DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025

Subject: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 24 - 12:27 PM

Katlaughing started these threads many years ago, as a place where our musically-active members exchange mostly non-musical tips and moral support. By comparison, The Mother of All BS ran for years and years and accumulated over 60,000 posts (not all in one thread – the original has been down for "work" since spammers used it as an impromptu DOS attack.) MOAB also didn't help us clean our guest rooms or garages, though it did have us diving deep into our imaginations to keep the patter moving along. These annual declutter threads may add up to a lot of posts, but don't clog the server. The Sisterhood of Decluttering has thereby spared the 'Cat shutdowns and proved that organizing content, even if only once a year, is efficient.

We've discussed organizing our homes and businesses through articles from Martha Stewart and books of Don Aslett and Marie Kondo and whatever the source was of Swedish Death Cleaning. There have been dedicated declutterers who dropped in for tips for a time, finished their work, and moved on. There are lurkers who rarely say anything, but we're glad to learn of their projects or progress when they do.

Last year we saw accounts of people moving or preparing to move, a much larger project than just the Chinese sliding puzzle most of us do. I suppose some of us who have more than one floor in our houses are doing a large-scale version of Rubik's cube. Moving is harder, especially if you're doing much of the work on your own. Pacing yourself and not beating up on yourself if things need redoing or a big change in plans is part of it.

Health issues for several of us have been working out in real-time over the weeks and months of 2024, and though some former members haven't posted here lately, I've seen accounts of knee replacements and more as we get things treated or fixed and move forward. Cooking and cleaning utensils enter and leave our homes. Hearing aids (they're no good if they aren't easy to operate), vehicles, trailers, snow tires, storage units, clean garages, organizing yards and compost, they're all part of the conversation.

Here is the 2024 thread, for reference, and each one links back to prior threads. If there is some discussion in particular you're looking for, use the Google advanced search, place your terms in the top and Declutter in the "must contain" line and point it at the Mudcat site.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 24 - 12:47 PM

Every time I see some immaculate modern home on a program or film I have to snort; there are people who manage to do that, but I'll never be one. Keeping up with the dog hair and sweeping regularly, dusting on occasion, and mostly just being able to find the things I'm looking for when I need them are my goals.

Having spaces set aside for specific activities means there is a room where I can work jigsaw puzzles and another one where I can sew. There is a fully functional guest room that isn't the recipient of stuff that needs to be put out of the way (my front room, kind of a second living room, is where that happens). My bedroom is the tidiest room (though there is a chair where clothes hang that aren't ready for the laundry yet) and my closet is organized. Years ago I took a hint from my father's closet when I cleared out his estate and have clothes hanging arranged by color.

To put away the holiday decorations on shelves using a sturdy step ladder mean's I'm going to have to temporarily evict the dog and her bed that now occupy my office closet. It's almost noon on New Year's Eve and I'm still puttering in my bathrobe so I will dress and get a few things done. Since the start of the New Year tends to be a depressing time (even moreso this year) I try to have the holiday stuff put away so it isn't there as a reminder of something that needs doing. I'll take down the outside stuff when I get around to it (simply unplug for now). The new LED up lights on the mantle will stay there and I'll enjoy using them, now that they don't present a fire hazard.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 25 - 12:29 PM

A grim start to the New Year, news channels covering an assassination-by-pickup of revelers in New Orleans instead of what they probably planned, looking at the magical setup for the Rose Parade in Pasadena. The local fireworks and gunfire last night were noisier than any July 4th I've heard in recent memory. Is this a celebration for the year they think will be better under Trump? I hate to rain on their parade so soon, but with their votes they drilled holes in their own boat below the water line. We will all sink with this one if we don't work hard to keep Democracy afloat.

I have a fresh notepad next to the computer to keep track of letters and emails I'll be writing to my representatives and others in positions to make a difference. This is starting before the inauguration because in Texas it's all GOP hardliners who were re-elected. I may need to start a spreadsheet at some point, those being more easily searchable and use for cut-and-paste.

Meanwhile, locally, this is the year when the front room gets emptied out. I've planned it for a while, have the boxes I need to ship things, now to list them and get them out the door. My bullet journal is set up for January and I've used an earlier blank page to start a list of eBay items, to be able to see progress as things sell (versus them just disappearing from the eBay page itself). A visual aid.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 01 Jan 25 - 02:41 PM

Comment from Herself (who's a dinkum cook) about air fryers: "If it cooks hotter, you'll need better cuts of meat."

---

Here's the air fryer post from yesterday (but also from last year). ---mudelf

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jan 25 - 05:46 PM

Sometime this month I must complete one task,
summoning to my apartment
the 1 800 GOT JUNK people.
There are some items that are no use and I need to get rid of them.
It will be an important step in preparing for an eventual move.
So that declutter task is ahead.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Jan 25 - 08:53 PM

So what's the breakdown on that, keb? Will you need a central staging area where all the 'take this stuff' sits, or will each room have a go-pile, a stay-pile? Sounds like a big task to get that ready.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 08:07 AM

I have done something unwise, and my lower back is in spasm. Oh, well, so it goes. This is why I keep Advil in the pantry.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 12:47 PM

Back strain - one of those things that is so easy to re-injure when you try to work too soon. Give the cats a lap to hang out on as long as it takes to get better! And Keb, let the beefy got junk guys do the heavy lifting!

Shredding paper this morning as I looked around the office for digital journal logon information for my tablet. I keep a couple of 3-ring-binders of account information, one for the free stuff, one for the paid. I print out the pages for the binders but they tend to sit for a while before getting filed. The search for one page means I find a couple of dozen others that need filing or shredding.

Today the blue heeler's coat was brushed to remove the sticky tangles from the baldcypress. As the dogs play and roll they pick up sap from the cones the tree drops. She's not a breed of dog that goes in for grooming, but still needs attention periodically. I also have to go through the entire house with broom and vacuum to round up all of the loose hair she has shed. It's amazing how much hair comes off of one 45-pound dog.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 03:02 PM

I haven't had a cold in four years, but today, I am decluttering my body big time. I have bags of used Kleenex, etc.
On this side of the cold, I can almost say it's good for me now and then, but it was challenging for my rib muscles at its peak.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Jan 25 - 04:24 PM

We might get a winter storm, so I shall be re-cluttering my fridge, I think...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 09:59 AM

Surprising to hear the new year can be depressing to some, I'm pretty invigorated at the thought of new starts and new adventures.

Going on a road trip starting tomorrow, and am taking time to methodically get ready to go. Much less anxiety than a rushed push, so far.

This morning a redditor polled the older people on how to keep things clean, and there were well-earned bits of advice given. Same old stuff but it works; clean as you go in the kitchen, place for everything, put everything back in its place when done. Clean the way you like; if you like dedicating a day to it, fine. If not hit one room at a time, or one task at a time. Maybe this is the year I finally get into some kind of rhythm along these lines.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 12:19 PM

Patty, you'd think new starts would be forward-looking and cheerful, but I believe it's a combination of dark days plus the end of events and ornamental lights, etc., that set people back. They see nothing to look forward to. I had a mother and grandfather in the mental health field so grew up with lots of observations about times of year to do with holidays, length of sunlight, full moons, etc. The social worker always observed that client crises happened most often at the full moon.

While skimming Instagram this morning I saw a short video about a nonprofit group of women helping women with cleaning projects called Hot Mess Express. Their slogan is "not a handout, just a hand." I see a branch in the town west of me. I'd rather volunteer there than have them over to the house, so I need to get my stuff taken care of first.

Whether we already exercise or for those who have thought about doing more, a PBS News report from January 1 might help inspire more activities at the gym, via fitness classes, or just walking. (Bonus - the Stanford doctor has a nice Scottish accent to listen to during the report). More power to the consortium of researchers, they've decided to look at exercise for both men and women. Duh. While you're at it, does anyone else see what looks like a large boulder emerging through the floor behind the doctor?

Yesterday I offered several items through the free groups and today is eBay stuff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 02:25 PM

The back is better, thanks to Advil and pool class.

In the locker room today, a plump woman well younger than me said that her goal for this year is what I did last year. Some months ago, this same woman scoffed at the notion of low-low-carb ketogenic eating. I blushfully accepted the compliment and forebore to remind her of her previous scorn. She who laughs last, etc.

I just ate the most wonderful stew: bigos, a Polish dish of hunter’s sausage, pulled pork, onions, carrots, mushrooms and sauerkraut in a tangy broth. Delicious! I got it from the nose-bleedingly expensive fancy grocery-cum-deli downtown, where they sell frozen soups, stews casseroles and curries among the virtue-signalling grass-fed this and organic that. Their chef is a genius with slow-cooked meats, and, although a litre of her bigos costs $16.95, it tastes worth the price.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 10:34 PM

Some items in the garage have been moved out of the way so I can drag several small potted trees and shrubs inside tomorrow in preparation for a late Sunday hard freeze. A Freeze Miser device has been installed on the back yard faucet so I can still use the hose in the winter (between cold snaps).

A potting stand and cart in the sunroom were both piled high with stuff that is now in the recycle bin. A few things were added to the donation box in the garage for teacher art supplies. I was able to unload some of my recycling at the village bins this afternoon but they hadn't been emptied yet this week so hopefully tomorrow they'll be cleared out and I can get rid of the rest.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Jan 25 - 11:13 PM

Dupont:

WEll, I again picked up "too heavy" groceries - then spent 3 days hoping I did not fracture vertebrae - as in Feb.I have stopped holding my breath and will remember to take more bags into store and only lift them one at a time! That trip to the ER was one of the worst nightmares of my life - prob The worst.

So ... It is already Friday - 3rd day of the new year! Today, I ascertained that my back is OK but energy level was barely up to get out and push level. until about 6 pm when I put cranberries on to cook - Taun's way! Watching them every few minutes lest they burn - YAY! Did a batch of apple sauce as well! There is still cauliflower soup and cooked carrots, and turkey/gravy from the bakery. Cleaned up yesterday's singed pot and accumulated cutlery and a few dishes. R helps but I need to do my share when I can.

A comment here reminded me of a visit to a couple about my age some years ago; The wife showed me around their lovely - looked like a model house ready for resale! I was stunned. Never in my wildest dreams! WE LIVE in this house!

The wedding was a bit chaotic - the tech expert may have been a bit excited about getting married! But it was a small gathering on FT, decided up and "planned" between leaving here on Sunday, getting back to Philly, getting the license and sending out lovely invitations... They did have a nice Quaker wedding - once they remembered what they had planned to say! Quaker wedding - no one officiating (as in minister) - kind of a do-it-yourself project! Attenders in person were Tenley's adult son, my ex and his 3rd wife, and the cat. On screen were R and I, T's parents and an aunt and uncle, Jeff and Agata and a couple other friends. WE did not exchange many words though I think I made an appropriately Quakerly remark.

The next morning, I pulled a notably crazy faux pas - I inadvertently hit the FT button on my phone and caught almost everyone at BF! Kind of neat actually! My son on Whidbey said a cheerful hi! Figured out what mother had done and said, "I'm going back to bed!"

And back to bed is what I am going to do!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 09:54 AM

Had to cancel my trip, hard freezes predicted every night now for who knows how long. Have to hang around and be sure the pipes don't freeze. I thought I could just drain the pipes, but would also have to drain hot water tank, pressure tank and cut the pump off, and I'm just not comfortable with all that yet.   There is someone coming to check on the air in the pipes problem by Monday. Hopefully they can fix the issue and tell me exactly how to set things up so I can leave here on winter trips. But I'm afraid by the time a new decent pumphouse is built it'll be spring.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 12:23 PM

Patty, that Freeze Miser device I linked to is one way to avoid the frozen pipes - when the water temperature reaches ~37 it releases a small amount to keep water moving in the pipes (once in place the water must be turned on). There are also Thermo Cube electric plugs that detect the temperature and I use one of those in the greenhouse (except I gave my extra oil radiator heater to my daughter last year for her pump house). Plug in the heater and turn it on; only when the air reaches something in the high-30s does the plug power the heater.

But like you, I'm preparing for several days of very cold weather. This morning I have floor mats and the cover of a dog bed in the wash, and will build a cocoon enclosure for Cookie, who doesn't have Zeke to sleep on this winter. That old lab really put out the heat! Pepper has never let her cuddle, so in lieu of that (and she's not going to sleep on my bed!) I'm thinking zip ties and a couple of things set up on two sides of the kennel will work. She also has a little jacket but getting her into it is a colossal struggle.

Going shopping for a few basics and some pecan halves to make the Crispy Pecans my friend shared a week ago - without being careful, those are one way I could find myself gaining weight! I'll vacuum seal them in small jars. I've realized his recipe uses a Worcestershire sauce substitute with coconut aminos (it didn't bother me but I avoid it when I can). Regular Lea & Perrins is made with HF corn syrup, and others don't have the anchovy that adds great flavor. After a search I've found one that I can pick up locally (Bear & Burton's W Sauce).

I'll drop office paper and junk mail at the recycling bins, though I've put a bunch of old holiday cards into a paper bag for a pyre in the burn barrel. They need a more dignified departure. I need to revisit some of them first, sent by now-deceased loved ones. I'll keep a few choice letters from them, but I must keep thinning out the paper around here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 03:40 PM

It’s snowing again in Stratford, now officially kinda deep. Lake-effect “streamers” — ribbon-shaped storm systems — have been blowing in from the west for three days now, and I have dug out my front walk twice, sore back and all. Today I decided to let it be, and just sit at home and read.

I intend to go to church tomorrow morning. There’s no point digging out again until then.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 05:22 PM

After my online search for Worcestershire sauce without HFCS and with anchovies, I looked at the bottle in my cupboard - it had exactly what I wanted and came from Family Dollar. It has a few ounces of sauce still but is six years old and was supposed to be refrigerated after opening, so I got a new bottle of each, and the Family Dollar product still has the same ingredients. I'll compare them.

Now to the yard to take down the all of the light strings before dark.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Jan 25 - 10:43 PM

Dupont:

That Thermo cube has been great at Beaver. Has to be plugged into a special Bathroom type outlet. Keeps the bathroom above freezing - as long as the electric is working!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 11:27 AM

My Thermo cube was doing a great job in 2021 until the power went out for 4 days, and I lost everything in the greenhouse. Now I have it in the garage and the heater set up so it turns on if it gets super cold. Holiday lights are all taken down, a good move because if the power were to go out in this upcoming cold snap the nextdoor neighbors plug my longest line into an unused bank on their generator. This removes the need to retrieve it from the tree light display out front. Potted plants that might suffer from 20^o are in the garage now. Some potted plants out front are tucked up on the porch beside the back wall.

I have a test batch of the crispy pecans in the oven. They're a bit spicier with the fancy Worcestershire sauce, but I think that will be fine.

The guest room is ready in case the friend who usually stays with me decides that the bed at her daughter's house isn't comfortable enough. At 90 she doesn't mince words, so won't suffer a bad night's sleep. Being ready probably means she won't need it, but that's ok. (Her daughter's daughter and family moved out recently after finally getting their own place. Now there's a guest room again. This is a common story these days.)

Yesterday when I was shopping I realized I wasn't tempted by the bulk chocolate when I was buying pecans, but at the dollar store I looked to see what kinds of snacks were borderline in my low-carb diet. (Research - if a day comes when I really do need something to eat quickly, what do they have?) The point-of-purchase stand had really salty nuts, really salty jerky, tons of sugar, and then there are peanut m&ms. If I haven't eaten many other carbs during the day I could get away with those, but after all of these low-sugar months they were way too sweet. Savory snacks are more appealing - so this afternoon after the nuts are finished I'll also make another batch of the smoky gouda cheese and pecan spread. I use it with gluten-free crackers.

Amazon delivered some of the King Arthur gluten free flour to try, my first attempt will be making white sauce with lots of cheese to make a small batch of macaroni and cheese (with rice or chickpea pasta).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 02:06 PM

SRS: You could have a small propane heater on hand for outages in the GH! Out of the house, the fumes would not do harm. On Whidbey, I bought a "Mr Buddy" (I think). and used it in the greenhouse turned pottery studio. The info said "No fumes"; there were. I phoned tech support and was told to return it for a replacement. No fumes! Worked wonderfully well. Wish I had remembered that when you were cold in Texas! Even if you had to let some fresh air in, it would have kept you warmer.

Sunny afternoon! -10C

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 05:57 PM

Thanks for the ideas on fighting freezes, all.

I have a friend who uses one of those propane 'Buddy' heaters to keep a large 5th-wheel cozy, and we've used them to play cards in a huge tent on a cold evening. Basically an apparatus on top of the propane tank size of your choice. Just would have to be darn sure the thing was not tippable by pets.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 08:48 PM

Dorothy, that suggestion would be great in places further north, but it isn't very cold for very long here, so most of the year that Buddy device would be parked. For now, the garage is large enough that it won't freeze in the few days we're below freezing, and if it gets warm during the day I can open the door and let in sun or water the plants.

This kind of cold snap is a reminder to charge all of the various devices around the house. The Stanley power supply sits in the sunroom and is charged several times a year. I carry a pouch in my shoulder pack (in lieu of a purse) with a 6700mAh power supply that works with the phone or tablet. The bright "million candle" flashlight also gets charged (and it can run a smaller LED unit on the back as a lamp in the house). I probably won't need any of them, but charging ahead of possible events is a good exercise.

The grim dark days of January are brightened by a house across and up the street that seems to be going for the full 12 days of xmas. And my little string is twinkling over the porch to cheer up passersby.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 25 - 11:44 PM

There was a nice surprise this afternoon - two items listed for a while on eBay sold and are now franked and ready to hand to the mail carrier in the morning. That is two good-sized boxes out of the house.

Patty, that warm tent sounds like a nice social setup for dining or playing cards or playing music. There's something charming about taking an empty space that with a simple cover and heat turns into a comfortable event. I've been to places that had big outdoor heaters and it's remarkable how well they work, but as you say, you don't want one of those toppling over.

Today was a big travel day for folks heading home after the holidays. I didn't go anywhere, but I'm also treating this as the end of the holidays and tomorrow will get back to business as usual. Here's hoping that from this point forward we can snatch victory from the mouth of defeat in 2025.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jan 25 - 12:17 PM

Two boxes out the door this morning with my tiny Vietnamese mail carrier who looked more like an eskimo with his heavy jacket and faux fur lined hood. I know I lost money on one of the items, something I bought deeply discounted years ago then decided not to use myself. But after a while it isn't about the money, it's about getting it out of the house.

I've tried several versions of a new recipe for crispy pecans and made notes. Now to see if the Interwebs offer any interesting variations.

Cold weather forecast through the rest of the week, snow or something equally slick forecast for Thursday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jan 25 - 11:58 AM

Yesterday was a slap-my-forehead moment. For a few days the light in my dressing room has flickered and gone out when I flip the switch. Since that switch has been problematic in the past (replaced at least twice) I was fussing about doing that again: I'd have to turn off power in the room at the breaker box. . . But wait! First check the bulbs! Duh. I have one down to take with me to buy a set today and see if that's the problem. They are the older long fluorescent ones that do burn out (I've replaced the bulbs in two other similar fixtures with LED versions and they last a long time. But not in this one.)

Along the same lines, it's time for changing batteries in devices that use them for memory backup. A couple of radios seem to be losing their pre-sets. Don't replace the radio, check the batteries.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jan 25 - 07:21 PM

Dupont:

I suspect this is very good news: the oncologist, a very nice person, does not feel the need to see me until April; Then we will look at a lesser dose of the heavier med that made me sick in late October. We feel I have recovered. I wonder if the blood tests show improvement of some sort; we never think to ask. I am having positive thoughts about making it to the wedding in June- even if we have to take a week to do a two day trip.

I spent much of yesterday's "grief group" trying to get the hearing aids to work better - which requires use of phone. I was jumped on for "fiddling with my phone" indicating that the person had not even paid enough attention to realize that I have been having a really hard time hearing; Some of that is because no one seems to have the concept of listening. When more more than one person is speaking, I cannot tell what anyone is saying! The "leader" does not think it is necessary for everyone to listen. Why then bother speaking? She also noted that this was a first session after a break - it should be social. I did not say that Christmas can be very stressful; the group could have been very helpful. We won't be meeting for two weeks; I will be thinking about how to address this --- with whom.

Now, I want to cook some veggies as we are out again!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jan 25 - 07:24 PM

PS: I spent time with Apple Help and hope the help has sorted out the hearing aid problem! When I tried, I ended up with a black screen- totally black! When I got through to A.H. I was Whimpering, "Help, please help!"

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jan 25 - 09:33 PM

Dorothy, are the people in that "grief group" strangers to each other, that they don't know about things like who is hard of hearing or who is reluctant to speak up, etc.?

I picked up LED replacements for the fluorescent bulbs and only two of the four worked, and as I thought about it, I could smell those two getting hot so took them all out again. They're not the right type, so either I stay with fluorescent bulbs or get a new fixture. One more thing on my list for the electrician who I will probably call this spring (there's some outdoor work so I'll wait till weather's nicer.)

The 55-gallon rain barrel was transferred from my SUV to my daughter's in the garage at her workplace, under the interested gaze of the security guy. I in turn accepted a large bag of glass recycling since her local recyclers won't take it. The glass was dropped off at the village bins on my way home.

There is a growing stack of solved jigsaw puzzles that may go to the library or the thrift store soon. I found some children's puzzles in the garage that can go in the donation stuff for the art teachers.

This week I realized the elastic waist of a favorite pair of fleece pajama pants has disintegrated. The existing drawstring is puny so I'll work on a more robust cord to run through the channel. No point in removing the elastic, it would mean taking the top of the pants completely apart.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 08 Jan 25 - 06:14 PM

Problems with lights: We once came back from holiday; the weather was cold, and I'd had the bright idea to save fuel (and reduce fire risks) by turning the heating off. When we got back, three of the ceiling lights, erm, wouldn't, so I worked out which circuit breaker to turn off to isolate them, and we called the electrician. When he came, much to my surprise, all the failed lights worked.

When the electrician stopped laughing, he explained that LED lights, and some compact flourescents, don't work properly when they're cold (by then, the house had warmed up). He wouldn't take monies for the visit, but we funded his next pint for the call-out.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 25 - 07:47 PM

LED lights are cool to the touch, but if they fail they can get hot and be a big problem. Generally I've found that the inexpensive odd-name brands don't last long, just stopping instead of any catastrophic failure.

I returned the LEDs and brought home fluorescent, but only two of them light. They're on circuits so two must be in place to light, and no tinkering got the second pair to light. For now I have two dead ones in the back rows and will look into replacing that ballast. I'll keep the receipt with the two unused lights to return if not much time has passed if I end up having the fixture replaced.

The visiting friend is comfortable at her daughter's so my guest room will stay empty, and with the possibility of snow, we'll confine our visits to phone calls. Will I be organized enough to do more around the house instead?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 25 - 09:49 AM

I have reduced my music CD holdings to very few, with the rest packed up in book boxes and ready to go. That leaves me with a full-height 60-cm IKEA Billy bookcase to unload, along with six shelf inserts for CD storage.

At one level, I’m still a bit amazed that it’s come to this. Until about four years ago, my habit was to accumulate all the recorded music I could, and never let go of anything. In the aftermath of Edmund’s death, a switch flipped, and I realized that I wanted much of it gone — just out of the house and off my hands. A wide range of music that I love was no longer appealing in recorded form; I would happily pay to hear it live, or listen with someone else, but it doesn’t appeal when I’m alone.

Also, my tastes have changed. I literally don’t care if I never hear the voice of Bob Dylan ever again.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 25 - 03:28 PM

That's kind of sad, Charmion. The whole music out thing, not the Dylan thing - that's a point of personal preference. There's another Mudcatter, who I won't name here, a family friend, who so reduced her personal holdings that I think she could happily live in the space of a modest dorm room. I don't know if she streams or gets everything from the library, but it was a choice to make life easier and less expensive.

I'm watching the horror, but now also, the navel gazing following the fires wiping out homes and communities all around Los Angeles. They've charred rich and poor alike, though we seem mostly to be hearing about the rich neighborhoods. When so many there work with broadcast media, they are exploring the loss microphone in hand, experiencing the shock on camera, people figuring out whether to move or rebuild, it's all on view (mostly on streaming/cable). But I'm thinking about Mudcatter open mike (Laurel Paulson-Pierce) who was in different parts of the state but has been burned out of two different homes in California. I remember the discussions of replacing destroyed musical instruments. I mailed her a cookie press a few years ago when the holidays came around and she wanted to make traditional cookies a few months after the most recent loss of her home. The point is that for those wishing to clear out extra stuff, there will be a lot of people working to replace a supply of the basics, to furnish their lives with books and music and a few attractive objects along with the basics. I suspect those who will be looking for good used items aren't the same ones whose burned foundations are in view right now. Those with the big houses will itemise and use insurance to replace stuff. It's incredibly lucky that so few lives (so far) have been lost. They can move forward and perhaps figure out what is really important when doing the replacement thing.

We have freezing rain and slick sidewalks here today so after slithering to the curb to deposit my trash bag (that may not get picked up until tomorrow due to weather), I'm inside and think I'll switch to music instead of TV to accompany my online work. I watched Carter's funeral, that was the important thing to see today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 25 - 09:40 PM

We were early users of iTunes, copying the contents of those myriad CDs to our desktop computer so it could be loaded on iPods. So most (if not all) those CDs are still available to me on Apple Music. Now I listen most to classical music, and I’m a committed subscriber to SiriusXM satellite radio so I’m spoiled for choice.

I’m not quite in the class of your dorm-room friend, Stilly, as I still have seven full-height bookcases stocked with books, but I understand her. I have days when I imagine unloading everything and settling in a bed-sit with a microwave, but there’s no danger of that as long as I’m hanging onto sterling silver flatware and Waterford crystal for eight.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Jan 25 - 11:30 PM

Dupont:

I am gradually realizing that I am feeling almost like my previous self - a moderate amount of energy and more positive attitude. I really did think I was going to die soon and felt OK, in fact, good about it. Tired of struggling and wanting the end of it. My son was having none of it - hence the family Christmas!

I surmise that it has taken my bod since November to recover from the heavier meds. A relief to know I won't be dealing with that again - at least until April, and a lower dose!

The "grief Group" hit the wall on Monday. 1. The room smelled of perfume when I arrived - a major possible problem for me. I commented and received no question/no response. Then the "leader", nice but lacking, let go of the whole thing and it was a gab session with several separate gabs occurring around the table. I kept trying to get the phone to do its thing with the hearing aids tho nothing would have helped in that chaos. As we neared the end of the time, nothing meaningful had occurred and I was fairly fed up when one of the women made the pronouncement that it was a wonderful session - as though she were making a group pronouncement. I said that it was not that for me. I got royal what-for from the woman next to me for playing with my phone - it should not be allowed! Nope! She was unaware of my hearing problem. And I had only just realized she is going blind - and just learned her name as I have only seen her a very few times. The "leader" said firmly that I had no right to believe that people should listen when others are speaking. And, anyway we had just been through the holidays ... I did not inform her that the holidays are known to be highly stressful - all the more reason to check with how people were doing....... She was all upset -"all my fault!" I gave her a hug and told her it had nothing to do with her.

There are a few people I like and would like to get to know better. I keep telling people they are welcome to visit. I am ready to give it up. But wonder if I have a responsibility for explaining the why of it - How to improve the group for those who need it. She is a volunteer. She is suffering from loss of husband and has shared her own pain.

Everyone just left so I went out to the parking area and told the woman going blind that I was trying to use my phone to hear better. and expressed concern for how it must feel to be going blind.   

On the home front: I did major grocery shopping today "(four dif shops) - very careful not to put too much in one bag and only pick up one at a time! Took me a while to get it all in the house. Then have a bite to eat and put a roast/potatoes/carrots, in the oven along with a pan of cabbage rolls from M&M. Opened a can of yellow beans- too tired now to do up the fresh ones! Fell asleep in my chair and woke to cooked cabbage rolls and a roast needing more heat/time. Then woke up to some of the pot/car burned on the bottom but the beans and roast were fine,

However: watching the FB page for the bridge, I sent R notices of how dangerous it was - NO lights at all on the entire bridge and dreadful slush and those dreadful new fangled headlights that make it harder to see! So he decided to stay in town.

Now! to bed, and so to cogitate... and sleep...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 01:07 AM

Charmion, every year I call SiriusXM to cancel because the introductory rate is fine but the monthly rate is too high. And every year they offer to extend the introductory rate for another year. I also listen to a lot of classical: "Alexa, play Symphony Hall on SiriusXM for 2 hours" is heard here often. I have my Echo dot next to the big receiver and a Bluetooth adapter plugged into it, so Alexa sends some mighty-fine sounding music through the system. In the car I switch around more between blues and classic rock and news. I don't think they're losing money on me, I don't go for the celebrity talk shows or sports.

Dorothy, sleeping while stuff is on the stove. Oy. I applaud you for how you generously spoke with those other members of the group. They're lucky to have you there.

Finished a big html coding project that must be done every January. I stopped part-way through to get moving by doing an Essentrics workout since PBS is broadcasting one of the older seasons this month. I subscribe and can do any of them, but I figure what the heck, do this because it's right here in front of me.

Streets are crusty, tomorrow is supposed to hover in the low 30s, then a real cold dip into Saturday morning. I don't have to go anywhere till Sunday, so will just bide my time here at home.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 09:43 AM

Stilly, freezing rain is the worst.
But at least the freeze will de-clutter any bugs around.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 10:08 AM

So we've had a couple of snows during this deep freeze. One lovely walk in it. The pump & well people came out and charged up the pressure tank, so the problem is solved for now, we'll keep an eye out for a slow leak.

Carpenter insists on working through the bad weather but keeping key equipment in my house, dry and charging. Really wish I had just put a tin patch on the veranda roof and gone about my business, this rebuild is taking forever.   

The weedeater refund finally came through, and I filled out the survey about how much I loved twisting in the wind for 3 weeks.

Tending to lots of address and bank changes. Astonished to find the new credit card is not only unusable but so is their website; you fill in sensitive info then it says 'we can't process, come back another time'. 2 days later, same thing. The phone line is solid static at all times and ridiculous wait times, and I suspect I would be told 'try again later' anyway. I'll attempt to turn the card in today at the bank which 'issued' it.

Tried to set up online access at said bank, got through their process, and was told they would review it for security and contact me in 1-2 days. I think this is day 4.   

I already tried the credit unions in town, all my documents in hand. One told me to go away for 1.5 hours because the officer was going to lunch soon, and no they wouldn't give me an appointment for another time 'it's on a first-come-first-serve basis'. The other has a dizzying array of nuisance fees.   

I guess I'll cling to old out of state accounts that at least are designed to work.

Bev Praver did a great song at the Singaround about automated phone systems, something about 'whatever you do, don't press 9'. Ironically 9 was my assigned choice on the credit card line.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 11:02 AM

Our snow is solid ice. I walk on top like a polar bear on roller skates.

Meanwhile, The Chair is back. I had it down to actual chair surface at some point recently...

But the spare room is spare, again. So, good news bad news.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 11:06 AM

In another vein, as it were, went through about 17 little bags of pot of various kinds and consolidated into one bag of daytime, one bag of nighttime, and one bag of who knows what weed this is, but it's weed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 11:38 AM

Mrrzy, good luck sorting that out. I'm told that what is produced these days is so much stronger than the weed of our youth that one has to be careful using it. I was a chicken, I never used it, and now it sounds like it's a riskier product than I'm interested in. Alcohol is the drug of choice here (though I'm off of that for a while also, just because.)

Patty, congratulations on the eBay refund! Did you try the CUs in the city that is on your mailing address? Las Cruces is larger and has a university, it is bound to have better functioning credit unions. There are some linkages between different credit unions (you'll have to ask your distant one how to connect with something closeby). Plus there are surcharge-free ATMs that seem mostly to be set up in 7-Eleven convenience stores and other credit unions. That said, my remote CU won't let me use their online form to link it to my nearby CU. I have to call them to do it (and I'll avoid "9"!) I can write myself a check and deposit it via a phone app, and that said, the phone apps are pretty robust.

There must have been reasons why you chose to rebuild the veranda versus patch it. Was the wood weak? You would have had to do regular repairs on it? Living in a construction zone is never fun but I bet you'll enjoy the outcome. When I moved into this house I had remodeling done, but I had a new garage built in the back when the existing one was enclosed in the house. I always enjoy puttering around the garage; it may be 500sf, but it's something I had built.

A friend who lives in the Davis Mountains of West Texas is at the point of replacing the furnace and AC in her home, and the local AC shop recommended five "mini-splits." That's what you're using now, right? Do you like their performance? Any tips I can pass along?

More snow fell on the icy crust overnight so it's pretty, but this morning is 33^o, so drippy. Yesterday was a national day of mourning so may be the reason for no trash pickup (and no mail and a delay on your CU paperwork); we'll see if the bag at the curb goes away today. There's enough greasy stuff in it that raccoons or coyotes will eventually tear it up if it stays out too long. Unless I have so much stuff that the large Rubbermaid can makes sense, I put a bag out to save myself having to retrieve the can later.

A damp dog has decided to hang out next to my computer chair. Time for a towel to use on these two as the snow melts. For those of you who use FB, yesterday I posted a photo of the red cap my daughter crocheted on a whim for one of her chickens. I'd seen a photo of a different hen with a hat and sent it to her, and she decided to whip up a little one. The result? "She was quite offended." But it's a lovely photo.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 11:54 AM

The mini-splits are a huge step forward if you have an older home that wasn't set up for central heat. They are quiet and efficient at cooling, and offer a dehumidify setting in addition to just fan or heat options.

But in winter you're using electricity rather than gas for heating, which isn't ideal unless you have solar power.

When the weather is changeable, you can't run a bit of heat in the one cold room and leave the A/C set to 78, all the units have to run on the exact same 'mode' although you can fine tune the temp. Apparently the main air handler that sits on the roof has to be working in one mode only. There's a little too much running around resetting each units temp morning and evening. Though you theoretically can program that with the remotes (1 for each unit).

Not excited about maintenance. Though they look sleek and simple, they sit very high on my walls, and it seems difficult to clean filters and troubleshoot. The Youtube videos I've seen involve ladders and plastic sheeting enclosures, yikes.

If she's already got ductwork set up for central heating and a/c, I'd be inclined to keep a central system going, unless the new units are crazy expensive.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 12:57 PM

That is good to know, thanks - I'll send these remarks along.

This morning I've completed most of my employment work so the afternoon is for sewing and jigsaw. And I may get dressed; everyone I've spoken to this morning is still in robe and pjs. In northern parts of the world cold weather is common and getting dressed each morning is typical. Here it's a snow day and lounging around the house.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 01:41 PM

A radio show on now will be a podcast later - Think on KERA has the topic Tech has outpaced evolution. There will be a link to the program and you'll find a link to the book if you're interested.

So far their conversation has covered brain health, nutrition needs, brains of babies, parts of the brain that respond to screens, and habits and addictive behavior, spectrum tendencies versus poor social skills based on poor socialization due to screen time.

Laundry needed folding because I was out of clean underwear. A lot of what was in that load was yardage that came from the friend with the yard full of plants I'll be digging; she also has art supplies and I'll be folding and adding these to the donations to the Welman Project (mentioned before). With the cold weather keeping me indoors I should poke around and see what else I have here I can donate next week. My sewing room was once my daughter's bedroom, and the closet is still stuffed with things of hers. Perhaps it's time to go through and have a call later asking what she does and doesn't want.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jan 25 - 06:53 PM

Three cubic feet of music CDs and a wine box of books have left the building — gone down Highway 7 to the Goodwill bookstore in London. Now I have to figure out how to move the empty bookcase from the music room downstairs to the garage.

No, I won’r try to do it alone. I have some respect for my neck.

Yesterday I received a visit from one of my fellow choristers, Marco of the bass section, who paints houses for a living. He came to measure the music room, which is enormous — two thirds the size of the two-car garage upon which it was built. I’m bracing myself for his quote. I must get that job done this year; the current purple-and-puce colour scheme has got to go!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 25 - 11:55 AM

I need to repaint the hall bathroom (where I went through a bright yellow phase a few years ago.) And the halls. And take down wallpaper in the kitchen. And the popcorn on the upper walls in the den. New windows and doors. So much stuff to do, but has been ignored for years.

Poking around for extra small things to tuck into a box going to my son I came across a #2 can full of art pencils, nothing precious, that is now going in the Welman donation box. I need to go through his dresser drawers and see what else can go because I remember just packing things in that would fit, not necessarily things that go in a dresser.

This morning I woke to what feels like the beginnings of a bladder infection. I haven't been drinking as much fluid in the colder weather, mostly cups of tea, and some of the carbs this week had more sugar than usual. Low compared to how much I got before going low-carb, but still there to grow an infection. This morning I put two frozen bags of cranberries in the steam juicer, and when it's cool I'll mix a batch of cran-apple juice, heavy on the cran. (I keep frozen apple juice for this reason).

Outside it is now above freezing so the ice should be gone by mid-afternoon. The special quality of mud after a freeze means I'll be washing floors this week, there are dog footprints in view everywhere.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 11 Jan 25 - 02:16 PM

We've just had our back fence replaced. Now to put back the vine eyes, and wire up the wysteria which pulled the previous fence over .... but can I get sufficiently beefy wire? can I microsoft :-( . Double thickness of the thinner galvanised wire will have to do For Now, but I fear it'll go Ping.

Meanwhile, the quote is in to replace our big back window: when I went out for firewood the other week, I found the windowsill on the floor, where it had finally rotted through. And I found parcel tape doesn't stick well to rough stone or wet wood, so the plastic bag over the gap is about as much use in stopping water getting in as a G-string.

Grumpissimo (*sigh*).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 25 - 06:16 PM

During this wet weather I got a good look at the standing water near the patio and figured out how much closer to it the new French drain will have to start. Last month I sketched out the route about six inches deep and 12' long. From the far end of that trench to the spot where the water still stands it'll need to be about 20' long and 10" deep. I'll finish it this month so when the plum tree blossoms in March it won't be too wet. And if it doesn't blossom in the spring I'll take it down and whatever replaces it won't suffer the same fate.

Apple juice with my home-juiced cranberry added blew today's carb count out of the water, but a glass of that plus a couple of the cranberry capsules (buried in the pantry) and drinking a lot of water should clear any bugs. I'll take the capsules all week. I've had this happen before if I wasn't drinking enough water and was inactive.

While working the latest jigsaw puzzle I finished an audiobook and then set up a spare Roku stick on the TV on that table. This way I can listen to books or TV streaming stuff (I have a lot of PBS programs to catch up on) while I work puzzles.

It's a stay-home day. Laundry is in. Leftovers for lunch and dinner. I am dressed in fleece pants and a layered shirts. This is flannel season.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 25 - 09:30 PM

There is a growing stack of craft items on the bench near the back door to be donated on Tuesday. Last night I pulled out three bags of fabric scraps from my daughter that I'd stuffed into a bin until I could look through them. I am keeping just a few. Along with other art materials and storage containers this will be a nice clear-out. Interestingly, a couple of hours after that task I had an email from a friend offering quilting scraps, so I described the place where I'm donating and she's going to see if there is something similar in her community.

Today's museum tour was in a dressier pair of black jeans, size 10. I haven't worn these in ages. I think these weekend tours stay open because the other docents know there is a chance the tours won't make. They wait and see if anyone is interested; I promote the tour as people come in and can usually talk at least one or two people into going with me, as I did today. That's ok - I get credit for the time spent whether I speak to 3 or 30.

Another pants observation - while we had a few cold days I was wearing regular jeans and later fleece sweatpants but I forgot about the pair of LL Bean flannel-lined jeans. Those are size 8 tall but are roomy so will fit ok now. We have another arctic blast headed this way in about seven days so I'll move them to the front of the rack. In the meantime, maybe I can get the waistband restored in my favorite fleece pj pants. I think there is another pair of flannel pants in the sewing room; I remember a pair that wasn't in my dresser drawer where I expected them to be so they're probably needing work.

Lots of water and cranberry seem to have helped turn the tide on the nascent infection. That's always better than antibiotics, because they come with their own set of problems.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 13 Jan 25 - 11:15 AM

Made a little headway on the clutter backlog, unpacked a few more boxes, and broke down shipping boxes that had been piling up; cut up some airpocket material for a million little rock-collecting bags. Found some sentimental items, a baking pan, as well as the doorstops that I knew were somewhere.

Power was out most of the day and then on into the freezing evening, really aggravating because the local power company apparently lies about when power will be restored. Apparently they automatically announce 2 hours as their estimate, then extend every 2 hours, it was more like 9. Apparently the issue was up in the Gila national forest, they know darn well it takes time just to get up in there, never mind the time it takes to do a fix.   

Work continued on the porch, with a generator adding to the aggravation.   Yes, it was wise to replace the roof and patch the concrete, no it's not going to be any more usable or pleasant than it was. It was worth the promised 2 weeks of disruption, not the several it has turned into.

Retreated to the motorhome at sunset, and just as had my gear moved out and settled in for the night, power came back on.

Now it's back to computer work. Reservations, insurance stuff, escrow suddenly changed, and the Illinois Tollway tells me they will close my account if I don't call them to ask to keep it. All that stuff they think it's nice to throw at people 'after the first of the year'.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jan 25 - 11:42 AM

Power outages - after 2021's long cold one we're all a bit punchy. My computer UPS devices can charge small stuff and my sister recommended one of the Stanley portable power stations. The one I got has been helpful, but I should have read the description more closely because I had to buy an adapter to shift the 12-volt plug to AC plugs (lamp, radio, etc.) You were more than prepared with the RV in the driveway!

My neighbors are leaving for two weeks (cruise in the East Caribbean - nice time of year to go) and we discussed the possibilities if the power goes out. Since they won't be here the generator won't be in use (she apologized in advance, if that happens) but she has children who live in the area, so I'm to give one of them a call if power is out for a couple of days so they can come retrieve items from the freezer while it's still frozen in case power is out for a long long time. The side of my fridge hosts a list of alarm codes, family phone numbers, and house keys for them.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jan 25 - 01:06 AM

Going through more craft room items. Some embroidery hoops going to my son's partner, a dozen in various sizes. I think they were to frame finished projects I never got around to. (I'll keep a couple for use in projects that might call for embroidery). I spoke with him this evening so what they don't want is donated.

Some of the associated vintage items, like the first edition DMC floss color card, has 330 colors, but research shows me that the most recent card has 489. eBay gets that. Books on rug and quilt crafts that don't interest me, gone to a better place.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Jan 25 - 11:29 AM

To Kitchener this morning for my monthly shot of Xolair (asthma drug). The weather is treacherous — snowing heavily, lousy visibility — so I took Highway 7/8 instead of the shorter but riskier route by the county roads. For a wonder, everyone seemed to have just received a stern safety brief: no speeding, no dangerous passing, no tail-gating, no going through intersections “on the pink”. It was downright relaxing.

The imminent painting project in the music room has me stressing a bit. In the small hours of yesterday morning I woke up worrying about where to put all the books and sheet music while the bookcases are under drop-cloths in the middle of the room. Not a good sign.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jan 25 - 11:49 AM

More materials soon on the way to my son, including his four high school annuals. I intentionally bought them for each kid. Neither was excited at the time, but they didn't realize that years from now those might be interesting references (if for no other reason than if, like me, they read the hometown obits and go looking for the faces that go with the names from decades ago.) They weigh about five pounds each (it was a large school) so it's good thing media mail is priced low for this kind of parcel.

A few more tidbits from the sewing room, and I found a large durable plastic bin that matches those I'm using in the freezer for like items. I'll see if it fits. It might help me organize all of the types of flour in there, or maybe a home for all of the packages of frozen fish.

We're getting an idea about the extent of the next Arctic air - Saturday through the following Wednesday, way cold overnight and 30s high each day. I'll be feeding my friend's cats again so I'll be out in it. I love that the SUV has a remote start feature so I can warm it up before trips.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jan 25 - 03:06 PM

It's cold out but the sun is so bright that I've given my mood and immune system a boost just for being out in it for a while. Craft items dropped off; when I explained that the box had bags full of clean scraps and yardage from costume design the volunteer receiving them showed a little thrill of excitement. Perhaps an interest of hers also?

Dog food picked up and then I browsed the dog toys and came home with two nylon chew toys. Cookie ran all over the yard with one of them, I probably need to go find it. Pepper is still chewing one on the bed that she typically drags sticks to from the yard then chews to pieces. I wish I could say this is the start of a trend for her.

Potted plants in the garage need to be moved into the sunshine and this week I can start the bed where I'll plant potatoes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 14 Jan 25 - 09:16 PM

Making progress on the organization front. I made a 'desk' in the library/office room using old planks,a 2 drawer file cabinet and the extremely heavy-duty box the mattress came rolled up in. Some artful draping with tablecloths and at least I have a place to spread out and work a bit (the little desk/table is busy with the microscope etc.) Unpacked a couple more boxes. Still cluttery, but feels a lot better.

In tidying that area, was moved to wash a bunch of rocks from the last field trip during the warmer afternoon hours -- I always do that the day after a trip, but let myself get distracted this time. And this evening I'm labeling the sides of all my various little boxes of treasure in the rock room / work room, so at least I know what I have, and where on the shelves it is. Need to fish out some stuff for the Albuquerque stop on the trip.

Air in the water lines has returned. So frustrating to know they just wasted my time with a band-aid. Maybe a better well company can come out here, take a look, and train me on winterizing before I have to leave Monday morning. Maybe not.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 25 - 12:17 AM

Good luck with the lines. Sounds like the first crew didn't want to bother to look for the leak? Hoped to get lucky with that bandaid. Can any plumber also do that, or does it have to be a specialized well company (or are those one and the same out there?)

The second desk in my office is similar to what you described. A leftover piece of furniture grade plywood (I finished the edges with a strip of iron-on oak veneer you find in rolls at Home Depot, etc., so it looks like solid wood.) It sits atop two two-drawer filing cabinets spread apart to give me a kneehole. Solid.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 15 Jan 25 - 07:58 AM

Charmion: "In the small hours of yesterday morning I woke up worrying about where to put all the books and sheet music while the bookcases are under drop-cloths in the middle of the room. Not a good sign."

Not a good sign? Well, given that your concern is about as First World as it gets, it's not a bad sign, either. "Painter, more drop-cloths for that heap of printed matter!" ;)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Jan 25 - 04:38 PM

I'm going to paint my house's insides soon. Paint makes a lot less mess than drywall work, I'll say that.

Meanwhile have acquired a lot of counter space by consolidating my toaster oven and microwave into a single unit, air fryer/microwave. It can make toast, too. But it added a lot of counter space, and extra sides to stick magnets to, too.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 25 - 11:26 PM

Sounds good, Mrrzy. Though I've read that magnets on appliances (including refrigerators) isn't necessarily good for them. I would never do that on the convection oven because it gets too hot. What about your new device? Does the outside stay cool during use?

Going through old email this evening I came across a class-action thing in the spam. It actually has to do with a business I did use in the past, so I've filled it out. Perhaps in seven years I'll get a check for $35 after all of the fees and lawyers have been paid. This makes two of these things now. I have a file for these and every year or two I check up on the cases.

I've picked up the two repaired Sarouk Persian rugs and will get them to the kids soon. I asked him what value they should list them as for insurance purposes and he said $2250 each. They spent the first 100+ years on the floor, perhaps the next 100 years they should be on the wall. I need the same repair on the ends of the bigger one in my room, but I'll wait till warmer weather, it's the rug I stand on beside the bed and the tile floor is cold this time of year.

I experimented with some King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten free flour and a couple of pieces of gluten free bread from the freezer. I toasted the bread, broke it into the little food processor, and finally put it in a fine grinder to make bread crumbs. Add an egg and some chicken breast to roll through all of it and I had the makings for a few chicken strips. Making a very small batch involves about the amount of one of carbs as one of the the slices of bread and a tablespoon of flour. I used some of the corn oil I still have here, but it isn't a keto-friendly oil, so will get very little use and won't be replaced when it runs out.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 16 Jan 25 - 10:49 AM

Someone will come out Monday to look at the well and supervising draining of pipes 'winterizing'. Then I'll travel a shorter distance than I had planned, probably stay in Truth or Consequences, and hit Albuquerque the next day.

Reassured in a way by the women in the well service office; but in a way unnerved because one immediately jumped to the conclusion the well is sucking air because the water table dropped. I don't think so, but what if the tech also jumps to that conclusion? I guess I'll get a second opinion before rebuilding the well.

Ripped the end-cover off my awning while pulling away from the house where I parked too close in order to load recycling directly from the porch, yet another humiliation in front of the neighbors.

Got to the enormous transfer station; there was a bin the size of a chest freezer, stuffed full of cardboard, nowhere else to put the stuff. And I had a chest freezer's worth to drop. Unattended shoddy operation.

Went into town where I had spotted big recycling containers. GONE. In the corner of the lot remained a tiny bin marked 'tin cans' and a regular dumpster. Put all my stuff in there, cardboard, trash, and all. I had already dumped the scrap metal at the transfer station.

Just getting a lot of 'nothing works any more' vibes everywhere I go. The bank transfer facility that should work, doesn't, no recourse, no one to call and get things working.

The lumber I paid HD extra to have delivered, and waited 10 days for--was delivered to the wrong address, then carpenter had them bring it here and received it, weeks ago. As he builds the roof, finds, tucked inside, a colossally warped timber, had to be replaced.

Even he of even temper has become frustrated. the RV park well failed, and they were sold 2 non-working pumps, so went thru installation process 3 times. No one cares if they waste buckets of your time because of their carelessness or poor quality.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jan 25 - 12:24 PM

It does feel like everyone is giving up. Let's see, why could that be? (We all need to send a message to Merrick Garland to for heaven's sake drop the charges on the other two in the Maralago documents case—because Trump will anyway—and release the report. We want to see it, not have it buried.)

That rotten plank stunt is so stinky, and they had to know what they were doing when it was in there. Childish trick. The lumber these days comes from rapidly grown young trees (better than cutting old growth, I'm not arguing for that) and isn't as strong. When I pick out my own 2x4s sometimes they'll be in a batch where everything is warped. It isn't being handled and dried as well at the mill. A good argument for not doing demolition with a bulldozer, but disassembling buildings that need to be replaced and reusing as much of that material as possible. It isn't just about rescuing fancy trim, windows, and old fireplaces any more. The recycling bins are emptied two days a week here and I have to keep track of those days to get in right behind them, because bins fill quickly when people don't flatten their boxes and put in bulky non-recycling things.

Back when I had a travel trailer I remember a couple of embarrassing sideswipes or things dropping off. They're handy, but there are so many moving parts to keep track of!

Another eBay item sold and will go in the mail today. One item is left in the listings, so I have to get more up there. And I have to finish a large box to my son; I'll take that that and the box of high school yearbooks to the post office.

Turning inward this year. More audiobooks, more work that doesn't involve listening to the news. Putting in the garden as a really serious source of food, because in addition to the climate change I think the broad distribution of solid waste "fertilizer" embedded with PFAS has probably damaged our food supply in a serious way.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Mary G
Date: 16 Jan 25 - 09:45 PM

hope this is not too far off topic, but i am not working quite enough hours right now. I need to work from home or in nearby community.. I have a car but it is unreliable and mechanics can not figure it out, so it has to either be on bus route or walking distance, two miles or so.

Are there any reliable places to start looking for online at least? Any recommendations? High wages are not expected. Thanks.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 25 - 12:24 AM

You were previously MG on the 'cat, correct? Are you in a city now? Last I remember you were moving from a small town on the coast, but I don't remember where you were headed.

There are lots of job scams out there these days, sites with offers but that suck people in for various nefarious reasons. That said, be careful about uploading your resume, but at some point you're going to have to have one ready to go. Indeed.com seems to be the winner in online job searches, if you enter your keywords. There were a couple of others I used a few years ago, when I was seriously looking, but this one rises to the top now. Linked-in works for networking and you can use it free or for a fee. Getting the connections in place so you can look at their workplaces or use them as references takes a bit of work. Your university connections would be a great place to start. Sometimes the site can't see the linkages you know exist and won't let you request a connection. Do you have particular jobs in mind? Freelance? Contract work? Regular part-time hours?

All packages mailed and other things delivered in person. Several items listed on Freecycle. Trying to stay busy as the world prepares to implode.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 25 - 12:37 PM

The dining table is set up in the den now with one leaf and the photo cube and lights in place. After the holiday move of equipment into the front room I decided I wasn't going to try to photograph and work on eBay items in there, it's too cramped.

Success breeds success - selling a number of items in the last two weeks inspires me to get more listed. I'll start with small and easily described items to build back the inventory.

The next cat sitting gig happens while an Arctic front is moving through, and though the chance of precipitation is low, it's not nil. I have a route I can drive that involves no bridges in snow or ice. Last year at this time I had new tires put on because I'd be cat sitting in similar weather; this afternoon I've scheduled a free tire rotation since I'm sure I've gone the 6-8000 miles they suggest is a good interval.

I'm also looking at what I have on hand here, regarding events of the 45 administration. I ordered a box of KN95 masks to go along with my home-sewn 3-layer cloth masks. My garden will be going in gradually in the next couple of months, and I don't think there's anything I need there. The import things I use are generally food items like avocados and fruit, and I'll have to keep shopping at the discount gourmet grocery and hope we're not hit too hard over there. If immigrants who work in the meat packing plants are in fear of deportation then meat costs will rise. Buying larger pieces, whole chickens or turkeys, may be part of the answer. That's all I have in my crystal ball* for now.

I'm getting a lot of mail from non-profits and charitable organizations as everyone scrambles to try to bolster their operations against what is ahead. The spreadsheet helps keep track of what I'm already supporting or subscriptions to renew. I need to look into the postal list to reduce junk mail, if there still is one.




*One glimmer of hope in our Texas government - the MAGA supported candidate for the Speaker of the House in the Texas legislature that meets again this year lost to a Republican member who challenged him and was supported by Democrats. He doesn't roll over and do what MAGA wants. The house, senate, and governor are all GOP, but there are still a few rational people out there. No knowing where all of this will go, but there will be some pushback.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jan 25 - 04:53 PM

I'm having my annual "How long to stay in Stratford?" crisis. Part winter blues, part post-Christmas slump, but mostly awareness of how much I miss my brothers and sisters-in-law, and my old friends. Not that I don't have friends here, but they are new friends, nice folks but they didn't know me back in the day, and they never knew Edmund.

So I did some housework. That usually perks me up.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 25 - 11:27 AM

That "where to live" inner dialogue is a constant companion here as well. Complicated by one brother moving to the east coast and one estranged, the remainder of family are six, three elsewhere and three here. But here is gawdawful hot in the summer and horrible politics. There it's about 3X as expensive to buy a home in. Tornadoes and hurricanes here, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions there.

It's insurance policy renewal time. Rates are calculated by state, and Texas hasn't had a disaster for a few years so it shouldn't go up too much. I'd hate to live in California in the next few years.

I've solved the dishwasher pod problem. It turns out those pod covers are dissolvable plastic and end up polluting the water and the treatment plant has trouble with it. I stopped using the Platinum pods with liquid contents because they don't clean any better than the less expensive stuff. The ones I'm using now are a powder in the pod, so I cut the cover off and threw it away. Dishes washed just fine. When the laundry detergent runs out I'll switch over to powder in a cardboard box (the current laundry sheets are embedded with dissolving plastic to hold their shape). First world problems.

I'm getting requests for the spider lily bulbs I put on the free places, but not for the rest of the stuff so far.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 25 - 07:43 PM

Everything is gone via the donation route except the halogen lights. And I scored a case of a dozen heat pump air filters that I'll pick up tomorrow. That's a nice cost savings.

Today was one of those days in which my ex has had technological issues all day long. I tried calling last night and today, no answer. No response to texts. Finally got a call and he came over for our shopping trip, and realized he'd put his phone on Do Not Disturb yesterday. We got back to my house after shopping and he couldn't find his phone. I found it slipped down beside his seat in my SUV (ringing, since I called it.) And then when he got ready to leave realized he'd locked his keys in the trunk of his car. So I drove him to his house and let him in (with the copy of his housekey on my keyring) and he got his spare car key and we returned to my driveway. I told him that getting all of those goofs over with in one day was one way to do it.

Today's trip let me get organic blueberries at $3.99 a pint; at Aldi's this week they had 6oz clamshell packs of organic blueberries for $4.26. I picked up a case of 12 and they'll go into the freezer. They're one of the fruits that have a lot of residual stuff on them if they aren't organic.

The Arctic blast arrives overnight. I think we're set.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Jan 25 - 09:35 PM

Dupont:

Did not fall asleep on purpose! Never did that before! I had burners turned down very low and one set to go off automatically. But still!!

That rotten piece of wood! reminds me of when our family cottage was built - 60 years ago! Old Mr. Heller cut oak trees on our side of the mountain, took the logs over the hill to his sawmill and made rough planks which were then used (green) to build! Dad asked the govt bureau what sort of preservative??? They wrote back- nothing! That will outlast you!

So I lost this last week: on Monday, I got up about 4 am because I couldn't sleep so might as well. Made delicious blueberry buckwheat cakes and ate two. Made a phone call to find a doctor to fill out a form for Driver's Licence. YAY!

THEN:   I was hit with the worst GI disturbance of my life - sitting on toilet with plastic bucket on lap, I wretched and screamed... The vomiting was excruciating and went on forever - scary!

When R found me, still in the bathroom, he had already eaten two of the cakes! NO effect on him so it wasn't them. But I have done nothing but lie in bed with the hots and colds all week - until this morning. I finally feel OK - barely. Mystery bug, I guess. I stayed home from Chateaugrass today. freezing rain was part of decision.

I did do a carrot soup and porridge. And clocked hours on computer! Someone scientifically minded (SRS?) might check out this woman on internet. Dr. Beata Halassy, ---VERY interesting and sounds sensible.

A woman from the grief group, whom I really like, is coming by on Monday - I'm skipping the group; looking forward to a real visit with Valerie. Would like to find out what she thinks about the group --and life in general!

And just finished The Choice by Edith Eva Eger- Holocaust survivor/psycholgist- PTSD and more- VERY Good!

Nice to hear there is something OK politically in Texas!!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 25 - 10:37 PM

Aww, Dorothy, that sounds so miserable. Isn't the Norovirus making the rounds? That sounds a lot like how it has been described. Though I've only experienced that kind of virus a couple of times in my life, it was memorable, in all the worst ways.

As to the politics down here I wouldn't say it is ok, just less bad for now.

The cold is descending, and my last trip to feed cats tonight was in a down vest. Tomorrow I'll be out in the full-on winter parka and gear. I have another museum tour, though chances are it won't make with the weather.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 19 Jan 25 - 10:25 AM

This morning while it was still freezing, dashed out in my jammies and robe to test the Thermo Cube thermostatic outlet. I had made a trip into town last night to exchange the wobbly junky walmart heater for a name brand. Plugged it in, nothing happens. Come inside to test the heater inside, works fine.   

Try it again out at the pumphouse; unplugged the extension and tried the cube and heater combo out there. Not only didn't work, the connection is so tight on these things, it broke off the prong from my heavy duty extension cord, rendering it useless.

So now I'm panicking, because now there's no heat out there. Couldn't get the rig close enough to help position power close enough. Finally added a shorter extension cord from the house, was able to get enough distance and keep some heat out there. Glad the other cord on hand was a 40', I debated on what length to get.

Looked up reviews online, on Tractor Supply site they have 62 reviews, and 6 of them are 'just doesn't work'. So apparently the company is fine with shipping stuff that maybe 10% of the plugs don't actually work, but it seems like if a store has one bad plug, they have a batch of them. Couple guys report exchanging and trying multiple ones, all failed. If there was ever a product that needs testing at the factory, this one is it.

Home Depot of course has an alternate brand, with 100 they can ship, but not a one actually in a local store in the winter. Not that I have time to make a long buying trip today.

I guess I'm back to the drain-everything plan instead of keeping some heat going in house and pumphouse, though I'm not sure there won't be water trapped if I do that. Hope the guy coming tomorrow morning is knowledgeable and helpful.

Well, back to packing, and getting ready for the online Burns Night at noon here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Jan 25 - 11:44 AM

There is no defense against Norovirus by means of cleanliness or hygiene. For example Lysol is effective to kill 99.99% of viruses and bacteria but Norovirus is in the 100th of 1% that is immune to Lysol.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jan 25 - 01:00 PM

I have both the white thermocube and a yellow Frost King cube, but they were purchased at least a dozen years ago. The yellow one is from HD. They both work. The air in the space does need to be below a certain threshold before they kick in, so you're sure it was below about 37^o when you tested? Using those devices you have to be careful that everything is in the On position even though it only comes on intermittently, and usually when you're asleep. (My friend with the cats set up the Freeze Miser on her faucet and on her last trip I checked it and the water was turned off. It only works if the faucet is on so it can drip when the temperature reaches 37 or lower.)

It is goofy that those things aren't in the store. I looked at my local HD - they could ship one to the house by Wednesday or I could pick one up in the store starting Feb. 3. Really?

Porch pickup was a zero this morning, she forgot to leave it on the porch. I texted, it's there now and I'll go by before my next cat/museum run in a little while. She has a great landmark in the front yard, one of those Little Library boxes on a post. I have a book to add to it, A Return to Common Sense by Leigh McGowan. I read the first few chapters and found it to be clear an accurate description of how US government is set up and how the amendments work, etc., but it's stuff I already learned in school (and should still be taught now). I've wondered what to do with it. Putting it "out there" to do some heavy lifting seems appropriate.

It's cold and clear, very bright today. Fingers crossed it stays this way, no snow because I have too much coming and going to do to fuss with slithery side roads. I'm halfway through freezing those organic blueberries. There are 12 avocados ripening on the kitchen counter to be made into guacamole and frozen. Yesterday Town Talk was particularly full, even as late in the day as we usually go over, and I think everyone had the same thing in mind - getting produce to freeze or can, and other stuff to stockpile in case things go pear-shaped in a hurry after tomorrow. We had to queue in line to reach the checkout for about twenty minutes and had a good conversation with the guy behind us, an inspector with the local office of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He is concerned about the threat to downsize the federal workforce.

I'm working my way through those crispy pecans I made a couple of weeks ago (I've also gifted a bunch of them). I weigh out a ounce at a time and find that the sharp flavor of the crunchy nuts is just what I need for a healthy snack. I also found another good very dark chocolate bar yesterday, that I'll pick up more of tomorrow (because it will go away fast, waiting a week or two doesn't work at that store.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jan 25 - 08:05 AM

Another full-height bookcase, this one equipped with shelf inserts for CD storage, has left the building, given away on Facebook Marketplace.

I definitely need to stop moving large furniture up and down stairs.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 20 Jan 25 - 09:40 AM

Wow, was not expecting 'you probably did something wrong'. For the record, I tested outdoors, with the knob turned to lo then hi heat, at 26 degrees. Then I tested at another connection, where it failed, and upon removing it, broke a prong off my extension cord because the receptacle holes are too tight. It is a brilliant idea and I was glad to find it. I'm not accusing the product line of being bad, I'm saying I got a bad one and there are bad ones out there. Perhaps whoever was in charge of quality control retired and was not replaced, or was replaced by an incompetent.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 25 - 12:57 PM

No, I wasn't saying you did something wrong, and I understood about the broken prong. But those cubes are kind of counter-intuitive, so it was more just of a "triple check to see if it's really set up the way you think you set it up" before some guy comes along and points out a snag in the setup. Including the outlet you have the extension cord plugged into. You're ready for the guy who might suggest something was done wrong. (I hope that helps!) I've been on the receiving end of that repair guy smugness a time or two - it's not so bad with the conversation in person when I explained the problem, but a few minutes later when I look over at the truck they arrived in and the guys are sitting there laughing.

Running around this week, making the cat trips the bookends around other stuff to save driving. This morning's bookend trip was back to Town Talk, where I found a really good type of dark chocolate on Saturday so bought a whole bunch today, and it was marked way down below what I thought it would be. I may go back for more tomorrow, and truly have a lifetime supply. It's the low amount of sugar per serving that works for me; dark chocolate from places like Aldi's still have more sugar than I want.

I may have to take the little cat to the vet. He's not eating much at all today, and has had the trots. This morning I gave him the medication she indicated. Yesterday he got into a small jar of babyfood I accidentally left out on the counter, and must have eaten most of the jar. That may be what is upsetting his system (she uses it in small dabs to give various medications to the cats.) So letting it clear out and see how things progress. It's not like she's somewhere else in the state and can drive back home early to deal with this, she's scuba diving off the coast of Honduras for a week. If he's dying at this point I'll sit with him if I need to. This cat has used all 9 and several spare lives at this point.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 25 - 10:28 PM

Long afternoon at the vet with cat - it seems he is having a bad reaction to diabetes medication. He was such a mess, I was sure he was sliding toward the rainbow bridge. He'll be there for several days and feeding cats at her house just became a lot easier.

I'm working on a new web page (it will be a file that lives on my desktop but opens in any browser) with the links to places I want access to as far as writing to representatives about votes they are considering.

Today I wore the LL Bean flannel-lined jeans and they felt great. I found a kleenex in the pocket so know I wore these before and aired then put them back in the closet. After this wearing they will go in the wash, as will my hoodie jacket - even with a veterinary waterproof pad under him, I had the cat in my lap at the vet and he was a stinky little guy. My friend asked if he was in my lap and I described his state - he was getting petted but was on the exam table. "There's worse than cat urine on your clothes" was the answer. And if it had been his last trip to the vet, a cuddle was needed, so I scooped up all of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 11:25 AM

I've made progress on the personal web page, looking up sites I want to include (meaning I don't need to keep a bunch of bookmarks). Still super cold today, and I get my haircut midday. I don't do anything fussy, no drying or combout or anything, but she usually does that if it's this cold. I'll take along a bag of my crispy pecans as a thank you.

The little cat has much perked up, my friend spoke to the doctor on the next shift. She's grateful I acted yesterday, I think the little guy would have died overnight otherwise. I'll be taking a box of his preferred food over to the vet this afternoon, a kitty care package. Who knew pet sitting could be so dramatic. (She's going to be poking his ear and taking daily blood sugar readings after this, plus twice a day insulin shots - so life did just get more complicated.)

Another cuppa tea then hit the road.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 04:38 PM

This year's "Where to live?" crisis has resolved into a decision to move back to Ottawa this year. What's more, I have told the family and tonight I tell the choir. And I contacted the real estate agent who sold us the house back in 2017. When she gets back from Mexico, this shit gets real.

The Brothers (and sisters-in-law) are thrilled. The choir won't be. So it goes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jan 25 - 05:08 PM

WOW! And congratulations on making the decision. You've done so much downsizing hopefully it is easier moving out of the house than moving in was. (You also did a lot of remodeling, as I recall.) Does this mean you'll be doing more painting or repairs now getting ready to list?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jan 25 - 12:41 PM

Still cold, and today it's windy enough to make it feel even worse. Overnight tonight will also be frigid, but then it's supposed to move out of the area.

Day three this week of medical stuff. Monday the vet, last night my ex called, he'd somehow bit his tongue (eating salad!) and it wouldn't stop bleeding. He might need a ride to an emergency clinic. He never had the icemaker plumbed to his fridge and doesn't keep an ice cube tray so my first move was to get a bunch of my ice and take it over. After about 20 minutes of a cube wrapped in gauze (and dampened so it didn't stick) the bleeding stopped. It actually became kind of funny - I snapped a photo of him with the gauze in his mouth and sent it to the kids in a group conversation.

This morning was my blood draw in advance of next week's checkup and after six months of no statins but the changed diet I am curious to see what shows up. I'm going to take Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories with me to the exam.

Patty, were you able to get everything worked on early in the week in time to do the travel you were packing for? I do apologize if my remarks were inappropriate regarding the work you're doing.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Jan 25 - 10:00 PM

Dupont:

Finally back to feeling reasonably good. Whatever that was, was a doozy! At least R did not need to deal with it or with me having it; I just mostly stayed in bed with book and computer.

Now R's bro (80) was in hospital yesterday with something nasty wrong. I am hoping R will be home tonight or let me know. They are partners in the business and the load is already too much for R; if bro cannot help, I fear for R's mental health.

I sent off a treatise of the 66 years of my so called "marriage" to #2 son. Sent it to #1 a few months ago after he browbeat me and triggered PTSD. I decided they are old enough to have a clue what I have been through with their "DT clone" of a father. DTclone is the most polite way I can refer to him.

Had a wonderful visit this week with a woman I met at the grief group. My first friend in this burg!

Charmion! Sounds like a great decision! Wonderful to have family happy to have you back!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 25 - 01:02 PM

Dorothy, I hope Robin's brother recovers quickly. And it sounds like the "treatise" you sent the sons needed writing. Getting it out of your system, making clear to others who needed to know your side of the story, that lets it be set aside. (I had a particularly toxic friend like that once - I wrote it out then burned the pages and buried them in the garden, and remarkably, that let me put it behind me.)

Still darned cold here, and the faucets have been dripping every night for a week. Tomorrow it looks like things finally warm, and then we're into a rainy spell. All week has been one for layers and chapstick.

I am working to maintain forward momentum these days despite retrograde developments in the US. Progress on eBay listings, and setting aside more household craft things for the next donation for city teachers. I'm also getting back to after-school tutoring; I tutored for a couple of years in the town where I was working until I retired (it was long drive for a couple of hours a week.) I'll find a program here; I sent a note to the friend at the university who works with groups that do tutoring and teacher service-learning to get a recommendation of where to start.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Jan 25 - 09:45 PM

Hi from the road, wishing everyone well with their changes and upheavals. SRS, glad your devotion to the friend's cat had a happy ending!

Worked very hard to get everything loaded for travel, and still managed to pack 5 hairbrushes but no hand lenses, but whaddya gonna do. Did use several well-thought-out lists but just too many moving pieces to juggle. Drained all the pipes, winterized, with questionable help from a well guy. I gotta find a decent water well driller, maybe there's one in Silver City.

Had a great visit with the micro collectors in ABQ, then pressed on, stopping overnight at Homolovi State Park, which was a serene little place not far from the interstate. Got in a hike and learned a few things from the ruins and exhibits.

Stopped a night in the wide spot in the road called Wikieup, Arizona, at a true oasis of an rv park-cum-pie-cafe. Lovely, and much warmer than the high country was, while hitting 8-10 at night.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 12:30 AM

That's a nice looking little park, Patty. I've been through the area a number of times but never made it to that one.

A recommendation came through on a good tutoring program so I'll investigate their options. This is will build on the number of things I'm doing to help others but also make myself feel better. It's clear that federal money to schools is probably going to drop, and in this state the legislature plans to divert dollars to vouchers, further harming public schools. This is my small thing to help. There was an essay published that is making the rounds on Facebook (lots of copy paste, but here is the original: Do I Dare Disturb My Doomscrolling?)
"You can’t identify what needs to be done next if you aren’t doing the simple things that can be done now."

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 06:44 PM

A most unexpected form of de-clutter in the last day or two.
My taxes are prepared by an accountant, a very nice one, who is part of a large nationwide firm.
The firm in question just informed its people that all accounts below a certain dollar figure are going to be terminated.
That includes me, and according to the accountant, about fourteen clients of hers.
She fortunately thought of a remedy.
I've been with this firm long enough to have gone through a series of accountants there.
One of them left the firm to become a partner in a smaller business,
and he is accepting clients as lowly as myself.
So today he and I agreed to resume our accountant/client relationship at his newer, smaller firm.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 25 - 11:13 PM

Keb, that worked out rather well! I've only had my taxes prepared professionally a couple of times, when estates were involved. I still manage to make a few mistakes and it gets rejected by the IRS free file software until I fix it. I never use the commercial products; those companies use well-paid lobbyists to pester the government to keep the income tax code so complicated that no one can do them easily so they can stay in business.

This evening listing easy to describe and ship eBay things. Small and non-breakable like Tupperware and sewing stuff, to build up the inventory. The weekend is fully subscribed; cat sitting will finish Saturday evening and I need to clear the kitchen counters and table for our university group lunch on Sunday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 25 Jan 25 - 09:51 AM

Keb, I am so glad there was a way to slide over to a new firm.

My fervent hope is that some day a lot of business will move over from the giant chains back to real people running small businesses. We can't afford the overhead and excessive profits of these big chains. Only reason they can often charge less is they are allowed to bully suppliers into sweetheart deals. That policy, once illegal, was up for review by the government recently, I forget if it's FTC or Justice.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Jan 25 - 11:27 AM

Sitting here in snowy Stratford, doing my best to stop stressing and get on with life.

Marco the painter will start work next week, so I have been preoccupied with planning his access to the walls of the music room. I have to shift six full-height bookcases — and their contents — into the middle of the room. I think the neatest way to accomplish this task is to unload each bookcase onto the work table, move the empty bookcase, then load the books back in. When Marco has finished, I will simply — but not without considerable effort! — reverse the process.

Yes, labour-intensive. But that’s what I have to do if I am to get that room redecorated without spreading stacks of books all over the house, which would take just as much work and make the place unlivable for a week. And no, I’m not prepared to “just get rid of” the books, as many people would advise. Not people who hang out here, I hasten to add.

Barbara the real estate agent will return from her holiday next week. She suggested looking at the house in the first week of February. With any luck, I’ll have the music room back to rights by then.

Meanwhile, my level of anxiety bobs about the threshold of intolerable, which is very distracting.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jan 25 - 12:24 PM

Charmion, you made a big decision that isn't set in stone yet, and I imagine you're viewing a bunch of related parts of the move as one whole huge task. There is a drill - start making lists and put the discrete parts of it in such a way that you don't have to do all of it at once. Feel good about each accomplishment. So what is the first step? Getting this house ready? Starting the house search in Ottawa or nearby? I imagine your family is going to be a big help during the relocation.

Meanwhile, lift with your legs and get a good workout moving all of those books. Bonus - squats are good for the pelvic floor.

Anxiety here in the US is through the roof - it's dry January and probably needs to stay a dry four years because it would be too tempting to self-medicate the entire time. Better to let the anxiety push us toward resistance. I found Dr. Amen's chapter 10 (Happy Nutraceuticals) in You, Happier to be helpful, and have added GABA and L-Tyrosine to my supplements, as needed. L-Tyrosine is found in green tea, so simply drinking more of that can help your mood. I heard this morning that there is an early election of some sort scheduled in Ontario because of the tariff issues threatened by Trump. Green tea for everyone.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jan 25 - 11:19 AM

Yesterday I bought three cases of sparkling water at Costco, and was careful as I loaded them into the cart, into the SUV, and then into the garage. They're heavy enough that I was feeling it this morning in the abdominal muscles. Tylenol to the rescue. I'm preparing for friends over for lunch so don't need to be struggling with everything I need to do.

One of the eBay items listed on Friday sold on Saturday so will leave the house on Monday. Nice!

Last week was freeze, this week is rain, so more indoor activities.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Jan 25 - 08:34 PM

Dupont:

Charmion! The path ahead is fraught with many mini-obstacles. You have made the big decision and made yourself and others happy! When I think of all the stuff you have moved in the last few years - this looks like a piece of cake! Of course the impending election is ... interesting? I hope we can get someone who is not a DT clone this time. Moving books one more time is a big job but not insurmountable.

That nice pic on FB, depicts - a foldable bookcase over by the window? I have the twin next to my chair! And that rocking chair! - mine is a memory. Too many moves...too much panic of divesting too much stuff!

Bro is a bit better; he did one of those incredibly stupid things - ignoring a pain in his toe, resulting in a day or two in hospital as the swelling was reduced so he can stand. Walking is still almost impossible. It seems that friends are taking turns helping out but R was not home for two days.

But, today, he brought in the rest of the winter's wood after I moved the dry wood from hallway into Den, near wood stove - which was pouring out welcome heat while the outside door was open to bring in cold wood! The temp was just about freezing and the sun bright!   

Hoping for a bit more energy tomorrow. Going to be about freezing - with light snow - yuck!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jan 25 - 01:09 AM

Funny you should notice that folding bookshelf, Dorothy (I had looked at the whisky wistfully, I'm off of it for at least January, but didn't look at the room). I have several of those collapsible bookshelves around here. They're practical.

I'm glad to read R's brother is better. Those brothers do seem to neglect their health at times, don't they?

Lunch with friends today was great. A lot of pent-up stuff added to the animated conversations. (Lunch was homemade mac and cheese, fruit, and chocolate. Hot tea to wash it down.) One had a signal on the dash that a tire was low so I got out the portable compressor from the car and added air. I could have used the fancy Stanley one I keep inside the sunroom door but realized I didn't know how to run the compressor part of it (power supply, car battery cables/jumper, and compressor). Must get out the instructions.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jan 25 - 04:28 PM

I pulled up a draft blog essay from last fall and after editing I dropped it into my Wordpress account, just to see how it works now. I think a lot of people will be going back to blogs instead of sharing everything on Facebook. The place I used to host photos messed up a lot of my images so if I want to revive this seriously I need to restore what went missing. And probably pay for the blog to have more functionality.

Still kind of feeling the effects of lifting heavy boxes on Saturday. To save your back when lifting it helps to clench the abs, but I seem to have been over-exuberant with the compensation.   

The den is back to full-strength forest floor after mud, hair, and chewed sticks have built up in the last couple of weeks. The kitchen was looking great for guests yesterday, but I left the lights off and the curtains closed in the den.

Keeping track of simple things (harking back to the essay I linked to on the 24th) I find will be helpful in improving my mood. I subscribed to Snopes.com yesterday after being a user for years. And I used it in one of the fact check activities I pledged to do more of. For today I will remind friends around Texas who like to vote absentee that they need to send in the request form every year now (because the GOP Lege wants to make it more difficult to vote.) These are things I can do.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Jan 25 - 08:56 PM

Dupont:

The bros do very little self care. R has me kicking and screaming - take your supplements; Did you drink water today? clean clothes would help! -Bro, I ignore; only see him on rare family occasions. He actually behaves reasonably at the cousin's home. They are the "headquarters". I will not have him in our house; R agrees. He is over 80 now but he has always been a horror.   

The bit of wood I moved yesterday was enough! Back is complaining slightly but I dredged up enough energy to make a pot of chick/veggie stew for a couple days. Later in the week, I will go to the bakery and Little Green Library (books due), visit Geri, maybe a couple other friends down near the border. Between snows!

Signed up for friend Jessie's farm thingie for this summer. I do not envision being able to spend much time at Beaver (sadly).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jan 25 - 06:50 PM

The afternoon went to composing a letter to both US Senators and the US Representative of my district. A folder is set up with templates for future letters and printed mailing labels along with brightly colored envelopes. I mailed the first batch, and will see about the online message system for each of these folks later. When I tried in the past they didn't let formatting or even paragraph breaks show up so reading a message isn't easy, hence the printed mailed letters. I also mailed my request for all of this year's absentee ballots. Addressing the impulsive illegal acts of 47 is going to waste a lot of time, but we can't ignore this crap.

Other things this week: the potted plants put in the garage for the week of hard freezes are out now and will get rained on tomorrow. I need to set up pots with soil and start veggie seeds for the garden this spring. Doctor and dentist check-ups this week. And soon I'll go back to the friend's house and dig up the almond verbena to transplant here (they're a glorious smelling shrub and attract loads of bees).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 09:30 AM

--- Ah: "composing". My eyes did a mischievous tyop and rendered it as "composting" (presumably because of the context).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 10:06 AM

I find that I am, indeed, weeding the books again, though I'm not yet sure exactly what I'll do with this batch of cast-aways. Of all my possessions, it's the books that Marie Kondo's approach works best on, though it's not a spark of joy I'm looking for but a pique of renewed interest. Since the pandemic, I have lost any inclination to read military history, especially the conventional accounts of policy, campaigns and battles. I'm even ready to part with my copy of Clausewitz.

On the music front, the Stratford Concert Choir is in the process of self-destruction. Three weeks ago, the Board voted to dismiss our conductor, an excellent musician and choir trainer, because the choir is losing money. There were two dissenting votes on the motion: mine, and one other that I assume came from the Alto section leader, a serious musician. The conductor has seen this coming for months because the board executive have fought him on every suggestion he has made to improve the financial picture. Now the other shoe -- the announcement to the membership -- has dropped and the fall-out is beginning.

This whole business is a major component of my decision to move back to Ottawa. The choir was the main anchor keeping me here, and now it's failing. I'm just tired of the resistance to change and the refusal to work toward improvement. So I resigned from the Board at its last meeting. I wasn't the first rat overboard; our lead bass, a Lutheran pastor with decades or experience in non-profit organizations, beat me to it by 24 hours.

On the home front, Marco the painter can't start this week and proposed next week. Okay, especially as the scope of work is changing -- now I want him to paint the bathroom, not the box room, because the bathroom is butt-ugly and must look as attractive as possible when the house goes public, and the box room is just kinda tired. And I won't take the curtain rods down. Changing the curtains would cost a bomb, and I'm not doing it since I won't be here to enjoy the result.

I still feel very stressed, but I'm managing it better. One task at a time, baby steps. The basement work table is again covered with kitchen stuff to go to Goodwill -- muffins are permanently off the home menu, so why do I have two muffin pans? Likewise loaf pans, of which I have six. If I ever make bread again, I have some round earthenware cocottes that do the job just fine.

It snowed yet again overnight, and the wind is blowing it all over the place. At noon I will pick up my friend Ruth to take her to Woodstock (40 km to the south on narrow county roads) to see the opthalmologist who did her cataract surgery, so I'm watching the weather radar map with intense interest. One of its screens shows wind direction -- very important in these parts.

Time to take a shower. My hair looks like a barley-stack bewitched.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 11:23 AM

Changing the diet does affect the use of cooking equipment. I've collected lots of small baking pans for fancy bread but I still bake at the holidays so I haven't thinned them (they go as gifts to people who still eat flour - a move I am considering changing - can soda breads work with gluten free?) It is apparently possible to make yeast bread with non-wheat flour, but again, it's the carbs not just the wheat. I'm at that target weight I registered in MyFitnessPal and need to get enough carbs to stay here, I drifted down 10 pounds since last summer because of the diet change but don't want to keep losing. It's about staying healthy. (Also headed for the shower, then the doctor's office to discuss this big change seven months out from stopping statins, now that she will have blood work in hand.)

Between Charmion painting and an old high school friend putting new windows in his house I see, through others' eyes, a lot of work that should be done so this place is ready if I decide the time has come. At this point in time, there is probably no place safe from the current administration and I at least have a lot of room for a garden here.

MaJoC, I have a reporters notepad next to the desk (long narrow thing that easily slips into a shirt or back pants pocket), a remnant of my old days as a journalist. It seems the most appropriate reminder of what I need to do now - write. Today's task for myself is to write to Cruz and Cornyn to oppose Kennedy. "Would you want him dictating your family's health routine?" I think after the attempted Federal employee masacre that Musk has fingerprints all over they see this clown car is off the rails. Even the GOP senators have to get serious and block his choices. Impeach Hegseth while they're at it.

The friend with the plants I've been digging posted a request on the Freecycle group for an embroidery hoop. I just sent a dozen in various sizes to my son's partner but still have several and will take her one next week when I go to dig again. It was purchased years ago, and has the price written on the side - 69¢ - not a huge giveaway.

Back to scanning this afternoon, and maybe the gym.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 11:48 AM

In the Anza-Borrego desert now, enjoying a bit of electricity and Starlink before going back to dry camping for the weekend.

While we're on the subject of ditching pans, I started looking at getting a few baking pans for the house, and it's not cheap, and they are not the quality they used to be. And there are cheap versions the mart sells, guaranteed to not last, and now they have warnings on knives and peelers "Hand Wash Only", lol. If I had a cupboard full of baking pans I didn't use often, but were long since paid for, I'd be very slow to get rid of them.

Because they are going to make everything worse before it gets better. Every necessity of life is under the microscope for the greedy rentier class to squeeze us. I have no desire to grow and make all my own stuff. But I am fearful of deliberate or climate induced shortages, and prices being jacked up on everything. I don't bake much now, but I can foresee a time when the weight is off and I don't need to exclude carbs as much, and commercial breads are all manufactured by some hedge fund, full of garbage, and $10 a loaf. Maybe I can teach friends the mysteries of bread baking, or swap loaves for their tomatoes.

We have all been exhorted to declutter as much as possible in the past few decades, and yes, we need to have less crap in our homes. But I'm starting to have to rebuy stuff I should have kept, at ridiculous prices, and I'm starting to wonder how much of the declutter movement was just a way to get us all to buy again further down the line. I'm not ditching stuff just to have a clean-looking living room, or to delete anything that isn't tied to my immediate areas of interest.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 12:21 PM

> I have a reporters notepad next to the desk

Ooooh, that takes me back, Stilly .... I used to carry a reporter's notebook with me everywhere in my coat pocket, since I got fed up with myself for thinking of fragments of filk which evaporated before I could write them down. Over the years, at least one coat pocket got all but torn off by the weight (of responsibility?).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 07:22 PM

Patty, if you have a list of things you need send me an email or PM here and I can look for them at Goodwill. You would be astonished the number of things people donate because they now have the newest device and discard all of the others (I see this because this is a huge urban area where so much more is donated). I always test electrical appliances and only buy those in mint condition. Things I see regularly include Pyrex and Anchor Hocking glass baking pans (various sizes), cast iron skillets, glass storage containers, stainless steel stock pots, and appliances like crock pots, George Foreman grills, toaster ovens (I also see glass bowl convection ovens as well as the metal oven ones; there was a great glass one at Goodwill last week I couldn't think of anyone who needed one or I'd have picked it up.) Shipping a few of these things will still come out less than trying to buy them new. I can also send photos to your cell phone via text if that is convenient when shopping. I think a lot of these things end up at Goodwill after they don't sell at estate sales.

A long and productive discussion with my GP today resulted in a plan that for the next three months I'll follow - the diet I'm on now, but higher protein, less fat. Otherwise the same, and we'll see if the cholesterol lowers. The HDL is at a great level but she doesn't like the LDL (this was expected). Triglycerides are great as is everything else, and I was most interested in that marker. She says there is an expensive medication for people who don't tolerate statins, but I'm not considering it unless I learn a lot more about it and am convinced it won't mess up my brain or anything else. And after three months to see where the levels are. There are also a couple of scans that can be done to see where some levels are as we move forward. She could see I am feeling much better. Family health history would be excellent except two of the three sisters in Mom's family were heavy smokers and that messed up their health. The one who didn't smoke passed away at 95.

The friend with the sick kitty says he's back to eating and is much better. She's now injecting him with insulin every morning and is learning how much testing will be required. She had never seen him in the state that I described when I took him over to the vet, so is glad the old common sense kicked in and I got him to a vet that afternoon instead of waiting till the next morning.

Another set of messages sent to the senators from my state. Don't vote for JFK, Jr., he's a menace (phrased more politely). I told my GP about dry January and realizing that it might have to last for the next four years; the thought of self-medicating to reduce the stress of Trump is otherwise a real but unhealthy possibility until 2029.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 29 Jan 25 - 08:33 PM

Thanks, I'm sure I will find what I need over time here in our thrifts. I was just making the point that tossing lots of kitchen stuff might not be desirable in the long run. Everything is 'always available cheap'; right up until it isn't.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Jan 25 - 12:00 PM

I saw my doc last week to get a referral to a surgeon to remove a growth on my face. (No, it doesn't hurt, and it's most unlikely to be cancer but let's not take a chances.)

She looked me over and asked, "Are you still on that keto diet?" I said, "Sorta -- with a bit of a net carb boost to accommodate enough milk to deal with that osteopaenia you warned me about." She pages through a bunch of lab results on her computer. "Why do you have absolutely perfect blood lipid levels?" "I dunno. Just lucky I guess."

This may be the first time in my life I've ever been perfect at anything.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jan 25 - 02:34 PM

Congratulations, Charmion! I'm pretty sure things like the chicken skin contribute to the levels my doctor was looking at, so we agreed I'll remove that to adjust the protein amount upward and see if readings are closer to what she wants in three months. Too much protein can cause issues with the gut. (The Atkins diet is notorious for causing constipation.) Today was the dentist, and when scheduling my next six months check it bumped up against my (now) annual dermatologist check. In all I'm doing pretty well at this age with only three prescriptions; it could be two if I decided to not treat the ADHD.

On the way back from the dentist I passed one of my regular feed stores that had seed potatoes and onion sets in stock so I'm set to start work in the garden. It needs a couple of days to dry after last night's heavy rain. I may need to get a new spark plug for the tiller; it wouldn't start the last time I tried it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 12:39 PM

As a gift to myself this morning I finished all of the dishes in the sink last night and ran the dishwasher. Some days I'm so easy to please.

The weekend temperatures will be into the 70s and I plan to do some yard work. The garage needs tidying, easier to do in warm weather with the big door open. There is a long list of other things needing doing in the yard and I won't elaborate here but I've put them all down on the task list in my bullet journal for February.

I had a newer restaurant-quality plastic bin that I moved my regular flour into (I still use some of it for baking for other people, at least until I use this up). That empties a large round Tupperware bin. There is a smaller (nesting) Tupperware bin for my whole wheat flour, and that should also be moved. I've had the Tupperware for so long I have no idea how that plastic was made but it's time to stop using it for food. I'll look at the restaurant supply place and see what other options for food storage. They do sell some glass things, lots of stainless steel, and lots of acrylic.

I nearly dropped my salmon filet out of the skillet last night when transferring to the plate when the little silicone spatula sagged at the edge. The old hard black plastic wouldn't have done that. Neither would metal, and I think the answer is to use the metal utensils and not use non-stick pans so it doesn't matter that they're metal.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 02:57 PM

I sympathize with Charmion's difficult decision to de-clutter her life of the church choir.
It's hard when being a member of such a group determines whether one will stay or go.
I may be faced someday with a similar decision, for now I'm staying with my community chorus.

Charmion and I commiserated some time ago about the bass section in choirs and choruses.
I am putting up with a particularly noticeable bass singer in our chorus.
He is a holdover from when the chorus was with its previous director.
He has a big imposing bass voice and is a big imposing man.
And he admits, when pressed, that he cannot read a note of music.
What he does with the chorus, he does by reading the words, learning the music by ear, and following the other big imposing bass voice who IS a skilled and professional musician.
This was very difficult for him to do when faced with the Bruckner Mass in f minor, a work of symphonic complexity and length.
One time, during a rehearsal break when the director was out of the room, the illiterate bass sat down at the piano, stomping his big foot, and improvised something he called "the Bruckner blues," which sounded nothing like Bruckner.
We now are preparing a program of Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart in which the texts are entirely in German, not one of this bass's languages.
The director is pragmatic about the fact that this is a community chorus and it takes all kinds to build one of such.
I am not pragmatic, but I am resigned.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jan 25 - 09:50 PM

That's a tough one, Keb. Will he do the work to learn to at least lip sync if he doesn't know all of the words but is standing there?

I changed my mind about the restaurant supply store and used one of my smaller acrylic jars with a gasketed lid for the flour and what didn't fit in it is bagged in the freezer. I went to Goodwill and stumbled upon a small George Foreman grill - the one I use is larger and hard to clean because of the spacing on the ridges on the grills. This is sized for one and the metal cook plates, while ridged, are better spaced and easier to clean. I don't think it had ever been used. I'll offer my old grill on the Freecycle page. While at Goodwill I was astonished at the number of high-end printers, coffee makers, computer monitors, televisions, and other devices in the housewares department.

Recycling dropped off this afternoon, laundry in, dishwasher will run next. I have my tablet charging and just added a couple of my gmail accounts to it (the ones that receive messages with links to podcasts and newsletters that are so important these days now that some of the big social media sites are less than reliable).

I made it to Jan. 31 in dry January, but the Friday night massacre at the FBI is just one too many assaults on my brain. I have a glass of red wine to help the supplements L-Tyrosine and GABA do their work.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Feb 25 - 09:11 AM

Sorry, keb, it’s not the church choir but the community chorus that’s in financial melt-down. But the same conductor was also the organist and choirmaster at my church, and abruptly now he’s not. With the community chorus gig collapsing around him, something happened with the rector and wardens of the church and that gig has now been yanked out from under him as well.

I have no idea what happened at the church except that it’s neither creepy nor criminal. The rector would say only “not a good fit”.

So that’s the last prop knocked out from under my life in Stratford.

The Brothers have agreed to help with the one part of the move that I have to handle myself and can’t do alone: moving the cats. The trip from Stratford to Ottawa takes at least seven hours by road (six hours of actual driving), and the cats can’t be left alone in the car while their human visits the loo. There’s an excellent “cat resort” near Ottawa where I intend to board them during the packing and the move, damn the expense.

Meanwhile, Marco the painter is still set to start work next week, which means it’s time for me to roll up the big rug and start shifting the furniture into the middle of that enormous room.

Stilly, you’re right about gut problems and low-carb eating. I have diverticulosis, a problem of 20 years’ standing, so I have to be very careful to eat enough but not too much of the right stuff, such as broccoli and red sweet peppers, while sternly avoiding the wrong stuff, such as beans. I’m just emerging from another seven-day belly-ache, this one caused by eating cheese without enough veg to help it along.

The fancy new electronic scale I got for Christmas tells me that excess body fat is not my problem these days, but my “bone mass” is verging on way too low. Better not fall down this winter, then!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 25 - 09:35 PM

Someone has already claimed the large old Foreman grill, picking it up tomorrow. Some Tupperware containers are cleaned, my daughter doesn't need them (she took one to use for chicken feed at her property, but no interest in these) and I have one of the VHS players cleaned and tested and ready to list on eBay. Got the remote control working (the batteries had crusted up in one spot) and it's ready to go. (This was a Goodwill purchase a while back.)

The dogs are in need of baths so I'm thinking tomorrow might be a good time for that. It'll be in the mid-70s.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 25 - 02:11 PM

The dogs are clean and sweet smelling and the bathroom is cleaned up of all of the water and dog hair.

My refurbished antique sewing machine for sale on eBay had some interest yesterday. Several questions about "does it work" - it says so right in the description. What color - again, right there in the description with all of the photos (does it matter?) and then finally "this is what I want but out of my price range, will you drop your price by $50 and pay the $50 shipping and sell it to me that way?" Geez. I set it up so I wouldn't receive offers from people, but that's what they were leading up to. No. It can ride the sales page a while longer.

Busy week ahead, writing to, calling, and this time also visiting the offices of our federal elected officials.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Feb 25 - 06:19 PM

No word from Marco about painting. Grrr.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 01:03 PM

I spent yesterday working on a portable web page (it's a simple text file that when saved with the ending .htm becomes something that automatically opens in your default browser). It has all sorts of government links and reliable news sources. Next, to share it. I have lots of calls and emails to send today. I know the assignment.

Sweeping, cleaning, dusting, and pacing myself as I work on projects around here. I'm wondering about the wisdom of trying to file my income taxes today, if they'll just slide into a black hole somewhere. Life right now is measured by whether the federal checks arrive as scheduled and guaranteed by law and past administrations. So far Musk has gone after contractors (any that aren't his personal business) and the poor around the world. Federal agencies. The third rail that will rise up en masse are those receiving pension and medicaid type payments, so I suspect he would go for that group last.

Sorry about the politics here, but right now I am busy trying to declutter the US government of a coup.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 04:15 PM

Hey, Stilly: I looked on the Globe website for Musk antics and found little; on this side of the border, we’re preoccupied with all the tariff nonsense.

Then I checked the NYT and read Michelle Goldberg’s latest piece. Maybe you’ve already seen it, but, if you haven’t, you should.

On the home front, five more cubic feet of books went down the road this morning and the bookcases now look decidedly light on content. Next is another cut at kitchen stuff, targeting items that survived previous purges.

We had so. much. stuff.

I haven’t even started on the garage and the garden shed. Hoo, boy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Feb 25 - 09:58 PM

Thanks! I subscribe to the Times and have seen some articles, though they still seem to be glossing over the rough edges of what Trump is doing. Finding reports that aren't pulling the punches in mainstream news is the goal. I think they'll be outside our borders to start with. The local independent reporters are doing the lion's share of the reporting right now. (At the moment Rachel Maddow is giving us updates on progress - the protests and complaints and lawsuits are beginning to have effect.)

More dust and dog hair cleared out today, and organizing the fridge makes room for more produce. We're planning to head to the favorite store on Saturday. Ex was over here this evening and suggests we should go earlier in the day. That is a change for him, because he used to hate earlier shopping because the lines are so long. Now as prices are going up he's willing to wait in line to check out if it means they won't have run out of things we want to buy. At Goodwill this week I found another of the Rubbermaid bins that work well when storing produce; it keeps longer than in the crisper drawers. So much of our produce here in Texas comes from Mexico.

I have an appointment and volunteering to do this week, but I've otherwise spent most of my time working on daily complaints to senators and government leaders and updating some of my materials that can be helpful to others. We live in interesting times.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 08:41 AM

Does Stratford do neighbourhood spring yard sales? That would seem an opportune time to relieve oneself of the contents of a garage or garden shed. I would say early May before the starting gun goes off in the run-up to Victoria Day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 12:54 PM

Good point, Andrew. The gun goes off a little earlier here, so early May would be about as late as I can leave it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 05 Feb 25 - 06:08 PM

Looks for when neighbours are intending to have theirs, like the Great Glebe Garage Sale.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Feb 25 - 09:13 AM

The real estate agent visited yesterday, and I feel relieved.

First, she told me not to paint the library/music room. Too much hassle and expense, and not necessary. (I hate the colours but others don’t.) Then she said that she believes the house will sell for enough to finance the entire move, including the land-transfer tax and professional fees.

The renovations Edmund and I did drastically improved the house, removing the problems that made it a slug in a seller’s market in 2017. So all that hassle and expense was most likely not in vain.

We will aim for late March to mid-April to list the house for sale. By then, I should have finished disposing of the stuff that I won’t use in my next life and don’t want to pay for moving. (I won’t wear Edmund’s mess dress uniform or gardening hat, but I’m not ready to part with them yet.)

Other than all of that, life continues in Stratford with a freezing rain warning today with yet more snow in the forecast, and work on the choir library this afternoon. Sur avec la guerre, as they don’t say in France.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Feb 25 - 10:16 AM

Charmion, I remember when you were doing all of the renovations - that was a gift to your modern-day self. You're going to be busy for a while this year, sounds like!

The large 3-ring binder with printouts from various accounts (in the book of things that are paid for) is now minus about 30+ pages. I went through and removed those so old they no longer work, those that have gone away (I tested), and I revised only a couple. Then they all went through the cross-cut shredder for today's trash. It wasn't enough to bother with the burning barrel. The second binder, with all of the free sites, needs the same attention.

We're testing a theory about the Town Talk shopping hours during the week, and this morning are going to see if we can get most of the produce instead of waiting for the huge Saturday market that fills the parking lot, and has every shopping cart in service (so you have to get carts from people who finished with them in the parking lot). Costco yesterday was more expensive (e.g. avocados up to $10 for six instead of $7 for six, and that tariff didn't kick in yet) and the clerk at the self-checkout said she'd never seen lines form to get in there (they have a new expanded setup). I coughed up $10 for a large rubber-backed doormat, to see if can catch more mud on dog feet. The existing mat has moved to a less-trafficked doorway. I can't grow avocados here, but I'll be growing other stuff to lessen the shopping runs this spring and summer.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Feb 25 - 11:16 PM

Shopping was successful: that early on a weekday there weren't many people yet and there was a good selection. Considering the amount of produce I bought plus chicken breasts, three free-range organic pork sirloins (no brine added), several high-end quarts of yogurt, and some gluten free bread and crackers, my entire bill was $52. If I'd shopped at one of the big name stores the meat alone would have cost that much. I bought four beautiful large cauliflower for $3. I really love this place.

I await more message t-shirts and have culled some that are too large. I have two to send over to a friend to find new homes for, from the Black Lives Matter protests. Today I wore my new Internet Archive shirt ("Universal Access to All Knowledge.")

In a note to those who pay attention to supplements, I'm finding that the L-Theanine and GABA are very helpful, particularly in the evening. The anxiety of the news lately is difficult to deal with, but these two products are enough. No shot glass of Scotch needed to in its own not-so-healthy way blur the rough edges.

Mary, it has been a while since you dropped in. Have you had any luck with the online job search?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 25 - 08:44 PM

I'm a moderator on a local Freecycle page, and today someone complained that another person's post asking for old electronics (working, not working but repairable, or for recycling) is inappropriate because the request "is intended for the purpose of making a profit and not repairing to donate onwards to those in need." I answered politely and quoted the group's mission statement that is to keep things out of landfills and in circulation. There is nothing about donating to the needy or that you can't repair and sell what you get on the site.

But I have been thinking about that request for stuff; I have things I picked up to put on eBay and some of them are probably not going to sell (at the time they might have, but I've been slow to list them). So I'm thinking I should load up a box that he can do something with (supposedly he will recycle electronics).

I've spent the day playing with the blog, trying to create a new set of posts by adding a new page, but it isn't working the way I wanted. I moved a lot of pixels around today but don't have a lot to show for it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Feb 25 - 03:52 PM

Hoping to hear back from the guy who wants electronic devices, but I won't start filling a box until he responds with information about what he takes and how he disposes of things if he can't use them.

Charmion, is there still some work for the painter Marco to do, or is that job completely off? Does he do other contractor work that you will be utilizing? Have you been up to your eyebrows in stuff you're sorting to pack or give away?

Is Patty out wandering the Sonoran or Chihuahuan Desert picking up rocks these days, or back home checking on the progress of the carpentry work?

Dorothy, are you snowed in but staying warm by the fire? Any new interesting projects you and R starting on or finishing? Are you still feeling better?

Keb, how is the clearing of your apartment going? Have you been back there to work lately?

Any lurkers want to report in?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Feb 25 - 09:16 PM

Dupont:

Today was a VGday! I went to the library and used both our cards to take out a few interesting new books. Then spent all day on the computer looking at what is going on down below. Posting good stuff for others to see. I am not as overwrought as two weeks ago. No surprise.....But - maybe I need to look for a thread on the subject. That has basically occupied me for most of the last two weeks.

I have had mostly not so bad days. Glad to see that Charmion is making some real progress on her moving project. SO glad it is not me!! But I am 88 now and others are going to have to pick up my pieces. Some of the posts help me realize - Oh yeah, I could get rid of....

There is, however, plenty of room in this house. No real need to get rid of stuff. I managed to give my son an interesting small frying pan with a wood under-piece. Special when I bought it but I forget why! I try to give him stuff when he is here but he refuses - He wants my stuff to still be here; I want to see treasures safely re-homed.

Thinking of SRS in Staples today when I saw an interesting puzzle; took a pic and will post it when I figure out how.

R's most recent crisis was having a bailiff serve a man who had moved into an expensive rental and paid no rent for a few months! ("You did not get a security deposit?? You did not talk to previous landlord???") He assaulted the bailiff and was hauled off to jail - briefly - but could not return to house. His wife (divorced) picked up the kids clothes and will probably have full custody after this! So R was up in the snowy Laurentians for a couple days, showing it to a woman who WILL pay security,etc!

Here,at home, I noticed a piece of the lower facade - just above the ground - gave up - fell off. Will it get repaired? Waiting two years now for a roof repair. ---So he came home and I ranted about deferred maintenance... He always has moderately valid reasons.

Ok- goal for tomorrow is to print out a calendar so I can try to keep track of how I feel/weatherconditions/food eaten.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Feb 25 - 08:24 AM

Yes, Stilly, I still need Marco, but for a much smaller job — the eggplant-purple bathroom, which has nasty holes in the drywall as well as the, um, purple. Two boxes and a bag of clothes, shoes and household linen are sat on the cedar chest waiting for the next run to Goodwill, which will be today or tomorrow. The collection of bakeware on the basement worktable has been joined by a whole whack of cutting boards and sheet pans of varying sizes, all ready for me to find some larger boxes so they, too, can leave the building.

As winter wanes, I will attack the garage, where I must have at least four folding chairs I will never use again as well as accumulated car stuff and garden tools. If my house-hunt goes according to plan, my next abode will be a condo where I don’t have to till the soil if I don’t want to. As I nurse my strained-yet-again lower back, I so don’t want to.

Today, I have a date with a plastic surgeon about the bobo on my face, which is still larger than it was when I last mentioned it. I can’t believe my luck — Stratford has a plastic surgery practice! And still no walk-in clinic for people who don’t have a family doctor. Hmmm. Priorities, people!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 25 - 03:48 PM

This week I'm participating in a study at my university. It took two phone calls from them to finally understand that I'm capable of finding their building and my parking permit is in good standing. My regular campus lot is literally beside their new building, so please don't fuss at me if I don't want to park in the old funky parking garage that is actually farther away. They've set this study up for people who aren't part of the campus community. (I am not claustrophobic, but every time I drive in one of those concrete buildings I have images of the pancaked freeway lanes of a California earthquake flash through my mind, and a childhood of driving in the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle that always felt like it could fall down. They finally tore it down before it could fall down.)

A bag of cleaning supplies has been offered on the Buy Nothing page, and I am awaiting a reply from the electronics donations guy. I sent a note clarifying why I'd like to know what he does for recycling, because I still have that dead UPS (explosion & fire) and would like to see the components get recycled.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 11 Feb 25 - 10:57 AM

Spent the week back in Quartzsite after the Anza-Borrego stay, boondocking with old friends. Nothing more pressing than a campfire. My hiking buddies found some interesting glints in a nearby mining area, so we did an expedition up there, collected some great stuff.

This week I will head east, attempt to find a car in Tucson, go to a couple of rock and gem shows, catch a short symposium at the main show. If my knee allows, it is suddenly angry about something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 25 - 12:28 PM

Good luck with the car hunt. The last three I've purchased I found online via Edmunds Car Guide. Since the reports are online I would never go through an entire sale without test driving and getting a good look and smell in the inside (I am so averse to cigarette smoke, especially the stale smoke smell in vehicles). But it's a starting place.

What kind of "glints" did you find? I've spent time poking around road cuts and mine tailings picking up interesting minerals that are exposed from the activity.

I made the calls to my elected officials this morning; two went to voicemail, but the representative's office had a real live person. With notes I made my points and thanked the man for making note of my concerns. It is harder to call than to email, and having written it out ahead made it easier in a nervous situation. I'll alternate writing and calling from now on.

When making the bed this weekend I took off the top wool blanket but left it folded nearby, and last night put it on again. We had a noisy thunderstorm pass through at about 4am, accompanied by dog complaints in the hall. This morning I moved one of the dog beds into the hall bathtub, because that seems to be her shelter choice if I'm not around so she can hunker by my feet and trip me up. They have various types of beds for warm and cold weather just like me. This time of year I use layers instead of the down cover for that reason; there might be a week or two when down is ok, but it's not worth the trouble to unpack it for that short a time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 11 Feb 25 - 01:50 PM

Hello my name is Don and I am your personal hypnotherapist, now retired. I dealt with controlling performance anxiety among athletes, musicians, public speakers, and control the parasympathetic nervous system to enhance performance. I had much success in overcoming phobias or addictions.
Training the body to breathe at six times a minute is important. Getting the process down to one breath to initiate the mind and body into a relaxed hypnogogic state makes the process an on going hypnotic self-help day to day exercise. When your breathing is controlled so is your heart rate and pressure. It is a bit like using control knobs that you can dial up or down from a relaxed state.

Other more bizarre applications were too remarkable to mention here but what I found quite satisfying was learning from thousands of people their unique personal stories. A priest might feel the same.
Post hypnotic suggestions have a shelf life but are highly useful.
They can be self aware reminders or unconscious reactions.

Be it forms of Yoga or guided imagery the quality of self control mechanisms are within your grasp whether its called therapeutic hypnosis or prayer.

btw I never believed in past life memories. I considered that stuff paranormal BS however I believe we had pre natal dreams. It is clear to me that we know far more than our conscious mind thinks it knows.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 11 Feb 25 - 05:47 PM

A "bobo on [your] face?" I have a vision of my sister the fencer with a scar worthy of Heidelberg on her clock. ;)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Feb 25 - 08:34 AM

Um, no, Andrew. The bobo (probably a wart) is a blob about the size of a lentil, located a couple of millimetres south of the outboard edge of my right nostril. The scar will look like a repaired puncture, and the classic Heidelberg effect was a slash on the cheek.

Unless the biopsy indicates malignancy, this little adventure will cost me $400.00 in teeny-tiny Canadian currency. Fortunately, Premier Doug Ford’s bribe cheque (the infamous $200.00 “taxpayer rebate”) arrived in the mail last week, so I’m subsidized.

Yet another major snowstorm is bearing down on us today, direct from Baffin Island by way of Lake Huron. I promised to drive a Syrian refugee (mother of six, won’t wear gloves) to a medical appointment tomorrow morning, so I devoutly hope that the worst will have blown through by then.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 12 Feb 25 - 09:13 AM

Another travel day, charging up devices this morning before another several days of boondocking. The knee is better, got a fresh bottle of Aleve in Gila Bend, got in a water workout. While in the small dollar store, marveled that they would stock 39 variations of ibuprofen. Another time I counted 17 mascaras, all black. You'd think they'd be a little more streamlined in order to carry more useful items.

We got some sparkly specular hematite the other day. There were glints of chalcopyrite but it was elusive when we returned. There will be various microminerals when I clean and split; probably some vanadinite, etc.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Feb 25 - 11:45 AM

Specular hematite is so much more attractive than plain old brown hematite! (I have a necklace or two with the beads). Chalcopyrite means you might indeed have a whole bunch more goodness in those samples! I used to hike up to the mine entrance on Vesper Peak in the Cascades to find all sorts of interesting stuff in the copper mine tailings. And there was a road cut up near Index, WA, with molybdenite. It was always a wonder that the geology professor I worked for knew where all of these great spots were for class field trips.

More rain overnight but the flood warning has passed. I've puttered around the house a bit, took time to complain on Google maps about the idiocy of renaming the Gulf of Mexico. It looks like most of today's rain is over so the drive is safe to visit with a couple of friends this afternoon. I haven't heard back from the electronics guy, so maybe I'll tell him I have a couple of VHS players needing repair (I do - I was going to sell them for parts or repair on eBay) to see if that gets an answer. And if nothing, I may kick his ad off of Freecycle for being bogus.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Feb 25 - 08:24 PM

It was one of those days that started with the chore (the study on campus) and ended with three excellent visits with friends who were my coworkers before retirement. It boosts one's spirits to have those kinds of conversations (and having good material to share forward with other of those co-worker friends).

How did your visit to the plastic surgeon go, Charmion? Uneventful, I hope! I had a mole on my jawline most of my life that always bugged me and a friend in my writing group was a plastic surgeon and invited me down one day to have it taken off for a modest co-pay. That was a gift - it always felt like the Wicked Witch of the West's bump (not that bad, but I always saw it that way.)

One of today's visits included helping that friend set up a Google Voice account with an extra phone number. I have one that I use for those stores that want a phone number to track purchases, etc. but I never want to hear from. It is tied to his regular cell phone, so any real calls that come in can be forwarded to it.

Sad news today, that Joann's (the fabric store) is closing many of its branches. So far it looks like my local store will stay open, but I dread the day when the only way to buy fabric is online. Time to find stores closing and buy up stuff on sale? But that will mean less business at the one that is still open. (I loaded up when Hancock went out of business, ended up sharing a lot of that stuff with my daughter.)

The curse "may you live in interesting times" is in full effect right now. Every day seems to last forever, and we are counting down the next four years one slow day at a time. This isn't the way I want to prolong my life. Now to send more messages to my representatives.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 12:18 PM

I don't know if you've seen it, Stilly, but The Register did a little checking with a VPN, and the Gulf of Mexico's only misnamed for people with (apparent) locations in the USA; the proper name appears for those in Mexico, and both names for those elsewhere. Google Maps do have precedents for that sort of thing, of which the first that comes to my mind is the English inability to name La Manche properly.

Apologies if this should have been in the Manbaby thread, but it's Google's way of coping with the Unreasonable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 01:22 PM

Google reclassifies U.S. as ‘sensitive country’ alongside China, Russia after Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ comments = "snowflake country." I'm trying not to pull politics into every thread where I participate, so I'll post that over on the Convicted Felon thread as well. But I've reported that error a couple of times and plan to keep on doing it.

This morning I have a list of grievances to call into my representatives, then I'll get moving on my other stuff to do around the house. It's a lovely sunny day but unfortunately it is still freezing, so not a good day to start in the garden.

No call back from the electronic device guy, and when I looked him up I found that three weeks ago he had started new accounts in several surrounding cities and sent the same post. I removed his post and put him on moderation, and need to alert those other cities to the problems with his listing. The member who complained about his not sharing with the poor made a complaint for the wrong reason but at least it got me looking at what he was doing. Disappointing as that is, the good news is that when on campus yesterday I stopped by the electronic waste bins (I used to be the library contact person for those) and see they're heavily in use. I plan a couple of trips over there to visit friends and drop off stuff each time. The company that collects it treats it the way I want (disassembles and recycles wire, components like chips, etc.)

The friend with the cats I periodically care for has rejoined Costco since I told her they have good prices for pet prescriptions, but as another person who lives alone, finds the volume of stuff in their packaging to be too much. I told her she can join my ex and I in dividing up some of those things, making it more practical for each of us.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 02:10 PM

Every so often the arrangement of prescriptions and supplements needs addressing, usually when I buy something then I discover I already had it, or when I'm sure I have more of something but can't find it. Today the cupboard where those things live was rearranged and the cotton balls, cotton swabs, bandaids and cough drops were evicted. The bottle of calamine lotion had a use-by date of 2011, evidence that I never use it, so it is also gone. There's another cupboard where a subset of this lives on a rotating double-decker lazy Susan with pain killers, Sudafed, etc. Time to get out the step stool and see what I can end up with.

Not sure where the cotton products and bandaids will live. Maybe in a basket in the pantry.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 04:18 PM

> it is still freezing, so not a good day to start
> in the garden

Use a mattock :-) ?

> Today the cupboard where those things live was
> rearranged

As soon as I saw that, methunk "Oh Dear".

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 25 - 05:41 PM

It's not the use of a mattock (I have two of them I use all of the time) it's the cold weather. I'm not fond of outdoor work at 36^o. If it was just cold weather, not a problem, but working in that cold air makes my eyes water and I tend to end up with a chapped face.

Rearranging cotton balls and bandaids was a delaying tactic before I waded into the online Medicare/My Health insurance website to determine if there was a way to have a test that was ordered paid for (without the copay the provider said would be required). Before I got to that part I updated my beneficiary information and signed up for credit monitoring (all the more critical these days). It makes sense to take advantage of every benefit from my insurance coverage. But I finally got to the coverage pages and then called my doctor's office. It's now a question being put to the rep for the company that would do the scan. There is job security for people who know how to accurately use those Medicare codes.

eBay research this afternoon show me that I missed an opportunity as far as t-shirt yarn. Back when I was using it to make COVID masks it was all homemade and turned up online, but now there are companies that make big long uniform rolls of the jersey yarn and I don't see much of the homemade type offered. I was going to use the shirts I bought to make my own to use, but I don't need it now. I may go ahead and make the yarn and sell it as a lot, it will sell, it just won't go for a big price any more. It'll clear out the extra stuff in the sewing room and listen to an audiobook while I do the work.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 11:57 AM

MaJoC: I'm looking at some of the supplement bottles on a small lazy susan on the tall table in the kitchen (a workspace that arrived in the form of a great table for $20 at Goodwill that I lugged into the kitchen when I got home. It immediately became a working space and was never moved farther.) This device was in the cupboard but put here I think this might work. There is a lot of veterinary stuff in another cupboard and the various cold and pain medications that now must be considered. (What I also need to do is find a way to store all of the lids for various Rubbermaid food containers. Now they're organized but not easy to reach in a lower cupboard, but I use them all of the time so they should be more front and center somehow.)

I am considering switching over to Firefox as my default browser and in a prelude to that imported all of the bookmarks, passwords, etc from the now-default browser. The bookmarks didn't land in a separate folder, they did a shotgun blast into the existing bookmarks. What a tangle.

I woke this morning thinking about what jobs I can do in the yard and garden. That's a good sign! Time for pots of soil and starting seeds. (Past time, actually, but it's a long growing season.) I have a sweet potato in the window to grow slips for planting later. This year I plan to use a large "Smart pot" (an unwoven sturdy pot) for sweet potatoes, and some in regular beds, to compare results.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 12:50 PM

Apologies, Stilly: when I saw "rearranged", my mind autocompleted it with "and everything's been put Somewhere Safe". I suspect I've wittered on about that family phrase, at length, somewhere heareabouts.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 03:55 PM

Rearranging does come with the risk of forgetting where things were moved to. I've done that to myself in the past. And sometimes the process of rearranging brings about discoveries of items lost for a while.

Lots to do around here. Another cold clammy day, but I'm gearing up to head into the greenhouse and start some seeds. Must do laundry, I'm down to the last pair of undies, and I have a couple of t-shirt new arrivals to run through the wash before wearing. The ACLU shirt has a very large message, they don't want any ambiguity when supporters wear them. Today I'm wearing my ALT USFS shirt from the first 45 term. ("Only you can prevent forest fires! Seriously. We've been defunded. It's just you now.") Sewing. Listing. Writing. Everywhere I turn are chores waving "me, next!"

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 04:36 PM

Heavy snow started falling on Wednesday and let up about noon yesterday, and yet more is due tonight and tomorrow. For the first time in years I put on my high boots yesterday; with the snow well up over my ankles, I’d get a soaker for sure digging out the front path in my normal Stratford boots.

The snowbanks are now both a menace to navigation and an attractive nuisance. They are so high that little kids climb on them to slide, running the risk of skidding into traffic, while drivers at intersections can’t see over them to spot on-coming vehicles. In Ottawa, city crews equipped with monster snowblowers and ten-ton dump trucks take down such snowbanks several times each winter, but Stratford apparently counts on Mother Nature for that service. I’m surprised by this laissez-faire policy because Perth County is the very buckle on the Ontario snow belt. Only six more weeks to go … unless it’s longer.

I haven’t done any more house-clearance this week while I’ve been nursing my sore back.

The visit to the plastic surgeon was a calm affair; she thinks the growth is a wart, so its removal would be “cosmetic” and therefore not covered by the provincial health plan. The tissue will be examined as a matter of routine, however, and if it turns out to be malignant I get my money back. The deed will be done next Wednesday afternoon. I will have a couple of stitches and probably a fat lip.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 25 - 04:59 PM

Charmion, given the alternative, that is a good plan. I've struggled today to get a scanning facility on the phone, but calls keep dropping. My doctor wants this test done even though it isn't covered so will cost me, the first time I've come across one of these in years. Working for the state meant lower income but great retirement benefits, including they pay for your insurance (combined with Medicare that I pay). I hope your back feels better soon.

Re: your snow, I shudder to think of the sledding we did on the hill where I grew up during middle and high school years. Two blocks long and while one street was a T into that slope, at the bottom you shot into the cross street. (The very long block above those two was so steep that no one would sled on it because of the speed and because there was a jog in the street at the bottom and chances were you'd hit a wall. So we lived dangerously but didn't have a death wish.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 15 Feb 25 - 09:03 AM

Yikes, snowbanks high enough to block visibility! I'll take my dusty but warmish skies more gratefully.

Camped between Phoenix and Tucson, having driven a long way yesterday to secure An SUV At Last. Was not about to have a 'just right' one slip through my fingers, so got on the road shortly after seeing the listing at breakfast. Long day getting the deal done, but cleared the Phx metro by 5, only to sit in a senseless jam for an hour on the interstate in the middle of nowhere. 's okay, I had found and booked a site along the route, with pool, and finally landed there as night fell, only to find my envelope for late check in locked in a guardless guard shack. Grrr... not in the bin where it should have been. Why? No explanation from the guard who bumbled along 15 minutes later and thinks that's a fine way to welcome weary guests, more convenient for him. I swear we are going to have to start teaching courses in hospitality, because all people are learning at home, school, and work is 'make it easy on yourself'.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 25 - 01:56 PM

Good news, Patty! Will you now tow the SUV behind the RV back to the house? I'm glad you are so experienced with trailers and towing!

It looks like snow here mid-week coming up so I'll finish my driving to shop this weekend. Unlike in Charmion's neighborhood, a little snow stops everything even when we have so little that there is a clear view all around.

Writing this weekend. Finished the complaint to the board of REI, now for the senators and rep, and then for the blog. Same song, different verses.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 25 - 04:55 PM

Virtual decluttering and some organizing. The Bluesky account started with a lot of people following and for efficiency at first I followed back, but then spent time looking into who those folks were. Not all there with good intentions in their hearts - so they were unfollowed. A few blocked. Today I created a "starter pack" of the accounts that I am always going to look at if they scroll across my feed. Friends who are there as followers are still following though many are quietly postless, and that starter pack is intended for them, if they're interested. I looked in on a couple of those friends and was pleased to see they've gotten a great start and are communicating well. I used Instagram for photos, and still do to a large part, but Bluesky is a replacement for the important political accounts I used to follow on that bird site that took a bullet to the heart (and brain) when the fElon took over.

Now for some me time, a shower, then get a bit of sewing in for a banner project I've wanted to do for ages. I've thought of a good way to use it (so I'll make an extra one.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Feb 25 - 10:15 PM

An afternoon repeat of the purging printed records of old online accounts, this time through the "Free accounts" book; I must have removed 50 pages, checking half of them online to see if the sites still existed then closed several that were viable but no longer of interest. Each book is still too full for them to be combined into one, but the contents of each might go into smaller binders.

Did some shopping today and will finish the rest of my list tomorrow ahead of the freezing and possible snow midweek. I emptied dessert stuff from the freezer and took it in a care package to the next door neighbors (who have had a couple of rough weeks, surgery followed by the flu).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Feb 25 - 11:21 AM

When the roads are a bit more passable, I also want to declutter my freezer of comestibles I will not eat — specifically two one-kilo packets of stuffed tortellini and three bags of cranberries. (I love cranberry sauce, but I know exactly how much sugar it involves.) I’ll hang onto the frozen wild blueberries.

Today began with blowing-snow warnings on the radio. In my far-distant youth, every country road was lined by snow fences that halted the movement of blowing snow before it could cover the pavement. A snow fence was a flimsy thing of cheap wooden slats wired together and anchored to four-foot posts made of angle-iron. It could not restrain even the most docile dairy cow, but it admirably did the job for which it was designed. The winter landscape was marked by windrows of snow pocked with the tops of the iron posts, and the roads were somewhat less dangerous. A good thing as the cell phone had yet to be invented and one hit the ditch in the certainty of a very long, cold, wait for help.

Southwestern Ontario is apparently innocent of snow-fencing, and so we have blowing-snow alerts.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 17 Feb 25 - 11:50 AM

> wild blueberries

Do they taste better than tame ones? The ones on the shelves in the UK are cheating to my mind: basically super-sized blackcurrants that have had all the flavour leached out of them. I like fruit that bites back.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 25 - 01:10 PM

MaJoC I grew up in the Pacific NW where it was easy to find wild blueberries and huckleberries, but the commercial ones are huge in comparison. Not as flavorful, but ok. The organic ones are much better for you, as with most produce.

The first summer I worked for the Forest Service I was also getting credit toward a forestry degree and the afternoon my partner and I watched a VW beetle drive up a logging road was memorable. Not a usual sight in a world of pickups and logging and gravel trucks. When it parked nearby and a 6'5" guy unrolled himself from the front seat I recognized my friend and professor. We were surveying new tree growth in a clear cut area that was a few years out from harvest, and it was also full of successional blueberry bushes and other plants that come back after logging or a forest fire. He was most impressed that as we worked we kept picking berries for ourselves but were also keeping an eye on a black bear on the other side of the unit who had no intention of giving up the blueberries to the two people out there walking around. When bears eat they use their front feet like hands and rake the berries off of the branches running between the fingers and straight into their mouths. He told me later that was the most entertaining of all of the internship visits he did that summer (I think he also took home a bag full of blueberries.)

I'll do one more shopping trip this afternoon and called the neighbor getting over flu, asking if she needs anything. It's a rough week coming up and I've moved the potted shrubs and small trees into the garage again.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Feb 25 - 01:30 PM

On my latest visit back to my apartment,
I sorted and trashed some more papers, several bags of them to the dumpster,
as well as some unusable cardboard boxes.
And I donated a small manual typewriter to Goodwill.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 25 - 11:35 PM

Congratulations on your papers and cardboard clearing, Keb. Some days it feels like an accomplishment to run a load of dishes in the dishwasher. This was one of those. I also went shopping, but didn't do much else.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 18 Feb 25 - 09:24 AM

Wood lath snow fencing was wired to 6-foot steel T-sectioned pickets set 2 feet into the ground. If the pickets were set on the recommended 8-foot centres, cattle could be restrained by the fencing.

Wood lath has largely been replaced in North America by heavy-gauge polyethylene sheeting with lozenge-shaped holes in it. As it does not involve the multiple double strands of wire that were used to hold the wood laths together, I would not vouch for its ability to hold back cattle.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Feb 25 - 11:16 AM

In spring 1978 I drove across the US and in Wyoming encountered a snowy day on a straight highway with those snow fences. They kept snow from the roadway but the wind was blowing north to south with the constant movement of a small amount of snow scuttling across the road, making it visually very difficult driving. (Plastic sheeting is such a bad choice, to crumble on the landscape as it breaks down.)

Still fussing about that peninsula cupboard in the kitchen and where to relocate food containers. If I moved food storage out then what would I put in there? Stuff that doesn't matter if I lose track or forget it altogether? I suppose the extra tiles from floor and shower projects and paint cans with current room colors could be parked there. The stuff that you leave for the next homeowner (I have no plans to move, but I appreciated finding some spare kitchen floor tiles when I moved in.) There's only so much of that, it's a very deep cupboard with a lot more space. What else?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 18 Feb 25 - 11:40 AM

Verily re crumbling plastic. We obtained a considerable amount of well-rotted farmyard manure a decade or more ago, which came in plastic farm-feed bags; now we find we have to dig in plastic shrapnel along with the muck. So much for improving the solid clay masquerading as soil in our garden.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 11:49 AM

Last night I cleared out several containers in the fridge and freezer by making a batch of my "nacho mix" - can be used for tacos, burritos, nachos, etc. and it absorbed the several containers of aging but still edible cherry tomatoes, a partial can of tomato paste, the last 1/4 of a jar of chipotle salsa, finished the frozen Hatch chilis from 2021, and used up two pounds of beef chuck (the oldest vacuum sealed in 2021).

The house is dark because the insulating curtains are pulled across the back, over the sliding glass door and windows in the dining area. A few flakes are falling but no buildup. It's 14 so the faucets in the bathroom and kitchen are set to drip water all day—I put a container under each drip so if I need water I scoop it out with a cup instead of turning the faucet on and forgetting to set it back to dripping. It's a day spent in fleece pants and layers. The point is to not strain the power grid by turning up the heat. We're all a bit trepidatious after this same week in February 2021.

The dogs are back in the cave of bedding built in the kennel and the bed in my office closet. If I feel ambitious later I'll isolate Cookie in the bathroom and see if I can put her dog jacket on; once in place she likes it, but you'd think I'm trying to torture her for the reaction when I approach (and if Pepper is in the room all hell breaks loose for some reason).

How's your back doing today, Charmion? And have you used any of those blueberries? Have you found a way to use them that isn't high carb? I sometimes put them in a bowl of yogurt. I put my homemade granola on top (it's mostly nuts now, only a little bit of oatmeal in it, and I measure it out so I don't get too many carbs in a day.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Feb 25 - 12:18 PM

Stilly, I’m totally low-tech with frozen fruit. No fancy weskits; I let the blueberries thaw in a glass cocotte, add a little cinnamon and some fake sugar, and eat them with a spoon.

My back still hurts. Floundering about in the snow yesterday was not good for it — not to speak of digging out my front path every day, sometimes twice a day. At least it’s no worse.

In about an hour I’m off to see the surgeon, MasterCard at the ready. It’s a good thing I pay it off every month so I don’t have to worry about the extra expense.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 20 Feb 25 - 09:53 AM

SRS, that deep cabinet would be good for anything only used rarely; ice cream maker, Thanksgiving or Easter stuff, beach gear.

Got home last night after a 660 mile round trip to pick up the car, a very long day. It is a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness, low mileage 2024. Way too many bells and whistles, but it was the best way to get 4x4, high clearance, and towing capability. It was strange to be able to pull in anywhere, and I wound up stopping for food at a place with truck parking anyway.

Exhausted, I'll spend time unloading new rocks and minerals and books, tidy the place a bit, and then get started on a houswarming/St. Pat's party plans. Lots to do to make that happen, but I am anxious to have friends and neighbors over, and looking forward to a proper celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 25 - 12:52 PM

Patty, I don't have an ice cream maker (but I take your general point) but I've been considering long items like baking sheets, though they're doing ok in the pantry now. It should be something that isn't harmed if there is a messy spill that splashes into the cupboard. I have some of those rarely used items in the bottom shelf of a different cupboard already. :)

To have a clear picture of your vehicles, you have an RV and the Subaru? It sounds like a great vehicle you found.

I've been looking at stuff in the freezer and am going to try an experiment. There are YouTube videos that show how to use commercial freezer zip bags in the FoodSaver machine, but what I observe in the freezer is after a while many of the regular plastic bags have puffed out and the contents rattle around. Were they just regular bags I used (non-freezer?) that must be somewhat air permeable? So the idea of using zipper bags instead of the expensive sealer branded bags may be good as long as I use freezer-weight bags. There are a couple of techniques and I'll try both and label the bags (sharpie at the ready) and see how they work.

I also have quart canning jars full of frozen wild grape juice and I'm considering offering them if people who get them bring me quart canning jars in exchange. I have about a dozen jars in there and don't want to give away a case of them if I can avoid it, I use them a lot.

A phone call with my sister last night showed that even a thousand miles apart and not talking very often we still think alike. We've both been organizing accounts and trying to streamline but also protect finances from possible bank or credit card nonsense in this era of 47. We each had good suggestions for the other so I'll be considering some of that.

Still very cold today, but sunny and dry. It was so cold that last night the programmable thermostat showed the house was pretty darned chilly at bedtime. I pushed it up a couple of degrees for the dogs. I did manage to surprise Cookie and put her jacket on, and she's ok with it. That boxer/pit coat just isn't meant for really cold weather.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Feb 25 - 04:56 PM

I have a discreet bandage under my nose like an off-centre Hitler moustache. It feels strange but does not hurt. But I have to stay out of the Y pool until 48 hours after the stitches are out, and I have to figure out how to take a shower without getting my face wet.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 21 Feb 25 - 11:57 AM

> (sharpie at the ready)

Have you been deflecting any hurricanes recently, Stilly .... ?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 25 - 12:44 PM

MaJoC at most I would like to draw targets on a number of individuals, that's about it. Lead poisoning couldn't happen to more deserving schmucks.

This morning I exchanged two jars of mustang grape juice and two jars of strawberry juice to a former (fired last week) federal employee in my FB buy nothing group. We had a quick conversation on the chilly porch. She just finished her MSW at my university and said she was thinking of applying to teach there. My opinion is that isn't the best choice, adjunct work is poorly paid and they overload them, but regular state jobs at the university in any department is a better bet. I told her that's how I ended up in my job, instead of teaching at the university I stayed in the staff position. Excellent networking, and she's made enough jelly and done canning to know why the jar exchange was a condition of the offer. Said she'll make strawberry jelly this afternoon.

Already having those four jars of juice out of the freezer means I could put a bag of frozen blueberries in the door shelf. I hope to give away four more, and I'll keep three and make a batch of jelly later for gifts.

Taking a couple of t-shirts to a friend I haven't seen in ages as we meet for lunch at a restaurant that probably needs to come off of my list of acceptable places. They're on the list of companies that capitulated to the dump DEI policies of the current regime.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 25 - 04:35 PM

Excellent lunch, we talked two hours, mostly politics - it was good to be in person and be able to say this stuff out loud. Handed over the shirts, much appreciated. Also talked a lot about houses, gardens, and decluttering. I think the garden needs to be larger and more diverse this year, to compensate for what's going on in the world. My friend is another one who cooks from scratch, who loves the fresh produce. I can see some visits this spring that are centered in the garden.

Big push this weekend to get eBay stuff out, and I'm going to add a bonus to the antique sewing machine I have listed, a parcel with few extra bobbins and some needles. The bobbins are harder to get for those old machines, so this might be the offer to finally make the sale.

A friend needs a ride to a computer store next week, and I looked up their reviews. They buy used computers and game consoles (what she's taking over) but they also do complimentary e-waste recycling, and I have some of that so I'll put a box in the SUV to unload over there.

Still darned cold out there, but next week will be up into the 70s again. Time to start digging and tilling that garden.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Feb 25 - 06:00 PM

In Stratford the snow is deeper than ever, and it’s quite cold. I stayed home and paid bills, reconciled the chequing and credit accounts, and had a fruitful phone conversation with the realtor in Ottawa . Then I took a hot bath, reading the Spectator while I wallowed in the steam and bubbles.

Getting into and out of the bathtub is much easier at 60.5 kilos than it was at 79.8 kilos, although my wonky ankles still don’t allow me to crouch or squat properly. It’s not a manoeuvre I would ever willingly perform for an audience.

My great-niece Faith and her grandparents — SIL Mary and her husband Terrance — were supposed to come to Stratford to visit last Tuesday. Mary and Terrance planned to drive from their home in Chatham to London, where they were to meet Faith and travel the rest of the way to Stratford in her car. I did not like the weather forecast because the radar map showed a massive storm system inbound from the west, and I called Mary at breakfast time to warn her. The sun was shining brightly in Chatham, so they decided to make the trip anyway.

All went well until they turned north off Highway 401 heading into London. Within about 5 km they entered the southern edge of that storm system and found themselves in lashing snow. When they reached Faith’s apartment, they called to say that discretion is the better part of valour and maybe we should try again in April.

Meanwhile, the storm system had settled across Highway 7, the main road between London and Stratford. About half an hour after Mary and Terrance decided to have lunch with Faith in London and then go home, a massive white-out enveloped a column of traffic entering a roundabout about 15 km southwest of Stratford. One vehicle skidded and rolled, while six more piled up behind the wreck. The cops closed the highway and issued a bulletin asking everyone to stay home, for God’s sake.

If they had not decided to abort their trip, Faith and her grandparents would probably have reached the collision site within about five minutes of the first impact.

So, bullet dodged.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 25 - 11:02 PM

Charmion, how is the surgical spot feeling? Are you able to eat without it bothering you? And good call by the family in avoiding driving into that whiteout!

Two batches of crispy pecans in the oven this evening, the house smells wonderful. Hopefully the salt level is better this time; they need some, but somehow the last time I made them there was way too much. They're coming to the end of three hours, one more to go (oven set at its lowest temperature for this long process).

After the cold overnight it's supposed to get back to more normal Texas temperatures. About time!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Feb 25 - 12:14 PM

Time to bite the bullet and figure out my income taxes. This year it is unlike anything I've ever considered doing because of the political situation and the agency that processes them under massive assault. I will continue to write and call and nag my representatives. If I owe taxes I'll set up a second checking account at my credit union and use that account for the debited payment, hoping to keep my usual account number out of harm's way if all of this goes pear shaped onto the dark web.

Today there are a couple of more things to offer on Buy Nothing and a whole bunch more for eBay. The camera is out and the second computer warmed up for processing photos.

Last night the new friend from the buy nothing group posted a photo of the mustang grape jelly she made. Her original intent was to use the strawberry juice first, but I bet her curiosity is why she changed plans. And of course she was thrilled with the flavor! It is a sweet-tart taste kind of like tamarind, by way of comparison. I'm glad to be sharing the wealth of these grapes (now to find a new vine that is easy to reach and not also full of poison ivy.) My daughter wants to make wine if I can find a good source; she can't use frozen juice because you have to start the whole grapes with the skin for the must.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Feb 25 - 12:17 PM

Ugh, taxes. The most beautiful time of the year, with so good weather and fun things to do, and we have to mess around with taxes. Well, nothing to do but get organized, and whip through them. One consolation is at least the forms are about the same this year. By next year the traitor-tots will have decided we should all do taxes on some dysfunctional app that runs through the overlord's platform.

Got out on back roads including Dwyer Road yesterday, trying to explore with the little SUV, learning how to shift into sand/mud mode etc. It was strange having high clearance and a tiny turning ratio.

Unfortunately though I am close to Cookes Peak, no public roads lead directly there, have to backtrack towards town to get to the access roads.   Will not tackle going up into the mining districts til I have a buddy traveling with me.

Well, there is clutter on every surface, back to work getting the house under control.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 25 - 12:27 PM

I noticed an unincorporated town of Dwyer in New Mexico when we were camping at the City of Rocks State Park. Wide spot in the road. :)

Surprise visit today, daughter and wife coming over to shower and do laundry; their pump is out and they're preparing for a trip tomorrow. We'll take what visits we can get, and I'll make lunch. Top of their to-do list will be to pool resources and buy a new pump (it came with the property, chances are they can get something more efficient and with a solar component that will serve them well.) I have sudden motivation to quickly pick up around here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 25 - 05:12 PM

The visit happened but they got a call from their house during the drive down that the pump company had been contacted and told them where to find the reset button. Good save! Apparently the pump house is frequented by black widow spiders, so it took a long-sleeved shirt and gloves to make that important move to restart the pump.

A while back I transferred some large pumpkins to my daughter for her chickens. There was still one pumpkin left but it was on the porch during the freeze and was too spongy to seem healthy for the hens. When she carried it past the chicken coop on her way to the compost this morning all of the hens watched expectantly, disappointed when they didn't get their gourd. This afternoon I sent her home with a cucumber for them (something they also adore).

And another stray cat turned up on their property, not sure if it was a littermate of the one my daughter adopted last fall, but it was a friendly calico and was taken to the county shelter. Turns out the shelter had only one other cat at the time and someone the day before had been in looking for a calico.

Stories of spiders, chickens, and cats today, and I can see the influences of her being raised by a park naturalist mom who gardens.

Back to the photos for eBay listings.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 08:36 AM

Tax time is looming on my side of the border, too, and about half of the relevant documents have yet to arrive. Every year some of them never show up at all, and I have to dig around the Revenue Canada website to find the data. Without actual pages of numbers in boxes, I always feel nervous; is this the year I screw it all up and attract hostile attention?

The inevitable mid-winter thaw started yesterday, and the accumulated snow already feels different. I hope devoutly that the melt lasts long enough to reduce the bank at the corner of my street by at least 18 inches so I can see the southbound traffic most likely to T-bone me on my way to all the places I go most often. On my way to church yesterday, I had to goose the accelerator like a stock-car racer to make the left turn ahead of a pick-up truck driven by a person who obviously owned the road.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 01:26 PM

My mother always had a plan to get almost everywhere in town in a way that avoided left turns. She was convinced they were the most deadly driving maneuver out there. I seem to have absorbed much of that policy, I either avoid lefts that don't have a light or make three right turns to avoid the left. I hope that visibility resolves quickly!

Appointments this week and they run the gamut from teledoc to driving someone to their appointment to digging plants in a friend's yard. (We only have drifts of sunshine to impede driving here.) This implies getting up, dressing, and being ready for the day. Typical stuff, but it was so cold last week that slouching around the house in flannel pants, layered shirts, and the long bathrobe was briefly the norm. Back to the regular world.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 08:57 PM

This afternoon I headed into the garden with the small mattock to test the soil consistency, and find it is good and workable. I cleared one side of the bed where I'll plant potatoes, then worked my way through the asparagus bed to remove weedy dead grass so I can see when the shoots start. If they're a good size I'll harvest a few, but since they were transplanted to that bed a year ago this year they may not be ready for much picking.

Joann's (the fabric and craft store) is closing completely late in the spring, so I tried going to their custom fabric site to order one last batch of the Pride fabric I designed in 2021. That part of the business seems to be shut down, so I'll use what I have left carefully and look around for a place to order more. I keep a supply of the homemade 3D Pride masks for friends and family.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 12:52 AM

I have completed the first pass through the tax forms, and printed the appropriate page of the tax table to mark the range for my taxable income. It always looks cut-and-dried, but I don't think a year has passed when I didn't have to go back and do the math again (sometimes to my benefit, sometimes not.) The bread crumbs from past years usually help, unless I made a mistake that was caught later by the IRS and I didn't go in and mark my documents to show where the error happened.

There are some really asinine calculations to make, with results being compared to other results for the larger or smaller of those numbers. This is why the commercial companies stay in business, people are unable or unwilling to jump through these stupid hoops. Tax prep companies lobby Congress to keep taxes complicated. Poor people have to jump through these hoops, the super-rich ignore paying taxes altogether or have so many deductions it works out the same. And the IRS folks who keep the super rich honest are the ones being fired right now by Musk.

I finished my cuppa herbal tea, I'm headed to bed to read. Taxes resume tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 09:21 AM

The melt is strongly under way, and southbound traffic on Mornington Street has ceased to come as a nasty surprise. Of course, with such heavy accumulation, we are now at risk of flooding in certain areas — fortunately, not on my property. But rivers and creeks will run high this spring.

My favourite mandolin has developed a nasty tuning problem that I can’t diagnose myself, which means a trip out to St.Mary’s to visit the luthier. I so don’t need this now.

By the end of this week, I really should have the basement work table cleared of the latest load of Goodwill-bound stuff. The house goes up for sale in only five weeks … !

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 04:50 PM

Wow, Charmion! So what will you be doing in the next five weeks? If it sells right away, do you have a new place selected already?

I helped a friend with a computer case today, it turns out that when the rather expensive case was tossed it didn't have the guts (graphics card, processor, RAM). But she can sell it as an empty case for someone to rebuild. Trouble is, she doesn't know anything about computers so when she listed another one on eBay from what was printed on the old box, it was returned because she didn't know all that was missing. I'll have to convince her not to just list things she found in her building without doing more research or she'll get a bad reputation on eBay and will have trouble selling.

She also needs help understanding how to call her representatives and what to say. I'll work on that with her. Send a text every day if that will help.

It's a warm afternoon. Time to head into the yard for a bit of digging.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 08:40 PM

Oh, no, Stilly. Selling a house these days is only partly about price; the other critical issue to negotiate is closing date. Most people have to sell a house to be able to buy one, so it’s common to set a seller’s condition of 60 to 90 days to closing. Consequently, when I sell this place, I jump in the car and drive to Ottawa to buy my next abode, where I will dicker with people bent on forging the next link in the massive chain reaction.

Stressful? No kidding.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 12:49 AM

That's what I thought, but it seems to be coming on so quickly! The speed at which good houses sell is sometimes astonishing, and the number of hoops a seller decides to put themselves through in advance can make a difference.

Working on a project for a couple of friends this evening, it's all moving around pixels so no clutter to speak of. Tomorrow I need to do some digging and some scanning. Let's see if I can motivate myself out the door to do both. I should scan first so I'm not covered in garden dirt when I get to the museum. I could go for a three-fer and get a gym visit in as well. That sounds very ambitious.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 05:20 AM

> it's all moving around pixels so no clutter to speak of.

Don't forget to empty the bit bucket: that's where dropped pixels end up. Write-only memory has a limited capacity, y'know.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 08:55 AM

Stilly, a house move late in life is like bankruptcy in one respect: its progress is achingly slow at first, and then sudden.

This one began at a few minutes past midnight on 10 October 2020, when Edmund died, and kicked into perceptible movement in late January of this year, when I realized that I don’t want to endure another winter on my own in Stratford. In the end, I figure it will have taken up about five years.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 11:59 AM

Regarding selling houses, we have had a few years where quite a few of the desirable ones get snapped up by cash buyers; both real people trying to put cash in safe investments, or landlords and corporations building big rental portfolios. They can swoop in fast, and they don't have a long lead time for the deal to close, so it might pay to be ready for that scenario.

Ran a full set of errands yesterday in the new wheels; took me a while to figure out the hatchback WAS locked, it just kept unlocking itself every time I walked up to it with the magic key. Ridiculous, but I was afraid to leave it 'open' in a big parking lot til I proved to myself it really was locked.

In an effort to get some of my funds out of the hands of greedy corporations, I stopped at the new little produce stand I've been speeding past. Met a nice lady and got some fresh local foods for a song. Have to do the same with local meat suppliers next. Bought a leather belt I needed in Mexico instead of at the big-box. Just think if 50 million of us pulled back even 20% of our purchases from the chains...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 12:27 PM

Patty, the swooping cash buyer probably issn't seen often in Stratford, or the real estate people at both ends would have warned me. The selling agent has been peddling properties in Perth County her entire adult life, so I think she'd know.

And even if it happened to me, I have a contingency plan -- store my stuff, board the cats, and camp with one of The Brothers. Not something I want to do under any but the direst of circumstances, but people who don't make a Plan X end up needing one when they have no time or energy to plan anything.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 05:15 PM

It's going to be a busy year for you, we can all predict that now!

This morning while eating my scrambled eggs I sneezed - three times! The resulting headache from food that migrated into a sinus was finally resolved with the neti pot. Kind of killed the day, though. Everything on my to-do has been postponed until tomorrow.

More virtual rearranging (and no bin needed to collect the bits!) Lots of house rearranging also needed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 09:03 PM

This afternoon I spent time with the string trimmer scalping the dead grass and weeds in each of the raised beds beside the driveway. It took about an hour for my hands and lower arms to feel normal again, after lifting the trimmer and all of the vibration from it. This is in preparation for digging and mulching and whatnot.

A friend asked about how to make calls to federal elected representatives so last night and today I worked on a blog post to describe it in the simplest of terms, then sent her the link to see if she can make it work. Sometimes the shortest pieces take the most time to write.

Now to do something else.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 12:43 PM

Another carload of excess stuff went to Goodwill today. Half-litre and larger Mason jars, an entire stack of wooden cutting boards that I never used, a Tupperware pie-carrier, half a dozen bread pans, a large canner, a paella pan big enough to feed six …. Every time I think I’ve about exhausted the supply of stuff I don’t want to move again, I find more. Stashed in the bottom of the linen closet — Edmund’s kettle bells and ankle weights! Loading those in the car was a special experience.

Snow and rain in the forecast — it’s still winter. Provincial election today; almost certain to return the Conservatives under the egregious Doug Ford with an even larger majority. Bah, humbug and phooey.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:38 PM

A large canner! Oh, what a lucky Goodwill with that and the jars!

We went out on a produce run today and loaded up, also found some large packages of frozen tilapia. I'll have to pry the pieces apart to use, there are several possible approaches. The cost was a lot less than the usual I buy frozen at Costco, and I'm hoping the fish is still in good shape (it was sold as fresh then went into the freezer to go to Town Talk for sale). The bonus on the trip were a few more 85% cocoa chocolate bars and a bouquet of various flowers. I usually bring flowers back for the next door neighbor also, but they're headed out on a cruise in two days, so no time to enjoy them.

More garden prep this afternoon and soon I'll be getting another load of free mulch from the city bunker near here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 09:05 PM

Dupont:
A bit closer to being able to go home again, for a few days anyway. Larry reports house is OK but I want warmer weather. Today is the best I have been in over a year!! THAT is wonderful! And tomorrow Jeff and Agata will be here for lunch and Jeff and Robin will talk business after. I made gingered Chick peas - first time in several years and black bean soup.

On Sunday am I opened dreadful corner cupboard and saw the wee box of some sort of lighting meant to be installed in that cabinet??? Asked R and WOW - he installed it, and what a difference! I can SEE things and now it is all redone and many things re-organized and... I found the chick peas and the black beans...!

And the house is clean enough.

I was surprised to see how long I have been absent. I have been overwhelmed by the mess below the border. I hope this good spell holds - eat well and drink lots of water!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 12:19 AM

Dorothy, I'm so glad you're feeling excellent! Yes, you've been away from the thread for a while - so there is a gap in the record. Where have you been and how long were you away, or are you talking about having been in the city for a long time and finally going back to Beaver for a visit?

Gingered chick peas sounds interesting!

And yes, it's an ungodly mess down here. Lots of writing and calling our representatives going on. Pushing back where we can. Suggesting to our senators that they should impeach Trump and get it over with, once and for all.

It has been a busy week, tomorrow is quiet. Also a day for not spending as part of a protest. We'll have to see if it works or if the MAGA crowd spends like crazy (those whose news sources don't tell them about what is going on.) I'll be working on the garden, and maybe scanning at the museum, I haven't been there in quite a while.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:53 AM

feeling good is definitely wonderful!

Ive been known to take a torch to a cupboard (not one that could have a light installed, tho!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 11:52 AM

Not going anywhere or buying anything on this day of protest. I'll probably continue it through the weekend just because.

Instead, what I need to do is actually use things I pay for. I rarely remember to watch Netflix (my son is on my account and uses it all of the time, so it isn't neglected). My exercise program has been ignored all month. What else? The genealogy site that keeps telling me I have new contacts. I'll look at my spreadsheet and see what I subscribed to that needs to go away.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 11:59 PM

I have improved on my homemade granola recipe by adding a couple of ingredients a friend uses in his. Mine is mostly nuts and seeds, a bit of oatmeal, and I added chickpea flour and some powdered milk. It absorbs the oil and honey better and makes it a little more clumpy, though I don't want it too chunky. A little cinnamon doesn't change the flavor particularly but is a nice aromatic touch. I mostly use it on top of my fruit and yogurt mix, and this is great for a healthy gut. I put the whole recipe in the Other recipe is too long thread (that is probably longer now than the first one was).

It was office work today; I got stuff finished but it didn't make the house any tidier in the process.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 08:32 AM

Another day of weather warnings and cancelled plans. I was supposed to play tunes with the session group at the Western Fair market in London, but then I looked at the weather map. Nope, not today.

So I’ll do some vacuuming, get in a few groceries, and maybe wash the kitchen floor. I have two bins of mixed doohickeys to sort through, also. The stuff in those bins has resisted purging and decluttering efforts for a good 25 years, so I’m not expecting much success.

Yesterday’s news from Washington shocked me to the core, and Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on Canadian imports are supposed to go into effect today. So I’m feeling apprehensive, like anyone with a lick of sense.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 01:08 PM

Yesterday's news from Washington brings to mind the tune I was researching earlier this week - The World Turned Upside Down (singing starts at 1:47). There's another song by that name that comes out of the Cromwell era but it's complicated.

I'm curious about those declutter-resistant bins. I have a few of those around here myself.

This week I dropped off a crochet hoop to a friend needing one and the drive with another to the electronics store also let me hand off the burned out UPS. Not a completely unproductive week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 25 - 01:34 PM

The test of using freezer zip lock bags in the food saver device results in one bag still sealed and one that has slowly let in air. This may be the bag I pulled off of the machine without remembering to wait, introducing a small leak. It deserves more testing, and in the meantime I am thawing that package to make soup with stock that needs using (I can't freeze it all). A neighbor brought over some vegetables that she thought wouldn't last during the 10 days they'll be out of town, so I'm going to figure out a chicken soup with cabbage recipe.

I'm 2/3 through the next Gary Taubes book, The Case Against Sugar. Chapter nine, "What They Didn't Know," pulls together the threads of my interest in cholesterol research and follows a few researchers who finally broke through the standardized opinions about low-fat/high carb diets to show how sugars actually behave in the metabolism. Table sugar is half glucose (that registers in blood work) and fructose (that doesn't, because is broken down in the liver first, contributing to fatty liver problems). All of this leads into the larger class of "metabolic syndrome" that is the progenitor of "Western diseases" of diabetes and heart disease, etc. And how products like high fructose corn syrup contribute to so many of those problems, all the while the sugar industry has insisted that sugar belongs in the "Generally Recognized As Safe" group of food additives. The glycemic index only registers glucose, so HFCS became somehow acceptable for diabetics. I have a short list of the most helpful blood work to show me the actual state of things. From last year to this the only thing that went up was the LDL cholesterol; my current diet has improved my triglycerides and HDL levels (they were already good, now they're better). And those are the numbers that actually seem to be more important, along with a test for inflammation. For more details I have a couple of papers to look up. He has great notes and 36 pages of references, making that further reading easy.

Down here we're into spring - Patty, are you seeing wildflowers in your neck of the woods/desert yet? If you had good rain last fall it should be an excellent year. Seasonal rainfall and flowering plants research was conducted by botanists in the years I was working in the Arizona desert, something I like to share. My daffodils are starting to open and the weeds in the turf like henbit are blooming away.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 11:53 AM

The big declutter today; I have to finish and pay the income taxes. I suppose I should ask for Musk's Venmo account email contact and send it directly there.

More rain overnight so the garden will be very workable this week. The weekend had the usual maintenance of making the bed, doing laundry and dishes. It feels like spring (and the damned time change is coming up on Sunday, that seems to make it official) so time to do some deeper cleaning. I need to use my spinning brush (Ryobi) to scrub the muddy path across the den floor, dust everything, and look around to see what needs its every year-or-two-or-three run through the wash (the woven throws over the sofa, decorative pillow covers, ornamental wall hangings that get dusty, etc.).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 01:40 PM

Raging dust storms here for today and tomorrow. No signs of spring, it's been quite dry for months.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 07:12 PM

I think the dust will have dropped out of the storm by the time it reaches us, but we have high wind warnings from tonight through tomorrow night.

I've decided that when I pay my taxes I'll simply file on paper and mail in a postal money order. That keeps my bank records out of the current minefield of IRS information. If they dig back a couple of years, it's there, but that's a layer of protection I'll take (if I changed my bank account I'd have to change so many other things - meaning it is something I probably should do rather than let inertia control my choice.)

I'm thinking of getting a small camera again; I sold the last one because I never used it, but there are occasions in the future when a phone might be a target but a camera can do the heavy lifting out of harm's way. Lots of protests coming up starting this month. I have a surveyor's vest in my closet that hasn't been used in years, but it would go under a parka easily and let me stash various devices without showing up as lumpy spots. Pockets would be the first target of anyone trying to grab a phone. (I just visited the closet - the old Filson surveyor's vest is a dayglo orange, not exactly subtle, but I could tuck a large lunch in the back pouch. I have a off-brand beige vest that would work the same way, without the space for lunch.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 02:44 AM

Made progress on eBay listings today, and revised one that has languished.

Probably later in the week there will be a funeral to attend for the husband of one of my university group that meets here for lunch. We knew it would happen eventually, just not so soon. He had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), that acted like dementia, but not quite.

There's also a pending lunch date with another former co-worker, we'll set the date once the funeral is announced.

The wind gusts are really hitting the neighborhood now, since around sunset. I expect to find a few things out of place, knocked over, or possibly gone by morning.

I found a pocket-sized camera that will do the trick for my carrying around in coming weeks, and a spare battery (rechargeable lithium). I already have several spare SD cards that will go with it. The companies that used to make this size got out of the business because phone cameras have filled that niche, but one company licensed the Kodak brand and they get reasonable reviews. I should have kept my old Canon, but that's water under the bridge now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 09:17 AM

Heavy rain in the forecast, with the ground still frozen. That means flooding. What fun.

I expect to be okay at home, and I sure don’t want to be out in that. I have a date with the hairdresser this afternoon and I had planned a trip to Habitat for Humanity with the huge Breville toaster oven, so I hope the worst of this latest lake-effect weather system will move through quickly.

As the sale of my house approaches, I find myself gradually detaching from Stratford stuff. I have two more concerts to sing with the concert choir and I don’t really care. The church is having a special vestry meeting to discuss its latest crisis and I won’t go. I’m in a state of emotional suspension that is very new to me.

But today the purple bathroom project begins, and Marco is due any minute. I must turn the cat off my lap and get on with the day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 04:09 PM

I spoke too soon about Patty's dust storm - it has arrived and was apparently giving a push to the morning tornado watch we had. The air is a weird yellow/brown that isn't the same weird yellow/green that the sky gets when tornadoes are approaching. The outdoor circuit breaker to my office has popped twice today, once in the windy rain, and just now in the wind, and I am going to schedule the electrician to do the work as soon as I know the funeral date to work around.

My next door neighbors are on a 10-day cruise and she is only using email this trip (the phone company gouges on a travel plan and adds extra fees when she travels). We've exchanged remarks about branches down in her yard (not many, and they aren't very big) and the state of the creek (no flooding, but it is always a risk if we get many days of rain in a row). I hate to be the bearer of worrisome news, and so far it is just updates but nothing wrong. And if need be, she'll take her phone off of airplane mode and call, regardless of the extra fees.

Charmion, do you have groups to reconnect with when you move to Ottawa? Is that where you lived before? Good luck with the paint, and keeping the cats out of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 06:01 PM

Yes, Stilly, I’m from Ottawa — born & raised and, after 10 years away, I lived there from 1984 to 2017. The Brothers live there, as do Nephew No 1 and his family and Great-nephew No 1. I don’t know yet what I will do with myself most days of the week but I intend to take my time re-integrating myself.

Today turned out unexpectedly expensive: the vacuum cleaner died. Taxes included, its replacement — a humble machine with only one bell or whistle, HEPA filtration — cost a cool thou. I’m kinda stunned but, with two constantly shedding cats in the house, I must have a vacuum cleaner.

The Trump tariffs are now in force and the Prime Minister has said out loud what many people here have suspected: that Trump’s desired end-state is Canada in economic collapse and ripe for annexation. I’m having Munich 1938-ish qualms.

Time for tea, and a sit with the cats.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 10:08 AM

Apparently it was a sure-enough haboob that rolled through Deming, saw video of it on a weather site. Up here, it hit hard and blew all day, but I didn't see it approach. Drifts of dirt on the patio but only one tumbleweed.

Meanwhile the too-big-for-its-britches electric company took 13 hours to restore power to my house and about 1200 others. Sheesh.

The power went out minutes after I awoke at 6:15 a.m. Made the best of it; headed to town and grabbed a friend who loves to breakfast out, caught up on her travels, then loaded the furniture from the auction in the cargo trailer with help from her and another friend, parked the big rig while we picked up two more friends for a little jaunt to Mexico. By days end, power still off, dropped in at the local social club to wait it out with yet another taco and beverage, caught up with an old friend and got to know an acquaintance much better. Don't you love days that turn out completely different than you had planned?

Blessedly, the mini-splits remembered their setting, and the house was warm when I returned. But it does make me think hard about equipping the place with solar panels and not being quite so dependent on the shabby power company.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 12:01 PM

.... Well, knock me sideways with a bedding trowel: primroses *are* primulas (primula vulgaris, which I for one find delightfully common). Anyhoo, I noticed the other day that our rather rugged primulae have seeded themselves into the back lawn, which I hereby declare to have been primulated. All from one plant donated by a friend and planted in mid-summer, when I'm reliably informed our clay soil was as friable as concrete.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 12:32 PM

Patty, I've also thought about solar power here. I would buy them outright, not go with one of the companies that wants to average your current payments and keep that going to them - I think they lease the panels to you - they have too much squishy stuff going in the operation, and the point is that you add power back to the grid and save money in the end, not just keep paying someone else. But that comes on my list after getting the foundation work done, and quite possibly replacing the roof before putting up panels. Research needed in the future.

Funeral and visitation announcements are up for my friend's husband and I have offered to stay at the house on Friday during the funeral (to deter a break-in) and a couple of our little university group could join me for lunch. It's a full-on Catholic funeral and I have trouble sitting through religious ceremonies of any kind. Visitation tomorrow is very near me, so plans are forming, a couple of friends could come to my house and I'll us drive over, saving some space in the parking lot. I'd better go clean out the middle seat in the SUV.

The temperature today isn't bad, mid-50s, but the wind is still brisk so it feels colder. I am glad to see the woven shade cloth tarps over the patio cover are still up but I'll probably have to swap out several of the bungee cords that have been in place for a while and wearing thin. Yesterday I surveyed down branches (not many) but see that a tree that was hanging onto my bank by a few roots and leaning into the creek has completely broken off and is probably now washed up against the bridge (creating a dam and can cause flooding if the village doesn't remove it soon. The tree is anonymous so they don't know it was mine, but if need be I'll report a tree against the bridge to the village staff.) All of us who live along the creek pay an extra fee on our water bill every month to cover this kind of work.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 08:21 AM

Ground water is seeping up into the northwest corner of my basement and I am completely ticked off. The shop vac is deployed and the bucket and mop are handy, but my back is not up for three to four clean-up sessions per day until the wet season passes. And what in hell will I do in April, when the house goes on the market?

Must talk to Real Estate Lady soonest.

In other news, the purple bathroom is no more. It is now the same gentle duck-egg green as much of the rest of the house, and looks a thousand percent better.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 11:29 AM

Your purple to duck-egg paint job reminds me I have intended to repaint the bathroom that is now hen's egg yolk yellow to something milder.

Today when I watered plants in the windows I looked out at the yard and realized the time has come to mow. The weeds are growing lush and soon will be tall, and if I start mowing now I won't have the huge jungle to battle that happens some years. Saturday is the day set aside for that. (With this first mow I have to be watchful in the front; there is occasionally a bunny nest out there.)

This week I've updated a couple of eBay listings and am planning to take down one that has attracted little interest. Goodwill time for that item. I've also done a lot of writing and am preparing to send messages to my elected representatives about their lack of participation in the democratic process that includes pushback or impeachment. You know that throw away remark of "it's always something" that one hears when describing complicated times? Now it really is. That "flood the zone" or "muzzleshot" approach is growing very old. A Slovakian friend in grad school introduced me to the saying "Not my monkeys, not my circus." Well, now it is.

Last week I bought two large multi-fish packages of tilapia that were frozen and needed careful softening so the fillets were still frozen but could be separated. I put them back in the freezer on a tray and the original packaging, to be bagged later. It worked. I just heard the trash truck drive by and realized I should have put that original wrapper in the trash today. Now it will wait in the freezer until Sunday night.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 09:51 PM

This afternoon I was prepared to ask the apartment management to do a welfare check on the friend who hasn't answered calls or messages for a day, but when I got to the apartment and rang the bell she answered. Whew! Seems her CPAP mask is broken and sleeping is difficult, so she was propped up with the mask and slept through calls. I'll make one of my 3D Covid masks for her to use to help hold the mask in place for now (her appointment is Monday and another week before she gets replacement equipment. This is the life of a person on Medicaid, something Trump is trying to completely remove.)

This evening I've looked around for a couple of portable chores I can take with me tomorrow and complete while I'm at my friend's house during the funeral activities. If I take my laptop I can keep going with my usual stuff, so it's turned on now to sync the browsers. It's only a few hours, but can I make myself complete some chore while I'm over there?

I have a growing stack of stuff to donate to the project that accepts craft donations for local teachers. They just sent a report about what they've accepted so far this year:
- 14 dumpsters of materials were rescued from landfill doom
- $155,019 worth of free supplies was distributed to schools
- 705 educators felt supported by their community

There seem to be a lot of us decluttering our craft supplies.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 05:48 AM

been there, still doing that!

last year I decluttered 2 big craft collections - jewellery stuff (2 big reusable shopping bags) & mohair for teddies (3 ditto.) I had stopped making bears 10/15 years before & probably had more mohair that full-time bear makers! All I ever made with the beads were earrings & I also had far too many supplies!

But as some clever cross stitch designer said decades ago "She who dies with the most (fill in item) wins!" Same or another designer also said "As ye sew, so shall ye rip" & I'm certainly not downsizing my seam ripper, I was only using it yesterday ...

Last week I decluttered one of my dozen or so (I just counted 17) zipped folders of felt toy patterns. These were cat patterns to a friend who knits cat blankets & goes to a craft group run by a cat protection society. Now all I need is to find homes for dogs/elephants/rabbit/mice/christmas etc patterns. Some folders also contain lovely Japanese craft books. I used to teach craft at a friend's church which had a Japanese congregation & after the tsunami I put ribbon hangers on all my samples for a fund raising fair. Last week I opened the Poodle folder & am finishing off several gorgeous little poodles and cut out 2 more ...

Today at craft I gave away some small stuff eg tape measures etc. to a friend's sister who is teaching kids. Another member brought in a dozen tapestries of Australian birds. Her friend has bought them for her antique dining chairs, but they were too big for the seat backs, so gave them away. Our friend bought all the threads & stored them in the shed ... alas the threads drowned & died. One panel went to a member & I took the others to our local Craft Op shop (Opportunity/ thrift shop) The Sewing Basket & I only bought one small doiley to embroider + 3 balls of wool! Well done, me!

I also have more yarn than one person can use - did I need 3 more balls? YES!! I knit coathanger covers (12 stitches, shoulder width) to cover padded coathangers for a charity chop in a local hospital & I didn't have those colours (I think/I hope/I want!)

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 08:43 AM

Charmion, a sump pump is designed to relieve ground water problems such as yours. Its not exactly a do it yourself project.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 09:08 AM

https://www.artechouse.com/location/dc/

Today, an immersive gallery opened in DC. The walls and floors all move with beauty. Some floors are interactive with surprises like live plants that create unique music from your personal galvanic touch. The website does not do it justice but several international artists are behind the miracle. This is what multi-media art always dreamed it might be one day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 02:37 PM

A contractor came today to assess the cellar. He quickly established that the primary leak is the ever-popular window corner crack, in my case running down the foundation behind the framing timbers of the wall between the furnace room and the rest of the cellar.

Boo, hiss.

So, first I must get in a carpenter to rip out the end of the partition and remove enough drywall to expose the entire crack. Then I can get a realistic estimate on repairing the crack, plus the carpenter again to make good the damage to the walls.

I hate finished basements.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Mar 25 - 06:55 PM

A trip to the apartment today.
Emptied one carton and threw the contents in the dumpster,
one bagful at a time (small, heavy bagsful).
ALso trashed some more cardboard cartons.
I don't do a lot at a time, but I do what I may.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Mar 25 - 02:42 PM

Last night I had a call from a cousin who now lives in Utah to be near her children. As we wrapped up the visit she asked if I would please call more often because there is no one there she can talk to about politics. (Utah, Texas, they have a lot in common, though with all of the LDS there it might be even worse for her.) And she told me that the kids had discussed end-of-life things amongst themselves and told her that if her husband died first they would work to keep her busy, and if she died first, they agreed they'd have to cook a lot for their father. This cousin is 10 years older than me, so following that trajectory I might not get such a call from my kids for a while, but it's a good thing to think about and discuss sooner rather than later. I think Charmion moving closer to her family must be the result of that same kind of discussion.

I gave myself a weekend off from "doomscrolling" through the emails of blog posts from the political leaders I follow on Substack and a couple of other places. You have to take breaks from the hard stuff if you can, but I'm ready to wade in again tomorrow and do more writing. The muzzleshot from this administration hasn't slowed and it has named more targets that need defending.

It's cold and soggy here today so it looks like indoor work for now. The garden is calling, and the yard was supposed to be mowed yesterday, but it was sodden after a pre-dawn thunderstorm. More rain overnight. Maybe tomorrow will be the day to tune up the mower and give it a run out front.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 11:49 AM

During my weekend break from activism I watched some of the Lord of the Rings and realized there were times in the audio I could barely hear it - and I think it has to do with the Surround Sound settings and the small speaker at the front. The receiver I'm using was purchased at Goodwill for about $15 and I think it was set to speaker levels by the former users that I need to reset. Or that speaker needs replacing.

The house needs dusting and a lot of picking up and scrubbing. The lawn needs mowing. The garage needs organizing and the SUV needs a good cleaning. Where to begin?

Dorothy, how are you doing these days? Have you managed a trip out to Beaver since you last shared with us?

Lynn hasn't been back for a while, but it seemed over the last couple of weeks she was digging her way out from drifts of snow on her patio and blocking her door. Looking forward to an update that you've escaped from the house!

How is everyone else doing? Spring is just around the corner and the packing away of lap quilts and sweaters (unless you're in our Oz contingent, in which case you're looking forward to your part of the world cooling down a bit and are getting those things out.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 12:17 PM

More dust storms, went on so long I had to haul in the auction furniture regardless of the high winds. Lots of cleaning done and still to do, sand and dirt everywhere, especially in the desk that had been left outside of the auction house.

It was hard on the vendors at the Deming rock show. They got hit with wind, dust, cold, til the last day which was blessedly perfect. Picked up some good items and met some wise local rock vendors/collectors. Sunday went out with visiting friends to an area adjacent to Baker Ranch agate land, and found delightful little agatey geodes. Brought the splitter, so we didn't haul home lots of duds, but were able to see what was good right then and there. Came home with one berry box full of choice ones and half a backpack full of 'other'; rather than buckets and flats of 'maybes'.

Exhausted, and it's time to start a concerted push to get the house and music system ready for the gathering, buy food etc. Just realized I really need porch lights, and not the 10-second motion ones I have. Perhaps the handy neighbor can be engaged to do a handful of electrical fixes this week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 01:26 PM

Patty, busy week! Get up on a step ladder and look at your porch lights - if they're like mine, you can adjust the amount of time they stay on after detecting motion. The wind that hit you hard came through here, not as destructive, perhaps, but definitely wicking any warmth from the days for much of the week.

And your rock collecting gig reminds me of something similar I did at Petrified Forest; I was on a busman's holiday - a park ranger from one park spending my time off visiting another ranger in another park - and we drove to a parking area at Blue Mesa. If you look at the map you see the classic alternate public/private section land grants that were distributed to raise money for the railroads. The NPS never got the landowner to sell, so there is a lot of private land within the park boundaries, so we hiked down the hill from the parking lot and climbed through the barbed wire fence onto private land (yes, we were technically trespassing) and picked up petrified wood pieces there. The trick was walking back up the hill to the car and not looking like we were carrying 50 pounds or more of rock in each of our packs.

Trash went out this morning and I usually use a small plastic grocery bag because I recycle a lot more than I throw in the trash. For use this week the can is lined with regular kitchen-size trash bag and I'll see if I can't fill it with stuff that is sitting around and isn't recyclable or donateable. Shredded paper, plastic stuff not embossed for recycling, etc.

Also clearing out forgotten jar contents from the fridge. Olives so old I can't remember when they were opened (to the compost). Many-years-old gifted jelly (that will get dissolved into water and poured over the garden). Home canned items that have passed their prime to be discarded.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 11:26 PM

The front yard was mowed this afternoon, giving me more steps than I've been getting lately on my fitness tracker. I'll take a Benadryl at bedtime because a lot of pollen from surrounding trees had settled in the weeds, ready to puff up around me as I disturbed the area. Also did some weeding of the large pots waiting to be planted for the season.

Dishwasher running, some stuff cleared from the fridge. Heading in to read for a while. Back yard needs mowing tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 04:39 PM

The snow in my back yard was hip-deep only two weeks ago, and today I can see mud and dead-looking grass. Ah, Spring! In Ontario, it’s more like an ambush. Despite today’s bright sun, however, it’s nowhere near time yet to take the snow brush out of the car.

Now that the snow has melted away from the back wall of the house, the wet spot in the basement has dried out. The crack repair must be done anyway — the evidence is all over the wall in the form of great streaks of the mineral salts with which our water is loaded. But it’s not quite so urgent as I had feared.

While the carpenter is here, I shall also ask him to rip out a section of drywall that has a mold stain left over from last year’s furnace condensate pump crisis.

I just finished digging through several bins of doohickeys, from which I sorted two boxes for Goodwill and a large bag of garbage. One bin has been packed with Christmas decorations that were sculling about without permanent stowage. Two others have been repacked with ornaments and photo frames that I may be able to use in my next abode. If not, Ottawa has church bazaars, too. The empty bins will go to Habitat for Humanity. They love bins. The Goodwill boxes will leave the house tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 05:08 PM

There is something about the consistency of mud after the freeze and snow that makes it particularly viscus and trackable. I put off scrubbing my den floor until I'm sure we're past any more of that weather.

This week I picked up Junkyard Planet again and his description of rag pickers, "grubbing", and of various levels of recycling that occur in places around the world makes North Americans look like slackers. We can afford to recycle stuff in bins at the curb because we don't need to sell the paper, cardboard, glass jars, scrap metal, and other found items to feed our families. He describes a hierarchy of recyclers in his city in China that is precise and incremental as materials move from an apartment to a scrap buyer to those who buy scraps and take them to larger recycling businesses. So much of our wealth is sent to landfills. I think that for those who are older and the children of parents who lived through the Depression, it is all apparent - we see the packaging that comes with purchases and would like to see it used again, we have all of these items that might be useful one day, so why throw it away to purchase again later? Can someone else use it now if we donate it?

I spent the afternoon researching and writing messages for my representatives. I'm to the point of mailing a letter to each again, in addition to calls and messages on their contact pages. Now to go do something else; the side yard and back need mowing. Moving around will do me some good.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 10:46 PM

Dupont:

Spending most of time on computer re the state of the world. Nice visit from Rita yesterday - I had not even gone shopping for a couple days! Low Atmospheric pressure and the time change threw me for a loop - most of a day in bed. Plus the memoir of Navalny - An amazingly dedicated man.

Today was springlike and I managed to walk down to the river - 340 steps each way I guess, though it is "uphill" (a bit) on the way back. Anyway it felt good to do it. Meant to do a second trip but the computer held me in thrall.

The house is moderately clean, dishes washed and planned-overs still available in frig. My good spell went kaput for those low (2) AP days but seems to be back with higher AP and above freezing weather! Darn! weather may hold through the weekend but rain in Bancroft - which could freeze. Guess I will stay here and hope for April! My son might be able to get there; he sees the route from Philly to Bancroft is only 20 minutes longer than to Chateauguay! So we could meet there and it might even be spring weather!?!

Alt weekend is Bluegrass here in Chat. Some fine musicians and getting acquainted with a few folks. NEED a social life!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 25 - 04:05 PM

I'm reading a book about how we use so much stuff and discard so much stuff and yet I spent the morning researching routers because it turns out the one here is an "End of Life" product. Dealing with the planned obsolescence part of being a modern consumer - how much are you going to add to and rely on a product that will no longer be supported by the manufacturer.

Dorothy, I agree, having a social life is a must in taking care of your health. I hope you made a couple of trips over to the river today. I'll get a big dose of that tomorrow with a trip to the museum for training and scanning. In the evening the artist whose installation is situated in a main corridor will speak about her work, and I will attend to hear her talk about all of the garments she dismantles to make her art. The scraps hanging from the ceiling like jersey stalactites are remnants of other work. I have baskets full of that still after all of the mask making. I plan to ask her about where to use or send it.

A note on household implements—for a couple of years I've been experimenting with using ceramic knives. The first one is still around but the tip is chipped and it's a bit dull. They apparently can be sharpened, but it isn't as easy as sharpening a high-carbon steel knife. I also have stainless knives and they just don't seem to need sharpening. When people are here I'm careful about who uses the ceramic ones; a friend was going to pry something open and I had to grab it out of her hand. My daughter was cutting carrots and thumping the knife on the board with each stroke. The last couple of weeks I've returned to using just the steel knives and have decided that the durability of steel is what I'll stick with. It's the same reason I'm no longer using the non-stick pans. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Mar 25 - 08:57 AM

I have one ceramic knife that I use only for cutting cheese. I won’t acquire any more. For decades, my favourite small kitchen knife has been a little Victorinox parer with a plastic handle and about four inches of stainless-steel blade. Edmund was forever trying to get me to use something fancier, but it fits my small hand perfectly, holds its edge, and doesn’t mind the dishwasher.

The carpenter is expected today, so I must move stuff around in the basement to give him room to work. Marco the painter is due at three to discuss the upstairs hall and touch-ups in the bedrooms. Four years of clearance efforts are paying off — clearing the walls doesn’t scare me, and I know precisely what’s in every box and bin!

Taking a chance, I put away my sheepskin coat yesterday. Today, the tall fleece-lined boots get packed in the bin they share with my mukluks. I’m sure we’ll get more snow around the equinox (we usually do), but I doubt very much that I’ll need serious winter gear again this side of Remembrance Day.