July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Eiseley
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 11:06 AM

Seven years ago I started running and became the fittest I had ever been. Then life happened and my pace gradually slowed and I not-so-gradually plumpened until I finally decided enough was enough. But I don't want to run this time. So, for the past few weeks I've been walking and walking and walking as much as possible. I have no idea if it is working weightwise, but I feel healthier, and that's good.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be at the Farmers' Market giving out books and generally meeting people and being friendly. But not TOO friendly in case I attract nefarious folk.

Eiseley

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: mouldy
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 11:22 AM

So-o-o....

The plumber has been, the boiler has been serviced (it fought back) and the plumber went to adjust the ball-valve on the header tank, which was constantly running. Now I know why my floors were so damp. I have a corroded heating pipe in the living room (we think), under the concrete floor, and what I thought was air in the system is the sound of the water coming out echoing back through the radiator.

Great.

So while I am away in a couple of weeks time, the plumber is going to come and dig up my floor to find the leak and its extent, and replace the pipe. It could be anywhere between the far dining room wall and the first radiator in the living room. My new carpet has to come up, and the damp proof membrane has to be disturbed. At least Peter has some left we can paint on again after. So, from getting my house on the market in 4 weeks, it looks like it's yet another delay - and further expense I wasn't wanting!
I will be glad to get rid of this place now.

Andrea

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 01:07 PM

I would like to redo some of the plumbing in this house, Andrea, but that would involve "breaking the slab." Not something one does lightly or inexpensively. But if one job comes up I'll add the other to it (I'd love to move where my washer and dryer are).

I was able to clear four boxes of pamphlets off of the living room floor. The publications are now stacked all over my dining room table and the boxes are nested and ready to go out to the garage or get used to ship eBay stuff. When you do eBay, keeping a close eye on the number and size of boxes is important. They are all potential shipping boxes, but they get in the way if you keep all of them.

I had some over-ripe bananas, not enough for banana bread, so I picked up another bunch of the discounted overripe bananas last night and made four small loaves this morning. A couple will go in the freezer and one may be a gift for my son's friend who, with his siblings, has a long drive to their home in West Texas tomorrow.

Eiseley, I need to do more walking also. The dogs get kind of bored with the same ol' walk, so I'm thinking I'll load them in the truck and head over to an area park, just to give them a set of new sights and smells. We all benefit from the exercise.

Susan, you may need to abandon your attic space during this heat wave. I would think that attic = oven these days.

Kat, are you going to keep selling on eBay? I don't see a lot of other options. The only other one I think is big and reliable enough is Amazon, and there I don't think there is as much freedom to sell the really oddball things.

Geez. It just started raining again.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 02:28 PM

REally LTS on the sofa... can't be bothered to log out


Stilly - one or two black bananas - make banana flapjacks. 2 black bananas, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of butter and the cheap, dusty muesli (granola?) they sell usually as own brand.

Melt the butter and honey together in a pan, mash in the bananas, add the muesli until it goes to a big, stiff dollop. Squash the dollop into a greased pan and bake at a moderate to high heat for 15-20 mins or until browning. Cut when warm but leave til cool to turn out, when they'll have firmed up a bit. The butter can be swapped for a lower fat alternative as long as it's not one of the ones that go icky when you cook with them. If you have vegans around, you can use sunflower or vegetable oil instead. The cheaper muesli works best as the dust absorbs the butter and honey and so they stick together better. You can add nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, anything you like.

On the decluttering front.. managed to excavate a table or two and turn 3 fabric stash piles into one box of fabric and 2 project boxes - I LOVE the Really Useful Box company!

Kitty returned at 2.30 this morning so I declared a day of Jubilee and snoozing. As for accountability... Today I had a deep and meaningful relationship with two gentlemen, Ben and Jerry... it is starting to show as there are a couple of pairs of trousers that are decidedly snug when sitting... so I really should get back on track...

More sewing happening, another quilt for a friend's mother, in green and yellow (we know a song about that), which doesn't seem to want to make it to the machine, so I've so far made a quarter of the blocks by hand. Only another 28 to go.

LTS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 10 - 05:14 PM

I've talked back and forth with Philippa, and sent her information to my friend Tom (who might also help) to send to his friend Ray. Tom and Ray sound like their own dynamic duo, don't they? Comedy instead of ice cream, though. Anyway, when Tom saw what I was sending Ray, he said he'd love to help also, so she may get a couple of sets of really good eyes sorting those papers and books. Tom worked with me out at Ellis Island, that's where we met, and we always were poking around in abandoned rooms and buildings, hoping to find and rescue more papers that were clues to the Island's past uses. I can't think of a better paper detective to help filter (it sounds very interesting, but I'm not talking myself into going up there - I have plenty here to work on).

What Philippa has to her advantage is the same thing in my collection of handbills - they constitute a collection with real value. Research and monetary both, and the best way to realize both is to donate them to an institution after doing some research and an appraisal (and photos to document the collection in general), and taking a tax deduction. And the best thing for her, is if the estate doesn't need the entire deduction, the heirs can inherit a share of the donatible deduction that is left over. I learned this when working on my father's estate. It didn't pay any income tax for the last year of his life because he had so many good clothes and shoes and household items that we donated to St. Vincent De Paul. I figure about 100 homeless men with size 11 feet got a new pair of walking shoes after Dad died. He was the Imelda Marcos of Puget Sound.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 02:20 PM

Eiseley, I had a similar experience aquajogging, which I've picked up again, if you want a partner.

I can relate to that feeling of having gotten really fit. I miss bursting with it, don't you?

~Susan

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 02:29 PM

It looks like rain again today, and with it as wet as it is, the garden kind of shuts down. There isn't much to pick. I'm not going to bother to mow today, maybe it'll dry out some and I'll think about it tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am determined to move stuff around in here so it looks different. I really like my desk and filing cabinet where they are because I use them there, but they sure take up space. I'm thinking about alternative locations.

Time to do some sweeping and mopping also. Can't think last time I mopped (with all of this tile, I usually just sweep or vacuum). I'll put a movie in the player and catch up on my NetFlix at the same time. I have a couple of movies here now that I've seen before but want to watch on a full-sized screen and without commercials.

The recycling needs to be dropped off, so I probably need to empty the bags of topsoil and humate that are in the back of the truck right now. I can see that I'll be in and out some today - I should probably also see where I can store a couple of things in the garage.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 04:50 PM

Andrea, sorry to hear about the leak and your flooring, etc. All in divine order, right?:-) Maybe the delay will bring around just the right buyers at just the right time.

SRS, I don't know about eBay. I have a lot of books and I don't think they do esp. well on there unless they are really rare and people get into the bidding. Right now I seem to be so busy with Morgan etc., I don't even know if I'll get to it until school starts up, again.

I am working on a book synopsis and may start a thread for input, info, experience, etc. I've found two agents whom I am eager to propose to, but don't want to send anything until I get a good synopsis done. The book itself is ready.

I've done free weights about three times this week, a small amt. of walking each day, until today when I spent an hour walking whilst shopping. Also did some weed pulling which it feels really good to be able to do!

Went off my points last week and gained .6 lbs, but I've lost it, now and should be back to what I was about 3 weeks ago by weigh-in which is Wed. Morgan was so cute, he's been bringing snacks everyday and wants to share, though he knows I only share fruit and the occasional granola bar. A couple of weeks ago, he brought a small sandwich bag with a few cheetos in it. I told him they were irresistible and I ate some, too much as they were so salty I noticed it that night. He remembered. Yesterday, he told me he didn't bring "any of the ear-ree-sis-ti-bulls" just snacks that had "good points." Weight Watchers could probably make a mint off him in adverts!:-)

kat

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 05:05 PM

I've just made a great discovery. I think the reason my veterinarians don't carry Revolution any more is because in Canada it isn't a prescription, it's OTC. And I can buy the amount I want for much less than my vets were charging. They want to sell the things that they have much larger markup on. I asked why one vet switched, and he just said there were "issues." Now I know what they were.

I'd been playing that stupid game of "if you buy it from us, if your dog gets heartworm and you've been using it right, we'll treat the dog." But I missed a couple of months, and my dog got sick, and it cost a lot on top of overpaying for the Rx to begin with. Trying to push expensive meds out a week extra each month to make it last a little longer but be within compliance is stupid. You end up missing times that way. So now, I'm going to just get the heart worm test for each dog, and make sure I put this more affordable but just as effective treatment on them every month.

I'd have paid $300 here for what is going to cost me $158 to buy from Canada.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 10 - 07:10 PM

Found the pattern for a broken platter (movers broke it and it has been in the bottom of a trunk until recently, way too late to file a claim). Am watching it. I had two like this, so it would be nice to replace it.

Looks like rain again, and you can't tell I mowed three days ago. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to even think about it - the forecast looks promising.

Liz, how are you feeling today?

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 02:43 AM

Hours have passed as I worked on the living room and moved things, some of them a couple of times. I still need to move some things out, but I like the way parts of it are looking now. And I took out several pounds of dead roly polys along the edges of the room and a bunch of dust kittens.

I invited the dogs in for a little visit, and they've been such good and patient girls (stuck in the garage with all of this rain) that I gave them a new treat this evening. Sometimes when I use an egg wash to dredge floured things before putting them in bread crumbs I have some left over, and they love to lick the bowl. Tonight I put two bowls and two eggs on the floor, then they sat, patiently, while I cracked an egg in each bowl. If you don't beat up the yoke it takes them a little longer to eat the egg, but the did enjoy it, and their coats and eyes will benefit from them as well.

I'm finished for now.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 12:25 PM

Made more progress this morning in the kitchen and living room, plus I pulled the sheets off of the guest room bed (not the same as the bed in the front room where my son's friend slept, but I got those sheets a couple of days ago). Everything will be made up fresh for the next time we have visitors. Or my son decides to relocate from his room for a night. :)

Cleaning out the fridge. I ate three not too fabulous peaches, they were on the dry side and the skin wouldn't peel after blanching, but I hated to toss them. I used the vegetable peeler, then had to cut the fruit off of the stone, and I put huge dollops of vanilla yogurt over them to cover a multitude of deficiencies. Got rid of (oured down the drain, didn't eat!) some soup stock I should have frozen but didn't, and the little bowl of grease is in the trash to go to the curb tomorrow. Lots of little stuff I usually seem to forget got taken care of.

It's finally a gorgeous day out, but I haven't been outside yet. There won't be anything in the garden to pick yet, it just doesn't produce as well when we have so much rain. Now give it a week and it will go gangbusters. But anyway, I'm waiting in hopes that if it was still humid this morning that the direct bright sunlight will heat up the air and dry it out. I want to walk outside into a hot dry day.

Gotta get rid of the box the new television came in. It has been set up running long enough to know it's doing a great job. This box will go in the attic. I like having a large expanse of cardboard handy in case I need to slide something large across the floor. It's the best thing if you don't have those little white skid stick-on feet.

Enough for now. Back to work. I have to move a filing cabinet out of my living room if I can find a good place where I'll still use it.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: maire-aine
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 12:34 PM

I, too, spent some time cleaning out the refrigerator & the freezer. Cleaned up/cut up/cooked a bag of green beans, and washed up a bunch of fresh spinach. Got rid of some soup that had been in there too long (shoulda froze it).

Spent 3 hours last night and an hour this morning working on family research, trying to track down my maternal great-grandmother. Last month I got a letter from a (new?) second cousin, and prompted me to pull out my research notes. It's been 10 years since I worked on it the last time, and there's so much more available on the web since then.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 01:26 PM

Walked a TON during the 24 hour period from Friday morning til Saturday morning during the Relay For Life!   I'm a little sore (leg/hip sockets) but it will pass...besides, I had so much fun that I don't much care!!!

Today I put laundry away, emptied the dishwasher, filled and ran the dishwasher, got veggies ready for the day (shelled peas, peeled carrots, cut up cabbage), made breakfast, got dinner fixings ready so all I have to do is turn on the stove (going out later today) when we get home....soon will find something to make for lunch. I went to WW this week and a good friend decided she was ready to join...so we went together. I stayed for the orientation after the meeting...it was a good refresher course for me and now I'm all psyched about the program. The challenge this week is to fill at least half your plate with fruits and veggies at each meal. I'm going to try and do that!!

Pete and I are going to the lake later today. He and Jeremiah will fish while I kayak...I can't wait! It'll be my first trip out since last year!!!!!!!!!!! So, in addition to kayaking, I'll be cleaning out my boat and do all the pre-hit-the-water checks on everything. :) It's also my first time since March that I haven't had a chemo treatment every 3 weeks...it's week 4 now and my energy should start to come back (as well as my hair!)

Kat....I would LOVE to see a video of Morgan doing a WW commercial...he sounds too cute!!! I love that he's helping you along...how sweet is that?

Michelle

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 02:05 PM

Pondering a development. I added a friend to my family cell phone plan because he needed a reliable phone. Years ago he dropped his cell phone because a young man who lived with he and his late partner, kind of an unofficially adopted son, had used his phone so much that he ended up wasting all of his minutes telling the young man's friends who called that it was his phone. He's had financial problems, and the young man keeps bringing in friends who are down and out, and they are a huge drain on my friend's ability to pay bills, etc.

I told him the phone was for him alone, not to let the young guy use it, and it has been that way for more than a year. But I called my friend today and the young guy, who is at his few hours a week job, had the phone. And the house phone is out because the bill didn't get paid.

My friend hasn't managed to lower to boom on these kids. Young adults, with no impulse to do for themselves. I need to make it clear that I won't let their slumming leech into my home by that phone being in the wrong hands. If this young man, who has been in trouble with the law, calls people who don't have that number programmed in their phones, MY NAME shows up on caller ID. It is for all intents and purposes my phone. I want my friend to have it, and I want these young slugs to stop taking advantage of him.

My friend has other friends who have tried to influence the course of behavior there, and just caused bad blood.

What to do.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: maire-aine
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 03:41 PM

Braved the sun & heat (it's in the 80s & humid again), to go to the Royal Oak Outdoor Art Fair. Didn't buy anything (so I get some decluttering points, right?) but at least I walked around some. I have the sprinkler on the garden, but I'm hoping for some real rain overnight. Read in today's church bulletin that they'll be having a rummage sale the first weekend in August, so I'll be able to take some of the stuff that I've been accumulating out on the front porch.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 04:05 PM

Thanks, Michelle. It's usually so spontaneous, I don't know if I could get him on camera or not. We have done a video with storyboard before, so maybe I'll see what we can do.

we sorted and put away laundry from the past 2-3 weeks. I also washed all of our shopping bags as they were ALL getting very grungy looking. I swept a couple of days ago, but it needs more doing now. Moved an old wooden card catalogue full of cassette tapes from our bedroom to my poor old desk in the old office as it is the only space left to catch odd bits until we get done in the LR going through all of the books, etc. I listed some more paperbacks on the swap site and have already had two requests, so this week, I will have sent off five packages of a book each.

Still have a sink full of dishes to wash and the bathroom, but not sure either of us will get to them, today. Rog took me for a lovely ride, yesterday, and another today, so we're feeling rather lazy.

SRS, I learned the hard way, sometimes there is nothing we can do when a person continues allowing certain things to happen in their lives. Were I you, I'd have the phone turned off and save myself a lot of grief and money. Just my opinion, fwiw.

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 04:15 PM

SRS,

   I'd recommend a Trac phone for your friend. It's a prepaid phone with no monthly fees. No way to go over the limit and relatively inexpensive. I'm with Kat on this one. Save yourself the hassle (and possibly the friendship) and cancel the phone. You were clear in your expectations of what was ok and what was not.

Michelle

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 05:14 PM

Right now we would owe money on the phone, with this plan. I do trust this friend, but I see the camel's nose (the younger man) coming under the tent. I think I'm going to speak to the younger man, and tell him that if he doesn't leave that phone strictly to my friend then I'll have to drop it from the plan. I'm sure he's using it because he lost his own or couldn't pay to add minutes.

I wouldn't be too upset to throw this kid and his friends under the bus. They're moochers and it has been too easy for them to not lift a finger to help. Or at least, it goes in spurts. If the revolving girlfriend didn't move into the house, and the layabout cousin. . .

I've made progress (again/still/more) in the living room. The original cabinet felt too high for the TV, another too low. I brought in my lovely library table that had been parked in the front room and it looks perfect. I need to move furniture out of the room so it isn't too packed full.

I did some research and found this site with information about optimal distances for different types and sizes of televisions. To make the most of the HDMI, you should be somewhere between 1.5 and 2x the distance from the set as the set is wide. So a 42" set is best from about 5' to 7' away. The older CRT sets are actually better at a greater distance because of the type of screen.

Kat, Morgan sounds like he's going to be some teacher's pride and joy next school year! And the "good points" he's talking about are things he should be eating now anyway! It is the perfect time for him to learn about good eating, rather than have to break hard-wired life-long bad habits when he grows up and tries to stay healthy.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: maire-aine
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 08:02 PM

After supper tonight, I cleaned the stove top and the countertop around the sink. Tomorrow I plan to tackle the kitchen floor.

M

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 10:32 PM

I am following the Simply Filling part of WW this week and today was a great day...only used 5 points. I'm all proud of myself! LOL

Michelle

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 10 - 11:40 PM

I made pizza dough and have three crusts partially baked, cooled, and now bagged in the freezer. That's three meals ready to go sometime in the next few weeks! The chicken is in the fridge, a plate set aside (also in the fridge) for my son who wasn't sure when he'd roll in. I told him I wasn't leaving the bird out till he got home, it would spoil. He's a bit of a free agent, may have to nail one foot to the floor one of these days.

I used my basil and oregano in some focaccia (sp?) bread, and also hung some up to dry. I used some of my rosemary and thyme in the chicken that I roasted. I have a friend (same one I mentioned earlier) who talks about spending a small fortune buying enough bunches of basil to make his beloved pesto, and I'm growing it by the bushel here. I wish I could reasonably ship some to him, but it isn't practical.

Moved a trunk from the front room to the bedroom (will stack a couple of others on top of it - the one I moved is on a little dolly I built so it rolls nicely on casters.) And I moved two trunks from the big living room to the front room. It's looking better around here!

Tons of corn meal on the kitchen floor, and for some reason, a lot of dog hair. All swept up, fridge looking better, and all of the stuff not wanted, floor and fridge, in the trash and down at the curb.

Monday tomorrow. Work. Pttttthh.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: mouldy
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 04:21 AM

I have an incentive to get all I can prepped for sale (except yon floory thing!) as 2 of the houses I am interested in have had their prices reduced by quite a lot! I'm much more sanguine about the floor now. Better get it done than have a sale fail if/when a survey picked it up. The house will still go up next month, no matter what. It may just be a few days later than I had intended.

I think today is to be a more boxing up and throwing out day. However, I am going to kick things off by giving the kitchen a good going over. I want to store a lot of the bigger pans that hardly ever get used these days, but which I daren't actually get rid of, because every now and then I get to cook for more than one or two! May have to go and get more storage crates...

Andrea

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 10:19 AM

Andrea, I'm downsizing my cooking this summer, figuring out how to make my standard recipes in smaller portions, or to freeze the rest. I have a lot of those same kinds of pots and pans that don't get much use. There is an attractive chrome wire cart in my kitchen that most of them sit on, so it passes as a kind of modern art piece most of the time, unless I need something from it to cook.

I hear the neighbor mowing, but I'm going to wait at least another day. The grass will be taller, but it will hopefully be dryer. Makes a big difference when pushing the mower through it.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Eiseley
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 10:33 AM

I've also been trying to have less leftovers---either freezing the portions or making less. It really helps on fridge space. The boys would rather just pull out a piece of fruit anyway, instead of having a big, hot meal.

Today I'll be picking up the lawnmower from Mr. Mower. It's new to me because I still think my push mower works just fine. But the neighbors just bought a new fancy one and gave me their old one. So I took it to the tune-up place and it'll come back all ready to work. Maybe with this gas-powered one, my oldest son will be ready to work also.

Off to work. Walking, of course.

Eiseley

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 11:21 AM

Dishes done. Laundry in the dryer. Living room rearranged and cleaned. Time for a break!

Michelle

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 07:36 PM

I told a friend about that site that advises on the distances and viewing angles for the bigger televisions, and he did a sort of mental forehead slap. Seems he realized why he's not enjoying his as much as he thought because he has things poorly placed (same make and model, bought a few months before I bought mine- we compared research notes, it's a great choice, that 42" Vizio from Sam's Club).

I have a pile of papers by my desk and am sorting out the issue of the beds being short in my son's assigned dorm. It's supposed to be a nice one, but older and the beds are more or less built in and they're standard length twin mattresses. This means I'm sending a 75" kid to sleep on a 74" bed. I'm going to follow the procedure to request a transfer to a room with a longer bed, but ONLY if it keeps him in one of the Honors College dorms. And the trouble is that the other two HC dorms are more expensive than this. So we'll pay more for the longer bed if he gets it. I suppose he could take a pad and sleep on the floor and put it up on the bunk every night, but I think that would get old fast! ;-D

I have to get the doctor's office to write a letter saying he should sleep on a bed that is long enough for him (yeah, I know, but this is what we have to do for the ADA folks - who knew being tall is a disability?) and when it comes down to it, they need to ask my son if whatever accommodation they reach is what he wants after he sees the room that has been assigned to him now. Once he settles in he probably won't want to move, so unless they can settle this before he gets there, I think whatever is set up will remain for the school year.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 07:52 PM

New 18" puddle installed under the screen/shade canopy within Dog World. Amazing how cooling it is! Waterproof MP3 player with tunes and audbook.... Sadie digging a cool dent nearby to get into and chill out too...

Reaping the rewards of a heck of a lot of hard work to make that spot exist-- me, Hardi, others.... thanks, menzes.

~S~

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 09:30 PM

We hosted 3 contra dance musicians here on Sat. night (Tunescape). Small world department- I dabbled in the Society for Creative Anachronism when I was in my mid teens; turns out that one of the musicians was king of my region (I can't remember all the correct terms any more). I thought he was beautiful then ("Asbjorn, Asbjorn, King with Golden Hair..." and still a nice guy now).

As per usual, guests meant cleanup- and "Asbjorn" slept on the futon in the office, which meant lots of organizing happened in there! There are still 3 boxes of "to-be-filed" stuff, but it's shrinking.

And I finished arranging 2 songs to include bass singers- Animaterra the chorus is leading a workshop this weekend for 2 other choruses, both with men and women! A new experience!

AND- we submitted an adoption application to Potcake Place (http://www.potcakeplace.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 can't get the blickifier to work) - we hope to have a doggie friend by late September, after we get back from a week of camp in August and 5 days on a boat in Sept.

And the lumber arrived for the porch, but when we went to start the work this morning, we found that some of the lengths were incorrect. Luckily it's a good lumber yard, and they had a corrected delivery by mid-afternoon. So we'll start the building later this week.

Meanwhile, you are ALL inspiring!!

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 10:29 PM

Building a porch ought to keep you out of trouble for a while, Allison! And isn't it nice, after the guests leave, when you can fold up futons and the room is clean for you to enjoy now, not just for the needs of the visitor.

Working on more dorm plans. Add an inexpensive phone with answering machine to the list. All of these out of state kids arrive with their cell phones from home, and for anyone with an old fashioned phone or any of the campus services, this is a long distance call. They need a local callback phone so the campus has free phone service, but he needs to phone and answering machine.

Dishes are cleaned up, fridge is looking good. Kid turned his nose up at the salad (diced cucks and tomato, feta cheese, Italian dressing, I think I mentioned before - my fake Greek salad) but I have a cantaloupe so just delivered a large bowl of it to his room. We're going to start shopping for computer parts to build one for school. They have the low-priced software through a Microsoft agreement, like on my campus. Now if I could just find a subliminal software program to tell him "Eat your veggies. Eat your fruit."

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Eiseley
Date: 12 Jul 10 - 11:31 PM

I suppose he is altitudinally challenged (or horizontally challenged if you're talking about beds). Quite Procrustean, actually, that dorm bed sounds.

I have to go buzz the middle son's hair now!

Eiseley

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Jul 10 - 02:25 AM

Bleurgh.... That's about the best I can manage.

Had a fabulous day wandering about Kew Gardens with a couple of old friends on Saturday, Sunday was spent at a concert rehearsal/performance which was good but lots of bitty walking and the world's most uncomfortable chairs to sit on for 2 hours. Yesterday was a day of frazzlement, waiting for news of a friend in trouble (news was not good - not the worst we could have had, but not the best either, he's now back to square one healthwise and I'm a gibbering wreck), today I feel like I've been squeezed out of a tube of bilious yellow/green paint.

I have to find and learn a Christian song for a wedding in 3 weeks time, the person I'm singing it with is buggering off on holiday the day after tomorrow and has no ideas either, I have a choir tour to prepare for, a church meeting tonight and a whole heap of papers to put away after I ferreted them all out looking for a particular one last night. I haven't eaten at home with the whole family for a week now, and that's showing too... lots of discomfort and changing of trousers... MUST get back on some sort of track, preferably not the Scalextric one that just goes round (or, as it has felt this last week, loop de loop) but one that goes forward.

Whinge over.

LTS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: maeve
Date: 13 Jul 10 - 05:24 AM

Allison's dog adoption link

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Jul 10 - 01:24 PM

Puddle Day #2 shortly, with Faulkner in tow. Worked productively in home office 6AM- noon-thirty. Hot up there !

~S~

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 12:04 AM

Morgan and I got down on our hands and knees and scrubbed the bathroom floor really well, then went over it with the mop, too. Then he vacuumed the hall and parts of the LR and helped me mop the hall. I did the rest of the mopping. The heat has put a limit on how much I do during the hottest part of the day, but we managed that all right and it looks so much better. (The evaporative cooler on top of the roof blows down into the hallway, right in front of the bathroom. We don't let any of the pets in the bathroom, but that blower blows their hair in there under the door and also when we open it. So, there's a terrible build up of pet hair clinging all around the pedestal of the sink and around the commode. It looks terrible if I don't keep up with it.)

Not much else except keeping up with the laundry and swimming classes.:-)

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 03:28 AM

Oh, Geez, you should see the kitchen.

Yeah, that bad.

I discovered the mustang grapes are beginning to be ready to pick and it is a lovely big crop this year. After about 20 minutes I came home with enough to cook down to 1 1/2 quarts of juice (for jelly) in my stock pot and have done some of the filtering. It's chilling and settling now in the fridge.

I'll clean the kitchen in the morning.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: mouldy
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 04:14 AM

By judicious re-stacking, and removal of a couple of big stew pans, I have a tidy cupboard again. I de-framed some old photos which would be better off in an album, and fitted a safety gate across Freya's bedroom door for when she tries to do a runner while I am sorting things out. Also for a month or two hence, when I try her out in a bed instead of the travel cot, which she will be too big for, before long.

I had planned another steady sorting out/ironing day today, around my 10am hair trim, but the cat has got himself hurt again, and so it's a trip to the vet for 11.30. I should be able to get there earlier than that, so hopefully will get seen quicker too. I would have taken an earlier one, and carted him with me via the hairdresser, but he hates car trips, and I'd have to take him in with me, where the dryers would freak him out. This time it doesn't look like another cat's had him. Can't work it out. There's a neatly removed area of hair around it, as if somebody has had a look at it. There is what appears to be a puncture mark at the top, and scraped off skin in a strip below (just the very top layer). I bathed it with antiseptic last night, but he's not wanting to move today, or eat and drink. I think he's gone sore and stiff. I wonder if a dog got him and the owner had a look. The receptionist at the vet says it's not a typical place for a cat fight wound (last time his throat was got).

Had a day out yesterday (Great Yorkshire Show) so nothing got done. I had to go to a meeting later too.

Andrea

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 04:50 AM

Seems to be the week for vet trips. Had to haul Raven kitty off last night, he picked up a tick on his recent 'holiday'... Now being my cat he can't get it on his belly or his chest which would be easy to reach and dispose of with the judicial application of vodka on a cotton bud (worked for my granfer for years, except he used granny's dandelion wine - similar alcohol content and astringent properties!) - no, he has to get his between his back toes... so deeply in that I'd've had to immerse his foot in voddy to get it out. So it's off to the vet with him. Now usually he's not too bad in his crate, but this time he howled and yowled and struggled like mad so I suspect his recent 'holiday' involved incarceration of some sort. The traffic also affected him badly. Consequently, he was in a foul mood when we got to the vets and made it know. Well, you can't say I didn't warn the vet... I tried my best to hold Raven kitty steady and still, but he's part Siamese and they're tougher than they look.... The tick was removed and the kitty annointed with Frontline pest control juice. We left after decluttering the wallet of a large amount of money (enough to buy 4 decent bottles of vodka) and the vet of a strip of skin off the back of his hand.

Still, at least we know Kitty's teeth are still OK.

LTS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: mouldy
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 10:42 AM

In case you are squeamish, I will just call it "aspirating" - a syringe and a half full of proof that Tigger's white blood cells have been doing their job. She said that was about the equivalent of a half pint or so in humans. He's had a couple of shots, and they want to see him again on Monday, before I go away. She said it was an old (couple of weeks or so) wound (looked like a bite) that had become infected, and that he had probably licked and pulled the fur off himself to get at it. He had licked so hard that he had abraided the skin, which is now dead. The vet said the best thing is for it to crack open and drain even more.

It's about time that stupid cat of mine realised that he can't take on all comers now that he's 12! And I thought he's be cheaper than the dog! At least he's eating a bit now, and the bill at £38 could have been worse, I suppose.

Consequently not a lot has been done, although I have organised keys for the plumber and Peter so that they can hopefully get all the floorage stuff sorted while I am away.

I suppose I could get on with some ironing.....

Andrea

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 11:19 AM

Another squeam alert--

Yesterday, our outdoor-employee-kitteh Sam(antha) sought a cool, damp, shady spot to curl up in and go moribund. When it poured rainstorms last night and she didn't move to a dryer location, we moved her to a padded, dry, sheltered mat and encircled some of her wet fur loosely in a blankie, so she'd dry gradually and not freeze from evaporation.

She got off it in the night and is now missing.... probably took herself off to a spot we can't find... old smartypants.

Good thoughts are wanted to Hardi-- his employee.


(Squeam alert off)

OTOH-- she was catching and eating vermin just a few days ago, so maybe she will come back for the din-din she eschewed yesterday!

We don't think she got pyzened, BTW-- no interest in the water set beside her lair all day ydy.

Also BTW she's been helped before with exactly what mouldy just described-- and has not been asking for help. If she wanted us she would let us know...

~S~

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Eiseley
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 10:57 PM

I think there must be some odd signals coming from the cat planet or something. My kitty who is usually so kind and placid and friendly woke up four days ago afraid of everything and everyone. Instead of asking for her morning meal, she leapt out of the window and streaked who knows where. The next night she came in (finally) when I called and then growled at me and nipped under my son's bed. She would disappear during the day so I couldn't find her to take to the vet. I feared the worst---rabies or distemper or something. But then yesterday she seemed better and today she was back to her normal friendly self. Like I say, maybe there is some odd feline theta-ray coming from the sky.

Maybe we should all make our cats little tinfoil helmets.

Eiseley

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Jul 10 - 11:06 PM

My girlfriend told me she heard a news report which said road rage and other acts of anger are the worst during July with the heat exacerbating the already frayed nerves of drivers, etc. Perhaps it happens to pets/animals, too? I know my cats are really enjoying a lie down in the room with the a/c after a morning lounging in the sun and they usually won't even come in there when the a/c is on.

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:39 AM

Kitty sized Tin foil helmets.... sounds about right!

Cooler today and kitty is snoozing happily rather than rubbing his bum all over the monitor in a slightly distressing fashion...

Might actually get some decluttering done today. I live in hope!

LTS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: mouldy
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 04:54 AM

We had a good old thunderstorm yesterday evening, which cleared the air a bit.

His lordship is much happier today, and is eating a bit. He hasn't yet taken the hint that he is now not imprisoned, and the cat flap is unlocked. His problem is that he grumbles whenever you pick him up, so it's hard to tell if he's hurting a bit. Yesterday we were having real complaints, so he obviously wasn't happy. I did hear a cat fight late one night a couple of weeks back, and he was a bit antsi in the morning, so that was probably when he got bit. Trouble is, if he's fired up for a scrap he makes the same noises! His worst trait is his stoic attitude to pain. It must have been driving him mad to lick it over a few hours into such a state.

Wysiwyg, I hope your kitty comes back all safe!

Andrea

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 06:02 AM

Bad week for kitties... I knocked a pile of papers over and buried poor snoozing kitty.. He shot straight up like a polaris missile and ran off to sulk in the garden. Took an hour and a box of munchies to get him back in, but he's still very skittish.

LTS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 07:26 AM

I can't add to your cat stories - my last cat passed away last winter.

It was Poppy barking to alert me that I'd probably overslept my snooze alarm this early morning, and I had. Someone put their eBay auction of a platter just like the one that broke in my antique set to end at 5:25am. I sometimes will get up for the last few minutes and bid, I don't use any of the sniping software. But that snooze button didn't fire off and I slept through it, so the first and only bid, already there, got the platter for $5.99. Darn. I always make sure my auctions end during the waking hours - I figure I'll get more last minute bids that way.

I reclaimed my kitchen yesterday, so it looked okay when I went to bed last night. I'm still filtering the juice but for now it's in the fridge settling. Most of those pots and sieves were for juice for grape jelly. Next time I'll go with my friend's steam juicer. I like the darker color from cooking the fruit all together in a pan so the skins color it, but I really like the ease of steam juicing and not having to filter at all.

I mowed about 1/3 of the front yard yesterday, and I took the trimmer around to get the straggling tendrils of grass that grew over the curb along the entire front yard. I'll finish mowing today (it got hot so I just stopped). We had two solid weeks of rain that ended Sunday, during which time the yard grew wildly, and then the short-sighted code enforcement officer comes around and posts citation warnings on the house three days after the last rain. I'd have waited for that curb inspection after the next weekend and then all of this would have been gone as people got out after lawns had a reasonable chance to dry (it always amazes me how people down here will mow the same day it rains). There is no fine, just extreme annoyance at the anal tendencies of some of these minor bureaucrats.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 01:02 PM

Re: tinfoil, I always assumed our cats WERE the tinfoil helmets.

Re: papers surprising kittehs, I misread that to think it took a box of MATCHES to get it back...

Re: The amazing amount some of you are getting done. Goodonya. When F's condition warrants I'll even read all about it and cheer you on. Right now I'm busy in hell.


Now for the DAILY SQUEAM....

Re: Kitteh coming home safe, I don't think so.... I ran my hand over her on that mat and she jes' didn't feel right THEN. I don't believe she had the energy to drag herself off the mat. I think a fix or coyote took her... She was feral enough that actually, that would have been a good death for her-- quick.

SQUEAM OUT....

Love ya, gotta go--

~Susan

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 10:19 PM

Jeremiah and I went grocery shopping today and hit up the farmer's market yesterday. My fridge is now full of disgustingly healthy food. I wanted junk tonight. There isn't any to be found. A bowl of apricots did the trick. ;)

Michelle

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 10:24 PM

I never let my cats out because we have coyotes and foxes around here.

I'm using my laptop in the ER. My son had his gut pain again, and we got him to use the laxative in case it was constipation. After it worked the pain was still there, so his dad took him down to the ER. After several hours his pain has finished, and we're about set to head home. More later.

SRS

Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability
From: LilyFestre
Date: 15 Jul 10 - 11:04 PM

SRS.....good thoughts and prayers headed your way. I hope they were able to give your son some relief and that he's ok.

(((((Hugs))))))))

Michelle