Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST

Subject: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 09:48 AM

Wow. August already. It seems like I just got accustomed to writing "2012."

The push is on to finish summer activities while it is still summer. For a few of us, that will last through all of September, for others, the leaves may already be showing a little color.

Here's the July thread.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 12:10 PM

Decluttered bank account by paying bills. Since the refinance was managed a couple of weeks ago there is no mortgage payment this month - leaving that cash to draw down another bill.

We have a couple of really hot days forecast so my comings and goings will be be planned around being here to let the dogs in during the worst of the heat. I'm thinking that perhaps I should buy a window unit to put in the garage - even if it isn't insulated, it would keep the temperature down a few degrees. They're expensive to run so I'd have to put it on a timer to keep it for the most critical heat of the day. I see some as low as $100. It wouldn't be used more than a couple of months a year, but it could make a big difference in the comfort of the dogs if I'm not home to let them in the house.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 04:27 PM

We are still have a run of not-too-hot weather and last night's sound and light show included a down pour. While I sat here enjoying it tremendously, I also thought of those in the world who are in severe drought and feeling so grateful for the rain we get.

Yesterday was so exciting! My clay and the new wheel, ordered only on Friday, arrived in the mid afternoon! I was shocked, amazed and delighted. The nice truck driver - a huge transport on our little road - was clearly amused. I told him in my best fractured French that from now on I will just order things and wait for them to arrive - and not have to leave at all. Of course, this will not totally happen; I now need more food for the critters so a trip to Ormstown is imminent.

But how wonderful not to have to move the clay into the car and out of the car - delivered right into the studio so I could just put it away - organized for new usage by wheel. One wheel for dark clay, one for speckled beige and the new one for white only as that is what I use for the public so they are more apt to give it a try. I also bought a couple boxes of speckled white; the new wheel will be very easy to clean so I can use it for that also. Yes, I do have three wheels now. I offer people the opp to visit and use the wheel, or watch me so they can learn. No takers yet but I am prepared.

Realized an old piano bench will work better for the wheel so moved it to the studio. No piano, a city neighbour gave us the bench along with some other useful, and not useful, items. It was in a niche next to the dinner table. but not really being used. I will put a heavy plastic over it.

I completed my appointed task, yesterday, before touching the goodies. Another bag of clay thrown into bowls and other pieces. The previous day's work trimmed for drying. Then I unwrapped the beautiful 25 lb wheel that I can take anywhere! Arranged to do the Farmer's Market again this week and for electric so I can demo. Think I will do each Sat in August - the cottagers are good customers.

Today, I washed underwear and socks in the bathtub, then trimmed yesterday's production. A good kiln load drying to be bisqued tomorrow. R MIGHT come out tonight to make the electrical adjustment needed for the better kiln. But we think the other one will manage a bisque firing. I would LOVE to have some of these new pots glazed for Saturday.

Ordered ink for the printer. As I printed out pages of the eval of the hoped-for property, it indicated low ink so I STILL have not printed citizenship app! There is some in the city but it has become a personal challenge to see how little driving/gas consumption I can manage. I only ask R for one thing at a time. This week it is the kiln!

Before I got down to potting yesterday, I arranged a glaze prep area and found the various ingredients for the most needed one. It meant organizing some other stuff as well. Every little bit helps. Also giving careful consideration to gathering the needful things for demo on Saturday so I can both sell and get muddy.

Now waiting for new energy spurt so I can go out and use the new wheel. Two pots of green tea have not yet done it. Weather is hot-for-me. 60% chance of another storm tonight though you would not think it by the beautiful blue sky. No breeze yet.

I did use this low energy time to check on the web for stuff and complete an app for income supplement that has been knocking about for months. (I doubt my income is low enough to be eligible but....) Need more business cards for the weekend. Wonder if there is enough Blue to print out a sheet.

Ah, yes. The sun is lower in the sky. Sun came in the front windows today so I shall have to add close-the-drapes to the morning agenda.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 05:05 PM

The trouble is, I cannot really breathe adequately. Going outside to see if it is any better, or in the studio. I have just lost the afternoon!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 12 - 08:09 PM

Went out and did groceries with AC in car. Wonderful! Not bad outside with the mosquitoes but stultifying indoors. I have declared a holiday. I even forgot to go to the library this afternoon.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 12:52 AM

Dishes are piled in the sink, they'll get washed in the morning.

It has been a busy day, looks like it will be a busy week. And a very hot one - it hit 109 here today. I'm thinking about buying a small window air conditioning unit that I could put in the garage. It doesn't need to do more than cool it by 10 - 15 degrees to make it a lot more comfortable, but I would need to find a heavy-duty three-prong plug timer so I could set it up to start at a set time and turn off again if I'm at work. Those things are electricity hogs.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 04:28 AM

Yesterday I sorted the stuff from the now vanished wardrobe into cardboard boxes from Lidl and shoe boxes, and moved furniture in the spare room so I could finish the carpet tiles. For the last corner, under where the bed goes, I cheated and laid a piece which fitted, but with the pile going the wrong way - which shows. But won't again. I have two tiles left over for accidents.

Today, I moved furniture again, and then moved the folding bed from the main spare room to the little one, so I can get the joiner in to work out the wardrobe and shelves. And I've ordered a double futon for the other room, which will take about a fortnight to be delivered. It's a special base design, which opens to normal bed height.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 08:11 AM

By yesterday afternoon I was feeling a lot closer to normal, energy-wise. Got a couple things done that had been put off during the past week and a half.

Then had trouble getting to sleep. After waking a couple times, around 2:30 I just couldn't drop back off. Itchy, too. Not horrible, but a roving sporadic mild itchiness -- enough to keep me from going back to sleep. Tried reading and then got sidetracked making to-do lists. That must be the prednesone as the pharmacist warned.

Finally got back to sleep. Slept about an hour later than usual. Took the next dose of prednesone.

By late afternoon, the rash had simmered down a lot and the bumpiness on my face had disappeared. Meds obviously working, but hard to tell how long it will take to get back to normal.

Must have looked like a sunburn to people in the store -- nobody ran screaming.

Tom's actually getting his own breakfast this morning (a toasted English muffin). So I guess things are improving all around.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 10:52 AM

Prednisone is nasty stuff, Linn. Don't be surprised if there is a little weight gain, too. It does do the job, though, and that is good!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 12:15 PM

I've been using a predisone lotion on my hands for a couple of days, it's left over from my last poison ivy attack. Hoping it will help clear up some of the dermatitis. But this is speculative.

Sink dishes are fewer, but I'm out of dish soap. Must make a shopping list.

I'll be rifling household furniture in preparation for my son moving into a house with a room for him, instead of a dorm with a bed, a desk, and storage. One of these days we'll haul this stuff to that house and then hopefully I won't have to make this drive again for a couple of years. It's much easier to fly out to visit. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Aug 12 - 02:30 PM

It's only a total of six days -- 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1...done.

And it's working. The rash is still visible and feels...prickle itchy (mildly, sporadically and roving). Right now it's looking sort of like a mild sunburn and the bumpy things are gone from my face. Eyelids still feel slightly swollen and itchish.

I'm having the strange sensation of being very tired (sleepy and muscle tired) and slightly hyper. I've gotten things crossed off my list (that I made around 3 this morning when I couldn't sleep) AND a few things not on the list.

Now, I think, it might be time for a nap. I can't seem to stop sweating, though, which is very irritating to my rash. And I'm mildly dizzy.


Ah well, it's still looking up. I just wish I could plan a little as to how I might be feeling when. I just had to postpone, yet again, a proposed visit from two of Tom's high school classmates, one from Wolfeboro and the other from Boston. I just can't count on feeling social or being able to spiffify the house for company (especially since we'd be entertaining in our main living area which for the time being is Tom's bedroom and bathroom. Besides everything else I'll have to bring up some chairs from cellar storage. Should move the snow shovels (well, this IS New Hampshire!) from the deck to the cellar. Usually do that in July. ;-)

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 12 - 10:56 AM

I'm working on clearing up my hand contact dermatitis - productivity is down around the house when I have to put on gloves before I do anything. It particularly slows dish-washing. ;-/

Snow shovels. Something we never see down here, though there have been times when we've needed them. Usually time takes care of the pileup that you would have to wait months to clear on its own.

A list of books just came by email from my son. These are never cheap. Oy.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Aug 12 - 07:06 PM

Today I picked all the kayak gear out of the shed, scrubbed it up good and hung it out to dry. Pete helped by hosing off the kayaks. We both emptied the car. Tomorrow I am going kayaking with my Weight Watcher pals on the Susquehanna River. I am SO excited! It will be the first time since I got sick that I have been out. Two years. Man. That's just too long!

:) Michelle who is down 2.6 pounds this week!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Aug 12 - 07:29 PM

Really tired of feeling like doggie doo.

Slept well last night, despite the war going on in my body, but still needed a late morning nap. Finished a good, but annoying book; got the app for fuel assistance filled out, papers gathered, and mailed; took 2 bags of stuff to Goodwill; and Tom and me to The Press Room.

Still not feeling great and the meds are interfering with my taste, so Guinness REALLY didn't taste good -- gave my pint to Tom and let Ari choose something that might taste better considering my condition -- ended up with Rogue Dead Man. Tasty even though my taste buds are screwed. But we left before six anyway. I didn't even try to sing anything.

This is really annoying. Two more days of the prednesone. Hope my life gets back to what passes for normal SOON.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Jeri
Date: 03 Aug 12 - 07:40 PM

The allergic reaction can screw you up, Prednisone can screw you up, and this stupid heat isn't helping anything. The allergy and Prednisone are finite, though.

I'm just tired. Stayed a half-hour late last night and an hour tonight, and there's work on Monday. Project was supposed to end today. I also have a tall lawn to mow--there isnt that much grass there, but there are a couple black-eyed susans and some less attractive weeds, but ask my if I give a crap in this heat. I plan on sleeping until when-the-hell-ever tomorrow, and I hope you can do that too.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 10:59 AM

I've been feeling odd for the past few days, a bit dopey, and have had to miss seeing a friend I have to do a lot of driving to meet. Yesterday, I felt better, and had meeting set up for today, but now the feeling is back. I think I may have a bit of an idea what's up, as I've noticed that the bad days coincided with an unexplained jump in weight (not been eating more of anything excessively fattening), whereas the good couple of days were associated with a drop. My ankles are a bit swollen, as are my feet, so I suspect water retention, which I know can affect the brain as well as the ankles.

So I'm elevating my legs, wearing elasticated tubular bandage, drinking extra water, and working towards the dandelion coffee to see if that helps.

Not sure what brought it on - I had the problem on the cruise in the heat of the Mediterranean, and have had it before when it was helped by Chinese leg massage - but I'm not getting into their clutches again. The temperature in my house is about 75 F. Every now and then I get a smidgen of feeling internally hot (and that business was over long ago) but don't have a temperature when I do.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 11:02 AM

Just looked up natural diuretic foods - and I've been eating most of them in salads!

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 11:30 AM

I'll do some decluttering this weekend as I pull out possible furnishing pieces for my son to take away to college with him. He sounds interested in a office desk that I bought years ago to use around the house. Visualize two desk type table-tops, the larger of the two has the drawer that pulls out for office supplies. The smaller one also has a tray, for the keyboard, but it is a custom tray on sliders that I put on (picked up the pieces at the hardware store). There is a triangular metal desktop link that, when it is all assembled, means this desk fits in a corner and has a work surface on either side. We don't know how large his room will be, but all of this surface area (and if we play our cards right, I can possibly fabricate a hutch to put over one side of it) in one place. Storage underneath at the back as long as we leave leg room. Part of the desk is in use at his Dad's house (he has his computer on it) and part is at my house. I'll have to find the triangular bit and all of the nuts and bolts.

Instead of renting a trailer to haul a bed out there I'll buy the bed there (and the cost will be about the same but the drive will be a lot easier.)

Enough thinking out loud. I need to clear out a staging area so we can collect stuff to see if we have all he needs to take.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Jeri
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 12:08 PM

Most natural diuretics are fairly mild. I find green tea is a little more aggressive. Watch out for sodium, too.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 05:44 PM

A full day of kayaking and all the lugging of gear that goes with it. Absolutely stellar day.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 12 - 11:37 PM

Penny, I read somewhere recently that melons are a natural diuretic.

I'm glad you had a great day on the water, Michelle! I hope you got a few photos while you were out there, but will understand if your hands were so full that there wasn't an opportunity.

I cleaned up in the yard today - moved the brush from the top of the old compost (put it on the other side of the back fence) and shoveled the great finished compost from that pile on top of the other compost pile that is also finished. I'll have some great soil to work with this fall and next spring. I'm hoping that Zeke will decide that the old compost site is the next place to dig and I can fill in around the patio where he has put in a couple of major trenches.

There was a large native sunflower that I took down to make room in that bed for fall stuff. I have a couple of grape tomatoes to see if I can get some good sauce this year. The earlier ones were for general use and I diced most of them.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 12 - 12:57 PM

I'm going to drag a soaker hose through the old tomato patch to keep it alive until fall when it should set more fruit. It's too hot for hand watering now, unless I go dressed so I can hose myself down during the watering.

Packing up stuff for the kid - a big push that I hope results in no more long drives unless I want to. Flying and renting a car is much easier! He starts school in a couple of weeks. The summer just flew by!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 12 - 11:16 PM

Going in lots of directions today, accomplishing many small tasks. Dragging hoses because there is so much stuff in the garden so hand watering is less practical - I need everything to get a good soak since the root systems are large now.

Recycling, trash, dishes, laundry, the basics. When it's hot I don't feel like a lot of extra activity.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Aug 12 - 08:07 PM

I have a bunch of recorded books after renewing my library card yesterday. I'm going to clutter my mp3 player with some good mysteries!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Aug 12 - 09:30 PM

The newer kiln did get installed and works wonderfully well. What a nice change! I spent hours on line figuring out how to use it as it is "automatic" and unlike any I have ever seen. Some potters' threads and supply house web sites and eventually it was clear how simple it is. It was a shock to look at the control for the first time and realize I had just assumed a kiln is a kiln. I prefer a stick shift vehicle to automatic. Now I am entrusting my pots to an automatic kiln. So far so good. I cannot help wondering what I can do if it malfunctions --- far in the future, I hope. Or maybe never, or not in my life time. It looks brand new even though the company gave out in 1997.

So I had beautiful new pots for the market on Saturday and the newly mixed green glaze is perfect. I screwed up the burgundy due to lack of a gram scale. (I can tell it is not right as it should be a certain shade of green.) R has a collection of scales and may be able to find me one. Maybe I need to make friends with the local chemistry teacher. I need one to mix test glazes = after I order some missing ingredients.

Spent time looking for ingredients and not finding some essentials for the newbies I want to try. Have a plan to totally organize a new "materials area" on shelf units already in place but being used for variety of stuffs. Having all the materials in that one area would expedite matters.

Sat down to new wheel on Saturday morning at the market and -----oops! It turns the wrong direction. The supplier is closed on Saturdays in August. I thought there might be an adjustment but could not find one. Spent time on internet on Sunday investigating. It can be ordered cw or ccw but there is no indication on the box or the wheel of which it is so it seems to have simply turned out to be WRONG! Sent email to the supplier. I did manage to throw 8 small objects "left handed"! And sold some pots.

Drove all over on a wild goose chase after the market - looking for an auction in R's HOT truck on a dreadful hot day and finally has lunch at Subway about 4. In the process we found that property "B" was sold. NO plan "B". Then found out the man with whom we are hoping to partner on plan "A" is up in the James Bay area until 12 August. Double Arghhhh! (James Bay is up there somewhere near the Arctic Circle.

We went and walked back most of the length of the property anyway. R figures it is about a mile deep and 900 feet wide - why we need a partner. Great raccoon habitat!

WE got back to the cabin very hot and tired but had a decent supper and I went to bed about nine, sorry to be too late and too tired to attend the dance party at the cafe. And upset about the real estate situation.

Could not sleep Saturday night so I searched for and found a new supplement site and ordered needed stuff. It meant telling brain - if the site does not have Dr. Bronner's you can get it elsewhere - then I could move forward.

Today: cool and breezy, low humidity and I still did not feel like getting out of bed. I was so enjoying the sound of the wind in the trees, I made my tea and toast and just stayed in bed - for comfort - and read and internetted. After all, I am retired.

Got up and fed critters, communed with them and cleaned the cage. Finally decided I was not going to get anything done here so I took the 25 mile trip to the nearest large town/ branch of "my " bank and - got pics done and MAILED the citizenship app! Dropped off rent check on way. Made deposit and paid bills at the bank and bought a few groceries - good bread.

Stopped at the local grocery on the way home to find out WHEN they will start carrying the local meat. Sounds like about a month. So tomorrow will be a trip to butcher shop. Also look at a property near there that was on line a couple days ago. I am getting alerts from two sites for houses in the "area" as well as pottery wheels and kilns, though I guess I could cancel the latter two. They do interest me and are not often, so not time consuming.

Still lobbying for a washing machine but not too forcefully. R has too much on his plate.

Tomorrow, I will start a potting cycle again - throwing as much as I can, trimming the few I made on Saturday. And determining what I need to order.   

Need to package and mail - from the US - four mugs for raccoon guru who is having a fund raiser in Wisconsin. I tried to get the guys to walk on damp clay for a nifty paw print "plate" but they were more interested in digging in it so that did not work. Breaking thought! Maybe if I put a piece of thin fabric over the clay??? Tomorrow. Might work!

A glorious night for sleeping, and listening to the night sounds, My "day off" was productive.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 07 Aug 12 - 07:45 AM

I think yesterday I was still throwing off the effects of the allergy and the prednisone -- I had to absolutely force myself to do anything.

But I managed to fix the kitchen drawer (the front fell off) after I got home from paying the mortgage and doing a bit of shopping. I DID sort of take a nap late morning...or did I take a sort of nap?

At one point in the afternoon after taking out the kitchen compost, I decided it was such a nice day that, tired or not, I wanted to be out in it...productively. So I pulled some more thorn bushes and cut them up and bagged them to go out in today's trash. Then, while sitting on the deck with Tom (and I was so physically tired I could barely move), I started musing about getting rid of the burning bush (too big AND an invasive species) and so grabbed the hand pruner (of all things) and went back and started cutting. Amazing how much can be accomplished in just a few minutes, once you start. And then I walked back to the deck via the back of the flower bed under the hemlocks... Honest, I swear, all I was going to do was figure out the feasibility of cutting the branches that turned my full sun flower bed into full shade...

Sure enough, made a major dent and with a hand pruner, too, not the lopper or a tree saw.

Oh, and I wantonly murdered wasps that had set up housekeeping in the grill next to the deck. I'm still a bit pissed off at wasps.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 12 - 08:46 AM

Understood, Linn!

I got up this morning and cleaned up in the kitchen; Susie was going to stop by but I think she forgot. I'll see her this evening then, so I'll try to keep the counter clean until then. ;)

Kat, are you still getting out and driving? Andrea, what are you up to these days? Wandering the countryside now that you don't have to supervise workman at the house and yard any more? Maryanne, what's going on in your neck of the woods? We know Michelle is going full-tilt, as usual. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 07 Aug 12 - 07:18 PM

Is this extreme muscle fatigue and lack of stamina (I seem to have to force myself to do ANYthing; I have no energy) plus slight dizziness or lightheadedness still the after effects of both the meds allergy and prednisone?

My taste is back to normal, but I really could just sleep or read the day away if I'd let myself. I'm also sweating way more than I should be -- today was not that hot and a lot less humid than it's been.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 08 Aug 12 - 05:59 PM

I took today off. I went back to bed after I made breakfast for Tom and me. Read. Napped. Didn't do anything except finish the book.

Oh, I did harvest some basil so Tom could make pesto. And late this afternoon I went out to the car to bring in two bottles of fizzy water I bought yesterday and didn't have the energy to bring in.

I think I feel better.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 12 - 01:42 AM

How can you take a day off if you're retired? :)

I left the house looking pretty good this morning. Forgot to lock the back door, but the ex will be over to feed the pooches and will lock it after himself. I called, told him it was open but that I have three dogs guarding the door. He thought the idea of "guarding" is a bit of a stretch for this pack. They bark. That's it. There will be people coming and going all day long over there (mostly garden stuff) and the dogs know them all. They'll enjoy the company.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Aug 12 - 06:27 PM

What does "retired" mean?

I seem to have taken this week mostly "off" as far as pottery is concerned. But I have done some organizing and errands and exploring. Made the mistake of going into a fabric store yesterday. It was a fascinating warehouse sort of place with all manner of interesting, and not interesting, materials. I ended up back in a corner where there were left overs of all sorts and the staff gave me an amazing scrap of indescribable material. About the right size for a bureau cover. I told her I could put a piece of braid around the edges - that I bought about 20 years ago for ???? Then on the way out, I could not resist a half metre of a colourful striped material- suitable for a lawn chair or ????

So today, after the animal chores, I found my "notions" bin and brought it in. When I started sorting it out, I actually found this braid, still in the store's bag! Just the right length to do up a beautiful runner. I cleared about half the bin, washed some, threw out some and put the rest on the porch because the odour started to bother me.

Also mended a hammock for the critters and started a second one but ran out of steam.

OH, YAY! - RAINING!!!

So I have cleared space for glaze materials and sorted various items and cleared up long sitting there for no reason stuffs. And found out how to change the wiring in my new wheel to right handed, spent hours looking through properties on line and checked out a couple, did some groceries; the young lad at Super C came through for me! He talked to the bread manager and she ordered extra and there it was on the shelf - two for me and three for anyone else!

Had visit from neighbour, checked out wind turbine info, hand fed the guys grapes one at a time! They LOVE grapes. I usually just put them in their bowls but it was fun to interact. Speaking of interacting, they were delighted with their repaired hammock and were very helpful while I was putting it up! They are also enjoying the teeter-totter we added on the weekend. They are now large enough to make it rock.

Time to check out the musician at St. Isidore tonight. Maybe a good idea to go there rather than sit home and read the fourth book this week.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 12 - 02:36 AM

Emptied the truck of the stuff we loaded yesterday; tomorrow we'll see about a bed, a washer and dryer, a kitchen table and chairs, a microwave. The guys are chipping in, but I have the pickup and a couple of good thrift stores to head to.

Virtual decluttering has been effective this week.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Aug 12 - 07:50 AM

"Retired" only means that I don't have to venture forth to do battle with my stressful job of the past 4 years and a district manager trying to make things miserable for me so I'll disappear. A couple levels of stress removed so I can deal with the levels of stress around everything else I'm responsible for.

Tom is becoming more mobile (though still needing the living room to be his bedroom and bath) and may even start to take over some of his responsibilities soon but he'll still be visually impaired and unable to do a lot of what he used to.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 12 - 01:09 AM

It was a lot of driving but I'm back home after delivering my son to his university town again and getting him moved into the house he'll share with three others. They sound like nice computer-geek guys, with one nursing student in the mix. It was an expensive trip, the shift from dorm room to house, but hopefully I won't have to move any more of this stuff until two years pass.

We talked about some of the stuff here at the house that I'd like to unload - and some that is in his room that I'll ask him about because while I don't think he cares I'll feel better to get his okay.

I'll clean the truck in the morning. It's full of bottles and ice tea cups from fast food places. And the last stop at Dairy Queen in Abilene offered up a dose of road food revenge. I could feel my gut churning as I was a few miles from the house - and it still churns. I suspect they put packaged shredded lettuce on the grilled chicken sandwich. It is treated with something to keep it from wilting or turning brown. Something that doesn't agree with me.

A load of laundry is ready to go, work week starts tomorrow, and plans are in my head soon to be acted upon to clear out some of the extra furniture here. A futon or sofa couch will go, offering a way to rearrange some of the other kind of crowded furniture. And maybe I can get rid of an old CRT tube TV that my son doesn't use any more (was here for games only).

There might be Mudcat company rolling through town this week. Incentive to get things cleared up around here!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Aug 12 - 10:06 PM

Just realized I missed out on seeing Dean (Frogprince) and Judy. Darn. Time flies by even when I am not doing much.

The music at St. Isidore, after the open mike, was not to my liking. Phoned R and went on into city; I was half way. Unfortunately, did not have foresight to take the laundry so it continues to build. Did a few quick errands in the city in the am and got back to feed the critters, etc. Still fooled around with organizing stuffs. When it poured in the early eve, I cancelled my farm market date. It was supposed to rain and I was tired. Just did not feel like it.

Music at the cafe on Friday was ditto, but we hung in. It is, after all, a major social event.   

Saturday we went looking at a couple more properties and to a very poorly attended auction. R bought a couple table saws for a couple bucks each, a riding mower for $125 and purchased the lower part of a roll top desk for $25 from the man who bought it for $5! A lovely golden oak that has been partly painted - another rehab job. He has the top part. We left the machines at the "saw mill" which, barring, further catastrophes, he will own on Weds. We had to go back to the cabin for the truck as the desk did not fit in my car. The mower will stay at the auctioneers home until R can move it to the S.M.

It was nice to see the other "plan B" property is not yet sold. I could really see living there and with less difficulties than "A". We talked about it and R may also be leaning in that direction. House A is darkish inside and there is a great deal to deal with - barns, old greenhouses (5000 sf without glass), OLD tennis court, OLD swimming pool. It is a sort of fantasy. I would get caught up in wanting to restore it all. I console myself with the flowers outside - zillions of lovely daffodils and primrose and who knows what else, as the once were wonderful gardens needs serious cleaning up.

When we got back, the corn roast the auctioneer was having to thank faithful clients, was in swing. Live country music, folks dancing. BIG tent with wood dance floor and stage. Very cool! It poured rain but all was well. The band played on - until the corn was ready, then there was a feast. He provided the corn, people brought salads and desserts. There was no a soul there we knew, except our host, but we chatted with the volunteer fire fighter across from us. A fun day. An early night.

Sunday was a work day for R. He spent 12 hours writing two legal documents. I provided periodic food, editing and moral support. The critters provided good breaks. They enjoyed the corn we brought them. We enjoyed watching them get the idea of this new food.

Today, I managed to throw a dozen or so pots between animal chores and emails/FB/ etc.

Linn's definition of "retired" is good for me. I keep saying I am retired but I seem to always have things needing to be done. But not the stress of a frustrating job with a not so great person to deal with, no one to keep changing the rules and adding more useless paperwork. I AM retired. No matter how much there is to do. Most of the choices are mine.

Now, I will choose to go to bed with a book.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 12 - 11:29 AM

Must scramble to clear up the house - a couple of Mudcatters are coming by later in the week! Motivation really helps get the job done!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Aug 12 - 05:35 PM

A look back at my almost do nothing week notes a bunch of reorganized items and a sense of some accomplishment. Notions are gradually being washed, sorted and boxed into a clear plastic container with lid. A corner of the BR was cleared and the clothes closet better organized. Yesterday a dozen pots were thrown. And other chores completed as needed. Today, animal chores a little more thorough, dishes cleared, clay prepared for throwing but then too tired to throw, yesterday's pots not dry enough to trim. The weather continues to be heavy and damp as before the rain that does not come. A second pot of green tea today to deal with weather.

Been doing stuff all day but a lot of online time. Found I had yellow ink for printer and printed out the citizenship app so I can show the Canadian border officers; I am tired of being harassed and have put off going down to New York where I need to visit and get more vaccines for the animals and mail a package of four mugs to Wisconsin for a friend's fund raiser - SOON. That will declutter my poor brain which is heavy with these things needing to be done. Also copied an area map for in car use. We keep wearing them out.

Not to NY tomorrow because I expect R to be here for the final phase of purchasing the "saw mill", a very exciting event for us. Barring a glitch, we can celebrate - a new venue for our window manufacturer friend, for a pottery studio - on the main road, for storage of machinery, AND the removal of the collected stuff from here to there! YAY!! OK, it will declutter here and clutter there - but "there" is for him to deal with.

THEN, we can give serious consideration to the purchase of a country home - where my size nine feet will firmly stand against any clutter coming in the door - "take it to the sawmill!"

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 12 - 01:23 AM

I think the easiest way to get rid of the sofa bed in my son's room is to call the Salvation Army and have them pick it up. I offered the television in that room to his father - it's larger and possibly a bit newer (it was from a neighbor whose mother died in a nursing home and she didn't want to just leave it at the nursing home, so she gave it to my son for his video gaming.) It's an old CRT, but the ex has cable and doesn't care that he's way behind the times in his viewing. ;) My son isn't going to be using this room any time soon and by the time he finishes school, should he be back here, we can work out a much lighter and probably better monitor or television for his XBox and such.

So, once I know for sure the ex doesn't want the telly, I'll donate that also. Or take it to Goodwill - they sell them all, CRT or not.

Working on clearing out the hallway into the sun room and house, so I can welcome guests on Thursday. This is exciting!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 12 - 12:56 PM

We had a wonderful heavy rain overnight and it is much cooler today. At noon I'll take the dogs for a walk - usually if you don't get out before 8am it's already too hot. :)

I decluttered myself of the last two big credit card bills today. That's it. Now I have just the mortgage on the house (refinanced down to 3% for 15 years) and will become a saving machine to pay myself back and have cash available for large purchases instead of putting it on the card and paying it over a long time.

Laundry in, getting stuff moved around in the current guest room (my son's room because that has the newer larger bed). Have to sweep and mop in the rest of the house and clear off the kitchen table.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 15 Aug 12 - 01:13 PM

I crossed almost everything off my list yesterday...and even added a couple things that I accomplished so I could cross them off. (Somehow if I don't do that, I get to the end of the day and don't feel as if I've done anything.)

The one thing I didn't do was pull out the old magazines I plan to sell and then call the guy who buys them to set up an appointment. I do remember that they're not his preferred purchase (old movie magazines), but there are many years of Horticulture, so there is somewhat of a market.

Probably Archaeology and some film (not "movie") magazines, too.

Tom's dentist's office called early and rescheduled his denture followup to later this afternoon, so I was able to start dealing with the stacks of stuff on the bedroom floor. I was able to get over to the sagging built-in bookcase (the cause of all the piles on the floor) and better assess how to correct the situation. (Which will also deal with most of the books in those piles -- and encourage me to dispose of the others.) Still need to clear the way (and, fer-pete's-sake, keep it clear) to the closet...small bookcase...storage cubbyhole/linen closet. I need to figure out where is the best place to keep my 33+ 3-inch 3-ring binders with the chronological ephemera of Tom's and my life (and a defacto Press Room and sessions history) so I can easily work on them.

It's never done.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 12 - 10:47 PM

Office/reading glasses ordered, probably ready tomorrow. It will be nice to have a pair for computer and reading. The current pair is only mid-range for the screen so I sometimes have to take them off to see printed material on the desk in front of me.

Picking up around the house this evening and rearranging my son's room. Laundry is running. I've been clearing up in the kitchen, sipping a glass of cranberry juice while I work. Trying to be sure that no health-issue follow-up to the long drive over the weekend, like the last three long drives.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 12 - 11:00 AM

Cool day (relatively) today and it turns out we had probably 2-3 inches overnight the night before last. I'll be getting some weeding in on the weekend because the weeds will come out roots and all. Much of the summer weeding is very difficult because the ground is hard as cement.

Progress in clearing in my son's room. Washed throw rugs, swept and mopped. Small stuff, the rest will wait for the weekend.

Also this weekend I'm going to begin work on that chandelier to sell. There was an identical fixture with more commonplace prisms that sold for $650 after the listing ran for a couple of weeks. I may start at $750 - the prisms alone are worth $700 in the replacement marketplace, at $10 a pop (that's the lowest price after a lot of searching - most places sell those prisms for $16 - $20.)

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Aug 12 - 02:29 PM

I went for a walk with Jeremiah yesterday. I brought along his little bike which has a handle on the back for pushing in case he got tired. He insisted on walking along pushing his own bike...not interested in riding it yesterday. Walks are so much more fun with him being a little older...he notices everything and loves to tell me all about it and I love to hear it!!!! :)

Down a few more pounds this week.

Last night I hosted a Coping With Cancer/Survivors picnic for about 60 people (everyone brought a dish to pass). Despite our musician canceling at the last minute, a good time was had by all!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Aug 12 - 11:10 AM

Have to head for Portsmouth early today; Tom has another follow-up with Dr. Harvey to further tweak his new dentures.

So I haven't a lot of time to do much today -- still trying to beat the house and deck into submission for a visit on Sunday from several of Tom's high school classmates, one from Wolfeboro, NH and the other coming up from Boston. They've never been to our place and I don't want to shock them too much -- plus Tom is still camping out downstairs using our main living area as his bedroom and bathroom.

Spent time while Tom's physical therapist was here going through an accumulation of letters from the 1990s -- sorting out some information for my "calendar" (which is more of a series of chronological notes or diary) and other ephemera for my chronological binders. (It's not easy being German; makes me a compulsive archivist...or maybe it's "pack rat".)

But...afterwards I finished getting the snow shovels to the cellar, moved some stuff off the deck and leveled the area where the grill is and put the concrete pavers that had been stacked on the deck (in between uses) under the grill. Looks more "finished" (which is totally opposite everything else in the house and garden) and is probably more practical, too.

Tom's in the process of making the bacon for our early lunch BLTs -- got a couple tomatoes at a farm stand yesterday as ours aren't ripe yet.

Probably won't get much else accomplished before heading to Portsmouth. Then we'll have time to kill between Dr. Harvey and the Press Room session. Maybe I can drop the optical magazines off at my former place of employment...

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 12 - 10:56 PM

The bonus of having house guests is that you've had to clear up a bit so after company leaves the house is looking better than before. It's still awash with too much stuff, I have no "decor" style in place, I'm lucky to have cleared surfaces. :) It was a very nice visit.

There was some great sounding thunder and lightning this evening and a little rain. If I have time to get into the garden this weekend I'll be able to do some real weeding. It's time to start looking to the fall crops, plant broccoli, etc. I might have planted that earlier, but I don't want aphids and sometimes in warm weather they're a problem.

Laundry from the trip is finished, folded, put away, kitchen looking good, my office has a few extra stacks of paper moved in during the clearing up in other rooms so that needs sorting and tossing if needed. It's August in Texas so fall isn't here, but the quality of light is shifting now, we can tell that the heat will probably be finished in another six weeks. It isn't time to get out any fall clothes yet, but it's time to think about the clothes I'd like to wear and see if that will motivate me to lose some weight finally! I have a dress I'd love to wear to the holiday meeting in the library, but that would take a major push on my part. It could be done.

Tomorrow is the meeting of my high school reunion - I decided not to go. I have too many goals that involve not spending all of that money, and I didn't know many of the names in the list.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 12 - 10:50 AM

Started the day by walking the dogs - I took them over to the woods they love this morning. If this evening cools some we'll go for a walk around a few blocks - that walk will be more for me, but since I have to mow today, I didn't need to make the morning walk a cardiovascular exercise.

After a quick check-in at a couple of places I'll get out the mower. The grass is back tall and filled-out now that we've had several rains over the last couple of weeks. Sometimes I don't have to mow for a couple of months in the summer because it stops growing in the high heat/drought. Not this year.

How's everyone doing in their various eco-zones? How is your summer progressing?

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Aug 12 - 05:30 PM

I enjoyed reading most of the foregoing posts during vacay but never got enough 'net access to submit a comment. Keep up all the good work!

Upon return from vacay, I cleared my calendar Sept. 15 - Dec. 31, 2012 for a number of personal and traveling commitments. I will be available by email/cellphone. So my posting at the Cat will likely be increasingly sporadic.

Also upon return, I spontaneously began pitching items on sight that do NOT go with retirement... Hardi's internal retirement clock has not started ticking yet but mine has begun sounding regular alarms.

Thyroid meds continue very cool!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 12 - 10:50 PM

Welcome back, Susan. I hope you had a good vacation.

Rain rain rain today. I should have mowed in the morning after I walked the dogs - by noon it started and though there was a lull a while later, it has rained steadily ever since. Quite unusual for Texas in August! My grass is tall and is going to be a mess by the time it is dry enough to mow.

I made progress in the house today, cleared out some gardening tools inside the side door, then I was up and down to the attic to set up the television antennas. One was in place but I reworked the cable to one television in the kitchen and put up a second amplified antenna in the attic and ran it down to the computer. I am coming to the conclusion that the receiver in the television isn't very good - the signal reaches the other devices just fine. I have a load of laundry to put in then early to bed to listen to the rain as I go to sleep. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: ragdall
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 03:15 AM

I had to move a lot of partially full paint cans in the cupboard to find the white enamel Mr. rags needed for the deck railings. As I couldn't remember buying any of them and the last time I did any major interior painting was 20 years ago, while they were all spread out on the floor, I put them into my car instead of back into the cupboard. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diffuse/7801422356/ They had a lovely ride to the paint disposal/recycling depot. When I came home, I used the empty space to store tile left over from my recent shower project, decluttering my work bench in the process.

Thursday evening, just as I was ready to leave to join other nature club members for a walk, a noise in the back yard caught my attention. A trunk of a Mountain Ash beside my house had bent so far under the weight of this year's bumper crop of berries, that it decluttered itself. It cracked about 15 feet from the top and toppled onto my clothesline and bird feeders, still attached to the tree by a three inch long strip of bark. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diffuse/7799931690/ I skipped the walk to liberate the clothesline and bird feeders by cutting off as much of the dangling treetop as I could reach from an eight foot tall step ladder. Today I summoned the courage to climb the 20 foot long extension ladder and cut the remaining seven feet of trunk loose. http://www.flickr.com/photos/diffuse/7813134580/ I'd planned to saw the ragged top of the broken trunk straight across after the cutting the hanging piece free, but decided to climb down from the ladder while I was still in one piece, instead.

rags

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 07:54 AM

Since nothing in the line of straightening or cleaning got accomplished yesterday, have some frantic spiffification to work on before the arrival of two of Tom's high school classmates early this afternoon.

I don't want to scare them too much...

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 09:56 AM

Today is the official beginning of canning season here on the farm! YAHOO!!!

Also in line for today is laundry and yoga!

And something I'm really excited about? Everything we are having for meals today came directly from our own garden and our own meat!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 11:05 AM

Michelle, I really love making meals with all of my own ingredients and herbs. It sometimes seems almost magical that all of these different materials and flavors came out of the dirt in my yard.

Maryanne, I've trimmed small branches like that but this year the limbs were the size of regular trees, and since the tree they fell out of belonged to the next door neighbors, they paid a guy to come take them out. Now that I know about him if I need more tree work done I'll call him. A set on Flickr of the photos from this summer. If you're a friend on Flickr you can see them. Send me a PM here at Mudcat and send me your Flickr account so I can add you as a friend if you want to see them. I can also put them up in Opera for Kat to see if you don't have a Flickr account since I have a rarely used account there.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 12:46 PM

So far we have cut up enough tomatoes that they should cook down to about 5 quarts of sauce. I cut beans for quite some time, plenty for lunch and dinner and some left uncut for later in the week when I have LOADS more. We are experimenting with the corn on the cob...I'm going to roast 6 ears on the grill and boil the other 6 to see which we like best. The corn is so good right now that I don't think it will matter either way...it will be delicious!

And SRS, have you ever taken your herbs and put them in ice cube trays, filled each section with olive oil and popped them in the freezer for later use? I'm thinking of trying that.

I've also got what I need to make some sourdough starter...quick and easy (needed white flour..only had wheat here). I'm looking forward to that tangy smell and yummy bread later in the week or next week. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 01:50 PM

No oil in trays, but I have been pulling herb leaves off of the stem then putting them in good quality zip lock bags. I flatten the air out and pop them in the freezer - it's really remarkable. You have a few moments when you pull it out of the freezer to open the bag, crumble what you need into your dish, then close it and back into the freezer.

My garden is rather dormant until the fall cooler growing season kicks in. All of the rain we had yesterday should hurry it along.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: ragdall
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 04:57 PM

SRS,
The limbs that broke off are huge. Luckily, they seem to have missed your fence. I'm glad that I didn't have anything that size to deal with.

rags

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 12 - 11:19 PM

These missed the dogs also! It took a while for Mr. Malina to get over there to take all three out of the yard but he did come by to take the limbs down from the tree so they couldn't fall and crush the fence. My dogs got to where they were dashing in and out of the piles of brush like it was a new dog obstacle course.

I finished mowing the front and the back yards. I forgot to sweep until a few minutes ago so went out with the broom and made the motions along the street at the curb so hopefully there isn't too much for the code enforcement guys to grouse about. The grass is a lot easier to sweep once it is dried.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 20 Aug 12 - 01:50 PM

My harvest is paltry. first bag of potatoes has yielded six very nice small new potatoes, less weight than the seed potatoes put in. The slugs and snails are doing very well, crossing grit and gel barriers, ignoring pellest, and eating away merrily on bought in brassicas. Noting their liking for cruciferae, I bought a load of mustard green manure seeds, to give them a barrier they could eat so not reaching the crops. They don't like it!

Brambles are doing very well, and a few peaches are fattening up. The courgettes are growing like mad. Tomatoes scarce, and the outdoor ones have succumbed to blight. 'Taters, too.

Today I found a frog trapped in the old water tank, it being too deep and the water too far down for him to get out. I managed to sweep him into a bucket and tip him out on the garden - but I cannot work out how he got there. It's two foot tall. If he could climb up the fence onto the plastic chute for water and emulate Tom Daley, maybe, but it's the climbing I doubt.

My chief problem is in the kitchen - flour beetles - the red variety, since some fly. (The others are, apparently, confused.)I had them in the last kitchen, but thought that with cleaning things out and packaging well I might have left them behind. But no. They have demolished a pack of chocolate cake mix, some chocolate sprinkles, and the sauce mix inside packs of pasta and dried potato in my emergency stuff.

I've been heating flour and sieving it and packing it in sealed containers with bay leaves, and unopened packs inside double plastic bags with bay and clove oil. I have also been very naughtily spraying insecticide in the cupboards. And I am very tired of standing. The kitchen is floury, and the water heater switch has packed up.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Aug 12 - 02:43 PM

Morgan started third grade, today. We listened to THIS last week and decided it was a good song for starting school.

I am decompressing.:-) We've been keeping up with the usual chores, Rog doing the bulk of them. We did take a load to Goodwill...six bags of clothes, linene, etc. and a couple of boxes of books. Morgan did a good job, Friday, taking down his corner "tent" (old blankets and cothespins) and all of the stuff he had in it over the past month,

I tried walking the grocery store this weekend. Had to sit down half-way and wait for Rog to finish. My cousin & her husband will be stopping in for an hour or two, tomorrow, so we did a bit more than usual, yesterday, cleaning-wise.

I am enjoying reading along.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 12 - 03:16 PM

Oops. I was writing a response and accidentally closed the browser window.

Penny, have you tried putting the beetle-prone foods in the freezer? I put anything weevils might hit in the freezer. I think a few days is enough, but I usually leave things in until I need them. Be sure to wrap flour in plastic so it defrosts without absorbing water/condensation and gumming it up.

Kat, I saw a Yoga special on PBS (it's pledge drive) and it looked so healthful and peaceful. Are you still exercising?

During the pledge drive they play a variety of health programs - including lots of healthy eating tips. I'm using that as the reminder to move to the next phase of my food plan, adding more roughage and micro-nutrients. I've eliminated a number of foods that seemed to cause problems, and now I'm adding in those that are beneficial. Today at lunch I had a ham and bagel sandwich, but it was slathered with my homemade pickles and I also had an ear of corn and a few asparagus from the garden. I need to eat more of whatever is available and green.

Clearing my office of old papers and putting the ones I need where they belong as I prepare for the new school year. Clear surfaces and useful files - nice! I've figured out where to put up a small television in the office and use a splitter to run the antenna signal to my computer. The computer receiver is not very good, missing a lot of channels (it isn't a scanner type so I can't "rescan" to fix it), but the things I record most often (using the computer as a DVR) are on PBS, which comes in fine. And this will help make the office look better.

Today is lovely, another unusual summer day in August in the mid-80s! I'll take the dogs for a long walk this evening before dinner.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 09:31 AM

I'm now down a total of 20 pounds from the thyroid treatment. That Leptin Diet is awesome!

Ydy we got the scooter unloaded from the van's camping-mode loading and set it out for daily (maybe) scootering with Faulkner the Service Dog. The road is not really safe but whaddayagonna do? Orange flag aloft I will set out-- we piloted the safest routes by car already. It's great back exercise-- managing a hard-pulling dog and scootering on unlevel shoulders-- plus Faulkner insists.

While we prepped the place the scooter will sit we worked together to identify "purge-now" and "keep-for-now" stuff stored there. Between our stuff and some construction trash left by the landlord's crew, it's a van load headed to the dump-- and the van now has room, because the scooter is out of that until winter.

Estate matters left the Life Binder this week, for longterm (office) storage. A new "now-focus" item has been put into that tab. Chairside, their now also sits the HOTSTUFF clipboard I found in my mom's effects, with my own hot stuff (the week's priority notes).

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 09:34 AM

PS, 330.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 12:51 PM

My freezer is full of frozen food, so I can't use it on my woollens either, for moths.

Everything likely has been heated, and the little bugs have disappeared from stuff they were crawling on.

I've nearly gone through everything now, and hopefully killed the little ... beetles. Two plastic boxes of assorted foodstuffs to go. And the corner cupboard which I don't think has anything vulnerable in it, but it's another day's work. As I have to stay in for a delivery of a futon, and the electrician, who is replacing the timer switch for the water heater, which stopped yesterday, this won't be a problem.

My cupboards are beginning to look like an ad for sealable plastic boxes. (I can't get the original make over here, they have decided to stop their parties. Shame.) And everything in packets is now also in two layers of plastic bag, with a bay leaf and some clove oil in between the layers. Regular checking is to be instituted, so I catch them at the larval stage - which I have never seen.

The very odd thing about these pests is that they can only, apparently, eat milled grain, not whole grains. So what on earth were they eating before humans started milling flour? And how can they gnaw through packaging?

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 12:09 AM

I've been working on a newsletter all afternoon and evening, but I did have time to clear up the kitchen. Penny, you've been quite resourceful in dealing with your bugs, but what a lot of work!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 10:33 AM

I am mindful of all those criteria I laid out for choosing my next doc, about the practice philosophy and office vibe? It turned out time did not allow me to explore it before I landed there last month in great need. But they have been spoiling me ever since, which is how prayer often works for me. And which is why I have labs all ordered pre-physical, so that when I get there for the annual physical next week, the doc will already have fresh lab results to rock with that will allow another important thing to occur about a week later. Which is another example of life in this community-- if one is paying attention and if one gives good attention as one goes about in it.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 01:46 PM

Will your insurance pay for lab work you order yourself? It's good if they will, if you can be ahead of things. I usually manage to have a mammogram before my annual exam, but that's it (reminds me, I need to make an appointment). Need the bone density done again also.

Newsletter out the wazzoo today. It's looking good as it comes together, as long as I use the paragraph styles efficiently. I've watched and rewatched the Lynda.com "Up and Running with InDesign" so much they may be ready to send me a DVD to spare their streaming bandwidth! :)

I'm shifting my eating to more servings of produce at each meal, eating very little bread or other carbs. This gradual progression of changes makes the prospect of healthy eating easier because I'm not suddenly having to stop various things that I've always done. Only now am I actually beginning to look at calories as something that might be counted, but more importantly, simply eating more of the healthy stuff so I'm not feeling hungry and looking around for the non-healthy stuff. I did find some nice small peanut butter whole and grain fiber snack bars that I think will be my go-to treat when I need one. They're sold at Aldi.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: ragdall
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 05:47 PM

The end of summer is in sight and I'm realizing that I've accomplished little (none?) of the tasks that I'd put off to do "in the summer". I don't know where to start. As I look around me, I feel overwhelmed and confused. There is so much I could be/should be doing. When I do start something, I get little done before I get distracted and move on to something else.   

I bought a laptop nine days ago, ran into a snag making back up disks, and there it sits. I haven't found out if it works as it should. If I am not happy with it, I have only 5 days left to return it to the store. I guess that moves it to the "priority" list?

I spent a fair chunk of yesterday trying to install a chat on a message board used by a small number of 'catters. Something is preventing it from running. I've installed the latest Java on my computer, but it won't open. - Frustrating and time consuming. I've always been a "can do" person. This (and my other recent mess-ups)is undermining my confidence.

The shower I worked so hard on in May and June appears to be having some grout issues. It looks as if I'll have to remove the grout, grout again and hope that I get it right this time. I've discovered if I don't wear my glasses in the bathroom, I can't see the problem. It's almost as if it doesn't exist.

I'm trying to find an affordable printer to replace my husband's, which is malfunctioning. This morning I went to the basement to look for misplaced current tech store flyers, (that later turned up under other things beside my computer). While I was down there I decided to strip a cot in the spare room so that it could be folded and put away and my sewing machine rolled out where it could be used. One bed led to another, sheets, pillowslips and duvet covers are in the process of being washed and dried.

I remembered I wanted to look for something in storage under the stair landing. That required moving a number of rolled up area rugs that are waiting to be cleaned. Those are arranged at the bottom of the steps to be carried up to the deck along with the rug shampooer. Hopefully, I can spread them all out and clean them there before it rains. My old typewriter is not going back into the storage area. I wonder if it could be of use to anyone, or where/how it should be disposed of?

That was a couple of hours I'll never get back. All I have to show for it is a washer and a dryer full of clean bedding and another pile waiting to be washed. It's almost 3 pm. I need to go shower and get dressed. I hope I can remember to get back to the above tasks and not get distracted into yet another direction.

rags

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 08:33 PM

Summer is moving right along and we have had lovely cool weather out here. Even so cool one night I closed the windows and burned a bit of paper in the wood stove. But I am still preferring to sit and listen to the wind in the trees. Doing the farm market is exhausting but I manage to throw some small pots on my beautiful new wheel - now that R has changed the wiring to right-handed. So a full bisque firing yesterday and glazing today - took about three hours. Laundry is not critical yet. Still no washing machine but things were going so badly for R at work that I have quit asking. This month's crisis is weathered so maybe....

In a world so full of glitches where there is so much that can go wrong.... Oh the horror of it all but today was finally the closing on the property and we are very excited. He can start de-cluttering around the cabin by taking it to the mill. Also going to bring stuff down from the city and I am hoping this means he will be sorting and getting rid of some of the vast array.

I can harvest some horse tail for tea and bring some of the huge pile of wood chips to use for the animals instead of kitty litter.

We are planning a big do - October we hope - with music, an art show, my pottery and food - potluck? - and Fritz window/door display and who knows what else. I have been asking local folks for suggestions. There is tons of space indoors and out.

HAd a visit from our NYS friends on Sunday and they are very excited also. Then yesterday I went down to their place to pick up the vaccines for the guys. Need to get them well protected before release time in about 6 weeks. Will I miss them? We always will. Each one is such an individual and special. But like human children, they have to grow up and leave home to have their own homes, their own raccoon lives. We cannot protect them from predators, only from diseases.

I am still hoping for a country house.

I am not exactly a ball of fire but things are getting done. More glazing tomorrow and maybe throw some pots to start the next cycle. At least I will have a bunch of new stock for Saturday. I rather went a little off the wall glazing today. Hope they turn out OK. My theory is that there is always someone who will like it! And it was fun.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 09:19 PM

I spent this afternoon walking the trails at the Cornell Orinthology Lab Bird Sanctuary with Jeremiah. The trails are divine as is the bird watching. If you were to ask Jeremiah what he saw today, he would proudly tell you, "I saw duckies, turtles, a green heron, a dragonfly and an airplane." We saw the airplane after our lovely walk...it was parked at the end of a runway, waiting to take off...just a few miles south.

I am in awe watching Jeremiah grow and develop. Seeing him explore in the woods today was fascinating and good for my heart!

Love to Everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 08:24 AM

ragdall, I feel for you with the grouting - remember doing that job in my old place.

I've heard from Harvard about the image I wanted to put on the blind in my spare room. No go. It would cause too much distortion to the image. Drat. Still, I can draw and paint, so I'll get out my compasses and do my own. Which I have told them I will do, and that it will not be a copy. I told them how it would be used, and that it was only for private use, so I think they are a bit precious about it. Especially as it is all over the internet without attribution.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 10:16 AM

Rags, we've all been there. Start small, in one space you can tackle and finish. A drawer, a kitchen shelf, and work outward. MAKE A LIST and make the things on that list the steps, not the whole grand project, so you can cross them off as you finish them. You can find some very good affordable printers at frys.com, and newegg.com, but keep in mind that the least expensive need regular infusions of ink cartridges. I think we got my son's HP laser black toner printer for $165 at frys a year ago. Very reasonable, considering what they used to cost and the cartridge lasts quite a while.

I finished the newsletter around 1am. I worked 16 hours yesterday, so I'll probably take time off tomorrow. But it is finished!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 12:44 PM

I guess this counts as decluttering...

This morning I wanted to sort some papers I found last week (correspondence with an "international bawdiologist" and rugby song collector I used to know) into a binder that was in the guest room. So I grabbed a binder that I haven't looked at in so long that I forgotten what was in it. Letters -- both to and from me (I've always kept copies). Started reading the most recent ones -- 1980 to 1981. Then discovered the collection is from about 1970 (when I married my first husband) through mid-1981 when I moved in with Tom here in Nottingham. I just read several of my letters to friends after my first husband tried to kill me because I was leaving and he and I (of course!) split up at that point. I haven't seen him since they carried me out of the house on a stretcher. Needless to say, I'm in a kind of weird space right now -- but so very very glad I've been in such a loving marriage for the past 30 years.

The letter describing the events immediately preceding the split was from October 1980. describing the afternoon and night of September 24th. I had made the decision to leave him at the end of May (long story as to what made me finally do it), but when you live in a resort area (Kennebunkport), there's nowhere to go to (that you can afford) during the season. I'd planned to have some "going out of marriage" yard sales to fund both of us, but he wouldn't go along with that.

He ended up deciding (evidently) that if I was dead or a paraplegic I couldn't leave him. It made sense to him. (That's the scary part.)

So, I'm in kind of a weird mental space right now...not only being reminded of that time, but the time between my divorce and meeting Tom, and also the early months of Tom's and my relationship (including my hesitancy to make a commitment, etc.). A bunch of things I'd "forgotten" are swirling around in my brain right now.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 12:50 PM

My sister has a system of writing the jobs to do on slips of paper and putting them in a box, then taking one out at a time - doesn't work perfectly if the jobs need to be done in sequence. I'm doing this, but it keeps getting overwhelmed by things that must be done now. Like the beetles.

Yesterday, I had to stay in for a futon to be delivered, and managed to combine that with the electrician who had to come because the water heater timer had gone wrong. But the futon was only partly delivered, so I had to be in today. Fortunately, it arrived early.

Two days ago, I started to use up foods in my store. A "table cream" which is a milk pudding using carragheen to set it - it took overnight to set, and turned out to be much too sweet - it isn't going to be replaced. And fruit jellies (gelatine) which totally refused to set until I added extra gelatine, and even then it took much longer. I've added blackberries from the garden to it. It's going to be quite sloppy when broached.

That, and the discussion about using the freezer have led me to order a table top fridge. I keep seeing cookery programmes where th4e chef puts food into a nearly empty fridge - mine has no space for resting pastry, setting jellies, making ice-cubes or so on. It's going to be delivered tomorrow afternoon, and I am trying to get at the socket along the side of my vintage kitchenette (This sort of thing, but not in such good condition ). The image is of one in a similar position, but lacks the stacks of things on top, which I must move first before sliding a plug down on the right hand side.

The purchase has led to my varnishing a table from my parents' house which had somehow lost its first shiny indoors look, and having the varnish out sent me back to the bath side panel in the garage, which is now drying very slowly. I was hoping to put it back today. (That's two jobs off the slips completed, though.)

Yesterday I had a mainly produce meal - though not mine but a neighbour's from his allotment. Runner beans sliced into long shreds and treated as spaghetti with carbonara sauce and topped with tomatoes heated without oil or water.

I've been adjusting the carpet tiles in the bedroom, which seemed, despite my best endeavours, to be out of line. I still have more to lay, but that needs lots of furniture moving.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 12 - 10:52 PM

Linn, that must have been quite a remarkable reading session. Realizing where you were and how far you've come.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 06:18 AM

Linn, I can't imagine what re-reading all that has meant to you.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 08:12 AM

I was in an, uh, "interesting" space yesterday. Continued reading after supper, too.

Found all sorts of things -- notes from my then husband pleading with me to come back and talk to him (after the first time I left him, several years before I left for good), a letter from his mother saying she wouldn't pay the debts she said we incurred together (and he hadn't yet told her why he had a loan on the car she had given him), but wonderful, witty letters from friends I've lost touch with...or not. Description of a day kayaking out to the islands in Cape Porpoise harbor, a Maine Old Cemeteries Association (first trip completely on my own) meeting where I "fell in love" with an archaeologist and had an antiques dealer follow me home (not to mention found and did a rubbing of a slate stone carved by John Just Geyer), speaking engagements on woodstove safety that I'd almost forgotten I'd done, a Christmas Day walk on a rainy beach (Gooch's) sing loudly and scaring the gulls.

My head is pretty much aswirl in memories. I'm able, too, to put dates to events...my divorce, getting my driver's license, friends' weddings and children's births, where I was working, living, when I moved to Portsmouth, lost a contact lens after the first load was shlepped upstairs to my third floor apartment, the rumored Labor Day "tidal wave" that caused tourists to leave their meals without paying, etcet etcet.

I know there are several more caches of letters from my life before Tom, and I'm sure they'll rise to the surface one of these days. I also have a box of notebook journals from my pre-Kennebunkport mid-1970s that are really just too much to read through, though, in the past, I'd dipped into them for a few dates, a few films seen, and stuff like that.

Tom was having problems yesterday remembering what day of the week it was...I was having trouble remembering what DECADE I'm in!

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 09:45 AM

Dishes are done, laundry is in process, toys are about to all be picked up so I can vacuum. Jeremiah decided he wanted to go back to bed after breakfast so I'm off to take a quick shower (YAY!!! This means I don't have to wait until the middle of the afternoon!!!!). I've been busy selling things on a yard sale site and have a pick up of a rocking chair scheduled later this afternoon. :) Since the rocking chair is in storage and we have to go get it, I think maybe a nice walk this afternoon is in order!

Have a great day everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 12:17 PM

Linn, there was a rather toxic relationship that ended a number of years ago, and I found that it required a small ceremony to put it to rest. Fire is good. You may find that you need to keep these journals, but if there is stuff that really harks back to the bad guy then you might do well in a small pyre. Then bury the ashes and plant a pretty shrub over them. Or come up with something comparable. It really does help to see that fire and move forward.

Sinuses are on the rampage today. There is supposed to be weather moving in and I think the dairy (I've had some cottage cheese this week) needs to decrease.

Next week is the end of August and in the US we have a three day weekend for Labor Day. I'll probably take off Friday to make it a four day weekend and get to some of the jobs around the house that were put off when I was doing all of the moving-the-kid-to-college stuff. Is anyone doing anything special over the holiday? And for some of you, there may be early signs of fall. How is it looking in your area?

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 12:33 PM

Thanks for the advice, Maggie, but I've dealt with ALL of that years ago. It's just interesting to be reminded of what, exactly, went on in my life during that period -- and not all of it was bad.

No, I exorcised all that once and for all over twenty years ago. Right after I left him and divorced him and everything, I was way too busy getting on with my life and making up for what had held me back for the previous ten years.

Then when a passing incident involving a friend triggered it, I had a nice, neat, QUICK, Teutonic nervous breakdown when I could -- I was in a loving marriage and had a great support network of friends around me. And I could work through any guilt or other feelings I still had lingering over that first marriage -- such as all my reasons for marrying him in the first place (all the wrong reasons, but I had to take responsibility for them, understand them and accept them as part of growing up).

So this is just an interesting trip down memory lane and not a ghostly demon looming out of my past. The good memories triggered by reading these letters far outnumber any residual bad energy.

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bettynh
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 12:35 PM

I'm still sifting house contents and selling at yardsales. There's a room full since we had rain every Saturday for about 6 weeks (well, thunderstorms threatened, and it takes almost an hour to drag stuff back inside, so we cancelled.) I've been back to the 1900s with my grandmother, who saved every card and postcard she ever received. I'm saving one postcard: "Best Christmas wishes for you and your precious son." but sideways along the edge: "Arthur is dead. It was a sudden illness." What?? The writer was in upstate NH, and I doubt they were family. I have no idea who Arthur was. It makes me imagine a world with no internet, very local newspapers, and no phones. Meanwhile, a letter to Dad from his work buddies just after he left to be drafted - two killed in the the Cocoanut Grove fire the evening of the day he left. Four others were in the revolving door, but smashed their way out. Whew!

I'm having a disagreement with my son over canning jars. He thinks they're trash, I want to keep them, and they have food residue in them, which makes lugging them from the cellar a real chore. In any event, they have to be brought up and cleaned out. I'm pretty sure they;ll sell at a yardsale, especially since i still have rubbers for the all-glass two-piece kind (and they can be had through the net again).

I'm off to a shop that'll scan large size things to scan a couple newspapers from 1911 (HUGE gossip column, listing who visited who, and who got phones this week, with a list of numbers). They're just too fragile. I'll try to sell them at the yardsale and let someone else worry about fragmenting paper. The local historical society already has copies.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bettynh
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 12:38 PM

Oh, and the best part - after the sale tomorrow, we're heading to a (fairly) local restaurant/hall for a Leon Redbone concert! I haven't seen him since Fox Hollow, and I think my son will appreciate the guitar, at least (he alternately listens to rap and blues guitar, so it should be interesting).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 01:28 PM

Betty, the canning jars use a rubber coated lid now, but the old canning jars are very collectible. You should sell them on eBay and make more for them.

Don't throw away those old letters and post cards, they are also collectible. If you don't want to do something with them individually, sell them as a lot on eBay and someone else will happily sell them. Heck, I'll sell them! :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 12 - 09:36 PM

I hope this is a durable eBay search. Vintage mason canning jars are collectible. I have some my neighbor gave me. When I asked my canning guru about the jars with a star, there was a pause and then he said "you have star jars? Make sure you only use them for things you won't give away!"

Friday night, and I'm finishing a couple of things I need to send out so they're in place on Monday morning. I've had the computer doing a full backup since early afternoon. I think I'll end up leaving it on overnight, it is maybe at 40% complete right now. Once that backup is finished, I have a program to load that should make work easier. I've resisted adding the VPN software because it knocked out the OS on my last computer, but I think that was an anomaly. I'm playing it safe, though.

Speaking of eBay, I need to get back to my chandelier project. Over the past few days I was looking around for a thing that would let me hang the fixture from a hook and the top plate (that rests against the ceiling to cover the wiring hole) can be in place. A finial sort of thing. I think I have a jar or box of odds and ends that has such a piece of metal, otherwise I'll have to go buy a lamp finial that works that way. If I find it I'll post a photo so you can see what I'm talking about.

It's warm this evening and the cicadas are making a helluva racket. Getting business taken care of before fall comes.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bettynh
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 05:58 AM

The jars are mostly the bail wire two-piece glass. There are a very few blue ones. I know they're not trash, but I really can't be bothered with mailing them. Fpr awhile, the rubber sealing rings were completely unavailable, but now they'r available again online. They're not headed to the trash. The project is to empty them, clean them, and decide just how many to keep. I have several quarts of grape juice from last year still. They seal fine.

The postcards will be sold, too. I have several regular customers, since I have yardsales rather regularly. Greeting cards, too, sell, even if they're used. I'll keep just the one postcard, since it seems so iconic. The letters will be a winter project - I'll scan them to disk. Finding a buyer will probably be a bit of a chore. I have LOTS of old paper, and it's hard to predict what people will pay for (even when the price is very low). Mostly, they like to touch it and sift through it, which eventually does more damage than good. Today will be interesting - I expect a crowd deprived of sales by weather (both heat and rain) and lots of competition from sales held back by the same weather.

The scanning company was a failure. They scan oversize stuff (mostly blueprints), but they have a roller-feed machine, which will shred the old newspapers. I have to find someone with a large-scale flatbed scanner. It looks like there's one half-way up the state, in Laconia.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 07:52 AM

Betty, I have just bought a hand scanner which rolls over things. Th sort which looks like a square cross section stick. I'm intending to combine it with stitching software to make large images of old photographs. (google "scan and stitch software".) I haven't done the stitching yet, so can't report on quality, but the company whose software I have bought (Serif) does excellent panorama producing software, which must use the same sort of code. When you have your image at high res, you could get a printing company to print it out at whatever size you want, presumably.

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 11:35 AM

Pete brought me 27 pounds of tomatoes this morning which I have washed, chopped and they are now simmering on the stove. I imagine we'll have roughly 9 quarts of sauce from them later tonight. Dishes are done, kitchen is clean. Laundry is started.

Now, taking a short break.

Company arriving in 45 minutes for lunch.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 02:27 PM

Check with local libraries to see what they have as far as scanners. They might be able to help you out. And the prices of scanners has come way down. I love my Canon scanner I bought a few years ago - it's a standard size that will take care of a lot of stuff. There are special scanners now with the camera above and you set the item to be scanned on the bed and then save it in any number of formats. We have several at the university. They're not quite a sharp as the flatbed unless you tweak the settings, but it can be done. They're called KIC scanners.

Here's a view of one with a book mounted on a holder but usually items are set flat on the surface below the camera. Here's a little video from my library from when we first got them.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 06:13 PM

The fit come o'er me...

I came downstairs this morning, turned the radio on for Tom, got the phone for him and kissed him good morning. Went to the kitchen, turned on the light and fed the cat. Headed towards the computer and turned the coffee on (always set up the night before). Turned the computer on and looked around the room. That's when it hit me. Gotta do something and do it NOW about the miscellaneous piles of papers and folders with papers in them.

Did first-thing-in-the-morning computer stuff, then got a cup of coffee and took a pile o' papers upstairs to sort. Which I did (throwing most of them out). Came back downstairs to make breakfast for Tom. Ate. Took another pile o' stuff upstairs to sort. Gotta go through everything because there are SOME things that need to be saved (Oh! That's where that is!)


I threw out a mess o' papers. Then I came downstairs and checked out another batch I knew was probably going to be thrown out entirely and checked to make sure they didn't need to be shredded.

Did some Portsmouth Maritime Festival work and a few puttery things outside (like get the mail). Went back upstairs and threw out just about everything in a clear folder.

Now to get the kitchen sorted so I can make supper. It's been a VERY productive day!

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 12 - 07:11 PM

The front yard is mowed and I need to attack the back next. I'm about out of lawn mower gas so I'll shower after that and make a shopping run that includes dropping off some magazines at my local half price bookstore (and looking for some books my son needs) and dropping off my household recycling.

I spoke with a friend on facebook last night who is the son of old friends I'd lost touch with. He gave me their number and we just spent a couple of hours talking. Very nice to get back in touch again!

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 26 Aug 12 - 01:45 PM

I had all kinds of plans for today but my allergies are kicking my butt...especially my eyes...very red, itchy, burning and swollen. I'm staying put. Visine AC doesn't work for beans, just so you know.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 26 Aug 12 - 05:02 PM

I promised Tom I'd take it easy today. ;-)

Sorted (and threw out most) a lot of papers before breakfast. The weather is gorgeous, so we ate breakfast on the deck. Then I went and sorted some more. Again threw out a lot, but FOUND stuff I was looking for -- install discs for Adobe CS, OS10.4 (well, I wasn't looking for it, just wondering where it was), a 1952 employee handbook from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (sell!), another copy of a great photograph of Tom seated on a white Pan bench at the St. Gaudens memorial with me standing behind him (circa 1981), and output of a bunch of Australian songs.

Made a chocolate cake that bakes up floating in chocolate pudding and while it was in the oven, cut down a bunch of brush out back. Then went to the store. Came back and had some of that cake (with ice cream) out on the deck with Tom. Then just had to cut some more brush and hemlock branches. I'm looking forward to the flower bed that used to be full sun and has recently been full shade to be restored to full sun.

I'll harvest the basil tomorrow morning so Tom can make more pesto. We'll have leftover spaghetti with white clam sauce (and too much Romano) for supper tonight.

It's been a lovely, reasonably relaxing and yet very productive day. Tomorrow, too, I visit a friend who is threatening me with all sorts of stuff from her garden. (Oh, damn...;-) )

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 12 - 06:58 PM

The kitchen is a mess of piled up stuff. I have a box of peppers that were roasted at the store and when they're cool I'll freeze them them bag them later. I'm going to eat some tonight. :)

I've been feeling a bit like a bug is starting lately, achy, tired, fingers crossed this isn't related to the West Nile. Lots of times there are few if any symptoms. I did buy a small bat house to put up on the garage (I know it takes a while for them to discover it) but there is no better time than the present, and then I'll think about making a couple more. I found lots of directions online.

Spent money today but I won't have to spend more for other than bills for a while now. I'm stocked up on stuff I'd run out of.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Aug 12 - 07:30 PM

I hit some stupid button on this laptop and it shut down my browser just as i was finishing up a long post. I'll try to retype it, soon. My sisters, who are twins, just drove down for a visit. INteresting times.:-)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 12 - 11:41 PM

Well darn, I'd have liked to have read that!

Many of the Hatch chile peppers in the freezer, the rest in the fridge to be frozen tomorrow then bagged for using one at a time (I froze them while they were still warm a couple of years ago and they became solid bricks of a pound at a time). The kitchen is looking much better now and I'm finishing some office work. It wasn't my most productive weekend, but it wasn't a waste of time, either. The laundry is finished and all of the recycling stuff was taken over to the bins at city hall.

With more hours at work that means more time spent driving and less time for other things. I'll have to make the drive time more interesting - time for the recorded books.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 12 - 04:10 PM

Woke to a heavy rain again this morning. I have to remind myself that this is North Texas not North Puget Sound.

Countdown to payday to see how the plan plays out as far as shifting into a debt-free lifestyle. Except for the mortgage, and that is up for consideration - can I put that payment on a credit card (and pay off the card each month) in order to get the points? Research ahead.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 27 Aug 12 - 09:38 PM

Had a GYN/ONC check up today. He did some kind of test that he never did before and my insides feel like someone took a stiff bristled round hairbrush to them. FREAKING YOUCH.

Good news...I'm down 3 more pounds.

I'm hunting down my percocet..the test was over 5 hours ago and I'm still way ouchie.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 12:10 AM

What on earth was the test?

The dogs and I took a longer walk than we originally planned tonight. I got to the corner of the street we were going to take and there was a loose dog about half-way down the block. We trotted across the intersection and kept going and back home the long way round. Good exercise, though. With my three on leash and one loose it can be a real tangle if the other dog charges up to us.

Over the course of the summer I've cut out the calories of beer and wine, I don't eat chocolate foods, so I save the dollars that bought beer and wine and chocolate, and these are foods that seemed to be the worst of the dermatitis triggers. I've done everything except start losing weight. It's getting cooler soon, more favorable for longer walks and more exercise, so hopefully that is the next stage for me. It's not that much, but I know I'll have more energy once I get back to my old weight.

Looking forward to a productive autumn - amazing that September is almost here.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 06:25 AM

Some weeks ago I cleared a small area for watercress seeds. they don't actually need the water - last year I had a very good crop, and much better than buying the stuff, where most of it goes off before I can use it.

Up popped loads of seedlings of the right sort. As time went by I had a few doubts, Yesterday I hoed the lot down - not one plant of watercress, it was all one of our local weeds, hairy bittercress, which is obviously not an attractive addition to salads. fortunately, one plant has popped up from last year's planting, and given its habits of layering at speed, I should be OK.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 10:16 AM

I've never eaten watercress.

Off to photograph around the library today. We have been given a new charge in the planning process by our new Dean - which will include a lot of my photos as part of the exercise to grow our libraries for a Tier One university. We knew this was coming and now just have to see where we end up.

Dishes in the dishwasher so that I don't come home to a messy kitchen. I must do little things to pamper myself if I don't have the luxury of working at home as much - so I'll make the house more welcoming for when I come in.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Penny S.
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 10:36 AM

I've tried a plant called American Land Cress - have you tried that? Theoretically, watercress grows in running water, and is in my view, nicer. It's peppery in flavour, and full of vitamin C. (Also, if wild, possible liver fluke and assorted other nasties.) England used to have many watercress beds where there was abundant spring water to be diverted into gravel channels, and bunches would be sold in the street in London. Imagine Liza Doolittle crying out about the stuff instead of vilets.

We used to have a song in radio music lessons which went as in here,

http://www.mudcat.org/detail.cfm?messages__Message_ID=2643766

Penny

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 11:14 AM

Visited a friend yesterday and raided her garden -- a lovely day finished by catching up over a beer in the back flower garden with the koi in the pond with the fountain (that's the soundtrack), butterfly bush awash in both butterflies and birds, and several bird feeders attracting finches, cardinals, woodpeckers, a mess o' sparrows and a mourning dove.

She yanked up some perenniel herbs for my kitchen garden including cutting celery, which I'd only recently heard about. What a wonderful thing! It'll be fantastic to grow it and I hope to keep a plant inside, too, now that our home's winter climate is not dependent on wood heat.

So right now I've got an abundance of riches -- a number of varieties of heirloom tomatoes, lovely long beets (not round) and greens, patty pan and crook necked squash, RASPBERRIES, cucumbers, and some home canned rhubarb, blueberries and spaghetti sauce.

What a lovely day!

Linn

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Pistachio
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 12:47 PM

Hello there. A long time ago I joined this Declutter and Fitness thread - but then I guess I found facebook and have left Mudcat on a back burner. I've been computer bound today as I have just been diagnosed with shingles... and have just read through the last few days on here. Ladies, how inspiring it has been. I do need to clear (still) and I've got the plan in my mind for the remodelling of 'my' office! I work 2 days a week (when UK term starts again - 3rd Sep)and I've been out of the office for a week in Spain and then 10 days at festivals..... lucky me! Now I'm a bit down and running out of time! Oh - I've got taxes to do for Husband's business accounts - and the end of year collating too! AAArgh - I'm so good at avoiding what I need to face.

Seeing your varied suggestions of lists, slips of paper in a box, prioritising and focussing - I hope to submit this message and head upstairs to start that listing!       Thanks - for letting me vent here. I hope to return with some positive progress. PS I'm sure I had some weight to lose last time too - must confess I've probably gained! So, a bigger project beckons. I'll be back? Regards and congratulations to you on the various progress you're making. Hazel.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 12 - 03:33 PM

Pistachio, we combined the functionality of a couple of thread types a long time ago since the same people were participating in both thread series. One isn't obligated to gain weight in order to declutter!

Penny, when you mention it I remember hearing something about liver flukes. One of those badies in the water supply. When I was first a mountain climber we used to fill our bottles in any stream we came to. Now you wouldn't do that because of giardia (more about it).

I have to shift to getting to bed earlier and getting up earlier; getting to campus with the traffic after 8am is tough, so it might serve me well to get here at 7am. Awfully early, but it would make my day smoother.

Tonight I'm going to have to mow the lawn; I had hoped to start work on the chandelier, but with all of our rain I can't mow just once a week. Saturday it was mowed and it needs it again on Tuesday. Oy. When the grass gets very tall the house looks like no one in home and I don't want another break-in because the house looks like I'm out of town.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Aug 12 - 11:49 AM

This is a test. Oh goody. It looks as though I figured out why Dragon NaturallySpeaking was automatically muting my microphone. I haven't been posting much because I could use that program. So, in the next day or two when I have more time, I'll come back and post about a few of the things have been going on around here. One thing of note which I'm really happy about and so is my doctor, since the end of May I have lost over 20 pounds!

This is great I'm so happy to have the program working again. It's fun to sit here and dictate it. It's almost as though I'm speaking with you each one in person.

I will talk to y'all later,

kat

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Aug 12 - 05:31 PM

Good girl! 20 pounds is a great accomplishment! And I need to check out that program, I've always thought it sounded like a good idea.

I left the kitchen looking fairly sound when I headed out to the library today. Best I could do was make it easier for myself this afternoon. I'm going to start making soup or stew that I can bring for lunch. I'm not eating many sandwiches, to avoid the carbs, though I'll make a loaf of bread and put it in the freezer so I can occasionally make a PB&J.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Aug 12 - 06:58 PM

20 pounds sounds marvellous! I have not lost in spite of my best efforts, nor have I gained when making no efforts. I am not focusing on the annoying lack thereof for now.

As the season to sell pots is upon us, I need to focus on making and selling. I need to sell so I can afford to make more because I enjoy making them. And have been having some fun trying different glaze ideas. As soon as I come up with an accurate gram scale, I shall do some test samples of new ones. Next week I am in a big sale at a century farm. For those in the UK, that is modern! But here, a century farm is a big deal. I stopped by on Monday and she even has an outdoor bake oven. Apparently folks make the 45 mile trip from Montreal for this 20 year old event. I need to make more pots, as soon as the energy arrives.

Around Weds of last week, I inadvertently left the door to the cage open and six young raccoons went AWOL. Two were close by and I was able to return them to their rightful place. The other four were GONE! But last night at the raccoon time of night - about 10 pm - noises on the front porch, I opened the door and two guys walked right in. I picked up this huge arm-full and took them out to the pen, where the other two were on the roof. I managed to entice them into the pen with quantities of grapes. There was some arguing - the two who had had it to themselves did not like giving up their sole tenancy! But Mom left and the guys settled.

So glad to go to bed with all the kids safely home. Emailed R and my rehab friend with this great news. However, this morning two had dug their way out and were GONE. I hope they will be back. I really want them to have all their shots before they go on their great adventure. I need help with that so hope R will get here and at least the four will get shot up! These guys are not babies anymore; they are half grown raccoons but still young to be on their own. And still respectful of Mom. It is wonderful that they survived almost a week in the wild; a very good sign that they can make it.

Sunday we had Airbnb guests; after an evening of getting them settled, R and I went to the city, where I did laundry. I left at 9 am to visit the century farm and then went to the butcher on the way back to the cabin.   I came back and visited more on Monday as well as working on pots I threw on Saturday at the Farm market. They are staying at his city home for 3 nights. I also took pots on Sunday to the antique event nearby and sold a good bit and made good contacts and new ideas for marketing. I got home about 8 pm to find these folks in the driveway! SO I made super for the four of us, made up the bed, etc. I had not been sure they were going to show so I had not really done much to the house! But it was fine.

After our guests left, I settled into total exhaustion! I thought today would be better but animal chores, including cleaning up and making a new hammock out of a huge beach towel and then a trip to the library and dollar store. The rest of this day is on line, like yesterday - bare essentials. Posters for the "woolgathering" event, and other useful work.

It is still early eve and maybe I can convince myself to go get some work done.... Maybe.

Glad to hear there is rain in Texas!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Aug 12 - 07:28 PM

Oh, happiness! Went to top up the feed bowls and the two AWOL guys were waiting for me just outside the pen!!!! Like most kids who run away, they were happy to be home again. Banjo was VERY cuddlesome! And Ping was glad to be eating. These are the babies of the crew so I am very glad they are home. AND I made sure they cannot dig out again.

I am going to have an early night and hope tomorrow is a big potting day.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 29 Aug 12 - 11:14 PM

Kat,

   That is GREAT!!!!!!! Congratulations on your 20 pound loss!!! I believe that calls for the....


********************HAPPY DANCE********************

Way to go!!!

XOXOXOXXO

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:03 AM

I've been putting things in the freezer all summer and tonight decided I needed to pull it all out for a while and defrost. A box with newspaper in the bottom and lined with thick towels, a cooler, and working fast allowed me to finish in about 45 minutes (very little that was in there would even get soft in that time).

I used the hair dryer on high. I always am so happy to see the shiny shelves and bright inside, and to be able to arrange the contents by groups. I have gallon bags of veggies in the bottom pull-out bin and a shelf of meat (I'd lost track of some of the cuts of meat in there so now it's all in sight); a shelf with flour, grains, etc. a couple of shelves of smaller and older bags of veggies. I have a lot of frozen tomatoes and my Lidia's summer simmered sauce (tomatoes and eggplant, onions, basil).

The basil in the garden is robust right now after a lot of rain so I'll pick and freeze a bunch of that this weekend. I dry some also, but I find the dried is very good for some things and it's still a bright green.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 01:43 PM

Took a peek in the freezer this morning - it's lovely, and all of those buckets of water and ice that I poured down the drain translate to more space in the compartment. I KNEW I had packages of de-boned leg of lamb (I buy the boned leg and cut it up into smaller portions, I never cook the entire thing as one roast). They'd gotten buried under stuff. Now I can use that with my Swiss chard and make my favorite spinach dish (I substitute chard) that has bite-size pieces of lamb, spices, chard, pine nuts, served over rice and yogurt spooned over the top as a sauce. Mmmmm!

I froze a pack of "sandwich thins" - those slim buns that work for sandwiches without feeling like a hamburger bun and not nearly as much bread as a typical sandwich from sliced bread has. I can try making them, but I'd have to do something with a bread recipe - my roll recipe comes out to big and fluffy.

Exercise this weekend - I have to mow the entire yard. That's quite a workout after we've had a lot of rain.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 05:38 PM

Good day! threw about 40 small pots, put elastic on waists of two pairs of work pants and decided two in that pile - only because I don't like them - could go to thrift shop. So, I have a bag of stuff to take on Saturday after the market, and a box of books.

Kids are happy with their new hammock and a wooden box and enjoy that I replaced the feeding "pipe" which they keep finding ways to undo. Maybe I have it in place this time - tied to the fencing with square knots. Cuddlesome sweeties will be getting parvo shots on weekend - a two person chore.

Also made some more "brown sugar softeners" - maple leaves with my logo stamped on them. Packaged in zip bags with my card, instructions in two languages... Ah, marketing! Not my forte so I am grateful for the suggestion. My "advisor" told me to sell them for $5 instead of $2 but R and I agreed on $4. And $2 for the small ones. We'll see. They are $4.49 on line! I suspect my other prices are low also. Maybe that is a task for next week - before the big craft sale that brings city folks to the country. Better do some research on line.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 30 Aug 12 - 08:49 PM

Surprised myself and lost 4 pounds this week!!! YAY!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 01:51 PM

Earlier this week I installed a VPN program (a secure connection) but the computer was running so slow when that wasn't logged on. It seemed to have shifted the route that the browsers followed to connect to the Internet and I found some troubleshooting remarks that said the bottleneck was in the upload speed. True. The only thing I have been able to do to partially fix it was to do a System Restore to before I installed the VPN, but some of the settings seem to have stayed. More work later, but what a way to kill a day off, fooling with the computer!

Lots to do this weekend, I don't have a list right now, but I'll make one and cross things off. That's the only way to tackle all of this and feel like I'm making progress.

SRS

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: LilyFestre
Date: 31 Aug 12 - 09:04 PM

Went for a walk with Jeremiah today and did quite a bit of grocery shopping. The fridge was looking mighty bare....probably why I lost 4 pounds!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fittness ** 2012/ AUGUST
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 12 - 01:51 AM

Here is the September 2012 thread.