deracinate |diˈrasəˌnāt| verb [ with obj. ] literary tear (something) up by the roots. DERIVATIVES deracination |-ˌrasəˈnāSHən| noun ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French déraciner, from dé- (expressing removal) + racine ‘root’ (based on Latin radix) (Online Dictionary)

It's Saturday, September 17; my Cousins' Party is tomorrow, Sunday, September 18. My daughter Kate arrived Thursday afternoon to "help" me, like - she did it all!

You all know about "staging" - dressing a house for sale:

"Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money. Staging techniques focus on improving a property's appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive product that anyone might want." (Wikipedia)

My goal, of course, is not to sell my apartment but to make it functional for a party. Thus, while the "public rooms" are presentable, don't look at my office or master bedroom. They are both warrens, with all the detritus: boxes, overflow and mess from the front rooms (living room, with a study section, and dining room.) Kate is a whiz. I was slow but I did a fair amount because I had to make decisions about where to put things, what has to be dealt with later, and tossed, in the fullness of time.
Plus we shopped for all the food, wine, beer, etc. and set up an indoor and outdoor (balcony) bar, that is, Kate did. By last night we sat in my strange, open, uncluttered living room and I had an identity crisis. I felt like The Old Woman in the nursery rhyme:

"Lawk-a-mercy on me. This is none of I."

(I've written a children's play based on it, called "The Old Woman and the Pedlar".)

That's me, deracinated.