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Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness
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Subject: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Nov 14 - 08:20 PM Here is the previous thread. Mostly the usual stuff today. I cleaned out dog dishes and the galvanized tank, the stall with dog houses and bedding, scooped the back yard, and mowed the areas with tall grass (at the back it is bare during the heat so now as winter grass is coming up from last spring's seed I'll leave it alone and let it get established). The dog bedding is in the laundry now and every few minutes I open the dryer and pull more hair and debris out of the lint filter. The stuff I have listed on eBay is gradually selling so I need to put up more. I pay for online postage (US Post Office postage) with my PayPal account, which is funded via eBay sales, so I use this as motivation to list. As far as eBay goes, it is a good time of year to put up listings. As the weather cools and the holidays approach, people shop. A lot. The declutter threads have brought in some newcomers and lurkers who occasionally visit. We recently heard the following from Shimrod: " ... because there are lurkers who occasionally report in that they have made progress on some small personal goal and want to share the news. The successful diet, the renovation of a room or a house, the setting of a personal goal and finishing the project ... " Not everyone is going to progress as quickly, and others might move even faster if motivated by a deadline. Many of us are simply trying to stay ahead of the clutter accumulating in our homes, or are downsizing simply make our homes more comfortable. Good luck, everyone! SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Nov 14 - 08:51 PM I was going to do some shopping and general running around today, but the university has changed the way paychecks are deposited. They always used to arrive overnight on the first but now will be deposited on Monday if the first is on a weekend day. Facebook lit up with all of us trying to figure out where our pay was before the university sent out a special announcement "reminding us" of the routine. Like anyone would forget if they were told their paychecks would be late. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Rumncoke Date: 02 Nov 14 - 07:54 AM I am setting a goal to have the dining room all sorted by the Winter Solstice. There are things in there from when the children were learning their ABC and the youngest is almost 29 years old. If I get rid of a bookcase for more space, it might even be possible to have Christmas dinner in there WITH GUESTS!! |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Nov 14 - 11:01 AM I have a set of built in shelves in my living/dining area. Three tiers across, all filled with various objects that are part of collections. There are too many things in there so it isn't much of a display. I should take a page from your book and organize those. And the goal of having guests over is a great one! Last year I finished converting an old small dresser into a glass-topped buffet, and I still haven't done any entertaining to show it off. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: wysiwyg Date: 02 Nov 14 - 02:09 PM Like Dorothy Parshall I live in more than one place. The rented 3-family PA house has provided furnishings for the 1-story, small 3-bedroom/1-bath Ohio house purchased in Dec. 2013 as an eventual retirement home near family. (Until retirement it's set up as a work camp for home improvement and vacations.) I visit that house 3-4 times a year to work on it and start getting to know folks and ease into the rich local music scene. The trip which ends this week (I leave on trash day after bringing trashbins back in) focused on landscape prep and measurement for ongoing garden design, on installing kutchen cabinet hardware, and on making offline friends, as well as completing the establishment of a social justice library (books, films), and reviewing those. I've read almost a dozen uni level texts while here and created discussion questions for several key films. I've also been invited to join both the Diocesan antiracism training group and a choir at a local multicultural parish. This trip was extended far longer than planned for several reasons and while here I've discovered I probably have a failing gallbladder. So Thursday, with various friends abd family helping, I'll start limping home. The next trip will NOT include a cargo trailer. Most everything we need here for years to come is here now and anything else can ride in the van or on the cargo platform that rudes on the hitch. Probably the best personal highlight has been next door neighbor Portia, whose community of origin is farm country with the values we've been adopted into in PA these last 20 years. Her presence and friendship have been a haven from the too-fast/too-shallow urban culture here, making a good bridge to joining that without losing what we could add to it in simpler perspectives. I return to a house I left cleaner and neater than it has been for many years. When I'm rested up I have a bathroom to paint and re-floor. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 02 Nov 14 - 02:45 PM My first goal is to be comfortably prepared for my very first craft show coming up for next Saturday. I have some sewing to still do and am comfortable with not having tons of stuff. This will be more of a learning experience for me as a vendor. My second goal is to have all of the kitchen clutter picked up, taken care of or removed. I hope to have this done by the weekend before Thanksgiving. This includes cleaning out all cupboards and drawers. I also have a few boxes of things laying around the kitchen full of paper stuff that needs to be gone through, sorted out and most likely burned. I picked up my new thyroid meds and prescription Vitamin D today, hopefully this will get me feeling much more like myself. Insulin has been wonky...too many lows and lately it's something else that wakes me up (husband, bathroom, child)....it used to be that when I hit about 60, my body would wake me up..that's not happening lately...kinda scary. Anyway....my goals are to be ready and have fun at the craft fair and to get through my kitchen. Happy Turn Your Clock Back Day! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Nov 14 - 09:12 PM Good thing my phone sets the time itself, and last night I found the main clocks (the stove clock and one on the wall going into the laundry room). I have to find the setting for my automobile clock. My wrist watches are set. Today Susie and I participated in a mutual support thing we dreamed up. I went up to her house and we set my phone timer for 30 minutes. Then we attacked the mess in her garage (her grandson is old enough that we're going to have to lean on him to pick up after himself after this). We made great progress and put a bunch of stuff at the curb. Then we came down here and brought her "Shark" vacuum - the best thing I've seen on dog hair and something I'll put on my xmas list. For 30 minutes, while I cleared the kitchen peninsula counter she vacuumed. We ended up with a clean dining room carpet and three excellent looking Persian carpets. Then we went out to dinner. If we get started earlier next time we might do a museum instead. This evening I spoke to my daughter about belly dancing classes. She has been dancing for 2-3 years and has a lot of fun, and told me that there is a good studio just a few blocks from my house. I'm going to give them a call and see about getting into a beginner class. As I get closer to my target weight I need to build in a fitness component to help smooth out some of the bumpy spots, and I find exercise classes to be boring and hard to stick with. When I was in college I took belly dancing for a while and enjoyed it - I only quit because I didn't have a reliable ride to the class. Time to pick it up again. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 03 Nov 14 - 10:22 AM I dead-headed several marigold plants and have kept the heads to dry so I can use the seed for next year. These marigolds were the prettiest I have ever seen with a beautiful mix of burgundy and orange...loved them! I am off to my sewing room to cut fabric for a marathon sewing session later tonight. The craft fair is coming SOON. I am having fun getting ready. Pork tenderloin going in the crockpot for dinner. YUM. Michelle PS. I now have joined the 21t century and have a very cool phone (not the Samsung Galaxy 5 that I wanted but hey....this works VERY nicely....it's been fun figuring it out, giving certain people certain ring tones...LOL....I swear sometimes I think I might be 12.) |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 03 Nov 14 - 01:13 PM City: I think I am "thread-dependent"! As soon as I saw SRS post - OOPS there are clothes in the washer... And "pork tenderloin in the crock pot" never occurred to me. I did one in the oven yesterday with a variety of root veggies and found R also enjoys them. A spaghetti squash has been a big hit, too. At 3/$5 I shall get a few more and some of the other winter keepers! I did an acorn yesterday but there was enough with what was with the roast. I really did it because the oven was on so might as well get the most use of it. R, without drivers license, had a great reason for not going anywhere else to do the tons of things needing doing. He stayed at home and finished sorting out the shed - after a conference on "I thought we were going to tear it down" ending with "not yet". I stayed indoors and did big pot of stewed apples and big pot of cauliflower soup and the roast. This morning, after a trip out to pay ticket and reinstate driver's license, and BF, we finished clearing the back yard of almost everything so we are ready for snow - Friday they say. He put on the upstairs heat and moved a pile of wood and two Victorian chairs from area of pottery wheel. I CAN pot today. I hope I shall. B has hurt his back so badly we have no idea when he will be able to return. The upstairs BR is totally cluttered with his tools so doing anything there will be future. Igor does not go into the trap. Not even for an avocado. I need to make trip to library; dress warmly and walk, hopefully. 42F and sunny. OK - clothes to dryer and GO! |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Nov 14 - 02:09 PM Lovely surprise today - the eBay chandelier finally sold! I'll pack it up and drop off at UPS this afternoon on my way out to annual eye check. This is a day for personal business and paying the bills since the paycheck was finally deposited. I predict pushback - though I also think I see what happened. The university used to have all student and campus accounts through Wells Fargo. That relationship ended earlier this year and now they deposit finds via Chase, that then pushes payments out to all of our accounts. Wells Fargo favored its own customers and we got our checks on time. Overcast today, rain 100% in the weather forecast tomorrow. I can start taking in the soaker hoses around the house foundation, and if I'm smart, on one of these warm November weekends I'll put up the string of lights that will run through December. Why wait till it's miserable to put up the decorations? SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 03 Nov 14 - 04:18 PM City: Happy news about that chandelier! Definitely do decorations on a nice day! Walk to library started out in sun and returned in overcast. Prob in for more rain so it is nice the yard is clear. Also good to water in the plants I moved a few days ago. The hose we bought for the yard is a lesson in what not to buy. It is too full of kinks to be useful. Now contemplating what I can do that is useful. Might generate enough energy to pot. or ... |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 03 Nov 14 - 04:36 PM Jeremiah and I just finished picking up all the outdoor toys up from all over the place and situated in one spot for the winter. This way we won't be looking for lost toys covered in snow. Also, all trikes, bikes and scooters are put away and the little red wagon has been emptied. Tomorrow we will put away all lawn chairs, tables, etc. From the looks of the sky this evening, winter isn't terribly far away. Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Rumncoke Date: 04 Nov 14 - 08:52 AM Somewhere I have a lightweight black wool fabric that the moths or woolly bears (larvae of carpet beetles) got at - I think I will take apart the sadly thinned out tartan kilt and reassemble it lined with the damaged black - so making a wearable garment out of two disasters. It is really strange - every time the kilt is washed there is black water thick with particles, and the threads get thinner and thinner, but the colours are still good - just you can now see light through the weave. What was a fairly sturdy garment is now soft and floaty. I have had a couple of goes at a knitted beret style 'Outlander' cap one lot by hand and the other knitted sideways on the machine. The first one off the machine I had not thought out very well and it was square - wrong technique for the shaping, I had used one for skirts, which of course require a nice straight edge, now I am doing the opposite which would give a dip in the hem, but of course that is what I want - in effect, a dip that goes all the way round in a curve to make a disc. The hand knit one will have a nice 8 panel pinwheel effect - not sure that is what I want for the ones to be sold, though. I am having to push back the nice and neat methods of working for this. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Bat Goddess Date: 04 Nov 14 - 12:32 PM I've been pretty remiss lately about checking in here. Still in a bit of "coming up on the first anniversary of Tom's death" funk, I guess. My computer is in the shop right now and, despite having an iPad, I'm feeling rather lost without it. I might be coming down with a job and I'm meeting this afternoon to discuss it...and I can't even run out my old unupdated resume, even if I probably won't need it. I'm hoping this computer glitch won't lose anything but time and that, on a positive note, it will set up my "new" backup computer and get my "new" computer (purchased last February) set up and running. Basically a totally new computer configuration at home. Been a busy day today, first getting the weekly trash taken care of, then going down and voting. Got to talk to a friend who was widowed a month after me and see another old friend, the retired town clerk. AND got the paperwork I have to file early next year for a property tax exemption I'll be eligible for. Last week sold some antiques...but he didn't buy any of the furniture, so there's more cubic footage I have to work on. But I did finally get all the bankers boxes labeled so I can find things. And my neighbor's back was bothering her so the heavy computer monitor is still sitting in the living room. Sunday's wind managed to dislodge the heavy round table from where iit's sat on the deck for the past 15 years. Blew it right off the deck, along with a stack of chairs. The glass top is fine. The legs are fine. The thingies that hold the legs together to support the top and the umbrella are smashed to smithereens. Sigh. I think I need to work on reorganizing all the papers and stowing away Tom's paperwork which I think after a year doesn't have to be readily accessible in the file cabinet. Believe it or not, had to take a copy of his death certificate to a billing office last week. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Nov 14 - 02:55 PM Cold blustery rainy day here today. Some kind of crisis in another department in this building - I've heard of it only, not the nature of it. I think I don't want to know. The dog area was spiffed up over the weekend so they're set for cooler temperatures while they're in the garage. I have the doors closed but one window open, and soon that window will be closed. Once it gets really cold I'll set up the oil heater next to their stall and plug it into a thermo-plug that turns on when the air reaches a certain temperature and stays on until it reaches a temp about 15 degrees warmer. It means I don't need to go out to turn the heater on and off. In the fresh from the garden department, I'm going to look up a recipe for pickled okra and get ready to bread and fry some more eggplant. I need to get a bead project started. That's coming out of a bin on my dining table, so once I have the materials selected I can keep just that bit of stuff handy to work with and set the bin aside and be able to use the table for the holidays. My chandelier will probably ship later in the week. I don't use UPS often and the connection between my account there and eBay was messed up. I had to reset it and for some reason they want 3 or 4 days before they send me an email authorizing the eBay rates for shipping. It'll save me about $30 so is worth the wait. But it is a pain in the butt. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Bat Goddess Date: 04 Nov 14 - 07:57 PM Got the part time job. Should not only be interesting, but take a bit of the financial pressure off. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Nov 14 - 10:17 PM Good news, Linn! SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 05 Nov 14 - 09:52 AM City: Good news, Linn. Also gives you a new focal point. You seem to have been making marvellous progress in getting your life sorted. Well, I started this last night but R came home and I put it aside. Yesterday saw a major change in the K! Hard to explain but R finally gave me the go ahead to clear STUFF off the table - that had been there for YEARS! First: he moved the huge and very heavy antique grocery scale to the newly de-cluttered shed!!!!!!! (He has at least a dozen scales of all sorts, up to and including scientific gram scales and .... Could start a scale museum!) As he was leaving, he brought in a bunch of stuff that someone had left behind in one of the buildings. I sorted, washed some and put aside the sheet for next hot load. Included was a very nice black winter jacket - black is good as everything he wears turns black in short order. The one he has been wearing is seriously tattered but still serviceable; nice to have a replacement. MY job, which took all morning, was to collect boxes (trash day) from the pizza place across the street and sort and "file" tools, papers and miscellaneous etceteras. Carefully remove dusty and mouse sign cluttered fabrics, that had been part of his "filing system", to the back yard and shake well before putting in laundry. And the 1x12 board that, inexplicably, was under it all to the back yard. Found that back 12 inches of the old door that formed the table top was lovely, so I scrubbed and scrubbed the front 24" (by about 7 feet) trying to get it to look almost that nice. Then put a row of cotton place mats across the back and re-placed the bare essentials, Even climbed up on a chair (knees not so good as they used to be!) and got a nice glass bowl off the top of the cupboards to gather small containers into a tidier cluster. The new table includes a shoe box, stapler, rubber band and notebook: "Maybe you could put a date on the paper and wrap a rubber band around your papers and we can file them" ( in a plastic lettuce box). Of course, he is so excited about being able to see the table that he agreed! His papers are a major clutter problem. In spite of my best efforts, I may have gotten too much dust. So after a nice lunch I ended up going back to bed for a couple hours. Spent the eve on computer and fed R when he came home and was grateful for bedtime. Here's to a new day! Clear and sunny, so far, so off to replenish some supplies. Heat upstairs will make it possible to pot comfortably if energy prevails, she says hopefully. No sign of Igor since we put the trap in place! |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Nov 14 - 10:20 AM I finally pulled out the owners manual for my stove and looked up the F1 code that blinks when the oven doesn't start properly. It says there is an error and to unplug it for 30 seconds then replug. Which is not easy because of course one must move the stove out to reach the plug. The error is still there, so the manual says to leave it unplugged and call a service repair person. I don't like this stove so I'm not going to waste good money on a service call. I'll probably buy a new stove at Sears and for $75 have them deliver it and take the old one. I guess there is a reason the chandelier sold just now! I have a short list of activity for this weekend. Just about everyone I voted for lost - typical when a liberal democrat lives in a GOP dominated state. It is a reminder every couple of years of how gullible people are - how they respond to the huge buck$ pumped into the state by rich republicans who want to keep getting richer, and the only way they can do it is by convincing voters to vote against their own self-interest. We need to get rid of the Citizens United decision before real political discourse can continue. Off my soap box. It's a rainy cool day, seems about right for the mood. On the other hand, once I get the new stove I can get started with some cold weather cooking and baking! That always helps fix the mood. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: wysiwyg Date: 05 Nov 14 - 11:42 AM The van is substantially loaded for tmrw's drive to Toledo, thanks to Richard. Tomorrow it'll just be me, Faulkner, leftover groceries, water bottles, small computer bag and large purse w meds and small purse inside with ID. I have three patio chairs to garage, a peony to cut back, and a few mums to store.... later today if dry or tmrw after trash if not today. And a fridge to clear out tmrw, clean dishes n laundry to put away today. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 05 Nov 14 - 12:35 PM PS: R is so excited to be able to see the K table maybe he really will cooperate with anti-cluttering campaign! However, I just spent a great deal of time on FB, finding the elections were not to my liking, mostly posting messages of encouragement and hope for those totally demoralized by the elections, for friends who lost fathers this week, and a friend whose vegan restaurant only lasted 4 months. Now I better get foraging before I am too hungry to leave. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 05 Nov 14 - 12:41 PM More sewing for me today. In just a bit, Jeremiah and I are going to get our hair cut. I have been wanting to do this for awhile but today I found a really good rhythm for my sewing and kinda hate to go. Oh well...I'll find it again later today! :) I'm getting my hair cut shorter than it's been in a long time (minus regrowth from chemo). I'm looking forward to it...found a cut I like with some sass! Imagine that....me liking some sass! ;) LOL Go figure! Have a great day everybody! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Nov 14 - 01:07 PM You've been kicking ass for years, Michelle. Now the haircut will give folks a warning from the distance. :) After some shopping online, it looks like Sears does a lot of free delivery - depending on the final price. I had already called a friend and asked him to help, and I think the difference between letting Sears deliver it free and having Antonio pick it up in his pickup is that I can get it this weekend, not have to set aside a block of time in the next week or two for the delivery. I recycled some e-waste that came out of Susie's garage last weekend. She still has a very large CRT television out there - I think next weekend we need to take screwdrivers and pliers to it and dismantle it and put it at the curb in pieces. That will clear up a lot of room for her. eBay and UPS still aren't linked yet, I check every morning. Once they are I'll save $30 on shipping the chandelier - why would UPS take so long to make the connection? I need to call them later today and urge them to move faster. I want that huge box out of my house ASAP. This delay blows my perfect eBay record for shipping the next day. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 05 Nov 14 - 04:27 PM LOL Maggie! XOXOX Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Bat Goddess Date: 05 Nov 14 - 06:42 PM Boy have you got it right, Stilly (on the political front). We lost Carol Shea-Porter to a corrupt Repug hack, but hung on to Jean Shaheen over carpet bagger Scott Brown, and Governor Maggie Hassan. A couple friends hung on to their NH house and senate seats even though I couldn't vote for them as I'm not in their districts. I think, too, that one of the things affecting my mood lately is we seem to keep having to fight for the same things -- especially women's issues -- over and over and over again. For the past 45 years that I've been voting. The electrician finally got here -- and I've got him flummoxed. The breaker seems to be fine, but the outlets which also should be fine don't work. Argghhh! Tomorrow I have to clear out stuff in the guest room (I had hoped to continue in "The Room") to see if there's an outlet on that wall he can hook into rather than rewiring outside the south wall. Double arghhh! Deaccessioned some art materials to my up the hill neighbor and found the copies of Avant Garde to sell. Also threw some stuff out. But my neighbor gave me a great sage-colored polar fleece zip up the front L.L.Bean jacket. Now I have to go through some stuff in the closet to give to her... The news on the computer front is, well, different than we'd hoped, but everything on that hard drive should be able to be dumped onto my "new" iMac that I bought last February. I can worry about the ideal backup box to update my current backup computer later, after I'm bank in business with the new computer (and have access to my data again). Got a lot of work done while waiting for the electrician and while he was here. Got all of Tom's paperwork out of the file cabinet but consolidated and accessible, though out of the way. Started sorting and rearranging the rest of MY paperwork so stuff can be easily found. Threw out a mess of windfall apples, but have the good ones remaining in a wire basket so the shouldn't rot before I get them cut up and either into an apple crumble or the freezer or both. Oh, and got the lounge chair extricated from the bank behind the flower bed so I can get it stowed in the cellar for the winter. Every little bit helps. Wish I weren't feeling so stressed and so close to tears. Too much hanging unfinished and, I think, too close to the first anniversary of Tom's death. I'm okay. Really. Just feeling...fragile, I guess. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Nov 14 - 06:54 PM Please tell us a little something about the new job, Linn? |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: wysiwyg Date: 05 Nov 14 - 07:12 PM (((Linn))) ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Bat Goddess Date: 05 Nov 14 - 08:36 PM Can't really say much. Mostly answering phones and holding down the fort when the brokers are out. Also helping with the organizational tasks that Sandy and the others are too busy selling real estate to get accomplished (especially if they keep getting interrupted by the phone). I've known Sandy since I did all the production and advertising sales at The Real Estate Guiide. She was one of my advertisers. And I used to have a broker's license in Massachusetts, though I never used it. So I'm not a total stranger to real estate and, because of my graphics background, I'm more computer savvy than most real estate brokers. Plus I can help with ads, etc , because of my graphics background (with experience specific to real estate). Basically, I've got more skills for her purposes than the average administrative assistant out there. Plus Sandy wants me to help get her better organized. She doesn't really know what exactly she needs, but she knows I can hep her and she's willing to pay me to do it. I don't think I'll have any trouble getting her to communicate what her expectations are, and I don't think I'll have any trouble meeting those expectations. Plus it's six miles away -- practically next door. And both flexible and informal. And she can give me advice while I'm trying to sell some acreage to a local conservation outfit and later trying to get a reverse mortgage. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Nov 14 - 09:14 PM Sounds good - and sounds like something that might even allow some telecommuting if the weather is frightful! It also sounds like this woman is savvy enough to recognize the changes/improvements you'll be able to make. I applied for another job on campus this evening. It has been open for about three weeks - they need to stay open at least 5 business days. Longer means they haven't gotten the candidates they're looking for yet. Fingers crossed this one closes soon now! SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 06 Nov 14 - 12:23 AM Crossing my fingers for you Maggie! Sending lots of love your way Linn <3 Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 06 Nov 14 - 11:52 AM City: Linn! You have made such marvellous progress! First anniversaries are the WORST. But your new job sounds interesting and your progress generally is awesome. Michelle! A new haircut can be so up-lifting! As for me - we are still delighting in the clean K table. I am still waiting for two more shelves so I can organize more stuff. One thing at a time but I keep wondering "will it happen in my lifetime." R questioned "All that stuff in the laundry room"! "All that stuff would be in k cupboards if there were any" (that weren't full of non-K stuff. The nerve of the man! "OH!" I am trying to figure out where/how to store winter squash that are 99/pound at the grocery or 3/$5 at the market. I don't need a calculator! Just space. I would like a couple dozen of the big ones. We got a lot of mileage out of that spaghetti squash and the acorn and butternut were delicious. That's 3 in 2 weeks. If it sounds as though I am "discovering" squash - I had not had any in years, so yes. The electric in this house - all overhead light stopped functioning 4 years ago, and many convenience outlets. No one knows why. An electrician? Waiting for the reno. Yesterday's foraging: Canadian Tire struck out on 4 of 4 but I got some light bulbs, clear plastic bags and bandaids - all needed but not on list. Then the grocery - I needed 3 things and left with more than would fit in one big bag - the only one I took in. Had to take the cart to the car as I just put the leftovers in the cart and bagged them when I got to the car. I am SUCH a plastic bag refuser! I did get the 3 things on the list! By the time I got home I was ready for lunch and then it was 4 pm and - I am not too good after 4. So it was read and computer, Big Bang and the news. Ah well, today: laundry is in progress, dishes are half done, R had a good BF, I had my toast/tahini/apples. I need to move the car in half an hour so I can get a spot on the Fri side. Then I can go upstairs to a warm!!!!!! room (after 4 years R got the baseboard heat on!) and try getting some pots made. I cannot bear to sit any more/to spend anymore time on computer, no shopping to do so the only option left - POT! |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Nov 14 - 12:18 PM Early today I went to the lab for the blood draw (after a 12-hour fast) as part of my physical on Monday. At least my visits are typical; I have several coworkers out ill, one for sure with strep and a couple who don't feel great. I'll keep my distance. They asked if I wanted to put a credit card number on file in case there are extra charges with the test - I said no - putting a card on file anywhere not necessary is foolhardy, considering all of the breaches in security. (BTW: a note of pedantry - the topic in the news is "breach of security," but in fact, these data thieves are getting in through holes in security - that could be called breeches.) Dorothy, that kitchen sounds like a nightmare. And here I've been thinking I put things off for a long time because my oven doesn't work (the stove has been beeping and giving me a code on the clock panel). I've determined it is a time for a new stove without having several other appliances and fixtures die first. Aren't you afraid of a short with all of that electrical work on the fritz? SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 06 Nov 14 - 12:50 PM City: SRS: I am VERY careful about the electric! My bro is a superb electrician and my dad could do anything around the house and let me know how. anyway, breakers turn off at the slightest provocation. I can only run one appliance at a time: microwave, toaster oven or electric kettle. Making a meal is doing things in the right order: Make hot choc in microwave, then toast. Put the kettle on as soon as i get up so it is mostly hot by the time I have to turn it off to... Do the toast last and it will still be warm... Oops, I know which breaker has gone when I forget and turn on one thing too many. I lived without an oven for a long time as that circuit was being used to heat the basement but it eventually was remedied. Now I remember to use it on occasion. The crock pot does not impede anything nor does the distiller----- I wonder? Must check if that outlet is on dif circuit. Reminds me of the story about the woman who always cut a roast in half and did it in two pans. When husband asked why - "That's the way my mother did it." She asked her mother - "That's the way my mother did it." She asked HER mother and "Oh my goodness, I only did that because I did not have a pan big enough!" 3 generations! I have the rest of the house figured out as to what can go on which working outlet. Of course, I have only lived with electric for last 15 years, after 15 years in the bush without any. So it is not as much a hardship to me as it would be to those who have never done without - other than outages. It is only recently that I realized I DO have running water here and do not have to be THAT careful about using another dish. HOWEVER, I am looking forward to being able to do things more easily - someday. The mill is slightly better: I can run two appliances at the same time - but no running water. The second floor works OK, so far. But we rarely use it and now cannot until B's back allows him to finish the work. The BR is wall to wall tools. Wisely, I covered the bed with plastic before he started. Car is moved to prime parking spot, close to house for loading. Will be taking some more stuff from here to the mill for winter storage, and part of clearing house for reno. Bring back some more winter clothes. Good music tomorrow night at cafe. Hope to deliver tea pot/mugs to woman who has waited 14 months! Come back Sat. May not be any snow. Now: check that outlet and then pot. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Rumncoke Date: 06 Nov 14 - 01:44 PM I very rarely use the oven in the cooker(stove) these days. I got a halogen oven - a big glass bowl with metal stands in it and a radiant heat source with fan over the top. It uses less power than the big oven and serves as both the container and the oven - it is a lot easier to clean than the big oven too, plus it doesn't dry things out. I tend to cook for just myself using it, as it is economical, so there isn't much of a saving, but I benefit from having better choices than before - plus there is no warm up time, so the food is on the plate faster. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: GUEST,mg Date: 06 Nov 14 - 02:26 PM I use something similar and never need an oven for myself. I do most of my cooking at work and it just sits on the counter. Food turns out very nicely in it. Mine would hold a roast chicken, a pie plate, cake pan etc. I have a very inexpensive one now..around $30 from Amazon..works well. And you don't need the 220 wiring either. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: GUEST,mg Date: 06 Nov 14 - 02:30 PM they are especially nice for bacon. Also, you can do this in regular oven as well, but just put your frozen food on the rack and it cooks very nicely. No need to thaw. Also you can keep an eye on things since the cover or the bowl will be clear. I am tending more and more toward minimalism. Today I will call the local thrift store and see if they can pick up a folding table, a flourescent lamp and an exercise machine and if I have time I will go through all my shoes. I tend to keep old hiking boots for the inevitable tsunami but they will just end up floating on the tide so I might as well just let them go now. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Nov 14 - 04:53 PM I like to make meals that have several things that go into the oven at the same time. I also still do turkeys, etc. in the oven. I also have a convection oven (a large glass bowl in a stand and the heating element and fan in the lid) and I have an 18-quart Nesco roaster oven. The reason for replacing the stove is because I don't like having a bum appliance plugged in all of the time and it is too difficult to reach to keep unplugging. I will do some research on the stove and see what a repair would cost, if it is possible. I have a number of pans that simply don't fit into the convection oven, and while things do bake in the Nesco, it sometimes takes considerably longer and any time I open it to check, there goes a lot of heat. I'm tired of sitting in the basement all day - I got out for a few minutes after lunch to photograph a head shot for a fellow staff member and it's lovely out there. I'm off to climb the stairs just to get my system moving. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Nov 14 - 11:41 PM My stove is 17 years old, and the most likely looking culprit for the oven not heating is a discontinued part. A coworker today described taking her stove apart and fixing a piece, but I don't think I'm going to try that. I've gone through the manual and looked up the model and find nothing hopeful. I think a self-cleaning oven is a must, and doesn't add too much to the cost. I see glass top and traditional heating elements - and I've posed the question to my canning-guru - which is better when it comes to putting a hot pot on the stove and letting it boil for ages to process whatever it is that is being canned. I suspect the answer will be the old-fashioned element. I seem to remember reading that also when I was looking into canning a few years ago. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Rumncoke Date: 07 Nov 14 - 10:39 AM Last time I wanted to make Yorkshire puddings to take to my daughter's place when we were having dinner together I found that the oven wasn't working. It was taken apart and just looked at, and it started working again - I remember to test it from time to time now. The jolting, or a component being turned over might have done the trick, so it is worthwhile having a poke around. Over the years I have received some very nice but not working items which have been easy to fix. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Nov 14 - 11:20 AM Lots of appliances are constructed of modules, and if this was available I could pick it up and replace it with a new one. It is the module that is no longer available. I saw the Sears guy fix my freezer a couple of times and realized I could probably have made those repairs, but that is about 10 years newer than the stove. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 07 Nov 14 - 03:02 PM City: I use a toaster oven for a great deal of stuff. I was actually looking at new ones at CT the other day. They were called convection ovens (I never realized that before?) and were only about $40. I used the stove oven recently because it helps heat the house, now that cold weather has set in. I did both the roast and an acorn squash for later. Then Michelle caused me to realize I can do the roast in the crock pot. a terrifically good idea. But not for squash so how? I may even bite the bullet and buy a new larger toaster/convection oven. Maybe. Yesterday, again I never got to pot. Today is not looking good either. I did check the outlets in the K; there is only one circuit for the entire K! It's time to start making a reno list: Cabinets closed to the ceiling - I hate that dust catcher when there is an open space - to put pretty things on - to catch dust! At least 3 circuits for the K. What else...? I ended up taking a hot bath yesterday and another early this morning. I feel better but cannot get myself upstairs. I still have two working hours available... |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 07 Nov 14 - 06:01 PM City: So I decided lunch was a good idea and had a really good one. Then I still did not move so a cup of herb tea and a few cookies - choosing ones I do not care for. Then I needed choc and water. Then .... I am in a total quandary. Now it is time to leave for the cafe and no sign of R and not answering his phone. AHHHH!! Pick him up in 15 min.YAY! |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: LilyFestre Date: 07 Nov 14 - 11:17 PM Fourteen hours of sewing for me today and I think I am as ready as I'm going to be for the craft fair tomorrow! I'm excited! I may have to change my goal of having the kitchen done by Thanksgiving because I have a huge disaster area going where I've been working. Creativity is NOT a mess-free activity!!! :) Michelle |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Nov 14 - 11:48 PM Sounds like you're having a great time, Michelle! And stay warm, Dorothy, with all of that renovation and oven choosing stuff. I've looked online, so tomorrow morning I'll look in the stores and see what the features are on the current stoves for sale. And I'll check out Consumer Reports. And I'll make time tomorrow morning in whatever I'm doing to stop and listen to the remembrance program they're going to play on Car Talk for Tom Magliozzi who died on Monday. I've listened to those guys for many many years. Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers. RIP Tom. And then I'll get on with the rest of my day, possibly the work with Susie. Not sure if we are on for Saturday or Sunday since she has been babysitting her grandson a lot. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 08 Nov 14 - 12:20 PM Mill: We made in time for the Echo Hunters and a good open mike. Then to cold room at the mill. I keep heat in the sun room lest the plants be unhappy but not the LR. Maybe we will leave a tich on this time. It took a while and an extra quilt. By morning it was quite warm! I have been unloading the car and sorting more winter clothes to take to the city. Still have not found my good winter jacket. If it is no colder this year than last, I will get through with the lighter one. Off to deliver teapot and pick up apples at a no-spray orchard and some good locally grown meat. R is working on the roof here. |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 08 Nov 14 - 12:42 PM This morning I pulled up the 2014 Buyers Guide from Consumer Reports and found two stoves that are in stock on my side of town. Sears has one that is a close match to the top model, the second best on the list is identical and is $50 more at Lowe's. I've ordered and paid online for that second one (Frigidaire FFEF3015LW). Susie and I are going to do our side-by-side cleaning thing this evening - she'll come by here on her way home from babysitting and we'll have dinner then move my stove out and clean up the space (grease drips, dust). We'll head up to her house and dust in her bedroom to look for her hearing aid (misplaced last week) and I'm going to look into her funky DSL connection and see if she needs to have AT&T replace the modem. She has been paying for this all along and probably not had a signal since last spring. Michelle, if you have any energy left at the end of the day, please let us know how the craft fair went. What did you learn, what changes will you make? Did you take any special orders? A co-worker of mine was at a fair last week (she sells sparkly beaded stretchy loops for putting on scarves to keep them in place.) She had one special order and the woman offered to pay her a bit more because it was a special order. A bit of shopping, then out to the garden. I need to pick most things because we have a possible frost in the forecast during the week. Better to get stuff now than to risk forgetting or getting to busy to be able to pick all of the stuff that has to come in. I'm sure with the new stove I'll be looking for excuses to cook up a storm, so the timing is good. Green tomato relish, here I come! I went ahead and got the electric burner stove, not the glass top. Better for canning and no other fussing about how to set up my processing pans. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Nov 14 - 12:24 AM I started with the picking, a few okra and a plant of jalapeno peppers. A lot more to go in the next few days, and then cutting up and freezing them. I was over at Home Depot today getting the replacement parts for the master toilet (I said I wouldn't spend money on it, but $15 is less than a new loo when I just had to replace the electric range) and a man was outside with a boxed generator. I asked him a couple of questions and he offered to sell it to me for cash at a discount because he couldn't return it (no receipt) and didn't want a store credit. I don't buy stuff that way, so declined, but it was a reminder that another purchase I'd like to make is a generator to keep my big deep freeze in business if we get another long outage like last month (not at my house, but in the area). My stove is now in the middle of the room, and the new one comes in tomorrow afternoon. Susie and I ate dinner then cleared up grease that had dripped and puddled behind and below. Yuck. Then up to her house to clear out stuff on her bedroom desk. I got her DSL up and running (the modem had been turned off - easiest fix I've ever made, just pushing the "on" button!) It helps the mood to work together and to help someone else solve their issues. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Bat Goddess Date: 09 Nov 14 - 08:01 AM Don't know if it's the time change, the season shift, the weather, or what (maybe the first anniversary of Tom's death this week is contributing, too), but I've been so what listless and definitely lacking energy this week. Didn't really do anything yesterday except go to the library sale (I "won" -- I purchased fewer than I donated) and pick up the special ordered honey loquat. Came home intending to do laundry, make cheese salad, put some outdoor things away and try to excavate the guest room in search of an electrical outlet on the common wall with the bathroom. Instead I took a nap. And not a very good one at that. Phone calls took up the rest of the day, but I also finished the March issue of Vanity Fair -- yes, I'm nine months behind. Ate "lunch" at 5:30, so I called it supper. Wasn't hungry til then despite having just plain yoghurt with a spoonful of blueberry jam in it for breakfast. Linn |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Nov 14 - 12:14 PM I spoke with a friend in Arizona yesterday - she will be visiting for a few weeks after the new year, but the oldest daughter she usually stays with has a houseful these days. The youngest son/brother moved to town and is with her, and both of her children are at home. This family needs a boost, so I'm going to see if we can get them out of the house and over here for one of our famous pot luck dinners. And if my friend comes to town, she can stay here. I'll work on finishing up straightening my son's room (now the main guest room) in anticipation of this. It does remind me that my nest is empty when I work in there, but I'll get over it, and one day there may be grandkids, a whole new phase to look forward to. Guests will do for now. I'm so ready for that stove, but I need to do some outside work first. Mow the front, bring in the soaker hoses for the season. I'm still watering the veggie garden occasionally, but the rest of it can fend for itself now that it is cool. I also need to get some heavy-duty plastic plant platters to put under three pots I'm going to bring in for the winter. The lemon grass, the lemon verbena, and a pot of mint. Not sure if the mint will be happy in the house, but I think the others will be okay. I could put them in the greenhouse, but I forget to go out and water things out there. Linn, the dark earlier aspect of fall, especially in northern states, was something to deal with when I lived in the Pacific Northwest. I also deal with it now because I work every day in a basement with no windows in view. Have you thought about putting in a few daylight lamps to help with the SAD aspect of the season? Maybe a reading lamp with a daylight LED that will hit your forehead when you read? I'll use this as a reminder to myself to position the Ott lamp on my desk at work so it shines down on me. My favorite radio gardening program is over, now out to the garden to prepare for winter. I don't think this is the last mow, the weather is predicted to be mild for another week at least, but it is time to prepare for the cold. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Nov-Dec 2014 Declutter & Fitness From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 09 Nov 14 - 04:03 PM Mill: Linn gives me hope that it is only the change in the weather that is causing my lack of energy. But I did perk up enough Friday to realize I had gotten way off track in the self care area; trying to get back on. Today the sky was leaden, heavily pregnant with possibilities - none of which seem cheering. The big window here helps. Yesterday's excursion took about 4 hours and many miles: Books in and out of library, a creamer delivered to a nearby shop owner. The apple orchard was closed and a for sale sing on it. I was stunned. So I backtracked a bit and went on to the home of the woman who has waited 14 months for a tea pot! Part was paid in honey from her bees and lovely herbal - non-scented- soaps she makes. They will be nice little gifts. After a nice visit - her husband made all their doors windows and gorgeous kitchen cabinets out of butternut from the woods behind their home! It needed to be cut. Then off to the local butcher for several packets of various sausages without nitrites. A stop at the super bakery in St Antoine ---- an amazing choc pie and a choc mouse cake. That will keep us a while! A side trip to an organic orchard - closed! Gas at a cheap station - near the US border gas is the cheapest. And finally back to make simple supper using a packet of curry sauce and good chicken from the other butcher and brown rice - and some plain yogurt a it was a bit hot. I was in collapse on the sofa by 7 pm and in bed by 9. While SRS is in the garden doing all sorts of neat things, I think of going to look at it and reject the brry idea! But Vanessa just came in for a quick chat after she made a bunch of pots. So, my nudge today: the studio is warm so I shall go do the bit of glazing and load the kiln. Failing to take my supplements caused an increase in discomfort in shoulders so back on track there is helping. I fetched some groceries today. I was not expecting to be here this long but R is finishing the repair to the roof!! It will be such a load off his mind. Lots of food in the city frig but there was not much here so I needed a few things. To the studio while it is still light. |
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