FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Sep 22 - 05:16 PM

Dupont:

The "Ts" loved Quebec City and are now due here about 6 pm. I am hoping to get to Ile St. Bernard for sunset (7:25) over the rivers. Not knowing what to do about supper, I am doing nothing! R spent some time working on his basement library and a lot of time reading. He has done everything I asked of him re clean up. The back deck, with carpet and chairs looks "spiffy". Gorgeous day, a bit on the warm side for me but with a breeze.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 09:37 AM

I came down suddenly with my fourth bout of cellulitis yesterday morning in just over two years. I feel proper poorly today, but at least I've got the antibiotics - after sitting on a hard chair in A&E for six hours yesterday (which hardly helped). Both legs this time, which I think could be slightly unusual.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 10:38 AM

Ugg. Steve, in addition to the antibiotics what do you have to do to help this go away? Lotions or ointment, a special diet? Wash with some or other type of cleanser? I'm guessing since you've had it before you knew what it was - waiting that long to be seen is a pain when you know what the problem is. My physician's office has a two-part operation; if we're going in for a physical or a surgery approval we see the physician, but if it is something like needing the steroid shot for wasp stings, sinus infections, poison ivy - those repeating problems that patients know what it is, then we see the nurse practitioners. They concur with our opinions then prescribe the proper medications. They practice medicine also, but a lot of it is working with repeat customers for the usual stuff.

Last night I made the caponata and any time I woke during the night I could smell it even though the food was in the fridge and the pan soaking in the sink. It is amazing - and I will confess here that I've never been tempted by this before, never tasted it, never cooked it. So making it the first time for guests may seem to be living dangerously, but I am pretty good at following recipes and I did taste it before turning off the stove. It also has all familiar ingredients. The recipe calls it a type of relish and is best served cold or room temperature, and I can see that. I picked the eggplant yesterday, and was pleased to find a large (1.5 pound) eggplant hidden under the okra (the eggplant and okra have merged into a small hedge). I love the way the garden saves these treats as a perfect surprise. (Joe Offer came through town several years ago and was blown away by the garden beside the driveway - I picked an eggplant that I used in Eggplant Parmesan for dinner.)

All this year I've made a big point of eating a lot more fruit and vegetables and I think the reason this appeals to me is because of the shift in my diet; I still eat meat but not as much, and I haven't been eating nearly as much bread. When I'm monitoring calories a large bagel will add so many calories it takes a big chunk out of my 1200 daily calorie count. Yesterday was a fasting day and I went to the grocery to get some limes (marinade for the fish today) and managed to just buy fruit and vegetables. Those are what tempted me.

Jennie et al, this morning is the classic time for "scurryfunge." I did general clearing and picking up this week but now I'll sweep, do some targeted mopping, and in general freshen the house and try to reduce the amount of dog hair. Guests arrive at noon.

Dorothy, your house sounds perfect for guests. They probably spent a lot more time in the kitchen hanging out with you (do you all cook together?) than in the guest room, but it's there for an inviting good night's sleep. Charmion, how did the lamb turn out?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 12:34 PM

Antibiotics, keep the legs raised and moisturise like mad. The idea is to prevent blistering. I have some leftover weak steroid cream that the doc gave me last time. It isn't curative but it seems to cut down the sensitivity and itchiness somewhat.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 04:43 PM

Steve, I feel for you. What a bummer.

The lamb is in the oven as I type and it should turn out okay, especially if I pay more attention to the temperature gauge — I mindlessly used the fan setting.

Very wet and muggy in southwestern Ontario today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 06:46 PM

The only lamb I ever cook in the oven is whole shoulder. Supermarkets cut the fillet out to sell it more expensively. That's the best bit, so I get my lamb from my butcher and I cook it very slowly. A six or seven pound lump goes in the oven at about 10.30 at 120°C and comes out at about 5.30. It gets a blast of heat for the last 25 minutes to crisp up the skin, then rests for at least half an hour. Never fails!

I'm seriously off my food just now, eating only sparrows' portions. The icing on the cake is that I've just had a migraine aura. I haven't had one of those for several years. I don't get the headache but I feel completely washed out. So that's washed out on top of washed out. The only way is up!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 09:52 PM

I had guests over for lunch today, and as this was a regular eating day I had a bit of everything. And a small chocolate bar from Aldi (sea salt and dark chocolate - mmmm!) as an early birthday present. I don't exactly do a "birthday month" like some folks I know, but I'll let it bleed into a couple of weeks either side for special occasions that come my way. Along those lines I updated my fitness tracker because the old one wasn't tracking everything; the old one has been demoted to just tracking steps in an ankle band at the gym and the new one is for everyday wear.

Another special purchase may be a couple of 3/4 sleeve cotton tops in my new smaller size if I can find any. Lots of too-large clothes are going into the recycle bin, or onto the closet shelf (because unused or thrift store clothing gets used for material when making sewing projects when they're good colors and fabrics.) Anyway, my birthday isn't a fasting day. Good thing because I'm thinking a nice pasta dish for lunch.

I hope your cellulitis clears up quickly. As far as health concerns here, after the knee surgery I'm feeling good and am sleeping without pain through the night now, which is the last hurdle after bone surgery. However, I have an ex who isn't taking his health as seriously as he should - he has never accepted that he has developed seasonal allergies and suffers through horrible stuffy sinuses because he won't take any 24-hour allergy medication. He's needlessly making himself uncomfortable. It's time to convince him to have a heart-to-heart with his physician about this, if he won't listen to me. (I learned 20 years ago that my sinus infections were the result of untreated allergies and once I started treating them I haven't had the huge snot-producing headaches with nose-blowing, drainage, and coughing.) You live in a place long enough, you become allergic to parts of it, or so it seems.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 05:36 AM

I rarely trouble doctors, though the repeated cellulitis bouts have forced that on me over the last couple of years. I changed to a new medical centre a few weeks ago (because my previous doctor is a complete clown). The infection has spread a bit, to be expected as the antibiotics take several days to kick in, so, as advised by the hospital doctor, I rang the new doc this morning and she's seeing me this afternoon. Excellent service!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 07:48 AM

A new doc sounds like a smart move. Obviously an underlying infection never really went away. Non life threatening conditions are like dented fenders that aren't pretty but the car still drives. Bone surgury is like pounding out the dents and takes longer.

npr mentioned how paying keen attention to posture can be restorative like bringing the lower back forward. Its not Yoga but can go a long way to take away muscular skelaton stress. Putting hands on knees when you stand up is multiplying stress on the joint.

A trick to determing ones age can be done by timing how long a person can stand on one leg.
The time goes down rapidly with age.
Happy Autumn and may your dents be few.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 01:01 PM

Don, I saw that piece on NPR's Instagram feed. Those are just part of the stretches that are built into the Essentrics program I've subscribed to, and need to do more often now that the knee has healed. I'm working out remaining stiffness and hope to improve the range of motion the last couple of degrees.

My daughter decided it was time for a new doctor last year when she didn't get an appropriate response to the foot injury that turned out to be the ruptured Achilles tendon. "It'll heal on it's own, but do you want to see a specialist?" she was asked. Yes please! The specialist was astounded the GP didn't get the nature of the injury, and as he left the room he paused and said "I believe you." And that, along with a quick turnaround time for surgery, was enough confirmation that it's time for a new GP.

My brother and I discussed cholesterol this morning. He managed to get off of his medication, but his diet did change a lot, and I am pretty well focused on calcium intake now, meaning dairy has been part of it. I'll explore the higher levels in vegetable sources and read the cartons of milk and yogurt. Cheese - that is always a downfall - something to consider (both of us agree - the fridge is naked without a block of Rugged Coastal Cheddar, the really sharp type they make near Steve's house.) No faux cheese, it's either eat it or don't. Interestingly, we both have taken almost all alcohol out of our diets to help us achieve these dietary goals (I crossed the threshold today into the 150 range - just 10 pounds to go.)

We're into a nicer weather time of year - still hot in the afternoon - but mornings are tolerable and there is more inclination to go outside (meaning less interest in decluttering indoors.) I'll have to make a list and try to accomplish one of my indoor things each day before I head into the yard. This morning I have been virtually decluttering my free Dropbox account - when it fills up they keep messaging me to upgrade. Some things are nice to keep free.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 01:52 PM

It's not an underlying infection. It's a reinfection, made far more likely by a previous infection, probably because of the lymphoedema around my ankles I retained from the first infection. The blood supply which maintains the immune system is reduced in the swollen areas. The infection is caused by normal skin bacteria which get into the lower layers of the skin through little scratches or insect bites (of which I've endured many this summer). And cellulitis that isn't promptly treated can be life-threatening as it can, and sometimes does, lead to sepsis. Not to be played down.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 02:44 PM

A ruptured an Achilles tendon and it took me a year to heal with special shoes.
It was your typical shopping cart accident. Tendons are slow to heal but surgury speeds things up.

Get well soon Steve what ever its called.

I have the same pain that an amputee would call phantom limb pain from a severed deep sensory nerve.
It is exaccerbated by neuropathy. Perhaps it constantly triggers my own endorphins so it comes and goes. It is minor compared to migrain which I outlasted 10 years ago. Lidocaine works in a pinch but...

'Endorphins are forever.
They are all I need to please me
They can stimulate and tease me
They won't leave in the night
I've no fear that they might desert me'

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 05:58 PM

Stilly, did your daughter have a satisfactory wedding?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 06:01 PM

Dupont:

Missing the "Ts" who left at 9:30 am for the 8 hour trip to Philly. Was a good visit. A bit longer would have been nice; there is still talking that could be done as my son seeks more understanding of the family, as in "what was your mother like?". We cove4red a great deal and some touchy areas - gently.

Tenley is a sweetie; I thanked her for making my son happy. Relaxed and open as he has not been in years; a major de-clutter has occurred, allowing him to return to his same old used to be - vibrant, relaxed.

We ate in the K and did minimal food prep, by design. Together, no one got in anyone's way. And sat in the comfy LR for conversation. We only had the 3 evenings as they were in the city during the days - giving Tenley the opportunity of enploring Old Montreal; Taun lived here about 5 school years and 9 summers so it was him showing her around.

They arrived with bagels, having had the priority of stopping at the Bagel Factory, special to Taun for 50 years! He orders them on line and, rather than spend an extra hour going for some this morning, he will order them. And an order to his #1 son in VA for his upcoming B.D. So the veggie burgers were cooked and the Ts had theirs on bagels and R and I on buns. Tenley took it upon herself to find mustard in the frig - good searching! I detest it and thought there was some but did not deign to search! I made it clear we are in this together! We were so comfortable with each other; we are a family already!

Sunday, I made a double batch of buckwheat cakes, enjoyed by all, with this year's QC maple syrup. I had asked my son Sat night if he liked buckwheat cakes: "You're my mother! Of course I do!" It has been a long time since we were family together. Even when we lived in the same house, he soon-to-be-ex was a fly in the ointment; the stress was palpable.

Sunday, a veggie lasagna from the bakery in southern QC served, with salad and, again, choc cake from said bakery. They are also Dark Choc fans. We sat on the spiffy back deck for a short time as the weather was chilly. I am pleased with what I managed to do to shape the house up. The house could still use a serious lot of work - the windows and radiators... I cannot face trying to clean them. Maybe in the spring, a window washing company.

Baking was done in new toaster oven - quite adequately. I love it. Definitely saves heating the house. The "new"/borrowed stove is getting minimal use but is quite nice. Just lacking that wonderful downdraft the Jennair had. No way to put a hood over the stove.

R made some progress on his library. He had to move the thermostat so that was yesterday's chore, then waiting for the plaster to dry. Today, he claims to have started getting the book cases in place. Then went to fetch a de-humidifier from a friend who had one in a closet - never used!

AND measure the windows in the house that he "is selling" - some year. (That dreadful house we lived in.) He thinks new windows will improve the desirability. Probably will! He has a cohort who will supervise the window manufacturer at the Mill, with an eye to making the process more efficient, and finding someone to take over the business. Then, maybe the rent will be paid.

Sheets washed, laundry done. And next Monday back to Ontario for a couple weeks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 11:23 PM

Don, I had an injury like that, running in a strappy pair of high-heeled sandals. It took months to heal. Hers was completely severed. After surgery to overlap and reattach the tendon it took four months of PT to be able to walk comfortably.

Keb, it was private, even we weren't there (her request - only the two of them.) They're doing a party in a couple of months as a sort of reception. I did hope the earlier remarks were the whole story, but you do have a way of opening topics again.

Today in a pre-birthday run I headed over to the department store outlet (they used to have incredible savings, extra discounts in various departments each day) where now the discounts are excellent, but the supply chain is such that they don't need to discount the discounts to clear out the merchandise. I found two medium size cotton tops with 3/4 sleeves, just what I wanted, and I used some birthday money from a friend to get a jeans jacket - a well-made sturdy denim one and I've wanted one forever but they're always so expensive or not in my size. The rack was full of size small and a couple of mediums with a goofy fake patch in a contrasting light cotton print; I found one medium of just denim no patch affectations in sight. It cost 1/3 of the original retail price. :)

Some weird stories now.

Last night, around 11pm at least, I was working in my office that is at the front of the house and I heard what sounded like a recording, but it was a male voice over a loud speaker out in the street somewhere telling someone (not me, I hoped!) to come to the front door and stand on the front porch. It seemed to repeat several times by the time I realized it wasn't the radio or a TV on in the other room. 11pm. No identification of who is speaking, and it creeped me out. I turned off my overhead light and went to the side door to look out through the security gate. No one there. I threatened Pepper with dismemberment if she made a peep at the front door (she usually goes into a paroxysm of barking if I look like I'm going out) and peered through the security gate into the dark up the street and around the trees in neighbors' yards. Nothing. Next window on the front of my house, nothing. I usually take my trash down to the curb last thing before bed but no way I was walking down there with the bag from the kitchen. The can was at the curb, but not with everything. They can get the rest of it on Thursday.

Story two. Friends came to lunch, and one of them brought in a large grocery bag filled to the top with dried pasta packages, parcels of rice, and a lot of ramen. "I'm clearing out carbs so I thought I'd share here." One of the lunch guests is often sent home with extra food due to straightened circumstances. After lunch, and after the kind of odd departure of that couple (arguing about whether to drive home in the storm) three of us were left. One said "I want to see what's in the bag" so I brought it over to the kitchen table. As we poked through, I noticed a couple of worms on bags, and then we realized there were weevils in most of the pasta and rice. "I think we should throw this away right now and no one say a word about it." Everyone laughed and I bundled it into a large plastic bag and carried it out to the trash can and I then toted it down to the curb. So that's why there was already some trash in the can last night.

Story three. I was in the bathroom 2 days ago and the strangest thing happened, and when I told a friend about it yesterday he put it together with the weird weather. Two of the dogs came into the room and I saw a black insect drop off of one of them onto the floor beside the tub. When I bent over to look at it, I thought it looked like a mosquito, but it was bigger and very black. I reached my foot over to smash it and the damned thing took off and raced across the floor! Engorged mosquitoes can't do that, but this one took a couple of tries before I caught and smashed it, with quite a lot of blood. I picked it up in a piece of tissue, I should have taken a photo, but I flushed it. I told the friend and he said "that's a floodwater mosquito" and they are like freeze dried pests in the environment, after floods they lay eggs in the soil that don't hatch till there is flooding or so much water that the eggs get wet enough to hatch. Sometimes years later. We had 14 inches of rain on August 29, and a few days later the mosquitoes were everywhere, they're considered a "nuisance" more than a disease carrier, but they're aggressive and huge.

Sorry it's so long, but I wanted to share those odd events.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 07:11 AM

On my fingering hand I cut nerves and nearly cut a tendon in two after I plunged down a whirlpool from a canoe and was cut by something sharp on the bottom of a lake in Maine. The repair involved a microscope for the nerve and overlapping of the tendon and sewing. It took 2 years to stretch the tendon back out. Partial sensitivity to two fingers did return. I recall the silent sound I heard in my head when the nerve was first cut. It went Boeiing

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 12:44 PM

My daughter stepped backward into a gap between a step and a closed train door and slipped in, so her foot was really jammed heel first and it tore the tendon. She describes moments later sitting on the sidewalk in agony - I can imagine. And limped the rest of the trip through Italy (her friends have some mobility issues so there was a cane and a pair of walking sticks with the group already. She commandeered the cane for much of the rest of the trip.)

Thought for the day. My smart scale (connected to my Withings Steel HR fitness tracker watch and to MyFitnessPal food tracking app) wished me Happy Birthday. This time I knew better than to snap a photo - last time I tried that I realized that from above my distorted naked self showed up on the shiny surface of the scale around the LCD screen. It also tells me the weather forecast and how many steps yesterday. Over the past six months I've made a concerted effort to lose just over 40 pounds. I'm nearing my goal, but as I do I'm reminded of one of the last conversations I had with my mother before she was in the hospital with metastatic breast cancer. At 75, she had lost weight and was where she had been hoping to be for decades. But I realized soon after that she lost it not through hard work but because of the cancer that was killing her. I will be sure to make my annual physical appointment this year and get whatever battery of tests they recommend just to be sure that I'm still healthy. I'm sure I am, but this idea is occupying some real estate in my brain, so I'll follow through.

My brother is preparing to move away from the Pacific NW and is selling not just his house but many of the contents. We've been talking about methods for sale - I won't use Craig's List any more down here, it's full of crackpots, but he's having pretty good luck with it. He asked about using Facebook Marketplace. I've looked at it on occasion but never participated in any of the sales. Do any of you use that? Does FB take a cut? I suggested he could also join NextDoor, but he'd be a very new person to the list and there just for sales so I don't know if he would be easily able to list because of that.

Finally, it has cooled enough that I'm going to start decluttering some of the pots of plants I managed to keep alive all summer into their target destinations around the yard. It means getting out the tiller in a few areas and working over the soil, pulling the grass rhizomes out, planting and mulching. I'm looking forward to changing the appearance of the front (at least one side of it for now). This is a thing I can do that will be fun for me and make the yard look interesting, and doesn't cost anything since the plants were given to me by friends. I also need to get the limb saw and its long wooden handle and start trimming branches that go into the bulky waste pickup next week. I didn't do that 3 months ago because I was swamped with getting ready for the knee surgery.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 07:16 AM

I have no experience except ebay but the top 8 are
Facebook Marketplace.
Craigslist.
Nextdoor.
VarageSale.
OfferUp (formerly Letgo)
Poshmark.
Vinted.
Decluttr.
and of course freecycle

For artists there are Pintrest, Etsy and of course Sotheby's which is potentially as corrupt as its competetors.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 07:25 AM

https://deliverend.com/pros-cons-and-fees-of-facebook-marketplace/

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 08:25 AM

Yesterday, I delivered the Indian rug and a laundry basket full of bed linen to the niblings in London and braved the opening day frenzy at Fanshawe College to pay the last installment of Logan’s residence fees.

Their mother, Niece No. 1, pinged me in despair at 0800 hr asking for an e-transfer of twice as much as one is allowed to send by e-transfer so she could pay the outstanding balance. She had previously told me that this lump wasn’t due until October, but what the hell — it’s hard to get details from a panicked person who communicates by Facebook Messenger. I was going to London anyhow for a choir meeting and the linen delivery to Logan’s sister Faith at Western, so I added Fanshawe to the itinerary and prepared for a trying day.

The Fanshawe campus was just nuts, crowded with wandering packs of students and half the streets blocked for an outdoor rally that had its epicentre less than 100 metres from the bursar’s office. Finding a legal parking spot required a bolt of sheer luck, but I paid for that by having to deal with the B team at the bursar’s office, a sweet young woman with a whispering voice who did not know how to persuade her computer to churn out a receipt. I flatly refused to walk away without a receipt after forking over several thousand dollars, so she had to sit there and damned well figure it out in all the noisy turmoil while I stood at the wicket and glared.

I was 15 minutes late to the meeting after getting stuck in a tailback on Fanshawe Park Road. It was so bad that drivers desperate to turn right resorted to the bike lane, where no cyclist with the brains God gave a goose would be. After looking around for cops, I followed suit. Yet another reason to drive a sub-compact car.

Young Faith met me bang on time at the rendez-vous and we hauled the rug and basket of linen up to her room. The residence was strongly reminiscent of a barrack I lived in forty-five years ago. There was an elevator and each room had its own bathroom and closet, but the way our voices bounced off the blank institutional walls and the whiff of hospital-strength floor cleaner were just the same.

Home again to the cats and a supper of cold chicken and an enormous field tomato, then a couple of hours with Stephen King’s new book before hitting the sack.

Pool class today, and an afternoon of hauling music out of the choir’s storage area in the basement of an architect’s office. Lots of stairs — good for the legs.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 11:48 AM

That sounds like a rather heroic trip to campus, Charmion. I rarely drove near the epicenter of my university during the fall move-in days. Especially after being rear-ended by a student on the edge of the campus (years ago now).

Don, I will share that link with my brother. The site that I use most consistently these days is Freecycle. Earlier this year I snagged a couple of trashbags full of very nice yarn for my daughter who crochets, and a nice piece of leftover wall-to-wall carpeting to use in my bedroom exercise area. For large pieces of furniture in good condition and clean mattresses, the Salvation Army will send its truck and beefy men to pick up the items. I should tell him about that also.

At bedtime last night I found myself reflecting on the day; this birthday felt a lot different than many in the past decade or two, an unusual sensation. I speculate that it might be because of a lull in the COVID activity, but we still wore masks into the restaurant, spaced ourselves away from others, and only removed masks when food arrived. I gave myself permission to spend a little money this year (fitness tracker and the denim jacket). I think mostly it's because I feel more like I'm back to my old self size-wise. More energy, a little bit less invisible than when being a stout older woman. Now I'm just a gray-haired slim older woman. Perhaps it is time to add a lot of puce clothing to my wardrobe.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Sep 22 - 11:40 PM

Where were we?

The most memorable event in the last few days was when I was leaving to run errands and the garage door wouldn't close. I checked and found the top roller had broken off on one side. I had a spare and had to release the door from the motor and move it around and gradually get the replacement into position. (There was a YouTube thing I saw later when looking for more spare rollers that said to bend the track edge. Gaaaa! No way, not necessary.)

I got my COVID vaccine for the Omicron variant. That slowed me down the next day but not as much as the last couple of boosters. I've been working around the yard and I think the exercise of cutting and hauling brush probably worked some stiffness out of the arm where I got the shot.

Today I decluttered some leftovers and vegetables needing to be used and made a batch of chicken pot pie filling (photographed and posted on Facebook, so some will have seen it.) It came out good.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 05:02 AM

During the Mudcat closure I've been ill in a crisis-ridden way. The infection markers in my blood went alarmingly high in spite of oral antibiotics and my kidney function collapsed to a fifth of normal. But for my very vigilant GP I wouldn't have known what was going on and likely wouldn't have been here to tell the tale! I spent three days on intravenous antibiotics and struggled to persuade the hospital consultant that I was better off coming in every day than taking up a precious hospital bed. By Friday my levels were well on the way to recovery. One more visit tomorrow should give me a cautious all-clear, though I'm still on strong antibiotics, and I've been banned for life from taking NSAIDS for my bad back. One of my legs is still swollen and has blistered like mad. So never take your eye off the ball!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 07:08 AM

Oh Steve, you poor thing! You've really been through the wars. I'm wishing you an excellent recovery very soon, and, as they say here in Norfolk, "Dew yew keep a-throshing bor!"

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 08:18 AM

We had mum in hospital on IV antibiotics too. She had a fall in the bathroom Sun 4th and was found to have a urine tract infection. She was very confused with it. She came home Friday night. The event has thrown her a bit and the weekend wasn't easy but I think we are on track to returning to our "normal" now.

As for birthdays, mine was on the 7th and both parents forgot about it. I haven't wanted to remind them of this.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:59 AM

Apart from the cellulitis, my diagnosis was acute kidney injury. It could have been the infection, or the diclofenac, or the severe dehydration I suffered for 24 hours after the initial bout of fever (gallons of water consumed and, er, literally nothing to show for it for a whole day). I suspect the latter. The icing on the cake is that I've now got a stinking cold! Before you ask, I did test negative yesterday...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 10:50 AM

That’s awful, Steve. Thanks for letting us know how you’re doing. Of course you caught a stinking cold; Mother Nature rarely overlooks a chance to kick us when we’re down.

I had another birthday recently, too, and felt little impulse to celebrate. My elder brother and his wife came all the way from Ottawa bearing a handsome gift, but their visit was dampened by SIL’s difficulty adjusting to new diabetes medications and what I suspect is an unhappy effect of colon surgery a few years ago. Long walks were prevented by rain, mugginess, and forgetting to pack suitable shoes. They went home a day earlier than planned.

Since Edmund died, life has been dull at best — “turned down to about four”, I say when asked (and only when asked). Reverberations from the pandemic are still causing enough trouble to make travel chaotic and hassle-prone, so I stay close to home, and I’m only just beginning to attend concerts and the theatre on my own. I pay ridiculously close attention to the neighbours’ walks with their dogs and the progress of their gardens. Without choir singing and the occasional tune session, I would have literally no fun at all.

Edmund’s sister is coming to visit next weekend. She’s an easier guest because she’s very good at conversation (not a monologuist, thank God), and she wants to go to church and the theatre. So I’ll change the bed and wash the towels, make a batch of cockaleekie stew and scrub the kitchen floor. Gotta keep on keeping on.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:21 AM

Bugger :-( Sorry to hear that, Steve. Hope that you get well soon. The 25% off 3 Mossers best wines won't last forever! :-D

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:34 AM

Wow. Look away for a few days and people get sick. Steve and Jon's Mom, I hope everything heals up quickly this week. There isn't an easy fix for what ails Charmion, just keeping on doing what you're doing. FWIW, you haven't posted often about that loneliness after losing a spouse—it feels like you're going about this in the best way (no impulse to hoard his belongings, for example), but we're here when you do need to share.

I've enviously watched the progress in a friend's yard this summer; despite the heat and lately the mosquitoes he has it up to it's best postage stamp of glory look. Back when we were still working at the university he almost gave up the garden entirely; retirement and a renewed attention to health (he has a slow-moving prostate cancer diagnosed this year) have impelled him to work in the yard. He has a small house with a tiny front yard (a nice sized back) that is spectacular with xeriscape plants (well-adapted and native) and a lot of native flowers. I didn't have the ability this summer, but this fall I need to get out and work on the front. I wish there was a permanent and painless way to get rid of Bermuda grass. It's the number one weed in my gardens (and always will be as long as it is the turf grass that grows on the existing patches of lawn).

In the sewing studio I've spent time mending things, such as the a few inches of zipper that separated from the purse in a favorite leather handbag, and this morning I'll patch over a hole in the pocket of a nice weathered (but not holey) pair of jeans. I'm still discarding from the closet and finding other things to put back into service. When shopping I tried on a long sweater coat last week that was very soft but while it hung nicely on the rack, didn't hang so well on me (they didn't take into account that if it wraps, it should overlap at more than just the waist - and a larger size didn't remedy the poor hang of the garment). Instead, I have a wool coat that I bought probably 45 years ago at a now long-gone favorite high end department store (go in for the annual clearance sale right before inventory and you could afford a few of their things) - it may be back in style by now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:40 AM

Have taken advantage this very afternoon, Dave. You never know when you might get snowed in. And it's been Collapso in our house ever since you christened it thus! :-)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:51 AM

Good man yerself

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 03:52 PM

I have a lovely wine rack given me by a friend a half-dozen years ago when he was moving and paring down stuff; at that time I sent a smaller wine rack of mine to my son. I haven't refilled it during the spring or summer because when I have wine there I tend to drink it - a bottle every 3 or 4 days, but still, it was a steady source of calories when I was trying to reduce. My goal at the end of my weigh loss summer is to restock a few bottles and continue my modest consumption, but maintaining the lower weight.

I'm at 35 pounds lost now, aiming for 40 and hope to get there before cooler weather sets in. It's much easier to maintain one's weight during cold weather than it is to lose weight in cold weather.

A note about wine - I've often used it in cooking and my kids have participated over the years in cooking with wine or having it with the meal. My son (about 16 at the time) and I were in a grocery store checkout area when a woman slid a bottle of red into her shopping bag, missed, and it shattered. As we walked past he remarked "that smells really good!" and we circled it once, trying to get a look at the label. My goal was to raise kids who understood that alcohol was best consumed alcohol with food.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 05:31 PM

You put me to shame with your wine moderation, Maggie. As you may imagine, I had every test and scan under the sun last week, and was amazed to be informed that my liver is in pretty decent condition. My kidneys are the right size, my bladder empties nicely (I had an ultrasound scan with it full and with it empty, within five minutes!), there are no blockages anywhere... My creatinine levels were, however, through the roof. They were going down nicely by Friday and I'm hoping for near-normality when I'm tested tomorrow. I'm hoping that tomorrow will be the end of an horrendous period of my life. That period included (wait for it...) the emptying for the first time in 34 years of our septic tank. I was expecting to be told that, oh dear, we can't do this, it's set like concrete in there.... But the chap said it was one of the best he'd seen and that it was really easy to empty! We understand that our system, which has always worked like a dream, may not comply with new regulations. That can be an issue for next week/month/year! There are only two rules, which we've always kept to religiously: no biological detergents and no bleach.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:10 PM

I had to look up the difference—the last time I lived anyplace with a septic tank I don't think there were "biological detergents" available. I guess the detergent's enzymes kill the good flora in the tank? We see advertisements for a product called Riddex that is supposed to be flushed periodically to keep the biological activity where it should be.

This week I'm starting the next push of eBay listings. I have a few listings that have attracted views and watchers but not sold so far. Now to start moving some of the thrift store and estate sale electronics. They don't make VHS machines any more and people still have tapes they want to watch or want to play so they can transfer to digital files on computers. The one I'm going to list tomorrow was found in a thrift store and there was a cassette still in it. Someone had recorded the sexy portions of movies, apparently. Maybe I'd get more if I included a view of that video. ;-) I test the players on a television positioned where it's easy to set up and use a Muppet movie in the player then take a photo of the player and the TV with the movie playing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:16 PM

Vino Collapso! My fave!

We have it in Ontario, too. This end, it’s generally a sprightly riesling from the Niagara.

Since Easter, my weight has been stable at or just below 160 pounds. I would like to shift ten to fifteen more, but that’s all. Thirty pounds have faded away since 15 September 2020, when Edmund and I swore a mighty oath to shed the flab we had accumulated during the first lockdown. I haven’t been deliberately under-eating, but I have been making a concerted effort to get enough protein and avoid sweets. Except ice cream. Life’s too short to not eat ice cream.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:57 PM

So here in the US I think (if I get the drift correctly) the Yellow Tail Shiraz or the one they blend with Grenache and a couple of others, with a screw top, would be considered a Vino Collapso? I rarely spend as much as $10 a bottle, so I suspect I've had a lot of it around here over the years. Aldi carries quite a few in this category, as does Trader Joe's and Winco.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 12:18 AM

Back in late 2012 we were visiting friends in North Bay, Ontario, when Gilles took it into his head that we should try some wine from Quebec - it's only an hour drive. Off we went on a drizzly chilly day (cool misty weather makes for beautifuly atmospheric photos) to a town called Temiscamingue where we found what in Oz is called a bottle shop, a generic term for an outlet which sells any sort of alcohol.

After a conversation in French with Madame - I even said bonjour Madame in my best Ozzie French, and Madame seemed most impressed - we found some Quebec wine which, when we tried it that evening, none of us liked very much....it was very sweet, more like mead. However we noticed that 80% or so of their stock was from Oz! Wolf Blass, Yellow Tail, Jacob's Creek, which we can buy in any bottle shop here; we would have expected wine in Quebec to be either local, or imported from France.

Probably even had some Chateau Cardboard tucked away too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 06:28 AM

I gained 7 lbs. Yesterday I removed 2 heavy rugs and installed 12x15 wall to wall carpet that matches the drapes and furniture. A glass table removed a square inch of skin from my forearm but it doesn't hurt. I still have some hallway work to do. Furniture moving was the bulk of the lifting but I'm not sore today. The room looks bigger today and the cats seem to love it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 06:47 AM

The real name of the vino in question is Colpasso, a very nice red (Nero d'Avola) from Sicily. I put Dave on to it a while back, as it's available at Morrisons, an emporium with which he has connections, and he promptly rechristened it Collapso! Only appropriate after two bottles (not that I'd know)!

Off to the hospital in a few minutes for what I hope will be my signing-off. Luckily, the acute kidney injury, which I'm hoping will have almost completely resolved by now, had nothing to do with wine drinking, so our Wednesday night ritual of wine and cheese and no cooking looks secure! After that, I have to contemplate cutting my neglected, out-of-control grass, which will be sprouting from the chimney tops if I don't do something soon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 08:53 AM

I think there’s a couple of bottles of Colpasso in the cellar. It’s time to take inventory and identify what will need drinking soon; last month I found a 2014 Chardonnay that tasted of raisins.

When Edmund died, the wine rack (200 sections of terra-cotta drainage pipe stacked against the foundation) contained more than 150 bottles. Nearly two years later, I’m down to about 120 — and I’ve taken wine everywhere I’ve been invited in the interim. I bought some prosecco a couple of weeks ago to make Aperol spritz for the rellies, but I think that’s been my only wine purchase.

Yesterday I vacuumed, dusted and mopped everything on the ground floor of the house, removing prodigious quantities of cat hair, and today I shall attack the upstairs. It’s time to deal with the warren of dust bunnies under my bed, not to speak of 13 open bookcases and three Oriental carpets. The toilets and sinks are clean; it’s just everything else.

As the summer wanes, the angle of the sun has changed enough that I have to move several large houseplants to keep them out of direct glare. One in particular — a bushy Maranta leuconeura — has been so happy in the library that it doubled its spread during the summer and now looks as if it needs a room of its own.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 10:55 AM

JennieG, I almost mentioned the cardboard offerings in my list of inexpensive but acceptable wines - I haven't had any of them in many years, deciding to go with glass as it is completely recyclable. Meanwhile, it's good to know what was the unfortunately named progenitor of the House of Mudcat Collapso wines - though I can't find a trace of them for sale here in the US. A search on Google offers up other Italian red wine blends.

I've lived in a lot of different states and they each have their own rules for selling alcohol. There were dry cities here in Texas (there may still be) but the large city where I worked reversed that a dozen years ago and the liquor stores that sold everything at the city boundaries soon closed as businesses popped up in town. Beer and wine are ok in grocery stores, the hard stuff in their own stores. In Washington where I grew up there used to be state liquor stores until the Costco warehouses took it to court (Costco is also based in Washington) and now liquor sales are separate from wine and beer but not in state stores. In Arizona everything is sold in any store, it's just in it's own room. In Kentucky we used to have to drive a county to the west to buy cases of beer to bring home.

I haven't driven much of anywhere in ages except to buy gasoline without ethanol (next county west of here). I'm out of the habit, and if I go for more than I a day have to make arrangements to feed the dogs. And there is still COVID. There are fewer and fewer of us in public in face masks these days, but every time I think about maybe skipping it, an article comes along to convince me otherwise. This morning I read about the scourge of "brain fog" that goes with Long COVID. It's bad enough to feel that way temporarily after a medical procedure or in the grips of a cold or flu, but a prolonged episode, and no way to know if you'll end up with Long COVID or not - ugg. I'll keep wearing the masks.

Time to work on decluttering ugly potted plants out by the front porch and at the side door. Repot the contents or dump the contents if the plants died. It's all a bit of a tangle right now. And while doing this, work on the compost. I have a long hose that can be dragged to the compost are at the back of the yard. I need to turn and then water the contents of bins. After our hot summer the tops of the piles baked into hard cases and anything underneath hasn't had any water trickle through (even with that day of heavy rain) to help break down the contents. Repotting (and rearranging and sweeping) will provide an instant refresh to those areas. And while I'm at it, working out a way to make some small trellises (tee pees of cut branches or bamboo) for vines to climb. I recycled a lot of straight branches (curbside pickup) but I don't they they were particularly durable to use. Maybe cheap cedar furring strips in with other stuff.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 01:37 PM

It’s Cardbordeaux in Canada.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 05:43 PM

My infection markers were normal today. My kidney function has made really good upward progress but another week or two will reveal all. I'm discharged from the hospital and I just have to have another blood test in a couple of weeks' time. I've been severely told off for wearing (a) sandals, (b) shorts and (c) for going barefoot. Grr. I may comply in very limited ways...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 11:57 AM

Charmion landed a perfect 10 with that brand name. :)

Next door neighbor called to tell me they piled some of their branches on the pile of branches I have assembled at the curb, since the branches they put out at the bottom of their driveway already were picked up with the regular trash. They wanted to be sure the rest went so they added them to my stack. The way we do this is probably repeated through the neighborhood - you establish a pile of trash at the curb as a marker for the city to note, that you intend to have material picked up as part of bulky waste. And until they actually do pick it up, you keep adding to the pile. Mine has about doubled since Monday because yesterday I took more dead limbs out of the vitex in the front.

I started pulling the dirt off of the roots of a juniper that has been ailing for a while - when I planted it 20 years ago I dug a hole and plopped in the shrub - turns out most of them come from the nursery with extra dirt added to the pots and the root flare of the tree or shrub is buried in there somewhere. This line of demarcation - the flare - should actually be at ground level and show at the base of the tree. This talks about it. I think this one is a few inches too deep so I'm pulling dirt off (I'll post before and after photos later). The soil coming off of it has been accumulating nutrients and is in very nice shape, so I'm filling a few of my pots right now. When I get ready to plant something in them I'll dump the contents into the wheelbarrow, add some compost and soil amendments (various organic products like lava sand and greensand that provide nutrients and keep the soil friable instead of hard-packed. This is a long-lived plant so the fact that I'm doing this now will just keep it alive and healthier longer. And this is perfect soil for the repotting I was wanting to do (keeping in mind it is pretty acid from being under this shrub - I could plant blueberries or azaleas in it without any changes). I will probably also mix in some of the old soil from pots to lower the pH. You never need to discard the used soil, just add more amendments, etc. I also need to expose the flare on the vitex, come to think of it.

I've decided to start on the driveway side of the front yard and work my way toward the yard's front path (the half-way line in front). So this shrub needs work, then weeding a bed near it, trimming a couple of other shrubs, then addressing the larger tree I've been trimming all week - I've just laid out several weeks' worth of work for myself.

And on a topic unrelated - I'm hearing happy reports back from an old friend who finally decided to get cataract surgery after bemoaning the state of his glasses prescription. The first eye is so clear and the colors are wonderful! Decluttering the old cataracts is one of the things that Medicare will pay for (for the standard lens) that improves so many lives.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 12:19 PM

A good few years ago now my dad had both his lenses replaced due to cataracts. He told everyone that he'd had to have it done because he'd been "suffering with bilateral pseudophakia." I had to gently inform him that bilateral pseudophakia was what he had *now*... :-)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 04:18 PM

I ask that people consider information FITNESS.
Taking care of our digital selves.
Many people think Google will give them an answer to something.
The apps used will give you an answer based on filters of what you already know and ordering based on criterion Google determines itself partly by the number of clicks it gets. If they put something first it WILL get more clicks - ergo it is manipulated and bias grows.

Data mining follows you even when you are offline. Pay a dentist in cash and you will get targeted for dentist ads that night. The deposit is tracked.

Google ABSOLUTELY quarantines and eliminates access to Millions of websites they call pirate sites. Its bias is still a dangerous potential.

We should vary our search engine habits but even firefox is tracked. Check out how Google can shift an election bias by 60% INVISIBLY.
Source: video 'The Creepy Line' Dr. Robert Epstien
It can be found on Freevee

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 06:54 PM

The weather's been good today but I haven't really appreciated it much. The cellulitis has settled nicely and I believe my kidneys are cranking themselves back to something like normal, but I have the worst chest cold I've had in years (it's not covid). Every cough hurts me round my middle and makes my headache worse. We have our Memory Café tomorrow. The singer we'd booked called off at the last minute ("her clutch broke..."), leaving us stranded. Luckily, we have an act called Fiddlefit who have agreed to step into the breach, Gawd bless 'em. So it's been a bit of a day. I'm hoping to feel a lot better tomorrow so that I can go along. I might even take my harmonicas with me...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 07:33 PM

So as a friendly reminder inserted here, this is a declutter and fitness thread, and bickering carried in from other threads by the usual suspects is deleted and NOT appreciated.

Today after the gym I stopped by a rug shop on that side of town to ask about getting my Persian carpets cleaned. I have two small ones and one modest sized one, and I've heard good things. The place is stacked high with carpets - if you want to buy one that is in one of these stacks it is going to take a lot of work to get it out. He discourages browsing, he wants to know the size and color you're looking for if he's going to stir himself to do that much heavy lifting. I'll take one of them over next week and see what he quotes. I'm guessing we're looking at about $100 per rug. Some of the bigger and very old ones can be very expensive to clean; mine date from the turn of the last century and came from the family home. To my knowledge they have never been cleaned, only regularly vacuumed (at least in the 40 years I've had them).

It's too late to work in the yard this afternoon, the mosquitoes would eat me alive, but I'll get started working on that juniper again in the morning. I'm looking forward to how it looks ones the trunk flare (also called root flare) is exposed. And to start mixing up potting soil to do some pot planting for this fall. (I will go spend a few minutes picking okra - I have to do that every day.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 07:50 PM

Thank you for getting rid of that exchange. There was a post there I didn't want to see left standing in this thread, the spirit of which I do try to respect.

One more dose of antibiotics to go. For the last few days they've been playing merry hell with my guts. I usually tolerate them well, but I've been on a heavy dose for almost two weeks now. I have an emergency supply, sanctioned by the doc unbelievably, in case of a next time!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 09:05 PM

Getting your hand-knotted Asian rugs cleaned can be a bit spendy, but it’s well worth both the price and the effort involved in extracting them from the house and hauling them to the cleaners’ workshop. If the dog has eaten the fringe, as some dogs will do, a good cleaner will also provide repair services.

I just love the glow of the red Bokhara on my bedroom floor. I’m told they’re out of fashion since minimalism is the thing these days, but I don’t freakin’ care!

Steve, I can heartily recommend probiotic capsules for your poor innards. After decades of bronchitis and pneumonia at stonking big doses of antibiotics per bout, I had major grief from my guts that just up and went away when I started using probiotics on the advice of the gastroenterologist who did my last colonoscopy. I hope you’re soon back on form.