DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 28 Jul 24 - 09:50 PM

On the road today, skirted the edges of a bad thunderstorm out of Alamagordo area, and the phone alerts for more flash floods in Ruidoso turned out to not be on my path, so lucked out with that.

I just have this one trip to make to clean out storage in the southeast, and while east I'll see a few people and catch a couple of events music and mineral related. It's not a fit time for rockhounding anywhere south of the 40th parallel, I'm afraid. Perhaps I'll search for the elusive bedstead, there may be better pickings on vintage furniture that in the west.

Have cleared out a few cabinets and a lot of the 'basement' storage so that I can tuck in some of the poundage in storage. There are lots of hatches and cubbies to make use of, and may target those for the more heat sensitive items to stay cooler.

Today I tried to follow a zoom class while driving--got off to a great start, but stupidly laid the tablet on the dash, and after 10 minutes in the sun it overheated and went blank. By the time I held it next to the a/c vents and cooled it off, I was headed into no-signal territory in mountains. Oh well, I tried. Hard to schedule travel around classes and sessions.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 24 - 12:17 PM

Drive safe, Patty, and have good visits while you're there! If you don't find anything in your shopping I have antique bedroom furniture from my great aunt's home (the family home in Connecticut). I'm going to have to sell it or give it away, because I don't think the kids will want it (they don't at this point, at any rate). Double-sized, headboard and footboard, and planks from side to side to support the box spring and mattress. I even have one of these! (It goes with the headboard that is in my bedroom propped against the wall by my modern bed. It's so rare I should probably use it as a room divider or mount it on a wall.) There are I think four antique beds here, some of the headboards tucked away (one is behind the piano in the front room). Swing by and pick up a bed frame! :)

We're back into heat advisory weather so the Igloo cooler with bottles of water is back on the porch. I was out a few minutes ago to collect the mail - I ordered a smallish (~8mm) blue bead (lapis) on a chain to wear casually with t-shirts. I already had a pair of lapis earrings, and these will be my political statement on occasion (as a blue dot in a red state). I've also ordered a larger lapis disk that I'll make into a necklace myself. This is an expansion of my quietly political jewelry, that I assign meaning to. I have a pair of silver tree-of-life shaped earrings that I bought in late 2016, sure that Hillary was going to win and they were my celebratory gift to myself. Since the popular vote wasn't sufficient (still isn't - we have to fix that) but I knew the cause was good I kept wearing them, until I lost one. I ordered another pair and just about as they arrived I found the missing one down beside the seat in the SUV. So I explained the history of these earrings and gave the spare pair to my daughter. One day recently we met for lunch and grinned at the realization of our both having chosen those earrings for the day (it was right after Biden endorsed Harris.) There are lots of "blue dots" being discussed in one of the groups I belong to, signified by blue beads worn by women who are in the same situation. If the disk works out well I may get a few more and make necklaces for the women in the family.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Jul 24 - 02:39 PM

Yet another way Canada varies from the United States: here, the Conservatives are blue, and the Liberals are red.

And the New Democratic Party is orange, and the Greens are -- believe it or not -- green.

As a largely rural riding in southwestern Ontario, Perth-Wellington is deep indigo Conservative, and has been since it was formed in the redistribution after the 2001 census. Perth County, with its seat at Stratford, has voted Conservative since Confederation. The riding has been represented by a Liberal MP only during periods when its boundaries reached into the suburbs of Waterloo and Kitchener.

That puts me into an almost negligible political minority here. In more than 50 years as a voter I have cast my ballot for a Conservative exactly once: in (I think) 1981, for Flora Macdonald in Kingston and the Islands.

Nowadays, I can never make up my mind which of the major non-Conservative parties I favour this week, as I spent so much of my working life in politically non-aligned military or government service. Besides, they're all centre-left, varying in their social roots and policy focus. At every election, I have to read the campaign literature carefully to decide which losing candidate will get my support!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 24 - 06:55 PM

For all but the top few candidates I also look to the literature for information. What they send out on glossy postcards through the mail is rarely helpful, but the non-partisan League of Women Voters maintains election information for all candidates, and a questionnaire they can fill out with their background, skills, past seats, etc. The fact that some candidates blow off that site speaks volumes when their data space is empty. It sometimes takes a bit of searching for the truth when they have gimmicky phrases as their slogans.

Another eBay item photographed, packed up, and listed. I am trying for one new listing a day this week. I have so many projects going on right now that sounds ambitious, but other projects would be so much easier if I get some of this stuff sold. (If Patty wants a bed she can have it - no sale required!)

I have finally gotten past that sore throat that bothered me on and off for over a week. It must be allergies this time of year. The thing that finally helped me turn the corner was using one of those ear cleaning kits - a few drops of oil in each ear, followed by several syringes of warm water. Stuffy ears and a sore throat

Since I've mentioned making the necklace with the lapis disk I'm thinking about some of my other jewelry making resources. I have a lot of freshwater pearls, and Kamala loves pearls. Perhaps it's time to do some more of the design I worked out several years ago. It's like this, but I added small dark red garnet beads between each pearl. I've used the purple and the almost-black ones. I will confess that the idea came from the jewelry worn in the early season of Bones, when they had Emily Deschanel wearing some wonderful anthropologist-looking jewelry. I don't see the particular one (in an image search) that I loved, but I found a funny remark on Reddit: "The chunky necklace and belt budget in the first few seasons must have been astronomical." Using some of my beads now would justify keeping them when I haven't done much for long time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 30 Jul 24 - 07:31 AM

Don't forget the Bloc Québécois, Charmion. They're using a "bleu celeste."

I don't recall what the late, unlamented Reform Party used as their colour.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 24 - 11:13 PM

This evening I made a quiche, adapting features from a couple of recipe books. No crust, as is my usual version now. I have a half-sized pan that makes three portions - a reasonable amount so I'm not tired of when I finish it. I'm doing low carb but I still eat dairy so it has the fats and proteins that I'm looking for. It's Emmentaler and ham with finely chopped onion, eggs, cream, and milk, and sliced almonds sprinkled on top. Here it is saved on My Fitness Pal. (If you can't open it I can post the recipe later.)

I found a particularly good workout on Essentrics this afternoon, one I haven't seen before so it was nice to do a new routine, and it was great for my back ahead of spending 45 minutes bent over the sunroom table setting out a new 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

Photos are finished for listing the old rotary White sewing machine; it's a work of art from 1927 and it works. Now if anyone wants to buy an iron ingot of a machine that should probably be shipped via freight, we shall see.

And wonder of wonders - The Mother of All BS thread is working. Now that is a form of clutter that might not stick around for long.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 31 Jul 24 - 02:17 AM

I'm still here, still lurking. Each week brings more things that I can do as my arm, and particularly my hand and fingers, heal.

You don't realise how much you need both hands to do something until suddenly you only have one, and it's the non-dominant one at that.

Decluttering will happen when the weather warms up, it has been quite a chilly (by Oz standards) July. We have a wood stove, so once it's not needed a spring clean can happen.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jul 24 - 12:07 PM

JennieG, are you still doing PT? Did you tell us how you broke it (maybe in another thread?) As a seven-year-old I broke my leg (I think it was the right, but I can hardly visualize the cast any more) and wore the cast for three months, followed by more informal PT (my parents bought me a tricycle for the exercise). I walked with a limp for a long time and years later when I met my now-ex he told me I had an odd gait, probably leftover. Here's hoping your dexterity returns much sooner!

Down another pound this morning, and I'm understanding the science behind the type of calories at a more granular level. In a nutshell, even if you eat the same number of calories (I stick to ~ 1200/day) if fewer of them are carbohydrates your body processes foods differently. The carbs initiate an insulin response and those calories are parked for future use. If you eat more protein or fat it is used without the insulin and you burn more adipose. Most sugars and highly processed carbs, particularly from wheat, turbo-charges the insulin effect. Insulin is not your friend when trying to lose weight and stay healthy. Some of those rapidly digestible carbs (of whatever source, if they don't have a lot of fiber and liquid along with them) set us up for diabetes. I'm in the Taubes chapter about the myth of obesity, examining how it exists in the world and who is most impacted. Damn scary stuff.

My fingernails seem to be stronger as time passes on this low-carb eating; ironic that last week I sold those aspic molds, since I have a pound jar of dry gelatin that I was taking every day to help strengthen my nails (it wasn't working very well). I could have made aspic.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Jul 24 - 04:27 PM

If you have a bowl, Stilly, you can make aspic. It doesn’t have to be a fancy shape.

My weight is still going down. Since 7 April, I have lost 10.6 Kg, which is about 23 pounds. Most of it has come off back, belly and legs, which is why I will need new trousers for winter. I still have maybe 4 Kg to go — max. More than that will make me scrawny, a condition that does not look good on an aging woman.

That chapter in the Taubes book (I assume you’re reading “The Case for Keto”) was a major eye-opener for me, causing a complete re-think of every assumption I ever had about “healthy” food. I’m still kinda shocked at how much the medical profession does not know about nutrition, metabolism, or hormonal effects. At my most recent visit to the allergy doc (yesterday), he casually admitted that he doesn’t know much about relationships between diet and the immune system — really!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jul 24 - 10:05 PM

Dry gelatin keeps, and I can still mix it into my hot tea to work on the nails. It'd be a waste of tomatoes to make aspic.

I have Taubes' Case for Keto, but I'm still reading Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease. It's a hefty book with lots of citations and references.

Still working on the sewing machine listing; it's almost 100 years old but clean and I had the wiring replaced, so it's in much better than what I'm seeing in eBay listings. I'll start high and may have to price it down, but this machine is a gem.

The fridge has plenty of space today, as I use up produce for myself and the pooches. It looks like time for a run to the discount grocery, but also to Costco. They have the best frozen wild sockeye salmon, and I've run out. This is the kind of demarcation point I use when deciding when to go shopping.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Aug 24 - 09:05 AM

Slogging across country with miserable heat. Where there aren't crazy high winds, there is suffocating humidity. Not good for getting in walks. One place had a pool, but my hand was sticky after I stuck it in to test water temp. Noped right out of there.

Well, nothing to do but do better. Looks like an inside workout is on the agenda for this morning, and cleaning those carrots so they'll be handy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 24 - 03:35 PM

Stay safe in those winds and the heat. Are you going straight through, and do you have times of day you prefer to drive (aside from the usual avoiding driving into the sun at dawn or dusk)?

I waited to shower today until after I do a little yard work, though I was distracted from that work by a group of wasps hovering around the bed I wanted to turn over. Their nest dropped off of the front soffit (I've tried for days to be non-chemical and spray it with soapy water; remarkably they seem impervious to the wasp spray I used one time) and once it fell they started trying new spots to build. When they sting, they do it as a group, and I've been stung several times over the years. As Patty says, that's a big Nope.

In the closet this morning I evicted a half-dozen knit tops that I won't be wearing because they have cap or other very short sleeves. My arms just don't look good in those any more (one problem with losing weight!) I've ordered a couple of new colors in blouse styles with 3/4 sleeves I tried recently. Two knit tops I had lost track of (buried on the shelves) are in the laundry and I did some mending, adding buttons to one shirt that I have no idea why it was hanging up when it had lost three buttons. I also ordered a t-shirt with the graphic KAM47A (you can visualize the tilted 4 and 7 being an upside down L).

Tomorrow I'm headed out early to be the backup for an acquaintance who has outpatient surgery. They won't proceed until they know she has someone who will stay with her after because of anesthesia. She said "you can lie, I'm always ok after," but I'll take her home and spend a few hours just to be sure she is fine. She's the one whose mobility chair needs a cover to protect from door handles, so I'll start working on that here tonight and take stuff to finish by hand if need be tomorrow. I also need to get a kit of eBay essentials together for her because she has discovered her building is a dumpster diving heaven and can sell a lot of the small things she finds. Having a setup is part of being able to do it, so tape, a small scale, labels, and some shipping envelopes and padding will go in one bin. For someone living on a SSI shoestring the extra income via eBay would be welcome.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 24 - 10:07 PM

Dupont:
Where oh where has Dorothy been? Barely moving in this heat! Doing almost nothing but breathing. Still no hearing aids but a new appointment with the clinic: This time I want to go on my own and be the one to talk with the person. I don't care how much it costs, I NEED to hear! (I can say that as I do have enough money for them. Cannot wait for Quebec health card - 1 October! If I am less than 3 feet away and R is looking straight at me and speaks clearly!!! At the grocery store: "I'm sorry. I cannot hear anything!"

The new meds arrived by mail today. I am going to put off starting than until after the trip to Toronto on 8th - to hear Colin and Jay Linden. I have no idea how they might affect my body and I do not want any glitches! With a bod that is in iffy shape, I am trying hard to foresee and forestall glitches. Especially coughing. bought some cough syrup at a drugstore today - asked for "something to kill a cough" so I don't have to leave. Also have the challenge of keeping gut happy!   

Friends packed up all my pottery that was in the shop in Ontario. It is in the LR at Beaver awaiting our visit after the concert. I will bring it back here for the "Antique" sale/show at end of August.

Totally by luck, I now have alerts on phone. Must not change any setting!!

So, I manage to do groceries, cook enough to keep us fed, do laundry as necessary. Pulled some weeds today although nurse is dubious about that re osteoporosis; I did the bare essential! MY neglected garden has two small zukes coming along and a few cherry tomatoes. It is still being watered with the soaker hose.

One might say I have not been feeling well. I realized a couple days ago that I have been getting ready to die and avoiding life. I did not want a med that might put me into remission. But R and my son are not of that mind and I have changed my view to doing what is necessary to keep on. R was happy to be so informed. I shall just have to take it as it comes rather than be fearful of what it might come to pain wise. The fractured vertebrae was horrendous pain but there was morphine and if it comes to the end of the line, it doesn't matter what the side effects are. The End of the Line is one of Jay Linden's beautiful songs - in memory of his older brother. Jay writes beautiful songs.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Aug 24 - 01:03 PM

Hey, Stilly: I'm calling on your experience as a seller on EBay.

The set of eight Waterford iced beverage glasses I bought arrived on Tuesday. The seller did a terrible job of packing (inappropriate material and not nearly enough of it), and three of the eight were broken. In restitution, she has offered to refund $90, to which I replied that she should round it up to $100 and we would have a deal. Then she wrote back, saying that the price of the three broken glasses and a proportionate amount of the shipping charge came to $87, she had already rounded it up, and she thought that fair. Frankly peeved, I wrote back to say that she had failed to consider my inconvenience, and she should think again.

If she balks again, I may well submit a review warning others not to buy anything fragile from her because she probably won't pack it properly.

Now my question: Am I be the asshole?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 24 - 04:58 PM

Charmion, there isn't a short answer, but I hope the following helps.

You have several options. Are the rest of the glasses in tip top condition, meeting your requirements as far as what you were looking for? If they are perfect and you would like to keep them, then keep in mind that she also gets to write a review of you as the the customer. Will what she says impact your score (and does it matter)? You're trying to sell china, so if there a ding on your score, than can make it more difficult to sell.

If I sell a single item, for example a used leather handbag, and it turns out to be not in as good a condition as I thought (this happened one time) - the buyer wanted a refund. I sell things with a buy-it-now price plus shipping (no gouging, it's just the eBay calculation of the USPS cost, and it is discounted for eBay). The way I set up sales, is that the buyer pays the return shipping, and I refund the purchase price only and the original shipping, not the return shipping. But those rules are made to be broken if you want to negotiate. This is what I have done two or three times when something like that happens:

If an item is rejected, I'm not going to sell it again so I don't want it back. The cost of mailing things back to me is usually enough to eliminate the frivolous shoppers (they can't buy something and return it and get all their money back, costing me shipping both ways. I'm not Zappos.) When I am convinced that it was my error, as with that handbag (my enlarged photo showed me the part they complained about) then I offer to let them keep the item (don't return it, don't incur that shipping cost for themselves) and the refund I offer is close to 100%, just enough reduced to cover the eBay fee for the sale. It saves them an additional expense so we both do better when they don't have to return it.

If I had sold those glasses (I'd have packed them better!) and they were broken, then in the US the USPS shipping cost includes insurance up to $100. I would have the party photograph the whole box, all of the glasses, broken and intact, and I think to get the insurance coverage for what was broken in the mail, some kind of document needs to be filed by me, possibly with photos, to the USPS (since I have the shipping receipt). Or else I send the shipping receipt to the buyer and let them file. Not sure which. I've never had to do it. I don't know if Canadian shipping is the same, (or if you bought from someone in the US?) For the seller, it's better for her to go the insurance route so she isn't out the cost of the glasses.

If none of that fits your scenario and you want to keep the three good glasses, then the $90 from her is a reasonable offer. If you wanted to return the whole box for a refund, see the discourse above (I included it for a reason). What happens if you return it? Do you pay the shipping and is it refunded? The three unbroken glasses have to arrive in the same condition or she can reduce the refund. It all seems in this instance to come down to the shipping costs. She won't want the broken glasses back. So if the deal is to meet your price or you'll return the whole thing for a refund and she's paying to ship broken glasses she can't sell . . .

I'm going to be extra careful with my next batch of glasses, after reading through all of the possibilities!

Dorothy, for someone who portrays herself at death's door, you're still very active. (I'm glad!) Good luck getting help with the hearing aids. Pulling weeds! It's probably good for you. :-)

I spent the morning down at a surgical center where an acquaintance was having something done along the lines of carpal tunnel surgery (a pinched nerve thing.) She was groggier after than she thought she'd be and I told her I wasn't going to just drop her off and let her fend for herself, though that is what she had planned. On the way to her home we went by the grocery where her pharmacy is and while she got that taken care of I bought two rotisserie chickens to put in her fridge. She's on a budget, gets Meals on Wheels, and eats a lot of frozen TV dinners. The chicken will be a few days of something else. She has four cats and two cat boxes that are usually horrible. They don't get changed enough, and I knew she'd need help with only one working hand right now. I emptied both, washed them out, then refilled them and carted several bags of used cat litter down to the trash room (she has a bin that she scoops into during the week and empties it all at once so the stinky litter smell is always there.)

She can call me if she needs help and I'll plan to stop by tomorrow to check on her on my way out to my discount grocery (great produce for sale on Saturday).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 24 - 08:52 PM

My surgery friend is feeling much better, but said her bandage was rolling out of place on the upper end (she does have very beefy arms, so that will happen). And she is a bit nuts (in a good way) - she's a dedicated dumpster diver and she couldn't resist visiting all of the apartment building trash rooms on each floor this afternoon. Tells me she "hit a motherlode." So I pulled out my self-stick bandages and drove up to put some on for now to hold the Ace bandage in place over the wound dressing. It'll have to be replaced again, the bandage stays on for 12 days. Thing is, I bought this batch of rolls to keep Zeke from chewing off his surgical bandage so it is bright green and says "No Chew" all over it. She thought that was hilarious (I hoped for that reaction). It's possible to buy a non-bitter-tasting variety for humans and we'll use that in the future. I should wash my hands - if I recall, if I touch my mouth I'll taste that bitter apple for a while, from handling the tape.

Silliness can be healthy, so a good laugh this evening probably helped both of us. :)

I haven't worked on the sewing machine today, I'll resume that work tomorrow. I'm curious to see what I end up with once I have it packed in a way that I think is best. (Good thing I'm not also listing goblets in that sale!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Aug 24 - 11:36 AM

The EBay seller told me to request a refund, so I did. If I’m told to return the five surviving glasses, I’ll do it — using the same packing material.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 24 - 11:54 AM

I didn't go back to see the total number when I answered, but still, she lost close enough to half of the shipment that it was a disaster as far as packing. Good luck with that.

We had rain overnight and I didn't hear it this time, but it's nice to see this morning. I'm going to take the daffodil bulbs out of the bed next to the front path, and possibly put them in someplace where it doesn't look so bad when the place fills up with grass later. I end up not doing much with the bed rest of the year because of the bulbs, and it looks weedy much of the year. I'll clear it so I can put in flowering plants with a longer bloom period. And I can put my banners there, close to the house (so less likely to be vandalized by passers-by.)

I have to go by my acquaintance's apartment this morning to help adjust the bandage wrap. She says it rolled down her arm again. We don't want something like that constricting the circulation.

Shopping for produce today also. The bandage re-wrap will be part of the trip.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 24 - 10:34 PM

Hatch chiles are in season and I picked up four pounds that this evening were grilled on the new-to-me grill. Much easier than the last time when I set up the charcoal grill and was in and out of the house for what seemed like ages. They're now in the freezer on trays to be bagged later. When I pull them out for use I'll peel off the charred skins and scrape out the seeds. They are so delicious. Many area stores sell them already roasted; they have big gas roasting cages that turn the peppers as the flame hits them - their parking lots smell amazing. In those instances you can buy them by the case (about 25 pounds) but I don't that many.

There are also now frozen cored and cut up strawberries and whole raspberries. Fresh blueberries for a couple of days and some to freeze. Lots of other stuff for the freezer or to eat this week. My bill would have been ridiculously low after all of that except that I also bought honey (for making my granola) and it is never inexpensive, anywhere.

We had surprise rain overnight that I slept through. A friend tells me it was a noisy thunderstorm but I didn't hear a peep. We still have an air quality warning through tomorrow. A typical mixed-bag for the summer.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 24 - 06:39 PM

This afternoon was the midsummer equivalent of defrosting your way into the car in midwinter. The fridge ice maker was turning but nothing was coming out, so I removed the compartment, decanted the cubes into a large bowl, then worked with a wooden spoon handle, a table knife, and the sink hose and water to defrost the ice blockage that had formed in the bottom of the case. There is water everywhere now since it involved splashing and dropping pieces of ice. I'll stay out of the kitchen until any ice on the floor has melted, then walk carefully with a mop to get any puddles.

Being several hours into the defensive driving course with several more to go, the ice maker challenge was a welcome distraction.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 09:19 AM

Your ice-dispenser situation is one of the several reasons why I won’t have one in the house. When we were equipping our new kitchen back in ‘17, the salesman was shocked when I interrupted his spiel to say that the top-selling refrigerator he was pushing us to buy was not a candidate because of this feature. “But everyone wants that!” he protested. Not me; an ice-cube tray doesn’t freeze up or leak, and you can disinfect it with Javex or stick it in the dishwasher.

The refrigerator we bought had to be specially ordered without the ice dispenser. It took weeks to arrive.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 11:39 AM

I resisted ice makers for a long time for the same reason. The old fridge at my ex's house was purchased without one (it would also have been a nuisance to run a copper line to plumb it to water). He replaced it after about 25 years and though his current fridge has an ice maker, it still isn't plumbed to water.

My fridge was a windfall; I bought this house right before the Sears announced it was closing at the mall closest to us. They don't move merchandise to a new store, they sell it all deeply discounted. I think this fridge was 40% off (it was a floor model). I picked up a number of tools and appliances there that spring. Fridge manufacturers have re-tooled ice makers over the years, this is pretty sturdy (knock wood!) Since I was moving here from an apartment I stayed in the for a couple of extra months to do remodeling in the house and had appliances delivered and set out of the way until time to set up a kitchen and laundry.

Two hours left of the defensive driving course, then I can send the certificate to the insurance company for three years of discounts on my auto policy. It's worth the boredom of the course, but they have some poorly written questions in their chapter end quizzes. I paid $5 extra to get the audio version of the course that plays with each chapter, but it is out of sync with the text and sometimes departs so radically from what is on the screen that I have to pause the audio, read the page, then listen to the audio and hope that I've got the information from one source or the other for the test.

Dermatologist appointment this afternoon. I haven't been in years. It's time for a quick look to see if there is anything I should have been paying attention to.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 11:39 AM

Javex -- we call it Clorox in the US -- I think it's the same thing.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 12:00 PM

Keb — yes, Chlorox and Javex are chemically identical. The trade name Javex is derived from “eau de Javel”, the original French name for chlorine bleach.

A 40% price cut might have allayed my misgivings enough to convince me, but the water here is so mineral-rich that I’m sure I would have come to regret it by now. Also, I like to move the refrigerator out of its niche occasionally to clean under and behind it, and a water line would prevent that. Just think of the plethora of cat toys that can accumulate in the footprint of a typical North American refrigerator!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 12:11 PM

The fridge has a good-sized filter that is changed twice a year, so that helps. And the coil of hose is long enough that I could move the fridge probably 10 feet from the wall and it would stay connected. What I have to remember is to pull off the bottom front kick plate and vacuum the coils underneath; I called a repairman during COVID and learned it was just that there was too much hair built up underneath.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 24 - 11:59 PM

Dermatologist says my skin is in good shape, and I now have an annual check scheduled for next year.

I worked through another hour of the course, and have about that much left for tomorrow. Ugg. I did get other stuff done today, but I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what it was. Beyond washing a load of dishes. And a nap.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Aug 24 - 09:55 AM

The now-annual furnace crisis began on Friday: fan and condensate pump inactive, water on the cellar floor, indoor conditions uncomfortably warm and sticky. This never happens on a Tuesday in May; no, the correct time for a furnace crisis is Christmas Eve or the Friday afternoon before the August statutory holiday.

The HVAC technician is due before noon, and this time I expect to hear that the furnace wants to turn up its toes and shuffle off this mortal coil. I can hardly wait.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Aug 24 - 10:48 AM

Charmion, I thought you had a new furnace in that house?

I need to schedule the annual service call for my heat pumps and at that time I need him to rework the line from my sump pump - there is condensation under the rubber cover around the cold line and it has been dripping back down onto the outside of the sump. My little plastic container trimmed to fit the spot isn't doing a great job of catching condensate.

This morning is for finishing the drivers course then heading over to re-wrap the self-adhesive bandage on my friend's arm, followed by some of my usual lunch and museum stuff. The friend with the bandage is bin diving in her building and has things to send for donation (rather than going into the trash stream). I suspect I'll also be making a run with some of that to Goodwill. It's an impromptu occupation for an unemployed person, the modern version of rag picking and tinker to put things back into play. She does it via freecycle and the Facebook marketplace, and I hope the sales are helpful.

My hairdresser appointment is this week and it's then that I make my big shopping loop past the Halal market and the Asian grocery with my list and requests from family members.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Aug 24 - 11:17 AM

The furnace dates from -- I think -- 2014. That made it new-ish when we bought the house in 2017. But they don't make furnaces (or, indeed, anything else) like they used to; a service life of as little as 10 years is not unheard of.

This one has an apparent design flaw that affects the drainage of condensate: a low-lying interior duct that easily gets blocked. Last year's summer crisis (over Canada Day) required replacement of the condensate pump, and the unfortunate duct acted up just before Christmas.

All weekend I kept the house reasonably comfortable the old-fashioned way: windows open at night, windows shut during the day with the curtains drawn, fans blowing. In fact, this house was not built with air-conditioning -- it was a late-'80s retrofit -- so conditions improved quickly as soon as I established cross-ventilation. Thank God for fly screens; the mosquitoes are just about at peak.

The EBay dispute has been resolved in my favour with a complete refund, but it will be a frosty Friday in July before I take a chance like that again. If I ever again want to buy that much fine crystal all at once, I'll suck it up and get it from Replacements or -- gasp! -- from an actual brick-and-mortar shop.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 06 Aug 24 - 12:59 PM

The Hatch chilis sound great, but I will continue to enjoy them prepared by the hands of experts! Always fun to drive through Hatch in fall, with seemingly every shop displaying big fat ristras of red chilis.

And the A/C dramas, yikes, it would be unliveable here without it, oppressively muggy, even by Louisiana-in-August standards. When I get back to NM, I will investigate the dripping that was coming off of one mini-split, won't run it again til I figure out what the problem is. Hopefully a clogged drain.

In New Orelans, where I had the great pleasure of joining in the singing at a meetup of the N.O. Quarter Shanty Krewe last night. What a great bunch of singers, and always newer and younger people entering the fold, even as the founder's hearty voice grows softer over time.

It was pretty touching to hear a young woman,heavily tattooed, lead us in "Wild Mountain Thyme". Gives one hope that the folky torches are getting passed on, one way or another.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Aug 24 - 03:45 PM

In Ontario, an air-conditioning failure is not a show-stopper. However hot it is this week, the weather will turn before next week is out, and even steamy days are tolerable if the temperature drops below 20°C at night.

This furnace crisis was caused by a defective switch that had cut off the electricity to the fan and the condensate pump. That’ll teach me to situate the appreciation — I had myself braced for a fatal diagnosis, and it turned out to be a bad case of “machine not switched on”.

Oh, well. Six months from now, It will be something elde.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 24 - 12:32 PM

You live in the Southwest long enough and you become expert at fixing peppers! I've been grilling Hatch chiles for years, though you can buy them grilled in smaller containers than full cases. This way I know they were all fresh when they were grilled, and they were frozen right away. The peppers I bought were medium hot, plenty of heat for me!

I was looking at the weather radar to the east of me, to see where Debbie is wandering, and noticed the New Orleans area got some thunderstorms yesterday. I hope Patty stayed dry!

Charmion, there are some things that brick and mortar stores are the best for, and I've bought from Replacements.com several times with good luck. I also have a few things I should offer them. (They would probably give you a wholesale price on the china you talked about selling.)

I worked on that Defensive Driving course yesterday morning and in the evening finally finished it. What a slog, but the certificate has been uploaded to the insurance company and I await an updated bill that should be about $100 less than if I hadn't taken the course. It applies for three years.

Joann's (fabric and craft store) had the right size of leather lace I wanted for making a necklace for the lapis "donut" I bought for my "spot of blue in a red state" necklace. At lunch yesterday my daughter was examining it and I explained about the mineral in general. Last night I started researching the grading of lapis and went down the rabbit hole of color and mineral content (Lapis lazuli is actually often three things - the blue lazurite, iron pyrite, and calcite). The darkest richest blue is most valuable, but with specks of pyrite it is really lovely and that's what my piece has. Streaks of calcite tend to mute the color; a little is okay but it diminishes the value if there is too much inclusion of either of them. The reason why I point this out is that I was thinking about buying 12 to 15mm beads to make a few necklaces, but to be sure to get the beautiful blue it comes in strings that cost upwards of $800. Change of plans!

I've always loved this stone, since my aunt explained to us the history of a gorgeous rather long narrow scarab ring she wore. It was silver set with three lapis Egyptian real antique scarabs, a gift from an archeologist friend in the 1940s. When she had it cleaned and reset the jeweler showed her the hieroglyphs underneath and the string holes running through them. A series of three scarabs would be pressed into soft clay as someone's official "seal" back in the day. There is simply nothing like it out there now; they were small scarabs in a row and she had long hands with thin fingers and it was the most elegant thing that she wore all of the time.

Haircut and shopping today, with a main stop is the Halal market. They had bulk psyllium fiber last time I was there, an ingredient used in some gluten-free recipes to bind the dough or batter together. It features in a non-wheat tortilla recipe I want to try because you want a flexible flat bread.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 24 - 06:59 PM

The increasing and constant heat is translating into the house foundation shifting. It shows up via cracks inside on a few walls in particular. I'll be watering around the outside of the house to try to reduce the amount of cracking. It happens every year. A few minutes ago I swapped a new soaker hose for one I hit with the mower last week, and have it running now. My water bill is going up up up. The air quality has been bad for weeks, uncommon for here (we get them intermittently as a rule, not for weeks at a time.)

Trash went out today before I tackled the dog hair, but I made headway this afternoon in the den and halls. Also hoovered up a few dead crickets. In years past the crickets were what could drive you nuts at night; the house is dead quiet but there is a cricket chirping somewhere, maybe between your shoes or in a crack on the fireplace. You could rarely ever find them because if you moved they stopped. The last couple of years the chirping I've heard is male green anoles puffing their bright orange throat sacks looking for a mate. There was one in the house for quite a while, though they're usually outside of the windows on the screens (catching bugs attracted by light at night). I haven't even heard that so far, though I've seen anoles around. Not as many spiny lizards so far, and though there is one big fat toad who lives near the back porch, only a few babies. I am sure it's because I haven't had as much of a garden in during the last two years. They benefit from all of the activity out there. I should go look at the Maximillian sunflower jungle on the side of the driveway - I let them grow large and dense in an area about 10 square feet and I've seen birds in them. That may be where everyone else is hanging out. If the lizards would just eat the wasps that are doggedly trying to rebuild a nest on the front porch. I've chased them away from several new starts after the bigger one fell last week.

Back to eBay listings, now that the defensive driving course is complete.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Aug 24 - 11:40 AM

A seedling rose-of-Sharon has appeared in one of the few sunny spots in my back yard. I didn’t plant it and I have no idea how it got there. It’s barely above ankle height so it won’t bloom for a year or two yet, but I’m ridiculously pleased. Rose-of-Sharon is a local name for Hibiscus syriacus, a shrubby tree with huge showy blossoms that come out in high summer and last well into September.

Among the things I love about Stratford is the abundance of flowering shrubs and trees. Yes, they make me sneeze. No, I don’t care. Ottawa, by contrast, has lilacs and wild roses, but also a preponderance of spruces, pines and firs, and miles and miles of bleak, spindly birch. Here, we have chestnuts! Magnolias! Holly!

You subtropical folks with your crepe myrtle and azaleas the size of a state coach must think I’m easily pleased. Okay, I’ll take the hit.

À propos de Replacements.com, Stilly, they do not want my Wedgwood “Strawberry Hill” tea and dinner sets. The pattern is old-fashioned (a feature, not a bug, in my book), and not one of the maker’s most popular — I had never seen it before my mother-in-law gave me the tea service as an engagement present. Fortunately, the entire accumulation fits neatly into a little old china cabinet that lives in the basement, and it’s not taking up space needed for something more important. I’m sure the pendulum of fashion will eventually swing away from today’s minimalism, and fancy table settings will be wanted again..

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 24 - 01:01 PM

Rose of Sharon, also called Althea, thrives down here in Texas as well. That's one hardy plant! Azaleas in Texas are a wimpy attempt to have the spring color but they don't do well here and there are only a couple of muted colors. In Washington state, on the other hand, they are huge colorful monsters, where we had rhodys the size of houses and azaleas the size of VW bugs. Same as in North Carolina, another place with rich well-drained acid soil. Lilacs don't make it here in Texas at all, neither does andromeda, another of my favorites. Huge ferns from the Pacific NW would only grow in botanical gardens under the right conditions. (All of these plants I've wondered if I could try to grow, then dismissed the idea.) Roses are ok here, as are magnolia trees (though it isn't that popular). Crape myrtle is a star of Texas yard color, as long as they aren't planted too deep (they have lovely broad trunk flares that should be in view, otherwise the plants kind of suffocate.)

I see a steady stream of that china selling on eBay. You could putter along selling pieces individually or in groups depending on the size of boxes and packing you have.

There is a stack of three concrete slabs (pieces of the old front walk) in the front yard that I was thinking of topping with an old wheelbarrow barrow on to fill with soil and flowers, but I've figured out a better use. This fall I need to start digging out the side of the berm and pull the old tires out, and I'll put the concrete in there. I'll need some help to move/roll/drag the pieces because they're very heavy, but they'll be out of the way and the tires need to go away; I think they're breaking down and killing the trees nearby.

That planter-destined wheelbarrow (a rusted antique) has been sitting beside the garage since I put in the new chunk of fence a couple of years ago. For now it's going to join some other rusty yard art so I can mow the corner where it is currently resting. The grass is too tall around it and kind of blocks the swing of the gate right there.

Deciding on yard work now is one thing; it's too hot out to do much of it. I'll move the wheelbarrow this evening and mow, but the rest will wait.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 24 - 02:33 PM

There is a particularly stubborn gang of paper wasps hanging around the outside of the house this summer. After days of spraying spots where they tried building a new intended paper nest (spray was soapy water) they finally seem to have dispersed. But for the second time in recent days a large robust wasp ended up in the master bathroom. Last night one appeared and ended up bouncing on the window where I finally trapped it behind the flyswatter (moved to the bedroom after the first wasp appearance) and squashed it. I am wondering if there are wasps in the attic and getting in through the growing crack at the intersection of wall and ceiling (because of the foundation shift.) Not something I want to go up into the attic to check (plus it is an oven up there right now.)

An email question yesterday from an eBay shopper asked about the wood in an antique spoon rack I've listed; I surmise it is a softwood like pine, not hardwood like oak, but have no way to prove it. When I look at that listing today there is a red line at the top of the page highlighting the message that this item is in someone else's cart. Odd that it would be in the cart still a day later when there was no answer and no sale. I await events. It would be nice to get that large box out of here soon.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 11 Aug 24 - 08:34 AM

Skirted all the storms, gratefully. Georgia is hot but not as miserable as LA and AL. The crape myrtles here are in their glory. I have seen so many beautiful slender ones in Virginia and Mississippi. I wonder if the soil is perfect for them here, or do they overdose them with fertilizer here, they are big, some as big as oak trees.

The mineral event was good, happily came away with only an ounce of new sand samples, but 3 New Mexico geology bulletins from their book sale.

On to the Carolinas and Virginia.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 24 - 11:05 AM

Patty, that sounds like a vacation, not a resettling trip to empty the storage locker. Did you leave the trailer at the self-storage site until you swing back through for the trip back to NM?

I have a couple of necklace cords for my lapis piece - it loops around itself through the hole in the stone donut then has two sliding knots for adjusting length. I'm going to put a stitch in the satin cord knots because they are so slick they can slide out easily but the leather cord knots look stable as they are. Now onto working on my other art pieces with political content.

Laundry day today, dictated by the low stack of undies in the dresser drawer. Trash day tomorrow, so I'll go through the house and see what is sitting around that needs to go; if the plastic isn't 1 or 2 I toss it now because the local company doesn't recycle it. The bagged recycling is in the garage and I'll take it over to the city bins mid-week; most of my neighbors seem to deposit there on the weekend, stuffing them completely full, so I go down after the company empties the bins on Thursday. (I often go down to those bins looking for boxes if I need something a certain size for shipping, in which case it's better to go when they're not completely full or it's too difficult to pull the boxes out without a cascade of cans and bottles in the process.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Aug 24 - 03:27 PM

Another issue with my new asthma medication.

I took this morning’s dose before breakfast, which I don’t normally do. I have to inhale it forcefully and hold my breath for 10 seconds, a technique that usually makes me a little dizzy. This morning was different; I blacked out for a nano-second and fell to my knees in the kitchen, striking the counter with my chin on the way down. Now there’s a big purple bruise on my chin, and I’m wondering whether this drug is as much a problem as it is a solution.

It’s washday here, too. I must now evict Watson from the bed so I can change the sheets.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 24 - 04:30 PM

Damn, there are so many ways that fall must hurt! I looked back - you mentioned a new medication in June. You're starting it now after the other was used up? Is it a blood pressure drop that caused that, or the medication hitting your system another way? Or both? Good luck sorting that out quickly.

Still adjusting foodstuffs as I lower my carb intake. I use dairy for protein and calcium, but this afternoon I'm cleaning the fridge of a couple of old pieces of cheese so far gone that they'll join the plastic in the trash tomorrow. At the moment I'm baking another bread pudding (using a gluten free English muffin for the bread) with Monkfruit drops for sweetness (plus cut up dates.) And later I'll make a freestyle quiche to use up some of the rotisserie chicken - along with some blanched broccoli and whatever else looks good. No crust. Fry a few onions, maybe defrost some mushrooms. Both of these are half-size of my usual recipes.

It is a quiet week ahead as far as external demands, so maybe I'll check a few more things off of my August task list.

Good lord. The Olympics closing ceremony has a Steinway hanging from the ceiling and the pianist somehow strapped to the lower end and playing. What could possibly go wrong?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Aug 24 - 08:07 PM

I’ve been taking the new medication for about six weeks now, and I thought I was getting used to it. My speaking voice is weaker than before, and a bit hoarse, but I can sing so I almost don’t care. I usually take it after breakfast, but today took it on an empty stomach. I won’t do that again.

The medication combines three drugs: a steroid and two broncho-dilators. It is entirely possible that it caused a precipitous drop in blood pressure. I have Questions for my next visit to the asthma doc.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Aug 24 - 12:13 PM

Dupont:

Stilly keeps mentioning all the stuff I do but does not realize the 10 to 12 hours a day that I am in bed on most days, or sitting in my comfie chair with computer on lap or, better days, a book. I do manage to cook something some days or just put a frozen something in toaster oven. Yesterday it was a big tray of cabbage rolls from M&M in oven as it was cooler weather, so R could have something different - he did not come home last night!

The trip to Toronto was worth every bit of the trouble: biggest being that I did not realize my next med appointment was contingent on having started the new meds at the "right time"! I just spent an hour trying to get through to someone at the cancer clinic. But - have faith! word did get through and a wonderfully cheerful nurse did phone me and will phone back with required info! I did not start the meds as soon as they arrived - unaware of the contingency- because I did not want any new side effects to get in the way of the trip. I told the nurse it was mental health med!   

Getting to meet Jay Linden, a cancer survivor, and creator of wonderful songs. I met him on MySpace 15 years ago when I loved "Looking for Something Better to Believe". And to see he and Colin (his brother, who I have known about 40 years, but not seen in many) interact on stage was worth the two days getting there and the 6 hour drive through the horrendous RAIN storm getting back. And a night in a Comfort Inn which was quite comfy. I was only out of bed 8 hours Friday! On the way, we had a night at Beaver - I spent the night and the next morning in bed. Then drove to Toronto for 7 pm - horrendous traffic for 3 hours! And yet, it was something I really needed to do and I would have been seriously bereft, even depressed, had I not succeeded.

Now, I must pay heed to the schedule! This med could cause remission. As for being at death's door: I certainly felt that was the case when this first hit me. I also just wanted it to be over without any suffering. But my cheering squad helps a lot.

AND I am hoping to have good hearing aides in a couple weeks!

And I have no ice thingy on my frig and no javex/chlorine anywhere - highly sensitive to it- and the furnace is working and the portable a/c is working and the weather is cooler for a bit, the basement had water but the books are OK, I can weed for ten minutes....

AND the oncology nurse phoned and we cleared up when to take the pill and she asked me all sorts of questions and gave me her phone number and extension so I can phone if the new med gives me any trouble ... and the next appointment is 9 September for blood work and chat with the Dr.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Aug 24 - 01:59 PM

Dorothy, you waited so long to get a diagnosis after being ignored, it has to be frustrating now trying to not be ignored any more.

On Saturday I emailed a book review to a friend in west Texas and heard back that her husband had passed away a few weeks ago from a rare cancer that is typically diagnosed very late. She is a retired nurse so did his hospice care at home. "Sadly this has been the worst year of my life," she wrote. They didn't have children (and her cat died earlier this year also. Sigh.)

They were vegetarian, and probably ate a lot of grains and wheat. I'm reading about diabetes and dementia in relation to wheat, but it seems the insulin response to wheat may also help cancers grow (instead of the early cells being killed off by the immune system.) So many theories, finding proof is the challenge regarding the Western Diet. As the saying goes, no one gets out of this alive, but how we go . . .

Today I'm digging the daffodil bulbs out of one bed in the yard to create a clearing for my political signs. I have to get free compost at the bunker the city parks maintain near me. I'll put mulch over this area and use the spot for seasonal annual flowers. That way if the Bermuda grass overruns it I can dig out the grass, put down more mulch, and not worry about anything else that spends the entire year in the bed.

I have a box of file folders sitting out collecting dust, waiting for donation, and I need to decide where to offer them. Before that I'll check out some of the shelved boxes in the office closet, I probably have more stuff to go.

There are a couple of completed jigsaw puzzles to drop off at the library, and some games in the hall closet. NOTE: I just checked on those games and found the top shelf and boxes covered with rat or squirrel droppings. Ugg. Looks like a long-stay hotel and I can't see how they got in there. I'll wipe down the shelf and all of the boxes with a liquid cleaner (I'm not that much into bleach). Most of my coats and jackets are hanging below that shelf - I guess I'll have to wash a lot of those on general principles.

Ugg.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Aug 24 - 11:35 PM

Two zip up hoodies, two fleece jackets, and my jeans jacket are going through the dryer now, along with a few small pieces of climbing gear (a couple of hats and two pair of gaiters that were on top of the games on that upper shelf - gaiters go around the top of your boots and the bottom of your pants to keep snow out.) I'll work my way through the rest of the closet either washing or dry cleaning as the week progresses.

I've cleaned the game boxes and half of those will go to the library, the rest will go back on the shelf (that has also been washed off).

Kitchen clearing out. I took my recycling stuff over to the bins behind city all and there was still room, lucky me! This is the bin that sits in the laundry room and overflows into the laundry basket if I don't go often enough. Then cleaning extended to the kitchen scrap waste bin (again) - it doesn't take much time at all for some kind of small fly to lay eggs in the scraps and they hatch quickly. This evening when I lifted the lid to tip my tea strainer into it there were tiny light colored maggots crawling up the sides. I turned off the motion-detector light at the side door before stepping out in my nightshirt to empty the bin in the outdoor covered bucket. The little bin and its cover are now soaking in the kitchen sink with bleach (one of the uses I do find acceptable). If I were Mr. Trump I would inflate the number of maggots in view, but since I'm not, I'll just say I'm glad I caught them when I did. It could have been worse.

The main thing this evening is that I called the recently-widowed friend out west and a two-hour call covered a lot of bases. She's thinking about setting up Facebook because so many people use it now instead of email - I told her I'd help her so she can shut down a lot of the nonsense that is default in the program. Being able to do video calls via Messenger is good - and can be done without a FB account, but it's fussy to set up. Better to have a well-regulated FB account so she can keep up with her quilting group and the local volunteer fire department and her generous neighbors who supported her for the last year. (She described their help - I love them without even meeting them.) When your beloved spouse was dying over the course of a year you're ready to move on - I asked questions, tried not to give many opinions - she is moving forward at the pace that works for her. I may drive out this fall for a short visit. We've been friends since 1989, so have a lot of history to reflect on.

Is it really only Monday? I've done so much already this week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Aug 24 - 10:34 AM

Today I got up feeling tired and a bit light in the head. Not myself at all, but not sick. I went to bed at a sensible time last night and slept well, rising about 0645, but I could easily sack out again had I nothing important to do, but such is not the case.

I have agreed to drive a mum and toddler to the well-child clinic at noon, and I must set up a microphone on my computer so I can record German lyrics for the choir. The owner of the microphone wants to talk me through it on Zoom, so I have to be awake and aware when both of us are available, which means just about now.

Sigh.

To avert mishap, today I shall move carefully, hang onto all handrails, and avoid making binding decisions.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 24 - 12:46 PM

Do you think the light-headedness has to do with the medications? With the end of COVID, with blood pressure? Sounds like it's time to take those questions to the doctor.

More closet laundry, this morning two bulky outerwear sweaters and my heavy LLBean parka are all in the washer on delicate with an extra soak and rinse and a lightly-scented bottle detergent. I don't use the little sheets of detergent on things like rugs or dog beds or jackets - the scent is light when they finish, but it helps neutralize anything that might have been contributed by whatever was in there. Mice usually chew up paper or cardboard and there was none of that. There was no dead squirrel or rat to show me what it was and I don't see how it got in.

Now an awkward segue from squirrel droppings to cooking. The rotisserie chicken carcass is simmering for stock. I didn't finish eating all of the bird this time, the salt levels register too high when I keep track in My Fitness Pal. The dogs got some good snacks. I'll have to bake my own whole chickens or put them in the big bowl convection oven (that version comes out closest to the consistency of rotisserie, but without salt in the seasonings before I cook it.) As salty as the current chicken was the broth will also be salty, so I'll freeze it in ice cube trays and use small amounts when cooking.

After a couple of months without, I had wine with dinner last night and this morning I could feel the itchy sensation on the back of my neck and scalp. That serves as confirmation about the sulfite sensitivity. It'll just have to be out of the diet except on special occasions when I live with the itch. I keep wine in jars in the freezer for cooking so the rest was decanted into other containers with good lids and frozen. Future wine for cooking can come in smaller containers and the rest frozen. I don't consider such small amounts a problem but they do add good flavor to sauces and stews.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 01:19 PM

Yes, Stilly, I rather think it’s time to see the doc, and take the whole deplorable collection of drugs with me. My GP’s group practice has “sick parade” in the late afternoon, so I’ll toddle along at four o’clock.

Still woozy today. Not very, but enough that I don’t feel safe on stairs.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 24 - 03:10 PM

I hope there is an easy answer when you put all of the medications on the table and discuss the situation. (I wish my GP had considered the statins when I described my lack of energy last winter - they should have been a red flag.)

The last of the coats and jackets are in the washer; this time the nice tan fitted raincoat (made in Poland - one I bought from I. Magnin in the late 1970s, and the style comes and goes in fashion -I couldn't fit in it for quite a while, but now I can), a couple of nylon rain slickers, a Gortex heavier rain jacket, and the new LL Bean parka. The only item left unlaundered in that closet is a down vest, but it hasn't been in there for long so I'm going to treat it as if any mouse traffic up and down garments happened before the vest took up residence. I can wash down items in the tub with a special soap, but it is a lot of work.

Burlap bags and a scooping tool in the back of the SUV; a trip later this afternoon will entail getting gas and a case of bottled water at Costco then heading over to the compost bunker to fill the bags with mulch that needs to go in the bed where I've been working.

I've been doing more sewing in the evenings. I don't have any finished new items to show for it, though have completed some mending projects.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 15 Aug 24 - 07:14 AM

Final leg east today will find me meeting up with sisters I have not seen in a couple of years, along with some other family. Looking forward to it and hope the stoplight gods are with me as I push through southern Virginia.

Spent a day and a half in High Point NC, seemed like a good place to learn about the current state of furniture. So I learned a lot, it's an interesting town with people easy to talk to. No new furniture is cheap, but I did see stuff from several outfits making real wood furniture, and got helpful advice on sleepers from a very knowledgeable fellow.

Also saw lots of crazy stuff, giant princesss beds for McMansions, antique stores full of big in-your-face objects-to-impress. One of the weirdest things was a line of real-world furniture with 'pickled' finish--which makes it look like cheap laminate! We're coming full circle on phoniness I guess.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 24 - 12:06 AM

Sounds like an excellent visit coming up, Patty!

With the heat warnings these days I'm doing small outdoor chores that let me see something has been done, then heading back into the house. Mowing the side yard where the old wheelbarrow had tall grass around it, trimming the suckers coming off the base of the Vitex in the front. Small amounts of time when I won't overheat. On a trip to Costco I picked up another case of their inexpensive bottles of drinking water. At one red light on the way there a panhandler was looking pretty parched so I handed him one of my spare bottles along with a $5. I think at that moment the water was the best offering, it was opened immediately.

The donation stack is growing with games, puzzles, and housewares (and the places things will go are various). Now that the hall closet is cleaned out it has me thinking about what I have hanging in other closets and what needs refreshing or donating (or being taken over to my daughter or put into a box to send to my son).

Weight is down another pound (I don't have much to go for my goal, I was only working on about five pounds). My fingernails seem to be stronger now with the higher percentages of fat and protein in the diet. Still reading the long book about calories. All calories are not the same.