That Is Not Junk In The Kitchen Drawer!

It’s time for a mathematical question. Here you go: How many thumb tacks do I need in the kitchen junk drawer if I don’t allow thumb tacks on my wall, and I don’t have a bulletin board?

No, don’t count the tacks in the picture.

Here is a hint: The number is the same as the first name of a comic actor known for his stage role as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof. No, not Topol … that’s not a number, and he was in the movie,,, I’m talking about on stage. The actor’s last name was Mostel. You don’t know it? Don’t rub it in that you are that young!

OK, let’s try another: The number rhymes with the name of the Emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” Not Caesar! He’s the Emperor who was famous for his salad. Do what? You don’t remember history class? Sheesh.

OK. It rhymes with gyro … no, you don’t pronounce that correctly … it rhymes with hero.

That’s it! ZERO!

If your answer was “a handful of tacks, because you never know,” then you (and I) need a change of attitude. The key word in the original questions was “need!”

As I told y’all several weeks ago, I’m in the middle of a Fall Overhaul. I’m trying to nip my hoarding tendencies in the bud by de-cluttering every nook and cranny in the house. Yesterday was the day I tackled the “junk drawer” in the kitchen. I had four junk drawers filled to the brim with items like these:

I have no clue why these items seemed too important to throw away. Heck, I don’t even know what they are! But, I had a ton of them. I don’t anymore.

As I’ve been wrestling with my de-cluttering, I’ve consulted a book called “It’s All Too Much” by Peter Walsh. He also wrote a book called, “Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?“, but that’s beside the point. According to Walsh, an organization guru who is one of Oprah’s darlings, there should not be even one “junk drawer” in the kitchen.

Do what? I’m not giving up all my junk drawers! Technically, one drawer is not full of “junk,” it is full of “Tools and Important Stuff.” It’s where I keep batteries, and that humongous flashlight I might need if the power goes out (or I might use to conk an intruder on the head). I keep a hammer in there in case I get frustrated with trying to open the jelly jar (I can just smash it open if necessary). I need those drawers!

So, I ignored his advice to get rid of them, and I just cleaned them out. I am proud to tell you this morning that I am victorious. It took all day to clean it, but in the process I also got rid of an antique bread box I had on the counter. I didn’t keep bread in it … Heaven’s no! I kept cameras, and cords, and another box of assorted junk!

There was only one way to sort it all: I dumped it on the counter, put back what I really needed, and tossed the rest. It was excruciating! I had saved little knobs that went to some appliance or other … but what? I didn’t know, and they had been rolling around in the drawer for three years, so I figured I’d never find out. I probably didn’t even have the appliance anymore! My rule for myself was that I could only put back what fit in the drawer … and could be seen without sifting through a pile.

Now, I have a clutter free counter top and three well organized drawers for tools, supplies, and stuff (hey, a “twistie-tie” is not “junk” if you need one!). There are only five thumbtacks in there (because you never know).

So, do you have a junk drawer in your kitchen? What’s lurking in there? Maybe you should go digging in it and see what you find!