. But I quickly realized I had more books than bookcases that fit into this little space. So for years, the library, yes, had books on shelves, but also books shoved sideways and on the floor and in boxes, completely disorganized and not even the semblance of what a “library” should be. So, at the end of this winter, I went through all my books ... I mean ALL of them. I did the Marie Kondo method of looking at each item, holding it, and deciding if it inspired joy. Well, if not joy, then a deep desire to keep it to read over again, to reference, or as a beloved keepsake. It took me weeks. But I realized I had no desire to keep books that I have read at book club, or books about fashion from the 80s (!) or machinery from the 1800s (?). When I finally organized my “new” library, I realized that there were just a few things I truly was interested in: gardening, cooking, spirituality/religion, travel, the art of writing, and the classics. The rest? Donated. You can find my eclectic (and slightly strange) collection in bins at the next book sale at the Historical Society of Cheshire County. I’m sure the 80s fashion book will be highly sought after. Marcia Passos-Duffy
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atHome Magazine is winner of the 2020 APEX Award for Publication Excellence! Thank you to all atHome contributors who made this award possible!
PUBLISHER Backporch Publishing LLC
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atHome is published four times a year (Spring, Summer, Fall/Holiday and Winter) by Keene, N.H.-based Backporch Publishing LLC.
atHome is a consumer publication that highlights the homes and gardens of residents in tri-state area of New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.
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