Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!

Subject: Summer 2014 Exercise right to declutter
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 14 - 02:38 PM

The previous season's thread has taken us from the awful cold winter of 2014 to the possibly odd summer of 2014. Onions are stunted here, different weeds and pests are showing up. Perhaps the weather gave them the toehold they needed.

The house is much better than a few years ago when these threads were started. I still miss seeing Kat's contributions and knowing that even if she wasn't writing much she was reading along.

Households are losing occupants these days. The sad loss of Linn's husband Tom, the inevitable moving out of my youngest as he moves to Seattle to work after graduation from college. My oldest still lives nearby and has a major stash of stuff at my house, so the default guest room is now my son's former room. With these changes comes a shift in how things work and why things were positioned where they were. There will probably be a lot of "aha!" moments this summer.

Susan is packing and moving to a future retirement home in Ohio, I'm sure there will be many more adventures. Dorothy is always in a state of motion and I think another move is due soon (if I've read the posts correctly). Michelle never slows down, and Alice and Maryanne are in the background somewhere puttering. I hope they drop in occasionally! Andrea was doing all of the building a while ago and shifted to a garden project - how is it progressing?

There is lots to report if people come in for a cool-down and fill us in. That's what this is right now, a pause in the weekend mowing after I tuned up the mower (at least I added a new spark plug and sharpened the blade).

Charmion, Eliza, Claire M, Q, and a few unnamed guests stopped by last quarter. Let's see how far we can move these declutter projects and how much weight we can lose (those who need to) in this most productive and energetic time of year (north of the equator, in case there are some Southern Hemisphere readers still).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 14 - 02:42 PM

I forgot to mention that Liz the Squeak used to participate here and I see she's back posting to the 'cat. I hope she'll tell us all about the work in her garden, how many kittens she has re-homed (a special kind of declutter work!) and of course, how are the tits in the back garden.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,MAG at library
Date: 01 Jun 14 - 03:13 PM

so busy de-cluttering the yard of weeds i haven't had much time to de-clutter anything else. (including following the 'Cat.)
did switch out the cold weather clothes from the warmer weather clothes but don't seem to have decluttered them that much, except for being actually folded and put into drawers.
can't find my guitar stand which makes me lazy about diddling a bit. ouch. can't find my cake carrier, which limits what i can take to potlucks.
I schedule committee meetings at my house specifically so i must periodically shovel. that doesn't necessarily declutter.
oops; i forgot; i replaced my busted shredder and have been going through (um dee um) boxes of paper.

happy halfway-between equinox-and-solstice, everybody.

MA

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Jun 14 - 10:01 PM

Today was not a great day. Seems as if my body exacts some kind of punishment for having a lovely day (yesterday). Didn't get to bed last night until 1 a.m. (Too much fun...but only two glasses of wine). A cramp in my thigh rudely awoke me at 5:30. Sigh. Faded by 8 and napped. Woke up for lunch, some computerification, and the cats teaming up to majorly annoy me. Sigh. Took another nap, so absolutely nothing accomplished today except for finishing a book, feeling a little bit better, and talking to a friend.

Tomorrow I'm going to a memoir writers group at the Portsmouth library and then ordering the composting toilet, since I talked to my handyman on Friday and he can do the floor, too. And maybe the plumbing (outside faucets) since my plumber is not returning my phone calls.

Yesterday was a truly lovely day. Actually started Friday night with an exceptional Press Room session which included some old friends I haven't seen for awhile, nine fiddles, a bit of opera, and banjo bookends. After emailing everyone the information I'd promised the night before, I did yard work. Yard work is double duty. I'm not only getting the necessary Spring work done (lots of leaf schlepage, raking the leaves out of flower beds and the driveway, filling and planting the pots on the deck, moving rocks and pe gravel around), but trying to get back into shape. I need to find time to start slow but START walking again. Anyway, yesterday I spent a lot of time mixing planting mix (the sandy loam I have in a pile, peat moss, and bagged garden soil), filling the rest of the deck planters, moving large flat rocks into place and grooming the path up the bank through the rockery.

Then I made sure I was tick-free and changed clothes to go see a friend's band playing Greek and Turkish music in Portsmouth. And THAT was a lovely evening at a table with more friends, listening to the music and watching both the Greek dancers, but the belly dancer during the "intermission".

So it was basically a good weekend despite today's lack of sleep and general malaise.

Should be a somewhat productive week -- appointment to get Medicare worked out on Tuesday, oil change for the car on Wednesday, and Jeri and I are going to see "Malificent" on Thursday. Should have time for progress on a couple other fronts as well.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 12:04 AM

Peat moss is a sterile medium so don't use too much - your soil is best when there is a lot of biological activity. Get some compost mixed in, or some of those leaves and whatever humus you have on the forest floor.

I overdid this weekend, but especially today. I've been pushing to catch up in the yard after the extra week away last month. I'm getting there, but for now, the front and back have been mowed, I did all of the edging out front, and I did a lot of weeding in the vegetable gardens. I sharpened the mower blade this morning and that makes a big difference.

Maryanne, I know where my cake carrier is, but I've been trying for ages to replace my egg slicer. You know the kind with wires to slice anything on the base (shaped like a mushroom but that also fits the egg)? No one seems to carry them now. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 09:08 AM

Ayuh, I do that. Dried leaf mulch, too, is in the bottom of the deck pots. And I've got plenty of compost. It's just that the loam that I bought years ago is so dense with sand that I have to put peat moss in it to loosen it up or it will smother.

The previous load of loam (alas, from many, many years ago) was wonderful. Got it from a pig farmer. Rich, black, had to watch out for the occasional shard of glass, but otherwise it was gold. But the pig farmer had died by the time I needed more. This load (which has been sitting around for way too long) was a disappointment. HAS to be blended with organic matter or it's lethal. But because it has to be mixed, it's lasting forever. Nothing's perfect, I guess...

Checking out the memoir writers group this morning...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,#
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 09:55 AM

"Exercise the right to declutter!"

Better exercise the left also, else one's muscular symmetry will get all out of whack.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 12:09 PM

City:
I have had not-enough-energy-to-do-anything days even in my 20's so I know they will happen. Still do not like it but... When the body, and mind, say "REST!" we really need to pay heed. Cutting the grass last week really was much and again I have forgotten the scythe as well as the rake, etc. Darn!

Came back to city last night as R had to be back in city to get things done - many business crises. "Why?" is a futile question. So I found the energy to trim pots - the few I did on Sat as I demo'ed at a friend's shop to attract customers and those lids and a few bowls. Hopefully, when I go back on Tuesday, things will be dry enough to match lids to little jars and finish filling the kiln for a bisque firing. The jars have been taking up a shelf for a few months while I got up the energy to make darn lids! So this will de-clutter most of a shelf!

Terrific music at cafe on Fri. The demo on Sat was fun. A block of the main street was closed from 11 am to about 4 pm. Durham County Poets played for a while - so terrific! There were things for kids and a plant exchange, and more. Not as many people as I would have expected, however, those who attended enjoyed. R and I had lunch in town then went back to the mill. We phoned friends in NYS re visit but not a good day - they had 5 dogs with diarrhea! Maybe from beef bones?

I wanted to go visit nearby friends but R got into reading an 1882 book, still saying he needed to go to the city. Read the whole book and it was too late so ... I accomplished nothing but computering. Too tired to do anything else but the visit would have been nice.

Sun morn, we slept in and I made breakfast and we went through the "need to go to the city" routine. He had been going on Sat after breakfast but ended up enjoying the street fair instead. Sun, he read some more, did a few other things and hooked up a hose so I have water near the kitchen and I won't have to keep filling jugs in town. We drove a short distance to a neighbouring farmer to pay him for work done. R spent some time visiting with him and obtained info re spraying. This man owns hundreds of acres and will let us know before he sprays - Round up!!! He does not think the aerial spraying will be close by so as long as I am in the city or stay away from the areas being sprayed, I should be OK. So this was a useful visit.

I was so stressed by R's not going to the city routine that after he finally left - about 2:30 - I took a few hours to dredge up the energy for trimming. I finally got started after 6 pm and finished at 8:45, packed up and got to town at 10:15. R came home at midnight - after I phoned to tell him what time it was, then went to bed.

That trimming was hard work! Woke up this morning aching. R left before breakfast - about 8:15 so I took hot bath and am still in recovery.

My cell phone died on Friday so I have to go deal with that - very high stress for me, seems I just got this one in the fall? Groceries need to be bought and maybe I can finish that grass. Maybe I can pack up more non-essentials here in prep for the move to the apt.

I was not looking forward to yet another move but I thought it would be nice to have a decent place to live - a newly reno'ed apt. The last time I looked at it, with R, he has had fire engine red tile put as the back splash; it literally hurts my eyes. So much for having a decent place to live. It is the ugliest K I have ever seen - shiny black cabinets, beautiful bamboo counter - but very little counter- badly designed beyond all belief and ugly.   

"We're not going to be living there." DUHH! Even two months in that horror would be too long and I dread how long it might take for prima donna Bruno to do the work on the house - with R needing him here and there for something else. It could have been really beautiful. ..... Sitting here in despair contemplating packing a suitcase... Wondering what will happen when we - it had better be "we" - plan the new K for here. How much more am I willing to put up with? This life is exhausting and stressful.

Well, this gives new meaning to that line, "And the only reason I'm hanging around is to find out that the heck is going to happen next!" (Arkansas Hard Luck Story)

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 12:21 PM

Having contemplated what I just wrote, I believe the best plan is to refuse to move into that mess and just stay at the mill. I want to be supportive of R but that does not mean being a door mat and that is what I am if he does not consult with me about a place in which we will be living - even for a few months.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 02:56 PM

I vote with you on this, Dorothy. Tell R he's outnumbered. :)

After dinner last night I took a couple of aspirin to head off the stiffness I knew I'd feel this morning, but at midnight I got up and took a couple of motrin because I could feel my feet trying to cramp up. I drank more water also. Even though I drank fluid yesterday I was still a bit dehydrated. I keep bottles of Gatorade-like drinks around for this kind of weather and drank one of those also. Welcome, summer.

The yard was looking lovely this morning when I left.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Jun 14 - 09:36 AM

City:
When I get cramping in feet/legs, I realize magnesium is needed. Take a 1/4t mag citrate "Calm" which I really need to take daily to counteract the effect of choc which, although it says it contains mag it would seem not to be sufficient or perhaps not available. Too much sugar may also increase need for mag; I am still considering this.
OH my, SRS, So glad YOUR yard looks lovely!

I did not finish yard yesterday as I needed to go deal with phone: Drove to mall and the young man took the battery out put it back and told me "It wasn't turned on." I felt a bit "duh" even though I had tried to turn it on several times. When I got home, it was off and no amount of take it out and put it in and turn it on.... Back to the mall today on way to mill...

On way back from mall, stopped to do groceries and took them home and unloaded - frozen stuff/hot day - then went to another store for the stuff I had not been able to get. Oh! Air conditioning in car does not seem to be working!!! Not good! Stop at garage on way to mill...

Watched the end of "my" cooking program where he used quinoa and there were a couple interesting dishes - chick pea curry and tahini salad dressing. Went on line to get recipes, checked a couple clay sites and copied some useful info. Deleted emails, etc.

Watched the news while supping and went to folk dancing, last of season. My legs got stiff; I suspect re-action to working on wheel on Sunday. Left a little early and could hardly walk when I got home! Better this morning, thankfully! My body is aging in spite of my best efforts!

Managed to get the recycling and trash out in time; have not been here on Tuesday for a couple weeks so it was important. R got a call at 6 am and had to rush out so I was awake but may have dozed and got up about 8 to take the nux vomica which seems to be making a difference.

Did online bill payment after a furious phone call to one card company which changed "payment due date"; after a call months ago when it was supposed to have been changed to "after the third because my money comes on the third" - oh yes no problem! So, this morning I go to pay it and it was due yesterday - Furious phone call; dumb woman who kept repeating the same thing until "I don't CARE when the statement is dated. All I care about is the payment due date. You are wasting my time..." And finally, "And I have a few more words you do not want to hear, Good bye" Click! Let's see how long it lasts this time before I go through the same thing. The bills are paid.

Time for bf and go to mill, by way of mall and garage, to plant and go to group -and remember to bring the tools back this time, she says hopefully.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 14 - 01:06 PM

I'm doing some of my gardening in the morning before heading to the office and today I trimmed the tops off the onions in a couple of beds. They'd been knocked over like something walked through the garden - this morning I found a lot of pill bugs or "rolypoly" bugs, so after trimming I hand-watered and then went through and sprinkled some Sluggo Plus. It's an organic product for snails and slugs and the spinosad in the small pellets kills the pillbugs. I think they've been weakening my onions. The onions I trimmed I left 4-5" of the green on top to see if that will do as someone suggested here recently and let the bulb grow more and not lose the top entirely.

I cut up the green tops and they're spread out on cookie sheets to see how they turn out dry. I suppose I could have put them in the freezer to freeze dry them. I'll see how they look when I get home and maybe finish the process in the freezer.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 10:10 AM

The onions looked good yesterday evening and I slid them into the freezer. It dawns on me now that that isn't a frost free freezer so the moisture won't be sucked out. I'll transfer them to smaller pans that fit in the frost free side-by-side freezer later today and that should pull the moisture out so I can bag them and not have to keep them in the freezer. They'll be big green bits of onion that I can use in salads or topping on pizzas, etc.

No news on the car repair yet. A co-worker described a long wait for an out of town repair a couple of years ago (in her case, a dead CPU - yes, cars have computers). It's unusual for me to have to go through this but at least it isn't unheard of. We're almost at the end of the third week of waiting.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,MAG
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 01:32 PM

i don't see my handle above; is my cookie gone again or something?

I saw malificent yesterday, in 3-D AND IMAX. i am spoiled forever. and an intelligent reimagining of the story. enjy. tell me what you think.
i have/had a depression in the front yard right next to the planting strip where the previous owner had some plumbing done. i had hoped to make a rain garden there, but just can't afford the retrofitting it requires, so am making (another) bed in the front yard. i have no shortage of good loam, as the stretch of backyard the previous owner used as a dog run has many inches of it. the dog has been gone for 3 years, so it is supposed to be safe to use. most of the volume is from years of leaf mulch. when i moved in 30 months agoi started digging back there, in order to put in the ground covers i brought with me, and discovered that about 6 inches down the whole space was covered in pebbled rock. the nice white marbley kind. so, bo ground covers there. the plants are still in large pots which are in a line down my front sidewalk. the neighbors like them, thank goodness. in digging the stuff out (ouch?) i have discovered a trail of round pathway stones that lead nowhere. as i used up the newspapers i had been saving to line the new bed the living room has been looking better. I left the hose in one of my large raised boxes, and yesterday found a baby slug on it, so have plastered everything with Sluggo. i knew they were here and there, as i see the trails.didn't think they were in the boxes; silly me. i also have put down a lot of diatomaceous earth, as something, i think ants keeps taking the seeds i put in.

u notice how i would much rather play in the dirt than clean the house>

yhank you for listening ...

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 02:39 PM

MAG, are you typing this on a phone? It takes forever, doesn't it? It sounds like some interesting challenges and discoveries in the yard. I love the idea of pebbles and pavers back there that you can move around.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 02:58 PM

nope; i'm on the 'puter - i'm just a lousy/lazy typist.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 07:16 PM

City:
Stopped to deal with phone yesterday on way to country. At the mall: may be battery, may be phone; we have no batteries here and cannot check. There are batteries at AN.

AN shopping centre is almost back home again, a pain to park near and walk several blocks. They had NO batteries and I ended up with a new phone although the old one was only 7 months old. It is going on 2 pm by the time I get out of there.

Stopped and made appointment re car air, stopped and visited with folks and picked up newspaper. Near 4 when I got to mill and finished loading the kiln, broke 3 of the new lids, turned the kiln on and off at intervals to dry the rest of pots well enough, went to writers' group and back to mill. Repeated the short-term heating process a couple more times before bedtime. Spent a great deal of time trying to figure out phone, spent about 45 futile minutes trying to get customer service, ended up with a page of questions. Customer service is definitely an oxymoron.

This morning, grateful for a good rain yesterday,I planted some more seedlings and pea seeds and four basil. Put a monarda outside the box. They spread so vigorously in PA, it was horrendous; prob not so much in colder clime but I was not taking any chances. Washed about half the dishes and rushed off to car repair. Got a ride into the town, rec'd $ for a couple sold pots, chatted with a few people, decided to walk back to garage. Long walk, sore feet, got to a point by the river and realized I could have shortened the trip considerably by taking a more rural route - through a field and some high reeds but a third as far.

Air works now!

Back to city with sore feet, a change of shoes helped. Stopped for bread and cheese to eat on way. Went directly to AN with phone and list of questions. Got all accomplished and took notes - except blue tooth connection. Walked back to car and returned with blue tooth. YAY! Now I know how and can add R's phone to it also so he can use it when driving my car.

Got back to my car, on a quiet residential street, and a man told me he enjoyed my bumper stickers. We talked about how to remove the faded ones; I have several new ones to put on but removal is a pain. THEN we talked about music and musicians we each know; he had recognized me from events... Then I started back to house, calling R to see if we can do dinner out. Still waiting to see. Deleted 80 or so emails and watched part of the news, put groceries away and ---I'm hungry!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 11:30 PM

The car is ready but it doesn't sound to me like the repair is complete. I think there was a smashed sensor (I spoke with a dealer near my home today and got a lucid answer - finally) and I'll have it replaced when I get it home. I can get home, but if the sensor blinks out, the car defaults to third gear so there could be some slower driving to keep the RPMs in the proper range.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Jun 14 - 05:30 PM

City:
Good luck getting home, SRS. It always feel better!

R came home too late to go out so we had the fallback - packaged ravioli and sauce. And bed! Something got him up this morning and I woke up enough to make breakfast but the break in "routine" caused me to forget to move the car - ticket, oh well. I had gone up for a hot bath and R came back in late am - too late re parking.

Two loads of laundry, changing of the bedding, washing of dishes and not much else. emails deleted, search done and results of possibly available NYS rehabbers sent to a guy in Brooklyn who is determined to rescue a small raccoon. Most rehabbers are overwhelmed by now!

Also tried researching for a cookbook combining diabetes and vegetarian - simple recipes, not exotic.... for a friend. Gave up since I have no idea what constitutes a diabetic diet! Need to research that first; I might even need it someday. But to look at a book means a trip to a bookstore or bigger library - English!; cannot tell what is in a book without opening the cover!

Watching the news - and computering. May even make it to restaurant tonight.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,#
Date: 05 Jun 14 - 06:25 PM

Dorothy, give this a read.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,msg
Date: 05 Jun 14 - 07:32 PM

test, to see if i am reinstated

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 01:06 AM

I was away for 13 hours, most of it driving. The car runs, it was a horribly expensive repair, and I think they diddled the transmission to make it work with the flawed sensor. I'm not sure how they would do that, but the RPMs are pretty high now and it runs rough when it idles. I need to get Chevy to check out this "repair." My mileage wasn't as good on the way home, not by a long shot. It was up to 40mpg on the way out, never got above about 29 on the way back (I reset the calculator to get a measurement without reference to previous numbers).

Laundry is in, dogs are in, I'm headed to bed. I had to wind down after a lot of iced tea on the road.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 11:32 AM

I'm working a compressed week this summer. The last couple of weeks haven't been typical because I was trying to position myself to retrieve the car without taking more vacation time. I accomplished that. Now I'll work Monday through Thursday and have a three day weekend. I'll try to make good use of that time.

Is anyone still working on special diets, exercise plans, yoga, physical therapy, any other physical fitness activity? Andrea, are you still doing the belly dance? I think I finally have the disruptive stuff behind me so I'm going to go back to the alternate day fasting (for any new lurkers, more information here, the plan I'm using is about 38 minutes into the program that originally appeared in the UK as part of the science program Horizon).

The yard work and dog walking is still the preferred exercise for me.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: MAG
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 02:59 PM

'cat down?
decluttered the backyard of a lot of wild geraniums, which i think are cute, but gardening friends said to pull tout suite, as they are a prolific weed.
lots of space to put in crocosmia, a new hosta, and what she calls "native viola".
hope this goes.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 03:59 PM

There's a new server that still gets a few tweaks, but it has been a lot more reliable for the last couple of weeks.

A friend at work called to offer me a case of Mason jars. They were apparently decorated for something and no longer needed, and he has seen all of my facebook photos of canned goods. I can wash off paint before I can with them. Every donation helps - I give away jars with the reminder to return it if they get a chance. A new infusion is always helpful. A neighbor gave me a box full that had a couple of really old jars that I don't use for canning - the star jars are on the counter in view. ;-)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 10:04 PM

This has to be short and sweet as my battery is dying....so...

1. My house is chaos...will be working on that tomorrow.
2. I have been invited to be part of a yard sale next weekend so purging and pricing will keep me busy this week. Goodbye baby toys....
3. I have been working on losing weight through Weight Watchers for the last 3 weeks. I am feeling motivated and am doing well. :)

Love to all!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 14 - 11:23 PM

Good work, Michelle!

And that offer wasn't one case, it was four cases of quart Mason jars. The lids and rings had never been used, they're still packaged. Someone bought them and wrapped the jars in construction paper to decorate tables. I'll undecorate them, run them through the dishwasher, and have them ready to go for pickles and whatever this summer.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jun 14 - 10:03 AM

Exciting news in the yard this morning, Cinnamon incessantly barking was at the edge of the "Invisible Fence" boundary barking at a large red-earred slider that was turned on its back and all tucked deep into the shell. I went back to the house to get the camera then released it into the creek. I'm wondering how it go over or under the fence.

More running to do with the transmission today, then back to the house and yard projects. Mowing, laundry, etc.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 07 Jun 14 - 12:26 PM

Will you post photos on FB?   I love turtles!!! So glad you were able to lend a helping hand!

I am happy to report that this day is off to a good start....dishes are done (except for some silverware), kitchen, hallway, bathroom and living room floors have been swept. Pete is going to unclog the vaccuum so I can do that. Later this afternoon I'm headed into the bathroom to do some major scrubbing. We have hard water and while the stains DO come up, it takes a LOT of elbow grease but it's time. :)

Michelle who is also putting things away as she goes.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 02:11 AM

It turns out that the hole made by the turtle coming into the yard was the hole that Zeke enlarged to exit. When we realized we hadn't seen him for a while and started looking he'd been out of the yard for a couple of hours. They can travel so far sometimes! It took putting up signs at a couple of main intersections and someone saw him and called. He was hot and stinky - I think he'd been in the creek, possibly in people's compost. He had a bath, as did Cinnamon. Poppy seems to have hurt herself, she protests when I try to look - I think maybe she tried to follow Zeke and got poked on the fence wire. Watching her closely and a trip to the vet on Monday if needed.

What a day.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 10:25 AM

I washed two of the dogs last night and that seems to have liberated all of the loose hair. What didn't end up in the tub is now floating around the house. Time to break out the vacuum.

We have a rainy morning, very welcome. I did mean to mow the lawn today, but now that things are hopefully settling after all of the car stuff it'll be easy to get back to a normal schedule. I'll be mowing in the cooler mornings now that summer has fully arrived.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 10:35 AM

We were all up early this morning and are all raring to go! I am in my sewing room for the day while Jeremiah and Daddy are out in the garden. Photosensitive meds mean I spend time in the garden after 7pm. However, later today we are headed to one of our favorite fishing holes so there will be no gardening for me tonight. Last night I planted lettuce and cilantro seeds and then filled 10 pots with flowers and one with rosemary. I did this in the moonlight..I was alone and it was so peaceful....could have stayed there all night.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 01:50 PM

I was decidedly down yesterday. I knew I was having trouble with even thinking about Monday...it's my birthday and it will be the first in 34 years that I won't be sharing with Tom. But I wasn't expecting the mood to show up so early...

A friend was having a...well, what would you call it? A remembrance potluck gathering marking the first anniversary of his wife's death. I almost called him and begged off, but then I figured socializing might help improve my mood. So I went but explained and said if it didn't work, I'd leave rather than dampen anyone else's spirits.

But it worked. Good friends, good conversation, good food... And then late in the afternoon we got singing. A friend who had a stroke five years ago just starting to sing again, and she sang a few. A couple more friends were there -- two guitars and two bazoukis. A woman who had heard me sing Mary Garvey's "Cannery Shed" ("Stella") at one of the Fourth of July gatherings at Demmon's Store in West Nottingham requested it, so I fulfilled her wishes. (And did "Astoria's Bar" a bit later. Thanks, Mary, for some wonderful songs -- I tell everyone who wrote them, where you live, and how similar the fishing industry out in your neck of the woods is to ours here in New England.) After just about everyone left, we moved into the house (from the screened porch) and ended up singing until almost 11. Not bad considering I had planned to leave between 5 and 6...

I think I've finally gotten everything that had to be done by this month done -- wrapped the list up by registering the car and getting it inspected, and then spending an hour and a half on the phone getting enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. (Argh!!!) Now the only things that have deadlines are PMFF stuff. (i.e. "normal" annual deadlines, not all the bureaucratic stuff I've had to accomplish in the past months when I've been least able to cope with all of it.)

Then after that was all done on Thursday, Jeri and I went to see "Maleficent" (not in 3-D or anything). I NEEDED some entertainment (and magic) at that point!

Heading across the river to Maine in a little while to go to see Judy Cook in a house concert in York. And maybe stop at the Weathervane for some calamari on the way home.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 04:29 PM

Country:

Thank you to Guest for that good web site. I found it interesting and passed it along.
Not in a get-things-done- state. Either it needs to rain or the lack of nux vomica since Fri (forgot it in the city) is affecting my well-being. I did spend this morning sorting and organizing/re-organizing, pulled some weeds before bf. Ran out of steam at lunchtime. Filling the time reading and computering. Went to studio to try to generate energy but it has left town!

SRS reminds me of why I stopped by second hand cars. When I realized how much I had spent on repairs plus the current one was "making that noise again" at 4 pm on FRi when I had to leave for a month in PA on Sunday; my wonderful mechanic got me through it but I bought a new car that day for when I returned. I bought the cheapest new car - a Metro - but it did me well for 6 years and then a new one for another 6 (would have been longer but I had an inappropriate meeting with an SUV) and then my Scion since 2005 - I love it!

R and I spent most of yesterday going - an hour - to a pot luck for those involved in a craft show in Sept. met a few people, arranged where I would set up, paid and picked up PR materials. The 22nd year for this show on an old farm - like a step back in time. It seems in the middle of no where but close enough to a major N/S route that Montrealers can prob get there in less than an hour and, of course, love their trip to the country.

Then we drove back on a side road and looked at things, stopped at the country butcher, saw properties for sale - way too far. Wonderful visit with a couple who live right above Trout River where is is shallow and makes lovely noise over the rocks.

A quick salad dinner and R had to go back to the city to deal with more crises. He had managed to ignore his phone all day. He had a good day and now went to pay the piper. No point in me going, he will be working til... for a couple days. It is like cutting off the heads of the Hydra.

Then I wrote an email to the friends in NYS as I had called them in the am and then forgot them. This time, they really were ready for a visit.

Ad and friends put on a terrific Down East show on Friday and there were a number of Newfies on hand to clap and sing along. A grand time!

Well, I shall feel good about what I have accomplished so far today - found my summer clothes at last! I am trying to get all winter things in similar bins, beddings and curtains/drapes in certain ones, fabrics in other ones. Someday.... I WILL get some sewing done.

Do we realize how much stuff we have when it is nicely put away in a home? So far I have six mid-sized bins of winter and more yet to pack. And still have not found my winter jacket!

Realized that I am really only starting to be where I could have been last July if I had not gotten sick. The fields have not been sprayed yet. We are hoping the heads up, from our neighbour, will enable us to be elsewhere and the nux vomica will help me deal with any aftermath.

Really need/want to get a glaze firing in so I have new stuff for the Market on Sat. Outdoors is hot, heavy, damp. Hope...

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 07:07 PM

Dorothy, you're right about second hand cars, but in all fairness I think this one was on the fritz because of the road hazard I hit. Linn, that sounds like a great evening, maybe something to keep in mind in the future when you want to exorcise an anniversary. Michelle, your garden sounds magical!

The mason jars are all un-decorated and have been through the dishwasher and are back in their boxes. They'll get washed again before canning, but I won't have the extra work with it.

This evening I took a mix of some Bt in water and a small syringe (no needle, just the syringe) and with a little paring knife cut some slits into the side of a couple of squash plants that have been attacked by a boring worm. And I also injected some into the otherwise healthy plants nearby. Protection against future incursions, I hope. I picked three squash and I have four in the fridge that I bought a few days ago. The dogs will get those cut up in their dinner dish.

I think the volunteers I transplanted from the compost are burpless cucumbers from last year. I'll be clearing some more bed space and putting up a climbing structure for them in the next week or so. I have seeds in pots still too small to transplant for zucchini and a few other plants. And before any of that, I need to mow the yard.

This evening I took a party tray with a wire mesh lid to my next door neighbor. Along with the mason jars the friend handed me three melamine trays that each has a bowl (like for dip and chips) with the cover, great for out of doors. They have a wonderful patio they use for entertaining and I don't need three of these. She mowed my lawn for me while I was away, and that was a huge help, so this was a way of saying thank you.

I took a nap today, another long one that I probably shouldn't have, it might keep me awake tonight. I need to go get some exercise.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 14 - 09:11 PM

The mosquitoes are active so I didn't mow the front tonight, I'll wait till morning. In the back yard I did mow under a couple of trees and cleaned and refilled the dog tubs.

Doing more laundry - this time stuff that came back from Arizona with my son. His blankets, a winter jacket, things he might want to take when he moves to start his new job later this summer.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 12:53 PM

Heavy thunderstorm this morning at dawn, no mowing the front yard this morning. The car is in the shop, hoping they can sort out the electronics and sensors as they are situated now. It was drizzling when I got there so I walked the few blocks home rather than wait for the shuttle. Michelle, heads up - this storm is one of those that is sweeping east and north, probably headed your way in the next couple of days.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 01:07 PM

Yep.....we are supposed to get hit on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's gray here today and somewhat humid. Ick. I picked up two beautiful red dahlias that are covered with blossoms. Also, 60 chicks arrived in the mail this morning. Twenty five are meat birds which is something new for us. Eight are to raise to laying age for a friend who will then trade us a baby beef calf for the chicks. I should be doing something productive but all I want to do today is sleep.   *yawn*

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 02:20 PM

Just came to the conclusion that I'm NOT going to get the cream cheese/rhubarb bars made today. Or much else "useful".

On the other hand, I've been very much enjoying lying in bed and rereading previous years' birthday threads started by Curmudgeon and the thread from when I broke my arm in December of 2007 and it snowed at least once every three days for over a month. Wallowed in the comfort and caring of those no longer with us...Tom, katlaughing, Barry Finn.

On my way to meet Jeri at Newick's for my birthday ten bucks off, I'll stop at the liquor store and get some Grand Marnier or some other orange liqueur (since I used my last on a mess o' strawberries) and on the way home I'll pick up some flowers. I need flowers...

Bittersweet day...but I am, truly, okay. Just another "first" in a year of firsts...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jun 14 - 09:05 PM

I'm glad those threads were there, bittersweet as they are. So many people to miss, but so glad to have had them in our lives.

This evening I mowed the front lawn. There are some soft spots and it'll need mowing again in a couple of days after all of the rain. Looks good right this moment.

The car was pronounced to be fit and not showing signs of why the transmission failed right after I hit that road hazard. It means there will be no reimbursement from the insurance for the cost. It's paid for, but things will be tight for a little while. So what's new. . . It took a small bag of fresh garden produce - an onion and some peppers - over to the mechanic. He was very patient with all of my questions today.

In addition to the mowing I'm going to get a little exercise with the dogs. They need out of the yard (the right way this time!) and if Poppy is showing too much of a tendency to limp I'll leave her home in the house (so her barking doesn't disturb the neighbors).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Jun 14 - 06:27 AM

No good day goes unpunished...

Woke up at 2:30 a.m. Tried to get back to sleep several times (with and without reading by flashlight in between). Didn't work.

Finally said to hell with it, turned on the light and started doing something useful. Organized a couple things and then catalogued my DVDs, so I can make a digital list.

And NOW (6:24 a.m.), I'm going back to bed...HOPING to fall asleep. (Or the day will be a total loss.) Wish me luck.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Jun 14 - 02:56 PM

I have far too much stuff..toys and clothes for Jeremiah, in particular. I have been sorting and sorting..who is going to come help me get all this stuff downstairs??? And tomorrow will be a day full of pricing...Good grief...it just is overwhelming. The yard sale starts on Friday....not sure I will ever be ready!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jun 14 - 07:11 PM

I've seen garage sales where everything on a certain table is X price - no tags. It does mean you have to collect the cash at each table, though. Or color code the table and put a sticker of the same color on each item, without writing anything. How do you price them?

My lower jaw is beginning to throb after a couple of hours in the dentist chair in preparation for a crown on a back molar. The temporary is in place now. Time for motrin and a power nap. I still want to get to sleep tonight.

I've spent a few minutes each evening this week working on those New Yorker labels and watching television. I also finished the NetFlix discs that have been here for a while. They're finally on their way back. When I finish these covers I'll list them and be able to clear off my dining room table - again.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jun 14 - 10:01 AM

I haven't decluttered a great deal but I did clear off (not just move but actually filed or recycled) the stuff on my kitchen counter. One item of interest was a box of clothespins. While in the Davis Mountains last month I did laundry a couple of times and the only drying is on a line. She had the most amazing sturdy wooden pins by Penley, from Maine (made in China, but to the larger specs). I searched out that brand and ordered two 50-count bags. What arrived was another brand of regular ol' clothespins. I contacted the seller (through Amazon) and pointed out they'd sent the wrong type. I hoped to exchange them, but they don't have any of what I ordered, and simply refunded the price and shipping. Said to keep these. So I have lots of the smaller pins, but would sure like to get my hands on some of the Penley sort. Those pin bags were on the counter waiting to be shipped, but now they're in the laundry room. And the pile of paperwork from the transmission has been filed. What an expensive month the last four weeks have amounted to.

Jaw and tongue are a bit tender. Taking soft food for lunch today.

Spring is here - how are each of your gardens looking now? Any other veggie gardeners? I've dug potatoes and onions and been picking squash and peppers.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Jun 14 - 03:02 PM

I am hanging signs for pricing the clothes...for example...All shirts .50¢ unless otherwise marked. I sorted everything by size. Toys are marked individually...or at least I hope they will be by tonight!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 12:42 AM

The kitchen is cleaned up, a load of laundry is finished. I plan a little garden work tomorrow morning before work, and may go in early enough to have time to go out for lunch with a friend in town. With the "compressed week" schedule I'm working (four 10-hour days) I don't have much time on my work days for anything but work, but I will have a three-day weekend each week.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 12:52 PM

Scratch the garden work, we woke to another thunderstorm this morning. It sounds like Michelle's garage sale may be washed out because of the rain that hit me Monday and moved into her area yesterday and today. The storm here today doesn't look as big as the one earlier in the week, so I don't think I'll be sharing this rain with Michelle.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 04:04 PM

LOL! Thanks SRS! How about taking back the rain that is being called for in tomorrow's forecast? Hmm?

Most things are marked...maybe a half hour of marking left to do tonight. I'm dreading it. BLAH. I don't mind collecting all the stuff but I really don't like pricing it.

Weigh in was today, down a little bit when in reality I shouldn't be down at all. I did not behave myself last week.

Today I am off to a MUCH better start for the upcoming week ahead!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 09:50 PM

City:
Monday brought a continued energy level and I measured out three new glazes. Tired of not being able to remember what test was on what pot, I put numbers on the bottoms of nine small bowls and the same numbers on glazes to be tested - and get it right this time! I figure if the bowls get to be sold, people will be delighted to be told , "Oh I used it to test that glaze..." Won't that be nice to have the first...! In any case, I was happy to take pots out of the kiln on Tuesday and know what glaze I was examining. Two wonderful, and totally different "turquoise" glazes: One is a deep satin blue green that is slightly lighter over my lovely white glaze. The other is a bright shiny light green-blue. They are very different; the one elegant, the other lively. Each an excellent glaze. The third test needs to be re-done. . I may not have stirred it well enough. The rest of the firing was good.

I started another firing on Tuesday afternoon, containing the other six tests, a couple more items in the new glazes and a test tile for a new batch of burgundy, made with city water in hopes that this time it will be my good old burgundy rather than the mess I got from using the high iron country water. I'll find out on Friday.

Between times, I managed a bit more sorting and organizing.

Took the two new pots to my writers group to see which one was preferred - 50-50! Both are well received. Then back to the city, where I and pots were well received.

Weds I went to bank an income tax refund and check out a pharmacy which was said to carry homeopathic remedies. It was rather farther than the one I knew of and connected to it but things must be ordered. So good info is to stick with the known and closer. Wended my way back and after lunch spent some time on computer until it was down to 25%. I had left the essential part of power cord at the mill!

So today, having to go in yet another direction a good distance to arrange to cancel an life insurance policy ( a good decision), and get the remaining value by cheque, I stopped at the Apple store and told a young staff my sad tale. He went in the back and returned, handed me the errant piece, "It's a gift!" Tech had a few lying around. I had suggested there might be some in recycling as, when my previous cord died, I gave it to them to recycle, never thinking of keeping that piece. Happiness is being able to come home and catch up with emails and all the rest! I really wanted to let the woman who had posted that elegant glaze know how well received it has been. Two others had missed her post and, after I described it, asked me to send them the recipe, which I did.

From the Mall, I went across town to visit the friend who wanted me to have a turquoise glaze. She was delighted with the dark one. Her mom (Parkinson's but mind was good today) liked them both. I gave Hannah a lovely cobalt/white would have been casserole that was damaged in my wind encounter last month. She showed me her collection of Dorothy pots! I knew this family - parents, and adult daughter and family and unmarried son- living separately in same triplex- are my very best customers! Her collection goes back years - maybe 20. No wonder I let her tell me what she wants and try to find it. She takes it very seriously. The next test will be another she may like - a denim grey-blue.

Weighing out grams of glaze materials is both time consuming and tiring; those three took me about 2 hours. The burgundy near an hour. The newly organized glazing area, with the rolling table, made it so much easier. With a spotlight on the scale and the materials right behind me, mostly within arms' length, it went as well as possible, with careful checking and re-checking of amounts. Very exciting to be getting these things accomplished.

The rest of today was catch up and tomorrow will be back to the country to see what the kiln offers and prepare for Farmers' Market on Saturday. I plan to arrange the new glazes to get comments, votes as it were!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jun 14 - 11:24 AM

Your glazes sound amazing, Dorothy. My father had a favorite potter he bought from over the years - a guy in Seattle named Sam Scott. I have received it as gifts over the years and kept a fair amount from his house after he died.

Yesterday was the worst as far as the apres-dentist discomfort. My gums are still tender from both the injection sites of the anesthesia and because they had to push some sort of material between the tooth and gum in order to get a good cast of a dry tooth. By the end of the day the whole left side of my face hurt. Silly me, trying to eat again.

Today is my day off and I see tall grass all around me - I'll be mowing front and back, and since we had a robust rain yesterday I'll have to mow again in a couple of days. In the house I need to revive my eBay activity. All of that car stuff last month meant I might have been away when a sale ended. The trick to eBay is not only to describe items well, post good photos, and ask a fair price and reasonable shipping, it's to be able to send it ASAP once payment is received. Slow delivery can result in cranky feedback.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Jun 14 - 05:11 PM

Country:
HAH! no such thing as too many kilns! With great anticipation, I opened the kiln I had left on Tuesday. Don't tell! We are never supposed to leave a kiln unattended but this one has been doing so well. And the others, I always left as they got up to heat. The kiln sitter would turn them off.

Well it was off. It had gotten hot - very hot but not near hot enough. The bottoms of pots were black but the glazes were un-melted. In testing, I found the bottom elements were not functioning at all. The top ones must have tried hard to no avail. The cone in the sitter broke and the kiln went off after only a couple hours. Had I gone back after the meeting, I would have seen and might have stayed over to deal with it.

SO disappointed as I was looking forward to seeing the new tests and the few pots I had done in the new glazes. I have been contemplating the situation for about two hours, coming to the conclusion that I am powerless because I neglected to get the info on how to turn off the power to the kiln line. That bottom line meant that even if I could have gotten someone to help me move the new Paragon to the right place (two of me could do it fairly easily), I would NOT unplug in the dead kiln or plug in the new one - not with the power on! Tomorrow after the Market...

Now: How many pottery wheels are "too many"? I got an alert for one like the one I have that is missing a seat. We have agreed to purchase it for $250 and R will pick it up tomorrow while I am at the Market. He has something else to pick up in that area as well. I love this wheel and am very excited to have another in really good condition. There was one on line last month for $1000!

I have plenty of room for it and it will be designated for the speckled buff clay which I have not used in years. I love it and bought some last year; this will help me get into using it again. I am simply not big on cleaning a wheel between colours of clay. Colour me spoiled!

I could have spent this time throwing but I will do that at the Market tomorrow. Perhaps being more careful of my energy than necessary; still getting used to having it. I cannot just sit here reading for two hours....

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jun 14 - 05:20 PM

My friend Susie seems to go through kilns also, Dorothy. They have hard work to do. She has some small ones for glass art, not just the big ceramic ones.

A couple of garden declutter chores down, and I came into the house to do a quick Google on the next one (double-checking what I thought I remembered about concrete in a bucket for a post). I have some cannas that are spreading out of their bed, but that same bed saw some die-off close to the house this last winter. I've dug and moved a few back into the bed. When it's full they keep weeds out by shading them, so I needed to fill in the back. Now to run the soaker hose and get those new ones watered in.

I haven't eaten much today, and all of it soft. I learned my lesson yesterday. In addition to tender gums my jaw is still stiff from the long time it took for the work (when things are jammed into your mouth and you sit there for two hours like that as they come and go).

A trip to the recycle bins is in the cards later today, along with gas and the post office. Even though the smaller car gets better mileage I still try to make several stops in a circuit when I run errands.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 12:36 AM

I harvested a small bin of onions tonight and weeded around the new asparagus and into the bed where the basil usually comes up. There are only a few plants so and I may need to seed some more in. They come back every year, but it was a very hard winter.

Tomorrow is a big freezer declutter cleanout. I have some old (from 2012) okra and eggplant that need to go into the compost. I don't know if I'll go so far as to defrost the freezer, but I'll at least empty some space. I'm beginning to harvest peppers and I'll freeze and package a bunch of the onions (diced and frozen on a cookie sheet).

I have to build some climbing supports in the garden for cucumbers this weekend. I transplanted some "mystery" cucubits from the compost a couple of weeks ago - one of them is cucumber, the rest are some kind of squash. I also have some cukes and squash started in 4" x 4" pots that I can put in the garden soon. I'll put up some posts with chicken wire for them to climb. With a windfall of 4 cases of quart canning jars I want to make the most of the cucumbers and zucchini pickle-wise.

Recycling put off till tomorrow. I decided not to go anywhere this evening. The dogs have been hanging out with me (and doing tricks for Wheat Thins) and I've brushed them. Cinnamon has no need to be brushed but she loves it so much that after going over Zeke and Poppy I rub the "furminator" over her a few times so she doesn't feel left out.

Nice evening.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 02:15 PM

I have some cranberry fruit in the freezer, left from making cranberry juice in the steam juicer last year. I need to use them, and this is a recipe I'll use. I've made it before, they're very good. I can make and freeze them in small packages to use in my lunch. The okra and some other stuff are going to the compost, but the cranberry is too good (and too expensive) to waste.

The wheelbarrow is full of weeds from the front yesterday and I need to go police the back yard for dog droppings then mix the droppings with the frozen food and pile the new weeds on top of the compost. My famous dog-discouraging parfait. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 06:11 PM

It's been a decent week. On Tuesday, after doing a few things (and cataloging my DVDs), I got back to sleep and ended up feeling okay. Went to a friend's book signing at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, and talk. The book is "Testimonies and Secrets: The Story of a Nova Scotia Family, 1844-1977" -- Testimonies and Secrets

After the talk and socializing, I left the Athenaeum and was immediately accosted by my friends Justine and Carol who had been walking towards the river. While we stood talking, Dave and his wife Chris converged on us. All of Portsmouth seemed to be in Market Square... Dave and Chris went on their way and Justine and Carol kidnapped me and forced me to go to The Rosa with them and guzzle pinot grigio and eat antipasto. Then they forced me into chocolate raspberry cake because I hadn't had a birthday cake.

Wednesday I had the initial dental appointment for x-rays and stuff. I haven't been to a dentist in about five years, so there was a lot to assess. And I get a start on the deep cleaning, crowns, and fillings in July (or is it late June?).

Thursday I drove to Tilton, New Hampshire to see an old friend. She and I have been in touch but we haven't been in the same room together for about twenty years. Last time I saw her, her son had been a toddler. Today he's married, divorced, and been to Afghanistan and back with the Army. We talked, and talked, and had lunch at the Tilton Diner and talked, and came back and talked. Picked up right where we left off.

And last night at the weekly session we had a couple visitors from Missippippi, brought along by our own MrSippy. So the usual Anglo/Celtic mix got a bit more diluted with more bluegrassishness tossed in than usual. Had a party of young men become totally entranced -- sort of a peripatetic stag party. One of them got married today. One of the party even added B.B. King to our mix...and I think we did a pretty good job of accompanying him.

Today I've declared a pajama day. But I did some laundry, ran the dishes through, cleaned up the sink area, called my recently widowed aunt in Kentucky, and made rhubarb/cream cheese bars. Oh, and I made major inroads in one of the books I'm reading and I petted a cat... Still in my nightshirt at 6 p.m. and never put my contacts in, so it IS a pajama day!

Stilly, I've been looking for an egg slicer, too... I just did a quick google. Looks like you can get them online (and there's even free shipping to Staples...yeah, Staples; that's where I look for egg slicers...) but I've not been able to find them in stores or supermarkets.

I don't know if I mentioned that I had a bittersweet birthday on Monday...spent the day (before Jeri took me to Newick's) reading my Mudcat birthday threads that Tom had started over the years, and the thread on my broken arm, with comments by Tom, katlaughing, Barry Finn... All in all, my birthday was better than I expected...more sweet than bittersweet.

I think I'll go back to my book...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 07:25 PM

That is funny, Linn! There are indeed some at Staples. I have so far just looked in stores, but online (searching "egg mushroom slicer") I see different designs these days. This reminds me that I have an aluminum and steel wire potato ricer - the slices would be a little thin, but it might work. Amazon, Target, Williams and Sonoma, Sur le Table, I see several egg slicers out there. I guess you would put the mushroom in top down and slice down the stem and onto the cap. The old style slicers had the mushroom sideways. Target has the Kitchen Aid one for about half of what other places sell it for. That Norpro seems to be all over the place. Add egg slicer to my shopping list this evening!

I finished weeding a bed, pulled out the last of the onions, dug out grass from around some squash and cucumbers, then mulched that bed, and emptied a lot of old freezer stuff into a big tub that I lugged to the compost. I dug a hole in the compost pile, dumped the frozen food in, emptied my little kitchen compost bin, then poured on the dog droppings and the wheelbarrow full of weeds. The sprinkler ran on top of it for a while to get it working (if you want hot compost you have to water it regularly). That chore took care of several things on my "to do" list.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 14 - 01:45 AM

Our conversation got me started really looking for an egg/mushroom slicer. Tonight I looked at the Target (KitchenAid) egg slicer but it doesn't make as many slices as I like. Some of the ads I saw listed the number of slices; KitchenAid may be too chunky. This one at Amazon looks pretty good - 11 slices per egg. KitchenAid ($7 at Target, $15 at Amazon) only managed 9 slices. Shop around.

Some of these slicers are over-engineered - movable bases so you can slice or dice. Integrated hard plastic and wire devices. Click the link on this page to play video. Long warranties but you'll lose the receipt and packaging when you need it so never buy these for the warranty. Westmark looks closest to the old fashioned egg slicer (maybe I should go buy one at the Goodwill?) I added the "NEW Commercial Egg Slicer, Mushroom Slicer, Garnish Slicer, Aluminum . . ." one to my cart for $5.98 and it has free shipping. It isn't the price that dictates this choice, though, it's how it is made and how it looks like it will work. The cheap one isn't embellished and will do the job. Less is more.

I didn't plan to buy many things on the trip out this evening, but I stumbled upon a couple of things I've been looking for. Several years ago I bought a good set of pans from a restaurant supply store and I left the skillet on a hot burner too long and destroyed the heavy bottom layer. I have the rest of the set, but couldn't replace just the skillet. I was at Tuesday Morning (if it isn't in your area, it's like a high-end TGIF or Ross) and I found a 3 quart Calphalon skillet the same size as my defunct one for $40. If you know about Tuesday Morning then you know that not everything has the same price, it depends on when it came into the store. If they got items at a really low price, then their markup is such that's it's still pretty low. When something identical that comes in later if it cost them more, it will cost the shopper more. I poked around the back of the shelf and found an identical 3qt skillet for $25. Bagged it. The clerk was even impressed at the price.

And so the day went. I was looking for one thing and found another instead. I bought an LED light for over my kitchen counter - a "daylight" bulb that is dimmable and I think it's way too blue so I'll exchange it or use it somewhere else.

I love that skillet. I use cast iron a lot, but stainless has great properties also. I rarely ever use coated surfaces for cooking.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 14 - 07:36 PM

I need to start processing garden stuff as soon as I bring it in. There are a bunch of small onions that I'll dice this evening and freeze so I can scoop from the bag for cooking. I'm beginning to enter the time when all of the counters and surfaces are covered with crops in various stages of drying or waiting to be canned.

I tested the new skillet this morning - with bacon. Mmmmm!

Enough of the back yard is mowed so I can hang laundry (better to mow before hanging than to try to mow while the laundry is in place!) Out to the front yard now, and then to finish the rest of the back yard.

I picked up a mat to put inside the back door to catch some of the dirt off of dog feet, and I've left the little rarely-used carpet sweeper nearby. This is a test.

Monday tomorrow. All day. Gotta get something made tonight to take for lunch tomorrow. I found three bricks of bananas in the freezer when I was clearing out the old frozen veggies so I may make a loaf of banana nut bread to take in for my co-workers.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 16 Jun 14 - 06:06 AM

Sunday was a lecture with song by Marya Danihel at the Portsmouth Athenaeum...Victorian parlor songs and domestic music. This morning is my memoir writers group at the Portsmouth library.

Woke up a bit too early, though...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 14 - 06:33 PM

Decluttering a few seedling trees in my yard this week. I have several requests for vitex (purple chaste) - I wish I hadn't been so ruthless in weeding them out earlier this spring. I have one in a pot, one in the ground in the back, and I'll hunt around for any I missed. The big trees drop billions of seeds but usually they just get mowed away. A few land in flower beds and I transplant them the give away. I thought I'd given away as many as I could so lately haven't done much transplanting.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jun 14 - 08:57 PM

Country:
After posting Friday, I really could not just sit and read so I went and threw pots until I "had" to get ready to go to Cafe. That felt so good - to have the energy insisting that I DO something. Cafe was fairly empty due to Ormstown Fair but some folks came and went back to Fair. Good music anyway.

Saturday I was up by 7 and loaded car for Market and left about 8, leaving R to sleep. Sold a few pots, R brought us a breakfast sub at Subway and after I packed up, we headed to St. Eustache for the wheel - in his truck. Took longer - 1.5 hours but we arrived to a lovely family with two marvellous dogs. I was as delighted by the dogs as by my almost new wheel! The biggest Newfie I have ever seen and a lovely Heinz 57 in black and of a decent size - more than knee high. I think the family was delighted by response to both dogs and wheel.

Then we went to Ile Perrot for a 60 inch TV which was a time consuming project to get onto the trailer. We arrived at the wonderful Dasfest about 6:30 - it started about 3 and I was concerned that I missed the Road Scholars BUT!... Sheryl had had to work and they went on as we arrived!!! And did a wonderfully long set! Lots of other good groups at this fundraiser in memory of... We left when it became way to loud - about 10:30. A long day.

Sunday we offloaded the wheel and TV. I unloaded my car which we remembered to pick up on the way to the mill Sat night! We headed down into the Adirondacks for a day with our friends on their 63 acres of woods with 2000 feet of gorgeous riverfront and an OLD house in need of much repair. We had a picnic lunch at the picnic table; I could not go in the house. Then walked down to the river with the 6!!! dogs (all rescued) - less than knee high. R gave Barry a lot of support and info re needful stuff and Amy and I talked dogs, raccoons, and her concern for getting the house fit to live in - which requires major effort on Barry's part as she is not a handy woman. R may go down and help for a day. Unfortunately, they are equally liable to go off task. Of course R has not time for our stuff but it is so much more fun...

Solution to the red tiles at the apt: a piece of thin plywood cut to fit, painted flat black and I will affix beautiful pictures from a 1986 calendar of ancient Japanese screens, covered with a thin clear plastic as yet undetermined.. They will blend nicely with the bamboo counters and I can remove it when we leave.   Amy thinks black cupboards sound wonderful. I never figured that out. I want a light colour so I can see if they get dirty. Maybe she just cleans assiduously regardless.

Well, this morning I dashed to the stored for milk so we could have French toast - yummy with maple syrup, raspberries and yogurt. Then R inspected the kiln and between us we realized it is probably OK. For some reason the cone broke and turned it off but testing the elements again, they seemed fine. I reloaded this aft and it has stayed on so tomorrow I am hoping for good news. Both the tests from last week have been very well received - MAKE MORE! And both are sold.

So I have done a bit of this and that today. Including a two hour nap! My peas are up and the broccoli and cauliflower and squash plants are flourishing. The perennial bed also. I guess that is as far as my gardening will get this year. Rather too late to start anything else.

We have had lots of rain. The river is high and fields are wet. Looks like more tonight. Finding more leaks in the mill roof - one in middle of studio.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Jun 14 - 08:11 AM

The yard sale went great however most of the people were not looking for baby gear/clothes/toys which is mostly what I had. As a result, I am going to have another yard sale...this time at my mom's house which is right on the main road into town. We will advertise this time (my friend's house was right across from a major event going on and she felt it was not necessary to advertise) so I'm thinking we'll get the folks that are interested in what we have to offer. With that being said, I have about 3 weeks to get ready (the last one I had only a few days) so I'm going to go room by room to get ready. Today I will tackle the living room. I think I'll end up cleaning more than getting actual items but that's ok...this is where I want to start. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jun 14 - 12:35 PM

Last night I finished digging up some seedlings in the yard, got them into pots, and decided it was too late to finish mowing (started two evenings ago). I'm going to have to start over because the mown area is still growing pretty well (we had a good rain last week, and that usually means mowing twice a week in the summer). I then adjourned to the kitchen and made a yellow squash casserole thing (with sausage and pasta and onions and peppers and tomatoes) and a pan of my burrito meat with black beans. They'll both work for lunch or dinner this week, and I have a growing number of things in the yard to pick and eat or preserve.

I transported the three pots today - one plant looked great, the other two are in shock from transplant, but the friend who will use them is a gardener who will be able to revive them gently. Not overwater, and give them plenty of mulch to keep them happy.

I've been gathering stuff for a care package for the friends who put me up during the transmission repair out in West Texas. I hope in the next couple of days the last bits that go in the box will get here.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 17 Jun 14 - 05:37 PM

Just got in from a lot of thorn pulling, raking and leaf schlepping, and cutting up and disposing of said thorns in plastic trash bags for next week's trash.

I should walk up to the head of the driveway with the clippers and get rid of a bush that's regrown and is now interfering with my view down the road at the head of the driveway...but I think I ache too much.

I might stand in a hot shower for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow my neighbor will come over to lop off a bunch of branches and bring some sunlight back to a few flower beds. And cut down the small stuff on the south side of the house, a branch at the head of the driveway, and, eventually, all of the stuff smaller than 6 inches in diameter out back.

The woods has been reclaiming the cleared area behind the house for years and I HAVE to do something about it.

What I was doing today is great exercise...AND I can see what I'm doing; it does make a difference. But I ache...which, I guess, just shows me that the exercise is making a difference, too.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jun 14 - 05:52 PM

Linn, I love the kind of yard work where you putter all day long, and when you get up the next morning and walk over to the door with your cuppa tea, the morning yard looks fresh and park-like.

Liz the Squeak was having a lot of work done in her yard last year, and Andrea was doing a lot of building on her house then switched to her yard. Alice as a lovely yard (minus a deer antler lately) and Maryanne and . . . I think gardening is a common thread for all of us. The friend I delivered pots to today is an avid gardener - and I've invited her over to pillage and sample in my yard because I have a lot of stuff that needs thinning. She's moving from the house she's in (and has been moving a lot of landscape material) to a new place. Apparently her neighborhood is being torn down by developers who bought out property owners to build housing for the university where we work. There is so much at her house to try to save - stained glass, tiles and rocks in the yard, plants, solar panels - oy! She has a new place she has been slowly moving things over to for the last 8 months. I detect another large declutter operation.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 02:57 PM

Yeehah! Let there be light!

Got a lot of branchery and small trees removed (thanks, Drew) and now my back flower beds actually have sunlight again. Over the years the back bed had gone from full sun to full shade. Mix that with 8 years of forced neglect (combination of the demands of work and taking care of Tom) and a smothering layer of leaf mulch, it's amazing I had any flowers left. Lost some, but I've been replacing those, weeding the others, moving the mallow and lemon balm from their volunteeer position in what passes for lawn (I have very little that's ever been grass, and now most of it is wild strawberries) into the bed behind the house.

Making headway... I yanked out a lot of greater celandine and a precursor of foxglove and raked and dumped a bunch more leaves while Drew cut limbs and small trees, then trucked them off.

And I started excavating the brick circle around the sundial garden...

I'm done with physical stuff for today, but we accomplished a lot. Now, too, I can restore the bed on the north side of the house along the driveway (mostly by filling in more topsoil) and plant hostas -- they'll make it look "finished" without needed a barrier. Drew removed the last of the stacked 6x6s that used to define that bed before it was totally destroyed when the old underground oil tank was removed.

Now I've got another major indoor matter to take care of and then I can relax a bit before going to a singing session tonight. I ache, but it's a good ache. And it's getting me closer to being in shape again, too.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 03:52 PM

I know this can't be answered by anyone but my wife, but how to convince her to part with a piece of furniture that is useless and that I can't stand.

Sundial garden- sounds nice.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 04:22 PM

Why can't you stand it, Q? Is it bulky or ugly or broken? Is there a place where it can be out of sight that is acceptable? Is there something you would be willing to get rid of also if said piece of furniture went away? Is there another member of the family who would take it so it isn't completely "gone?" Sounds like negotiations are in order.

A sundial garden sounds wonderful! I was going to do a garden with a birdbath at the center but the dogs kept standing on their back feet and resting their front feet on the edge to sniff and/or drink from the basin. I was afraid someone would tip the basin off of the stand and get badly hurt. I moved it out of the back and now it sits in a shady area that gets a lot of bird visits.

These 10-hour days at work are harder that they at first seemed. It's difficult to get much of anything done before or after work, so I have to plan to try to do maybe one thing and keep it simple. The three days are great once they're here. This is a summer-time program only.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Jeri
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 04:41 PM

I finished the first front lawn mowing on Sunday, went to the gym yesterday. The Child's grave thyme has spread quite a bit, and was hiding under the hay field. I still have to cut a swathe through the back yard.

Today, I managed to spend 15 minutes outside cutting impertinent grass. Maybe it's because it got really warm yesterday and stayed that way last night, but I have zero energy. I even considered going to the singing session Bat Goddess mentioned above, but I'm not sure I have the energy to put real clothes on.

I also have chive blossom vinegar that I need to strain. Now, that I may have enough energy for. Of course, when the sun starts going down, I'm going to start feeling like doing more gardening...

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 07:07 PM

You don't have to deal with mosquitoes when the sun starts going down? I like being out to see the lightning bugs, but the mosquitoes take some of the pleasure out of the viewing.

Chive blossom vinegar? Sounds interesting. Tell us more about that?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Jun 14 - 09:31 PM

City:
Monday, I reloaded kiln and fired. Tuesday I took out a load of mostly nice pots. The other tests were: Those two are terrible and go in the scrap bucket. Those two are nice; just wish I knew what they are! Have to go through my notebooks again. And those 4 are good and I know what they are!!! Trimmed all the pots - except forgot a couple that were well hidden! Have lids to fit little jars - finally! Almost a kiln load but maybe not quite. Try to do some more on Friday - need big mugs, even beer stein size.

Then off to writers' group. OH, lengthy project on Monday was making posters and mini hand outs for next open mike! Took me forever; I am sure I do not know enough. Then back to city.

Today was busy: picked up the new filters for my air cleaner at Purolator - in an obscure spot. Then decided to find my way back a different way. Ended up in a nifty residential area and began to think of "the man who never came back". Asked a couple of woman who were chatting on the sidewalk if there was any way out of here! They noted that people who find a place to live there never want to move! They gave me directions which eventually worked. There were a couple places for rent and I was tempted to check them out. A great neighbourhood tucked into the city!

Bit the bullet and bought an electric grass snipper. No way I was doing the kitchen scissors thing again!   Then went to massage appointment (some muscles in bad shape need to do more!) and home to lunch - 2:30. Muddled through the rest of the afternoon: Cleaned up the LR, moving R's papers from love seat to my - cleared - desk, swept the floor, moved the exercycle to a better spot and used it briefly, spent some time on FB, cleared emails, put the grass thingy together and just finished the grass before dark and pruned the columbine and ripped out a bunch of Virginia creeper. Tomorrow I can rake (remembered the rake!) the mess and the back yard will look almost civilized. Note: pick rhubarb for R's bf. Still triaging stuff to take to the mill to clear the house for impending reno - she says hopefully. (Sometimes I wonder if it is just a pipe dream.)

The love seat was looking like a "shoe" cartoon - "That's not a sofa. That's a pile of paper that looks like a sofa!" I saved that one!

So nice to have energy again: I just found myself wondering what else I can do before the 10:00 news! Make celery soup!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 07:50 AM

Chive blossom vinegar (you can do it with light olive oil, too) just involves infusing chive blossoms in vinegar--I prefer white wine vinegar but plain white vinegar works, too. Turns the vinegar an amazing color! Some recipes call for the vinegar to be heated, but I don't. Just let the blossoms steep until you like the color and flavor. Usual caveats...don't let the vinegar touch a metal lid.

Great in salad dressings or marinades.

The sundial garden came into existence because I had a sundial, a pillar base for it, a bunch. Of salvaged bricks and a strong desire to eliminate as much grass that would Ned mowing as possible. It's gone through a lot of incarnations...first mostly artemisia, then I discovered the bonica rose loved it. I need to replace the border of lambs ears because the hummingbirds loved them. Tall bearded iris, Siberian iris (I think that migrated there on its own from the other stand, and a precursor to foxglove that the hummingbirds also like. Oh, chives because I've got chives all over the place. I wonder if any chamomile survived?

Today, besides getting some cards in the mail (birthday, sympathy...I'm getting really sick of sending sympathy cards...I HAVE to organize the slate tiles for the bathroom. The new composting toilet arrives on Monday.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 10:14 AM

My fourth long day in my compressed week - I decided to get it over with earlier today so got up when the dogs indicated they wanted out (way ahead of my alarm).

How long do you keep that vinegar, once it has the chive flower flavor? And do you refrigerate it?

I've been thinking about putting some stepping stones into an area that is a natural path from the driveway to the front door. I would recess them enough that they'd be flush with the ground and the mower could go over them, and grass could grow over them but they would be uncovered by the string trimmer. This is a long-established way to make paths, I just happened to spot a photo in a recent Martha Stewart Living that provided the "aha!" moment.

Like Linn and her slate tiles, I have put off doing a new bathroom floor forever, thinking I need to plan to do the whole bathroom (take out the cabinets, put in new, along with a new low-flow commode). But   I think I should just go ahead and do the floor and have enough tiles that I can put more down if I do ever take out this ugly cabinet and replace it with something with a different footprint. It means scraping up the linoleum adhesive, but when it comes to doing the floor the room is so small it would only take a couple of boxes of tile. I'd also like to put down tile on the front porch.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 12:40 PM

The directions I've read say to store it in a cool, dark place, up to 6 months. I'm not concerned about bacteria, it being vinegar. I think the worst thing that can happen is it will lose its flavor. I used champagne vinegar, and it's in a glass bottle with a ceramic-lined lid, and it's tasty and gorgeous.

Of course, I mixed up some margeritas a few years ago, and the tequila/lime juice/triple sec has something fuzzy in the bottom. I didn't think it was supposed to grow its own "worm"...

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 05:10 PM

Just verified that I must have gotten rid of my antique lawn lounge (which I rescued from the dump and rewebbed back in the '70s), so I guess a newer one to put on the far side of the back flower bed in the hemlock "room" may be in order.

I'm going to a Friends of Portsmouth Lighthouses talk on Portsmouth Harbor Light and (my favorite) Whaleback Light tonight at the Portsmouth library. Maybe I'll stop at Ocean State Job Lots and get one. Maybe not, and save it for tomorrow on my way to The Press Room.

I'm probably doing too much. I know I'm juggling a lot of stuff at the same time and, if I stop to think about it, I'm a bit overwhelmed/over-extended. I'm really too tired (another exerting day in the yard) to go to the lighthouse talk 25 miles away, but I'm also making up for lost time. And keeping busy probably isn't a bad thing. I'm making headway on things around the house and I'm also going to interesting music events, Portsmouth and Nottingham library events, Portsmouth Athenaeum events that I haven't been able to go to before -- for the past two years I had to take care of Tom, and for the years just before that, hold down a retail job with strange hours AND get Tom to his doctors' appointments, etcet. I couldn't even enjoy the Press Room sessions because of the strain and anxiety of getting Tom safely there and home again.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 05:24 PM

Linn, wearing yourself out with work is another well-known form of grief therapy. Sleep soundly after a hard days work, and have the bonus of waking to see your accomplishments through fresh eyes.

Something fuzzy in the bottom with triple sec, I'd avoid. If it's a good food-quality vinegar you may have something cloudy/fuzzy called the "mother." I can't imagine champagne vinegar being so commonplace, though. :)

Moonglow is within a few minutes of landing in her flight back from Tokyo. A few hours at LAX then she's on a flight to DFW. I'm looking forward to a gush of phone photos, and since I loaned her my compact 15X lens Nikon I hope we'll have an evening soon with all of the photos on a disk or thumbdrive and we can view them on the big TV in the living room with color commentary from Caroline and her fellow travelers Jeremy and Brittney. Perhaps we should do a Japanese themed meal - she'd have to take care of it - the only Japanese food around my house very often is soy and seaweed crackers. I'm sure if I pick up some good salmon she'll think of something to do with it, and go from there.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jun 14 - 07:56 PM

City:
The raked back yard is as civil as it is going to get for a while. It occurred to me today that the first step in reno needs to be the garden shed in the back corner - a place to put stuff from the house for the duration. Also, will need to move the herb bed and some day lilies if, as I am hoping, a sunroom becomes a reality, and a bunch of perennials to make room for garden shed. In the meantime, I went off for plain yogurt and came home with a shades of red petunias hanging basket, a nice addition to the back yard and easily movable! There is a large pile of garden refuse that needs to be bagged - next week! It is out of the line of sight!

Two loads of laundry today and need to remake the bed. Have triaged a bunch of stuff to take to mill - just to clear bits of non-essentials. Actually got R to take the dead grass snipper to the trash!!!

HE came home last night and flopped on the love seat without even noticing that I had cleared it of papers! Looked horrified when I pointed out that his (precious) papers were now laid out neatly on the desk. IF they are so bloomin' important -DO something with them. (I did not say out loud!) The LR is somewhat more civil.

The celery soup was just in time for our late supper; it is served in a bowl with a piece of toast topped with cheese, which of course melts, and bits of sausage or Ikea meatballs. Could have pieces of hard boiled egg instead of meat. Yummy. Now have black beans cooking for - whatever. Maybe a soup of a different flavour - with salsa added. Made blueberry pancakes for bf with rice flour instead of buckwheat; we agreed buckwheat is much nicer.

It was a gorgeous day - sunny, cool, breezy. We are due a few more. I could live with this all year round! Guess most of us could!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jun 14 - 11:18 AM

Dorothy, I have papers beginning to make a beachhead in my office. I must fight them back myself. I have a loveseat bench in the sunroon for sitting on to change shoes and it regularly is heaped with things that are coming and going. It's a challenge to keep it free for sitting on.

I've examined the lemongrass stalks I put in water earlier this spring - they're more than ready to plant. And I did some research - I can grow it outside but it won't survive the winters here, so it looks like I'll put this in a large pot that will be outdoors in the summer and move indoors before the cold. http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/lemongrass/. And here. The video puts them too close together for good production outdoors, and I probably wouldn't put them so close in a pot for indoors, though they won't grow as tall or as fast indoors. And this link offers a little bit of the science behind the plant's uses. No medical intentions with this, I'm interested in the flavor for cooking and for tea.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 20 Jun 14 - 01:25 PM

Maggie, just took and downloaded a bunch of photos of the flower beds, yard, and house (including gargoyles), but I won't have time to post them at Facebook until tomorrow.

Right now I've got to eat a salad and head off to Portsmouth -- got a lot of errands before I land at the session.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jun 14 - 06:24 PM

I'm doing three things at once this afternoon - I cleared some branches so I could mow the far back of the yard - cleared by running them through the chipper. And the mowing is starting on the north side of the yard near the clothesline so I can hang up the laundered dog bedding. In for a cool down now, then out with the bedding and after it's up I'll finish mowing. I have a bag of chips beside the front gate to use in the garden later on. I didn't put the chipper away, I may do another bag before I am finished this afternoon.

Looking online for shade cloth, a sturdy outdoor fabric for letting some light through. I have 60/40 cloth on top of my patio cover, and I'd like to make some roll-up blinds with it to hang from the sunny side of the patio cover. Summer is here, it's time to put that in place. The house stays a lot cooler and the electric bill is lower with a shade out there. I think I'll end up ordering from Lowes.

Once the sun is down I still have stuff to do, mostly declutter - paper to file, eBay things to organize and pack. It's time to get stuff listed again.

Keeping my eye on the Catspaw thread. He's fought the good fight, he's come back to charm us again and again, but this time I think he's beyond medical reach. Rest in peace, Pat.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jun 14 - 12:31 PM

I emptied bathroom cupboards of the old products that I'll never use. A few will remain for visitors, but I've have a grocery bag of aged shampoo, conditioner, liquid soaps, and lotions, all with ingredients I am avoiding. I also found a good shampoo I'd forgotten. Old shampoo can be used in the garden but the rest I'll pour into a bag of paper shreds. This way I can toss the products and recycle the bottles.

The finishing touches are going into a box for the friends who helped me with the car troubles last month. I'll put it in the mail on Monday.

Laundry is ready for the line, then into the garden to put up climbing fences for my cucumbers.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Jun 14 - 07:41 PM

Country:
Remember when we thought computers would help the paper problem? HAH! What a constant struggle! I do think I am saving a great deal less. The archives remain to be sorted but they do not take up more than 3 boxes and can be thrown out when I am gone. Oops! Make that recycled!

Yesterday I got an early start in getting here but drove out to the West Island in hopes of obtaining a decent wood "hutch" from Craigslistfree. I phoned the woman before leaving and left a message. I called when I was in the vicinity and left a message, then went to the upscale thrift shop (West Island is fairly upscale and this one is for the visiting nurses). I ended up with very nice set of loop draperies in heavy white cotton - wonderful for the sun room.

Then a call and I dashed to get the hutch a few blocks away. The nice young woman and a male friend put it in the car. It needs some cosmetic work but I love it. Then back to finish perusing the shop: a cordless mini-vacuum, a lovely ceramic box, large enough for a good sized loaf of bread, in white with a blue dove and leaves; and a pair of need-work, lined drapes in a fabulous heavy white fabric with a woven in dimensional pattern, the likes of which I have never seen.

Then wended my way to the mill where I off loaded, ate, and not much else until time to go to Cafe. R did not try to come down but ended up spending the time saved giving support to a friend whose father was dying. And, again today, he took her to brunch and her dad died this afternoon. R may never reno the house but he is a good listener.

This morning I was a slow starter and looking through FB saw a friend was having visiting time re father dying this week - while awaiting a transplant. Googled site and decided I wanted to do this 45 minute trip to give her a hug. Planning that, I remembered there is a craft show/flea market in same town. Off I went.

I arrived in town early so went to show first. This thing was daunting - acres and acres of parking. I found a spot and headed directly toward the nearest booths, walked between two and saw cutting boards. These were the folks who gave me Banjo, the raccoon, two years ago! So we talked about Banjo at length. They were so glad to hear he did well.

Then it was time to see Mel and give her hugs. I only met her once, when she brought me a rescued squirrel, but we talked and talked that day and are friends on FB. I told her that day that she was a member of my family; wonderful young woman. She was delighted I came and we exchanged a few words and a number of hugs. My dad died at 58; hers was 61. I was about her age. My eyes got moist and remained so as I processed on the way back to the mill. Glad I went.

Dropped off a book from Sundays gatherings with a quilting friend who was quite excited by it - Australian patterns. Then returned to mill to do next to nothing; a bit drained, I think. Now making cauliflower soup for later and soon to leave for Durham County Poets concert five minutes away. R is on his way.   

An excellent day.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 14 - 11:12 AM

You have been very busy Dorothy. I'm glad you were able to visit with your younger friend.

Friday I raced around the yard, yesterday I was busy in and out of the house, and today the rain (!) says its a morning for working inside. It looks like more is coming. If it clears by afternoon I may mow the front yard, otherwise I'll head to work early tomorrow and mow when I get home in the evening. It's drizzle now so I will go out for a little while to put in some supports for the cucumbers. They're starting to climb.

I have a stack of stuff to go on eBay, I think today is the day. I also have some baking to do, also a good activity when I'm in the house and hear timers. Last night I made a batch of pizza dough, had a pizza for dinner and the rest of the dough made three small pizza crusts baked for 3 minutes (on my baking stone in a 500^o oven) that will be frozen until they're needed.

Yesterday I started vacuuming and I need to continue with that. There is dog hair everywhere.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Jun 14 - 03:11 PM

Okay...

Posted the rest of the yard photos at Facebook (so maybe you can get a better feel for the amount of work that needs to be done and the fact that it's all on land wrested away from the woods and on a fairly steep slope) and posted the playlist and crew of yesterday's Press Room sea music and Barry Finn memorial sing, ate lunch (leftover carbonara just doesn't reheat well...) and petted a very demanding black cat.

I slept very poorly and, despite a 20 minute nap this morning, I'm really not feeling particularly energetic.

But since it's the middle of a lovely afternoon, I SHOULD go upstairs, get dressed, put my contacts in and go outside. If I get the lounge chair out of the box and set up in the hemlock room on the bank behind the flower bed, I can read a fluffy mystery and drink some San Pellegrino lemon soda. I'm not up for anything else. Maybe a visit with my up the hill neighbor a bit later since she called earlier. We've been having the damnedest time getting together,,,

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 14 - 04:28 PM

Linn, I'm glad to see those photos. You have so much space to work with, but I see with the woods crowding around and the weather that your gardening time is limited and your planting choices must be specialized to the weather and shade. There was a time when I living in a northern climate and had similar choices. Now I struggle to create shade.

I'm back into the eBay business as of this afternoon. One item up, several more to list.

I cleared off the onion crop in the kitchen, cleaned and peeled the outer skins from a lot of them. The littlest ones dry up fast so I'll go ahead and peel and chop coarsely for the freezer. Bagged chopped onions are a great time saver, same as with peppers. It looks like another batch of storms, these bigger and noisier, are coming through.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Jun 14 - 06:21 PM

Well, I'm eating in front of the computer again... (low-fat beef burger, sautéed mushrooms, slice of cheese on top of salad greens with a dab of mayo).

But, as tired as I am today (didn't sleep well last night and had to make a few mad dashes to the bathroom), I DID finally throw some clothes on, put my contacts in, and unbox and set up the anti-grav recliner up in the hemlock "room" on the bank above the back flower bed. And read for a little bit. And remembered how much I enjoyed lounging there in a hammock back many years ago when I actually HAD both weekends and a hammock.

Moved a few leaves around, too, and piled a few more branches on a brush pile. And before I came in I started cutting up the box to go out in Tuesday's trash.

Nick Noble posted some photographs from yesterday's sea music sing and Friday's weekly trad session at a Facebook group called "Press Room Gang and Clan", if anybody's interested.

It's going to be an early night, though. A very early one...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jun 14 - 12:18 AM

Though it did clear up a bit this evening I stuck with the indoor work. I completely filled two large baking sheets with diced onions. On those evenings after work when I walk in the door, knowing I need to fix myself dinner and not wanting to fuss with lots of steps, I can grab a handful of frozen onions, a handful of frozen peppers, drop them into a skillet with a little olive oil and an Italian sausage, add a jar of my canned diced tomatoes, a garlic press squeeze of my home-grown garlic, a few herbs from the garden, and have a quick marinara ready for a plate of spaghetti. My future self will be so thankful that this summer I diced and froze these onions!

There are still enough onions to fill three or four more baking sheets. I'll hold out enough for a batch of beans (I cooked the beans today, I'll add all of the seasoning and the sausage tomorrow) but the rest are going into the freezer. I think there are still a few onion escapees in the garden to tide me over vis-à-vis fresh onions (in a spot where I planted them and I haven't weeded lately).

I also now have five eBay items listed, and a couple of watchers have shown interest. Let's hope they're actual shoppers and not just people with their own similar listings watching to see how I do.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Jun 14 - 06:58 PM

For some reason, I'm exhausted and sleepier than I have any right to be... Really didn't do much that was physically demanding today (and didn't bring any of the slate tiles up from the cellar), although I got a lot accomplished, including tearing up most of the bathroom vinyl. Not sure I'll get all the boxes cut up tomorrow morning in order to bag the pieces for the trash, but...well, I'll worry about that tomorrow morning.

After taking a bunch of stuff to the post office to be mailed, I figured while I was out I'd get some spray bottles at the hardware store and pick up a few groceries at Market Basket at the other end of the shopping center. But while I was at the hardware store, I went to investigate the garden wagon (four wheels, flat with sides, and it tips like a dump truck!!!) at the end of the row of wheelbarrows. Ended up buying it. It will work a LOT better for my purposes than my wheelbarrow which needs a new tire or something, and a minor repair. Think the wheelbarrow will make its way to the head of the driveway with a "FREE" sign on it before too much longer.

Bavarian beef soup (with bacon, mushrooms, onions, and spinach) simmering on the stove, but I just ate a bowl of popcorn and I think THAT'S going to be supper... Added a couple small pieces of the rhubarb/cream cheese bars that are left. They seem to be okay. And I'll drink some of the bottle of Nottingham Orchards hard cider that I opened the other evening. I bought it at the end of last summer at the Portsmouth Farmers' Market for Tom and I to try.

Been alternating today between being on the verge of tears, feeling over-extended, and, well, feeling just fine. I AM juggling about as many things as can be juggled, but they're all necessary things (even the fun stuff) and, well, keeping busy is good. And if I can keep busy and make things easier for me in the future, so much the better. Some stuff (yard work) has been added to the mix simply because of the weather -- it'll be winter again far too soon and there's so much I need to accomplish to reclaim the yard and flower beds. That's the reason for the over-extendedness feeling. And I've got to get a start on the PMFF printed matter, too (not to mention redoing Tom's and my music business card into a session card, and redoing the sea music sing with my email on it instead of Tom's).

On the verge of tears...well, why not? I lost two friends last week (one of them 'Spaw) and on Saturday found out that a woman I'd worked with seven years ago, with whom I last share lunch and phone calls about a year and a half or two years ago, passed away last July after a stroke and a move to a nursing home. As with my friend Linda who died last week after many years of illness and whom I hadn't seen for several years but thought of her every time I drove past her house (where she wasn't living -- but I drove past almost every day) and meant to find out what facility she was in and get in touch, it just reminded me of how much time and energy it took to take care of Tom the past three years. So the tears...a bit of regret, definitely a bit of sadness...and missing Tom, too, of course especially because I'm feeling over-extended because I now have to do everything alone.

I'm not whining. I'm just explaining to myself, I guess, why I'm in the mood(s) I'm in today. And probably why I'm feeling so tired. And now that I've explained it to somebody else (you, all -- my support group), I feel better.

Better go put the soup in a container and get it into the fridge. The laundry can dry tomorrow morning.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jun 14 - 11:17 PM

A little private insurrection at work today. While construction is underway there are two plywood corridors leading from the library front doors to two of our elevators to go to the rest of the building not under refurbishment. The powers that be decided to make this a place for approved student graffiti. Lots of chalk and markers supplied.

Today a version of this statement appeared right in the middle of the wall as you walk in the front door. A co-worker and I walked to the elevator with this thing, the back covered with Elmer's glue, and when I pointed out an upper spot to the side without much writing, my co-worker (a talented web designer and fashion maven who has a flare for drama) said "no, this is where it needs to go" and walked to the front and pointed at a spot about 4' up. So I plastered it on and we kept on moving. I walked back around the circuit of the covered corridor and picked up a copy of the student newspaper on a stand nearby. This was pressed it against the glue-backed sign and pushed more into place. By late this afternoon someone had pulled the top corner away from the wall, so I got tape from a nearby desk and pushed it flat again. It was still in place when I left for the evening.

You should see the glee in co-workers faces when they read those words. We learned today of two more of our top-flight staff leaving because they were moved out of the jobs that brought them to this library. They were no longer chairs of departments, so they moved on.

I expect the sign won't stay there long, but signs can be replaced. Easily. And with sticker substances next time.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Jun 14 - 08:43 AM

Maynooth, Ontario:

Great sign, SRS!
Linn: A quote from Elizabeth Kubler Ross:was on FB but now I cannot find it! Sort of saying how we never get over it but build a new life/self around the hole the loss left in our life. I would say stuff leaks out of that hole but perhaps less and less. Such as my re-experiencing the loss of my dad after visiting my young friend who just lost hers. Losing others on top of your so-recent loss will drain your energy. I was fairly useless on Sunday and my dad died in 1962.

I woke up with lots of energy at 6:30 Monday and started my day in the country. R had gone back to city on Sunday to "get things done" so I had bf and read and computered and expected I would be ready to pot by 9. Instead, I was so sleepy I snuggled back under the covers. I regained consciousness about 11 having been through a period more hallucinatory than dreaming.

On FB, as I tried to regain balance, a friend posted a pic of my fav eatery here, in the area that was home for 17 years- 1981-99. I got so homesick and I was so stunned by the morning and scared it might have been caused by crop spraying, that by 1 pm, I was on my way; a five hour drive to the area. I had phoned a friend; she could not put me up - house full of grand kids but mentioned a friend of mine might have died.

I usually stop at that home on the way so I did and no one was around and I left a note. Then I stopped at the next friend and a total stranger informed me she had died two years ago! I left my card; her husband phoned and I will meet this afternoon. Whew!

So I had a short visit with friend #1 and family; I'll visit her today. Connected with a few on FB and making dates with a few more. Will get to see fav musician in concert on Weds. I really wanted to be there! and supper with his daughter before hand. I had been wanting to go to this but thought I had missed it. One YAY, in the midst of...

Still lacking a place to lay my head, I came up to Maynooth thinking this is where people would be - all the "hippies" are around here. The "hotel"/bar was closed but as I started to drive out the back, there is a sign: "Sleep cheap". I parked and found a door ajar and went in, heard voices, shouted "hello!" A body stooped down at the top of the long stairs and said, "That looks like Dorothy Parshall." I peered up and returned, "That looks like Wayne Elliott!" My credentials confirmed, I went up and met two other persons: including the current owner of the local hotel, the Arlington. A 3-story box of antique hotel - bar on the first floor. Tin ceilings, lovely moldings and a lot of rooms, roughly furnished as a sort of hostel. with wifi. We managed to find me a safe room - windows that open! a cool breeze and light rain this morning. $35. I had brought a quilt and used that rather than sheets that might have been washed in a toxic detergent. And Wayne confirmed the death of my other friend. Whew!

Now, it is almost time for stores to open: I left the mill with two extra pairs of socks, two of underpants and 3 T-shirts. No comb, toothbrush, nighty, or charger for phone. But I brought the computer!! with charger! Off to the thrift shop, dollar store and whole food store - and gas station down in Bancroft, then to my friend in Highland Grove and back to B-croft to meet with my friend's husband. And whatever happens next. Still hoping to find a friend with a sofa but I may be back here tonight.

So I too am dealing with the shock of losing two of my favourite people, a potter and an environmentalist. Yoicks! And a friend I am to phone this eve lost her husband, another dear person, a couple years ago. One of the negatives of my many moves: I feel badly that I was not there for certain people as they went through rough times.

There are no crops up here to be sprayed- only trees, rocks and mosquitoes, maybe black flies but they should be over by now. But I am still coughing. I had hoped... Maybe tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jun 14 - 10:27 AM

I love how you always land on your feet, Dorothy - or at least don't damage anything when you come to rest. ;-)

Not a lot to report on the evenings when I work 10-hour days. The kitchen is clean and the dishes done. Yesterday started with a thunderstorm so I went into work later. Today dawned nice and I'm here early, leaving time this evening to mow the front lawn. That seems to be the thing I do the most of lately, cut the grass. Soon those days will be past and the earth will crack from the heat.

Linn, I expect that the mood swings will continue, but not as pronounced, and soon you'll spend more and more time in that middle comfortable zone, with the occasional relapse of sadness on various significant dates.

We haven't heard from Susan for a while. She must be moving trailers of furniture still, or painting, or building more ramps. Report in when you have a moment!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Jun 14 - 01:30 PM

The Kubler-Ross quotation is, "The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not 'get over' the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but, you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to."

I downloaded it (and put it into my "Tom" file alias on the desktop) when it showed up at Facebook. Definitely true. And definitely a reminder here six months into my first year of grief. Just had a couple hour phone conversation with a friend who has been a widow a couple months longer than I have. It's a great day for it because I just found out I have nothing else today that I HAVE to do (I don't have to go to a friend's to work on the T-shirt quilt) -- and had just come to the realization that I needed to take a day "off" just to be, to talk to friends and my sister (who called to say she's calling me back this afternoon), etc. Talked to Tom's 93-year-old cousin on Friday. She lost her husband shortly after Tom and I met, so it was probably 1981. She says, too, there are still some really down days. You never do "get over" the loss. It just changes. As the quotation says, you'll never be the same, but you don't WANT it to be the same.

A few months ago a friend sent me a great little book of daily meditations entitled "Healing After Loss" and yesterday's was even more appropriate than ever. About how some people don't want to mention the loss after, say, about six months, but how we widows still need to hear words of condolence. It doesn't bother US to shed a few tears...and crying can actually be an odd kind of enjoyable.

So, I got the rest of the vinyl pieces torn up, bagged, and into the trash. I sat on the steps outside and cut up the box and got it bagged, then I got the three bags of trash up to the road in time for pickup.

I just heated up the Bavarian Beef Soup for lunch and will now probably have the last of the strawberry shortcake for dessert. Then, maybe, I'll take the cordless phone out on the deck and wait for my sister to call.

That's it. That's my game plan for today. What counts for a day off, for a change. Maybe I'll bring some of those tiles upstairs...maybe I won't. I just cleaned up a box to hold CDs in the car. Maybe I'll take it out to the car...maybe I won't.

And maybe later I'll catch up with my friend in Seattle...or call my great aunt in Milwaukee -- she's not going to be around forever, either.

It's such a beautiful day out, though, I really feel I need to sit on the deck.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 24 Jun 14 - 10:44 PM

And then tonight around 10:00 pm I felt a strong need to sit on the deck in the dark...barefoot, in my nightshirt. There were stars where I'd expected clouds...and a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away. And lightning bugs way up in the treetops. After a few minutes, some came down lower. One chased around above the rockery on the bank.

I love where I live in the middle of the woods. Spent a bit of time this afternoon on a lounge chair in the hemlock "room" on the bank out back behind the flower beds. I think there's another branch to come down, but I can do it. Sometime this summer. I read...and enjoyed the view of the sky between the tree tops. And my flower beds. And the woods down the slope.

Goodnight...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jun 14 - 12:09 AM

Those fireflies add magic to any location. There aren't any around here tonight after high winds blew through and knocked a bunch of limbs out of the neighbor's tree (they're scattered all over my yard) and toppled a couple of my native sunflowers. I'll see if the flowers can be propped in the morning. My backyard creek stayed in its banks and the dogs were fine in the garage. The front lawn didn't get mowed because of the rain, and there is potential for more for the next week. This is great for the drought but hard on short-term plans.

Instead of mowing I tried taking a brief nap when I got home - the dogs were in the house and I set a timer then stretched out on the leather recliner. That doesn't work - there was constant dog movement and quite a few sneaky kisses offered from the side of the chair and a couple of surprising kisses on my bare foot.

Kitchen is clean again after making a large batch of rice with chicken and mushrooms to use for lunch. I didn't finish seasoning my beans yet, maybe tomorrow, but when those are finished they'll be great with the rice. It'll be homemade lunch for the time being after the car transmission bill. Figuring a low average cost for lunch every day, it would take only about 3 years to save that much. :-(   

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jun 14 - 03:12 PM

Looks like heavy weather is brewing again this afternoon. We need to enjoy it, starting in July it's supposed to be hot and dry again.

Giving this a boost to the top, I don't have much decluttering to add right now (though my desk could use a little filing and paper recycling).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 25 Jun 14 - 07:58 PM

My new and improved birth certificate arrived day before yesterday from the State of Michigan. Why did I need to spend good money (and actually wait a month until I turned 65 so I could SAVE twenty bucks) on a new birth certificate when I already had one that has seen me through just about everything a birth certificate needs to see you through in 65 years? Because the original wasn't good enough to get a passport. I evidently was born in the days before raised seals making it officially official enough for a passport.

So today I finally got my posterior down to the post office to get photographed, submit the application and the necessary identification, and get the whole shebang in the works. Of course, the form I got last December wasn't good enough either -- they'd redesigned it and rearranged the positions of the information, so I had to fill out the new application. And write the checks. But, tah dah! it's done...except for the waiting for the actual passport and my birth certificate to arrive in the mail.

And then I may, at my leisure and during good weather, be able to visit a friend in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. (Oh, and maybe some other friends, too.)

No, Canada does not require a passport for a US citizen to visit. But if I want MY country to let me back in so I can go home, I need the passport.

Bureaucracy!

I've been trying to figure out if the photo is better or worse than my recent driver's license photo... I think neither. I still look like my mother. (Not necessarily a good thing...)

Anyway, I did get a few other things done today, such as bringing slate tiles upstairs so the floor can be installed next week. And I got the old wheelbarrow up to the road with a FREE sign on it.

Now I'm going to feed the cats some wet food (treat!) and pour myself a weak G&T and maybe go out on the deck (it's almost dark) and see if there are any more lightning bugs. I don't think there will be any stars.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 14 - 12:17 PM

Linn, your talking about the slate for your bathroom floor has me itching to pull up the linoleum in my bathrooms and finally put down tile. It would make sense, on general principals, to finish up the inside work around the house. So many colleagues are moving to new jobs and selling homes in the process, it is a trend that is unmistakable in the conspicuous de-population of the university library.

I finished dicing my home-grown onions, all but a few to use this week have gone into the freezer on two more baking sheets. I'll have 2+ gallons in heavy duty bags. If I tried to keep them in peat moss over time they'd gradually shrivel, and a lot of them were small so they wouldn't last long. I'll still buy a few fresh onions as I need them, and plant more later in the year.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jun 14 - 12:16 PM

It's overcast, there is a possibility of rain, but I'll get the front mowed (finally!) before anything blows through. I don't need to go anywhere today, don't need to spend any money (good thing, I need to start regrouping after the financial shock of a rebuilt transmission earlier this month).

I listed the chandelier on eBay a couple of months ago with no nibbles and I've re-worked the listing to run it again this weekend. That will clear out a few cubic feet a space to move that out of the front room.

There are several projects that were ready to start at the time of above-mentioned car debacle, and I'll move forward on a couple this weekend. The materials here and now I have the time.

Also, garden work. My basil has not reseeded itself well this year and I have a packet I'll plant out there. It isn't summer if I don't have a small hedge of basil in my garden! I also have to plant okra and a couple of things for fall crops. Yes, it's June, but I'll start bedding plants to put in the ground in mid-late July for fall crops.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jun 14 - 12:39 PM

The front yard looks lovely, an eBay box is in the mail. I found a place to hang an elegant Georgia O'Keefe poster, and the kitchen is looking pretty good. On the downside, it seems like dog hair is multiplying in an exponential fashion around here. Time to change the vacuum cleaner bag and make a major assault on the corners where it seems to be hiding.

It's good to finally be putting both fitness and declutter back into this thread - I mowed the entire yard yesterday which amounts to a 90-minute workout. I woke up this morning able to feel it, especially in my arms because I trimmed a lot of branches also.

eBay is moving along and I have a bin to put things in for local donation. I've been filing papers this morning and shredding others. Hellen Buttigieg (neat) says that "piled paper is decisions deferred" and I'm looking at a lot of things that need filing or finishing or abandonment.

First load of laundry finished and headed out to the clothesline. This has the towels and sheets and small things where wrinkles don't matter. I'll bring it all in and put the dry-plank-hard towels into the dryer and run them with the clothes that are worn to work and need to be wrinkle-free. Dry towels in with the wet stuff speeds drying and softens the towels.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jun 14 - 10:20 AM

Foliar feeding in the garden this morning, then digging a bed to transplant some home-grown bedding plants. Zucchini and cucumber. And plant okra from seed.

I am about finished with the re-vamped chandelier listing for eBay. I have to take it out of the box and wrap it in a way to stabilize it for travel then repack and weigh it. I'll have to balance this huge box on top of the scale and have someone read the number.

And back to the top.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Jun 14 - 10:11 PM

City:
I have been doing catch up since coming back to the city on Thurs eve. I drove all the way back with an urge to turn around and go back, esp after getting into Quebec. So tired of dealing with French and the idiotic bureaucracy. YES! worse than anywhere else I have lived.

It was wonderful to catch up with dear friends and have a meal at my fav eatery, while also catching up with dear friend who is co-owner - for two hours! This after spending 3 hours with another friend and her artist husband in their art filled home on a small lake. After my long lunch, I had to rush to get to dinner almost an hour away, a wonderful time of conversation with a few friends. Then back a half hour to the concert in the park! The bandshell is made of hand squared timbers - done by the featured musician, father of my dinner host. I have known them 41 years! Tam and I hung out when she was about 11; now her daughter is 11. Daughters are Georgia (on my mind) and Sunny - for that song.

So I stayed at the hotel 3 nights. Quiet! And fresh air! On Thursday I had bf with my widowed friend in her beautiful, very secluded country home - full of art and antiques. She cried for two years but she is very busy in the community. "On the road again", I stopped at the School House Dining Room - just to see that it was still there!

I never caught up with the widower of my potting friend. My cell phone quit so if anyone tried to phone me... VERY frustrating.

I did feel better while I was there. R says that is only because I was away. I guess he has forgotten what real clean air is like.

Went to the mill on Friday. Did a bisque firing, went to cafe for music. We went to look at a house on Sat. I declared, "If you buy it, I will have nothing to do with it until it has a new roof, the trash has been collected into a dumpster and the weeds (chest high) have been cut." That is my absolute bottom line. It has good bones but ...........................Well, that's about all.

The trip away was good for me. Maybe not so great for the relationship. It was terrific to be among long time friends and feel part of a community where I could help out - in ENGLISH! I told R I want a pied a terre in Bancroft and he responds with, "Let's go look at the (house we went to see.)! I do want to be able to go back for a few days each month - until the snow flies. I shall start messaging friends in search of a place to rent - for less than the hotel.

R went back to the city on Sat and I rested, washed dishes, rested. Today, I did glazing and got a firing going. Almost all are white with the new dark turquoise glaze. Four blue/white mugs for an order. Also cut some weeds with scythe and weeded garden, parts of which are burgeoning! Loaded car and started to city with a lengthy stop at local restaurant where 3 friends were having a meal. I did not eat; I had two bowls of choc ice cream and strawberries at the mill - trying to cool off. So much for fitness, though I did work steadily for about 6 hours today. And I had a big bowl of lettuce and humus for lunch. And I have, so far, avoided eating lots of choc cookies, although the urge is strong and I may yet succumb. Also bought groceries on the way so I shan't have to do it tomorrow. NEed to go deal with cell phone problem - AGAIN!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 14 - 12:29 PM

I pushed myself through garden chores yesterday in order to finish in time to fix an impromptu dinner for five (my daughter came to town with a friend and family came over to join us). I need to buy a case of Gatorade, I can still feel it from yesterday even though I drank a lot of water.

I did most of the transplanting into freshly dug beds (where the spring potatoes grew) and created a couple of new spots for the cucumbers home-seeded bedding plants that were planted late but at least did get planted. I have some potatoes do finish digging and then some other bedding plants will go in that spot.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Jun 14 - 02:10 PM

City:
Happily used the push mower this morning - it stopped screeching after a couple minutes and cut the little bit of grass nicely in the back yard - the only yard. Then I went off to deal with the cell phone. Now I shall have to phone them for instructions as I cannot get any where with it.

After I got a, hopefully, working loaner, I went to the Restore and bought 4 nice metal trellises for the four clematis. The two half way decent old ones will go to the country and the two jury rigged will be deep-sixed. While I was out there, I pulled weeds and trimmed a few things. Not for long; it is too hot! Also acquired six nice geranium sized pots so I can repot the ones still in plastic.

Big salad for lunch but still hungry. Maybe I will try a bigger one. I did eat cookies last night and suffered cramps all night in spite of extra magnesium. Want to do a roast pork but it will heat up the house... R needs to re-install the AC; I don't want to mess up the new insulation (where a window should be) even though the reno (when ever?) needs to include new windows. Too hot to cook anything. I need cooked food. OK, broccoli in the microwave.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 14 - 10:38 PM

Figured out that a job I'm interested in was re-advertised. Scrambling to get the paperwork in, revised to fit the new, larger description (more job requirements, but interestingly they fit what I described in my interview with them earlier this month).

I filled up the pump and sprayed a mix of compost tea and various good things on my garden. Tomorrow I'll do a more localized spraying and use some orange oil and spinosad to knock out some flea beetles hitting my eggplants and a couple of the chard plants. Now comes the strategic watering period of the year. Keeping things alive and growing without breaking the bank. I dug up the last three potato plants, pulled out the taters and then as a test I put a couple of the plants back into the ground and watered them in to see if they grow some more. Just curious.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 03:08 PM

Followed a friend's advice and called to ask about it. The job number doesn't matter, the application went in properly. They haven't been able to meet their deadlines but everyone is still in the running.

Exhale.

Filing around here today. I felt a bit under the weather this morning so kept whatever the bug is at home, but I'm not so down that I can't sort papers, file, and shred. My office looks much better.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 03:13 PM

I've been kind of quiet the past couple days because I've been kind of BUSY the past couple days...

Last Thursday would have been Tom's and my 32nd wedding anniversary. I didn't go into it in as bad emotional shape as I did my birthday a couple weeks ago, but the day started out rather introspective and reminising. Then I got a call from the credit union who was about to pay the 6 months property tax and the difference made her panic. I knew Tom's elderly and blind exemptions were coming off as of April 1, but I did. not. expect. that jump (from $330 to $1744). That changed the whole emotional content of the day, believe me. I'm not eligible for the elderly exemption until next year, so I've got a year of having to pay full weight on the property taxes. But the good news is I could and DID pay it. And I can pay it for the rest of the year. When Mom died ten days after Tom, I thought her timing was pretty bad... Well, it turned out that it saved my posterior. But, quite honestly, I'm feeling...a bit shaky and less "safe" financially.

Friday was a lovely day which started out with a three hour lunch with a couple really great friends at an interesting new grill and pub with a lot of character. The food is really good and reasonably priced, too. They reminded me I needed to get to the Portsmouth Farmers' Market or to the Meadow's Mirth farm stand and start picking up my produce for my CSA share, which I'm sharing with them. Then at the Press Room session everything went just really really well, despite one of the stronger voices being in Utah and Idaho until August. Had a good talk with a friend I don't often get a chance to talk to, and, after the session got off to a somewhat slow start (too nice a day outside and too many gigs), another good strong singer whom we haven't seen for awhile came in and sang until we wrapped.

A group of young guys came in and sat over by the stairs. They looked like they might be a ZZ Top cover band, but when I sang "The Man Who Waters the Workers' Beer" they got really excited. So I went over and talked to them and told them the history of the session, etc. Turns out they were one of the opening acts upstairs and described their music as "Appalachian/Blues/Punk"...but we welcome just about everyone to our Anglo-Celtic trad session. I invited them to join us and two ran upstairs for their instruments...and Adam came down with a tiny banjo and his bandmate with a standup bass. They sang a Woody Guthrie union song, which, of course, led me to doing a couple union songs... We had a great time. Adam wanted me to join them later onstage to sing "The Man Who Waters the Workers' Beer" but I had promised a friend that I'd catch the last 45 minutes of her Greek gig at Café Nostimo. What a great night!

Then on Saturday I went to the Farmers' Market and Josh told me that actually I still had a credit left from last season. I'm eating free this week (and probably mostly free for some time). Took the scenic route on the way home and ended up sitting for awhile at a lovely little pocket park on the Lamprey River in Newmarket, NH -- overlooking Chick's Weir. And I talked to the mallards who seemed to enjoy the conversation. The backs of the mills are now so gentrified and cleaned up. Back in 1981 I worked at Newmarket Press and their loading dock was just up the river from where I was sitting. What a difference!

Had a huge amount of stuff on my list on Sunday, everything from laundry and making my homemade Italian dressing (and another batch of blue cheese dressing) to reading and critiquing all the writing for Monday's memoir writers group.

Yesterday the fellow came to pay me for the huge anvil in the cellar as well as the forge and the smaller anvils and a few tools. I really should have taken pictures... He got it out of the cellar, around the corner of the house, and up the slope to the driveway level on a sled -- pretty slick. Then, while winching it up to the truck bed, it slid off the sled. I called a neighbor with a little tractor but he was on his way to the airport. HE called another neighbor who came up and they got it into the truck.
So I got to meet a neighbor I had only waved to. (He refused payment or even a beer for helping out; said, "That's what neighbors do...help each other out.") So now I have some more space in the cellar and some space filled in the bank account.

Got the check deposited this morning and got aluminum foil at the store which I seem to keep forgetting. Got some other preliminary and peripheral tasks accomplished, too, but my primary focus is taking the old composting toilet apart and scrubbing down the subflooring in anticipation of my handyman coming at 7:30 tomorrow morning to do the bathroom floor. He might have to bring the boxes of slate upstairs by himself; not sure if I'll get to it. I DID bring up the replacement gray slate tiles to substitute for the red ones in the mix in the boxes.

Of course the weather today decided to be in the mid-90s (F)... and all I'd REALLY like to do is take a nap!

Well, I've got it partially apart, and I just grabbed the screwdrivers and flashlight so I have to go and attack the rest of it.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 04:04 PM

City:
HAH! Linn's project reminds me that I can now put the new filter in the air cleaner. Not a small job, or a BIG one but it will take figuring out, even reading the instructions! Happily, R installed the AC this morning. Guess he was hot also. I could barely breathe yesterday and spent the afternoon - tired of sitting but unable to move for the heat. Today, not enough energy to go up to the hot area and pot, even though I want to make pots. Tomorrow might be cooler. I did go up and open the front and back doors. It won't get cooler until the day does but it will not store up yet more heat. Must remember to close them tonight lest the raccoons move in. Heard one in the attic last week.

R doing the AC meant me finding, "tape measure?" "screwdriver?" "marker" ... The screwdriver lives in my car so I will know where it is. He was going to put it back but I asked him not to; it is here for my task.

I did get the recycling bin out this am and R brought it in. The AC is only for BR and LR. I closed off the kitchen and did my roast pork - in an old cast iron pot with lid as I recently broke the lid of my lovely 45 year old casserole, one of the first "big" things I bought after I came to Canada. The roast is done, oven off, distiller on back steps working away so the heat goes outside.

messaged/emailed a few people, and checked out FB, read and ate bigger salad, bread, cheese and strawberries. Now I am fed up with sitting. Will try doing the filter thing before the chair and I become one.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 04:51 PM

Well, that took almost 15 minutes and was incredibly easy. Is it still Tuesday? I have to think of something else to do - in a cool part of the house.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 01 Jul 14 - 04:52 PM

Cabinet for toilet taken apart and I've been schlepping it downstairs and outside to stack behind the deck.

Scraped 30 years' worth of peat moss dust (and lord knows what else) off the floor.

When I finally get all the framing and plywood and stuff outside, then I can try to scrub the floor as best I can. I hope my garden kneeler will help because I can't get down on my knees on the floor.

My handyman is going to have to bring the slate upstairs...I just can't.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 02 Jul 14 - 09:55 AM

My handyman showed up right on time at 7:30 a.m. He's out right now getting the materials to do the floor and the fact that I couldn't scrub the floor completely is not a problem because he'll put luan over it. (Whew!)

We've discussed a few other things around here to make my life simpler. Some are little tasks that are beyond me but that he should be able to take care of in no time and minimal expense. And he'll get me quotes on a couple projects and options on some other less pressing things.

Right now I'm doing some online research on lighting fixtures to replace the innocuous (but cheap -- downside was they were never really installed properly plus they're difficult to replace bulbs) black can wall-type lighting fixtures scattered throughout the house. My handyman had tightened them up last year, but couldn't easily find replacements when he went to pick up other materials. I've not had time to look since then. The fixture that REALLY needs to be replaced is the one in the kitchen where the important side of the two lights is terminally broken. (So I have no good lighting over the stove.) Maybe temporarily one of the fixtures from the little office (which really only needed to be a single) could be used.

I'm getting discouraged trying to find something online. I think one of these days (soon) I'll go check out Rockingham Electric and ReStore in Portsmouth. And maybe Dennis can swap out those two for the time being and I can take the broken one with me to give sales people a better idea of what I'm looking for -- and size.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jul 14 - 11:33 AM

I posted last night but it didn't stick. The work you're doing on your bathroom makes any peeling up of linoleum and putting down tile on my part sound puny, Linn. Dorothy, it sounds like you had a great visit. Michelle, did you do that garage sale yet? How did it go?

Yesterday I caught up on a lot of stuff around the house including shredding old papers, filing, paying bills. Another item was listed on eBay. I mainly needed the day to sort out where things stand with the job opening I'm interested in. They are not meeting their deadlines as far as interviews and hiring but hope to make a decision this month. Fingers crossed.

I'm glad so many of us have access to fresh healthy vegetables. I was out last night examining the garden and came in with my t-shirt front (you know, pick up the hem and use it like an apron) full of peppers. I need to pick more tonight and start processing them. Some will be in pickles, others in the freezer. I picked several eggplant on Sunday and gave one to the next door neighbor yesterday (she never used to eat eggplant but she loves babaghanouj and makes it regularly). I have another one for my haircutter today. Tomorrow I'll have a couple more in the garden ready to pick, so the challenge is to stay ahead of them. And tomatoes are beginning to look like they'll ripen soon. There aren't a lot, but there are some big ones.

Four days off in a row this week. With the post-automatic-transmission-rebuild austerity I'm in it means that I need to actually finish projects I've already started instead of investing in new ones. This is a good thing as it tidies up a lot of loose ends. One of the first things to do over this long weekend is sort out all of my watering and soaker hoses around the yard. I have a watering thing (battery operated) that I bought last year and never set up. It's time to do that.

P.S. Got a call, didn't get that job. Darn. At least I got to the interview, so the process is getting more streamlined.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jul 14 - 08:51 PM

City:
SRS! hope another job comes along soon!

Did some laundry this morning. Finding things that can be washed and put away until after the reno. Left the upstairs doors open and no little visitors. Late bf this morning. At 10 am I thought I would go up and pot for two hours after I... Then it was 11 so I ended up on FB until it was time to go to dentist for cleaning. Stopped at Market for apples and got 3 avocados - very hard! R really does not like pork without applesauce!

Had a nice lunch of broccoli and celery soup with brie and a piece of Naan. Then could not keep eyes open so went for a lie down thinking 15 minutes of so. Almost 2 hours later R came home "for lunch" - about 6:30. I dragged myself up feeling drugged and very out of it. Gave him a salad while I cut up and nuked apples to go with pork; not as good as the apple sauce I had intended but it sufficed. This locally grown - in the country - pork roast melts in the mouth. An expensive treat.

Now we are concerned about Lyme disease. I found a tick on my thigh on Monday morning. That is, there was something there where I could not see it, just felt it. R investigated and very carefully removed a tiny tick (the worst sort) and drenched the, very red, area with tea tree oil. Checking on line, he finds that area, down in the country, has a high rate of Lyme - 74 last year. So I guess I will be going to the hospital down there on Friday for advice. I have a 1 pm appointment to get the tail gate mechanism repaired so that will be a good time to try for help.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jul 14 - 11:14 PM

I went by my Middle Eastern grocery store this evening and picked up several types of flatbread for comparison. I like pita and naan when I can find it, but they also had some much larger (like pizza-size large) rounds of Iraqi bread that is stretchy and chewy. I had some with the last of my babaghanouj at dinner. Also a favorite bread that used to be sold as "Afghan bread" and is now labeled "Barbari" bread. From the same baker, the same size and packaging, but quite possibly politically a less hot-button name.

I also picked up my regular 3-liter bottle of Lebanese olive oil (when I bought a 1 pint bottle at the regular grocery it cost $8, this was $15 and it is so much better). The olive oil I bought the other day isn't a total waste - it's the first all American olive oil I've ever bought, cold pressed virgin. I'll compare them. This purchase and my haircut today are the last cash I plan to spend for a while.

Four days off. So much to do.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 07:52 AM

Dorothy, if that was a black-legged tick (often mistakenly called a deer tick) -- and they're the tiny ones -- it takes 24-36 hours of the tick being attached for the spirochetes to migrate into your body. I'm sort of a defacto "expert" on ticks and Lyme disease. New Hampshire has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the US. Rockingham (my county) and Strafford counties have the highest rate within New Hampshire, and Nottingham (my town), Lee, and Barrington have the highest rates within those two counties. Dr. Alan Eaton, an entomologist one of whose specialties is ticks, is a friend and session member (fiddle and vocals with Mudhook). Wish he'd record the amusing and informative "Tick Rap" which he wrote. (One night at the session after performing it, he passed out quizzes...) If a black-legged tick was attached for any length of time, see a doctor for antibiotics.

Stilly, I wish I could get that brand EV olive oil around here. Alas, while we have oriental markets, we don't have any Near Eastern markets. (Wish I could still get the Pakistani rose syrup I used to be able to buy.)

I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. Can't even blame it on the heat and humidity (well, maybe...) because yesterday's thunderstorms brought the temperature down (but added, of course, to the humidity. Mostly my brain kicked in. Gave up around 4, turned on the light and read. And then it started to get light...and the alarm was set for 6...

Dennis is due in 15 minutes. Hope by tonight I'll have at least partial use of the bathroom back. I'll need to take a shower and wash my hair.

Using Tom's commode tucked discretely around the corner in the bedroom.

Before he left yesterday afternoon, I had Dennis (who was standing splay-legged with he feet on the edges where there were no tiles) hand me my BP meds, contacts stuff and a pair of earrings. Went to the session in Dover last night naked -- no make-up (couldn't stay on with the perspiration anyway) and no rings on my right hand.

He's here and he just promised I'll be able to take a shower and wash my hair tonight. Tomorrow is another early morning, but for fun -- West Nottingham's Fourth of July celebration starts at 7 a.m. at Demmon's Old Country Store. Free breakfast (eggs, toast, maybe homefries and a red, white & blue berry cup) at 7, from 8-9 we sit around and sing and play music (the core musicians are from the Press Room session), and then at 9 a.m. is the reading (from the porch of the country store) of the Declaration of Independence.

Oh, yesterday solved another little problem. I asked Dennis about the possibility of a doorbell because I can't hear anyone at the door even if I'm downstairs. And upstairs, forget it. The only time I can tell if someone is here is if I'm at the computer and I see them pull into the driveway. He suggested (and I bought on eBay) Driveway Patrol, so he'll install it when it gets here.

That just reminds me...I have to go upstairs (where my calendar is) and call the electrician back to schedule upgrading two outlets -- the one behind the composting toilet and the one in the laundry room.

Slowly, but surely, everything will get accomplished...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 07:54 AM

Stilly, I copy my post before I hit "Submit Message"...that way when it doesn't "take" (like just now), I can paste it back in and try again without having to try to reconstruct my post.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Jeri
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 10:48 AM

Black legged tick is called a deer tick because it parasitizes deer, but it also likes mice, birds and people. Probably anything with a handy meal. I think that's why the shift is away from calling it that. If you have a rash, do go get seen. The tick's saliva can cause a reaction/rash, but it's better to be safe, because Lyme Disease is very easily treated early on.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 12:39 PM

City - but not for long!
Thanks to Jeri and Linn for info. Definitely deer tick. Do not believe it was there 24 hours but the hole was oozing white stuff. R squeezed it hard and put tea tree oil on it before removal and after. He has been researching on line. I started taking extra Pau d'Arco for the antibiotic effect. The redness is less today. Will check in at hospital tomorrow. They had 74 cases in southern Quebec last year. The ticks are moving north with global warming.

Linn! You are making wonderful progress. It will be so nice, feel so good!

R brought home a nice little three tier corner shelf wood unit with turned legs. The first was a major moving day in Montreal and the piles of stuff left behind were daunting. I am grateful that is all he dragged home! A person could have gone around with a truck and furnished an entire house, including dishes, pots etc. Probably linens as well.

Woke up about 8 this morning (bed was after 12). Felt fine and did a small wash and dried R's one pair of shorts before he went off. Did his ragged winter jacket and put it outside to dry. Cool breeze blowing through the house and AC off! Distiller still outside, doing one more gallon before I leave for country. phoned a couple friends in Ontario re helping out at Art Gallery when I visit again. Thinking of next week - Monday - Friday, more or less. Will consult with R on Saturday. He is too busy with current crises.

Got no pots made this week. Having carried the portable wheel upstairs yesterday morning, now need to bring it down and load the car with a bunch of stuff to go to the country. Going mid aft to miss traffic on the bridge - one lane!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 05:52 PM

The chipper died 4 days after the 90 day warranty expired. I've built up a pile of branches to chip, so now I'll have to work this out. Probably the ol' stunt of buy a new one and take this back in a month for a refund. And hope the new one keeps working. All of the rest of the models out there are too big and way too heavy for what I need.

Went to lunch with a lot of friends who used to work at the library. Many left or retired because of the reorganization. It was nice to visit. One thing we didn't talk about much was work. On the way back I stopped at the feed store and picked up a few plants - my basil hedge is lacking this year so I'll add to it, and I have a couple of flowers for the patio pots, and a couple of things for a shady area.

I need to work on shade for the back patio to keep the afternoon sun from beating on my sliding glass door. I have a couple of ideas to research. Also, it's time to put up my back yard shower. The water through the lines warms up so much you can literally shower without additional hot water. With a private back yard, it's a nice summertime ritual.

I also do the copy before posting thing, but somehow it still managed to disappear. Perhaps someone else posted near the same time so when I saw the thread at the top of the page I assumed mine had gone through and didn't double check.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 14 - 11:43 PM

If you sign up for Harbor Freight's email they have a coupon for 25% off of one item for Friday only (July 4). I guess I'll be using that for another chipper.

After the garden it will be NetFlix and eBay this evening. And Elementary.

I did a load of laundry, some needed to go in the dryer because it is work clothes, but some is out on the line overnight. It means the dryer didn't run as long. Hanging by the rechargeable Coleman lantern with the dogs milling around to help (every time you bend near the basket there is someone to offer a kiss) is interesting. I'll retrieve it in the morning. The dryer was stopped at the point when clothes were hot but not wrinkled and they're now hanging to finish drying.

No fireworks noise tonight, but I expect tomorrow will be one with the dogs in the house from dusk on. They don't like the lights and popping of the local celebrations.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Jul 14 - 06:04 PM

Country:
Left later than I intended. Took an hour to get to the bridge and 10 min to cross! 90 min to Chateuguay which usually takes 20 min. So now it was 5 so I thought I would do something unique: I went into two small dress shops and looked. There was one interesting object - a dress that was $55@ half price. So I went on to the thrift shop in Mercier where I bought 2 pairs of pedal pushers and one nice cotton slacks and a summer sweater - for $3.50 @ half price! And two folding garden chairs - $4.00. Having killed some time and augmented my wardrobe quite adequately, I went to the cafe in St. Isidore for the music. Open mike was terrific and Bobby Dove was too. So was the supper and the company.

Drove very slowly toward the mill because it was "the raccoon time of night". Drove past two prop for sale but a little too far I think. Continued on the secondary roads and saw a realtor sign on one we had phoned about in the early spring. Instead of phoning us back, the owner listed it. And very recently as it is not on the web site yet.

R is upset about my tick bite which we are sure resulted from the prop we saw on Sat but there are ticks wherever there is tall grass and weeds. The spot is still a bit red but diminishing.

Still did not get pots made but did glazing and filled kiln which is now firing - all with the new turquoise and white combo. The last lot of pots, unloaded last night, are very nice. I unloaded and sorted stuff I brought down, spent a lot of time on FB, went to town to deal with overdue books, was told they were not overdue, asked about a book a friend had suggested on FB - Te Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker; Rory suggests it be required for HS students to give them hope. The book explores the decline of violence in the world and maintains humans are becoming less violent and kinder. A weighty tome of 698 pages plus notes and index, I hope I can manage some part of it. I also delivered four mugs to a woman who ordered them; she was delighted.

The good news is that, although I have not lost any more weight, I have not gained any either. And last night at the cafe I realized how good I was feeling; could not sit through the bouncy music and stood to dance in place. Good exercise for over an hour. Have not
worn the protective mask for a while.

Starting to make arrangements for trip to Gemboree. Need to rent a car so we can go in different directions. I am NOT a rockhound.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 14 - 10:06 PM

I did some running around this afternoon and with some coupons was able to replace three of the old D-cell flashlights with three efficient 27-LED lights. Three trips in to Harbor Freight to buy one thing and get the flashlight with a coupon. The bin in the kitchen is filling up with stuff for Goodwill.

The last few stops at grocery stores I've been reading the labels of various sports drinks without the ester of rosin. It's something I remember from Quench and Squirt - soft drinks from years ago - now in Gatorade and others. I finally remembered that it also comes as a powder in cans and headed over to Sam's Club. They only have a blue flavor now, but it'll work. I've been needing this for the last couple of weeks as it gets really hot.

The dogs are in. As I was finishing emptying the kitchen compost bin into the big pile I heard some substantial booms. They were okay when I was out there but they sure wanted in fast when I came in. Just now I made eye contact with Zeke and he got up to give me a kiss. :)

I looked around the house today and I still see things sitting out on every surface. Nothing is featured as special when things are sitting everywhere. Time to work more on the Goodwill bin and on the eBay listings. I have some cupboard space that can be allocated also. I think that will be my activity for this Fourth of July evening in.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 14 - 11:24 AM

I had a thought last night as I was doing laundry - I think Dorothy (or maybe Maryanne?) mentioned losing weight but not losing any more (or I read it on facebook - so many discussion areas these days!) I'm at that same point. Much more fit than last year, fitting in my "fat pants" and wanting to lose the rest. Working on the momentum. I do the alternate fasting (500 cal days) about twice a week right now. I need to actually alternate to get the desired effect.

Clearing more old produce from the freezer. Since I have a lot of jalapeno peppers I'll sort the old sliced and diced peppers and freeze some of the new ones. Old will go into the compost, which is quite huge this year for some reason. That's good, more compost for a couple of years from now.

I walked the dogs this morning after several weeks of not walking them. They were so excited they were knocking each other over. My bad, I need to walk them every day.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 14 - 07:55 PM

Front yard just about finished, hose assembly for a sound soaker system for the summer underway. One repair managed so far, and several other hoses need to be given new ends and then attached to siamese splitters for around the garden. Trimmed grass out from under some of the tomatoes. Several plants don't seem to be producing at all so I'll use the blossom set and see if I can get a few.

I put the new hose stand pipe into a bucket of concrete (it has a faucet and a hose support and will be hooked by hose to the front faucet on the house. Photos will follow). This way I can put the stand where I want. It's one part of the whole plan to keep the foundation watered (so it doesn't crack) and to keep the garden alive.

Must hang laundry before it gets mildewy. It ran this morning.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 01:22 PM

More eBay listed.

Laundry was out overnight - must go retrieve it.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 09:39 PM

Country:
Too nice here to go back to city. A reasonable temp and breezy all day -two days. Yesterday I did the Farmers' Market and knew I was going to be wiped out so when a friend said she would like to go pick strawberries I offered to drive her ; better than sitting in a state of collapse for the rest of the day. So I packed up (only sold one pot!!!) and drove to mill where I offloaded enough to make room for the second human and picked her up for our little adventure.

About 25 minutes to the strawberry farm where, having bought a whole flat that morning, I found A) they are sprayed and B) they had a far superior type at the farm. G decided not to pick and we each bought a basket of the better berries. I ate a bunch while waiting for G who talks a LOT! Then we went to the superior bakery nearby and I bought a choc mousse cake- frozen; will be treats for at least a month. Then to an organic farm for a few veggies and back to drop her off and to the mill about 4:30. THEN I collapsed into a near stupor. read, dozed, ate cheese and crackers, read, dozed, and went to bed at 10.

Up by 6:30: weeded my little garden, eliminated as much purple loosestrife as I saw; will do it again and again, found curtains for the kitchen - this took some search and organize efforts, ate, read, and made it to the studio where I worked from about 2 - 5. Then went off to either buy apples or applesauce OR find Geri. Found Geri and we went to supper with another friend, a lengthy process. Came home and, in the cool of the eve, I cut most of the weeds in an area about 50x50 with the scythe. A great improvement as they were almost waist high!
I coughed most of the day but it was still a very good day!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 14 - 10:54 PM

You did quite a bit of travelling and work over the weekend, Dorothy! Collapse at the end of the day seems to be something we have in common lately. I was in the yard a lot today and have taken a couple of aspirin as a preemptive strike. I can feel muscles stiffening up.

I weeded, I trimmed, I sawed up a couple of large limbs. Half of the stack of wood is at the curb for tomorrow's trash, the rest will go out for Thursday. I set up my hose rack and ran some initial tests.

My very late dinner needed a little cooling so I stepped in here to check what was up and then turn off the computer. Relatively early to bed tonight.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 14 - 11:53 AM

This is a Monday back at work when I can rest up from the weekend. The yard looks good so I hate to leave and not enjoy it. I used to be able to telecommute, and on mornings like this when the neighbor is out early mowing I'd take my cup of tea across the street to visit for a few minutes then head back to the house to work. No more.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 09:44 AM

Two more parcels ready to go to the post office. My eBay balance is slowly creeping upward.

Lots of veggies to cut up are now in the fridge. I have a few tomatoes on the window sill. This is a depressingly small crop for the number of plants in the yard.

New hose stand is looking good. I put two connected hoses on it, the outer one is a piece of crap that I bought last year - it looked good but there was a reason it was going for such a discount - it manages to kink several times in any watering session. I'll take it off and find a place where I can lay it out and leave it, let it do something useful once its in place and not have to fool with it. Maybe it can water the cannas at the side of the house.

A freelance job in May was never paid - their office assistant left and it wasn't completed, now the paperwork is missing. I have to reproduce it. Checking my files this morning.

The days are heating up for everyone now. Stay cool and comfortable. I am happy with my can of Gatorade powder, that helps a lot because I don't like to stop work just because it's hot. The closest Sam's Club where I bought it last weekend is closing tomorrow and moving to a new inconvenient location south of me. There are a couple of others I can go to on my way from work but are still out of my way. Costco is closer now, so perhaps this is time to make the change. My brother has friends in the company management - when I was visiting my siblings last summer my sister told us that "if Costco doesn't carry it he doesn't want it." They also have better employee policies. I got burned going into a store one time, though - some things they have to sell to the public by state law, regardless of membership status, but if you get an item that isn't on that list the clerk I dealt with got really nasty and confrontational.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 07:04 PM

Saturday I mostly slept. Got a decent night's sleep but I was still totally wiped from a busy and sleep deprived week. I'd get up, do stuff, take a nap, get up, do stuff, take a nap... Had a lovely morning with a friend on Sunday. I brought cinnamon rolls (and potato salad -- not at the same time) and she provided the coffee and dogs... Great conversation, dog petting and a chance to relax. AND she bought the iron pot rack I was going to put on Craig'sList.

Dropped off one of Tom's CD early this morning to a friend who used to teach with Tom. He wanted a copy to give to a friend. So that's another few bucks. Then got back to work on the T-shirt quilt at a friend's. This weather is obscene. Whenever I want to get work done, it's hot and the humidity is through the roof. The space was air conditioned, I wasn't moving much (cutting out fusable webbing), but I was still dripping.

Came home and got a few other things accomplished then watched "I Hear the Mermaids Singing" which I haven't seen in years. Lovely film!

Made some more of the cheese salad (grated cheddar, shallot, mixed with mayo) which got raves at Friday's party (in between early morning celebration and late afternoon and evening's session) and the plate was licked clean, so I didn't get any. Bought some pumpernickel pretzels to go with it for myself... Also made a fairly ambitious supper and then forgot entirely to grate up some Romano to put on top of it... Ah, well. There's leftovers.

Now I suppose I should go upstairs and take a shower and wash my hair. I don't think it's thundering much... (We've been having afternoon or nighttime thunderstorms for the past week.) Dennis will be here to continue work on the bathroom at 7:30. And the Driveway Patrol came on Saturday. Hmm...the anti-fatigue mat that was supposed to arrive yesterday hasn't, I think... We'll be using that under the new composting toilet to keep it from walking around on the slate floor. Guess I'll have to check on it...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 07:10 PM

City:
Another breezy day, though very warm in the sun. Turned off the AC this am and let the breeze blow through while I did two loads of laundry and remade the bed - love clean sheets. Phone calls and time on the computer, a big salad for lunch and then off to visit friends who bought a few pots in the new glaze, the result of almost two years of "get a turquoise glaze!" Hannah is happy and encouraging me to make more for the September craft show - "They will love it!" I shall follow her directive.

Then drove an hour across the city to pick up ticket for vernissage of 1001 pots. On way home, stopped at a grocery and picked up 8 marked down plant: perennials, a euonymous and a white potentilla - for here and, mostly, the country - and a few groceries. Now thinking of healthy supper. SRS reminded me I have organic zukes so....   Yum!

I threw a whole bunch on Monday and need to go back tomorrow to trim them and put together 4 (hopefully) teapots. Hoping for a kiln load to dry over the week I am away.

Making arrangements to go back to Ontario on Monday and for R and I to go on 31st for the weekend. Car rental- done.

Time to concoct supper.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 07:13 PM

Linn, how are you making the t-shirt quilt? I have a bunch of folk festival shirts of my Dad's that I'm thinking I could use for something like that. Are you cutting the front off or using squares of front and back for strength (since jersey is pretty stretchy)?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Jul 14 - 08:20 AM

Sort of winging it on the T-shirt quilt. Mine will be mostly festival, beer, Press Room, etc. shirts with the Fishtraks (recording studio) shirt in the middle -- Tom and I each got one at the party the night we met there.

My friend Carol is doing all the sewing, but I'm doing the cutting out (I'm using a plexiglass square that I had cut to size -- 14" square -- so I can see the design underneath; I draw around it with black or white marker then cut out the shirt), cutting of the fusable webbing, ironing that on, layout, etc.

She bought a pattern mostly for some hints as to sewing it -- she's using mine sort of as a practice one before doing one for herself.

We're using Pellon fusable interfacing on the back of the t-shirt material to stabilize it. I brought that part of the project (ironing the Pellon to the squares) home to work on, perhaps, while Dennis is working on the bathroom. Carol is picking up more Pellon before next Tuesday when we'll again be working together.

She has the space to lay it out, which I don't at home. But I counted squares by color and may be able to do a rough layout on paper before I actually lay it out.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Jul 14 - 08:23 AM

Oh, there will be cotton strips in between the T-shirt squares.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 14 - 01:19 PM

I bought a whole bolt of that Pelon iron on interfacing when Hancock Fabric went out of business. I hadn't used it so recently I kept a couple of yards and sent the rest of the bolt with my costume-designer daughter to her house. I should have known something would come up soon after where I could find a use for it!

A friend from work is coming over for dinner on Saturday so I now have the motivation for getting some dusting and picking up done around here. This time of year I spend most of my weekends outside and it takes a lot to get me to look to the housework end of things. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Jul 14 - 08:23 PM

City:
I have been to the country and back again. Went after bf, stopping to let a friend with a shop have some more pots (loves the new glaze), then got to the mill and had a salad lunch. Got into studio just after 1 and worked 'til almost 5. Completed the trimming of pots and lids and constructing of 4 teapots. Almost 25 min each for the teapots. May not be a kiln load. I brought the portable wheel into the city house and will try to make more pots tomorrow and Friday.

Really tired. Was a beautiful breezy day with intermittent cloudiness and not too hot. I did not get the plants in but left them in containers with water.

Going to take a nap. R may not be home 'til ...??? Last night 2 am. I vaguely recall his arrival.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 12:16 AM

I hope he has his own key, Dorothy, and doesn't wake you when he comes in.

I tried something today: I'm doing some work at work that is colossally boring. I took one of my NetFlix disks with me yesterday and watched it while I did the work on the side. It is somewhat of a distraction with some steps of one job, but a lifesaver (keeps me awake) with another. I guess I can make progress with my NetFlix queue this way. The reorganization at the library place a lot of people in absolutely stupid jobs. I got a master's in English to spend my days scanning? This is something they normally would hire undergraduate students to do.

A friend is coming over for dinner on Saturday, a get-together before she moves out of town to a new job (another library person who was moved out of her job). It gives me the incentive to do some picking-up around here in preparation. We're planning to make a pie (she wants to practice making one). I think it will probably be a lemon meringue pie, unless we decide to do something with fresh peaches. They're in season right now.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 09:33 AM

Oops. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed again. The press of...what? Today, there's just my morning list of things that it would be nice to accomplish today. Other than the email to Dennis about the socket for the stained glass lamp, nothing that HAS to be done by a certain time, or even today. All comparatively small tasks, too.

But I really wanted to eat breakfast on the deck, but found it was too wet from last night's surprise (to me) thunderstorm. Then, after comparing the ferry schedule and directions from Google maps, I came to the conclusion that I absolutely cannot go out to Squirrel Island after this month's Press Room shanty session. The last ferry is at 8:30 and it would take me at least two hours to get to Boothbay Harbor from Portsmouth. I'd have to cut the session much shorter than I'd even consider. The Squirrel Island foray would be with members of the memoir writers group that I'm part of. Our leader is writing a family memoir and a lot of it takes place in the family cottage on Squirrel Island. It would have been fun...but, I think, a different kind of stressful considering my schedule.

Should start ironing quilt squares and Pellon -- my friend is turning THAT project stressful despite it having been on hold for the past five years because of the demands of Tom's health.

Still, I hope to go to a movie at the Portsmouth library early this evening.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 10:59 AM

My hose stand is so far working out - it gives me more control of the water pressure as I move the sprinkler around the yard (I turn it on at the faucet on the wall and I adjust it at the stand).

What is the story of this quilt, Linn? When is it to be constructed?

Michelle, how is it going with the garage sales?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 12:49 PM

The quilt project has actually been around for a long time. I think it was back in the '90s that I sent them to my mother in Milwaukee. Then she ended up fretting and stewing about how to go about it and, despite advice from her sister (in California), she finally ended up deciding she didn't want to tackle it, so sent them all back to me.

Somewhere around ten years ago when I was visiting Milwaukee, a high school classmate of mine who quilts said, bring 'em out (I drove out a couple times with my cousin -- in a pickup truck, so there was space for a couple boxes of T-shirts) and we'll do it together.

Well...wouldn't you know, I never got back with enough time to be able to do the quilt.

So...my friend Carol in the next town over suggested we do it together because she wanted to learn how to do it (she's an experienced quilter) so she could make one for herself. So we got a start on it -- and then Tom was diagnosed with vocal cord cancer. And between work and Tom's treatment, the project got put on hold.

And stayed on hold throughout the rest of Tom's medical odyssey. About a month or so ago I told her I was ready to start work again and get the quilt made. We really can only work together on Tuesdays. She got upset when I had to cancel once because I hadn't had any sleep, but she just took three Tuesdays off to do other things. And now she's all in a hurry to GET IT DONE. She's now acting impatient and almost angry at me because it's not done already, so that's definitely adding to the pressure I'm feeling about everything else.

She's picking up more Pellon, but I took the squares and the Pellon squares that I cut out Tuesday home. On Tuesday she cut out the stripping that will go in between squares. But (other than picking up the interfacing) she won't work on it except when we're together. So I want to get as many of these squares prepped as possible. And I'll probably do a paper layout based on color, too, before next Tuesday. Then maybe she can start sewing, which will make her happy.

The T-shirts are all music festivals, pubs, beer or booze shirts. The Fishtraks recording studio shirt, which Tom and I each got the night we met, will be in the center, or close to the center.

I'd like to curl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb for awhile...but I've got way too many things to do, even not counting the quilt.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 01:29 PM

In general it sounds like a good project and doesn't hurt to have someone urging you on - if only the urging doesn't spoil the fun of the project. I'm looking forward to photos of this project (no pressure! When you have time!)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Jul 14 - 10:12 PM

City:
Fresh peaches! Not around here until sometime in August and last year I was reminded that they need to be bought where they are grown. I have yet to buy a good peach in Quebec.

R usually comes in close to midnight.

Last night's nap lasted until this morning. I was really tired. But another delicious day and I moved the car, then moved it again when it was legal closer by. A woman and her son (10ish) were waiting at the bus stop and "That's YOUR car! We've been reading your bumper stickers for years!" We had a nice chat. Then as I walked back to the house, a woman, "You're the woman who had the two raccoons:" We had a nice chat. Did not realize the eyes that were on me! Then I had bf, pulled weeds, moved some bricks which were no longer in the "right place" (defining a veg bed which is no more), did a small load of laundry and hung it outside, did some work in the studio, had lunch, talked with my 88 year old friend in PA for over an hour, threw some pots, watched the 5 pm news, made more stewed apples, had supper, did some more work in the studio, watched Big Bang and David Suzuki, on Lyme disease in Canada - increasing!, and decided to do computering until the 10 pm news.

Not so tired tonight; yesterday's trip and work were intense.

I get a lot of exercise - getting up to adjust the antennae on the TV. Every couple minutes sometimes! It seems to be affected by weather and traffic.

This is my 4th day of no choc or choc cookies. I am breaking! I'll start again tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 14 - 07:01 PM

The new chipper was assembled today and two bags of chips are the result of drawing down a bunch of limbs next to the compost. Now that it is evening I'll police the grounds and then mow the back yard. I also intend to finally transplant a patch of small decorative grass that has been lost in what was once a garden but is now just a patch of lawn near some rocks. It'll go out front in the new little shade garden.

Dorothy, I also get comments about things that mean people have been paying attention as they pass by. I was at an estate sale two doors up the hill from my house (on a street that intersects with my street right in front of my house) when a woman approached to say that the house had belonged to her parents and she wanted me to know that her mother just loved the giant zinnias that I planted around the house when I moved in. She would sit in the garage and look out across a couple of yards and she could see all of these "state fair" zinnias. This was a couple of years after the last batch of those was planted.

I had some chocolate about a week and a half ago (a test) and it seems to have had the old affect of drying and cracking the skin on my hands - or makes me more sensitive to things in the environment and then it happens. Whatever.

This evening in the kitchen I'm going to work on putting things away, organizing some of the canisters that have been sitting out, etc. I'm tired of every surface in the room being covered with stuff. I rearranged a couple of drawers and am probably going to confuse myself no end looking for things for a while. Hot pads and trivets into a drawer for now.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jul 14 - 05:32 PM

Mowed in front, dragged some of the soaker hoses around and have them in place for the season. A few more await (they'll be short sections hooked together with splitters so I can run several short hoses into targeted areas, not just weave one long one all around and water places that don't need it so much.

I put more items in the donation bin in the kitchen and cleared off a couple of of surfaces. It is looking less cluttered, but I mostly rearranged, didn't toss much.

Now for work in the house. The kitchen is ready for a friend's arrival - I'm going to show her how to make a lemon meringue pie. The dishwasher is empty and the sink is clean - I imagine we'll go through a few bowls with this project.

Linn, how are the quilt squares coming along?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Jul 14 - 11:40 PM

Country:
We came down in the truck, with trailer, as R needed to bring down a nice wood cabinet he got at a thrift shop.It has been riding around in the trailer for a few days and it may rain someday! Also brought a nice, large!, three part, hinged mirror that was bouncing around in my car a couple days after we found it on the sidewalk near by. And the five large cedars we bought, perhaps too long ago; I had not checked on them, thinking it was raining regularly but they were very dry. I watered them after we got here; hope they survive. Stopped on the way to pick up tiles to finish a project R is working on at the building in VSP.

Friday was not very productive, other than keeping myself sane by focusing on the computer. I was "waiting for R", hoping he would be home in early enough to miss rush hour to the Laurentians. We did not get off until almost 4:30 so it took us almost 3.5 hours for a one hour trip. However! We still had 2 hours to look at the hundreds of pots by 30-40 potters, beautifully displayed on a large lawn with natural amphitheatre, stage at bottom, just in time to hear a potter acquaintance, who had given us an invite to this opening, receive a reward for initiating "Empty Bowls", a fundraiser for hunger.

Then we looked at looked at pots until after 10 pm; there were 3 lighted areas. It was a fascinating event and we had a nice visit with two special people: I wore my T-shirt from the Ontario Association of Clay and Glass - very old but in good shape as it is saved for special events. It attracted a former board member and his companion, representative of Shimpo - my portable wheel is a Shimpo Aspire! And he used to work for the company from which I get my clay and was probably the wonderfully helpful tech support guy who helped me get set up in the NW! We had lively conversation! K Also, quite late, we found a potter friend whom we have visited here on the Island (of Montreal); it was nice to meet his wife and catch up.

We drove back to the city in states of exhaustion; After a stop at Tim Horton's for soup (our supper!) I drove; R slept. Home at midnight. It was worth the trip but the ordeal of getting there will not be forgotten. Need to leave by 2 pm to go to cottage country on a friday!

Late morning today. Then a trip to get my phone back and return loaner. Two hours later, the phone having failed again, I went back and, although the staff tried to give me a new phone, he was not permitted and I have the loaner again. Sat with blue tooth and phone and tried, to no avail to connect them.

We left about 3:30 and it took almost an hour to cross the bridge. A long line of vehicles sat interminably, turned off engines and WAITED! Got to the tile store just before it closed! Plants were half price and there were two nice yellow Canna but the plant person had already left.

So we got to the mill and I made salads and a pot of cauliflower soup and !!!!! cut two pieces of the choc mousse cake to thaw for dessert. Such a treat. My first in 6 days. I offloaded the trees and gave them some water. Then we sat here, me on FB and R reading. Time for bed!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 14 - 12:31 AM

I had pizza dough ready when my friend arrived, and we made a number of small crusts, saving two for ourselves. And deciding we'd spent so much time looking at other things we opted to simply make the pie crust. She has had difficulty with that part, apparently, so I made a double crust and we each kept half for making a pie each tomorrow. Patience, leaving the butter (or shortening) in small pea-sized pieces, and not adding too much water or working it too much. Those are the keys.

Next week we're in for a treat as a cold front moves over the area bringing a good chance of rain (at least 50%) and the daily high temperatures mid-week will be around 85. Sounds wonderful!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 14 - 11:06 AM

Cutting up peppers this morning, and installing a watering system in the back yard. I find it easier to use back there where it's out of sight of traffic on the road (I don't want this thing to go walkabout). I'll run soaker hoses into the garden on both sides of the driveway and set them on the timer.

Making a pie, and maybe I'll roast a chicken.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Jul 14 - 11:57 AM

Country:

Nice bf of ricotta/strawberry crepes. Then I got the trees off the truck and watered them some. Now I am siting here watching the torrents fall out of the sky. YAY!

Went to studio and found the green teapot and only one mug to take to my friend in Ontario. Mugs in every other glaze! "Make green mugs." Gathered other things to take with me tomorrow on return trip to see more friends in Ontario.

Still a bit weary from Friday. Weighed myself: have not lost, nor gained. I will hang onto the good news.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 14 - 10:14 AM

Yesterday I finished hauling hoses and setting the water pressure on a faucet-based watering system. Battery operated with four outlets. It came with two electronic connectors and I could buy two more, but I think the original two are enough. I have a 75' hose running past the garage door into the long veggie garden and it has 2 lengths of soakers weaving through the garden. I have a small plastic sprinkler on the end of a second hose to water the garden and along the foundation next to the side door. Programmed to water every other day in the morning.

The new hose stand is in the front yard and there is a soaker hose extended around the foundation. Those both operate off of the faucet on the front of the house in plain sight of the street, so I don't want it to look interesting for anyone doing a five-finger discount through the neighborhood. At night anyone approaching that spot will trigger the sensor for the porch light, but most theft happens in the middle of the day. Ask me how I know . . .

I mowed everything over the weekend and for the moment it looks lovely. The lawn is going to start going dormant in the heat, though rain is predicted later in the week so I'll probably have more mowing through July. And since I'm watering the gardens the grass will grow boldly in those beds.

One of the callers to my favorite organic gardening radio program reminded us this weekend that self-rising flour is found helpful in fighting grasshoppers. It is thought that the baking powder in the mix causes them to burst. The caller said he has treated his tomatoes and found a lot of dead grasshoppers on the ground. I'll share this with the rest of you gardeners and report any benefit from using it. I sprinkled some on parts of the garden last night. And if this doesn't work, I have the kaolin clay mix called Surround WP that is mixed up and literally spray painted onto the garden.

Didn't do much in the house. I did make a lemon meringue pie and I'm taking most of it to work today.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 15 Jul 14 - 09:59 AM

Have been too busy to get to the squares, but I HAVE to today to have something in hand tomorrow with my friend.

My handyman is here today finishing several projects -- kitchen lighting, back door repair, bathtub surround and bedroom built-in bookcase repair so I can get all those books OFF THE FLOOR!

Finally got the Biolet set up yesterday and in use. All I had to do was put in the initial amount of special mulch and plug it in and get the mulch levelled, etc., but I just didn't have any time until yesterday after I got home from my memoir writers group and some errands.

Sunday I worked on PMFF flyers, handouts, and badges (initial) and got the bios and Welcome text written for the program. Plus laundry and kitchen cleaning and miscellaneous dreary tasks (including transferring a bunch of stuff from the old computer to the computer that will soon BE my old computer...) instead of going to the festivities at the John Paul Jones House in Portsmouth. I just had way too much stuff that needed to be done and I needed to DO it instead of having fun.

Friday's session turned out to be an amazing session. I'd contacted a lot of people to who hadn't been for awhile to remind them of the session because a lot of my stronger singers had gigs or were out of town. Then I got an email from Andy Lamy who is with the New Jersey Symphony and plays Celtic clarinet. He was going to be in town and was planning on coming. I had been afraid it was going to be a sparse session but it turned out to be a fairly highly populated and high energy session. Andy is amazing!

I finally realized about 1:30 on Thursday that it was a grief day. Duh! Sometimes it takes me awhile to figure it out.

Have to keep moving ahead...or at least not going backwards.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 14 - 09:34 AM

How are all of those projects coming along, Linn? Are most of them finished now? Lights, doors, bookcases - all things that will make life easier, and bring a pleasant feeling every time you use and admire them in the future. I used a cash windfall one time to have the electrician come in and move a couple of outlets and put up a ceiling fan with a separate switch for both light and fan. They're gifts to myself that I use all of the time.

Note to self: this is ant season, so it isn't good enough to simply leave last night's dishes sitting propped in dishwater in the sink. They'll find a way. In this case, quite a convoluted path past the compost bowl, around a dishtowel, onto a cutting board and into the sink where a plate evidently had a little bit of maple syrup on it from yesterday's breakfast for dinner. I wiped out hoards of the things before I retook the counter tops.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 16 Jul 14 - 10:25 AM

Current round of home improvements finished and handyman paid. (This is getting scary -- I'm watching my "cushion" fall rapidly.)

Done -- bedroom bookcase (so I can free up floorspace and get the books back into the bookcase; oh, and sell a few of them), bathroom floor done, Biolet installed and working, outdoor faucet working (and a new shutoff put in there), back door screen fixed so I can actually USE the screen door without Rufus getting out...and it fixed so my tush won't go through it when I'm trying to open the inside door, and I now have a lot more light in the kitchen -- he fixed the hanging stained glass lamp and put a new light up aimed at the stove and countertop. I still have to find some inexpensive fixtures to replace the black cannister lights, but not immediately.

I still need to get someone up on the roof to recaulke flashing around chimney and put the screen over the the Biolet vent pipe. And what I had thought was a cosmetic problem with a crack in a wall, upon further investigation turns out to be a lot of stress on a couple joists, so that will be the next focus.

Gotta run,

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 16 Jul 14 - 06:14 PM

He also fixed the tub surround but I need to finish caulking it. I also have to paint the lower walls (which means all the walls...) around the new toilet because much more of the walls are exposed than in the previous two incarnations.

Made major inroads on ironing the Pellon onto the quilt squares in an air conditioned workshop. Alas, after we were in said workshop for awhile (say, fifteen minutes) it felt as hot and humid as outside, even though I knew it wasn't. I hate sweating inside AC!

Have some more squares to finish at home AND I'll have to buy some more Pellon on Friday on my way to the session.

I'd done a color layout (and indicated that the Fishtraks tee should be in the center, so Carol got a start on sewing the strips in between a few of the squares.

Right now I need to put clothes on and my contacts back in so I can go to a singing session in Dover. It's not only the last thing I want to do right now, but is also something I REALLY want to do right now... The weather is such that I really wish I could be assured everyone would turn up naked... I REALLY don't want to put clothes on... Sigh.

Though I just started building a pasta salad, it's not ready to eat right now. So I think I'll stop and get a malt on the way. Being an adult means you can have ice cream for supper every once in awhile. I had a good breakfast and a good lunch.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Jeri
Date: 16 Jul 14 - 06:34 PM

My cushion went last fall, when I had that house repair done. If you need any paint let me know. (I know, you can buy your own paint, but I have a load.)

I actually decluttered some stuff. Enough of the kitchen table got cleared off and cleaned so I could use it. I started throwing old clothes out. You know, those things that have served you well in the past, and you may want to wear sometime when you really, really need lawn-mowing garb with holes in it, because you just can find that shit in stores. (Yeah, that's self-directed sarcasm.) And got rid of some cardboard shoe boxes that I'd saved because you never know when you're going to find some crap you saved that you need to put in them.) Just wait until I get into the stuff that ISN'T crap (that I've been keeping because you never know when you might need those bits of cloth or china or ... you get the picture.)

But I ordered macadamia nuts on-line, which are the best macadamia nuts EVER. They'll arrive Friday, so I need to make room in my freezer.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 12:35 AM

There is a Hawaiian brand of macadamia nuts coated in chocolate that I adore - but don't eat now because of the chocolate allergies. I found them in places like Walgreens.

I have clothes that I save for mowing - but a couple of years ago was cured of keeping them too when a pair of those pants split and I didn't know until I was in Home Depot and someone kindly told me. :-(

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 09:45 AM

Long weekend starts soon - but heavy rain is in the forecast for today and overnight. A flash flood warning is in place until midday tomorrow. It looks like I'll have the leisure to work on eBay stuff. I still haven't finished the magazine covers that are stacked by year on my dining room table. And I should pull out all of those folk festival shirts of my father's and see how many I could make into a pattern. I am looking forward to photos of your quilt as it is assembled, Linn!

The fridge is filling with small tomatoes - I grew the "Roma" variety this year for making sauce. I'll have to use some of them and I can at least can those. Usually by now my kitchen would be full of canning jars cooling after processing whatever is ripe. Peaches, tomatoes, or making jelly from my grapes across the road. None of that so far. I need to check on the grapes.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 09:54 PM

It was 72^o this evening when I left work. Truly amazing for the middle of July in Texas. I left the office a little early today to enjoy the drive home in daylight. It's so overcast and cool it feels more like May.

Working on eBay stuff tonight.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Jul 14 - 10:32 PM

City:
I have been in Ontario again - Monday after bf until arriving back about 1:30 pm today. Visited with friends, made a couple wonderful new ones, arranged to take pottery to the Maynooth Farmers Market on 2 Aug, etc. I have determined that I will spend at least one week/month there. I can have "a life" - volunteer at the art gallery and elsewhere, visit friends, breathe the air. Realized this morning that my cough has diminished greatly! Almost to nothing. I feel SO much better. Slept like a log on friends' very comfortable sofa, in the total silence of the woods.

I started to eat a piece of cheese this morning and stopped, wondering if no cheese for several days could have contributed to improved well being. Under consideration.

Robin and I are going up together in 2 weeks and we will get the spare bedroom! (The kittens have just moved out!) Nothing like great conversation with like-minded, enquiring, people to soothe the spirit. I feel it was a place of healing, even though I was away visiting in the community most of each day. I was so excited that I left early this morning rather than do more visiting - so I could finish the pots here and be rested for going to the country tomorrow to make more pots. 4 good events coming the end of August and beg September and I want to fit in another trip to Ontario in August. Need to make lots of pots.

In a sense this could be viewed as cluttering my life further but it is feeling so right. It is "home". I went to a realtor I have know long time, firstly to inform her that my good friend, who had been looking and looking for a place in the area, had died (12 years ago!). Her first question after greeting me - after my 15 year absence! - was "what happened to..." She did sell my home for me when I left 15 years ago. Maybe she can find me a quiet piece of woodland where I can have a small trailer or.... I will go to the credit union and see if I can get a a pre-approved mortgage for ????   

R is stuck in Quebec and really does not have a great deal of choice. I am sick of Quebec and want to be somewhere comfortable. He can choose to spend time in Ontario--- or not. It is an amazing and joyful thing to feel welcomed back into a community after so many years and feel as though I can just fit right back in.

I did not eat as much. I was too busy visiting. A lesson there. Tonight, after supper and still feeling hungry, I reminded myself that I did not eat after 7 pm any other evening this week... No cookies. No choc. no ice cream. I may not have lost an ounce but it shows me what I CAN do.

R just phoned. A building was broken into for the second time in 2 weeks. So he and bro are there with several police cars, many police, waiting for the dogs as the police think there may be someone still in the building.... Welcome home, he says! .........

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jul 14 - 01:04 PM

Last night I finished removing the mailing labels from all off The New Yorker magazines spread on my dining table. My laptop is in there and I'll go through each stack by year to identify the volumes present and if the cover is perfect or has marks. I'm going going to photograph all of them, except clumps by year, and all are going up on eBay. It'll be nice to have the table back for eating. I'm expecting to have people over several times during the rest of the summer and they won't all be crammed into the kitchen.

Reading all of Linn's work in her house I'm tempted to tear up vinyl flooring in the bathrooms, but before spending money in the houses buying tile I really should replace a few fence panels. I can transport fence boards and support members in the car with the back seat folded down and setting planks diagonally from the back left to the front right. Nothing so simple as shoving it all into the back of my pickup, but it can be done.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jul 14 - 10:20 PM

A year ago I installed Microsoft Office 2013 on my laptop. Today it decided that it needed to be authenticated again and wouldn't accept any of the things it was asking for. Nothing would load. I called Microsoft (the branch in India) and had to turn my desktop over to the tech to look around, uninstall, then reinstall my Microsoft Office. She said had to set it up so the computer would log on as a Microsoft device (turn it on, log on with my hotmail password). She wasn't able to set up Outlook (no loss, I don't use it) and managed to kill my connection to my wifi in the process and I killed off the microsoft account and am back to my original logon for that computer, but the software works (I do logon to Word, but that is so it can save to the cloud, and I've been meaning to give that a try.) After research, wifi is back, and homegroup is back. That was four hours pretty much shot to hell.

Now to go cut up veggies for the freezer. I had intended to work on eBay and I sorted New Yorker covers into date order and put them into envelopes while I watched my screen do various things. I'd originally turned on the laptop in order to work at that table and catalog the dates by year for an eBay listing. I'm tired of working in there now so I'll do that later. Or tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 14 - 03:43 PM

Today's New Yorker magazine listing exercise lets me see gaps in the collection so I went looking around. I found two boxes under a table in the sun room, so now there are more labels to remove and dates to catalog. And there are so many of them I'll break them down in to several very large groups.

Laundry needs doing, but it's fairly humid out for drying on the line. I may wait another day. And of course, it's time to mow again. Tomorrow will be a busy day.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jul 14 - 09:17 PM

Country:
After a bunch of stuff in the morning yesterday, I did get off for the country by 2 pm - so it only took an extra 20 minutes to get on the bridge. Stopped at garage to check on parts for tailgate but they are still on back order. The bungee cord is working but a bit inconvenient when the back is full of boxes as it will be tomorrow. Hmmm, need to google where I am headed tomorrow. Not far but in a dif direction.

A talk with R this am about life and my firmly not wanting to deal with any more crises - so please do not set yourself up to have any! I spent most of today on computer. Could not get in gear for potting. Watered those poor trees by putting them in defunct basins; they are in 12" D pots and very heavy. Only have 3 of 5 in water. Just found another container but too buggy out now. I can do it in the am before leaving for the market. It would be good to get them in the ground but it is more than I can deal with and R has not had time.

There are peas ready but the plants have created a mass that is difficult. Silly me thought they would grow straight up but I have four varieties all intertwined. It was too hot out today. Maybe in the am I can try to support them. AND load the car to get to site by 9....

The flower bed looks great; it must have gotten the best soil! Basil amongst the flowers is lovely. The veggies are doing OK.

I seem to have eaten everything in sight today. Sigh! Try again tomorrow. I will certainly get my exercise loading and unloading, loading and unloading about 8 boxes of pots as well as throwing some while I demo. Realizing it was best to save that energy for tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jul 14 - 12:53 AM

The magazine covers will go in three lots of 150 to 180 covers each. The first is nearly ready to list, but I'll finish it in the morning. I have to process a few photos to add with the auction. Some sellers list every cover artist, but I didn't keep the insides of the magazines and it is inside on the contents page. I'll name each date and add an asterisk if the label tore some of the page. I'll send all of them and let people decide what to do with the less-than-perfect ones. I'll start the auction low and let the market set the price.

One load of laundry is done, and some is on the line overnight. The rest is in the washer on the timer and will be finished early in the morning. Part of tonight's batch will go in the dryer, the rest out on the line. Most of tomorrow is going to be spent in the yard. Mowing, weeding, and trimming around the garden. I finished clearing the dining room table today, so it's ready

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jul 14 - 04:07 PM

It took longer than I expected but all covers are listed on eBay and the dining room table is clear. I need to make a run to the recycle bins behind city hall and over to the thrift store. And I need to finish the laundry and mow the front lawn. And cook some tomato sauce and cut up peppers. . . where did the weekend go?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 12:19 AM

Laundry finished, front yard mowed. One soaker hose replaced after I realized it had sprung a leak. Dining room table dusted, and the two-level silver box that I bought in May (for $5 at a thrift store) is filled with spoons and other silver plate from a great aunt's estate. The plastic box the silver was in sat on the buffet for weeks. It has an old price sticker (no longer legible) on the face. Maybe 10 cents. Now the dozens of spoons are in an anti-tarnish environment. They'll probably go on eBay also. Who knows what will happen to the plastic case.

My three day weekend is over. Back to the salt mine in the morning.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 10:30 AM

I think I must have something of the hoarder in me - but this morning I had a rush of blood to the head - no doubt due to the heat, and as I had taken my big Passap knitting machine, and the stand and all the tools, yarn etc. to the workshop to give a lesson on Saturday, now it has to come back in.

I got the machine and things from the car to the front door first thing, then I began to go through boxes, tins and stuff just lying until I had access to the corner of the room behind the dining table. I stacked the chairs, I carried in four machines which have been blocking the hall for ages, set them upright in the corner, replaced chairs.

I have one of those soft buckets with two handles as a rubbish bin - that was filled and emptied three times, I found 15 year old paperwork to dump, songs to file - spiders ....

The table top is now piled with relieved looking stuff, under it huddles things yet unsorted, with an air of anxiety. There is visible carpet - well - visible in need of a good cleaning almost carpet, and space for the machine - maybe two machines to be set up.

Now I just need to move the ladders and tool box out of the way - my husband has been working on the outside of the house panting the rendered part, improving the seal on the windows, and now is stripping the many layers of paint off the metal parts of the porch to make the pattern clear again, in preparation for repainting.

As it is now 15:30 I need to sit in front of the fan to dry off, drink several pints of water - and maybe consume some mint chock chip ice cream. Then the machine can be brought in and set up again. I might even be able to think about doing some knitting for myself. Just not today.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 12:09 PM

cough cough cough

I can feel the dust settling from all of that disturbance clear over here, Rumncoke! Keep up the good job - this kind of clearing out is great for producing endorphins.

Another eBay box mailed this morning. I got most of the way through a stack of dishes in the sink after getting started on some tomato sauce from frozen tomatoes last night. This is part of clearing room in the freezer for the current year's stuff.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 02:16 PM

City:
rumncoke! What an amazing and enheartening project! I particularly like the reward of mint choc chip ice cream!

Yesterday's Farmer's Market - in St. Anicet by lake St. Francis - was quite a day. On a lawn about 100 feet from the water, I set up and got potting by 10, using a couple fabric placemats and straight pins to devise a hat. It was a beautiful HOT day. As I conjured up a pot, activity around me was happening. I was informed by one of the vendors, "We are putting a tent over you!" And, in spite of my expressed fears re the wind (was none) and my pots getting broken again, a tent they did erect. I told her later she may have saved my life. I was so focused on making pots, and talking to people - at least the ones who spoke English - that I might have just kept going in spite of the heat. I sold only 4, but one teapot and she wants a matching garlic pot.

When I finally got packed and back to the mill (3:30), I collapsed with lots of green tea and not much else. About 5:30, I had enough energy to take the shelves off the roof and head for Montreal. Had a salad, phoned R, took a hot bath and managed to stay awake, on the computer, until almost 11, when I gave up on him coming home "in an hour" and went to bed.

Pierogies, yogurt and raspberries for bf but not again. Too heavy. R went off to a meeting with the Ministry of Transport re a replacement for the building they expropriated. It sounds hopeful. (This has been going on for over 5 years.) If the M has its way, they are giving him a building close by and bigger to which he can move machinery from all the other buildings and "in about a year, I can have a big auction, scrap what is left and be out of the machinery business"!!!! We might have a life by the time I am 80!

We had a salad lunch while he reported and he went off again to do a temp fix on the roof on VSP. Quotes for a new roof are in the offing.

Back on track re no cookies, choc... I also had a reward of choc mint ice cream yesterday - in a cup not a bowl - while recovering. I think the scale was a titch below 160 yesterday; that is an incentive.

Spoke with CU this morning re finding a way to sell shares so I can have a down payment for a piece of woods in Ontario. She will get back to me. Cell phone quit again on Saturday but I simply do not feel like the trek to Koodoo AGAIN! Tomorrow.

Now to find the energy to bring in the portable wheel, carry it upstairs and make pots. It cannot be any hotter up there than at the lake!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 06:17 PM

A couple of amazing things happened this morning. First off, I got to bed at 10:30 last night and didn't wake up until 6:00 this morning -- no middle of the night needing to get up and go to the bathroom or deer setting off the driveway alert or Rufus just gently bopping my face to see if I'm awake ("Are you in there, Mom? Are you awake?")

Then I DID get up and go to the bathroom, but I went back to bed and slept until 8:30. I haven't slept that late since I worked second shift... Must have needed it.

And I woke up with lots of energy. Took a shower and washed my hair, called a plumber who was suggested to me (still need to get all the shutoffs including the main shutoff in the cellar replaced with ball valves), petted a cat, planned what to do with a couple small pieces of furniture, read further in "The Sisters" about the Mitford family, and got a return call from an old friend and we were able to get more or less caught up with each other. Also called another friend and discovered we won't be able to get together until next week. (Tomorrow I work on the T-shirt quilt, Wednesday my handyman is coming with two lally columns and some other materials to shore up the stressed joists in the cellar and start pushing the short wall on the first floor made of cinder blocks back into place so we can repair the crack, and Thursday, what fun, I'm having two quadrants of deep cleaning at my dentist. That's what I get for having not had enough money to go to the dentist for about five years.)

Then I went out to do errands. My third stop was groceries and there has recently been a hostile takeover of the local (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine) chain and the employees are demonstrating (and calling for a boycott and keeping the store without their daily deliveries from the main warehouse. Since I'm very much in support of the employees, I guess I won't be shopping there for awhile. (And I had to go to go to Hannaford's 10 miles away to get the produce I needed and couldn't get at the farmer's market.) If you want to read more, see From Wikipedia and Portsmouth Herald or go to the Boston Globe or Boston.com and search.

Just got Saturday's Press Room shanty sing posted here at Mudcat and now I've got supper in the oven, and I've got most of the groceries put away. Paid a bill and I think I can run the dishes through. Still have to clean out two litter boxes and...and...what else? (My list is upstairs.)

Should work on PMFF corrections...maybe tomorrow after I get home from working on the quilt. Oh, AND I've got to pull the poison ivy and a bunch of thorn bushes and bag them for tomorrow's trash...well, maybe they won't get out in tomorrow's trash...

And eventually land back in bed with a cat in my lap and continue reading the book... R&R is good, too.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 07:04 PM

Got a few other things done since I last posted (see Press Room Shanty Sing thread) AND I got the dishes running through.

Now all I have to do is mix up a new batch of margaritas for the fridge (disclaimer: I just drank one with supper) and I can retire to my bed with a cat, a book, and a drink. And call my sister to make sure she survived yesterday.

I'll tear up the box that needs to go out in tomorrow's trash tomorrow morning. That means Rufus can nibble at it all night. (I swear that cat has a celulose deficiency!)

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jul 14 - 07:47 PM

Linn, one of my dogs loves to chew up cardboard. They graze in the yard on a lot of odd raw stuff, so cardboard is a processed snack. :)

Dorothy, I hope you can do that machinery auction sooner rather than later and be done with all of that. And I'm glad they put the tent up over you. Michelle, I see on facebook that you had a great weekend with the family. No decluttering required when you have a family weekend!

The permanent crown is in place now. And the reason for pain all month was there was adhesive from the temporary crown under my gumline. Apparently being fair-skinned makes me more sensitive to the compound. This procedure today downright hurt, but when he offered to numb the gum, I declined. No more needles for a while, please. The gums should heal now.

I dragged hoses around this afternoon, and made a point of giving the front yard bald cypress a long drink. Each year it tends to turn brown earlier than it needs to, and I think it has to do with ignoring it at sprinkling time. An occasional heavy watering should drive the roots deep, that might help it be happier. In other neighborhood news, it's too hot to pick grapes so I'll get up early and do that before I go to work.

So much to do around here, I'll find something this evening and work on it, I won't predict it now. And maybe I'll end the day with a book and a dog in the bedroom, though when the weather is hot and it's a work night she has to sleep on the floor. When it's hot she has a sleeping panting noise that is distracting. When she's on the floor (on her dog bed, of course) she's cooler. Not happier, but cooler. Saturday night she was on the bed and when I woke that pit bull was sprawled up the middle of the bed and I was hugging the edge.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jul 14 - 01:39 PM

Rumncoke, come back and report when you get a chance! And let us know how the knitting goes.

I took the day off and am making a push to clear out garden produce (things need dicing and freezing) and more stuff to the eBay area. And I'm going to pull some nearly-dead squash and put plastic over the area to "solarize" the soil and hopefully kill some of the squash bug eggs.

I picked mustang grapes this morning. Jelly season always comes when the weather is at its hottest.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 05:47 AM

Lurking under the table there were two long lengths of silicon rubber tubing - I can rig up a watering system for the poor plants in the south facing garden as they are parched. I will wait for evening or maybe go out early to rig it though - the full heat of the sun is more than I can stand. Working out in the sun - brave lady, Dorothy - I need factor 60 sunscreen to venture out in the sun or I turn lobster red and my skin falls off.

The council are going to change the bins so that we have a small size black one for general rubbish and a full size blue one for recycling - I had better get this clear out done before we lose the full size black bin.

I have decided to throw away all my short length shop bought socks - I can't remember the last time I wore any, and have a good clear out of clothing - some of my tee shirts are really long past their acceptable lifespan. I have everything I could possibly need to make more garments for myself and could walk around arrayed like Solomon in his glory. I should really sort out my shoes too - I wear sandals just about every day, I don't need all the sensible black lace ups, the heavy boots and definitely nothing with a heel.

Maybe when I hit my head on the edge of the roof when I was up on the scaffolding cleaning the windows it did something to my brain - I can't remember feeling like this about my possessions ever before.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 09:36 AM

Almost finished with "Sisters", a biography of the Mitford sisters. Less than 50 pages to go, but I have things to do.

Dennis is here with two lally columns to shore up the stressed joists in the cellar (and eventually close the crack in the wall above). I don't know if he's going to do the wall shelving today (when the house was tightened up a few years ago and the cellar insulated, the workers removed all of the shelves -- but some of them they cut out, so those have to be replaced completely, not just set back in) but when he does, I can start storing things properly in the cellar. I can also more easily sort the stuff (tools, table saw, grinder, etc.) that I want to sell.

It's hideously hot and humid again and would be a good day to work in the cellar, but I don't want to get in Dennis's way. So...I just made a new bankers box and I'm pulling out files from the file cabinet relating to Tom's medical bills, insurance, social security, Medicare, etc. to make room for mine. And get the papers off the table!

Got the kitchen mostly cleaned up, dishes out of the dishwasher and put away, even swept part of the floor. (In this house, I have to sweep before I vacuum out of respect for my vacuum cleaner.) I'm wandering between two fans and getting some non-aerobic work done in several places. Also need to go through some more books to take them to Portsmouth to sell on Monday.

Think I'll get the rest of Tom's CDs ("A Bottle Full for the Shantyman") into jewel cases with the inserts. I can do that while listening to NHPR and sitting in front of the fan.

This afternoon I'll go to Wentworth Greenhouses and use the $$$ coupons that can only be used in July. Then on to a friend for a light supper (considering the weather, probably a salad) out someplace moderately priced and then to see "Monuments Men" at the S. Berwick library.

I hate it when, well before 8 a.m., I'm sweating so much my eyebrows fail to keep the perspiration out of my eyes -- and all I was doing was zesting some limes that I'd used yesterday to make limeade!

Linn

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 10:31 AM

Rumncoke can you send all of the fabric (socks, old t-shirts, etc) to be recycled as fibre? Here in the states a lot of the thrift stores have contracts with recyclers and they send the non-wearable garments to be turned into paper or other recycled products.

Today we have an "ozone action day" - orange, I think - and the heat and humidity go with it. I mowed close to the house (the first 20 feet or so of the long back yard) last night so I wouldn't be contributing to the hydrocarbon stew this morning. And last night I covered a patch of the garden with clear plastic held down by rocks and bricks to "solarize" the stuff underneath. Ratty squash plants that are infested with squash bugs. I'm hoping to nuke most of the bugs and get the eggs in the soil. I also sprayed a mix of water with orange oil and spinosad to knock out both the squash bugs and a lot of the ants. All of this while I have been careful to inspect the zucchini and the cukes to keep the bugs from moving around the garden.

There are watchers on all of the items up on eBay, but that doesn't say a lot when there are only a few. It could be others selling the same thing watching to see if mine sells at this price. I do that sometimes. At least all of that stuff is finally listed.

At work early today so I can run a few errands this evening, including checking to see if there are good local peaches to be bought. I'd like a flat for canning. And I'll steam juice the grapes I picked yesterday (I have to pick up my friend's steam juicer after work). I have two large trays of peppers in the freezer to bag and then cut up some more. And I may can a couple of jars of tomatoes just to do it - I can't eat all of these by myself but there aren't enough for a large canning operation. Maybe I'll do half-pint jars.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 11:20 AM

Good. House will now not collapse. The stressed joists in the cellar are splinted and there are two lally columns taking the pressure off. Slowly, every so slowly, we might get the crack to close. Then I can resurface the wall for cosmetic's sake.

Dennis also did the shelves so now, on these miserable hot and humid days, I can work on organizing the cellar and culling or photographing what needs to be sold. Oh, and also just plain cleaning and shovelling cat shit and cleaning that all out so I can put a litter box down there. I think I'm going down right now because there are some things I can put in the car immediately to take to Goodwill on Thursday.

Without trying, I found some more metal to add to the pile to sell to Harding Metals and I'll probably come up with some more right now.

Meanwhile, I sorted some more antique-ish stuff and found some early Portsmouth postcards (in sleeves) to store with the ephemera I want to sell. And old photographs, some of which are collectible. And another part of the Rover manual to put together with the actual manual and the MG manuals and take them to Brit Bits in Portsmouth to sell.

Got all of the last pressing of Tom's CD put together and into jewel cases, so that's decluttered from the table.

Got a lot of files out of the file cabinet to go into the bankers box for storage, but have to sort through those papers and also find where I put the plain vanilla manila folders so I can reclaim the pretty ones.

Later,
Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 02:08 PM

I think going to the greenhouse today will be just one thing too much. So, in a couple hours I'll head over to my friend's house and we'll go to the free movie.

I've added to the pile for Harding Metals, put stuff in the trash, and found some more stuff to take to Goodwill tomorrow (when I'll also verify that I can take a computer monitor there without paying). Oh, and some more books to sell on Monday.

I think I'm just going to under-react in front of the fan for awhile before I head to Maine.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 04:54 PM

Goodwill not only takes working old CRT televisions and monitors, they have a lot of contracts with companies and government entities to take old technology pieces for recycling. You should be able to take it there free.

Enjoy that cool and orderly cellar! We don't have basements here in Texas in most modern houses. I'd love to have a cool place for storing produce from the garden.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 07:41 PM

There are recycling 'bins' in places, but they want clothing which can be reused - and I don't think mine would be considered suitable.

I was just looking as some pieces of fabric suitable for kilts - I have a nice tartan which I hope to get sewn before my holiday - though I really need some new black clothes for when I am drumming for the morris dancers. I suspect that if I get the black things done then that is all I will get done and so I will be wearing the black all the time.

I had made a black crochet hat - but the silly thing has not felted, unlike the 'Flip side' one which seems just about perfect. I will just have to have another go and use a smaller hook and fewer stitches.

I have just over a week before the folk festival - I hope the weather cools down or there will be heat stroked people collapsing all over town.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Jul 14 - 10:45 PM

City:

All my life I have avoided sun like the plague and never used sunscreen even when I was exposed for some reason. I just find it totally enervating and prefer to have some energy.

Yesterday I checked the tracking for a package and it was due to be delivered today. I went off to the country after a stop to regain my own cellphone with strict instructions to use only the charger with which it came. I asked about that the last time I went to visit Koodoo - I now know most of their names! I was told the others I use were fine. Too bad they are not adequately trained.

On the way to the country, my bro phoned and he sounded really upset about his wife's health. I went to see friend Geri; his call stressed me out totally. After talking to Geri, I went on to the mill and emailed my niece to get the real goods. I managed to unload the pottery into the studio and not much else. Went to writers' group but left early and niece phoned when I was on the bridge. I asked her to phone after I got home as I still had not figured out how to get the bluetooth re-connected.

Jen says her mom is going to be fine but her BP is high due to stress mainly caused by her attitude toward a couple things which appear to be the fault of my bro. However, I talked with him later in the eve and - Well, the bottom line is that he cannot be himself and satisfy his wife so he has to "change" or at least pretend to because she is not going to. Well, that was that for Tuesday>

Of course when I got home from the country, Fed-ex had come so I had to phone and ask them to come today. Today started with a lovely storm then a breezy low humidity day and I sat here waiting for a bloomin' package. I could not even go upstairs to pot for fear of missing. No doorbell so I remembered that I had bought a wireless one and went and found it! But it needed two batteries and there were none so I was no further ahead.

I computered, emailed Geri with new info, washed the dishes, stripped the bed and did laundry, remade the bed, started a pot of chickpeas. When the package arrived, about 3, I went to buy batteries and groceries, parked in a good spot, put the door bell together, walked to another grocery for lemons, eggs and plain yogurt (YAY, I walked 8 blocks!) and came back to make 2 quarts of humous and a pot of cauliflower soup. The upstairs should still be cool in the am and maybe then I can make some pots.

I have to tell you: the company that sends me supplements must not have enough business. Today's package was a total delight. Upon opening it: In black marker on the flaps--"Thank you! Dorothy (smiley face) Follow the yellow brick road to happiness! (drawing of a curvy brick road!) much (heart shape) Vitasave sending good happy thoughts to you! Brittany @vitasave.ca." The enclosed bill had a short message from "Karen". And one flap of the box is actually printed with a heart shape made of the word "happiness" followed by a long curve of repetitions of "is" leading to"something that we decide ourselves. There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy but we choose to be happy BECAUSE it makes us feel ALIVE" What a total delight! The box is a keepsake!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 14 - 03:50 PM

Sounds like a cheerful afternoon, Dorothy! Jeff Bezos has yet to send a personal note in any of my Amazon parcels.

I'm going to have to learn to live with this ultra-sensitive tooth for the time-being. A drink of cold water at lunch today had me seeing stars again.

Three days off in a row - I find it feels best to look at it as if I have two Saturdays every week. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Jul 14 - 09:24 PM

City:
Got R off to work full of Potato Latkes, from a mix. Very tasty. And cherries. Then I got on computer. made pots, computer, lunch, read, make pots, supper, read, trim pots - six cute little creamers with handles, Big Bang Theory, check bowls but not dry enough to trim so have left light on so I won't forget to trim or wrap and close doors before bed. Had phone call from someone in country wanting a large bowl for a wedding present - for Sat! oh well! She had seen some of my work in a shop down near the mill.

Lovely cool day with breeze so I had the back and front doors open. Went into the kitchen and disturbed a squirrel trying to make off with a small loaf of bread. Rescued the bread but it had already made off with its mate. The s was not very disturbed and, had I turned my back, it would have been back in. It sat about 15 feet away and ate. Later I went out and found bits of the stolen bread scattered about. I closed the back door. We have no screen door.

The lad who brings the bag of flyers rang my doorbell when he left them! I emailed Brittany to thank her for the delightful message, and found music I had been looking for on line. I wanted "Dandylion" by Humphrey and the Dumptrucks, circa 1973, to go with the pic of a lovely sculpture on FB. Do enjoy their music.

Now I am making up for my cookie fast. I should feel sickish soon. Tomorrow is another day.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 25 Jul 14 - 08:04 AM

Set up the big Passap knitting machine in the newly uncovered space on the carpet, tested that all my equipment was working so as to be able to fault find on a lock/carriage sent for repair.

Lock is working perfectly. I do hate it when that happens - there is just nothing I can do to it. The owner has spent loads of money to get a machine she can use - so far she has bought three machines and sold one, spent out for spares and servicing and only has one machine working.

Ah well - a bit more sweeping and sorting and then I might be able to do some preparation for my trip to the folk festival - sewing a kilt or crocheting the black lambswool hat - or even both.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jul 14 - 03:21 PM

So the room where your knitting machine is set up, is it now all clear of clutter, or did you just move everything out of the middle of the room?

I am about to run a load of laundry (to dry on the line later this afternoon) and do some shopping - including picking up a couple of Japanese beetle traps. I think I'm seeing them in the garden this year. They have evidently moved into the area. I need to get out there with gloves and a bucket of soapy water and dispatch a bunch of pests, then try the flour or the kaolin clay to see if it discourages grasshoppers.

Lots of watchers on my eBay items, but that is no guarantee of a sale. I'll look around for other items to list this weekend to keep the forward momentum on clearing the sun room. It would be marvelous to ship out everything that is listed for sale right now. There is some major bulk involved with that chandelier that is listed.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jul 14 - 08:55 PM

One batch of laundry hanging on the line, another in the wash, and some beans soaking for a dish tomorrow. I have a chicken on the grill to use for meals for the next few days. The kitchen is clean after preparing breakfast for my son and a friend this morning. Kitchen stuff rearranged (pasta, rice, dried goods in attractive jars) - my goal is to have a few bare surfaces so the room doesn't look so busy.

It's everything I would have taken care of on a Saturday. And tomorrow is another Saturday. I'll probably mow tomorrow morning (my next door neighbors are away for 10 days so I'll mow their front lawn also.) :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Jul 14 - 11:30 AM

City:
Gorgeous weather, cool, breezy, low humidity. Supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow.

Found a wonderful old wooden clothes drying rack at a thrift shop yesterday. I went in needing a plastic basin for the 5th tree but none this time. Now I can dry small loads of laundry in the back yard instead of the dryer.

This interesting article points out part of what I find helpful about this thread; it helps me keep track.

Went to the mill yesterday. Left early enough to get a loaf of that good nut bread on the way; there were two! but I left the second for someone else. Then the thrift shop, then the mill. I managed to trim the pots I made on Sunday and threw 3 lids but then went off to find Geri and show her my wonderful box - and the group of people having lunch at the restaurant. I had a bowl of soup, then went back to the mill to throw more lids. But I was still hungry so I had humous and corn chips - and 6 squares of choc; the first in a couple weeks. Then I was so sleepy I just sat and read and then computered for a couple hours. Meanwhile trying to figure out what had caused this sudden sleepiness as I have not had it for a while.

It was too late to do anything in the studio so I pulled weeds, picked peas, loaded car to go back to city and went to cafe. The noise was so loud it made my whole body hurt and I had to leave before I - literally - screamed. I sat in the car and recovered, phoned R to tell him I was coming back. We had agreed he would work all weekend to get stuff done before we leave for Ontario on Weds.

The cafe now serves beer and wine. This seems to make people noisier. We may not go back. Sad loss of our community of friends but I cannot cope with the noise.

There is at least a kiln load of pottery ready to fire - when dry - so I will go back on Sunday, after Quaker meeting, to do a bisque firing. Today: I will get off here shortly and go to pot! More lids and jars; if I make enough of each, eventually I will have some that fit each other. Measuring has not helped! I am sure other potters do not have this problem; I did not used to... I did catch myself reading the numbers wrong yesterday. A ruler with very large raised numbers????   

Oops - need to get some groceries first. Hoping the store will be less busy at lunch time.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jul 14 - 07:03 PM

The dogs and I went for a lovely short walk this morning. Met a couple of new dogs in the neighborhood. One in it's yard, and one that charged up to us, but returned to his owner when called. Minor dog tangle on my end, but not bad.

I reached a point of produce critical mass in my refrigerator yesterday so this morning I pulled out all of the little bowls of Roma tomatoes to cut up and steam juice. Run the remainder through the food mill and there is the sauce. I have 10 jars (pint and half-pint) of juice and sauce. Since the peaches purchased yesterday aren't ready I have a day off before more canning. I may be able to can peaches tomorrow, it's warm and the box is open and they smell wonderful but are still too firm.

I have a large bowl of slicer tomatoes that I'll probably dice and can tomorrow. I have a few more ripening for sandwiches and salads. My feed store doesn't have any of the variety I like (Super Fantastic) but I'll check at the neighborhood garden center tomorrow. If I find the ones I want I'll pull several of the plants not producing much and use the green tomatoes for some relish. The new ones will be a hopefully healthy fall crop.

The eBay listings have watchers and I am watching them, hoping their presence leads to purchases. It feels like time for a few eBay garage sale listings. There are things in my donate box that might work.

Next: take a bucket of soapy water to the garden. With gloves and a sponge thingie to pick off big bugs (toss them into the water) and to use the sponge to brush any aphids off of the plants they have attacked.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Jul 14 - 08:35 PM

City:
Went to the market for fruit. May have overdone it with half flat each of raspberries and strawberries. Yummy, though. And 13 ears of corn. Then I came home and had lunch and lost momentum. Ate cookies even though I know this does not help. Tried pulling weeds for a while. Finally realized a de-tox bath was needed to I went and did that. They always wipe me out but since I was already wiped out.... So I sat and read until I finally got a rush of energy and made celery soup, husked 4 ears of corn, washed the dishes, cleaned sofa and chair that seem to have contracted fleas - due to R sitting on sofas elsewhere and bringing fleas home.

After two weeks of him complaining about being bitten, we finally realized where it was happening --- "OUCH!" while sitting on said pieces of furniture and even the kitchen chair which has a woven reed seat. After a bit of research, I made a mix of tea tree oil and water and Dr. Bronner's tea tree oil soap. They are drying and tomorrow he can try them out and see if he still gets bitten. The probable cause - a tenant's cat - has also been addressed - DO NOT sit on that sofa!!!

All that stuff took less than an hour so I tried reading but the book was wordy and did not tell me anything necessary to me. Finished current novel. Here I am again.   Do not feel like going to pot so I shall next try the biography of Rabindranath Tagore I got at the library on Tuesday. Weather is changing to higher humidity in prep for rain tomorrow. MAybe I can go pull more weeds.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 12:09 AM

I blanched and ate one of my peaches from the 1/2 bushel - tasty! I asked for freestone, and it is and peeled easily. I think tomorrow will be the day for a lot of time on my feet in the kitchen as they get processed. I also need to mow. I left today's job till tomorrow so the lawn looks good during most of the week.

Next week has a chance of rain and the temperatures at the end of the week will be highs in the mid-80s with a substantial chance of rain. By then my next door neighbors will be home again so mowing tomorrow will keep their place looking lived in. Rain at the end of the week means I have to continue mowing this summer (usually by now much of the turf grass has gone dormant from the heat).

Several eBay sales end tomorrow. Fingers crossed that there is some interest.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 01:36 PM

First of three of today's eBay items went for the opening amount at last second. Darn. Two more to go.

Peaches underway soon. Clearing counters, washing jars, getting lids and rings and bowls of ice and pans of water for blanching ready.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jul 14 - 11:44 PM

Three batches of peaches done and at the height of processing most surfaces in the kitchen were sticky from the syrup. One batch left for tomorrow of a few peaches not quite ready today. I had to mop a couple of times as the floor got tacky. I've washed everything except a few items needed for tomorrow's peaches. I can do just one batch with fewer steps (I had a pot for blanching peaches separate from the processing pan, but since I'm doing just one batch I'll blanch and process in the same pot of water.

No huge windfall from the magazine covers, but all three lots sold and one of them was bid up a little bit. They'll be out of the house and I'll be a few dollars richer.

Busy weekend. Heading back to work to rest up. Boring boring job - heading back to work with a set of programs I've loaded into my list on Amazon Prime and others in the viewing list at NetFlix. It's the only way I can keep myself in the chair to get this boring scanning work done.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 02:55 PM

City:
Yesterday's post got lost. We went to quaker meeting, stayed and talked with folks, then gave someone a ride- quite a ways. Then home for corn lunch. R went off to work and I, ate more - fish and berries. Still not feeling like potting so computered and watched Beethoven, thankful for the good ending. Then Big Bang and in the half hour between that and Doc zone - about wind turbines and the health effects thereof - computered and read. Actually, I keep the computer on lap so I can continue during commercials. Then there was a true crime programme which was horrendous and then the news - and R came home so I fed us celery soup, and berries! Most TV I have watched in years. Spent a lot of time on line looking for a camper type vehicle, like a Westfalia. Or a trailer for the land I have not yet found.

Thankfully, R finished waterproofing that roof because it is raining today. Lightly so far. A tall stool, found in trash but much too nice to be trashed (solid wood) and a cabinet on wheels are now in my car to go to country tomorrow. Clothes are packed for trip to Ontario. Small load of clothes to wash tomorrow. Dishes done. Yard too wet to weed. I need to do one thing on computer - prepare a limerick I wrote for a friend in Ontario many years ago so he can have it. He kept my ancient cars running when I lived there. He may post it on the wall of his business. I once had it printed and a mat for it, maybe even a frame but they are lost in the archives. Then I will be computered out.

There is a mechanic named Pete,
Who is always so cheerful and sweet,
Has a great car side manner,
Never throws you a spanner.
I call him Sir Galahad Pete.

HOPE: a BIG yard sale at the mill next year. In the meantime, a designated place for all the stuff we can both live without.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 03:42 PM

Three-quarters of the peaches are processed. Does anyone have a coffee cake recipe that I can bake some of the older peaches in? They've darkened over the last couple of years but are still edible. Especially in a moist coffee cake with a crumb top?

Today I almost mailed a package that hadn't been paid for yet (eBay). I have it with me so if the payment comes soon I can walk it over to the post office. And my phone just made a noise - it's in there! I'll take it to the campus post office in a few minutes.

I've been watching the listings at eBay for a couple of weeks for a smallish pair of carnelian earrings on French hooks. Some of the beads are huge so they're too much for my very small (attached) lobes. I ordered a pair (they'll ship from India, so they'll arrive eventually). I have a necklace, but can't say that it is natural (un-heated/dyed quartz) so though I looked for natural carnelian, these may not be. I think they'll be a good match, whatever the status of this quartz-like material.

Good rhyme for your mechanic, Dorothy, or did you write that for Michelle to use?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 06:39 PM

Uncluttering the entire room is going to take a while, but when we went to see our grandsons on Sunday - ages 5 and 2 I could take a small box of things unearthed from the French windows and dining table corner - toys puzzles and oddments.

I will have to teach them to play marbles. It seems to be a lost art amongst today's youngsters.

The grey hat is almost entirely done, the brim is held out by three rounds of a gold plated wire I got for something else years ago - there is some silver ditto somewhere, which I hope to unearth for the black hat. I must make the cord for it - I don't want it flying off starting rumours of UFOs. Strange that the wire is just right for an afterthought three circuits of the brim of a hat I only thought about in the last few weeks - most serendipitous.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 07:23 PM

SRS: Anyone can use it! I wrote it during long trips back and forth on 13 Km of road so bad it was May before I knew if it was gravel or paved! Some of each. Pete was referred to me by a couple of single women. He is a dream of a mechanic. He fixes things without costing six arms and 32 legs. Of course I figured I paid for his new bathroom anyway. Old cars are SO expensive. So I bought a new one and saved a bundle. Pete missed me! I missed him also; we had great conversations in that drafty garage heated with a big wood furnace! Now he is on the main road and had several employees and does not even have to work every day! So I shall take him his limerick this week - 25 years later! I had to think about that!! WOW! We were so much younger then. When I "wrote that, I did not even have a computer.

I still have not gotten away from this one today. Too wet to go out. I did make a quick trip before the rain to pick up a 50 pound bag of epsom salt to take to the folks with whom we are staying in Ontario. Much cheaper than the drug store.

Tomorrow: massage at 10 am, then to country to load pottery, start a bisque firing, let the electric co. read the meters, go to writers' group and come back to city. So excited about this trip!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Jul 14 - 11:24 PM

City:
It stopped raining and I was about to die of sititis so I went out for a walk. Some lovely new and better front gardens along the side streets, a datura, with one beautiful flower, growing out of a crack in the asphalt in a commercial parking lot! oops an interesting wooden wine rack? and a wooden piece with pegs for hanging things. Back to the car to put them in to go to the mill. Down another street and oops! 3 small glass bowls and three glass jars, as for vinaigrette - back to house to put them in kitchen sink. Off in another direction and around an entire block but still need more so down another street where a skunk was on its eve rounds! But I got bored with walking in the dark without even gardens to look at. So back to the chair and a snack of lettuce and humous. The days are getting shorter!

OK, so walking around on the day before trash day is dangerous! I do use lots of glass bowls, often for storage in the frig, with a saucer for lid, so I can just put it in microwave to reheat. The board with pegs will be nice to hang kitchen utensils, if I ever get a K with a suitable spot. The "wine rack"....??? - could be shelves for plates in a cabinet. Or give it to someone. Too nice to be in the trash.

R is still working. I will read for a while...

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 14 - 12:43 AM

After a long day I had a long evening and canned one more batch (about 7 pint jars fit into my hot water bath pot) of peaches. Ate a peach, and have a half-dozen left over for this week. They are delicious.

I mailed an ebay box from work - I'd put postage on before he paid and so I held onto it and walked it over to the post after lunch when his payment came through (my phone has an app for that!) About a dozen pounds of paper is out of the house and every little bit helps.

Dorothy, your walk reminds me of when I lived in New York City. People used to throw away the most amazing stuff. I have several friends who have furnished rooms with what they picked up. And here in Fort Worth I've picked up items I turned around and sold on eBay. I sold two brass chandeliers I picked up at the curb. Got $250 for the two of them. All of the research into those is what got me interested in them and I've sold several since then, and have one listed now.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 29 Jul 14 - 01:05 PM

My holiday is now so imminent - Saturday is approaching at a gallop.

I pinned a kilt - getting the pleats in the right place is something which is very pleasing when it works out. Now it requires tacking and sewing and it is Tuesday already!!

I should really make a new black one - the one I have is cotton and is losing its colour so it is more grey than black now. At least with one without a pattern it is just a case of measure and pin ad lib, so it is quite fast, and if necessary I can just do enough to wear it and then finish off later.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 14 - 11:17 PM

The chandelier didn't sell (I wasn't surprised, and I have it set to automatically relist for several weeks) but the crock pot will. And I need to list more items and keep the momentum going. There are enough reviews so that anyone shopping can see the detailed information (not available unless there are 10 ratings from buyers in the last year). That helps when you're selling bigger stuff.

I've volunteered to redesign the web page for a friend of mine. I have good software to use, I might as well get the practice and keep web skills up to date as far as my CV is concerned. I'm also going to develop a newsletter template for my sister so they can print or put online as a PDF. I'll use those as recent references.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 10:39 AM

I've been busy...

Let's see, after today's minor corrections, the PMFF flyer and handouts will be good to go. And, since our new Saturday and Sunday venues have been nailed down, I can get a start on the schedule grid for the festival which is the most complicated part of the whole deal. I've written the performers' bios for the program and the "Welcome" message (actually I "cheated" and rewrote one Tom and I wrote a few years back) and can now make the map changes with the new venues.

The plumber (a new one since the one who did the work for me last year and January hasn't returned my phone calls) was just here to look over the plumbing situation in the cellar an give me a quote on basically redoing everything in PEX, not just replacing the shutoffs with ball valves. The price quoted was not only reasonable, but I've got enough money in my fast depleting cushion to cover it. He'll get started next week. AND I got a quote from the people who cleaned my chimney last year to reflash the chimney and, while they were up on the roof, put the screen topper on the toilet vent pipe. Came with an 8-year warranty so I've got that in the works, too.

Carol and I made major headway yesterday on the T-shirt quilt, but she's realizing how imprecise square sizes can be (no matter how carefully cut) with fabric with that much give. There's really a difference between older shirts that were washed many times and newer, more stabile shirts. Of course there's interfacing on the backs, but even that's only helpful up to a point. I think she's wishing she'd never started this with me -- and I'm pretty sure she's given up on the idea of making one for herself!

I've been trying to eat someplace other than at the computer, so when the weather is good, I've been sitting on the deck. Alas, what that's been doing is showing me all the work that needs to be done in the garden and yard. Sigh. I just can't do everything at once and, since I write everything down on my daily lists, I SHOULD be aware of just how much I AM getting accomplished. But the house is still a cluttered mess, there are still leaves that need to be pulled out of flower beds, volunteers that need to be replanted in a bed, the brick border surrounding the sundial garden dug out and reset, and, now that I have the shelves back in the cellar, I need to cull and sort and organize down there. Not to mention getting an antique dealer in here to take some of the cubic footage off my hands. And sell other stuff...and write thank yous...and, and, and... It's never ending. And PMFF stuff will be taking up more and more time and then there's the festival itself.

I did get to my first Maine Old Cemeteries Association meeting in about ten years last Saturday. I've been a member since 1974 and Tom very much enjoyed going to meetings all over Maine with me. Saturday wasn't my first meeting without him (he worked that last meeting I went to ten years ago so I met him in York after the meeting and we went out to dinner), but it was odd being there alone. We were quite friendly with another couple in the organization and, since Ginny died a couple years ago, it was really odd being there, talking to David, without having either Tom or Ginny at the meeting. Took the "Lost At Sea" tour after the meeting and spent the next hour and a half tromping around Evergreen Cemetery in Portland, ME...proving to myself that, despite my knees, I CAN spend an extended time walking, and proving to myself that I NEED to start walking again -- every day. I thought I'd really feel it (negatively) the next day. I DID feel it on Sunday, but how I felt was really good.

Gotta go hit the paperwork...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 12:53 PM

Just accomplished a MAJOR bit of decluttering. I need to get my disgraceful front room re-decorated (as part of a 7 phase programme of home improvement) - but it has been cluttered by a massive CRT TV set. I've been meaning to get a new flat screen telly for ages - but was a bit intimidated by the choice. I tentatively chose a Sony but sort of convinced myself that it would be difficult to set up. I was also unsure about how to get rid of the CRT set. I went into a local branch of Currys-PC World (a UK electrical and computer chain) and asked a salesman about setting up the Sony. He told me that it was easy but said that if I bought one, the person who delivered it would set it up for me AND would take away the old one! It arrived on Tuesday (my birthday). It was set up in minutes and it works just fine - best birthday present I ever bought myself!

I feel a bit guilty about ditching the old CRT set - which still worked - but really do need to sort out my slum residence. Only two more rooms to go now!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 01:41 PM

Shimrod you gained a lot of functionality and space with that transaction! And having them removed the old one was a stroke of luck because some old television sets are too heavy for one or two people to lift without specialized equipment. A friend of mine has one in the corner of her garage that we need to move out to the curb for the quarterly "bulky waste" pickup in our neighborhood. There are places that still use and sell CRT sets here, they can work with cable, but most of them are sent for disassembly and recycling now.

What is your seven phase program? Seven rooms in your house, or a method you've researched for taking out layers at a time?

Linn, there are interpretive historians who specialize in researching and offering tours in cemeteries. There's a lot to consider with the information in front of you. Plus great photos.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 05:17 PM

Hi SRS,

If I remember correctly the seven stages are/were:

1. Get rid of thousands of books which had accumulated over the years. Some went to charity shops and some I managed to sell (for 'peanuts' - but I did get something for them). This was the hardest phase of all. COMPLETED

2. Get all of the windows in the house double-glazed - not just some of them (the incomplete double-glazing was my own silly fault). COMPLETED

3. Get the house electrics sorted out. Turned out that the house didn't need re-wiring, as I had feared. The electrician told me that I needed a new fuse-box (or 'consumer unit' as they now appear to be called in the UK) and a couple of sockets re-positioned. COMPLETED

4. Get the two spare-rooms (previously full of books) decorated, carpeted and furnished to create a spare bedroom and an office. COMPLETED

5. Get the loft turned into storage space (I deliberately left this to stage 5. in order to avoid the temptation of storing lots of books up there). COMPLETED

6. Get the downstairs dining room re-decorated. I'm now in the process of obtaining quotes. PENDING

7. Get the front room re-decorated. The theory is that once the dining room is finished I can temporarily move the front room furniture (including a much lighter TV) into there in order to make decorating easier. PENDING

Note that I'm paying other people to do the work (a) because I'm hopeless at DIY and (b) because I'm hoping for a better finish.

So, hopefully, should be finished by about September. Wish me luck!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,I forgot my handle
Date: 31 Jul 14 - 08:58 AM

I have watched with awe and admiration as the regular posters here get things together. I am not sure if I "belong"here. But I do have issues with stuff.

I am wondering if anyone knows of any self- run support groups for hoarders. I don't want professional (paid) psychologists involved, just self-run. I know there are many people out there who might want to participate.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 31 Jul 14 - 09:25 AM

I'm feeling virtuous today. I went out for a walk a little after 7 a.m. and walked for about a half an hour. Of course, that also included doing a little weeding on the side of the driveway and picking up branches in the driveway and flinging them into the woods. I had some time before I could go to the lab for fasting bloodwork before a doctor's appointment next week and grabbed it.

I really did notice the difference, though, between walking on grassed uneven ground in the cemetery last Saturday and walking on pavement (except for the driveway) this morning. Pavement is definitely a lot harder on my knees. At the foot of the hill the pavement ends, so it looks as if when I'm walking on the road, it will be down to that end of the road -- it's 1.2 miles to Rte. 152 at the end of the road. But, of course, it's a truly killer hill coming back. (My driveway is almost at the top of the hill.) But there are killer hills in both directions. But I'm going to make it a point to head to get back into South Cemetery in Portsmouth on a regular basis and Old North as well -- it's been awhile since I been in either and I'm sure I'll find stuff to look at that I haven't noticed before. And there's Pine Grove in Dover where Ezra Green is. Haven't been in there in almost 20 years. Plenty of good walking in all three.

Then, when the parking is free again, I can head back to the beach. I've also never checked out the trails at Pease now that there's a wildlife refuge at one end of what used to be the Air Force base.

Just got a call from my co-conspirator on the T-shirt quilt. I need to pick up half the rows and remove the strips in between so we can block the squares, which she forgot to do -- and that really makes a difference with the stretchy T-shirt fabric even with interfacing ironed on.

Onward...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jul 14 - 01:47 PM

"Handle" - There is a book that I found helpful when I was beginning the process of clearing out stuff in my house. Don Aslett is an expert in cleaning, and in one of his early book he included a chapter on decluttering. The response was huge and he turned his attention to the topic in several more books. He's philosophical about it as well as practical, and I think starting with one of his books called Clutter's Last Stand may be a useful starting point. I'll link to this Amazon search because it yields several results on the subject by this author. I've found his books in used book stores. As you start reading, find small projects to work on simultaneously. One piece of advise several of us have offered in these threads is to find either the smallest room in the house (bathroom, laundry room, closet) and empty it and sort the contents, putting back only what you really need to keep in there and get rid of the rest. Or if that is too much, start with a drawer or a cupboard. Use that first completed project as your touchstone and work outward from there. It feels good to be successful in this work, so you create your own momentum once you're started. You do have to work to keep going, but there are rewards all along the way.

I've sold a lot of extra stuff on eBay and Craig's List. If you need the income, sell the clutter that is in good shape. Sometimes you'll reach a point where you can do a garage sale or donate items for tax benefit, and sometimes you'll go on a mad streak clearing out and sending it all to a thrift store. All of these work.

There is a lot more room in my house now after several years of this slow-motion clear-out I've participated in with other mudcatters. I still have a lot of stuff sitting out in view that I need to put away or decide if I'm going to keep, but there is room to walk in all rooms, there is a neat and uncluttered guest room, and my personal space is now tidy and not full of boxes hidden out of sight. Having neat and comfortable personal space is an important goal in this process. Having a house in order so your children don't have to sort and throw out all of the stuff when you're gone is something to keep in mind. I've sorted several family estates, and this is something I have in mind.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 14 - 10:03 AM

The summer season declutter thread continues into August. This is usually the hottest and most miserable month down here in Texas, but today is a most unusual advance toward "dog days" - it's cool and overcast. Drizzling when I fed the dogs.

Looking around for more items to list on eBay. It was a good month in July, $100+ in sales. That amount sold every month could put a dent in regular bills. eBay doesn't begin to withhold U.S. income taxes until you sell $40,000 in a year, so I have a lot of wiggle room!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 14 - 03:20 PM

How is your walking and time at the beach coming along, Linn? I think my walking exercise will consist of walking the dogs and walking behind the mower (it is power but I don't use the self-propelled feature).

Poking around the house looking for things to move and things to stack into the donate bin or to put in the sell on eBay pile. It's an amazing cool drizzly day, so I'll also spend some time in the yard weeding.

I have to clear out and rearrange the pantry shelving in the sunroom hallway to make room for the jars of tomato sauce and juice and peaches. I've cleared out space in the freezer for this year's pepper and eggplant crop, and have done that to a degree for canning because the empty jars were more or less stacked where the full ones will now go. There seem to be more full jars, so things will have to be shifted to make space.

Finally, I did the usual declutter the wallet bit today. Pay day = bill pay day.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 02 Aug 14 - 07:16 AM

There is a definite difference between me and a hoarder - there are similarities too, but the hoarder loves every item in the hoard, I am just too idle to go through the heap and sort things out to where they should be. I have heaps and empty cupboards, things out of boxes, pairs separated, and a lack of housework. My wardrobes are empty the laundry room is full of clean clothes.

Having watched the hoarder programs on TV those 'true' hoarders have a real problem in their perception of the worth of physical items.

I just have a problem with putting things where they should be - and having made a start on the one corner of one room I am now busy with what I found, so I will go onto another corner in a while - but there is now a distinctly different daily routing which includes using that corner to do things rather than just walking past the pile. This month I am going to clear the dining table and suggest eating there - if that is not taken up I will use the table to do jigsaws - I used to love doing them but did not have a large enough flat surface for them - I do the big ones.

Having started on the first one, now heaps in other rooms have been turned over a little, so things are turning up and I have had to put up a second row of hooks in the kitchen for all the cooking utensils I found. I used to joke that people were pinching them - there are still some missing... but having two rows of shiny doo dads is good for the spirit first thing in the morning. You can better face the day when you have the doo dads hung up on the wall.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 14 - 11:31 AM

Ha! My mother did jigsaw puzzles on the dining table, but she found a large chalkboard (one meant for children, probably to hang on the wall) that she laid the puzzle and parts out on. For the meals designated for the dining table she would pick up the entire chalk board and move it to another room for the meantime.

It sounds like you need to practice discipline, but do it in a small dose. This involves a kitchen timer. Give yourself a task to clear a certain portion of the room, and give yourself an hour or two by setting the timer. Make yourself stay on task and either pick up the items and put them where they are supposed to go, sort out the items that are good that you don't need (and have a designation container place for those items), or put them in a bag for the trash. Don't let yourself start interacting with the items during that time. If you do like I did and sell things on eBay, create an eBay station where you can work on that and put things designated for sale.

Meanwhile, here at the house I've put the peaches in the pantry, and this morning I found a couple of good t-shirts to list on eBay. I need to mow the lawn (as much for the exercise as to cut the grass). And at any time the urge strikes, there is a lot of paper to put away (file, recycle, or shred).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 14 - 05:51 PM

eBay descriptions written, and I'll load them this evening. Meanwhile, the kitchen is cleaned up and getting ready to do more tomatoes. In the small batch routine, it means when I have enough to fill a few pints I go ahead and can, rather than waiting till I have a huge number and do a big production. I also have juice for making grape jelly soon.

I've made some of my taco mix (ground beef with onions, peppers, seasoning, black beans) and a small chicken to use for meals in the next few days. Time to make another loaf of bread. Around the house I've run the soaker hoses today to keep the foundation moist and put out fish fertilizer and corn meal (an old bag from the freezer that can be used as fertilizer) in the garden. I'll have to pick a bunch of peppers this evening and I need to bring in the laundry from the line.

Mowing out front tomorrow so the lawn looks good during the week when I'm away from the house. Since I have been watering I do have to mow a bit more than usual this time of year.

SRS

P.S. Three pints of tomatoes canned, and an ice cube tray of guacamole in the freezer.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 14 - 03:08 PM

Time spent on eBay and baking this morning, and now for a round of gardening and mowing. Dig up compost for a couple of beds in the front, then turn over those beds and add some new plants for fall crops of tomatoes and cucumbers. Mow the front, and maybe some of the back, then do a little trimming of limbs sticking too far into the driveway. Chip those branches, and use the mulch in the garden. Then put all of that away and get ready for work tomorrow.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 03 Aug 14 - 07:03 PM

No beach time until the tourists go home and parking at the beach is free again. But I walked yesterday in South Cemetery in Portsmouth and today on my way home from the Nottingham Farmers' Market, I stopped and talked to my up-the-hill neighbor. She pointed out that there's a path around her five acre field that I'm welcome to use -- and she'll walk with me. She also showed me where the mound of well composted goat manure is so I can start schlepping it down the hill to use in the restoration of the flower bed on the deck side of the house (that was destroyed when they dug up the buried fuel tank in 2011).

I've also got to check out (meaning just go and walk it!) the Nottingham Woods Trail just down the road from me off from the soccer field. I was reminded Thursday morning that my knees REALLY object to my walking on pavement. So the gravel part of the road (avoiding the killer paved hill directly outside my driveway) is an option, along with the trail, the field path, and cemeteries (which I used to spend so much time in but haven't had the time for way too many years). And the beach, of course, when it becomes ours again.

Today I got a lot of stuff rearranged in the cellar to make life easier for the plumber on Wednesday. Also culled more metal to sell and bagged some more trash. The nice thing is I can actually SEE the difference I'm making. I really need to post an ad for the fermenter on Craig's List; I already have a digital photo of it somewhere, I think.

Friday night I got reintroduced to a couple of Tom's editors from the Portsmouth Herald back in the '90s. They're no longer at the Herald (and at least one of them is no longer in an editorial position), but they both were very encouraging of my writing projects and agree that Tom's antiques columns coupled with the antiques-as-investments articles he wrote for a financial newsletter would make a good book with minimal editing.

I think I need to go eat something before it gets too late and go empty the kitchen compost before it gets much darker. Then I have to go upstairs, shower the cellar grunge off myself and rip out the strips between quilt squares so they'll be ready to block before Tuesday morning.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 14 - 01:07 AM

A friend came to dinner a couple of weeks ago and left some small packages of cheese and a bottle of wine. The wine is for a special occasion, but the cheese went onto an open face sandwich (toasted then cheese melted under the oven broiler).

The kitchen is clear after lots of work this weekend (canning, freezing, cooking for the week), and the yard is looking pretty good. I opened a trunk to pull out a couple of items for eBay, but they haven't been listed yet. I was enjoying myself too much out in the garden. I brought some finished compost to the front for the fall crops and to improve a couple of beds, then I hauled a lot of weeds and garden trimmings to the back to drop on this year's compost pile. I'll have to set up a sprinkler on top of it so that stack (getting kind of tall by this time of the summer) can start heating up to break down.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 14 - 09:40 AM

Linn, good luck with the plumbing work this week. I wish I had a cellar.

Rumncoke, I hope you had a good holiday!

Dorothy, how is the mill and did you make and sell any more pots?

Michelle, I can see a little whirlwind on the weather map over central Pennsylvania, so I know you're busy doing all of the things on your long list, as well as enjoying summer with Pete and Jeremiah!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 14 - 03:44 PM

I'll post a link to Susan's latest post because she parked it in an earlier thread in order to keep track of those contents. It seems the renter didn't work out. At. All. I'm sorry to read that - it sounded last spring like it was going to be a smooth transition and instead it was a rude surprise. I'm glad the thread will be of some use to keep track of the agreement, etc.

I'm climbing six flights of stairs at work a couple of times a day, starting this week. I need to get back to a better fitness level. I didn't work as hard in the yard this weekend (no pushing the mower for an hour or more) so I need to make it up now (and I should be climbing stairs every day anyway).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Aug 14 - 09:16 PM

CITY:
Ah, renters! So often an unpleasant surprise. Susan can try again - more carefully.

I have been in Ontario. R and I left on Weds morning at 11!! This gave us time to stop again at the home of one friend who has died as I keep trying to contact her husband. Again, he was not there but R had the opportunity to have a good look at their wonderful earth home, off the grid. Now he has a clue what I am talking about.

Then we were able to stop at the beautifully restored "Old School House Tea room" for early supper, then to the nearby Gallery - of antiques and all manner of interesting stuff. I really wanted a small table but there was no room in the car. When we came back by on Sunday, it was gone. Oh, well.

We took a winding dirt road from there, past the octagonal stack wall house that I covered for the newspaper when it was built - and just loved it, and through lovely woods back to the main road, in time to get to the Weds night concert and visit with folks and walk around the park and see the hay bale structure being built there! And finally to our friends where we spent our nights - and not much else. We had busy days.

Early Thurs am, we drove back to town for R to go on a field trip looking for minerals. I thought I would have to just hang out in town but he got a ride with a retired geologist and I went to visit friends in various places. I went back to collect him at 4 but did not find him until after 5. He was having a grand time looking at rocks/minerals in the (hockey) arena and forgot to meet me. Then we went to the other segment of the show at the curling club and I sat and chatted with a friend who happened to be there. Then we went to my fav eatery for a terrific meal and back to the house via a scenic route. All the routes up there are scenic!

Fri was a trip to Algonquin Park to the logging museum (outdoors) and the "visitors' centre" - film, dioramas, history and natural history and ... back to town to get a charger for his phone and poked about town. Walked forever to a restaurant for fish and chips AND forever back again to go to the Art show opening at the gallery, then to a play nearby. I dashed back to the gallery during intermission and after the play. Had I known there was an opening I would have gotten tickets for a different night!

Sat we were out at 7 to set up at the Maynooth Farm market, next to our hosts. I sold enough pots to pay the gas for the trip and the woman in charge of the gift shop at the Gallery came by to encourage me to do a group of pots for the shop. Saw a couple people I had not seen in at least 20 years! And more.

Then lunch at a little cafe where a very special friend was working. I showed R the beautiful old hotel building, now a hostel, then visited the library, chatted outdoors with another friend while R did the antique shops in this tiny village. We went back to my fav eatery for another great meal then to my friend's antique shop to return the borrowed table (for the market) and give R a chance to see her shop and meet two more of my fav people.

Sunday, we managed to have a conversation with our hosts, mainly about "Dragonfly", a land co-op which is going through a rough period - for several years now!. We considered what could be done, encouraged them to fix the well and to encourage a new young man who seems to be very interested in renewing the concept of community. R and I are interested in helping. I am thinking of "questions, considerations and suggestions" to present to our friends before we visit again so we can work toward a renewal.

We went back into town as I volunteered to help sell reusable water bottles, a project of the Arts Council - instead of selling bottled water. There was fresh spring water for folks that bought a bottle. The event was a BIG craft show in the park, good music in the band shell and I got to see many friends.

Then we went to look at a couple properties for sale: one was virtually derelict; at the other, a man was sitting with his vehicle at the beginning of the driveway, and told R it was NOT for sale and he was just going to stay there and not let anyone see it. R did not figure out exactly what the story was but left the man to his music and smoking. We went to a nearby yard sale and R actually bought a useful object. ( He also bought 6 books and a number of mineral samples during the weekend. And something else I cannot identify.)

Our friends told us about a property for sale behind, and adjacent to, Dragonfly - 200A with house and two ponds, off the grid. Stu posted a link today and it is really marvellous. Next trip (in 3 weeks so I can go to the Gallery volunteers' meeting), we can go visit Dragonfly and look at this property. I suspect R could find a way to buy it if it intrigues him.

More and more, I want to be "home". R understands. I am saying "at least one week a month." The air is clean! It smells so good. Even at our friends' home it was incredibly quiet. I felt so much better there. Coughed less.

My friend with the antique shop sells stuff on E-Bay which means I can learn from her and might be able to do that. She bought 3 mustache cups that R got at an auction last fall! There are about a dozen more of the darn things! Looking at her stock, I realize there are things I could sell instead of giving them to thrift shops!

So, I got lots of exercise, learned stuff, connected with many dear people, got tons of affirmation, and am looking at new possibilities. Being in Quebec is quite tiresome. We are both tired of dealing with French and I cannot volunteer for anything at all.

Back in the city late last night. Today I caught up with emails and FB - feeling rather tired of both and will be cutting back. Made soup and walked to the grocery store for milk and eggs, and yogurt that was still on sale. Tomorrow: to the country to glaze and fire and attend writers' group. Thinking of writing something to submit to the newspaper "back home".

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 14 - 10:55 AM

Dorothy, I hope one of those land and house excursions yields pay dirt pretty soon! You've visited some interesting sounding places.

We're at the time of year when cooking every day is too much effort and heat released into the house. I made things over the weekend to serve as leftovers during the week. Last night's dinner was a quesadilla made with some leftover chicken, a Hatch chile pepper, a couple of tortillas from the freezer, and some cheese that needs to be used, along with a homemade pickle, a home grown tomato, and one of the remaining peaches from last week's canning. Lunch I brought to work today will be much the same.

The sun room is looking good, but it can be better once I fill some unused lower bookcase shelves. It also looks better because tossed one plant that was too ratty looking to keep longer (I nursed a poinsettia from xmas three years ago, but it wasn't going to survive this summer.)

The orthodontist this morning was able to trim my existing retainer so it now fits (the new crown on a back molar didn't align with the retainer). It feels fine and saved me $150 for a new one.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Aug 14 - 03:22 PM

Hump Day for this week. 12 days from when the fall 2014 semester starts on this campus. Tons of jobs still need filled here and lots of people are out on sick leave. This is a one day at a time operation for all of us. Maybe some day it will get better. Tomorrow is my Friday and then I'll have three days for my stuff. Too bad we can't do compressed week during the regular semesters, it's just a summertime perk. Time to get my next academic calendar. Resolutions don't happen on January one in this world, they happen on September one.

Linn, how did the t-shirt squares work out?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Aug 14 - 04:55 PM

City:
Darn! All I want to do is finish this book, White Fire by Preston/Childs. Such a page turner. I managed to make a nice bf, delete today's emails, check FB and write a message to our friends re Dragonfly and next visit - in two weeks. Carried the portable wheel upstairs, threw some pots, went for a massage, did some groceries and had a nice salad for lunch ---THEN, "cannot" sit and read unless eating so I ate cookies, felt queasy, stopped eating cookies, continued reading. Now, back to deleting emails, going to check FB for messages, read until 5, watch the news, make a stir fry for supper and, HOPE I can go back upstairs and throw more pots!

Went to country yesterday, glazed pots, loaded kiln and turned it on - almost all pots are "sponge ware", in prep for Antique Association show. Still more to glaze and fire on Fri... Last night's writers' group meeting was interesting. Perhaps a move forward for us. I am feeling a desire to write ---something about "Going home" & something for the local newspaper for which I was the main reporter for 6 years in the 90's. Thoughts need to coalesce. Also need to put down thoughts on Dragonfly to organize brain.

Beautiful cool breezy day. Still waiting for rain. Doors open and the breeze blowing through, up- and down-stairs!

My eyes did not bother me while I was away. very little time on computer? or reading? or cookies? Very little coughing also.

SRS: I have stopped even considering properties in Quebec. I just want to go back to Ontario, to Ontario where my friends of 30 years are. All I want is a piece of woods and a shack. But we are interested in this "land co-op" as a possibility if the folks can get the problems sorted. We think we might be able to help. The "interesting property" is an adjacent: 200 A, off the grid, with two ponds and a house of sorts - surrounded on 3 sides by Crown (owned by govt) land. A totally insane thing to consider at my age so, of course, I am. IF we can form a community of good folks.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 07 Aug 14 - 08:27 AM

Stilly, we only work on it together on Tuesdays. And last week we had to rip out what had been sewn together, fix it and do it over. The rows (except for one fo which I have to bring back another square -- Carol trimmed one too small) are put together with strips in between. Tuesday she'll start sewing the rows together with strips in between. She'll need my help in maneuvering it as it gets bigger. There are nine rows of seven squares each -- 63 squares total.

Plumber replaced all the cellar PVC pipe with PEX yesterday , including to the laundry room and kitchen. New shut offs everywhere. He'll be back today to pick up the large adjustable wrench he left and a Sawsall that he left someplace.

Drove around in big circles yesterday. Went to Dover Goodwill before my doctor's appointment in Somersworth up the road. (She reassured me that the nicked nerve from my blood draw last week will, indeed, heal and the burning, tingling in my finger when I extend my arm will go away.) Went home and had just enough time (hour and a half, actually) to eat a light supper and send some emails before going back to Dover (it's a half hour drive) for a singaround.

Oh! Filled up the tank and saved 16 cents a gallon! I almost always buy Irving gas because of their Rewards system and random rollbacks in the summer. (I got 20 cents a gallon off last time I filled.) I'd driven past four Irving stations and checked the prices against those of the station on Rte. 9 where I buy most often. But the station in Dover (which I'd being going past again when I went to the singaround) was 4 cents cheaper, so I figured I'd stop there later. Then, on my way home, the one on Rte. 125 was 6 cents cheaper -- so I pulled in. Then, at the pump, I got 10 cents off -- rewards.

Ya take it where you find it...

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 14 - 12:03 PM

I was looking through t-shirts in my closet, and then I remembered a stack in the eBay room. Some time back I put up an offer here at Mudcat if people were interested in old folk festival souvenirs (shirts and mugs, mostly) but the only response that came in was rude from Gargoyle. I could pool those into enough to make a throw for over the back of a chair or sofa (a personal sized comforter). I was looking for some tips on working with this stretchy jersey fabric online and found this interesting set of questions that a quilter saved up. Since I don't know half of what they're describing I think it's safe to say that I need to do more research before I start seriously doing anything more than a little lap quilting. (I used to watch the Georgia Bonesteel program on PBS and thought that approach would work for small quilts - but time has passed and I've forgotten many of her tips also).

I often buy gas at my local grocery store and get at least three cents off, sometimes 10, and occasionally 20. But doing the math, in a car as small as mine I'm saving only a couple of dollars on gas when I could buy groceries in other stores and save more than that. So I keep my shopping at that store for preferences that are unserved at my low-cost groceries (Aldi, Trader Joes, Save-A-Lot, etc.). I get occasional savings, especially if I do that shopping on weekends when they give triple points.

How does the new plumbing look? Any differences in how things work, and did you replace any faucets or spigots at the same time? I have a growing list of things I need a plumber to address one of these days. The kitchen sink faucet, a dripping comode tank in the master bathroom, etc.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 07 Aug 14 - 01:57 PM

No, none of the plumbing that shows was replaced. Just the really important stuff like changing the pipe in the cellar (and to the kitchen faucet and laundry room) from getting more fragile every year PVC to PEX and upgrading all the shutoffs. The kitchen faucet is a fairly recent gooseneck fixture and we replaced the shower/bathtub fixtures last fall and the sink not that many years ago. Now I'm feeling a heck of a lot more secure and less likely to have any critical problems in the future.

Almost none of the work I've been having done is cosmetic (if that's what you'd call fixing the bookcase and the screen door so I can use them) -- it's all infrastructure repairs and upgrades -- joist repair, plumbing, electrical, fixing the leak around the chimney. After the chimney work is done, the house will be in better shape than it has been since the house was built in '77. Actually a bit better than it was then.

The t-shirt squares have to be stabilized by ironing on Pellon or other interfacing. And then re-squared up. There's still give to them which makes the project tricky.

Last week at Facebook someone posted a photo of a much simpler to make T-shirt quilt that involved sewing the squares together directly and leaving the seam material on the front so it "ruffled". This isn't it, but here's a photo from Pinterest -- Ruffled T-Shirt Quilt -- so there's a few more photos out there and a lot of different ways to make the quilt. I've also seen them done, sans ruffles, just sewing the squares to each other without strips in between.

Gotta go work on the PMFF schedule...

Linn

Not to my taste, but a lot less complicated to make.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 07 Aug 14 - 04:08 PM

I am going to post another thread but I am giving up on the idea of a web site for the child abuse music and just putting it on a cd...I need three songs recorded ASAP..two must be from Catholics because the rule is you can only sing about the situation in your own church...but every church has problems it seems. I need one from Australia sung to streets of derry..one sung to tune of irish rovers..should be a group of young men..and one can be anyone...about dalit girls in india having to beg for water..and of course they are abused often. dalit song is to an irish tune..connemarra by the lake.

If you have a home setup and could do any of these like by tomorrow or next day, that would be great. main one is the irish rover one. it is some o'toole clan disowning a bishop because he shamed the clan by covering up in the child abuse case. pm me and i will send an mp3 of 2 songs or just lyrics to irish rover one.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 14 - 05:57 PM

I hope you're able to find the help for that. I don't perform, so any equipment I have here (of Dad's) is just here, not used. Sorry.

Linn, there was a large quilt made of t-shirts for the elementary school principal when she retired. They took spirit shirts from many years and made simple square blocks. I don't remember if there was a border on each, but they were all sewn edges (no ruffles) and I think they probably backed up each t-shirt panel with muslin or something stable.

For my long weekend I'll be working in the yard (no surprise) to knock out the ants and aphids that seem to be on everything this year. I need to clean and reorganize the garage if I'm going to ask a neighbor to teach me to use some of the power tools around here (she has a bunch she uses in a shed at her house, but I'll have to set up areas in the garage for the router and the drill press, and several various sized saws). She came down during the week to get a garden transplant and I realized she is kind of rattling around the house since her husband died in the spring. I've always wanted to ask her to teach me to use the tools (she did a lot of woodworking over the years) but she had her hands full with her ill husband. Now would be a good time, I think.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 14 - 11:19 AM

Restarting the alternate day fasting today. I may not do it all week, but at least on my three days off I can manage the fasting and getting more exercise to see results again.

This morning I started a general housekeeping push by clearing non-essentials from my dressing room and ironing the things hanging on the door and sitting waiting for attention. It'll be a day for a Sudafed booster to my regular antihistamine because there is plenty of dust. This is the kind of job that is best done by washing small throw rugs, curtains, etc. It's good to do it now because so much of this stuff can dry on the line then be fluffed on air in the dryer.

Between rooms I'll work on a little eBay this morning (two items) so they end next week on this day. It's easier to mail them right away if the end on my day off.

I can see a big difference from when I started all of this and now. Much of what we discuss on these threads is day-to-day stuff that we need to keep on top of, punctuated by occasional large moves (such as getting shelves put up and the plumbing job done, or finishing a remodel and being able to put everything back where it goes, minus stuff given away). I don't foresee any big moves in the near future, but if I can keep up a steady trickle of unneeded items out the door (and cash into my bank account) then it works. Those three-day wonders on various declutter television programs are accomplished at great cost, I think - they are effective because decisions deferred (piles of stuff) are dealt with, but I am always sorry to see the homeowners put in the "child" role by the television personalities working on the job. Our way is slower, but for autonomous adults, it gets the job done with all of the consideration that some of these decisions require.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Aug 14 - 11:56 AM

City:
Have basically "killed time" this morning. HAve another massage at 1 pm and will go straight from that to the country. Getting up about 9 - as we did not get to bed until 1 - does not leave a good morning chunk to work in the studio. Car had to be moved by 9, then bf, sheets are in the dryer and will go back on the bed before I leave, dishes are washed, emails are deleted, FB has been checked for messages and little else.

Yesterday afternoon was spent on Dragonfly - list of questions and considerations that have come to mind, some research on intentional communities trying to see if there were any constitutions available, rather than starting from scratch. Those young hippies of 40 years ago did not concern themselves with such. Can they do it now and have people agree to it??

Research brought up memories. And interesting ideas and questions. I messaged our friend, requesting an email address as it would be unwieldy to read what I have prepared as a FB message. I read it to R as he ate his midnight meal and he seemed to approve.

I also walked to the library - total 8 blocks and four flights of stairs, then to Canadian Tire to look at folding tables - very expensive. The one I borrowed last weekend was very nice to use. (12 blocks).

Off in a few minutes. I believe R is staying home to get things done so we can go back to Ontario next Friday. I have given up on the cafe after the dreadful noise of two weeks ago. I need to get to the mill, unload the kiln and prepare for tomorrow's Market. I believe we are moving from the Market venue to the fairgrounds so that will mean set up, take down, set up, take down. ARGHHHH! Then probably back to the city.

Note: When I am away, I only eat real food. No cookie binges.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Aug 14 - 10:07 PM

The July 28, 2014 Ohio trip has been focused on unloading kitchen gear from the camper. A superb byproduct has been that this freed up numerous closet-storage drawers we had used IN the camper that are now improving numerous storage areas of the house. 

Since I liked how these so easily and cheaply multiplied my cabinet storage space, and since I know a challenge going from a 3-fam house to a 1000 sq ft bungalow will be maximizing every inch of closet space, I started filling the partially-empty closets with more of these bins so that as I move more stuff, there will be places all organized to PUT THEM AWAY.

Nothing comes thru the door unless I know exactly where it will go and how it will fit. ... as for subsequent trailer-loads, the garage is now clear enuf for an unloading zone to empty the trailer, sort and clean each item, and THEN bring in only as much as I can put away at a time. Sometimes that will mean bidding goodbye to loved items that are no longer serviceable: that's what cameras are for!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 12:31 AM

Dorothy, I have a couple of metal saw horses in my garage and an old door that came out of the house during a repair. When I need a quick table I set up the saw horses and put the door across. I think this must be the type - they weren't very expensive when I bought them and they tuck into themselves so flat they're each about the size of a four foot long 2x4 piece of lumber when they're closed.

Susan, do you have any garage or shed storage to use at this new place? Would putting up a portable building give you a little more wiggle room in the choices you have to make for the down-size?

After clearing the dressing room I listed one item on eBay. And cleared out the kitchen table and peninsula counter. Filing, shredding. Gardening. Nothing spectacular, but forward movement.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 10:19 AM

It is nice to walk into a tidy and uncluttered kitchen in the morning!

It's going to be hot today, so yard work in the morning, decluttering in the afternoon.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 12:40 PM

SRS, yes, as I described in the post.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 02:39 PM

I picked up that your trailer is part of your extra storage. I skimmed, didn't read about the garage first pass through (how large is the garage, and will you park cars in it also?), but what happens when you need the trailer for camping? Or is this trailer not the same as the camper?

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 04:22 PM

It's a 2-1/4 car garage the popup camper is now inside of, popped up for unloading and clng. It's just about ready now to fold up for winter storage in there.... I brought in everything I wanted for the house and boxed up everyrhing else pending a through cleaning of the camper next spring. Then the boxed items will be reloaded for basic weekend camping in the future.

Once folded down, it will take 1 side of the garage and lv the other half open for unloading each trip's worth of stuff as we gradually move here fulltime (date yet unknown). I figure on being down here quarterly. Sometimes on my own and sometimes with Hardi. We do not have garage parking in PA so I'm not worried about not having it here-- the winters are so much milder. I care more about not dumping stuff into the housecfastervthan I can clean it and put it away! The trailer we have for bringing loads down is an open-sided one, and road grime on top of frack-grime is icky.

As each visit's tasks near completion I usually start to form the pack-list for the next load. I don't try to plan in advance what projects I'll do for each trip.... each time I'm here it becomes obvious what the next priority is. It's a very gentle way to downsize abd transition towards retirement!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 14 - 09:29 PM

Susan, I can visualize it better now, thanks for describing the setup again.

Laundry out on the line comes in soon, and another load will go out in the morning, and then I'll wash and dry the dog bedding. Shopping for a few targeted items (these are frugal days after that huge transmission cost in early July, so there is a lot of cooking from scratch using items canned or in the freezer).

I ran the kitchen collection bin over to Goodwill today and dropped off some bulky stuff. I also stopped at the Humane Society and gave them a grocery bag full of newspapers, minus the slick ads that hey always take out.

One more item listed on eBay, and another similar item will go up this evening.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Aug 14 - 06:40 AM

The garage will eventually house a workshop n weight lifting setup in the 1/4 garage space on the side now blocked by the camper. On the other side, a door opens to the patio leading to the back door of the house. In that side will eventually go the standing freezer and spare fridge, and boxed office archives. On the back wall, shelves for yard tools and pet miscellanea.

There is room also for a coupla folding chairs for garage music 9-10 months of tge year plus a folding table for projects, writing, gift wrapping. We'll hang a lot of stuff on the walls.

Wrapping around the garage on 2 sides, enclosed behind a gated privacy fence is a grassed ell about 5-6 feet wide. Some of that will be kennel space and rain shelter, with a doggie door cut thru to it from the patio side that is already fenced as a smaller, paved Dog World. The rest of that ell will hold a resin 2-garbage-can holder we use now in PA for misc storage... it will do the same here.

The beauty of these plans is that 90 percent or more of the raw materials for all this has been accumulating in PA via Freecycle. Not piled up as clutter, but carefully stored for future use. That's why my mind in Ohio can see each packing list for the next trip. I just shop the PA house and what is needed here readily comes to mind.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Aug 14 - 07:42 AM

And, to reiterate other past posts, the popup camper can be rolled out to tge doublewide driveway for discreet weekend guest use-- adding the equivalent of a studio apartment to the 3 BR house. It sleeps 2 palatially, 4 comfortably, 5 crowdedly, and 6 in a pinch. With a no-smells portapotti used best only for liquid waste. No shower, but 2-burner stove and electric hookups.

Some folks haz foldout sofas when company comes to stay. We haz foldout guest house, with its own settin' porch. And a house compact enough in just-us mode forcaffordable central air! :-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 14 - 05:39 PM

A batch of yogurt is setting up on the kitchen table and two pot roasts have been cut into 1-pound pieces and saved via seal-a-meal for the freezer. One large chicken cut in half and also frozen in the seal-a-meal bags. A batch of guacamole is in ice cube trays in the freezer, is a batch of chicken stock, and a baking sheet of sliced jalapeno peppers is in the freezer. Another sheet of basil is out drying. Human laundry is almost finished and a load of dog beds goes in next (except we're beginning to see thunderstorms pop up in the area - if I hang out laundry, will that assure me some rain?)

I have a second shirt to list on eBay, the first one sold overnight. They are from a gay bar in Greenwich Village, and I need to suggest to the friend who made them to sell in the bar that he should sell a few on eBay on the side.

The heat index is way up there today so the dogs are in for the afternoon. As soon as I let them in they flopped down on the cool tile floor. We all took a companionable nap in the living room, me on the recliner and everyone else on the floor. Now I'm in my office working and they're all in here on the floor. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 10:41 AM

Monday of the last week before the chaos of the semester begins. The calm before the storm, so to speak. Batten down the hatches! Getting back to a regular 5 day week/8 hours a day will make my evenings feel more luxurious time-wise. Tonight when I get home I'll be tired but I am still planning to process the tomato sauce and juice that I steam juiced yesterday.

People north of here are beginning to talk about summer ending, but we have another six weeks at least and then a cooler but still likely dry fall (giving us a second prime growing season). There's no groundhog day for approaching fall, unless you consider toads poking their heads out of their subterranean cool areas and pulling back under for a few more weeks. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 12:27 PM

As I've posted at Facebook, I'm declaring today a "day off" -- meaning nobody other than myself is making demands on my time. I've been feeling overwhelmed again lately with outside demands on my time...even though many of those demands were for very enjoyable things. But couple that with two needy cats who are VERY demanding of petting and cuddling time (usually when I'm trying to get something done here at the computer -- like PMFF biz -- or cleaning up something in the kitchen) and still more bits of paperwork hell, and, yes, even getting the T-shirt quilt done.

Today I intend to make oriental "pork and beans" (green beans, red bell pepper, ground pork, chili-garlic paste, bit of brown sugar, and a dash of nuc mam) for the freezer (unless I change my mind and have that for supper), banana bread for this week's breakfasts, and a variation on the zucchini and onion pie...(and probably invite Jeri for supper).

I'd also like to rake leaves, twigs, pine needles and other detritus off the driveway and put some white buckets away in the cellar (or at least schlep them and some plywood and 2x4 scraps to the back of the house).

And I need to extricate the Aeolian harp from the beam, spiffify it, and wrap it as the wedding gift for the couple who has everything. (I know they'll appreciate it on several levels...and I doubt they'll get a duplicate! Tom and I got it as a wedding gift 32 years ago but we were never able to use it because at that time all the windows in the house were casement windows.(

In between, maybe I can check way out back and see if I've got any blackberries. (Or rather, see if the deer have left me any.)

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 12:41 PM

I need to have a plate with a stripe on it, the food has to be directly in the center, and my napkin must be folded in the shape of a swan, and... oh right, "no demands".

Never mind.

I started out fine, and now have a small headache, although I'm pretty sure this one's related to doing beadwork. You know when it's time to take a break? when you make your third mistake, have to undo it and manage to make new and creative (I know I couldn't do that on purpose) knots in the thread, unstring the needle and then, because your head hurts and your eyeballs are screaming obscenities backwards into your brain, can't get the f*ing thread back through the f*ing needle.

I know I made mistakes in the beginning. I can un-do them or just leave them, because I'm starting to wonder what would happen if I made the thing 3-d. Shoot me now.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 12:47 PM

I'd check the blackberries early, then have them in the fridge to look forward to as a reward after the rest of the chores. :) I posted a couple of photos of fresh ripe Washington State blackberries on my facebook page last year at this time - I still get a bang from those photos because they harken back to the my childhood summers. We were wild children, grazing on neighbor's fruit trees and bringing home containers of blackberries so Mom could make us pies.

Showers in the forecast for this afternoon and not as hot. I've had the dogs in over the weekend in the height of the afternoon heat because the heat index was up around 108^o. Today it's about 95^o. That means when I heat up the large pot of boiling water to process tomato juice this evening the air conditioner won't have to run quite as hard to keep the house comfortable. I have another small batch of Roma tomatoes that I put in the steam juicer then through the food mill last night. This will be the summer of tomato sauce and juice, and of very little diced tomatoes. And lots of frozen peppers.

I had to get out the Nesco roaster last night to bake a bread pudding. The stove oven is turning itself off and giving a code. Time to pull out the manual and look it up.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 02:44 PM

Gotta wait til the banana bread is out of the oven to head out back and see if there are any blackberries left...but the timer just went off.

Jeri, behave yourself! Are you coming for supper? I might try to find a chair...or we could eat on the deck.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 03:09 PM

I'll leave Ohio in full summer when we return to PA fall at the end if the week.

Today was close-the-camper and memorize the garage's contents day. It afforded also, FINALLY, the face mtg with the garage-side neighbor, Portia. Her sked has made her the most elusive neighbor to meet, but I anticipate a good friendship there with tea and coffee.

She was thrilled to hear that the new neighbors do not have a mad dog named Killer (thexsellers used to tie Killer to their fence which to jump to eat them), and will not be continuing the seller's loud; large, late-night parties--- that the neighborhood's "party house" is becoming a music house-- and pastor's house to boot. The famous Tiki Lounge is closed!!!

We were able to dispose of a number of property-line concerns and had no trouble planning the demise of mutually-detested fencing and a weed tree from hell. Go Portia!!!   

~Susan

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 03:25 PM

City:
Oh my! triggers! Blackberries, oh whidbey, neat! Oh! The last thing I did for my landlady before she fell and was whisked away to the hospital, never to be seen again - "look, Rosemary, fresh blackberries. I just picked them!" Trying so hard to get her to eat anything at all. 6 years ago and I still hurt to think of it.

Idea of sawhorses and a board is good but has to be small enough to fit in small car and stable enough for pottery. Thinking...

Susan seems to be planning very well with great determination!!

I unloaded and reloaded kiln on Friday. Nice load of sponge ware came out. Have not unloaded the new one yet. I had a good sleep and was up early enough to load car on Sat am and get to the Market in good time. When I was all set up and ready to start demo, I looked at a chair, thought it looked strange and----sat on it anyway. Then I lay on the tarmac saying, "Stupid, stupid, stupid......" Emu egg on head. I was carefully picked up and put on a good chair with ice for head - in the shade next to a lovely woman who kept moving me out of the sun. We had a great conversation for the next 3 hours. R found a friend to drive down with him. We packed up and went for lunch, then to the mill to leave the shelfs that I have to put on roof of car, and back to the city. R got nothing done at work.

My head came OK. But I could not drive safely with a left arm that would not move in some directions. But I only phoned for fear my head injury might be worse than it was. Proves what a hard headed woman I really am. It really hit hard on the edge of the curb and I did not even see stars!

I took lots of MSM for the pain and extra glucosamine and this morning, the arm in almost 100%. Better than before I fell. Yesterday we went to quaker meeting and came back to the house and R read all day while I read and computered and fed us. Also I walked to the library. And a LONG phone call with a woman about a raccoon she is trying to rescue from a well meaning human. She said she would phone back today and I dread it. She goes on and on. I need someone to yell, "Fire!" or something...

Today, I have not gotten away from the computer except to have lunch. A couple on line discussions took a lot of time. A good email re Dragonfly does not seem to need reply but good info before we go back on Friday. It sounds as though our friends are taking life in both hands and moving forward! It is even possible that the support we gave them last Sunday helped them. I was included in the email as one of those trying to help, referred to as "a Quaker firebrand who wants to help DF heal and offers mediation."??? There is a "work week" at the end of August which I think I can get to. Looking forward to this weekend visit to work on it some more, gain more clearness.

One of the most important tasks ahead is to de-clutter the property of a man who has filled spaces with a hoard of tools. A fragile man who will need to be treated very gently and given every possible support. He does not live there and his son has bought him a piece of land nearby so I am hoping for some sort of storage space to be set up and lots of physical support given in moving his treasures.

Now, I need to write something about "going home". Then get some pottery work done.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 03:32 PM

I made those avocado brownies last night. Simplified the recipe and they came out fine.

I simply beat, with a hand mixer, the ingredients, adding in order with good mixing between, esp the avocado to avoid lumps.

4 eggs
1 cup sweetener - (I used honey)
1 cup melted choc chips
half cup almond meal, half cup cocoa, teaspoon almond flavour
2 ripe avocados

preheated 350 oven. 8x8 pan. 30 minutes.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 03:40 PM

Okay. That's it.

Took a berry bucket but first got sidetracked pulling weeds. Then went part of the way out back. Should have taken the kitchen compost with me and emptied that while I was at it... Pulled some more weeds. Dragged some brush around.

Went way out back (tricky walking) to where the woods begins. No blackberries. But an incredible crop of mosquitoes. Got to get out there again one of these days and drag some brush up front where it can be disposed of. Also need to cut some of the scrub trees that aren't supposed to be in the clearing. (Russian olive -- invasive species. Been meaning to hack it down for several years.) Ah...the opening to the woods looked so clear and inviting! (Almost like a distant mirage or portal to a mythical forest.)

Decided I didn't want to chance West Nile or Eastern Equine Encephalitis from the mosquitoes, so came back into the house. Didn't bring the buckets or move the plywood... It will all be there tomorrow (after I get home from working on the quilt)...

I'm bushed, but I better go cut and chop some veggies for supper. I'm intending on pouring a margarita as soon as Jeri gets here, so I hope all I'll have to do at that point is mix the pie up and stick it in the oven.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 05:45 PM

Where oh where has this summer gone? I can't believe it's just about mid-August. Crazy.

I had some serious car troubles leaving me without a vehicle for all of July which is a problem when you live in the middle of no where and one of us needed the car for work 60 hours a week! We managed.

I've been enjoying Jeremiah who is a ball of energy and FUN....Lord that child has ENERGY!

I did some sorting out of things for the yard sale but mostly just daily chores have been kept up to date with (for the most part).

I am down 23 pounds since May. YAY. Lots more to go but it's a good start.

I see lots of canning in the near future...tis that time of year!

Love to All,

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 14 - 06:12 PM

Michelle, will you be canning your own garden crops or are you bringing in bushels of veggies and fruit? Or both? Over on facebook this afternoon I posted a link to a photo from the 1930s, showing a cellar full of shelves of quarts of canned stuff. When I'm by myself I mostly can pints and half-pints.

Linn, so sorry the search for berries took you into harm's way. Fruit has been late here this year, is that the case with the berries? Or are the vines crowded out and gone? When I lived and worked in the woods (in Wa State) my rule of thumb was to stop and eat the berries when I found them. Chances were I wouldn't find them again or they'd be gone when I came back by.

Dorothy, if you get a headache, please promise you'll go get it checked out. Head injuries aren't something to be ignored, even if you have a hard head!

SRS

Subject: Camp Ridgebury Phase One Wrapping
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 09:40 AM

Thanks DP. Pix at FB if u get bored and want the tour.


Camp Ridgebury Furnished, Phase I Wrap-up

When the job of "make camp" started in January '14, my job was cleaning up after my wonderful helpers, and feeding them. A Phase One foto album show where they put items for me, our many projects done and left undone-- and the need for a week's worth of straightening it all up (between long naps)-- after they left!!!

During that and subsequent trips Greg and I had fone mtgs to review progress n prioritize remaining $$ allocated. He was here for his first look in February (our first Valentine's here), and I was back again for 3 work-packed weeks in April.

Phase One is coming to an end as we prepare to depart later this week. We're leaving it substantially livable-- comfortably so-- with the main pieces of house furniture in place, and amenities for two plus guests where and how they need to be.

I see we're just about at the 100-foto mark and hmmm.... it took 9 months from the first unlocking of the door. That was a VERY big baby! Whew! Glad it's out! 

A September trip will either end this phase or start the next. Sept is all about the yard and my side of the garage. The house is set with storage improvements for the 2 55-gal cans-worth of miscellanea I'll haul down then. I leave a scooter here to start really street-meeting the neighborhood. We chose this area partly for its longer springs and falls, so I hope to shop the nearby retail with that instead of the van-- and hit the local rail trails with Biscuit, too.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 01:51 PM

T-shirt quilt update: The quilt top is FINISHED! (No, forgot to bring the camera, so there are no photos.) I had two navy blue queen-sized sheets to use for backing, but they weren't long enough, so Carol remembered some striped fabric she had on a roll in the corner.

Well, THAT was even more work than sewing the last row in the middle today. Had to extricate it from the corner where it had been hemmed in by a bunch of craft items, cabinets, etc. on the sides and a bunch of boxes in front. Then had to try to grip the 60" roll and pull it out of the "well" in the corner.

Succeeded. Cut two sections out to be sewn together next week and Carol serged the edges so she can wash them without problems.

In theory at least, the quilt should be totally finished next Tuesday.

I stopped at my local herbalist's on the way home for a few odds and ends and told the young woman who works there about the quilt. She picked my brains because she's been thinking of making a quilt with shirts from her favorite band. Told her the options ranging from how we did it to the sew the squares directly together with the seam up (ruffled) method. She thanked me for inspiring her...wonder if she'll feel the same way after she makes the quilt!

Also bought some really ripe (!!!) peaches at a farm stand on the way home and I think I really need one cut up on a dish of ice cream right now.

Think I'll take the rest of the day off and read the book on Portsmouth, NH cemeteries that just came in the mail.

Linn

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 05:28 PM

I had a wonderful holiday, rushing about to different places to listen and sing, all very organised.

I go in a van, and always put things in the same places so I can find everything I need quickly and efficiently.

I drove home on Saturday morning, had a sleep and then unloaded the van, returned it to the hiring place, which is very close, very handy. I have put the camping things back where they should be, ready for next year, I must loosen the strings on my guitar - it gets used so infrequently these days and I do not want it to bow.

The washing is done, I have to iron and press my kilts and hang them up ready to wear.

I usually bite my nails - when at home, but they have grown quite a bit during my time away.

My husband's firm is closing down - going out of business, but he will probably bring things home so I need to clear out the back bedroom so he can make a workshop here.

I have already used the local Freecycle list to get rid of a pair of large curtains which used to hang at the French windows, and a lot of other stuff will have to go to make room. I am quite looking forward to it.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 06:41 PM

Sounds like you have your hands full if "he will probably bring things home." All of the offices on my floor in this library were emptied for the summer two years ago so it could be refurbished and updated for fire safety. We all took lots of stuff home and cleared out things from our work spaces that people were allowed to take home (lots of old frames left over from donated art to the library Special Collections, for example). Heavy duty library binders (mudcatters Linn and Susan got most of those), various things that had gone out of fashion or would probably never be used again. It meant finding places to put my stuff I brought home plus the frames I thought I could use. I have framed a few things, but there are still a number of them leaning up against walls waiting to be used or stored.

I pulled a page out of a gardening catalog that has photos of some simple wooden racks and bins for vegetables. I may have mentioned here that a neighbor of mine (a recent widow who isn't snapping back to her old self very quickly) has a lot of power tools in a shed in her driveway. Her father was a carpenter and she accumulated these tools over the years. I've always wanted to ask her to teach me how to use them, but didn't because she had her hands full with her husband's illness.

Earlier this week I spoke with her and asked if she'd teach me how to use some of those tools - I have a few in my garage I've never learned to use. Her response was an immediate "yes!" - qualified by the comment that the shed is pretty hot right now. We'll wait till the weather cools a bit, but I'm looking for examples of things I'd like to build. She distinguishes between woodworker and carpenter, and I know I'm probably conflating the two, but anything I can learn will make future projects easier. And probably more polished in appearance.

Watching eBay as the week progresses - I time auctions so they end on my days off. I would like to ship out a couple of more items, and the cash would be welcome.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 12 Aug 14 - 09:42 PM

Hey Stilly,

   We can mostly our own vegetables but have to hit the local orchards for pears, peaches and apples. We normally have plenty of apples but this year there are few to no blossoms. The previous year was loaded like never before so perhaps this is just part of the cycle of the apple trees or maybe it is because of the ultra long and extra cold winter we had....I'm not sure. Our neighbors are experiencing the same thing.
   Tomorrow we are having a water testing company come in for the third time to test the water. Oil giant Shell Oil is getting ready to frack and drill yet another pad near our home. We are within 4,000 feet of this new pad and so Shell offers the service free to anyone within that distance. The law requires a much smaller distance but we are thankful that Shell goes that little bit extra. This means that I spent some time today making sure my sinks and faucets/surrounding areas are looking shiny and spiffy.
   I also signed up for a new quilting class today that starts in the middle of next month. I have the pattern and now it's time for the dreaming to begin...I like to let the pattern and colors mull around in my brain before investing in the fabric. It's one of my favorite parts of the progress
Tomorrow is an at home day for my wee little man and myself. I have the living room picked up (could use a dusting a little clutter control), the floor is all clean and lots of room for some yoga to start happening. :)
   We currently are enjoying daily bowls full of blueberries from our own bushes...Jeremiah LOVES to pick berries. Yellow beans are in their prime right now too....and oh how we LOVE them! I steam them and then serve them with a touch of butter sea salt and granulated garlic. Mmmmmmm.

And oh yes...we have a bear this year. I named him Willy.
Willy be back? Willy eat more corn? ;)

Love to All,

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 01:36 AM

The creative process is interesting, isn't it? I tend to pull photos out of magazines or print them, and think about how I would make the item in question.

We've had a couple of not-so-good years for some regular produce here. Oh but for another summer like 2012 for the tomatoes! This year it is peppers that are thriving.

Does Jeremiah go to pre-school or kindergarten this year? I bet there is excitement building about that!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,#
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 09:18 AM

"I'm starting to wonder what would happen if I made the thing 3-d. Shoot me now."

Make it 4-d and you'll have solved yer problem.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 09:23 AM

Last year my apple trees were in danger of collapse due to so much fruit, this year the crop is much lighter, about 1/6th or perhaps 1/5th of last year if they grow larger.

It all depends on the weather being warm and dry enough for the bees during the time the blossom is open - without the bees the crop is minimal.

One year when it was very wet at blossom time there were three apples on two trees.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 02:12 PM

we have absolutely amazing apples on trees this year..so many i can't believe it..that is western wa...eastern wa is having its biggest crop ever i think they are saying. very long spring.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 02:46 PM

Jeremiah has one more year of Pre-K before he heads off to Kindergarten (oh my gosh...how has this happened?!?!?). He is a smart little cookie with a great vocabulary. I think that might have to do with the fact that we didn't do much baby talk with him....just a guess.

He knows his numbers, colors, alphabet and most letter sounds. He has not mastered the art of writing letters just yet although he does love to trace them. It will come and I'm not worried one little bit about that. He has decent manners, can identify just about any pick up truck in site and can identify over 30 type of flowers. He love to help and one of his current favorite things to do is to help pick blueberries and yellow beans. Last night he helped me husk corn and did a fine job of it! He has daily chores as we function as a team in this house. For example, all his toys are picked up and put away before Daddy gets home for dinner. He doesn't love that chore (of course) but he does do a good job. Jeremiah also clears the table at night of all silverware and plastic/melmac/paper plates. This morning he "made breakfast" which consisted of going to the fridge and getting a yogurt out for each of us. :) Spoons too! He was so tickled with himself!
    Like any 4 year old, he has his moments....however, he is very good at getting himself to time out (sitting on the stairs in the living room) and settles pretty well when he gets there (most of the time).
   I put his clothes out in the morning and he dresses himself...still struggles a little bit with some zippers and sometimes requests a different shirt but he is a pretty independent little being. No problems with shoes (Velcro), sandals, flip flops, etc. We haven't started to learn how to tie shoelaces just yet.
   He loves to splash around in the water, play in the dirt pile, g down the slide, ride his bike (with training wheels) and to RUN. Legos, Lincoln Logs, trucks and crayons are some of his favorite inside things to do (and to be read to). I think he's pretty typical in these things. :)
   I know you know that I could go on and on and ON but I thought maybe some of you would like to know how much he's grown. :)

On another note, I made peach butter today and it's in the crock pot as I type. I'll use it for some homemade biscuits tonight and will can the rest. I don't have many small jars so if I have leftovers, I will freeze the rest.

Love to All,

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 04:45 PM

Fall projects planned for Camp Ridgebury in need of any experienced advice include:

. Fill irregular yard hole with Spirea bush at center and bulbs flowing out into cavities left by roots removed with prev dead tree by sellers. Mulch.

. Paint patio/garage shutters to gauge color choice-- a rich red to contrast w wht siding n blk roof shingles. Add container/planters ready for spring annuals under that window.

. Continue garage cleaning/space allocation n add a few tool shelves at MY eye level... have wood n some brackets in hand. Replace missing ceiling bulbs. Maybe paint my wall w priming paint already on hand.

. Dog World, what next out there.... oh yes prune and fall clnup.

. Front flower beds: mulchitudinous decor

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 05:47 PM

City:
Warning: This has been written by a fed up woman.
Went down to the country to get car repaired yesterday. After I spent about 90 minutes waiting for my appt and for them to get going, they realized they only had one of the two parts needed. So I went to visit a couple friends, then to the restaurant/hangout and visited with a couple more, then to the mill where I finished unloading the kiln, had a quick bite to eat and went to writers' group., where we talked about just about everything but writing. One woman, with MS, is having a mold problem so I gave her a little bottle of tea tree oil to clean it. Came back to the city and fed us salads about 9 pm. An improvement over the night before when R came in at 1:30. That was beyond the call of duty. He ate a couple small yogurts and a cup of juice.

I am in a blue funk today. When I asked about the reno - the one that was supposed to start in April.... I could yell and holler and jump up and down --- and R would give me a hug, smile sweetly and.... Nothing would happen. But nothing is happening anyway....

That was after the phone rang at 8:30, giving me a headache - my brain cannot cope at that hour. It was stupid, who has been told repeatedly not to call my phone. Then R was on the phone interminably and then dashed off without bf.

Spent most of this morning trying, and finally succeeding in cancelling Skype in hopes they will not be able to automatically charge me for another year. They have done something so it does not work any more and give no help in the upgrade it says we need. While trying to cancel, I seem to have acquired a $10 charge that I phoned my credit card company about but not posted there yet. My PA son tried helping. He tells me to go to Apple and upgrade computer so I can use timeface. In the meantime. NO skype even though it is paid for and I deserve a refund. No such thing as customer service. Just waste our time with nonsense.

My PA son wants to bring my grandson to Montreal to visit McGill U. HE is that age!!! "My little darling"! Because I am here. R thinks it a great idea. Right! You think maybe in the next two years, the reno might be done and we might have a spare BR for an 18 year old?????

I do not want to be here. I am sick of living like this. I do not want another piece of plywood on the K floor; I want the major reno this house needs. I am FED UP. This house is major-ly depressing.

Raining all day so no walks. Feeling crappy so no pots. Took de-tox bath and wiped myself out completely. Hungry again and tired of trying to eat "properly". Have neither gained nor lost.

And I cannot even get a decent peach in Quebec. They always end up being dreadful. I want to drown my sorrows in choc chip cookies but then there would be none for R and it's too rainy to walk to the store. And I did not get a call that the part is in for the car so another weekend with the tailgate held closed with a bungee cord.

We are going back to Ontario for the weekend. Meet with our friends about Dragonfly, look at properties, visit other friends. I will be looking for a place to stay that is more civilized than here. R can fend for himself - eat yogurt at 1 am.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 08:30 PM

Dorothy, eat the cookies. It sounds like R doesn't deserve any today!

Michelle, I'm not surprised at all by your report - he sounds like he's coming along very well! And when I think about Jeremiah arriving I also think about you shaking off the last of the cancer.

Closing in on the last day of my compressed week, and I don't know if we'll get any more, I think it's back to 5 days 8 hours a day when the semester starts.

I've kept my shopping trips very small this month, there are only a couple of more purchases that need to be made (dog food and a dog Rx). The rest can slide or isn't necessary. I wish that May freelance job would finally pay - I'm hoping it comes in on Friday. I did use a few of my PayPal bucks for a pair of silver and carnelian earrings. They're lovely, but it was kind of an odd purchase. They came from India, cost $7.99 that included free postage. The guy sends them well-packed in a little plastic box in a registered parcel. Postage must be very inexpensive in India! The earrings are a good match for a string of faceted carnelian beads I bought a couple of years ago.

I processed more tomatoes last night, sauce and juice. I'm slowly accumulating a stash of garden produce for the rest of the year. I may cut up more peppers tonight, and it's time to start looking at pickle recipes (small batch). I picked up two boxes of the vinyl gloves I use when I'm cutting hot peppers and for various projects around the house where gloves are advised.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 11:40 PM

Nine pints of peach butter canned and the leftovers are in the fridge. I had hoped to make biscuits to go with it for dinner but ran out of milk....it will wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, I had some in my Greek yogurt. Mmmmm. Mmmm. GOOD!

Sweet dreams Everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 14 - 11:56 PM

My favorite recipe for baking powder biscuits uses water instead of milk, and they rise like a dream. Add a little cream of tartar and use water next time and see how they turn out.

I'll dig out the recipe and post it later.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,#
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 01:12 AM

I finally understand why the heron is waist deep in the river. It's winter and twelve below zero.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 10:59 AM

A sack of old clothes, stained and worn out things sorted and in the dustbin and another of things to wash waiting at the top of the stairs to be brought down to the machine.

I have decided to lose some weight - I have always been plump, right from being very small, but put on weight when being guided in what I ate by health professionals.

I can't eat lots of carbs and maintain my weight. When I do Atkins my weight drops easily - I feel well and energetic, my joints don't hurt. I do get a lot of negative advice though - but over time the science has been done and the poor Dr has been vindicated. By the time I am geriatric it will probably be compulsory to eat low carb rather than being considered a death sentence.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 12:45 PM

City:
Coveting Michelle's peach... It occurs to me that I shall be passing through southern Ontario tomorrow and might be able to find real peaches rather than the kind they export to Quebec!

I left two cookies for him but he did not eat cookies last night. Maybe I will get more today.
This morning:
Fix the incinolet (electric toilet for the mill) by the end of this month - a year is long enough to wait.
Pay the hydro bill TODAY.
Get roof fixed NOW - the fall rains have already begun.
Got agreement to a closet in the upstairs BR and assurance that the balcony is safe even though it looks like .... Phoned my go-to friend about getting a closet built. His upscale reno-ing son uses IKEA! Phooey. I will go shortly to Home depot to see what I can find. 10 feet wide and nine feet high, 35 inches deep or less. Need tracks for sliding doors - upper and lower, plywood shelf across, ...   Will make a fine closet - after I get him to move out the extraneous junk - and I will be able to put stuff away and use the room. And wake up in daylight instead of a cave.
But I forgot: Fix the upstairs heat.

Find paper and marker and put each item on a separate sheet and post in K - until the floor falls in. After four months of talking reno, he is digging in his heels. So I am going to move everything upstairs and MAYBE there will be a reno and I will have to move stuff again.

If the TV goes upstairs (BR is big) --- I was going to say the LR would be better but it occurs to me that we could move everything upstairs except the K and have a much more pleasant living space. And move the mini-studio downstairs. Upstairs has windows and a big skylight! It is bright and cheerful - except for the ceiling falling a little because the roof leaks!

OK, guys. Here I go. Thank you very much! If it were not for this thread, I would not have gotten here. Home Depot bound - and more cookies.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 01:07 PM

I'm back to doing the alternate day fasting, though it is a couple of days a week, not every other day right now. There is a program from the British series Horizons that gave me the information (about 38 minutes in is the one I do). Eat, Fast and Live Longer. I am also making a point of getting to bed earlier. Those both help with weight loss (for me, anyway).

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 03:56 PM

You have to do what works for you, I used to fast every Monday, and it threw me into a low energy state where I would sleep 11 or 12 hours a night for half the week.

I'm having chicken thighs and mushroom stir fry for dinner - I need to make potatoes and another vegetable for the DH though as he would moan if served with what I eat, plus I think he regards mushrooms as something toxic.

I have a hot air fryer - the smell of the cooking chicken is wonderful.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Aug 14 - 10:39 PM

About 5 hours of shopping and no lunch. And a much less grandiose idea of what I need for a closet. One rod 10 feet long for clothes - will need at least one support. A second one down lower, and going only half way, for a shirt and pants section and the other end for the dress/skirt section. Another rod for drape - will also need middle support but I will use the light, white fabric I bought for the mill and the wonderful wood hoops with clips! that I found on sale at the Canadian Tire today. Also bought one tired looking pepper plant, with peppers - skinny green ones. I HAD to rescue it.

Stopped at a grocery and got some good pork on sale and cookies - but only ate 4. And green tea and eggs - I remembered eggs! Then stopped again for apples to make applesauce to go with the pork - done.

Came home and found Ikea catalogue had been delivered - FRENCH! So I went on line and spent a good part of the evening perusing one in English. Arrived at previous conclusion. Saw a few interesting things but not enough to make me rush off to that horror store - always crowded!

No R yet so I am going upstairs to see what needs to be done. HAH! I had a fantasy when I left early this aft that I would get what I needed, come home and fix everything and the room would be ready tonight. Ho, Ho, Ho!

Clothes are sorted and ready for trip to Ontario tomorrow. Hope for some good peaches!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 12:09 AM

Down 2.8 this week.
Had some fabulous corn on the cob for dinner tonight along with yellow beans from our garden....YUM-O!

I haven't done any quilting this summer but tomorrow I am on a mission to get my room ready to be in full swing. I have some orders waiting to be filled! HOORAY!

Sweet dreams!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 04:56 AM

I ate the last of the chicken for breakfast, and must go down to the supermarket for salad for lunch. Yay bus pass!

I have been gathering up the stray cones and packs of yarn - I have so much yarn - I am sure I could never knit it all even if I knitted every day. I will stack it in the roof space so as to (try to) keep it out of the way.

I will knit the DH a couple of jerseys as the weather will be changing soon, and perhaps make another for myself. The two grandsons would be delighted by Mario jerseys I'm sure - the knitting of the characters takes far longer than the whole of the rest of the garment, but their reaction is worth it. I did the elder one a jersey with Sonic the Hedgehog on it and he was so pleased. Even though I did an old version of the character.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 14 - 01:47 PM

Lucky grandsons! My kids go to various conventions and come home with hand-out trinkets with lots of characters on them. I tend to raid the stuff they leave (forget about) in their when I need small cases or straps for small electronics, so I'm carrying around a number of cartoon and anime characters with me.

Doing some work for work on my day off and will take some time next week. Someone asked for photos with only a day to spare for a deadline. I'll have to speak with him about giving me more time to work on these in the future.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 07:41 AM

I opened up a cupboard where I had stored fabric - so much fabric!!

I can probably create a whole wardrobe of clothes from what I have in there and a few other places, with lots left over.

Perhaps I can sell some, to help our finances.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 12:30 PM

I've sold special occasion fabric on eBay (xmas holiday themes, mostly Santa). Letting go of extra yardage is a lot harder than clearing out knick knacks and spare furniture.

A box is waiting at the front door for the knock of my mail carrier. Disappointment in selling this doll/door stop figure, it didn't go for a vast sum, just the initial asking price. But it's out of the way now. I'll be listing a bunch of small items this weekend.

I've treated the garden for pests - my mix of molasses, Murphy oil soap, orange oil, fish fertilizer, and today I added some hydrogen peroxide to knock off any fungus that might be starting in there.

Time for general cleaning around the house. It needs it.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 01:34 PM

The annual post-vacay fitness boost is in full swing. Example: an item requiring a coordinated, strong right arm overhead lift? Pre-vacay no could do. .. dropped it on my head. Post-vacay.... BAM! Annual physical Weds to measure weight loss. I was surprised, upon arrival at vacay hse, that jeans I'd left there went on at all--- expected them to be at least really tight. Loose! Then I was pretty active for 2-3 weeks so..... looking fwd to that scale!

The chores I left myself to do on return are going great guns less than 24 hours after return. A huge help this yr was the diatomaceous earth I took a minute to spread in the room the cats were left in for the catsitter's visits. No evidence anydamnwhere if fleas. Usually it's been a nightmare!

The annual MIL visit in Sept coincides this yr with a quick return trip to Ohio midmonth. This means pack for next load of stuff while doing fall's "spring cleaning." The porch will again collect items as I get to them. I brought back tge Ohio house's two 55 gal plastic bins. They have wheels. One at a time will come in to be filled.

I'm also looking fwd to the annual Trash Purge.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 02:47 PM

I found three bags containing pieces of high quality all cotton curtain materials, now I am longing to do some patchwork.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 03:29 PM

I went to a yard sale/benefit this morning and scored a brand new coffee pot for $3.00 and a dehydrator (still in the box and in beautiful shape) for $5.00. Later I helped to throw a cord of oak off the back of our truck. A quick stop at the local Amish farmer it get more corn (OMG is it GOOD) and also ordered 2 bushels to be used for corn relish and freezing. I'll be picking that up later this week.

My quilting room s looking pretty good and I'm just about ready to sew. I think that after a few more hours tonight it will be organized just how I a wanting it. I got a new ironing board cover and some material to make new curtains for that room too...I could easily stay there for days! I love my little sewing room!!! :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 14 - 11:06 PM

I rearranged my pantry shelves and moved in the new tomato products. So far have 2 cases from this summer's garden, pints and half-pints mixed. Every little bit helps. There are also 3+ cases of peaches and In the process I found a few jars of things I'd lost track of (green tomato relish, salsa, etc.)

The kitchen is looking okay considering all of the traffic. I cut up jalapeno and green bell peppers this afternoon. Each is on a large baking sheet in the freezer, and will go in seal-a-meal bags tomorrow. Time to make some pickles soon also. My cucumber plants are getting larger and I am attempting to pick cucumbers before they become huge because they make better pickles (smaller seeds are desirable). There is a standing set of canning tools in the kitchen for when the time is right.

Enjoy your adventures with fabric, Michelle and Rum! Congratulations on the move progress and the weight loss, Susan.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 09:02 AM

At this time of year when the produce is super fresh and coming into the kitchen all the time, I have baskets and bowls of all kinds of things. My kitchen is so full and busy that it tends to fall into a disorganized, cluttered mess with far too many dishes. Last night I took care of that. All the dishes are clean and while my counters are still full of corn, yellow tomatoes, red tomatoes, red and yellow cherry tomatoes. Green and yellow beans abound as well as fresh garlic.

Today I'll be throwing more wood....another cord to be exact. I'm thankful for these cooler days...it makes the wood that much easier to take care of.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 01:45 PM

Your kitchen sounds lovely with all of the colors and textures of those baskets of produce, Michelle. I hope you'll take a few photos and let us enjoy your garden vicariously. I've had the dish pile-up also; I usually hand wash but this week I've used the dishwasher to move them all out of the way in a hurry.

We have a rainy cooler day today and I've been out hunting for cucumbers (two on the plant with smaller cukes, and I'm glad to see the burpless vines are perking up. I may have a fall crop). I've also started a project I've threatened to for a while - I dug up some of the native horse herb that grows in patches all over my back yard. I'm going to try creating a bed of it in the front. It's pretty tough, it can be mowed and bounce back. The only down side is that it goes dormant in the coldest weather. It seeds itself, so I'm going to try planting it in alternating squares and letting it spread. It seems to tolerate shade so I'll start in a bed that has become shady over the years. Photos and blog comments will follow on the organic gardening site where I'm active. I'm also thinking about doing this with the native purslane that springs up around the yard.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 03:57 PM

Stilly,

I am just the opposite of you. Normally I run the dishwasher but for whatever reason, lately I am hand washing everything. :) It's kind of meditative for me.

The wood is done for the day, corn has been shucked and is ready for dinner, errands run (Walmart, hay, Agway, Mom's house to share corn) and I'm headed outside to sit under the umbrella and cut beans for freezing....well...in a bit....the sun has come out and it's pretty warm. Pete is napping (my honey works HARD), the dog is napping, Jeremiah is busily playing with Legos (he made out like a bandit today...our last wood customer gave him an icy pop, our friend with the hay gave him 2 homemade molasses cookies and our sweet friend at Agway gave him a bag of popcorn). I think it's time to put my feet up, kick back and play a game or two on the computer (mindless fun). I'll take photos soon if I can figure out what the heck I did with the camera! ARG. :)

Enjoy the day ya'll! :)

Michelle, formerly from the deep south ;)

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 09:17 PM

Yesterday I rearranged the kitchen water and dish-washing setup. The DW died awhile back and no sign of a replacement yet, so I moved the sink-side 7-gal spring-water and Brita department to a counter that used to hold a panini press we got bored with-- and set up a large dish drying rack in a large re-purposed plastic bin to catch the drips. This also pout the bottled water supply in the same general direction it occupies in the Ohio house.

I also enjoyed keeping the kitchen I'd cleaned pre-vacay clean for a change. I splurged on a pack of the pre-moistened cleaning cloths I use in Ohio to keep that kitchen OR clean.

I got started setting up containers or the next load of Ohio stuff.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 14 - 10:29 PM

Chores never seem to be just one thing, they are part of a sequence. Any time I need to empty the ~3 gallon compost bin beside the back door I first take the bucket and scooper thing around the back yard and police the dog droppings. This way when I burrow into the compost pile for a recess for the compost I can dump dog poop on top and the dogs leave the mashed up food alone. The top dressing for this mix is some of the grass and weeds from elsewhere in the pile. Just before all of this I clear out the bins in the fridge (for anything needing to go in the compost), resulting in emptied fridge containers to wash. Lately even though I've used up tidbits the fridge is still very full. I'm taking a bucket of peppers to work tomorrow to deal with that over-supply, and after taking a brick of frozen mashed bananas from the freezer there will be a loaf of banana bread for my coworkers tomorrow (it smells heavenly right now in the convection oven).

Someone sent a query about my chandelier on eBay. That doesn't imply a sale is imminent but at least someone is reading the ad. I have a bunch of stuff to list (accumulated, but I didn't get to listing it yet). Doll house furniture, old collectibles, things that are literally collecting dust around here).

Some dishes seem to have crept out of the cupboards and smeared themselves with food while my back was turned. As a favor to myself tomorrow morning I'll wash these (by hand) and let them drain in the dishwasher.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 02:43 PM

I was walking through the construction area in the library today where there are a lot of trades folks finishing up work. I watched and learned a couple of useful things while I was up there. I have a sheetrock patch I need to put in and now I know how to do it. I've seen a carpenter friend do it also, but this way would be easier (trimming down a larger piece of sheet rock but keeping the surface paper in place a couple of inches beyond the patch in all directions so you can use mud to attach the patch and then sand and paint).

Lately I've caught myself looking at the beads and pendants on eBay - always fascinating, but I have materials I haven't used yet, so what I really need to do is get out the stuff I've accumulated over the years and plan a few trinkets. I think Jeri indicated that she's doing some beading - I hope you'll tell us what you're up to. It's still all-out summer here, but what with people talking about the arrival of autumn, it's time to think about indoor activities that use extant beads and findings.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 06:44 PM

I am in the middle of forced decluttering because I am moving again into a new flat and at the same time going through some of the remaining things of my late dad. Although it is about 18 months now since he passed away it has still been hard to finally remove everything. It would be an opportunity to do this and I suspect that my mother would not even notice that his clothing was gone, because of his poor health he was in a separate room anyway but I still feel that I need her approval for it to go. I thought it would be easier as time went by but it is as hard as ever to collect it up together and take it to somewhere where it would benefit someone else.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 10:33 PM

Walked about 3 miles today. :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 14 - 10:55 PM

Patsy, when my father died he and my mother had been divorced for many years, so what she thought wasn't an issue (but she would have agreed): I took a couple of large moving boxes and filled them with pairs of shoes (keep count) and pants, shirts, and jackets (also keep count) and took them to a local thrift store. I was able to get a considerable tax advantage from that donation, but even better, they received shoes and clothing in excellent shape that they could use for the shelter that they sponsored. Too many older men end up in there.

The thing to realize is that giving away the possessions doesn't mean you're giving away your father. You're sharing the wealth. You may remember things, perhaps stories, as you go through the garments. I kept a couple of sweaters and a bunch of his folk festival t-shirts, and my children wore those for sleep shirts for many years.

Ask yourself if your father would want you to be loaded down with the various things from his lifetime. Probably not. As parents get older some of them try to sort it out, others don't. But they wish the best for their children and I suspect he wouldn't want you to worry about this, if human nature can be relied upon.

That said, it has been many years since my father died, and I still have some of his music collection, that I will one day donate somewhere appropriate.

Good luck with the process. These threads are here because over the years a lot of people have needed to air the difficulties of managing surplus stuff. They came by it through various avenues, but inheritance is the most common. Keep posting if you need to.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 19 Aug 14 - 06:10 AM

The air is cooler, nights almost chilly. Summer is fading - a few of the blackberries are ripe, the apples are enlarging and changing colour.

I did not put away a couple of long sleeved things after sorting through a bag of stuff - just cotton things but they might be needed in the next month

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 14 - 12:28 PM

I spent the evening clearing a bit of malware out of my computer. It came in with an update of freeware I've used for years, dug in like a tick and I had to scan with Malwarebytes to get all of it. (It had no check box to accept or not). There was one fragment extant when it finished, so I ran System Restore overnight. I was going to evaluate the updated version for a work project, but I think I'll pass on that now.

The dogs and I went for a walk this morning and I am reminded that I need to find some wheat-free treats to put in my fanny pack I wear for our walks (with plastic bags, an spare leash, and dog treats).

Planning to make batch of babaghouj and a jar of refrigerator pickles this evening.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Aug 14 - 12:51 PM

Annual rotation of furniture underway, a little more complex due to second house being so far:

. Boondocker cot goes to vacay hse for niece/neph visits. ..
. LR mini-recliner goes to van for chairnaps in transit... long trips planned. ..
. Porch recliner comes to LR for short sits. It's not as comfy but my TV times now is nil and I can climb to BR now for naps....
. Somedamnwhere is a spare zero-grav chair for porch-reading in the few warm wks left and for next summer. Also have iron rocker if zero-grav not extant....

I have learned what sz and style of recliner actually works for my wide but short frame, for Goodwill hunting.

Therefore one totally wrong chair goes to the front porch for Freecycling. Now!

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 14 - 05:34 PM

With the world coming to a hard boil lately, in everywhere from Missouri to Iraq to the Ebola-ridden African continent, it feels like time to impose an (at least) one day a week news blackout. Just to give my brain a break from all of the horrible news.

I'm heading out early today (comp time for overtime last week) and am going to heat up the house with baking eggplant and making jelly and pickles.

There is a large piece of garden equipment I need to declutter back to the store, along with the receipt. Maybe I can work on that this evening and return it tomorrow morning.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 14 - 02:38 PM

The pickles and eggplant are done but the jelly might be this evening. My son is replacing some jars he never returned (left behind) from college.

Yet another colleague has announced a new job and leaving this library. That means 23 people of our just over 100 member staff have left since our dean committed the reorganization. The new semester starts tomorrow with lots of new equipment in place, but the upgrade running so late that no one will have been trained to run any of it. Will. Not. Be. Fun. Me - I intend to wear my library t-shirt and my official nametag and go outside the library with an armful of maps and red pen and help people find the classroom buildings they're looking for. They're so very grateful to have a friendly face show them where they need to be.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Aug 14 - 02:55 PM

City:
News black out is great idea. During our stay in Ontario, we saw no news and I did not open the computer. Even though we were back late Monday (11 pm), I am still getting caught up.

Wonderful to hear all the stuff you guys are accomplishing! We each had a great peach at our friends' home and we bought a small basket of OK peaches to bring home. This am I cooked a small bunch of rhubarb from their garden. R still wishes I would use sugar instead of honey; I would have to buy it for the first time in 30 years or more! I hope he gets used to it some day.

Yesterday, I went to the country to get the tailgate repaired; we have had to use bungee cords for weeks while waiting for parts. With an overdue oil change, over $700! For de-cluttering the pocketbook, add about another $100 due to leaving my wallet in a gas station (four hours away!) on the way home. The very good news is that nothing was missing but the cash and they are using my debit card to pay for returning it by 2 day mail! We will stop there for gas and to give them our super thanks when we go that way in two weeks.   

The weekend was spent almost entirely in the area of our friends: Farm market, lunch at the Pantry across the road, where a friend works, wonderful potluck supper at that friend's home with her dad and his wife and our hosts - community building. We passed on the folk music at the "hotel"; bed was a priority. Sunday was bf with our hosts then they took us to see a hunt camp for sale and we toured the land coop (about 250A) with them, walking back to the beaver pond - lovely!- and getting some more history and current update on WWWW...

Back at the house for lunch, we talked about it more and I told them I had written to ... to address one of their "difficulties" but had not yet looked for a response. Their concept of where they want to go with the coop is evolving and we are happy to be a part of watching it grow into a cohesive future. I am sorely tempted to be a part of it. When I told L that I am preferring a south facing hill for an earth sheltered cabin, she said there were such at DF. Almost an invitation.

This morning I phoned and apprised Les of the response to my email - positive. Not as much as she would like but I encouraged her to live with it as R and I both feel it is very hopeful. I have not yet responded; it takes considerable thought and diplomacy. Maybe later today. We also considered how to fit R and I into a sleeping accommodation during the "work weekend" - labour day. Told her we want to help with the work and meet more of the people.

Sunday night we drove further north for a terrific visit with my, artist and quilter, friends. Pat is working on two quilts for a show in Sept. Bob, I am encouraging to have a show at the Art Gallery; he is seriously considering it! So Monday, after the volunteer meeting at the Gallery, I inquired about process and will message both Pat and Bob re process and more encouragement. I really want to see this happen before he gets much older. And it has him thinking about doing more art to prepare for a show!

After the very well run meeting, at which there were several friends and acquaintances, we went looking at land for sale and back in town, we bumped into a friend who encouraged supper at "The Granite". (And could we bring her bagels from Montreal?) We had a good meal and set off down the road back to Montreal.

While waiting for the car repair, my potting friend stopped by and we chatted. She did a "bisque firing" that was to the wrong cone which will make pots very difficult to glaze. Those of mine were particularly difficult for me and I am not happy. It may be that the book in which I record was not clear to her. Today I ordered 6 boxes of the clay the supplier does not keep in stock. She is willing to make the trek to pick up supplies so I can look forward to not needing to do that. I also encouraged her to spend more time practicing rather than "wasting clay" on not very good pots.

Now I am trying to get the energy level to go make pots. The bedding is washed and out on the drying rack in the beautiful sun light. I even managed to carry the feather bed out to get a couple hours of sunshine. And pulled some weeds each time I went out to check on drying. It is fall in Montreal.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 12:26 AM

Very little material left the house with my son. A couple of the blankets he has used since childhood (and through college) are now bound for Seattle. They came from my great aunt's house in Connecticut and are certainly well-travelled! There is some virtual files (decrypting a hard drive with music and game files from high school took part of the evening) and all told I think a couple of cubic feet of stuff left. I'm going to discard or use some of the stuff he figures he can replace when he gets to the new place (rather than lug them up there). He'll probably come by the house in the morning for anything he forgot or to pick up a couple of the plastic lidded boxes we've used for moving stuff back and forth from school for the last four years. This evening we talked about cooking and about getting moved in and getting insurance - interesting and instructive when not made over-powering.

He's a great kid. And there is absolutely nothing to complain about - he earned a full scholarship to the university, graduated magna cum laude, and he has a good job with Amazon that starts in a couple of weeks. The world is his oyster.

SRS, basking in a job well done (parent-wise)

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 04:49 AM

distracted from housework by a box of lambs wool, now I am making a bolero for myself. I need small things and layered clothing, and to finish off a few items needing fasteners - and some medium weight kilts as I have light and heavy and nothing in between.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 09:50 AM

My PA living room is looking huge with that unworkable chair gone. It's sitting on the roomy front porch where, after I depart for Ohio, it will be picked up by a Freecycler. It can hold me while I direct trailer loading.

It also no longer blocks the space prev cleared when the cot left. That space (after I clean it) easily swallows up one or two containers at a time to pack for Ohio. The first items packed were a lamp and a musical instrument. There are many small items on my list to sweep up and add to these first containers, as I move thru the house to clean for MIL and my return a few weeks later from Ohio.

It looks like I'm over the hump of being able to live in a clean house whether I'm in the 3-fam barn in PA or the my-size Ohio house. Til now it has never felt like I'd outlive this PA house!

~S~

Subject: Home made disposable damp-dusting cloths
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 11:57 AM

Cost of small pkg of pre-moistened dusting/polishing cloths, about $5.... NO!!!

Cost of Murphy's flax soap, about $5. YES, use all the time.

Cost of un-needed, cotton-polyester sheet ripped for washable OR disposable rags, $0.

Cost of pop-up-cloths-container for pre-moistened dusting cloths, left from nursing home care, $0. (Size of same determined size of rags ripped.)

WINWINWIN!

How I got to this approach was that I LOVELOVELOVE pre-wetted, containerized cloths for personal care and kitchen counter cleaning.

I also love Swiffers for maintenance dusting.

I use all those very sparingly.... when they dry out, I just add a little water to their container, and they are like new.

I was hoping to find a similar and CHEAP one for deep-cleaning of filthy furniture. So I re-purposed all of the above in about 1/2 an hour, and there you have it.

I'll soak the rags in Murphy's plus lemon oil, fold them into the plastic box, and add water as needed when they dry out. I'll have enough for this cleaning cycle to dispose of the and have plenty for ongoing use and rewashing.

But they'll live in a box easily identified and easily brought to the area of work-- and then PUT AWAY.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 12:54 PM

When the kids were little I bought a large package of wash cloths at Sam's Club. They were moistened and used instead of regular paper or cloth napkins. We never got out of that habit, though now those old wash cloths (most of them still hanging in there) get used around the house for all sorts of things.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 06:00 PM

City:
For about 30 years, worn out flannel sheets or nightgowns have been torn or cut into paper towel sized pieces. A pile in the K saves tons of paper and they take up little room in the laundry.

Waiting for my wallet to arrive (two day mail takes how long?) has had me tied to the house all day today. I managed to do a load of laundry, now put away. I spent a long time replying to the email which needed my best effort of caring diplomacy. I feel I made it and off it went. The recipient has about 30 years of frustration/anger to manage. I closed with the hope that this could heal and he could once again be part of the community of his childhood and young adulthood. I am sure it helps that I have not been a part of the painful years.

The rest of this day have been a bouncing up and down but afraid to leave the house, I moved the car and walked up and down the sidewalk a few times. I cannot even stop waiting now as Postal staff often work 'til late. A phone call to my quilting friend to give her info re art showing to pass on to artist husband, a message to her husband reminding him I would like to see this happen in my lifetime!

Several other shorter messages and viewing a few short videos. I am holding on to sanity. I am not good at waiting. I need an enthralling novel but I am clean out and cannot go to the library! Call to a more experienced potter last night elicited a - let go of those over-fired pots; they cannot be glazed. I have a couple possibilities but must be careful that they are permanently marked "NOT FOR FOOD". Responsible potting.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: mg
Date: 21 Aug 14 - 08:02 PM

I have to decide if I get rid of my car or not. I have it just parked with minimal insurance while I pay off a large visa bill...it will sit for probably a year in salty air but weather is pretty mild...vandals have been around and probably siphoned my gas tank since they used the property i help housesit for a siphoning operation...big property..100 thieves etc. could camp out here. Or regular people. I would need the car for tsunami evacuation. It has 220K miles on it and although it seems to be in good shape I am not comfortable driving long distance. I don't need it for regular activities...it could come in handy if I got a supplementary job which won't happen unless one falls in my lap. 1998 Intrigue..high miles but good repair..blue book is about 1300..I think if I got that I would take it..if best offer was under 1K I would probably keep it.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 09:55 AM

I took off two very heavy hats today, and replaced a third with a smaller, lighter version. So of course now I can FLY!

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 10:17 AM

Mary, is the car your only option if a tsunami strikes? Assuming enough notice these days, wouldn't there be some other way (a ride with a neighbor, call a cab) to get out of there? The car will just lose value and require routine maintenance in the meantime.

The heat of summer seems to be irritating folks all over the northern hemisphere. Lots of bickering in various threads, and a new one just started with an offhand remark out of context in order to apparently start another argument thread. Everyone needs to step away from the keyboard, unless it is a musical one. I'm about due for a weekend news blackout, everything going on in the world right now is enough to make one cranky.

This is my last four day compressed schedule week. I saved some gas by not driving to work five days a week, and I think the best I can say is that if I frittered away a day of my weekend I still had two in which to get some stuff done. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 11:52 AM

City:
Mary: what SRS said!
SRS: "frittering away" means you had some time for you to relax! Enjoy it when you get it!

ME: still WAITING! Sewed button on R's trousers so they will stay up! Brought demo wheel downstairs, having gotten no pots made again this week. Ready to load the car as soon as wallet arrives. Biggest show of year this weekend. I want to get to mill and recharge my self so I can get up early feeling good. Maintain calm while waiting, she tells herself.

That temp screen door on the back door here, made a terrific difference. It is bound to the mill for the front door there but, after a visit from a squirrel - caught jumping off the K table yesterday, I put it here and determined it would probably keep out anything but a raccoon so I left the door open all night. Nice to have air - not the noisy AC. Cool today but rain not arriving. I will take the screen door to the mill when I leave as house will be closed all weekend. Will try to buy a second one along the way. This one was next to last at Home Depot.

I am chafing at the bit! Looking for useful things to do near front door. NOTHING! FB is getting boring or tiresome or both.

R surprised me with a "new" -company- truck this morning. Bright red with a crew cab and V-8 engine, basically to pull heavier trailer for business. It is so beautiful and clean but uses too much gas for casual use. 1998, $2000 at an auction.

I managed to get R to remove a handful of envelopes from LR floor and chairs to office. "Surely you have a place to file...!" Note: "Take food to mill."

PLEASE, Post person, come soon!!!!

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 06:07 PM

I hope your wallet arrived, Dorothy!

We're to the time of year when it's hot every day and is when we have to make a point of watering every potted plant well each morning or it will die completely by evening. Sometimes that happens even with the water. I picked a few cucumbers last night and forgot the plastic bin on the rock wall next to the garden. Good thing I found it early, a little lizard had gotten into the tub but it was too slick for him to get back out of.

New driver's license ordered, wallet decluttered of $25. They've streamlined the process so that it no longer an excruciatingly long wait. Other errands run on the way home. Now I'll work inside until six when I can run sprinklers in a couple of really dry parts of the yard. I don't care about the lawn but I want to keep the trees alive.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 22 Aug 14 - 06:36 PM

Weight stayed the same this week and I'm good with that...it's a gift really! :)

Today I helped to unload a cord of wood and am about to go cook us a delicious healthy meal....even though my butt is whipped and I could stand to sit for an hour or so.

Onward!

:) Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 07:12 AM

The nights are getting cooler - I am seeking a mid weight duvet for our bed.

I know where all the heavy ones are - I took them with me on holiday to use as a mattress, and I found another lightweight one - it might be as well to use two light ones together, as they will fit, one at a time into the washing machine, but the heavier ones won't.

This morning I ate some bread - eating a low carb diet it is easier just to avoid all grains completely, but I thought it would be a nice change - but I can't say that it was something I'll do again. Boiled eggs and salad for lunch I think, then pork chops and mixed, low carb vegetables for dinner.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 11:51 AM

This time of year the ants have been trying to move in. I had a piece of bread leftover from lunch I dropped into the bowl on the corner of the counter that this morning was ant central. A few puffs from the can of diatomaceous earth took care of them, plus a few quick swipes with a damp sponge to wipe out legions on the march.

It's hot day in a predicted sequence of 100^o+ days so most plants have shut down. Since I water a few areas I do have to mow a little, but I'll leave it for evening and instead putter in the garage and greenhouse. And pick up around the house. My daughter's birthday is next Saturday, and mine follows a week later, so we try to get together to celebrate. If the house is looking good we might have a few folks in. The only official thing I had to do re: this birthday was to renew my driver's license, and I did that yesterday.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 01:29 PM

Susan, moving and planning and lists have been featured here this week also. My son and I brought home stuff from college last spring, and this week he took some of it as he packed his car for a to move to the northwest for a job. He left behind things that he can easily and inexpensively replace up there. So I now have duplicate stuff on my hands. Some can go into cabinets here, but I'll have to figure out where to share what I don't need. And I have several of those plastic lidded bins that he didn't take. I suspect that if any of us drives up to see him we can take requested items in these bins, so I'll stack them in the closet.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 05:01 PM

Had a great doc visit and confirmed NSAID dosage change and wt maintenance.

So much fun packing barrels. We've added painting out one LR wall to our upcoming orojects, prob when I get back. So art needed for Ohio is coming off THAT wall.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 05:04 PM

In order to put things away this afternoon, I've had to file a bunch of stuff. And in order to easily file, it has been necessary to purge and shred some of the old papers. I haven't yet found a couple of papers I've been looking for, but I've found a lot of interesting things.

I think success will be determined by the volume of the trash bags at the curb on Monday, and how much I toss in the village recycle bins this weekend. So far I don't see anything to donate to the thrift store. I have found some that can go in the compost.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 05:47 PM

I went along for the ride to deliver another cord of wood today but when we arrived, instead of me helping, the gentleman came out (I'd say he was 75+) and said he'd help unload. I asked if he was sure and he said he was old but not dead...LOL. He cracked me up. So....I didn't get my upper body workout today but I did make some new friends. :) Another quilter to boot!   YAY!

In other news, my quilting room is looking stellar! Purple Acorn Creations will officially open for business on Tuesday. YAY!

Back to the studio I go!

Be well everyone!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 14 - 11:48 PM

Michelle, do tell! Purple Acorn Creations? You've kept those cards close to your vest! And isn't is fun meeting people in that way as today's wood delivery? I remember you told us about being stranded in a snowstorm a year or two ago, I think, with an elderly woman who fed you and Jeremiah? I thought that sounded like a great relationship to follow up on. Anyway, are you going to create a facebook or Google+ page for the Creations workshop?

So far I have a tall kitchen bag full of shredded papers and I'm not through the stack of stuff that needs filing and/or shredding. Lots of dishes washed and put away and laundry underway. Yard work in the morning before it gets hot, then the afternoon is open. I might make jelly. There's nothing like pots of boiling water in the house when it's 100+ degrees outside.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 02:34 PM

It was a "spot mowing" job today, going over the few areas where grass is green (near the soaker hoses). After watering the foundation in the back I'll target water a couple of trees in the front. I have officially reached the point where I have had enough of summer. It's old now. Too hot, everything is stressed from the dry heat. Miss watering a potted plant one day and it's crisp the next. How is everyone else doing? I've read of a couple of folks on facebook who have already switched to small heaters and a duvet for the bed. Not the case down here, not for weeks and weeks yet.

Assembling stuff for the curb now, filling the trash cans with objects that don't recycle and don't sell on eBay. Next month is our "bulky waste pickup" but I don't have that much so there is no point in waiting.

I found a turkey wing forgotten in the freezer that is in the roaster oven now. Meal and/or to go into something else. I'll be in the kitchen the rest of the afternoon, I think. Cutting up peppers for the freezer, making more refrigerator pickles, and maybe this evening advancing to a batch of jelly.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 07:34 PM

I can't believe how far I am on the September Packlist and the first barrel is only half full!

This trip seems to have a subtext of candles-- a pair of small wall sconces and their candles; a candle-stick lamp, shade, and bulb; two electric window-type candles (those tiny bulbs on electrified candlesticks)-- all to sprinkle around the Ohio house to soften the hard look left over from the first several loads/trips, which focused on furniture to sit on and sleep on.

My pitch-or-wash cleaning cloths are heavenly. I decided that I'd rather do aromatherapy than clean per se, so I added leftover cinnamon and nutmeg oils. I have begun using them and it is SO NICE (and so nice on the hands, too).

Also de-junked a few LR/DR areas by snatching up dusty linens to cover the pretty Ohio tables (it's an almost dust-free house). With each item I pack, I am de-knick-knacking its room of origin. It's a delicate balance-- the Ohio house is so open and uncluttered that I don't want to take too much there. But until we retire and move out of this house entirely, we will be able to enjoy both homes relatively uncluttered and easily cleaned.

Once we retire, the whole PA-houseful will go to Ohio and we can decide there what to Yard Sale or Goodwill away-- it's not until then that Hardi will really know which items he wants to keep forever. Oh, I can see that for my own items, but he's working fulltime with no time to dwell on hard decisions. And we do have a lot of stuff-- we blended two complete households when we married, and then when we moved into this big 3-family house 20 years ago, we were glad we had kept as much as we did, to furnish it for the kids and for MudGathers.

Our pension plan includes a huge moving allowance the year he retires from active, fulltime parish ministry. So we will move a lot then, and Hardi will take great photos to frame memories of keepsakes he decides to let go of, when the Big Van dumps it all into the Ohio garage!

My Ohio habits came home with me-- my PA kitchen has stayed sparklingly clean since we got back. Must be time to mess it up with a Meat Sale (bulk cooking) party with MIL!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 14 - 10:46 PM

Purple Acorn Creations was born a few months ago but this summer has thrown us a few curve balls so my official opening isn't until Tuesday. I am not going to have a storefront but rather will sell items on consignment at local stores, FB sale sites, seasonal craft fairs, etc.

At the moment, I am focusing on smaller ticket items as people really just don't have available cash for big beautiful quilts...at least not many people. I have had a few requests for quilts for custom orders. I think most people are shocked at the price of a quilt of any size but with good quality fabric running $8.50 a yard and up, plus long arming....yikes. So yeah...I am sticking to smaller ticket items. As things are perfected, I'll be making an album on FB so you can all see. I'll be having a website as well but for now, my opening day will consist of sewing, sewing and more sewing. :)

Today was another wood delivery one of which I helped to unload, the other was at a weird angle and better handled by one person unloading.

We added a boar to our little farm today.   I think we've settled on the name Elwood....but since both my boys are sleeping, I'll wait to confirm that in the morning. He is the beginning of our little homestead being able reproduce our pig population on our own. Bonus? He came from a farmer neighbor...great folks.

Tomorrow Jeremiah and I will take a little road trip to huge Bass Pro shop where a few years back I invested a lot of money in some special socks for Pete. He wears them out so quickly and requires something that wicks away moisture very well. So..I think the socks were $14.00 per pair and I picked up 8 pairs. Here's why....Bass Pro will replace them for life. LIFE. Once a year I go with his old, well worn socks and pick up brand new ones that don't cost a penny. It is about an hour from where Pete works but I don't mind the drive and they have a huge, lifelike fish cave where Jeremiah loves to watch the fish, :)

On Friday both Jeremiah and Pete got their hair cut. Jeremiah has his cut close on the sides and back with it being slightly longer on top (NOT a Mohawk). Pete had his ponytail cut off. He has had it for years and years...it had gotten quite long and he decided it was time to have it cut, saving the actual ponytail to donate to Locks of Love in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (in September). I have to say.....he was handsome before the haircut but oh la la....Mama LIKES!!!!! ;)

Sweet dreams everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 12:07 AM

I messed up my kitchen with a variety of cooking projects. It was a hot day to do it, but I'm both on a budget and trying to stay with the alternate day fasting and taking a healthy lunch with me to work means I'm less tempted to 1) spend money for lunch or 2) eat something not so healthy.

I started this hours ago then walked away from the computer. Susie came by and we had a light summer dinner of a cheese quesadilla each, a salad, and a slice of warm homemade bread. We washed it down with a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling cider. The dishwasher is running now and other stuff I was working on is put away. My zucchini casserole is for lunches and the batch of black beans for various things. Three jars are in the freezer and one in the fridge to use tomorrow.

After she left I grabbed my towel and soap and headed for the back patio. A friend this week mentioned his outdoor shower, and I realized I hadn't put mine to use at all this year. I have a showerhead set up and it's next to the hose with a shutoff valve. It's wonderful in hot weather to take a shower in semi-warm tap water. The only time you can get the thrill of a slight chill out of doors in August in Texas. With no lights on, no view from neighbors, and the woods behind the yard, it is private. I have to remember to bring in the soap or Zeke would eat it.

Michelle, we also have a few things that have been replaced with a policy like the Bass Pro folks have. You can add L.L.Bean to the list. Over the years I think we replaced my son's school backpack twice. I've replaced sweaters and parkas through there also. It sounds like you have a great ritual for the socks! Eddie Bauer used to do that, but I don't know if they still do.

For your quilting business you might be able to get some bounce from a blog, and if you have a Google account you can set up a Google+ page for yourself and spin off one for the quilting business. A friend of mine in West Texas (the folks I stayed with for a week while my transmission was being gold plated, or so it felt by the bill) has a large quilting machine, it fills a room and is programmable. It's a hobby that she has kept up over the years. I don't know if she has sold many, but she is always making quilts for friends and baby showers and such.

Back to work tomorrow, and I'll drop off the expired wood chipper at Harbor Freight (for a refund) on my way home. One more bulky thing out of the garage.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: MAG
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 02:35 AM

i'm never going to get this entire thread read;
hello to you all; over the summer i've managed to release a few (just a few) pounds.
decluttering my mind some more, too, these days. happier than i've been in years.

MA

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:46 AM

Maryanne, that is good news! Don't worry about reading back issues, jump in and join us. It cycles through topics so don't worry about bringing up something already hashed over.

The defunct chipper is now back at the store and the price credited back to my card. Good. That was a bulky bit of cardboard, metal and plastic out in the garage.

Back to a normal work week since the semester is underway. And today around the county many K-12 students are back to school. The drive in to work will now be earlier and depending on the route, slower, as each elementary school adds a bottle neck along the route.

My hands are a mess after working in the yard, getting some kind of sting or bite, bringing up blisters from mowing, and dermatitis from food allergies. Time to avoid chocolate, coconut, etc. and stick with dry red wines if I'm going to drink wine at all.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Bettynh
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 11:25 AM

Michelle, an online friend made these to sell at farm markets in Oregon. There are some picture of construction details here, A lghter-weight version would work well for picking up kids' toys (Legos!) as well. Her daughters are carrying on, I see. TimlesEnt once travelled to her 50th college reunion by bus (from Oregon to Vermont), stopping and staying with AOL gardeners the whole way.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 11:52 AM

Country:
The wallet never arrived and when I phoned the guy who mailed it to see if he had the tracking number, he had put it in with the wallet! So I left w/o wallet. If it arrives today, I am here and will have to pick it up tomorrow at the PO.

The weekend event was wonderful but I sold half as much as last year. The woman doing machine embroidery also did half of last year. Sign of the times. Lots of visits with friends and two gorgeous days. I threw a bunch of pots which I need to go finish shortly. I was so exhausted on Sat that I phoned R on his way down and we met at a restaurant for supper. I was in bed before 9. Sunday, he helped me pack up; it was hotter and I threw fewer pots, staying out of the sun in the early aft. I managed to cook rice, we had pre-made "Indian" for supper and I was in bed by 9.

Another couple long emails re land co-op, and responses. I hope to get back up there on Weds and try to be an intermediary in mediating with, at least, one of the frustrated persons involved; although I have not seen him in 20 years, I am hoping that our past relationship is still remembered as positive. R wants to stay in Montreal to attend a conference re architecture and old buildings.

Our friend is in a bit of a down as only myself and one other have responded to his request for input. So this morning, I tried to buoy him up as well. New beginnings take time and much effort, patience, diplomacy.

Message from wife of artist friend informs he is building a frame for new painting!! I would have thought the painting would come first but he must have a vision. So I messaged him to say "YAY" and encourage the application be sent. The Gallery is booked through 2015.

Michelle! My 75 year old friend in Ontario is still logging and providing winter wood to many families! He is also taking, and filling, orders for hand-hewn timbers. When I was a newspaper reporter, I was covering a 60th wedding anniversary; the husband still cut a winter's wood each summer, even though he and the wife went to Florida for the winter! I would happily unload and stack firewood. The 50 pound boxes of clay get to me - after the first one! Vanessa says she will pick up the next load - YAY!

I am working my way through the accumulation of dirty dishes here. Have not been here long enough over the last month to take time. But I am almost to the bottom now - a dish drainer load at a time. Laundry triaged to go back to city. Enough of this computer stuff. To the studio, I go.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 12:29 PM

Dorothy, has it occurred to you that the wallet story may be a story - is someone trying to delay you from cancelling your cards? I looked back to see:

Yesterday, I went to the country to get the tailgate repaired; we have had to use bungee cords for weeks while waiting for parts. With an overdue oil change, over $700! For de-cluttering the pocketbook, add about another $100 due to leaving my wallet in a gas station (four hours away!) on the way home. The very good news is that nothing was missing but the cash and they are using my debit card to pay for returning it by 2 day mail! We will stop there for gas and to give them our super thanks when we go that way in two weeks.

I'd cancel every card, get the debit card reissued, and report this as a theft. A friend lost her wallet and stopped the cards but not the checks because nothing was happening on that account. On payday, Bam! There was a hit to take out as much as they could. The cards may have been left in the wallet to lull you into thinking the information wasn't all captured. If it was out of your sight, replace and report it all.

Betty, the burden cloth looks like a great product! Sometimes I use tarps to move things, most often the wheelbarrow or a large trash can, but when stuff is just bulky and not heavy, this would be much faster and easier. (And who in this group hasn't gathered up the front of a large t-shirt, skirt, or apron to collect things in the garden rather than go back to the house for a box or basket? It's a natural!)

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 06:16 PM

First of two barrels packed and out. Loading layout for trailer starting to form in my mind. I was lucky to get two 6x20' vented, woven-nylon truckers' tarps this summer to cover all. The cheap poly tarps don't take the wind well. No more of them!!!

I spent the whole afternoon de-spicing a coffeegrinder we had used for Indian cooking. Need it to grind coffee in Ohio. I can't believe how spice-oil greasy it was!

The second barrel and a few boxes will fill fast and be out of my LR by the end if the week. That makes next week's MIL cleaning right on time. I hope to have helpers to srsly clean the LR; we can handle the rest.

It's time to pitch some cheap, beyond-cleanability rugs and throw down the last set we'll ever put I here. Last night we reviewed our memory of how often these have been replaced.... each has lasted a good five years of walkoff-mat life in this mudhole of a prooerty so the new ones should hold up till Hardi retires. A nice touch will be taking the blue ones from the DR and putting them into the blue kitchen to replace the ugly stripes thst I will send out to Dog World to inhibit weed growth. The bathroom rug being replaced will fit their kitchen corner before snow flies. I still have their old corner rug to usexas a pattern, after the old bathroom rug serves as a pattern for the new one.

Hallelujah!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 08:06 PM

City:
Well, I live in Canada and the difference is overwhelming. When I talked to the first woman at the Ultramar, she was just so Ontario country; the next one was her daughter in law and the manager was - not bright enough to not tell the PO it was someone else's card! So I shall be giving thanks to Sherry, Julia and Charles when I stop for gas later this week. Maybe I will give them each a small pot- their choice from the $10 basket. My wallet was in the house when I got home a few minutes ago. Every item was there, even the stamps! Only missing the cash and I have no idea how much there was; less than $100 I think.

A couple years ago, I must have left the car unlocked here in the city and my wallet was stolen. A homeless man found it in the trash and had someone phone us. R went to fetch it and gave him some cash. That time I had to cancel and replace things, even my driver's license. Someone has suggested photocopying both sides of each item. But now I think there are things I might keep elsewhere - like my Quebec health card. Quebec bureaucracy is so horrific that I do not even want to go there. Life is so full of learning experiences.

Susan's project is amazing!

I planned the trip back to the city to watch Big Bang only to get here in good time, unload the car and turn on the TV - the Emmy Awards. Phooey! I could have stayed and did some more work. All weekend production is completed and drying. But I miss-organized. Had I thrown new lids for teapots FIRST, they would have been dry enough to finish before I left. Next week. If I do them on Tuesday, they should be fire-able by Thurs and glaze on Friday. Another big show that weekend - for fun you can google Roxham Woolgathering. It is held at an OLD farm in the middle of no where, in southern Quebec near the US border, and draws people from Montreal and the US, in droves! This is the 22nd year.

R is still at work. The library is closed. Nothing on TV worth watching so it is back to the computer. Maybe I will be inspired to cook something but the inspiration better come soon; the stores will soon close. Maybe I will just relax.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 08:33 PM

DP you're probably the person most able to relate to living in two places at once!

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:32 PM

Dorothy, via a magical time warp, inhabits a large portion of space at any given time - she's always planning ahead and coming or going between those places! I hope the wallet activity works out well.

Odd things are unfolding at work. No way to describe it succinctly, but it sounds like another round of job changes is coming up soon. We've lost so many people because of the debacle of a "reorganization" and now, one year out, they're trying something new. I think we're all at this point trying to simply hold onto a paycheck.

Taking it easy this evening; it was a busy weekend, so maybe tomorrow I'll get back to decluttering. It's time for the amber glasses and early to bed.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:46 PM

Yes I know!

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 25 Aug 14 - 10:56 PM

Betty,

Thanks for the link....a very cool idea indeed! Like SRS, we use a tarp but who's to say someone else wouldn't like the idea of a cloth tarp....after all its much easier to wash and lug around than a big old tarp!!! Thank you!

Mission completed at Bass Pro and a little adventure with Jeremiah to a new to me quilt shop where I picked up some fabric to make some Halloween log cabin runners. :) We also found a new Salvation Army and scored a Willa Cather book and a Spirograph boxed set that is nearly complete. Jeremiah loves to draw so I think he will have fun with this..I sure did as a child!

I've been invited to an annual barn quilt making event (I went last year too) but it coincides with my WW meeting so I'm going to venture out and try a new meeting on a different day with different people this week..could be fun!

Sweet dreams to all,

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 14 - 11:54 PM

Sorting through stuff on the kitchen table today to put it on eBay. I spent the day at home after a rough morning with a sinus headache. The afternoon was okay. One more listing then I'll wrap it up for the evening. It was quieter online today with Mudcat in radio silence.

Linn, I read on facebook about your finished t-shirt quilt. I hope you'll post photos somewhere soon.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 28 Aug 14 - 04:47 AM

My local Lidl supermarket is shut for alterations, so I went to Aldi instead and whilst there I bought a couple of very large round bags - intended, from the illustrations, for use in the garden but I can take them up into the roof space and set them up for sorting through the yarn I have up there - I will never knit all of it in my lifetime but I want to find the good stuff and use that first.

I thought that filling up the two bags with cones of acrylic yarn, one bag for the 4 ply and one for finer stuff, will assist in the management of the hoard.

Once it is corralled I can perhaps consider further sorting - into brands maybe and then selling off might be a possibility. People want to know exactly what they are buying or they aren't prepared to pay for it.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 14 - 10:12 AM

eBay is a place to sell a lot of stuff like that. You have to look at completed sales and sold listings to see what works and what doesn't, but once you've figured that out, it's something to do in your spare time (assuming you have some).

I chased down the rabbit hole of my own eBay research last night regarding a bunch of doll house furniture that was in a box in the garage for ages. I have the same sort (StromBecKer) in my childhood doll house that is on top of my upright grand piano, and I added a couple of pieces to that from this box (it was being discarded at a friend's house when they were moving out). I finally found an online site with history of the company itself, and there I was reading about the toys and models that came from a company that started because a business auditor thought he could do something with all of the scrap lumber wasted at the John Deere machinery company in 1911.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 14 - 11:17 PM

Morning spent at doctor's and then lab for a look into the sinus crud that has bothered me of late. I'd like to declutter that.

It's about time for a new thread, for the autumn. Soon, very soon!

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Rumncoke
Date: 29 Aug 14 - 07:50 AM

Blocked sinuses can be due simply to low humidity.

When I worked for Allied Lyons there was a technician who suffered with his sinuses in the air conditioned offices.

He spent a couple of days in the steamy test lab and - oh boy - did his sinuses clear. He was walking about with a roll of disposable towels under one arm and a piece of it held to his face so he didn't drip into the boiling fruit gloop.

We are due for some dryer weather according to the forecast - I am planning on sorting out the garden, repotting some plants which have been suffering from being in too small pots and putting them in the conservatory to - hopefully - recover - in the last of the warm weather. Today, however it is preparations for a visit to my son's family - a two mile drive away and we go there and back in a day. I will roast a chicken, get a loaf out of the freezer and gather up things which have been found/acquired since the last visit as suitable for there rather than here. Toys and books usually, but this time we are taking a partly made run for the new guinea pigs, to finish off there so they can go out on the lawn in safety.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Aug 14 - 09:30 AM

The sinuses aren't blocked, but I think there is some kind of infection going on that I'm feeling both in my teeth and sinus. Everything is so close together that sometimes finding the origin is a challenge. I had x-rays at my dentist check up a couple of months ago so am considering sinus before going back to the dentist for another look at one tooth. I just started a prescription to see if it will clear up.

I awoke to a happily rained-upon garden this morning. I looked at the forecast and this wasn't in there so I didn't turn off my watering sequence in the yard this morning. Everything got really wet today. This usually boosts the output and I have some eggplant and cucumbers busy producing right now. I'd love the okra to start, the plants have gotten large with no flowers yet. It's time for another round of cooking and canning soon, and I ran a batch of jars through the dishwasher the other day in preparation.

Three day weekend one more time this summer! Labor Day (Monday) is the traditional beginning of fall, though it will be hot down here for weeks, well into the actual fall season.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Aug 14 - 10:15 PM

Lake St. Peter, Ontario:
I am back staying with our friends here for a few days while R chose to remain in Montreal for the conference. Arrived Weds in time for the concert in the park where I chatted with a couple friends and then headed north the rest of the way. Caught up with Dragonfly and our friends, and BED! Thurs after some discussion, I phoned a friend and made an appointment to talk with him, then went to visit another friend until it was time to meet him. We sat in Tim Horton's and I LISTENED to him for almost 3 hours. It was a good thing to do. I came back and reported the reportable, not breaking any confidences, then went and sat in the car by a lake and enjoyed sunshine sparkling on the water. Listening is hard work!

Evening spent in conversation with 3 good people, talking about living in community and how it needs to be and about values, vision and mission and how to deal with difficult people. Some progress.

Today, I phoned a friend to see if she could lunch but not, so we had a nice chat and I went off to see what other mischief I could get into. Visited with a couple people in Maynooth, then went south and stopped to see a guy I was told was a recluse; listened to him for two hours. Although I had not seen him in over 15 years, nothing much has changed; we still agree on most things and he was glad to see me. I wonder how many days of listening it would take before he had said enough to be able to listen a bit more. He needs to de-clutter his brain.

Then I visited with a potter friend; we had tea and she offered me an ingredient I need for a pottery decoration I want to get back into doing! It is no longer available so this is a BIG deal! Now if I can find the recipe. By now I was feeling ready for a good meal so I drove the distance to my fav eatery and had a good lunch and great, long visit with my owner/friend, to share with total confidence and trust, thoughts, ideas, pieces of our lives.

The weekend traffic heading north was terrible so I took the long, and very beautiful route back north, took almost an hour. Spent about an hour talking with o Dragonfly person and then we all went to Maynooth for the "Talent show". It was already over so I went to the cafe and visited with several women there, old and new friends. An absolute treasure to be where I can do this, where I feel I am a valued member of a very real community.

SO now I have 3 places on my itinerary. This one is more home than the two in Quebec, both of which I would happily give up. This feels like home, only R is not here this time; he needs to be able to de-clutter his life a great deal in order to spend much time this far from Montreal.

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 14 - 01:49 AM

There were small accomplishments today at home. In my sunroom window I have watched a succulent plant (a tiny potted plant as a presentation at work 2 years ago for participating in some program or other) wilt over and over, yet it has grown because I've been careful with it. Today I transplanted to larger pot, and this evening when I could see what parts were going to recover, I trimmed the chronically wilted limbs. I've tossed a couple of other plants that looked bad, so now my window area is full of healthy green plants - succulents, orchids, vines, xmas cactus, an amaryllis that didn't bloom this year but the leaves are gorgeous. Maybe next year?

Paying bills begins. Ugg.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 14 - 05:39 AM

Big doings yesterday-- Hardi brought do lots of small but heavy items and they went out to the porch for loading next week. The second bin is almost full enough to go out.

Enough of my overstock of clothing (created by seamstress after my surgery) has gone down to Ohio that I was able to take apart the clothes rack that had been in the old Sick Bay end of the LR. Since Hardi was short on downstairs closet space, a tall dresser came down from the BR where it has sat unused for years. The LR is so big (and the ceilings are so high) that it looks quite pretty where we placed it. The rack goes to Ohio and I have some unused hanging wardrobe bags I'll use to keep camping linens in the garage-- like these: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Household-Essentials-Canvas-Collection-Hanging-Wardrobe/15387209. (When I add those bags to the bin it will be full and out of my LR.)

A used recliner came our way to supplement the TV-viewing part of the LR, just in time for MIL visit. It's proportioned for a shortie like myself, and is easier to recline than the one I'd been using, so MIL will like using it; she's getting pretty fragile. We added a seat pad when we stopped at a local shop that sells upholstery foam near wholesale prices. A very wide wing chair that had been by the bay window went to the dining room table (looks great), and the narrower recliner I'd been using went to the bay window to be pulled up when MIL comes.

So I'm on to LR cleaning next week, with a paid helper.

~S~

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 30 Aug 14 - 07:14 PM

Unloaded 1 cord of wood from the pick up by myself today, went grocery shopping, went along to pick up 12 bales of hay, made breakfast and lunch, did dishes from the last 3 days that weren't done and am currently relaxing with my legs up. I have some laundry going too.

Earlier this week I joined some friends at a mountain top park where we painted barn quilts and had a picnic lunch. :) Good times!

Another cord of firewood to unload in the morning.

Sweet dreams everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 14 - 08:24 PM

How do you "paint barn quilts?"

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: LilyFestre
Date: 30 Aug 14 - 11:37 PM

Hey Stilly,

    Look on my facebook page for photos. :)

XOXOXO,

Michelle

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 14 - 12:26 AM

I see - on the header of your page.

We had a good birthday lunch today, puttering around the yard and house, and sending my daughter home with a few trinkets. I ended up giving her the small Nikon Coolpix 15X camera that I loaned her for her trip to Japan. She has continued to use it this summer for other things, and you know how it is when you loan something to a kid, you kind of know it may end up staying with them. She took a few other things with her also so we accomplished some decluttering today. Also, I've started putting another batch of stuff in that bin I have in the corner of the kitchen for collecting donation items. I added a stack of Martha Stewart Living that Goodwill might use.

The kitchen is looking tidy (considering all of the produce sitting around), and I've gradually converted those garden items into dishes (my taco mix, pickles, cut up veggies in the freezer) and more are planned. I'm getting enough cucumbers and peppers from the garden that I need to plant a larger batch soon. Processed this time. The refrigerator pickles are beginning to taste like good pickles.

SRS

Subject: RE: Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 14 - 10:59 AM

Here is the thread for autumn. They get too long when we run more than about 3 months, but there are too many of them when we change out monthly.

SRS