Summer 2014 Exercise the right to declutter!

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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 - 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.