Signs of Spring--Not So Much...

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring but it's hard to tell that by looking outside. In fact, I got that first sentence typed, and the power went off (again) for about 3 minutes, so this is attempt 2 at this post. Last night we had high winds and torrential rains, and the power went out around 1 a.m.--but was back on by sunrise, so that could have been lots worse. One big branch from one of the old apple trees is downed and needs cleanup and of course the horses, especially Cowboy, are swimming in their paddocks but all in all, not much damage. Mostly dampened spirits and cabin fever.

As wet as it's been, there has been very little riding or horse activity beyond feeding, blanketing and poop-scooping. Not the parts we horse-owners look forward to, but it goes with the territory! So I've turned my attentions inward, specifically toward my office. I'm not the tidy type, and I like to claim that I have ADD but I'm probably just lazy. In any event, my office finally reached the point of being non-functional. I will probably regret this, especially if any clients see this, but I'm going to post the "before" pictures of my office:

I'm working with the local Small Business Development Council to turn my business into something that actually looks like a business, and was lamenting the office situation to the counselor I'm working with, who suggested getting a professional organizer in. As luck would have it, I have a new neighbor who, providentially, is a professional organizer. So I set up an appointment with Teresa (of Organizing Solutions), whose motto is "I Love A Challenge", and here are the results:

I suppose I have to admit that this is better. One of the valuable services that Teresa provided was to pull "stuff" off the shelf, put it in front of me, and force me to make a decision about what to do with it. As a result, my recycle and trash bins are now full, and I'm exhausted. The "letting go" process will really take it out of you! I still have some work to do, getting the old records boxes out of the office and into some other sort of storage (the garage maybe?) but at least I have work space and can find things.

To wrap up a few things, my friend Kathy and I braved the rains yesterday to drive to Corte Madera to The Container Store to get office supplies. I had never been there, or even heard of them, but one of their items was featured in "O" magazine, so I checked their website and OMG! What a great place! So I got lots of filing and cord management accessories for a very reasonable amount, and as a bonus I got out of the house for an afternoon.

I'm also reading a book "Getting Things Done" that has been recommended by 2 people so I'll give that a shot. It makes sense but it's the sort of thing that makes my little ADD brain shut down. But the system has to be better than my current one of letting all the notes, phone messages, bills to pay, and interesting and not-so-interesting reading pile up into one enormous "in" pile on my desk until it's just an amorphous blob of paperwork.

So...these are the types of things I do in inclement weather and I must say that I just can't wait for things to dry out and warm up so I can get back to the real business of life that includes Fun With Horses!