Downsizing, Phase 3, Completed!

 

11/13/25 Kevin, Evo and Kevin 2 after loading their truck with my junk (photo reference), plus my Top Pot Bismarck.

What a load off!

Compared to the big job last year (which required four visits from my dump truck guys), my attic haul-out was small potatoes. Still, it was immensely satisfying to welcome We Take Junk back into my house and watch 40 years of accumulation (partially) fill a truck.

Although the volume of stuff was smaller this year, there was one big difference: Instead of hauling from the basement straight through the garage and into the truck, Kevin and his crew had to carry all those bags and boxes down two flights of stairs. Again and again. Oof! They deserved Top Pot doughnuts and a big tip.

After the relief and satisfaction of seeing their truck pull out of my driveway for (I hope!) the last time, I went upstairs to take documentation photos of the half-empty attic spaces. And by “spaces,” I mean I could actually see much of the floor, uncovered by boxes for the first time since 1992. Of course, I could also see the many stacked boxes that still remain – for Phase 4.

One corner of the now-spacious attic, where I had not seen
that uncovered floor since 1992.

Although the prior work had been hard physically, most of it was relatively easy to toss (with a few exceptions). Scanning the labels on those boxes, I already felt the burden of the next phase, which will be the most difficult – all the stuff weighted with memories, nostalgia and emotional baggage.

The good news is that I’m going to take my time with Phase 4. I hope to remain in this house for eight to ten more years, at least. I won’t leave it all till the end, but I’ll take it one box at a time.

Meanwhile, the pumpkin cheesecake Bismarck was only the immediate reward. (For the record, I’m not a big pumpkin-spice-everything fan, but the filling in this Bismarck was more like a true pumpkin pie in cheesecake form! So good!) I’ll do a more thorough Phase 3 celebration soon.