Out With the Flotsam

Winter is getting mean around here with low temperatures and nasty winds, so what better time to set the house in order before the weather warms up.
Either that or suffer a serious case of cabin fever.

I began with the kitchen drawers and here is a display of utterly unnecessary drawer clutter.

The microwave egg poacher seems like a good idea but I seldom have good luck with the results. The egg either explodes all over the oven or the egg is chewy. I have returned to simmering in a pot of water and it works just fine.

My cousin tells about his first and last experience with nuking an egg. He read the directions, put the egg in and turned it on, made the toast and when he opened the oven door, the poacher was there with lid off and no sign of the egg. Not even a hint of yolk. Nada.

The cherry pitter is a lovely invention but in fact, the last time I pitted a cherry was years ago when the kids were small and a neighbor brought me a pailful from his garden.

Then there's the gizmo that produces frenched green beans. A lovely thing and it works perfectly. Again, the last time I actually used it was in my other life.

The butter curler thing is probably a great thing to own if you're a caterer.

Strawberry hullers are a must. Make that singular--huller. I had several of them and since there's just me, more than one is overkill.

The bridge cloth. Well, I was in Value Village and it reminded me of the cloths my mom had for her regular bridge games. Someone had elegantly embroidered it just so for that other age when after the game, out came the tea cart displaying the silver service, the tea strainer and those tiny little finger sandwiches.
Turns out that the corduroy ones I made cling to the table nicely and there is less glare.And I don't make finger sandwiches.



I bought this little beauty years ago and left it sealed up while I waited for the inspiration to actually use it, once I figured out how to use it.
It's a sharpener for small garden clippers and you know what? It works like a charm. Just a few whisks back and forth with that and those puppies are sharp and ready for business.

It's always rewarding when a gadget turns out to be really, really useful.

Now back to the de-cluttering.