DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 05:57 PM

Dupont:
OK!!! SRS and her explosive stuff! All of which I am so clueless about she might be speaking a foreign tongue----actually she is!!! Poor Patty and her bed and workbench!!! And then.... Somewhere in there - veggies? Oh yeah, I have left the groceries sitting in the hall!! Oh, well!

But I did not buy anymore bread, though tempted. And I did manage to get more cough lozenges though my cough is greatly reduced this last while - since I decided/discovered it was mainly allergies. And I found the batteries for the hearing aids "over near the dvds"; I, literally, had to stop and wonder what a DVD was and really did not see any, but eventually I saw the batteries on the back side of a panel... There was a 3 pack of terrifically cheap Halloween earrings ($3) which I purchased without remembering that H is over!! They really are cute!!

Better luck at Staples/Bureau en Gros (I think). "Where do dead printers go?" "Over there! We recycle!" SO I shall get R to put the two in my car and clear that space in the hall. YAY!

Feeling some better most days now! Going to 3 dif stores was a sign. There have been days when I could not abide going anywhere or would drive to a store and not feel like getting out of the car.   

On our minds now is finding a sleeping apace for Grandson and partner, in addition to son who might even bring his partner. I had 3 designated guest rooms - R has filled two with STUFF! The TV/sewing room has a futon which was very comfortable but, I am informed, it is not in great shape! Guests arriving in 3 weeks...The TV room also needs considerable sorting/tidying... If all else fails, the very comfortable futon mattress could lie on the floor; these guys are still in their 20's!

But the groceries are put away. Now, what else have you reminded me... Music: I have not noticed any in the stores; my hearing aids are wonderful, esp since Taun showed me how to use the phone to regulate sound level! I have avoided canned music all my life. It could be that - like I don't see visual advertising, I have trained my brain not to hear most music - unless I choose it!

Bought more cheeses yesterday. Got a frequent flier card (!) I do find that having a choice is encouraging.

Music? Xmas? The neighbourhood is fraught with lights. Directly across the street overkill of white lighting array up and down the eaves. We have a good drape on that side. Good heavy drapes on most windows, in fact, left by previous owner! YAY! Xmas decor may last into Feb!

Bibles: friends who had a big one on a stand in the bathroom so they could read their way through it - again and again...

They became hoarders and the last time I tried to visit we could not go in the house! Gene, an R.N., became quite ill over those last years and the Drs told them she could not come home from the hospital until they cleared the house completely. I think she had a couple days at home - in the cleaned house - before she died. It was insidious; I saw it happening but didn't!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 06:51 PM

I'm with Dorothy: the computerspeak is not one of the languages I understand.

I'm supposed to be decluttering.
Instead this week I acquired a windbreaker and a winter coat,
and a new pair of denim trousers.
All "essentials" , and replacing worn-out items that I have been wearing constantly for four years or more.
But I may send the winter coat back in exchange for a different color;
the one I purchased looks like it would glow in the dark.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 07:12 PM

Dorothy, if you decide to go into storytelling to expand on the details of some of the things you discussed in your last post that will keep you plenty busy!

Keb, I did the work of looking up models that included the features I recommended because I know not everyone is wanting to take a Computer 101 class before they buy at backup power supply. The bottom line is it's a good idea to protect your computer and printer and any external drives or connected devices by plugging them into a UPS that keeps the power from fluctuating and lets you shut down safely (not losing what you were working on) if there is an outage.

I'm still learning about Keto and how to keep the protein and fat in good balance and the carbs low. Today I picked up some hard tofu to cut into strips to add to chicken soup I'm planning to make as a test. It will include chicken broth, onion, celery, chicken, tofu, and a little bit of carrot and potato for color and their nutrient value, but it's not like eating a plate of mashed potatoes or a bowl of carrot salad. (I'm doing low-carb, not no-carb; that makes a difference in my choices.) I can add a little vinegar and hot pepper flakes to make a hot and sour soup. (Note to self: Look up a recipe for that soup.)

We spoke a while back about black plastic (Charmion is lucky enough to have really old utensils that probably aren't part of the problem) - I heard this NPR program today. Forum from KQED talked about plastic in depth. I'm now looking at the options for electric water kettles because the one I've been using for years is glass but has a black plastic lid and a mesh filter housed in black plastic. The problem is heat and black plastic together. It's even worse where there is heat and oil (hence the black plastic spatula being a problem). There are some good choices now and I'll test one for myself before I send them to family members for xmas (a few years ago I gave them the same model of Hamilton Beach kettle I'm using now and everyone loves the convenience.) Steam in contact with the lid drips back into the kettle as it cools, so the lid needs to be glass, steel, or ceramic.

It's always something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 11:11 AM

My kettle is a blue Le Creuset stove-top model made of enamelled steel. Not giving it up, not no-how for nobody.

Under assault by the new antibiotic, the Cough From Hell is retreating, and I have done pool class two days in a row. I'm less shaky, too, since laying off the Symbicort inhaler that the allergist prescribed for flare-ups. If there's one thing you definitely don't want to be at 70, it's wobbly in the knees.

The house is neat but not clean, since I haven't had the energy for so much as a duster, let alone the vacuum cleaner, since well before Hallowe'en. Cat hair abounds, especially in the carpets. The spot at the edge of the sitting-room rug where Watson likes to recline is particularly notable. But today is not the day I tackle that problem. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe.

Incidentally, Keb, a coat that glows in the dark is a good idea if you go out after sundown. Even in daylight, a bright colour is an effective safety feature in winter.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 12:13 PM

I know what that spot on the rug looks like after decades of cat ownership. Now I struggle with drifts of dog hair. I'm doing a lot of dusting and vacuuming (both dust and hair) in the office now.

Last night I made myself stop what I was doing in the office and go to bed. I've unplugged just about everything and am looking at how to set up equipment so each piece can be reached or opened or buttons reached if needed. All of this work swirls around the new UPS; if there's a time to do this work it's when you're already forced to unplug a lot of stuff. (I'm typing this on the little Sony Vaio on the library table in the den. Drinking a cup of tea.)

The worst part of computer setup is being about to see all of the plugs on the back of the tower during setup and later if you need to make changes. And making sure the cables reach their devices without being pulled so taut they will work loose or prevent other moves. A minor inconvenience is moving art off of the wall above bulky tall things and moving the TV so I can see it from wherever my chair ends up. There's also a small clock radio (whose AM antenna committed harakiri with the most recent shift) that lives near the TV. The computer desks and small folding bookshelves can be moved; the large cabinet bookshelves might as well be built in and are staying put.

I gave up on the search for a different electric kettle; too many of them have plastic in other parts that are no better and the steel ones have reports of leaks or rust. I won't go back to a kettle on the stove top; I've boiled kettles dry forgetting them. Even whistling ones. Years ago Cuisinart made an all-steel kettle with a steel lid on a separate base and the heating unit finally burned out. They don't make them any more but it was the perfect kettle. Need to know how much water is inside? Pick it up. These inserted plastic view windows in steel kettles are part of planned obsolescence.

I switched the programming on the heat pump in the bedroom side of the house to heat last night, and just now it turned itself on. A sign of autumn.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 06:34 PM

This is the dry run to see if everything that was unplugged, dusted, and repositioned is plugged in. I need a longer USB cable from this new location of the old printer to reach the new computer, and shopping in my closet of gadgets didn't come up with one. (I've twice this week been in there and realized I had the thing that I just bought a new one of, so of course when I remember to look I don't have the thing.)

This is a better setup - one chair and I can turn around to use the old computer with the better Adobe software. The old quad core HP was better designed as far as ports front and back so less scrambling to connect to that (the back half of it is under a shelf above that workspace making it harder to reach). I have a heavy black steel two-shelf small table that I picked up at the curb years ago (think 1970s government office GSA furniture) - I adjusted the legs to their top position (after getting some smaller screws in the garage; for some reason the original screws wouldn't fit in that top position). I've moved a couple of other small wooden shelves and tables around and may evict at least one of them. Still figuring the best way to plug in some of the non-computer things around the room that had to move for access with this desk reorientation.

Since all of this has been the result of a catastrophic equipment failure I've taken the inelegant approach of using the old plastic label maker and noted that this is NEW 2024-11-21 on the new UPS. Stuck it on the side near the back. I'll add a note if I replace the batteries and not wait so many years to replace them in the future.

This is the setup I was envisioning the last time I moved things around in here, but I always had to sit at the corner of the other desk where the old computer is. Now I'm right smack in the middle of that desk by turning around, so I'm sitting with my legs at the kneehole for comfort.

And on an evening relaxation note - this week I found a single malt Scotch with the amount of peat followup that I like. I'm not so much into the fruity spicy mild ones, I like a bit of a bite. It's a lovely reward for finishing the the job.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 10:40 AM

Hope the new computer setup works perfectly for you. Yes, I wish they would put about 8 connectors on the front. My new unit has 6 USBs, but 4 are on the back squeezed tightly together, and one is sucked up by some WiFi device that isn't in the box. (Maybe it stays cooler that way or would be easier to modernize). Still only 2 in front. It's almost as if they didn't consider ease of use, or the designers never used a computer or various peripherals.

Rushing to get the yard ready for lumber and steel deliveries, ran the magnetic yard thingy around, not easy on uneven surface, and harvested a pint of nails and screws and metal stuff. Still have half an acre to do, I guess I'll tackle it this morning while waiting for lumber delivery. Wishing I had bought a string trimmer, the little bits of grass are looking very scruffy now that winter is here.

The bench is standing fine in the right place after much teeth-gnashing and crawling around on the ground making things go together, but was dismayed to see one center piece that supports drawer glides was a little warped. So we'll see if the drawers will work once assembled. If not, I'll either ask the carpenter to remove and adjust it or demand a replacement part from the manufacturer. On the upside, the shelf is solid wood, only the drawer bottoms are composite.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 11:43 AM

Have the drugs finally cleared out the lungs completely, Charmion? And Dorothy, I want to remind you that too much cheese can have a deleterious effect on your regularity, so pace yourself. Don't forget to eat your broccoli (wait - if you were on chemo, can you eat broccoli?)

Patty, the idea of replacing something as cumbersome as that bench sounds daunting. Hopefully you can sand down an uneven surface or reshape it with a plane (or if it's thin enough, get it moist then put it down with something heavy on it for a while to see if it straightens?)

I ordered three cables because a couple I had been using were cobbled together using pieces of others. Time for big girl one piece cables. Still looking at open shelf space to decide where to put things I use most often. And I always have a few things on a small table beside the desk that right now doesn't have a place that isn't in the way. It may slide it under the desk.

I've also been mopping the office floor in stages. The replacement mop for my old classic ringer sponge mop (after they discontinued the refills) is a lightweight bit of nonsense that I have to carefully apply (it leaves behind what it picked up on the first pass if you make a second pass).

Finally, I've pulled out the cushioned mat that goes in front of the desk that for a long time I've treated as a standard table but it is in fact a standing desk with a manual crank. Things are set up cable-wise so nothing threatens to pitch off of the edge if I raise or lower it.

Almost finished with the latest Pollan book and have added another PBS lecturer to the stack, Dr. Mark Hyman, who does the Young Forever lectures. I'm not so interested in all of his supplements and "aging backward" hype as I am about his discussion of the science behind eating intervals (I did a lot of that with the alternate-day fasting, and picked up tips from Dr. Michael Mosley on a TV show featuring several types of fasting for weight loss. I didn't buy any of Mosley's books at the time). Hyman also has opinions about times to exercise and the use of saunas. Saunas were very popular in the Pacific NW when I was growing up but I don't see them around here much except at the gym. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy them. So looking into how I can make those gym visits more effective and maybe there's an optimum time of day for it. Without going down another keto diet path with him he does remind me about wanting to look into where one can buy grass-finished beef without breaking the bank.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 02:03 PM

Pro tip (which I wish I'd remembered to pass on earlier): Make sure every network cable has a label at both ends, as you *will* forget which connects what to what by the time you need to remember it. The same goes for USB cables, and even power cables if there's more than two or three involved. I used to use small luggage labels tied onto the cable with string, but use whatever's least likely to fall off. (NB: don't use sticky labels, unless you wish to be confronted in a year's time with a pile of unhinged labels on the floor beneath a rackful of anonymous cables. Learn from my unhappiness.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 03:31 PM

I just realized that I bought the wrong kind of Gator-Ade — not the zero-carbs version. No wonder it tasted so good. So I must go hunting and gathering again, despite the rain.

The lungs are not quite clear yet, Stilly, but improving steadily — thanks for asking. The antibiotic is not gut-friendly, so I’m glad to have only two more doses to go. Yes, I have pro-biotic capsules and I follow the directions on the label.

Time to unseat the cats again … !

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 09:03 PM

Dupont:

Pulled all extra sheets out of the linen closet - there are four laundry loads! Having been stored for a few years, they needed it! Now I will enlist help to fold them and find a better manner of storage! THEN, my son messages that they will get a AirBnB - there might be five! And they will need to spend a part of the time - unstipulated as yet - working remotely.

I spent time looking for a way for Taun to obtain Bauman's unsweetened Apple Butter - which lasts forever in the cupboard- even after opening! SO, looked on line for shops where it is available - a wonderful map complete with addresses. Ah! Linvilla Orchards- that's where I obtained the one I finished! It is also a place I have been acquainted with since the 40's when Dad and I would go there each Sunday, in season, for fresh cider and some apples - Macs of course. And my driving lessons entailed trips there as well.

It is very different now - Not the beat up old building with a huge stone fireplace and roaring fire and conveyer belts sorting the apples by size! (It started in 1914.) SO I messaged by son all this family history; "Steve Linville was in my HS class; he inherited the orchard." (That was his upscale Quaker HS.) Just maybe he will have time to pick up apple butter for me being as it is close to the house his GF built! The first 20 years of my life was spent in that vicinity.

Yesterday, I wore myself out fetching stuff from the bakery and trying to find enough French to help the nice man (I usually get the young woman) understand what I wanted. We managed and I managed to tell him how wonderful the chicken pie was - with a now forgotten French word! He actually expressed delight at my compliment. The excursion had a couple more stops for minor things and the delivery of the two printers to Bureau en Gros!

Not eating a lot of cheese, just nice to have some different choices. Chicken broth is my fall back with a piece of bread - when I don't feel like eating anything.

R went and fetched two cord of firewood this morning with a dump trailer; the fellow loaded it for him and he backed it up to the porch and dumped it. Minimal damage to lawn and a couple shrubs but that is enough for the winter. We just use it in the den where we sit in the evening.

I am not getting any chemo. Just the pills.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 09:09 PM

MaJoC: I have a little tags taped on all sorts of cables to the devices to keep track of them. Usually written on little pieces of note cards cut small enough to be surrounded by a doubled flap of Scotch tape. Sometimes taped a couple of times if it gets old and flimsy.

I use a simple acidophilus probiotic daily, but yes, after an antibiotic, they help. I sometimes have to use a diflucan if the problem hits further south.

The Pollan book is finished; it was written in 2008 so I'll go look and see what he has that is more recent if he continues to write on the topic of food (versus food-like substances). Rather poetical in the end and makes me proud to be a gardener. Dinner tonight was a beef steak (I try to keep it to once a week for those) and a few small potatoes that were boiled to tender then squashed a bit before sauteed in butter. Three ounces of potatoes is a modest amount of carbs/starch and gives some of those nutrients that Pollan insists are best from plants, not supplements. I agree. Dinner is rarely early here, but I usually don't eat next till midday, so 12 - 14 hours between meals is what the new guy (Hyman) was talking about. I've already set aside one of his recommendations as nutty - he suggests bioidentical thyroid instead of synthetic, but the bio stuff is dried ground up pig thyroid that is unreliable in several ways. I'll stick with the synthetic in a reliable dose.

As the office continues to take shape, two of three cables arrived, one was still a little short but was swappable with one in the den that is way too long. Good save.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 24 - 12:35 PM

I hope you get your apple butter, Dorothy. I overdosed on it as a teen when my divorced mother was buying the least expensive things she could find for our lunches. I made sandwiches every morning (peanut butter and jelly or apple butter) and I'm sure most of them were thrown away.

The office floor was mopped and shelf items are still being moved and arranged. I worked in the laundry room and thinned the old cleaning rags I rarely used to make room for my caddy of adhesive items on the same shelf. Glue sticks, epoxy cans, shoe goo, E6000, Elmer's, all sorts of products in one place. (This was displaced by the now-organized Ryobi battery tools).

Clearing out small food containers in the fridge (I'll be eating odd combinations at meals) to make room for the holiday preparations for our big meal on Sunday. The first of three (one each month) trips for my cat-owning friend begins soon, forcing me to be more organized with my time, especially on the day of the big meal. Last year was the first time I was on the ADHD meds and it makes preparing Thanksgiving dinner a lot more organized, a lot easier.

I have a lot of picking up to do around the house still. That new Ryobi spinning brush is going to be put to use in the den early this week when washing the floor to get it looking better.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Nov 24 - 01:10 PM

Old Cheddar on sourdough bread with apple butter … mmmmm.

I miss bread, and apple butter. Fortunately, I can still eat all the Cheddar cheese I can afford!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 24 - 12:18 PM

Paper paper paper. It's everywhere, so this morning I have focused exclusively on recycling, shredding, filing, or finding a place where (a few) things can be kept to read before recycling. Thanksgiving preparations fully underway.

There is also a growing stack of small items that can be claimed by folks who are here for the meal, otherwise they go to Goodwill. I've been testing various reader glasses and have settled on a couple of good varieties; the extras need to go away. Hot drink mugs (gifts from places I volunteer), etc. There are also a few packaged food items that are in the "I'm not eating these any more" category that can go to other kitchen cabinets. I've done this successfully in the past.

My next door neighbors had their grandson over to dig up the back gardens to thin the iris. There are several large bags of the excess rhizomes and I asked them if I could offer them on my Buy Nothing group (they were going to put the bags at the curb for trash). We're all glad the flowers won't go to waste. This evening a woman whose garden club can redistribute them will pick up all of the bags (that are now beside my driveway).

This is the first really cool and overcast morning that feels like autumn. It's about time! I hear my handyman friend working across the street, removing a large mulberry bole (he had to bring a longer saw to take down the last eight feet or so of semi-rotten wood in the tree he took down last week.) No one would use that for firewood (and it would have to dry for a while first) - this time of year people do crank up their fireplaces for commercial fire logs or pellets and we end up with a lot of smoke in the air in still weather.

Back to clearing up around here. I have an appointment (online) midday but have decided the rest of today is to pickup, put away, and make the house presentable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 25 Nov 24 - 09:10 PM

Sad but true, I found organizing paperwork yesterday more satisfying than these other things that need doing. Got my Gaelic class notes and resources in order. Because the workbench was driving me mad.

After a buck-up chat with carpenter brother, made lots of progress, the 3 drawers went together nicely. Attached top to base, many many turns of the allen wrench, but done. Slept the sleep of the innocent. On rising, discovered ALL the drawer sides were in backwards and thus could not be placed on the slides. Because I put the pieces together exactly like the directions and pictures said to do. Turns out both instructions and pictures were dead wrong. So, 24 screws out, swaps, 24 back in. The upper drawers slide nicely, the big lower one won't go in all the way.

But, took it out and set it aside for help later. Started to set up the saw, which took forever and is a screamingly difficult and dangerous design and process to put a blade in. Cut the first 1x4. Went to cut the second, discovered my manifest for 12 1x4x10s was instead filled by the yard helpers with 8 footers. I was not only given the wrong thing but overcharged.

Can't go deal with it tomorrow, have to wait around all day missing time with friends and needed errands, because Home Depot insists on delivering lumber for the veranda roof on Tuesdays.

Which puts me running errands and grocery shopping on the day before T-Day! With big crowds and rank amateurs clogging the aisles phoning mom to ask where the shortening is.

Glad I took time out for Mudcat singaround, definitely the highlight of the day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 11:45 AM

Patty, I hope you get the lumber sorted out without too much grief. Charmion, is your cough much improved, and Dorothy, is your appetite returning? Both of you up to better energy levels?

This morning I sautéed a chicken breast briefly then let it simmer in broth until it was cooked. I don't have time this morning to finish the soup (and I'm short a couple of ingredients) but I'm planning to make myself some hot and sour soup, with both chicken and tofu. I have ingredients to make regular chicken soup now, but since I have to go out today and will be near the Asian market, I'll pick up bamboo shoots. My complaint about the local Chinese restaurant I go to is that they don't do the "sour" part of their soup any more.

Still working on the office, where I swapped out a tattered three-ring binder for one that has been in the eBay stuff for ages (they gave away the binders when my library got rid of the government document repository.) The old one has been dismantled and tossed, though the rings themselves are in the donation box for the teacher art supply place - Pinterest shows all sorts of uses so that's good enough for me. I'll probably be giving them binders also since library ones are much tougher than those sold at the start of the school year.

Cat sitting starts tomorrow and is more complicated with each trip because of old sick cats. She has plants and butterfly enclosures (with a couple of varieties of pupating swallowtails) and a gazillion crafts going around the house. I'm careful not to disturb the crafts, and have to check in case any pupas fledge and need to be released as butterflies. And water plants.

Working on the list of when to do what for Sunday's dinner. Getting the bird out to defrost will be easier as small as it is this year. Still picking up and putting away in the den. Big job, that.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 11:53 AM

Thanks for the moral support throughout all this, it has been helpful! After clearing the day, now I find my delivery is scheduled for after sunset for heaven's sake. So, load all the lumber back in, and off to the lumberyard (a different one than the wacky-delivery-time one) where I will try to remain calm.

Good idea to make spontaneous soups from what's available. I am so used to making a Big Recipe of soup where it's a big deal and all-afternoon event, I need more 'throw a few things together' ones.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 12:11 PM

Dupont:

"Old Cheddar on sourdough bread with apple butter … mmmmm." Totally! But "my" apple butter has no sugar! That sandwich I had in Penn Dutch country - grilled - was SO scrumptious!

The futon frame is repaired and mattress in place. I can start sorting paper! and fabrics and... And making the TV room into a guest room.

Need more quilts. I thought I had a surfeit but not so. I do have a surfeit of flannel sheets - matching!! There were no quilts at the thrift shop. And R asserted firmly this morning that he is cold! I thought I had more quilts but ... There is one more really big one - big as in so thick and heavy that I have to plan how to turn over in bed! R loves it but I rather dread it... Also need to find his weighted quilt. ? make a trip to the big, upscale thrift shop... Looking on line for alternative - Ouch! Not up to this task today! Take another look through the closet!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 02:03 PM

Dupont:

Went on line to look for thrift shops - nothing I don't know about. Looked at duvets/comforters on line - prices! Got to work and checked all the places in the house, pulled out the "monster", found a sort of duvet on a top shelf, in a plastic bag, and tossed it downstairs for a whirl in the dryer, found R's weighted blanket in an under bed bin. That will be sufficient. No idea where that odd duvet is from; will see if it survives the dryer! Yep! If it has feathers! That could be a dreadful mess!! I'll consult with R. Someone once said to me, "tell them anything that has ever happened to anyone, has happened to you." But R has his own set of such!

Mylene is arranged for cleaning! I am close to civilizing the TV room! And the family still may choose BnB.

Grislich Day! Atmospheric pressure is low! Flurries in our future and wind tomorrow...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 06:35 PM

I think my house is much smaller than yours, Dorothy, and only one story, but I also manage to misplace things that get stored for part of the year (or longer.) There are closets in bedrooms I rarely enter these days, trunks I've moved around, zippered under-bed bags. I have a down comforter I don't use often, and it's in an ugly duvet I made (of two top sheets) that makes it difficult to move around (but does keep it cleaner and less dust).

Patty, I feel your pain as far as an after dark delivery. Yesterday just having those bags of iris picked up was a challenge in the dark. She texted that her husband was going to help and they'd be here at 6:30. Pitch black out there, so I got my side door motion-activated LED light to stay on for the few minutes it took to stuff the bags into their SUV.

I picked up a few higher-end BPA-free plastic storage containers at Goodwill today (they probably came from the Container Store at quadruple the price) and after they run through the dishwasher I'm going to move some of my new non-gluten flours in to them. I have some elderly plastic containers that need to be retired (because: decades-old plastic that gradually flakes and who knows what it was made of). I'm also using glass containers more (canning jars; the containers that have wire bale attached lids and gaskets are ok but the gaskets can get weird if they're rubber. Finding the right size silicone gaskets isn't always easy.)

For some reason everything on eBay is at a standstill. I'm ready to revise each listing with a photo of a Xmas ribbon bow to suggest they should buy these as gifts.

There are still glitchy things in the office, but mostly it's working pretty well. The bookshelves need better arranging.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 24 - 10:58 AM

Executive decision in the black plastic purge (or at least, diminishment): the Hamilton Beach electric kettle I use is all glass with a black plastic lid. I wore one out a few years ago and replaced it with the same model. But they now make a model with a white plastic lid so I ordered one that landed on the porch this morning. Tested already and it works fine. Of all of the manufacturers out there I like this because it's an old established company with a good reputation and I've been using a number of their products for years. The lid's still plastic, but maybe it's just a little safer type? There will be replacement kettles under the tree this year for close family members.

I made my annual cancellation call and got Sirius to give me the introductory offer again this year. The automated answerer tries to speed things up by offering you a discount from the full price but not as good as the intro price, so you wait to talk to a human. My next door neighbor does this every year and she said she got an annual price even lower when she inquired about an annual payment so I asked if an annual price would bring it down. He quoted the one time cost that would be exactly the same as monthly and I hemmed and hawed but he didn't give me anything lower. Mission accomplished at $8.45 a month instead of $24.50. I make a point of streaming through my Echo Dot (it goes through a bluetooth device plugged into the receiver) to get use out of it, though I don't listen to their high-dollar talk shows or sports. They're still making money on me.

Lots to do today, including testing a couple of recipes (to start - a small batch of Brussels sprouts). Patty, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Dorothy, do you do the US date (I guess so if family is arriving soon?) Charmion, I think you took a load of hand-me-downs to family for your Thanksgiving last month? Excellent deployment of excess goods on a family occasion! I'll work on my stack of "to go" things for my small gathering on Sunday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 27 Nov 24 - 11:59 PM

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all who celebrate it, we've all got some things to be grateful for! Personally I am thankful the lumberyard folks were polite and contrite and replaced my 8 foot boards with the 10-footers.

I will mostly miss one RV-folk dinner in favor of a Gaelic class that has so many non-US folk they didn't cancel it. Which is fine, because I'm not looking for opportunities to overeat. I've asked if I can just drop in at the end for a slice of pie and catch up with some friends.   

The 'neighborhood' gathering will be on Sunday and that's the one where I have to bring a few things. But no, I did not trek out to get einkorn flour, just no time for such fussiness. Got some regular flour, had a heart attack at the butter aisle from the prices, and remembered to get a tall straight wine bottle to use as a rolling pin. And tested the oven by cooking an oven dinner today for the first time in 7 years! It worked, thank heaven.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 10:37 AM

Congratulations on the working oven, Patty! Another Sunday celebration in the works here - I need to move the turkey from the freezer to the fridge today.

Since today is the official day my ex is coming over and we're having brunch. I've already been out once to feed the cats (and I extended my stay by doing one of my Essentrics workouts so I could dispense one medication that needs to be an hour out from any other medications, otherwise it would be an extra trip). Almost had a case of cat yoga, the littlest guy thought I needed company on the floor on my mat. I need to get back to regular exercising so this is a good way to use the time.

The next door neighbors are away for a week so I expect my dogs to be a bit needy; they always get a morning treat at the back fence. He probably gave them one before they left before dawn, but for the rest of the week I'll be distracting them (or they'd spend all day out there watching for movement in the yard.)

Still a great deal to do before Sunday. It's finally cold in the mornings which is kind of energizing, so I'll take advantage of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 11:36 AM

First snow of the season this morning, but it won't last. More to come (obvs).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 01:30 PM

Dupont:

No snow here yet but in the forecast... My phone is warning - soon... Drismal day!

Holidays: Get little attention from me. So do unsolicited phone calls! - just got one - hung up.

Oh yeah - holidays - I think we may have had CA thanksgiving at cousin Doug's (R's) A tolerable event; Ann is a good basic cook. And very nice. The upcoming: The house will be clean by the time the family arrives (thanks to Mylene)- week of 15th for unstipulated time. Vegan family for the most part so no turkey! And not much celebrating. Just being in the same place will be a gift!

Trying to get the left hearing aid in place. It roars if not exactly correct - getting there is sometime easy sometimes difficult... OK! And going to the office for help - I dread the trip and am avoiding it! I manage most of the time.

So big news today was taking that "looks life a comforter out of its bag and finding it is one I treasured - found it at the Sally Ann and did not think twice! When we were still inhabiting the dreadful place in the city. I am delighted; I remember worrying about it and requesting its rescue! the fellow doing some work in that BR actually put his tools on it! The backing is a beige cottonish of no interest at all but the top is beautiful! It could be machine embroidered silk or a silk-like material. A soft green. Yes, the doofus did make a small tear in it. The second or third event that rated - never again! But R kept having him do things. Enough comforters! R happy to have his weighted blanket (too much in warm weather).

Thankfully! that guy is no longer a part of our lives! Put that on my Thankful list! And the family coming! And Mylene cleaning with a lovely spirit and competence. I think I shall ask her to just get it as clean as she would like her home. I need to walk around with a dust cloth attached to my wrist! Mini cobwebs everywhere! AND, most mornings, I walk into a bit of cobweb in the upstairs powder room. Old house (1902) - old spiders!

Getting organized for the winter. And the family...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 04:14 PM

My house dates from about 1974, but I swear half the spiders in Stratford hang out here -- especially in the ground floor loo. I suspect some kind of chink in the foundation directly underneath it. The garage, of course, is a cobweb festival. I just let it be.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 04:42 PM

I got most of the cobwebs and dust clumps off of the bedroom ceiling except missed one little area I noticed at 2:30am last night. That's when I finally finished changing the batteries in my little battery clock (an AC adapter lets it shine the time on the ceiling.) Damned thing started beeping. When it was set up I realized the time shone directly on one of those odd dust spots.

Dorothy, good news about finding the comforter! Most of the repair people I know are careful to try avoid damage to things around the house - that guy sounds like a boor. Your family visit sounds like it will be wonderful.

This morning was quite cold, I got out my LL Bean insulated jacket for the trip to feed cats. Not quite down to freezing yet, but soon.

I made buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon for brunch. The Bob's Red Mill pancake mix has his blend of non-gluten flour, binder, baking powder, a little sugar, salt, and the cook adds an egg, melted butter, and 3/4 cup milk. To make buttermilk pancakes from scratch you reduce the baking powder and use baking soda. Since baking powder is already in this mix I just added a teaspoon of soda then my buttermilk. I also thin the batter a lot more with water to make the Scandinavian thinner style pancakes. They came out great - I got away with it! Of course the bag suggests a serving is two 4" pancakes and we each had three 6" pancakes (a far more reasonable amount in real human terms). I thawed some of the strawberry syrup I made before I started my low-sugar ways. Ate most of the fruit and as little of the actual syrup as possible. Still lots of sugar.

Off to do cat stuff again and while I'm out I'll swing by the city hall recycle bins and drop off some flattened boxes. A lot of flattened boxes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 11:39 PM

Having a holiday on a weekday makes the entire week feel odd. Thursday felt like Saturday, so what will Friday feel like? Will we have two weekends in one week?

Taking a couple of extra fitness props with me in the morning, so if I exercise at the cat house I have the cushion that makes floor work more comfortable and one of the fitness bands that helps with some leg stretching exercises. And now we're past the holiday I can actually go to the gym (it was close for the holiday).

The turkey is in the fridge. There are signs of progress around the house, and hopefully tomorrow I'll get enough clearing finished that it doesn't feel like last minute work to be ready for Sunday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 29 Nov 24 - 10:20 AM

Charmion, do you remember the champion spiders of Kingston? When I visited you in the human filing cabinet, I never noticed any, but your other digs might have been more welcoming.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Nov 24 - 11:38 AM

Spiders like damp spaces close to the ground— better hunting. My drawer of the human filing cabinet in Kingston was on the eleventh floor, too high for mozzies and bluebottles, or even moths. Hence no spiders.

Meanwhile, it is now snowing copiously in Stratford, and everyone on the road is belatedly realizing that any intersection is likely to feature a skid-pad. This morning’s trip downtown to the Y was paused for a good five minutes while the inexperienced driver of a school bus figured out how to get the vehicle’s back tires to grip long enough to achieve a left turn.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Nov 24 - 11:58 AM

Dupont:

Woke up thinking cold but... I was going to stop in at a knitting group - just to chat for a few minutes. Then I realized there were little white pellets on the ground, below freezing and raining. So I have to chat here!

The day when, living at the "farm", mile and a half from the main road, I said to self, "It's Tuesday; I go to the library on Tuesday." Left the car in the ditch about half way out and walked home, having spent two hours, and gained a good constitutonal, convincing myself that, "Just because it's Tuesday...!"

Another drismal day but R just texted that his eyelid is not a major deal. Took a slice for a biopsy; will require removal (of something) and reconstructive surgery for eyelid. He wisely stayed in town last night; his bro is driving.

Another BIG success yesterday - laugh your heads off! A shirt of R's needed a button - it has needed it for months and, every morning, I think of it and every day, I do not do it. WHY? I might not be able to thread the needle! SO, yesterday - !!! I can use the flashlight on the phone to give enough light!? Button is finally on!!!! It is a nice Levi denim and still has life in it! And all its buttons! ~~~If I had put that button on back then, R may have worn it to death by now!!?

Well, when the internet no longer amused me, I have lots of papers to sort. And Woodie Guthrie, a life, by Joe Klein. There is about a half inch of white stuff out there! so far...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 24 - 12:41 PM

Dorothy, small repairs like that are wonderful gifts to yourself or the garment wearer. A favorite shirt or pants is back in service with no need to buy more. On the clothes front I await a message from a woman who asked for two pairs of size 14 bluejeans I offered on the local Buy Nothing page. They were listed on Wednesday but yesterday wasn't one for pickup so hopefully today I can move these out to the porch.

Charmion and Andrew, I have tarantulas in my yard, and occasionally they get into the house. There is a technique of dropping a clear plastic take-out container over the spider then sliding a piece of cardboard under it for safe removal outdoors. I keep a couple of those containers near the back door so I don't have to run to find one and possibly lose track of the critter. Which reminds me, a Mediterranean house gecko got into the sunroom last week and slid under the trim at the side of the room before I could catch it. I need to see if he's hanging out in the plants or needs removal.

My cold weather story this morning is that the SUV told me there was low pressure in one tire. When I got to the cat sitting gig I used my portable compressor to add air to the front passenger side. Then it told me they all needed air so when I got home I worked my way around the vehicle (the little pump is slow, about 5 minutes per tire) and they are all where they should be. It has a new battery, tires that have a lifetime as long as the vehicle, and is paid off, so let's hope we get through the next four years without needing to buy something new. I think by now there is a rush to buy existing vehicles and there is no need to go into debt out of fear.

No shopping today, but earlier this week I ordered a new toner cartridge for my laser printer so in a way it is a Black Friday (it should arrive today).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Nov 24 - 01:40 PM

My car, as well, got a dashboard signal of low tire pressure.
On my car it is necessary to get the signal turned off directly by a mechanic, it will not go off by itself when tire pressure is corrected.
And it turned out that the signal was triggered by the temperature drop
and there was nothing the matter with any of the tires.
Had to trek to the mechanic just to get the signal reset.
It's all right though; it was time to drive by the DMV to get an extension on my car registration while I wait for the replacement license plates to be delivered; so got both done in one trip.

Am staying off of the roads this Black Friday,
the weather is much improved over yesterday
and people driving will certainly take full advantage of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 30 Nov 24 - 11:24 AM

keboroxu, I'd love to know what make that car is so I can avoid it in my shopping this month. The very idea of having to go to a mechanic to tell the car its tires are okay, do they not know there is a shortage of mechanics in most places?

Coincidental that we all have tire issues this weekend. T-day as I rolled up to festivity number 2, was told my tire was half-flat. Kind people aired me up a little more but old man was quite sure I didn't really need 67 pounds. Limped around town trying to find a truck stop with a mechanic on call. The one called declined, in the middle of family dinner, I understand. The gas station pump required $2 in coin or card, but its gauge was missing.   

Blessedly, O'Reillys was open and sold me their strongest 12-volt pump, which is not as costly as it used to be. Got home, tire survived the night, aired up again, charged down to the tire shop. Again blessedly the good one was open that day, but, diagnosis: pinhole at the rim. I had been warned about mesquite thorns doing in sidewalls, I have to assume that was the culprit. Not reparable, which was fine since that pair was due for replacement anyway.

Connected with a dear old friend passing through town unexpectedly, and he was that kind of Midwestern "I'll fix that for you right now" guy, so the well filter has been changed, the big drawer now slides into the workbench, and the dishwasher has electricity. He was oddly happy to have his recent decision not to buy a nice house confirmed as a good decision, seeing how overwhelmed I am with stacks of little surprises and chores trying to maintain this place.

Ran a load in said dishwasher, took a while, lots of gentle noises for an hour. This morning opened it up to find dirty dishes. The #$!%) owners pulled the blasted thing out from the wall (after it was tested and ran during inspection, but before closing (not easy)) and not only unplugged it but turned the water off. Just weird weird weirdos. (They also turned off hot water to the washing machine and didn't tell me, I had to discover that a couple of weeks in. At first I was afraid it was because of a leak, but no, they were just weirdos).

Well, I'd better get started on those dishes....

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Nov 24 - 12:23 PM

Patty, it is not necessary to use hot water in most laundry these days. The dishwasher, on the other hand, should have lots of it. It costs more to heat it so I don't use it in the laundry. Rim flats - one of those things you can't fix. Park carefully with the new tires!

My morning routine this week of cat sitting means I'm doing my fitness workout while I wait for time to pass between two types of cat medication (one hour). I need to keep doing it this way even without a cat gig.

Some baking today, in preparation for tomorrow, and more picking up around the house. I've pulled out the stack of recipes to get started on things that can be done ahead.

My new printer cartridge arrived and was installed and didn't connect with the printer after many attempts. Note to self: next time check the paper tray first, it was empty. The new cartridge works now, no lines. Before placing the order I researched the black line problem (the drum is bad on the old cartridge) and realized they can be swapped out easily (he speaks Hindi, but you get the idea).

Before I realized the paper was out, I thought if the new cartridge wasn't connecting, I could at least use the new drum in the old one. When that also didn't work is when I checked the paper. [slaps forehead]

I've put the new drum back into the new cartridge and into the printer. The old cartridge is boxed with a note that the drum is bad. The self-test on the old cartridge showed it had 89% toner left so if I'm still around when this new cartridge runs out and if the drum is still good it can be swapped into the old cartridge. There are new toner drums out there but they cost as much as the entire new cartridge.

Yesterday I dropped a string of pearls at the jeweler to be restrung. It won't be expensive, about $60. Turns out they are simulated (but they look very good, they're so old they were probably made better at the time). I'm going to assume the double strand is also simulated and I'll go ahead and string that one myself, after getting a good look at the string done professionally (and a few YouTube videos). Darn - another windfall down the drain. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 30 Nov 24 - 01:06 PM

I don't use hot water washes often, but when I do (washing filthy or germ-laden stuff), I expect to have the tap work. That's when I found out they had cut off the valve.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 24 - 12:54 AM

To give myself a break tomorrow I've already made the sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. The bird will be spatchcocked so it should cook fast, and there will be lamb. I went shopping for some steel skewers for the grilled lamb (the ones I had are shorter and ancient). Mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables (carrots, potatoes, onions, and Brussels sprouts) will be finished right before the meal. The rolls will be made ahead in the morning. When it comes to turkey gravy the keto folks go overboard with fussy ingredients so I'll make it with cornstarch for one evening (it doesn't keep well). It's a few more carbs, but a lot easier.

The dining table has been cleared and my eBay things moved out of the den. I noticed a couple of boxed items that need work so left them in their own stack in the front room. Moving dog beds, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, it's all on the list of things to do in the morning.

My plans have to work around cat sitting. I am more than halfway through le travail des chats and I've worked out the schedule for tomorrow. After then it gets easier. Good pay, but a lot of juggling.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Dec 24 - 01:16 PM

The big, fat, lake-effect snowstorm that ate southern Ontario yesterday is taking a short break before returning this afternoon with renewed vigour, according to Environment Canada. After a close look at the weather radar map on their website, I’m resolutely staying home despite two music events this afternoon and evening. Both events are in London, an hour’s drive down Highway 7, and the last thing I want is to have to drive home in the dark into the teeth of a snow squall.

The cats approve this plan; both are aboard the lap and heading into the afternoon snooze.

I still feel dizzy and light-headed when I get up in the morning, so I have decided to buy myself a blood-pressure monitor I can use at home — yet another whiz-bang gadget of the 21st century. With two registered nurses in the church choir, I had no trouble getting detailed advice this morning on what to buy and how much to pay for it!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 24 - 10:34 PM

I agree with the cats, you made a wise decision about not making that drive. And the blood pressure equipment is a an affordable piece of equipment (I added one to my small collection, including a digital thermometer and pulse oximeter.) Mine is in the suite of products connected to my fitness tracker and my bathroom scale, so it keeps all of the records in an app on my phone.

This morning's workout was the shortest of the week but left my legs feeling quite achey. Add to that all of the back and forth in the kitchen preparing for the meal this afternoon (Thanksgiving postponed). I'll sleep tonight. Two more days of cat sitting.

The house is in limbo this evening. One load of dishes washed but I'm not going to unload the dishwasher to reload it with the rest. In the morning is soon enough. The dining table is set up with the lace tablecloth still on; that can also wait till morning, as can hand-washing the wine glasses we used for our sparkling cider. Considering it was Thanksgiving I did pretty well. Along with two types of meat I had a serving of mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, and I ate the filling but not the crust of a piece of pumpkin pie. I kept the wheat out but did get some sugar and big carbs. A bowl of roasted vegetables - Brussels sprouts, carrots, and red potatoes - got a lot of attention. It seems not everyone likes the sprouts. As the bowl was passed around some pointedly picked out just carrots and potatoes, others selected lots of sprouts. In the end, when people went home with leftovers, I ended up with a bowl with nothing left but sprouts (enough for one portion in a meal of leftovers.) There is some entertainment value with a dish like that.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Dec 24 - 11:03 PM

My mother's generation & their mothers back in the Mother Country (England) before them boiled brussels sprouts into oblivion which is why lots of folk can't stand them.

My sister remembers us putting overboiled veggies on the little shelf below the base of the dinner table, I think it just braced the legs.

In the 70s I had a lovely friend who was born in 1912 & I remember her poking at the fiercely boiling peas for a long time, & apologising they still weren't soft even tho she had added bicarb! I said it didn't matter...

I still eat brussels sprouts but I adore kalettes have you tried them? I have a friend who is a gourmet cook & I had to persuade him to try kalettes. He's older than me & learnt to cook when he went overseas in his 20s & makes the most wonderful food, but still remembers his mother's sprouts!

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 07:27 AM

For the record, I love Brussels sprouts steamed, roasted, sautéed, or any which way but boiled to death. Canada, too, has a heritage of bad cookery featuring the humble sprout, so I have eaten my share of such pitiful offerings. It’s a point of pride with me that I haven’t wrecked a dish of sprouts since Pierre Trudeau was in office.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 09:10 AM

Bicarb in the greens ..... My grandmother used to do that: I understand it helps preserve the green colour, while permitting the greens to be boiled to buggery peridition. Who was it said that if the sprouts aren't boiling by September, they won't be ready for Christmas Day?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 11:53 AM

The table looked good this morning with the lacey cloth on it, so I was thinking I might not have to wash it between uses. But when I picked it up a whole bunch of crumbs dropped through the holes and were pretty evenly scattered on the surface under it. It's an antique so I soak it and do that wash by hand then put it in a zipper laundry bag for the drier.

A brief search on baking soda and vegetables shows that there is some loss of nutrition. One article suggests visualizing putting salt in the water - how little can be added before it is too salty. Swap baking soda for the salt amount and you can see it requires very little.

Now to get the eBay stuff out from where it was stashed for the holiday and return to listing things.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 04:24 PM

sprouts at Christmas are not an Australian tradition so I'd never seen/heard your sprouts comment, MaJo - I love it!!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 05:48 PM

My Welsh husband never failed to mark Michaelmas (in late September) by remarking that it was time to put the sprouts on for Christmas.

It’s still snowing in southwestern Ontario, and the forecast indicates flurries all week. I’m finally wearing full winter kit, including boots, woollen socks, parka, hat, and serious mittens, an outfit that adds five minutes to my get out of the house routine.

My great-niece has had two expensive crises since September, running me lower in ready-use funds than I’ve been in years. Pension day rolls around at the end of every month, so all would have been well but for a fluke mistake at City Hall, where somebody pressed the Collect Property Tax button ten days early and suddenly my bank account was overdrawn. Colour me very, very pissed off, along with the rest of Stratford. I was shaken by the bolt of panic that hit me with the warning email; apparently more than 25 years of financial stability have not expunged the fears of my time as a freelancer.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 24 - 06:46 PM

At our Thanksgiving table it was the opinion of those who regularly eat Brussels sprouts that they used to be even more bitter than they are now, since a hybrid or some specific variety has been cultivated more widely. Difficult to imagine people eating them at all under those circumstances.

The table is compressed to the smaller size and turned to make room for the dog beds that were moved out of the way for our dinner. It's always a one-two punch cleaning and furniture-wise at the holidays. I need to get out some of the decor and clear the mantle because that tends to be what I decorate. (Last week I put strings of lights in the juniper and I got a new string of large LED bulbs that is now hung along the soffit trim of the front porch.) It's just me here, why make a huge fuss? But when family do eventually arrive for our xmas meal and gift giving, it's nice to look like I put in some effort, and if I have to put in the effort it might as well be up for a while. I haven't had a tree in ages (my daughter spoke of picking one up this weekend - maybe I can send her a lot of the ornaments I'm not using.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 03 Dec 24 - 09:14 AM

Christmas tree in and decorated today, which included Herself first going through the ritual deep-clean of our front room (which the builders saw fit to put at the back of the house). A small tree this year, but still bought in case Dear Daughter brings the grandsprogs down as threatened for a session of guitar building.

.... Here endeth the topic drift.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Dec 24 - 11:23 AM

Each year I've pulled a few of the ornaments that the kids really liked and given (locally to the daughter with a tree this year) or sent them (tucked in with gifts to the kid in the Pac NW) - so trees and ornaments are certainly topical this time of year and in this thread. I pull out some of the crystal pitchers and large vases (so much of this stuff - all from my great aunt's house) and carefully fill them with the various colors of glass tree ball ornaments. There are three up-lights on the mantle where they are placed and along with a string of lights wound through some faux-fir garland it looks quite festive in that small area. I go with themes - some years there are a few Santas set in amongst the greenery, other times various animal shapes. Or the nutcrackers. I gave away a couple of the big nutcrackers grabbed on sale at the grocery store and kept the ones my sister brought back from what used to be East Germany and a few others family members collected.

This morning I brought home a couple of more packing boxes from the cat sitting house (she sets them aside for me - they have packing materials that are good for shipping the eBay glasses). Also a robust plastic storage bin drawer thing that I'm pretty sure my daughter can use (with her voluminous collection of costume parts and materials). The last run is hopefully this afternoon for their lunch. And then I'll make a stop at a friend's downtown apartment with some leftovers from our Sunday dinner. I haven't had time to do that till now.

It's a bright clear fall day today, and I took time this morning to sweep out the track of my sliding glass back door and WD-40 it into working smoothly. The yard could use some attention also—here we are into December and the Bermuda grass still isn't dormant.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Dec 24 - 11:41 AM

When I got the new AT&T fiber Internet they offered a thank-you of a gift card or cash card, whatever, but those things are notoriously difficult to use unless they're something like the Amazon card. Flash that barcode at Amazon and they credit your account in a hurry. So that $100 is here and in the account. Often times when people switch companies they have to pay a penalty so a few days later AT&T asked if I had to pay a penalty when I left. Well, not exactly, but they didn't prorate back the rest of the month, so they kinda did. Fine, AT&T says they're sending another card. Good time of year to bulk up the Amazon account.

The other online clearing out I'm doing this week is unsubscribing stuff that I never read or that got added alongside other stuff (one account I followed on Substack was set up so you ended up with four other related subscriptions at the same time. I got the one I wanted and now will unsubscribe the others.) The email is a jumble of after-the-fact fundraising, holiday fundraising, Giving Tuesday fundraising . . . ugg.

Oh, and 1000.