Too many apples in the basket!

For the first time in our 35 years of marriage, Voldemort and I are without a land line home phone. This is in preparation for our upcoming travels. It is the techno age of our children, to exist with only our cell phones. But this does not come without a price….the price being to keep technology from driving us crazy.

Techno crazy!   Let me give you an example.  We have IMacs and iPhones and iPads. This Apple loyalty was to make our lives easier. At least that was the plan. These devices all require an Apple ID. However linking these devices to one Apple ID caused iMessage and FaceTime problems that we mere mortals (as opposed to the kids at the Genius Bar at Apple) cannot sort out. Perhaps as my daughter said, it’s just too many apples in the basket.  We need an orange or a blackberry.

So off we go to the Genius Bar for assistance. I am sure when we arrived our grey hairs and the look of consternation on our faces had them running for cover. A brave soul, Jeremy, ventured out from behind the Genius Bar (aptly named) and was willing to help us wade through the technology with analogies geared to help us understand. He did not talk down to us, nor did he simply grab our devices and fix it. Jeremy helped us to gain control and once more I understand why we chose Apple over the myriad of androids flooding the market. Their belief in their products and customer assistance are hard to beat.

Voldemort and I have chosen to keep separate apartments, not in our real world but in our techno Apple world. It appears to be simpler to keep things divided.  There may be Fujis and McIntoshes and Granny Smiths to name but a few apples in the basket but our techno Apples will keep us emailing, facebooking and imessaging with great sauce…I mean success.

The purge begins….

  CINDERELLA: Proof that the right pair of shoes can change your life.

Ask anyone who has moved or is in the process of downsizing, there comes a time that you must go through your “stuff”. The dictionary describes stuff as matter, material, articles or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind. We know stuff as that which we accumulate during our years on this earth.

My ultimate goal after this trip to Alberta is to downsize; so as we begin packing, the goal here is to de-clutter and recycle. Some things are easy….you pick them up and wonder why you purchased them in the first place. Other stuff is challenging….your child’s first drawing or their favourite book. And then there is crazy….just how many pairs of shoes do I own anyway????   (I’ll get back to this ‘sole’ searching later.)

Following the lead of my daughter Erica (who I call the Master of Living Simply) I have said goodbye to so many things. Chairs and vases and gardening supplies went to the curb where they were eagerly grabbed by others needing more “stuff”. Goodwill received many clothing and household donations which I am sure they will pass along to others with less “stuff”. As little as possible has gone to the landfill and still other “stuff” awaits their fate as I contemplate life without them.

There are many articles and how-to’s to show you the way.   One of my favourite suggestions indicated if you are having difficulty saying goodbye that you should take a photograph of the item.

So lets approach the subject of my addiction: footwear. This addiction goes back, way back. I actually remember the first pair I purchased with my own money. A pair of pearly pink sling backs with a kitten heel. I don’t think they were particularly comfortable but I loved them just the same. Black suede Beatle boots that my mother finally agreed to buy, even though she knew they would not keep my feet either warm or dry. And going to Master John on Yonge Street for my first pair of custom leather boots, with a platform of course, was an experience one cannot forget.

Purging this addiction took some work.    DKNY, Nine West, Sketchers to name a few  are coming out west, I couldn’t live without them. I said goodbye to  many pairs of boots and shoes and know that they have gone on walking without me,  adorning another pair of size nine 9 feet. But I am also putting to rest  a pair that have given so much joy to me that I have taken their photograph and placed their photo at the start of my blog, my high heeled sneakers.

To end this episode of my blog I give you one of my favourite quotes, from the lovely     Miss Marilyn Monroe:   “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”