It's time for us to start thinking of moving into a smaller house -- a house with only one level, with less to clean and repair. We've decided we don't want to spend the rest of our lives vacuuming rooms we don't use, dusting things we don't need and washing things we don't want anymore.

So Sue and I are downsizing.

That is, we are planning to downsize. We are thinking of downsizing. We are talking about downsizing. We are trying to downsize. We are doing everything but actually downsizing.

It's become clear that we will be spending our remaining years arguing about whose crap to throw out first, mine or hers, as well as vacuuming, dusting and washing. Sue thinks downsizing means getting rid of all my stuff and keeping all of hers. Me? I can't wait to rent a couple of dumpsters and start tossing out her horde of "collectibles." Dust is all they are collecting.

We've been talking about downsizing for a long time, but a best-selling book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" by cleaning consultant Marie Kondo, lit a fire under me.