Bad Weather Job

    Wow, the weather in Ohio is really cold, so I don't think I'll shoot this week.  However, I did look at my reloading area here in the basement and realized I should clean up some of the clutter that had accumulated since I started reloading.  After moving some of the larger objects around, I found that the clutter fell into ten distinct categories.  Here we go:

1. Rabbit clutter - clutter that seems to multiply fast, like empty shell casings and empty shell boxes.
2. Get-to-it-someday clutter - equipment that needs to be fixed or installed.
3. Memories clutter - old shooting pictures (Who are those people?), trophies (one!), patches, and old emails from shooting friends.
4. Mysterious clutter - objects you find, you're not sure what they are, but you decide you might need them some day.
5. Paraphernalia clutter - extra gloves, sun screen lotion, hats, sunglasses, shooting vests, ear waxed ear plugs, and insects repellent.
6. It used to be important clutter - old powder containers, bags containing 6 to 10 old wads that you no longer use, pages of reloading information, and psychological shooting strategies gleaned from the Internet.
7. Inheritance clutter - old shotgun shells you got from your dad or uncle, their old hats, old shotguns that you are scared to fire, and die sets for reloaders you've never heard of.
8. Gluttony clutter - old McDonald's wrappers, dirty coffee cups, candy bar wrappers (never partially eaten contents), empty Diet Coke cans, and stained paper plates.
9. Miscellaneous clutter - found stuffed in one of the few drawers you have, and you don't know what to do with it.
10. Snob clutter - Winchester coffee cups, long outdated Browning calendars, $75 titanium choke tubes that work no better than $30 Carlson choke tubes, a Krieghoff catalogue, and John Deere pocket knives with one broken blade.

    So, what is a super-organized guy, like me (OK, I lie!) to do?  I could get several garbage bags and start throwing things away;  I could build more storage cabinets so I could close the doors and hide the clutter; I could buy 8-10 large plastic storage containers so I would have to search through all of them to find something I needed; or I could  just keep stepping over and around stuff.

     What did I do?  First, I sat down and typed this post so I wouldn't have to organize the clutter.  After all, I know where things are located and a new system would just further confuse my 60 year old brain!

    Truthfully, next, I did use the opportunity to take pictures of all my shooting "stuff", priced them, and placed the pictures and pricing information on my computer into a database.  ( A computer nerd and a shooter?  Say what!) I guess all shooters worry about something happening to them and the family not knowing the value of all their treasures.

    I then went to "WallyWorld" and purchased large, clear plastic containers ( so I could see into them without opening them) to place the possessions into. (Yes, I did buy a large waste paper basket).  Finally, I fired up the old Brother label maker to mark the boxes and typed a list of the contents to be placed in each container.  Phew!  I'm so tired I need to go shooting to recover!  Do you have more ideas about how to deal with clutter?

Remember, a chip is still a broken target!  Have fun.

"To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason