BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!

Subject: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 01:33 AM

Before heading to bed this evening I took time to listen to a link posted on facebook by Dr. Christiane Northrup. You may have seen her in one of her many lectures that run periodically (usually during pledge season) on PBS. Michael F. Holick (Boston U of Medicine) has been researching Vitamin D for years. In the news this week we've heard about people taking too much. But before you drop yours, watch this 60 minute lecture. It's fascinating.

I have been taking a 1000 mg tablet plus a multivitamin (with 400 IU) every day, and I get out in the sun in spurts, depending on if I'm gardening or not. When it's nice I love to go out in the yard for a few minutes at lunch and sit with the dogs in the sun, and get some on my skin.

There are several of our little fluctuating group who have complaints that sound similar to some of what he's talking about here, so think about beginning the new year with a new view of sunlight exposure and vitamin supplements. Just a thought.

Here is the Nov. '10 thread.

Let's just focus on getting through the rest of the year health intact, pocketbooks intact, and houses tidy and uncluttered. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 09:15 AM

Due to medications I take, I can't be out in the sun and blood tests show a huge deficiency in vitamin D so I take prescribed megadoses of the stuff.

As for getting through the rest of this year with our health in tact, all I can say is AMEN SISTER!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

I worked on the national debt yesterday, so that's in order. Our house, on the other hand...well, there's plenty to be done. There are rooms that are just fine and others that need some extra love and attention.

Acountability for me this month means tracking what I eat. I'm terrible about doing it, I hate doing it, it's a pain in the rear end but that's my goal for this month...to WRITE IT ALL DOWN. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 01:59 PM

Maryanne's tree looks gorgeous! What beautiful ornaments and I love the mantle, too.

Correction: Weight Watchers giant fudge bars are now 3 points not 4, from 1!:-)

I love that fruits are zero points. That always puzzled me...tell me to eat lots of fruits and veggies, but put points on the fruit. I know it has to do with the sugar content, but it seems this new way makes more sense, to me.

Considering what last month was like for us, stress-wise, I feel lucky to have not gained a bunch of weight. As it is, I did gain 2 lbs over the past week, but that is strictly because of my delicious pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes, even though I was careful with portions. Back on track with the online points tracker and figuring out what counts for how many points.

Good news from Workers Comp, this morning, lost wages-wise!

I think Morgan and I will be making something special and simple for Christmas gifts this year. IF I can get my sewing machine to act happy.:-)

I meet the new primary care physician tomorrow. Our doc of one year recommends the new, says she is as nice as I say she is. Our doc is quitting to set up a practice to serve Medicare patients only. She loves taking care of the elderly and will be going into nursing homes, care centers as well as into patients' homes if they are too ill to travel. She is an extraordinary woman, imo and I shall miss her.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 02:20 PM

The fudge bars went up but so did your point allowance, no?

I have a dear friend from WW and we have agreed to email each other our menus and point counts for the next week or so as we get used to the new program....I find that to be helpful!

I love that fruit is zero points too!!! YAY!!!!

What kinds of things will you make with Morgan for your simple Christmas? I like the sounds of it already!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 02:25 PM

Thank you SRS for that terrifically important video. Posted to FB and will send to certain friends.

Having just brought my worldly goods across the continent from Whidbey Island, WA to Montreal, Quebec, I am sorting and trying to find room in our very limited space for the bare essentials. To refer to them as such seems strange as I have done without them for 18 months. What is essential?

It is nice to see things I have not seen in so long. And a few precious things went missing in the duration. So there is a grief factor happening.

On the other hand is, "IT cost me far more than all of this is worth...!!!!" But some of it - family photos, newspapers from when I was a reporter and which I want to revisit...

What constitutes clutter? Like beauty, it is in the eye, or mind, of the individual. One friend prefers an empty room. I like to have interesting objects and sentimental stuffs.

One large box has already gone to the thrift shop and another is in the works. Will I ever fit in those slacks again????? NO! Weeellll, maybe.

Now, to find the vitamin D. I think there is some in that box in the laundry room. Or do I need to make a trip to Sante Essential tomorrow ?

Better sort through a couple more boxes today!

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 04:36 PM

In no particular order:

Northop is solid. Saved my life.

Remember: a fruit, a carb, and a protein, for every meal and snack. Vegvegveg in between.

The Attic Room is now set up for semi-monthly financial planning and tweaks to marketing plan/fixings. A $3.28 calculator, YAY!

Sore knees that are not arthritis are often actually a HIP weakness in need of strengthening.

A trio of graphics that illustrate something important came to me and flowed out of my pencil today, one item of which had simmered for 20 years and will be a big product in my consultants' bag of tools.... and if I died tomorrow my leadership process could be replicated, at long last.

Stair-climbs show I have adjusted to new med dosage, but had to skip doc appt today due to frozen roads. Next week is soon enough. I'll be away at a workshop over the weekend so I need to prep for that anyhoo.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 05:52 PM

The new Weight Watchers program is perhaps under the radar of the national news media (I haven't noticed it in the headlines) but it is on the minds of a lot of people in my world. Not just Mudcat, but today my hairdresser and two co-workers brought it up. And all were pleased that they can eat as many fruits and veggies with no point gain. Even for those of us who aren't part of the program, it's a good reminder that filling up on the produce is good for you. And think about it - isn't the produce section of the store so much prettier and more inviting than the meat dept?

Dorothy, welcome to our group, and you're welcome! (I grew up in West Seattle and Everett, and we had a cabin where we spent summers at the south end of Lake Whatcom for many years.) I decided that the advice I heard on an NPR talk show of "don't just read the headlines" about this Vitamin D story was worth following. That 58 minutes goes by fast, because the information is so interesting. Since last summer I've set up a routine of diet, vitamins, and supplements that I've done a good job of sticking with - partly because eczema on my hands is a sign that something isn't right, and I'd like it to go away. I may not have found the solution to that yet, but I do feel better overall.

In other matters, I have a beautiful yellow enamel on metal narrow drop-leaf table in my hall that most recently I used to have my microwave on. It is the first antique I bought when I lived in a Brooklyn unfurnished apartment. We ate a lot of meals at that table, and it's great for rolling out pie crust and lefse. My neighbor up the street asked me about it, she needs a narrow table like that in her small kitchen. "If you decide to sell it, let me know." I may just give it to her. It needs a little work, one leaf needs to have the support buttress and leg reglued and the hinge put back on - she's a handy woodworker, so no problem. That would clear out that space in my hall. She can decide if she wants to mark it as belonging to me to be brought back for when they're gone - this is an elderly couple on a fixed income and he is on dialysis three times a week. Or I can tell her to make an offer that she can afford, removing any loose ends.

I'll have to go look for that piece with the hinge.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 06:25 PM

I spent a bit of time re-reading the Declutter threads from last year around this time which was the beginning of journey with cancer. It's good to remember. It reminds me of just how thankful I am for my life and the people in it. Thank you for the support I received in these threads and then on into one giant thread that was my lifeline on many dark days.

Love to you all.

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Dec 10 - 09:40 PM

I thought about that also, as I was starting the thread. What a year. If you click on your own name you can probably pull together a pretty interesting post selection of fears, tears, reactions, and overall, strength as you went through this. I have to say that the last year has been such a complete transformation for you, in learning your own strengths. It has been a remarkable journey and I'm happy to have been along to read about it.

But don't do it again. :-/

Another two shallow baking sheets of peppers cut up, blanched, and into the freezer. Double gloves worked, no discomfort. I picked up some latex gloves today and used one of each, latex and vinyl. This processing is allowing me to gradually clear off my kitchen counters. I also put another batch of cherry tomatoes into the freezer. My friend Dean, who is my canning guru and such a great cook, is coming over for dinner on Saturday. He's bringing along his steam juicer (this is how it works) so I can steam some of those tomatoes in order to make juice and sauce. I'll have to make sure I have enough jars (I can my sauce in 8oz jars) for at least one batch.

It looks like it is about time to start a thread for those who want to start guessing who the Secret Santas are. They've been perking along tormenting each other - and it was nice to get a package in the mail today from one of the folks in the game (since I took on the task of assigning Santas and Santees, I had to take myself out of the game). This is one of those projects that asks you to put on your Parent hat, do a bit of work on it, and let it go out into the world. Where it takes on a life of it's own. That's a nice feeling, actually, that we can generate the teasing pleasure of meeting Santa for other adults. (And that's why we hope that everyone who signed up for the game is able to follow through. I tried to give easy delivery options to those who thought they might not be able to send a gift early enough to travel a long distance in time for the holidays.)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 02:52 AM

I have to go break in a new medical practice this morning - inaugural appointment so I can get more meds. I take calcium and vitD supplements to support my buggered vertebra. Loverly chalky lemon chewy things twice a day...bleurgh!

Has anybody worked out how many points are in these meds we're all taking? Often wondered about that one.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 03:04 AM

Just gone back onto the old thread and read about the new WW plan. It will more than likely get launched here in January, which they did with the Discover plan last year.....just in time to catch the post Christmas diet panic. Our leader told us about in in early December,and then it was launched in the New Year. The're not daft!

The snow and icicle fringe over the front of my house is still hanging in there. It must be 4 feet or more in places!

I really need to try and dig some away from the sheds today so that I can get some of the camping gear into the annexe, and then other stuff into the shed. We'll see. It's sub-zero out there, and blowing right into the back of the house. The kitchen is 9C at the moment, so I may actually put the fire on!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 04:21 AM

Wow great vitamin D video.. is there a transcript but more in layman's terms? Want to print out a copy for the parents in law.

I don't take any supplements but I am going to buy some today.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 11:54 AM

I'm glad you liked it - and if you're interested, Christiane Northrup, MD, has a presence on facebook, and offers other things like this. You may recall the information about kegels vs squats, that also came from Northrup. (I mined my facebook links to find it - something I should do more often, I was able to revisit several favorite stories and sites.) Anyway, I don't know about a transcript - I know what you mean. He was speaking to doctors, and one had to pick up the threads of the conversation that were not clinical. With something like that, I suspect a couple of passes through the video would lend clarity to some of the more technical parts.

It's a gorgeous day here, but the news has reported that Andrea is in for some more heavy weather. Stay warm, kiddo! I'm curious - you said the kitchen is so cold, is that because it was added on later to the structure? And is there no insulation or formal heating in there? Is there something between the kitchen and the rest of the house to keep the cold at bay?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 03:59 PM

One table less in the house. My across the street neighbor was out mulching leaves, and said he hadn't seen those other neighbors for a while, so we piled in my truck and drove three houses up the street to unload this small table as a surprise. (Walking it there was possible, but it would have also wobbled the hinges more that would be good for them.)

If I'd listed it on Craig's list, I'd have had to do a lot of small repairs, or list all of the flaws. I wouldn't have gotten a lot, but the neighbor is handy and I think she can fix it herself (and I'll keep my eyes open for the missing plank that supports the second leaf). The enamel top has a couple of chips, but it is still quite beautiful. I suppose one could even lift it off and put it on an entirely new base.

Lovely weather today, so I'm taking a couple of hours off to work on the mower blade and mulch the leaves on the lawn. My hands are more broken out (sugar is the only thing that really changed in the last week, and it's out of the house now) so while I work I'll be wearing vinyl gloves over the hand cream that I've been using the help clear them up. I'd stopped for a while to see if I still needed it. I do. The work gloves over the vinyl will help cushion the tender spots (cracked skin.) I am tired of this.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 04:10 PM

The table sounds beautiful..I love enamal tables..glad it found a good home and you have even better space. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 09:03 PM

SRS, it may be obvious and you may have already said, but have you thought about the latex being the culprit? I cannot have latex touching my skin in any way. It's awful when it does.

Andrea, brrrrr!! Sounds like Wyoming only with more frigid wet weather! I think a fire in the kitchen is well called for!

Met our new doc, today. I like her and think we will get along all right. She knows the dangers of "tinkering" with meds with me and also respects alternative medicine. I know I felt better after seeing her because it was over an hour past my lunchtime and I went to the grocery store instead of grabbing some fast food. First time I have had the energy, mentally and physically, to go alone since Rog hurt his foot. So, I got some good walking, lifting and carrying done.

Oh, Michelle, the thing Morgan and I are going to try making this weekend is a secret. We'll see how it goes and what he decides as to who gets one of them. He's got a lot of "aunties" around here.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 10:11 PM

When my children were small I made clothes for them. When Moonglow was going into Kindergarten there was a plaid jumper we loved at a department store, but it cost $100! That's when we did the lesson about you can sew it yourself for about 1/3 the price. Those lessons seem to have stuck, and my daughter is now getting ready to pursue a career in costume design. When she was down for Thanksgiving dinner, she spent downtime knitting some very attractive aviator-style hats (she was wearing one). I hope she's knitting one for me - I loved it with the ear flaps and under the chin tie. You never know what childhood projects will lead to!

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours working in the garage. I've cleared space in front of the work bench and around the vice grip so I can use it to sharpen the mower blade. I rearranged some shelves, but in the process spilled some kind of petroleum product. I can't find what it was, it isn't gasoline, maybe paint thinner, but I couldn't find the source. I have the garage airing out because the dogs sleep on the other side of the room from those shelves.

And speaking of the dogs, I found that they've been doing some major chewing on their dog houses. Clearly they're bored, my fault. So we started the remedy right then - going for a long walk, meandering back and forth through the neighborhood, giving them lots of new things to smell and acorns to munch.

The house smells wonderful because a baked squash just came out of the oven. I ate some dinner already but I have room for a chunk of squash. Mmmmm!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: maire-aine
Date: 02 Dec 10 - 10:44 PM

Went to the city's Christmas craft show, carol sing, and tree lighting tonight. I've lived here for 20 years & this is the first time I've gone to it. We had a light dusting of snow overnight, but not enough to shovel.

maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 03 Dec 10 - 01:53 AM

Yesterday morning I lost my overhang!
Just after I got back from my visit to the docs/coffee shop/store there was a whooshing noise from the front of the house, and all of a sudden I was seeing through the whole of my bedroom window again! Luckily most of it dropped into next door's front pathway. I then cleared about a 3 feet width away from the back of the car so there's direct access from the road onto the footway.

I have located all my decorations, but I don't want to put them up yet...the village lights get switched on tomorrow night, and I have candle-arch lights in the window ready to go on then. I bet I put the tree up this weekend! I want to put all the boxes away somewhere.

The filled in chimney breast in the dining room is annoying me at the moment. It is very wide for the size of the room, and the ceilings are higher than in my last place, so it's quite a dominant feature. I have noticed undulations in the plasterwork which show where the old lintel was, and it's about 5 feet or so up. There was obviously a range in there, and to be honest, unless you opened it right up and made it an inglenook, anything less than another range would be dwarfed! (I am going to investigate restored ones at some point). I have an old oak framed (very heavy) 1930s mirror to go up, but that requires me to be able to get into the tool box in the shed and get the drill going. I foresee more digging!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:41 PM

Luckily most of it dropped into next door's front pathway. Do you have insurance for in case this one day lants on the next door neighbor?

When you say the fireplace was obviously a range, do you mean that it was recessed in and was used for cooking or something? Is there a part of that room that is filled up or walled off? I guess you'll have to tell us what you mean by "range." here it can be used to mean a stove or cooktop.

Tomorrow a friend is coming over for dinner, but in the time before I start the roast (or stew - haven't decided exactly which it will be yet) I'll be working on the mower and the yard and the lights. And the recycling, etc. And those pamphlets. I'll do some of that tonight, on the dining table.

Stay warm, Andrea, and I hope it warms up for you Kat, Michelle, and Susan. I think it's supposed to drop into the colder temperatures here again on Sunday evening.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Dec 10 - 08:54 PM

lands. Why didn't spell check notice that? Hmmm. Another computer adjustment in the works. . .

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 02:28 AM

A range is exactly that - a stove used for cooking. They can vary as to how open the set up is. A lot of the later ones were inserted into the chimney breast and had a fire at one side with closed ovens and sometimes a water tank at the side with flaps that could direct the heat. Others were more like a fire-driven cooker, but I suspect that at some point it had the former, which may have been a replacement for an older type.

I braced myself and got the mirror hung on the breast. It does look better!

The freezer didn't come. They phoned to say that they weren't going to be able to make the delivery. so I have no idea when to expect it, and i have a dryer due on Tuesday... I got bored while waiting in for it, and put the new, slimline tree up. They are switching the village lights on at 4pm today, so my lights will go on after then.

I had water running down the inside of the back door from my decrepid lobby roof yesterdqay afternoon. I solved it by realising that the edge of the roof was a dam of ice, and taking a small ice pick and a hammer to it. Chips of ice down the neck is NOT funny! Today I may have a go at shifting some more snow from round the car.

Had a phone call from the lawyers who did the conveyancing - the registration of the title is complete and the deed have arrived. I now await them here. Apparently there is quite a pile - I can't wait! I will hopefully learn my house's proper history!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 10:41 AM

Andrea, would you have had similar cold-weather maladies at your old house? Is it just the time of year, or have you moved to a new weather zone by heading up the road a few miles? Your descriptions of the ice sound like the stuff some of our Maine and New Hampshire mudcatters discuss on seasonal threads.

I've just finished my cup of tea, the time I allotted for morning browsing and email. Cold weather is on the way, expected to arrive early in the afternoon. I have a couple of outdoor jobs I must do before then. It may not be cold like some of the rest of you are experiencing, but it will be cold in the sense that my eyes water so badly when I'm outside in cold wind. I end up with a chapped face.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 01:40 PM

My last house was nearly half the age of this one and didn't have the dreadful 40+ year old extension work on it! It was insulated and double glazed.

I have moved 160 miles further north, but we are experiencing exceptionally bad weather at the moment.
I've just had a gas bill for a month which was nearly about twice what it would have been at my old place. There is no insulation in this house apart from its thick walls. I am going to see about getting some into the roof space as soon as possible.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 08:44 PM

Mouldy: What about some of that heating wire for on the roof to avoid ice build up. I had that problem in Ontario and hacking off the ice was hard on me and the roof, and the hatchet! I took the heat wire into strong consideration but would have had to run the generator. Moved before the idea came to fruition. AND 160 miles north makes a big difference. Even a little altitude made a difference. Rain down below and snow and ice a few hundred feet up the hill!

SRS: the gloves? and what about cleaning materials? Even so-called green products can cause some of us problems. I could not stay at Quaker meeting (in PA) after it was cleaned; "everything came from the whole food store!" I was told with great annoyance. Hey, I was the one with nausea and headache. I never found out what products....

I found hypoallergenic A&D in one of my boxes! All my fabrics (clothes, bedding,etc) are now safely stored in plastic bins - well, almost all. My stuff is stored in a portable garage, right outside the backdoor, which takes up about half the back yard. I have this fantasy that I will be able to remove it in the spring so I can see the gardens. In the meantime, All is fairly safe except that box of food I saw when we were unloading the truck. Hope I find it before the mice do!

Now, I await my partner who is driving down from the Laurentians in a beat up pick up with trailer - no taillights and his brother following in his Miata! Precipitation all day and the temperature below freezing. Arghh! Getting me organized is one thing. It took almost a year of nagging to get the taillights fixed on the pick up! The good news is that he phoned at 7:30 - 8 hours after leaving for a three hour round trip, plus unloading time. He could have left me wondering until he straggled in about midnight. That is progress!

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 10:50 PM

Dorothy, I hope he straggles in, soon.

Morgan has a bug, called to tell me all about his spectacular "puking" last night and resting on the sofa all day. I can relate...not the vomiting, but head stuffed, queasy stomach and lots of rest. Boring, but healing. We did get to the store, today. Rog went in while I listened to NPR - had to run home for relief and go back to get him. I do feel better tonight.

Andrea, that reminds me of the last old house we lived in, in New England. Big old Victorian, not a shred of insulation, loose windows, no storm windows or doors and if you went down cellar, you could see daylight through what was left of the foundation. The landlord owned the heating company so he had no motivation to insulate!

Good luck with getting things sorted and stay as warm and careful as possible.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Dec 10 - 11:15 PM

Ooops, Andrea: Just in case: I lived in an insulation-free house in Ontario. Took a notion to do blown in; did not wear mask throughout due to difficulties using the machine - lack of adequate instructions; got pneumonia, I believe, from breathing in all that dust.

That was interesting. Woke up in the morning with a monumental pain in chest. Lying in bed wondering if this is a heart attack??? Finally, after calm consideration, decided I would live and got up enough energy to put on a robe and go down stairs so I could walk around outside - a warm day in December. Decided I could drive to town (18 miles) if I put the seat back so my lungs were comfortable. Went to the hospital for an x-ray (which I avoid like the plague so you know I felt BAD!). Declared pleurisy. Three antibiotics later (which I also avoid...)... The x-ray said pneumonia. I kept on keeping on after that first nasty day.

One thing I learned from this was that even though I took NO antibiotics for ten years, other people had and, hence, the bugs were immune.

Tonight: At 10:30, Rob informed me that he had just arrived in Montreal! That was a long supper break plus a long time for a, usually, one hour trip to Montreal. I thanked him for the call!! I promised to nag him until he gets lights on the trailer! On the plus side: they did try to get them fixed before they left.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 02:18 AM

Funny about the auto lights; yesterday I pulled in somewhere with a glass front and could see in the reflection that one of my front running lights was out. I ran by the Auto Zone, popped the hood, pulled the pins on the top light, reached in to release the lower set, removed the burned out bulb and went in to get a replacement. I was out in 5 minutes, popped it in, closed up the fixture and the hood and was on my way. In 1973 when I bought my first car, a VW Bug, the salesman said something about seeing women pull in next door to the auto parts store and work on their cars, but suggested that I wasn't one of those women. How Wrong He Was.

I also picked up topsoil, birdseed, and mulch at Home Depot today. And met the most charming little woman, an Irish immigrant who is a nurse here. We started talking gardens, got into organics, talked about dogs, children, families, and you know how sometimes you just know this is someone you want to keep in touch with. All of this in 20 minutes at Home Depot. We hadn't exchanged names until I handed her my card with my personal email on it. "Couldn't get any more Irish than that now, could it?" Funny, I saw the difference as being an American with an Irish name talking to someone who actually has a history in the place, but my name immediately took her to the old country and seemed to take me along.

The same thing happened a number of years ago with Malachi McCourt, the brother of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes). They're both writers, and I met Malachi at a writer's conference. He said that the Irish in America have a lot of the same sentiments but without all of the Old World baggage. There were a couple of us he preferred to hang out with who had the Irish names but didn't have the experience of the life there.

Anyway. Back to decluttering (but I hope Kate Fitzgibbon sends an email).

It's probably down to 30 tonight, and in the next couple of nights it will freeze, rising to about 50 during the day. I finished mulching, and I got more work done on my keyhole garden. The lights aren't up, I'll save that is for tomorrow, and won't take too long. I stopped at 3/4 of the way around the keyhole garden layout, and I've prepared about half of it for planting. I'll put in seeds and mulch tomorrow at the same time I put out lights.

A friend came over for dinner tonight; it was simple, homemade stew, rolls, a salad, and sparkling cider to go with it. Mandarin oranges for dessert. And telling the kind of stories that nearly make you pee your pants you're laughing so hard. The laughter is probably the healthiest part of the meal for both of us.

It's late, and I've about wound down from the evening, so I'll spare you any more details. Kat, tell Morgan I'm so sorry he isn't feeling good (I'm one of his Mudcat Aunties, I hope!) and that the one good thing about that kind of bug is that usually when they hit so hard they also go away pretty fast, in 24-48 hours. And in the meantime, you get lots of good sleep and maybe watching TV in bed.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 07:15 AM

The walls of the house proper are solid stone and up to 2 feet thick in places, but the roof void needs insulation in it, and the hatchway really needs to be made bigger first! Mind you if I can squeeze through it... (just a little bit nervous about going up a ladder on a galleried landing...a small galleried landing over the staircase void).

The back lobby is due to be demolished when I eventually get the new extension done. There's an inevitable trade-off due to planning regs on this type of (listed) building, but if I can get a foot or so of rockwool put into the loft, it will be a help. The old heating boiler may be to blame as well, but that is due to be changed in the rebuild. I've dropped the thermostat to around 15C - around 60F, or just below - and the living room fire actually stayed in overnight, so it's not cold in there - apart from the air the fire is pulling in at floor level! It helped that I didn't go to bed till about 2am - kept dozing off in front of the TV.

What the hell did we do when we were kids and nobody had central heating? We're getting soft!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 11:22 AM

My fireplace Makes the house colder when there has been a fire, and it smokes, so I don't use it except to burn candles in it. Your house sounds like an adventure, Andrea. That attic access sounds treacherous - are there pull-down steps in it, or do you prop a ladder? There is a category I see in the medical examiner's public page called "death from short fall." Please don't have your ME add a "plummeted in own house" category.

Called my radio organic gardening guru this morning; the conversation is green tomatoes. I've set mine out to ripen, and if I get a good recipe for making green tomato relish before these ripen, then I'll use it. The friend who came to dinner last night brought his 3-tiered steam juicer so the frozen whole fruits will be juiced and sauced soon.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 11:51 AM

Thanks, Maggie. I will pass on your auntie wishes (of course you are!:-)

I am feeling better. I hadn't had tea in years, but last night, a cuppa mint tea with some saltines really helped settle my stomach. My head is still stuffed, but doesn't feel as though it needs to be popped like a balloon as much as yesterday. Still, I don't think Morgan and I will be getting together, today. And, I may be "unavailable" tomorrow depending on how I feel. My daughter still needs a ride to work on the days her husband works OR we get Morgan at 630a. Bit too much for a Monday, esp. when I have to get Rog to work and, after lunch, to the doctor about his foot. I hope he frees him to drive tomorrow!

Andrea, I hope you have snug booties or something to keep your feet and legs warm. And, do please be careful on any ladders. Rog was only on a 3-4 foot one when he just stepped down wrong and wound up with the broken heel. Of course, that goes for any of us who may be doing any climbing.:-)

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 06:39 PM

I have sent an email to the conservation officer as it's unclear if I need permission to do the enlargement. The (42x36cm) opening is an original feature. I pleaded the gas bill and the fact that the rolls of insulation probably wouldn't fit through the hole.
It would be a step-ladder job, and I am not confident on ladders. I would fit a pull-down loft ladder, which I had at the last house.

Another lump of snow fell off the roof this afternoon, so I had to dig the front path out. There's another lot getting ready to go.

The lights in the village look very pretty. there was a little ceremony in the marketplace to switch them on, and they had the citizen of the year and community group of the year presentations as well. It's quite a pro-active community. A local contractor's men have been ploughing and shifting the snow, and the local coffee shop has been giving them free packed lunches. They are more involved in carting away the 8 foot piles of snow from the roadside now.

I have sheepskin boots and slippers, and some thermal snow boots too. I wore a skirt today as a change from trousers. That's two skirt days in the last month!
Didn't do anything much today. Even the fire kept in overnight, so I just cranked it back into life when I got up.

Tomorrow I must try and find out what day the freezer is coming. Theoretically the dryer's coming on Tuesday.

Hope you feel better soon, Kat!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 10:46 PM

I know Virginia Tam has said in a couple of venues that she isn't putting up ornaments, and wants the holidays to pass quickly. I responded about choosing a type of ornament and doing a small specialized display. I didn't go into the reasons for why doing this might be important, but I was mulling over that this afternoon as I put up a string of lights in the yard. I understand completely why the holidays are so difficult, and all I can say, as one who isn't standing in her shoes, that she has lived every parent's worst nightmare. I answered about starting decorating because I'd like her to remember to give herself some love, to bring some beauty into her own life.

I haven't read, but I've heard interviews with Joan Didion about her book The Year of Magical Thinking. It's a memoir of grief, and I don't know if it would help, but I am reminded of her when I think about this situation. It was about her husband dying, and her daughter died shortly after that.

I hope we can, at least through virtual means, take VT's hand and help her through the holidays. We can't stop talking about our families, but I hope in some way we can help make this year a little easier. Keeping you in my thoughts, Tamara.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 04:25 AM

I have always decorated my house, even though it's mainly for my own benefit, and even the Christmas after Ian died. (Although at that time it was also to give a sense of normality to the family).
It gives a period of light at the darkest time of the year, and is thus very symbolic from my way of thinking. Obviously it can be a time when memories crowd in upon us, and we all have our own ways of dealing with them. (There is also that awful period just after the decoratiions have all been put away).

Perhaps bringing some evergreen into the house would be a more muted way of doing things, and making a special little area with a candle as a focus for thoughts, among the greenery. Also, some hazel or willow twigs in a vase...the warmth may encourage their buds to open, and that gives a hint that lighter days aren't SO far away.
Nobody has laid down rules as to what we have to do as regards "trimming up" as they say in Yorkshire. For some people it is still far to early to be thinking about it, and traditionally, Christmas Eve is the time.

I agree, we should all bear VT in our thoughts. We forget among all thr glitz and merriment that this time of year can also be very dark for other, more subtle reasons.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 12:02 PM

Andrea, SRS, beautifully put. {{{{{{VTAM}}}}}}

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 01:03 PM

I walked out to the curb for the trash can and paused to admire the yard. It looks relaxed after a busy growing season, and there is still some color spots that didn't freeze yet. Mulching the leaves allowed the rest of it to become visible. By putting lights in that pine I've set up a pretty night-time display, but they're barely noticeable during the day.

I've been cleaning the office this morning, the desk where my laptop sits. I have to start it up and map some drives, then do the same on my older computer that has some security software installed now. This essentially the final step in the new computer process. I backed up the old one to an external drive, and those contents have been transferred to the new drive, but there are still things in the old computer that I need reference to. And the laptop is my ultimate work backup, but since it was re-imaged last week, there will still be tweaking. This is the last (hopefully) of the juggling to get all three in sync with my work.

When my friend was over on Saturday we poked around looking to see what kinds of bowls, platters, etc, could be propped up with these great sturdy stands I found. I know the holidays will look different just because of the position of pieces around the house. Bringing in some evergreen is a great idea, to add the holiday flavor to something that could simply be a case of rearranged crystal and porcelain.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 02:03 PM

Well they tell me the dryer is coming tomorrow, and the freezer's now due Thursday.
I put up a bathroom cabinet today, but drilling 2 holes turned into 5 due to the disintegration of the plater round the holes. The last one I drilled only went in about three quarters of an inch then hit rock. I've managed to get a heavy duty screw into it, but I'm waiting for the whole shebang to drop off the wall, although it seems quite firm just now. Unfortunately it's now lower than I wanted it.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the conservation officer.
The deeds arrived today, but they only go back to 1923, when the estate sold the freehold. There is mention of a transfer of ownership in 1875, after a marriage, but that was within the landed gentry. it does seem to have changed hands quite a few times, and I have a list of previous owners since 1923. I am still assuming a date of about 1820 for the property.

My neck's aching now, so I'm going to chill out for the rest of the evening with a glass of cider.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 03:40 PM

Tam will continue in my thoughts and prayers..... we may not see her much in this thread for a bit, but PMs are usually appreciated.... Mudcat can be a hard place to find quiet companionship with peers without others' comments. I dunno if Chat is working but a private room, there, can be had, when it is.

I'm still swimming in dirty budget waters (someone didn't flush), and doing a few other things I can't talk about, but coming home from a weekend workshop it was SO NICE to find the results of the last few years' organizing make for a smooth re-entry/resume.

A recent BIG declut was that I no longer lead our band.... nor choose the weekly band music. Hardi and I have been concentrating instead on a repertoire of offertories. I made a great binder last week while sitting thru a boring meeting, that de-goofed and decluttered THAT process.

The next few weeks are WAY too busy (tho snow may slow them), but the next declut challenge is to get Crimmiss out, a few freecycles in, and an OLD used fridge out. Someone who has written on FC may pick it up, which would make way for a smaller, more energy-efficient model to come IN. Fer Crimmiss, I have most of the merch I need, and just need to spend a day boxing and labeling amid a zillion pesky other things with deadlines.

Great to see you all moving forward. I do not post as often but I read and cheer your efforts, often.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 09:11 PM

Choosing a cookie recipe tonight. I have an old one from Gold Medal flour for Snickerdoodles - a huge recipe (3 1/2 cups of flour). This one, in the newer Better Homes & Garden cookbook, uses 1 1/2 cups flour. Much better. The big recipe seemed to take a couple of nights to bake. These will go in the freezer once they're finished.

Paid a couple of bills, and getting ready to call about one that needs some trimming. Must gird my loins for that call. For a customer service department, they're as transparent as mud with their billing formulas.

Working on an itinerary for my son to fill out so he can be sure to get to his plane on time on Monday, and so we all know who is meeting him at the airport and taking him back later.

Pulled out some more ornaments, haven't decided where to put them. I need to wash the glass that is on the mantle, and dust, before I add anything there.

And laundry. Always laundry. Stay warm, everyone!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 11:27 PM

Rog can now drive, by taking off the boot, putting on his shoe, then reversing the process when he gets to where he's going! Still not supposed to put weight on it for another 3-4 weeks. The doc looked at me and said, "Am I wasting my breath?" Pretty much...Rog is not a macho guy, but he's fed up and ready to be walking, with the boot, but still walking and he's not supposed to...he's like a little kid! We had a talk, tonight, so maybe that'll help.

I shall be catching up on a lot of bills which piled up as we waited for Workers Comp to come through, which they've done. I'll do that tomorrow morning and hope to have Morgan after school. We haven't seen each other since Friday!**bg**

Laundry, oh yes, and Rog did the dishes this weekend. Not much else. I am still feeling better, but not quite up to snuff, just yet.

SRS, your glass decorations sounds really pretty. We have done nothing but agree some of the money we got will go to buy a live tree which we can then plant next Spring. We used to do that on the ranch in WY when we were first married and every year the horse would get in the yard and destroy them. No horse here and the fence should keep the neighbour's goat away, plus she loves our banana peels, etc. so we keep her well supplied.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 12:33 AM

I bought three Italian stone pine trees in pots at Home Depot 4 or 5 years ago and put them all in the yard. They're all looking good now and I decorated one of those with lights this year.

Tonight I spent 15+ minutes on the phone solving an issue with the cable folks who provide my Internet. (This is the plan to spend 15 minutes a day to solve consumer problems, spread them out so they don't overwhelm you.) I took the phone out of the "bundle" with Internet last month. We discussed options, and now I supposedly do have a "contract" and it should keep the bill low for 1 year. After that, it could go up $10 a month, and by then the penalty for changing will be minimal, so I can bludgeon them into keeping it low, or switch.

I have 30 days to look at the small print on this contract, to be sure they're not padding the bill with stuff or disagreeable Sword of Damocles if I make the wrong move.

My chamomile tea has been wonderful, and it's an early day tomorrow. Kat, I hope you can hobble Rog enough so that foot heals properly, but as someone who did the shoe/boot swap to drive, all I can say is that it works if you take it easy. And "Hello!" to Morgan if you see him tomorrow. I hope you're both feeling better.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 02:36 AM

I bought a potted baby Norway Spruce at a store with a plan to have it outside the front door with little lights on it...It became encased in ice from the dripping gutter. Very pretty in its own way, but I am sticking with the artificial illuminated door wreathg this year.

We had another light snowfall last night, and now it's very cold after the sky cleared. I have to clear the last of the snow from the car, as I am out for lunch tomorrow, and am hoping that if I can reduce the amount, today's forecast sun will do the rest. It will the first time out of the village for 2 weeks! My sister in law is hopefully over at her cottage this weekend, and so I may be spending a night over there. Does require some driving on back lanes, however...

Today's task is tidying some stuff away from or into the little cupboard under the stairs.

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 11:22 AM

I am terrible about putting clean laundry away. So...this morning I spent some time clearing out all the laundry baskets and putting things where they belong. I swept the upstairs, steps, hallway and living room. The bathroom floor will get mopped later today when I am finished doing laundry (which will be soon as I am just about out of detergent). I'm getting so I don't like going to the store...used to love it but now I'd rather stay home with the Wee One.

The new WW system is taking some tweaking on my part but so far, it's not too bad!

Activity wise, I'm starting a Zumba class tonight at the local Y. I LOVE that they have child care. I can go in, know that Jeremiah is being well cared for, dance myself silly and pick him up and go. No stop at the sitters. No driving to out of the way places....it's just NICE....not to mention I get to see friends while I'm there. :)

I have a plan for the living room and how to rearrange it so the treadmill will be MUCH more accessible...now if I just could find the OOMPH to do it! I should be doing it now as the Wee One naps but I am exhausted.

My dear friend Tracy is having two tumors removed today....risky surgery as she is about worn out. :( She is on my mind a lot today. ((((((((((((Lots of Prayers and Love for Tracy)))))))))))

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: mouldy
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 02:25 PM

Oh I so want to try Zumba! There's a class aabout 15 miles away that I might have a go at in the New Year.

The dryer arrived - and never made it off the van, because when they unpacked it they found the top was cracked. So it'll be Monday for the new one. . . unless the weather sets in again and that delivery is cancelled!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:35 PM

SIGHHHHHHH!

In almost downtown Montreal, the car on which I did not get snow tires yesterday - my ONE priority for the day! - is plowed in and Rob's pickup is even more plowed in. This morning was "that isn't a car, that's a pile of snow that looks like a car!" At least 6 inches! So Rob has gone to borrow a snow shovel, I hope. He has several but they are all somewhere else. If I ever get out of this, I will buy my very own shovel for IN the car as well as get the snow tires on. Either that or refuse to leave the house until spring!! The rest of this week looks formidable - more snow and minus 13 Celsius.

I found it so much easier in the country. Never had this problem when I lived alone, a mile and a half from my next door neighbour! That requires the ultimate accountability. I DID IT!! Sometimes I would just wait at the end of my 300 yard driveway and wait for the snowplow to give me a ride out. Sometimes I would shovel enough of the drive so I could be at the end when the snowplow came. Sometimes I would walk out to the road and hitch a ride with a neighbour. GOOD neighbours!! Or leave my car out at the road and walk in or get a ride on a - GASP! - snowmobile. Where I lived was worth every bit of it to me!

The reason I did not achieve my priority yesterday was that I was being supportive of the need to change the flat on the pickup. Had it been fixed a few days ago when the need was already known.... They could have had it done professionally - it took heat and major muscle and leverage. And a chocolate bar.

Doing things in a timely manner can make life so much less stressful.

Sadly, international folk dancing was cancelled last night for the snow. That is my best exercise, mobility treatment and more. Good for body, mind and spirit!

Snow predicted again tomorrow and Sunday...

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 03:53 PM

Oh, Dorothy, sounds as though you are missing the country! {{{hugs}}}}

I managed to get some towels put away and did pay some of the bills, the major ones: mortgage, car insurance, water, lights, heat. Had lunch with Rog who came home for it. Nice to get back into that routine; it's good for him to get out of the station.

I cannot seem to stay awake, today. Fell asleep this morning and feeling the pull of the bed and furries who are all curled up, for another short nap. I can't tell if it's from relaxing at not having to "go to work" this morning or the bug just letting go, kicking and screaming. I think it's mostly the former.

I made an appt. with a neat yoga teacher, complimentary and private, tomorrow, but just called and left a message to change it. I'd scheduled her right after the therapist and I would be going to a new area I am not familiar with. Years ago I wouldn't have bothered with a second thought about it, but now, it just seems scary, plus she lives in a swanky area where our o-l-d mini-van will stick out like a sore thumb. I don't think SHE minds, and I usually don't, but for once it does seem kind of embarrassing. Silly, huh? Anyway, I feel better for asking to reschedule it for a morning next week. She sounds so tuned in/empathetic and kind. She has been through some of her own health challenges and uses "Movement Therapies" to help folks to their "Functional Wisdom" using yoga and other methods.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 04:29 PM

Today I found the first of two additions for the new computer, a 2TB hard drive on sale. I dropped it into the machine in about 20 minutes and now have the disk space I wanted for a couple of large projects: loading and editing the music from cassettes from my father's collection, then I'll burn them to CD or DVD. Also, I have a lot of old newspaper clippings of my grandfather's published articles in the hometown newspaper. I will scan with OCR software and save them, again, to burn to CD or DVD.

Kat, in the mid-1990s a friend and I went to the Zoo Ball, a posh event that I had a free tickets to because I served on the park board. This was one of those dress-to-the-teeth several thousands of dollars a table events, and I rode with my friend Janice in her old beater Chevy sedan. As we pulled into the lot we were aghast to realize traffic was channeled to the door where a valet was going to take this car and park it. We burst into gales of laughter, and when I opened the door a couple of pop cans clattered onto the ground. Good thing the guys parking cars thought it was funny also!

Beginning to look wintry here. Heavy overcast and much of the green is gone, except for the evergreens and protected places not hit by frost yet. This is when the xmas lights help boost my mood (and maybe that's why they can be such an important part of the season - the lift spirits!)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 08:10 PM

Thanks, SRS. I know I am being silly. I notice it a lot when I go pick up Morgan..all these young kids driving snazzy new cars. Usually all I have to do is think of the payments they are making and I just smile and tell our old boat "thanks," but there are days...oh, well. I did reschedule the appt. to next Tuesday so I won't feel so rushed, etc.

Morgan came over for about an hour. He gave me an early Christmas present "because you've been feeling so sick." It's a "#1 Grandma" necklace. I had to be sure to read the card it was attached to:

Thank you, Grandma, for all you've done
For bringing me laughter, smiles, and fun
For always loving me, every day
In that special caring Grandma way.

I surprised him with a memory stick which looks like a pencil eraser. I put some music on it which he loves. He was really surprised and thanked me I don't know how many times. Then he called me in tears, after going home. His computer is old and didn't recognise the device. I got him calmed down and hope one of his "gaming" parents can help him with it. Maybe let him play it on one of their computers, though when he said goodbye, he was going to write a story and save it to the stick to show his teacher.

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 08 Dec 10 - 06:22 AM

I am still alive, though purple and sore after an angiogram last week. Decluttering has ceased, as has almost all activities except singing!

I am, however, getting back into things, and will be having a major clear up in the next few days... I have to, I've got guests this weekend!

Accountability has gone out of the window as we are again singing carols at the Ritz Hotel for most of December. They feed us exquisite smoked salmon, ham, turkey and cheese sandwiches, egg mayonnaise (egg salad) rolls and mince pies between every set, so I am not even bothering to count calories or pudgy points!

Love to all, take care and keep decluttering!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Dec-2010 Declutter & Accountability YES!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Dec 10 - 11:52 AM

Good to see your face here, Liz! I have to admit that though I at first was sorry to step out of the Secret Santa fray in order to get the rest of it going, it is really a pleasure to see those threads grow longer as people tease each other and as packages begin to arrive at their destinations. I hope that after the work of making assignments that you also enjoyed watching all of the mayhem ensue! Take care of yourself, and that salmon they're giving you at the hotel is good for you!

I have been turning on a local rock station that is back to it's good program format they were known for (92.5 has always been a point on the FM dial that had great old rock, not just the oldies, but the danceable, singable, and often message rock). I can dance around the kitchen and do some exercise moves for a while, then put it back on NPR.

Yesterday I called the folks that make my good keyboard, and they emailed a list of adapters that work with their keyboards. I read reviews and found one that I'll pick up tomorrow.

I started with the new Snickerdoodle recipe last night, but realized it was a different enough than my old favorite that I defaulted to the old recipe. And a few years ago I found a large cookie sheet at a garage sale (one of those big hollow aluminum ones) that knocks off the dough pretty quickly. Those are bagged and in the freezer, and I'll make something else tonight so I have a variety tray to take to work for a holiday luncheon tomorrow.

I did sample just a couple of them, but I've been good to put them in the freezer where they're out of sight and off my hips. :)

SRS