DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 24 - 09:45 PM

Weigh-in at the doctor's office today had me down by six pounds since my appointment in March. Maintaining my desired weight with a low-carb diet (leaning heavily on the Keto influence in order to avoid the inflammation from wheat and sugar) is clearly where I'm headed. I still use a lot of dairy (cheese and yogurt) for the calcium (for my bone health); Keto is more rigid on some of those foods. I remember Charmion noting ages ago that she read that whole milk was better to use in that you might not feel as hungry during the day (don't quote me quoting her) - anyway, today was a confirmation since the record shows that I lost weight and for me the high-fat products are a good choice because I'm not feeling hungry.

Puzzles dropped off at the library, and the use of them clarified: they don't lend them, they have one set up on a table and people can come and go and work on them when they're there. So the 1000 piece puzzles aren't a problem, it's not like one person has to do the whole puzzle in one library visit. (We had puzzles set up like that in the library staff lounge at the university, and during finals week they opened the door to our lounge for students to use the space, and invariably they headed for and finished our jigsaw puzzles.) Anyway, I dropped off two puzzles that I really enjoyed assembling so I anticipate that joy spreading to others working on them (and they can look up the company and order their own if they really want some of their own.)

Tomorrow games will be donated to my branch library then I drive downtown to scan at a museum and the botanic garden libraries. Doing both volunteer jobs in one day is working out as a good way to manage my time. I'll take in my bluetooth headphones though I will only be able to listen to music, not a book - you have to pay attention to the metadata and when you're doing that it cuts out following the audiobook. I'm on the WiFi at the museum; if I can get onto the WiFi and the Botanic Garden then I'm set and have lots of choices with Sirius/XM on my phone. A scanner note: I've worked on the same files at the museum for four years and am about to start on the fourth of eleven gigantic boxes; just me scanning and adding metadata. At the Botanic Garden the boxes are tiny by comparison and other people can end up working on your project: I find that a little off-putting. I'll have to figure out a way to start and finish a box in one sitting.)

I'll close with a remark from an NPR program I listened to today. Krys interviewed Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist and musician, who has a book with the MOST PERFECT TITLE for the subject: I Heard There Was A Secret Chord: Music as Medicine. One of the points that came up in the interview is that people who sing in groups like chorus or choirs—lots of brain-happy hormones are secreted when people sing together. For Keb and Charmion who do that kind of singing, I'm glad to share that there is a big brain-health bump from the work. (You both probably already knew that.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Sep 24 - 03:12 PM

Love that neuroscience validates
the good health of singing in a chorus,
even though it can be strenuous under some circumstances.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 24 - 09:59 PM

Scanning today with disasters large and small happening in my vicinity. At the museum (where I finally started on box #4 of 11, I'm into the thousands of slides scanned) the bathrooms became problematic when water pressure dropped. It seems a sewer replacement job in the street outside the building broke through a large water main. Leaving the parking lot was like driving into a small river in the street, and because it is a historic brick-paved street I imagine the water has managed to pop a lot of bricks out of place (I got out just as it started.)

My second scanning gig is working on a well-funded collection at the Botanic Garden, and the disaster there was that when was setting up to work I realized that when I swapped out the contents of my messenger bag into a shoulder pack the other day I accidentally left behind my Pentel mechanical pencil. I had to use wood pencils and sharpen a couple of times. Library and archives work require pencils, and a really good mechanical pencil is a treasure.

When I arrived home I was astonished to see that my garage door had been open for the several hours I was away - in the past, neighbors would call and offer to close it for me. I always try to remember to close it, but it may be that when I hit the button something made it stop closing and opened again. Sometimes that happens and I don't notice. Thankfully my lawnmower and power tools were still in place - chances are anyone approaching the garage would be barked at by the dogs at the gate and in the garage stall.

Tomorrow is Friday. A family lunch and some shopping are all that are planned. Interesting how a week shortened by a holiday can be as long or longer than a regular one.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Sep 24 - 12:51 PM

I cleared two containers of mashed bananas from the freezer and made four small loaves of banana bread to give to family today. They still eat wheat and sugar and such so I'll put it to good use.

That blue pool for the fountain may be put to use after all (it's a lovely sunny day for a solar floating fountain), but I have to clean out the tree dust in the water first. I had filled it a few inches and there was enough rain to fill it up to the top! The yard will desperately need mowing soon. I can use the exercise.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Sep 24 - 07:14 AM

Agree on the benefits of singing, it's a great thing, and a big bronx cheer to those who scoff at others singing unless they are pros!

Finally got the loading done, the last bit in the rain, then the storage unit cleanout. The great manager agreed to take a few can't-fits and put them in auction or use the shelving for their own storage.

Celebrated with a great meal in Vicksburg, start of a new chapter.

Now slogging my way to Balmorhea, where I pray the weather will still be warm enough for a swim workout. It surprisingly popped up on a search for 'pull-through' sites, they apparently built several new 'eyebrow' type sites. And let us pray that it will actually be open for the first time in years, and not flooded like the central Texas lakes where I usually camp.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Sep 24 - 12:18 PM

Congratulations, Patty, on clearing out the storage locker! That's a monthly savings you'll appreciate from now on in addition to not having to drive there to get stuff. You probably already know, but if you didn't yet go online and get a day pass or camping reservation by calling or using the website. I read recently about decreased numbers of people in the pool at Balmorhea because of the day pass system restricting what were sometimes high numbers. Hopefully if you're camping you automatically have access. Here is the Texas State Parks camping reservation FAQ list.

This morning I finished processing 10 pounds of strawberries I picked up yesterday on a veggie run; I stem them, cut them in halves or quarters and freeze them on a large baking sheet. They'll go into a vacuum bag once they're frozen. Asparagus will be eaten this week, I'm going to dice and freeze some onions for future cooking, and I have tomatoes for eating fresh and for cooking. Also picked up some Brussels sprouts - I eat them when other people cook them but since they're a good keto-style vegetable I should figure out a preparation method I like. I suspect it will involve tossing with olive oil and baking. Suggestions welcome.

After last week's rain I must mow this afternoon. I'm also going to take the hori hori knife out and dig to remove some plugs of tall grass popping up in the groundcover I'm encouraging. Mowing the groundcover to get the grass slows the groundcover I want to spread. There is a lot of trimming to do also around the driveway and I can get out the tiller and prepare a couple of beds to plant Swiss chard and other greens happy to grow here in the fall.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Sep 24 - 09:14 PM

Thanks, did reserve a site and apparently they actually have a gatehouse manned after 4 p.m., unlike many TX S.Ps.

Your laying in of fruit and veg sounds brilliant, good thinking. As far as brussel sprouts, we used to just steam them, bit of butter at the end. First cut an X in the base so that part will cook quick as the rest. I think I've done the roasting technique but don't recall it being worth the extra time or effort.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Sep 24 - 11:24 PM

Good job! The person who posted about Balmorhea is a Texas music aficionado and author (Joe Nick Patoski) who posted in July about the pool. He's a denison of Marfa and the West Texas area; friend of Stevie Ray and Willie and ZZ Top and everyone in between, who loves to visit the local beauty areas.

Trimming, weeding, and mowing out front done, though it wasn't a full job (I didn't take the string trimmer around all of the front yard, I just mowed up and down the curb and driveway in addition to hitting the grass patches in the front yard). The code enforcement guy should have no complaints this week (I haven't had a tag since last year, but once burned, twice shy).

Indoors I've researched stringing pearls (with knots). I have two strings of cultured pearls from great aunts that (according to eBay) are worth a great deal of money now. One is an 15" string 1 centimeter pearls and the other is a 16" double strand of 8mm pearls. And I doubt they've ever been restrung. I don't want 100+ year old silk failing and dropping either of the necklaces, so they need a restring. Jewelers do it, and can offer a more secure clasp than what is on now (and a sterling clasp will have a cost - I can buy one also - it's a toss up). I'll do some calling around before I decide which way to go. I should probably practice stringing with the cheap freshwater pearls I have around here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Sep 24 - 02:38 PM

I'm back at my desk in lovely, leafy Stratford. I went to the Y this morning for pool class, and did a little light housework -- I washed the dishes and polished the brass. Procrastination completed, I am now settled down to answer my email, pay whatever bills I have to pay "by hand" (as it were), but first a visit with the Cat.

I could not access Mudcat at all when I was away because of the licence problem, which bothers an iPad far more than my desktop computer, although that, too, is an Apple machine. So youse all were spared the account of the back spasm that hit me last Tuesday and ruled out about half my agenda. Museums are off limits when one's back is complaining. The return drive was tolerable only because I budgeted more time to rest and loosen my back by hiking around parking lots, but most of Sunday was spent recovering from the coffee I had to drink to stay in my lane even when my biorhythms had hit rock bottom. Edmund was always perky after lunch so he would drive through my post-prandial slump, but now, if I'm to get home by dark, I have to get hopped up on caffeine to push through it.

I'm always glad to come home to a clean(ish) and tidy house, although achieving that state before leaving is always a bit frantic. Last week's back misery is almost certainly the result of carrying the dratted vacuum cleaner around before subjecting my poor old frame to eight hours of road.

The choir season begins this week, and I think I'm ready. Let the games begin!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 12:44 PM

Charmion, do the cats do any dramatic pouts or spill the water bowl or anything else to protest that you were absent for a while? Refuse to sleep on the bed the first night you're back?

It seems to be a week for paperwork or calls. I tried to return the defective spade-fork to Lowe's but it was purchased in 2023 so I have to call Craftsman instead. In anticipation of that I've taken a few photos for them since I don't imagine they want me to try to mail this back. The bigger job has to do with the mass of SS numbers that ended up on the "dark web" in a recent data dump by a hacker. Ever since a 2019 data breach at one of my banks I've had an identity defense account (awarded as part of a class action settlement) and since this newest breach I started freezing the information that can be shared by lower-tier credit reporting places (did you know that there is a completely different set of those businesses that payday lenders use? Or that the utility companies use?) I told a sibling about this, and after their bank emptied a checking account to a fraudster several states away they want to do the same thing; I must compile the list of those credit reporting companies and send it.

A tropical storm is churning it's way from Mexico along the Texas coast, they're anticipating landfall in Louisiana. I'm assuming Patty is past the LA part of her trip now so will not be in harm's way. The drive across Texas will be remarkably mild, considering September here is often times scorching hot.

We have an ozone air advisory here so I won't walk the dogs as I planned, but I will do a little quiet weeding of the grass out of the horseherb groundcover. I do that a few minutes at a time when I need to stand up from the desk.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 09:14 PM

Watson and Isobel are old enough now to understand that I habitually come home again, sooner or later, and therefore don’t hold my absences against me. It helps that I always employ a cat-visitor to feed them, top up the water fountain, toss cat toys around, and offer a little lap time. Jane-across-the-street says my current cat-visitor hangs out for at least an hour each time she comes.

Today I conducted a Rite of Fall, the disassembly of the upstairs fans so I could wash and dry the components, put the fans back together, and stow them for the winter. The hot weather still has maybe ten days to run, but overnight conditions are crisp and cool. Last weekend was chilly enough that I wanted the Hudson’s Bay Company blanket on top of the quilt, much to Watson’s delight — that thing is heavy enough to be claw-proof.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 09:45 PM

I'm playing with the ceiling fan these days, starting on at bedtime but turning it off if I get up to make a bathroom run because it has cooled enough. And I have a light cotton blanket over the top sheet, pushed aside to start with but there to drape over my feet in the early hours if I wake and realize I'm chilly. It's incremental, but better to do this than the expense of running the air conditioner to keep the house cold and use blankets.

This afternoon I spent time weeding crabgrass and sedge out of the groundcover in the middle of the front yard, making the groundcover look much more intentional. I can feel it in my legs and back but the fitness tracker barely budged.

Paperwork today also, and now a lot of mail that has been sitting around needs to be filed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 10:19 PM

Charmion, my friend in North Bay had a family wedding last weekend - and everyone wore winter coats over their party frocks as the wedding was in a marquee outside. (Probably a reasonable decision when plans were first made!) It was so cold that snow fell on some of the higher hills around town.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 10:43 PM

It was some nippy in Stratford on Saturday night, Jennie, so I’m not surprised it was snowing around North Bay.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Sep 24 - 11:39 PM

here in the Harbour City, I'm wearing summer gear & carrying my light down jacket which I wear home most evenings when get back 8ish), & still sleeping under my down quilt, still need a bit of warmth at nights, tho sometimes I'm a tad warm when I wake. As it gets warmer I remove the quilt & sleep under a fine wool shawl, then eventually just the sheet. Mid winter I have a thin blanket & a shawl or 2 over the quilt.

sandra (1.30 Wednesday, 20C outside)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 11 Sep 24 - 12:00 AM

ps. yesterday I decluttered half a trolley load of stuff to the charity shop - tho most of it was discards by neighbours, but some was mine!

I took some books with me yesterday but the shop I was heading to was closed for stocktake, & the other charity shop doesn't take books so I'm taking the books out again today.

I'm reminded of a conversation some years back - a friend has been burgled & Police were there. The officer commented on the chaos in her son's room, but it wasn't the result of the intruders searching it - just his normal state.

A lot of the chaos in my living room & bedroom is archival - Australis'a oldest folk club, the Bush Music Club turns 70 in a few weeks. Eventually (if I live long enough!!) much of this mess will find a home in the National Library ...

Of course, I have lotsa' craft stuff that also needs, some to head off ASAP to the craft charity shop, The Sewing Basket & the rest can be distributed between my craft group friends & the Sewing Basket when my sister eventually sorts out my estate ...

I think charity shops will do well when I eventually pop off the twig

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Sep 24 - 06:52 PM

Sandra, your Sewing Basket sounds like a good-works place, along the same lines as one I've been donating craft and teaching stuff, the Welman Project. They offer art and school supplies to teachers (for free). It has materials and some costumes and some stage stuff for school drama departments to borrow when needed. And they have a store at the front where anyone can go in to buy things that will fund the project. I've donated a couple of times now. They're so busy that I made the soonest appointment I could get the last time and had to wait a month to take things over.

Looking through the Welman list I see they can use paint. Hmmm. I have some I'll probably never use again. I also have a bunch of three-ring ex-library binders (but I just checked eBay and they seem to be selling again.)

I spent the afternoon helping my friend who lives downtown. Her apartment management has not done a good job of sending bills and keeping her up-to-date when anything is still owed, and now they want to evict her. The notice that says she should leave by Friday is bullshit, but the next notification (they have to send by postal mail) will give a court date and she needs to attend, so I will take her there. Hopefully by then she'll have an attorney who can make mincemeat of the apartment management. The complex fired their last manager who probably mismanaged this and that tells us they're trying to pull a fast one to get past his mistakes. Anyway, after a quick trip to the legal aid office (all of that is pending), I took her shopping so she could use a couple of gift cards and load up on frozen dinners. As a bonus part of the visit I emptied, cleaned, and refilled her cat boxes. It's a big job, but it's a gift for someone who is disabled and has trouble carrying the used litter to the trash room. I've washed off my arms to remove the last of the litter dust (and I work a mask while I did the job.)

Lots of other things going on here, to be parsed in posts later in the week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 12 Sep 24 - 02:47 AM

In Oz we have 'op shops' - op being short for 'opportunity' - where one can find all manner of 2nd hand goodies, such as Sandra's donations.

This little film was shown during 'Tropfest', a festival for short films, back in 2011. It never fails to make me smile.

Op shop ladies

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 12 Sep 24 - 10:28 AM

Arrived at home at last, splendid weather. All in good order except the smoke alarm was beeping. Had to borrow a ladder, and this was for the lowest one. Now a bit peeved that 2 others have been set at 10' heights. I guess I'll have to buy a giant ladder after all, drat. What were they thinking? It's not like you put them up once and then don't have to climb up there any more.

And garden tools ,asap. The aloe survived but its big old terracotta pot finally cracked in half. The prickly pears have white stuff on them, fungus? Lots of green stuff growing all over (tumbleweed etc), which means they had a great monsoon season, but apparently I have to rip out a bunch of the spreading plants that make 'goatheads', and trim back suckers on the stump of a desert willow some idiot whacked down years ago, try to get one or two viable stems to flourish.

Meanwhile the birds have a few spots on the veranda where they like to poop. What's the best method for dealing with this stuff? I would scrape and bleach, but reckon that would screw up the concrete.

And the welcome mat! Got encrusted with crud and feathers, then blown around and folded in half. I live in a place where the welcome mat needs paperweights!

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

Patty, that is probably cochineal on your prickly pear. The source of a durable red dye. You can wash them off with a strong spray of water from the hose nozzle and use insecticidal soap (or any kind of soap like dish soap or Murphy Oil soap) in water in a squirt bottle to kill them. They'll slowly suck out cactus juice when left alone. If you're planning to start weaving and dying your own red yarn, let them be!

Smoke alarms on the ceiling are going to be the first to respond to smoke. Here code says they have to be wired and have battery backup; they're also connected so if one goes off they all do. They're a pain to change out and I bought my sturdy ladder a few years ago because the step stool thing I was using was too wobbly.

You may need to put up spikey things in the veranda under the roof so they don't perch there to begin with. Or put stuff on the ground under those spots that can be cleaned up?

And first things first, get those goatheads. Stepping on one of those with a bare foot or stab yourself in the hand is a life-changing experience. If you pick them up on shoes or clothes they're a time bomb waiting to jab you later. Kill the plants with strong vinegar (20%, or if you only have 10% pickling vinegar, add a couple of tablespoons of orange oil to the gallon of vinegar. Orange oil is also good in the 20%.) Discard the seed heads in the trash, they don't go in the compost, then kill the rest of the grass and learn to identify it early so you can catch them before they go to seed. I've been working to get rid of a similar type of burrgrass in one corner of my yard for most of the years I've lived here. Some years I don't see any, others just a few and I grab them and bag them for the trash.

Pepper isn't eating this morning. She seems otherwise healthy. She has preferences and I try to keep track of those, but she is over time eating more slowly and selectively. Time for a vet trip to see if there is anything else going on.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Sep 24 - 10:19 PM

My mood today was low as I was worried about my friend with the apartment problems. I'm not her keeper, so I left it alone until this evening, when I asked how her case has progressed. It turns out that she has an ally in the apartment complex management, and I told her if she needs someone for hand-holding tomorrow afternoon to let me know. I have to take Pepper to the vet in the morning, then the day is open.

That was a good development. Dr. Amen of the brain health lectures talks about finding good things in each day, and I was able to do that. This afternoon I had a conversation at a place where I volunteer - I was set to scan a botanical collection when a woman visiting that library introduced herself as a board member at the organization. Having been a member myself on a different city board, I recognize an interested party who is probably well-connected (though I wasn't connected, I was just interested.) We spoke for a few minutes before two hours of silence as I scanned and she read books. At one point as she returned to the table with a handful of books I asked her about an old friend, and learned that yes, he is still working for the city but retiring in a few months, and that he "recently remarried to a wonderful woman and is very happy." Of all of the things I knew about that friend, I've remembered how unhappy he was to be divorced 25 years ago, so this was a great outcome.

The dishwasher is running, the kitchen is clean, and I've put laundry in to run overnight. Basic stuff, but good to have it out of the way.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 24 - 11:49 PM

This evening I got a workout in the kitchen - I made my nacho mix - (it can be used in tacos, put over chips as nachos, wrapped in tortillas and fried as burritos, etc.) I didn't add my usual black beans (carbs) and because the beef was lean I used a big dollop of bacon grease to saute it. I think it is at least keto-adjacent (onions, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and some olive oil) also. It was a big batch so there are several jars in the freezer and a big bowl in the fridge; tomorrow I'll jar and freeze more of it. I'll probably eat this will small dipping corn tortilla chips (Aldi has a brand that are smaller than the usual restaurant ones so you can eat the meat with fewer calories from chips.)

I also made a batch of the smoky gouda spread/dip that has pecans, cream cheese, sour cream, and some seasonings. I found some Blue Diamond almond and flax seed crackers that go well with it.

Tomorrow afternoon is hot again (99^o) but the morning will be in the low-70s, so I'll so some mowing; the side yard and back really need it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Sep 24 - 11:35 PM

I mowed around in the back yard today but found a painful anomale to the usual wildlife - fire ants that aren't mounding. They're completely underground. When I walked over that spot there was no clue they were present until they started biting, and the were worse than what I usually have run into. I believe these little guys may have created a few small blisters with their bites.

The side yard was trimmed until I was tired of swinging around the trimmer. I'll have to make a point of taking all of the empty spools to the greenhouse where I've stored the reels of string and refill them. That's a great job for a rainy day, to enjoy the yard but work in that cute little building. A piece of news picked up from a neighbor while I was working out front - it seems our village doesn't allow yard signs for political advertising until one month prior to the election. I'll have to look that up. Perhaps I can put a Harris sign inside the house in a front window. :) My vote like Democracy depends on it sign is okay because it doesn't promote a particular party or candidate.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 24 - 12:47 PM

It’s the week of autumn when all the ingredients of my five-fruit chutney are in season, but I missed yesterday’s farmers’ market for the sake of the annual launch of choir season. Today I’m too damned tired to drive all the way to Kitchener, the closest burg with a decent green-grocer. It will have to wait for Tuesday, while I hope against hope that the Italian blue plums aren’t all gone by then.

Too much stuff happens in September!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 24 - 12:00 PM

Charmion, will you be able to eat the chutney on your current diet, or will it be for gifts? I'm looking at a case of my mustang grape jelly and pondering what to do with it.

I have concluded that it is time to rearrange the cupboard directly above the dishwasher. With the almost-Keto cooking I'm baking a lot in single-serving Pyrex lidded dishes and small trays and they're in the back of the middle shelf of that cupboard; it's a stretch to pick them up and I'm going to break something if I'm not careful. I'll empty the bottom and middle shelves, dust, and hope that by working on this cupboard I don't condemn myself to having to rearrange others as well.

On the floor along the base edge of the steps that enter the den I have a string of clear LED lights that have faded to almost not showing. They run on a timer to light dusk through dawn to avoid tripping hazards for myself and guests. It may be a fuse in the string gone, but likely they just need replacing. I also have two or three strings on my crapemyrtle branch in a pot of rocks that is an odd but beloved piece of homemade art - one of the strings is no longer lit. Time to disturb some dust and change out lights there also. The big box stores are putting out their light strings so now is as good a time as any to look for replacements. The seasonal lights I store in the office closet already have uses and the strings are too long.

My favorite pair of plastic-handled fiskars-like kitchen scissors are failing to cut, despite sharpening, oiling, and tightening. They're in the laundry room now until I think about giving one last push to do all of the above at once and see if they'll work, but in the meantime I retrieved two pair of the many scissors I inherited from parents' homes (mostly Mom) and put them in the kitchen drawer. One is really old sewing shears with the chrome finish long worn off, and the other a slim pair of Fiskars with the ubiquitous orange handles. They can take on the jobs that one pair has done for years. Reuse instead of buying a new pair.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Sep 24 - 02:47 PM

Two batches of chutney are planned, Stilly: one for members of the kin group, and the other for the Christmas bazaar at church. I will keep one or two 250-ml jars for myself. It’s a strong, complex condiment that should be eaten sparingly, so it will fit into my diet if I don’t get greedy. It’s particularly good with well-aged Cheddar cheese.

I wish more people would wake up to the proliferation of tripping hazards in and around their homes! I took a bad fall and a major dunt to the head about 18 months ago when the sole of my sandal caught under the edge of a mat laid over a slippery wooden deck; the second my movement was checked, the other foot slipped and I went down like a sack of potatoes, striking the metal door frame on the way down. The resulting black eye lasted for weeks.

And you’re right to re-arrange your kitchen shelves. It’s a good policy to put stuff you use often no higher than eye-level, especially if it’s breakable and doesn’t have a handle by which you can grab it securely. The current fashion for installing microwave ovens as part of a multi-function range hood is particularly dangerous. One of my sisters-in-law is short — about five-two — and well over 70 with a history of shoulder trouble; if she used such a microwave to, say, heat a casserole, she would have to reach over her head to lift down a heavy dish full of hot food. Yikes.

I have three pairs of Fiskars scissors (small, medium and large) in my kitchen. I don’t know how I ever kept house without them.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 24 - 09:39 PM

I searched online for the right length of lights, comparing standard xmas strings, LED strips, and a "rope" of lights encased in a clear PVC tube. I read about LED light strips but on one that was the right length I decided to pass; the instructions were (I hope) mangled through translation—you can trim the LED strips at intervals but this one said you had to be careful to cover the trimmed end so the electricity doesn't leak out. I don't want me or the dogs sliding in a puddle of electricity next to the step.

Eventually I landed a rope light from Harbor Freight that is a little long but I can run it in front of an adjacent built-in cabinet so it won't be in the way.

I cleared the kitchen cupboard and now four each of Corning Ware casseroles and Sidekick dishes are in easy reach on the lowest shelf. The rarely used French press and porcelain teapot are on the higher shelf but are still easy to grasp when needed. I moved some of the COVID tests and devices (thermometer, pulse oximeter, neti pot) to a basket in the next cupboard to join the spare vitamins, cough syrup, cotton balls, swabs, and such. Should have been there in the first place.

A few weeks ago I went poking through cupboards and drawers in the antique kitchen queen for some beeswax wrappers I thought I'd stashed there. The small bundle was a gift a couple of years ago that I had finally thought of a use for. Never found them. They were tucked up with the Corning ware, but darned if I can remember how I wanted to use them. (Did I write about it? Maybe our close reader Keb will remember.)

Papers were filed today and I caught up on the last two of my regular donations (now listed with the others in an Excel spreadsheet). These last couple of good causes keep sending me renewals that actually finally needed renewing. (If you don't watch them, they'll send you annual renewals every other month, hoping you're not paying attention.)

Finally, I'm working on cutting back on the stevia in food and drink. I think part of the insulin response to food has to do with anticipating the sweetness or carbs. There are no carbs in stevia but if the cup of tea or bowl of yogurt is too sweet, it can still trigger insulin and works against how you burn fat (which happens only when insulin isn't secreted.) This year I've gotten off of much of the salt in foods so next come sweets. Despite the weaker flavor of decaf tea, if it isn't as sweet I can taste the tea itself better. I never used a lot, but now I'll use less.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 16 Sep 24 - 10:07 PM

You have my sympathy on the black eye, Charmion - one of the injuries I suffered in a fall back in April was a black eye that could only be described as spectacular. It was over three months before the colour finally faded.

It was caused by the frame of my sunglasses when I went down; didn't hit my face on the ground, fortunately, but hitting the sunnies was bad enough.

Himself did get some funny looks when we were out together, though, what with my arm in plaster and that spectacular black eye!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Sep 24 - 12:59 AM

A big wince and condolences to both of you for living with those shiners, though they both sound like near-misses, considering the possible worse injuries that could have happened (I lost one of my great aunts after a head injury in a "short fall"). Something not to be repeated.

Throw rugs and dog mats are in the washer this evening after using the squeegee broom thing to round up dog hair, chewed up stick fragments and crumbs of dried dirt that Pepper brings into the den and chews. Why? Anyway, the forest floor has been cleared out for the time being. I also ran the dog water bowls through the dishwasher.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Sep 24 - 07:16 PM

I just found out the hard way that my composter is also a wasps’ nest. Several stings on my right foot, which (God knows) has plenty of problems already and is now swelling in a most unattractive fashion. Plus it hurts like Billy-be-damned.

So now, instead of attending a choir board meeting, I am watching TV under the influence of Benadryl. Not quite away with the fairies yet, but headed in that direction.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 24 - 12:33 AM

Ouch! I have to get a steroid shot when that happens (and it has several times in this big yard where the paper wasps build nests in hidden bushy places I've discovered the hard way.) BTW: I saw the photo of your chutney on FB; those jars are beautiful!

Harbor Freight had the rope light I needed, and it is incredibly bright but it will do the trick. I tested the timer and the fuses in the former string and nothing stood out as a problem. For now the new rope is uncoiled and stretched across the room to let the curl relax before I put it in place.

Today saw additional shopping and troubleshooting. I use wide mouth quart jars for making tea for iced tea and for food storage (phasing out plastic of all sorts), but jar rings and sealing lids aren't an easy way to close those jars. I visited the Big A and read a lot of reviews before settling (ironically) on plastic one-piece lids that have silicone gaskets to use with those jars. It isn't meant for canning, just for food storage. Hard plastic isn't as much of a problem as soft plastic, and the gradual rust buildup on the metal lids isn't helpful.

The kitchen is looking good and I'll sweep and mop the hall bathroom before putting down the freshly laundered long mat. It seems to be fall cleaning season.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 24 - 02:24 PM

I will research the possibility of trimming off extra length of the rope light, making sure not to leak electricity in the process. ;-) This isn't a subtle light source; right now it's like leaving on a ~40-watt bulb in the room.

Virtual decluttering continues as thousands of update and promotion emails are now gmail pixel dust. I'm moving photos around also, out of online accounts and out of harm's way before the deleting of online versions. I use Outlook to backup photos from the phone but because of the way Samsung wants to bury them deep in a Samsung folder in my Outlook account I am not letting it manage those uploads. (If you go in and move things in Outlook in those Samsung folders then Samsung syncs them or deletes them inside the phone, creating chaos.) This means I periodically have to upload manually, essentially sharing with that account.

I stopped using Dropbox in the spring (I still have the free account with 7.5G of space) because they were so pushy, but I've moved some of the files into the computer then uploaded them to Outlook, and others I've moved into resident photo files on the computer. I'm clearing out a lot of stuff related to past employment and writing projects in Dropbox and am going to again let it upload my phone photos to that file because it is still the easiest way to get them for use immediately when I'm working on the computer. The trouble is, if I let it start uploading now it's going to want to go back and get everything it hasn't touched since March. I'll have to figure out how to tell it to load from now forward but no backlog. I have to go into a little watchdog program that guards the registry - I told it to block Dropbox nagging about uploads so I'll undo that when I ready.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen I'm still reading about food, nearing the end of The Case for Keto. I just read the bit about sodium and what Charmion was experiencing, and the accounts from different physicians who describe the approach each took to low carb high fat eating, most of them landing in Keto land with ketosis to control blood sugar. I'm still adjusting my diet and deciding how many "slow carbs" to include, and I do have dairy (cheese, yogurt, and little bit of milk, with milk liable to be phased out.) He suggests that sticking with more olive oil and less butter is a way to lower the LDL if it becomes a particular struggle (mono-saturated versus regular saturated). More research ahead.

Yesterday I sent an email with photos and receipt and heard back this morning that Ames (a subgroup of Craftsman) is going to mail me a new spade fork. I'm curious to see how that works out; you know I'm going to put it to the test when it arrives.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 24 - 08:53 AM

Fifty milligrams of Benadryl, assisted by one extra-strength Advil and a series of icepacks, reduced my wasp stings to a residual itch overnight. It also knocked me cold for hours, and left a hangover that lasted to early afternoon on Wednesday, but I’m okay with that. Definitely a drug to approach with care. Read the package insert, and cancel all immediate plans!

Two batches of chutney are now finished and sealed, for a total of thirteen 250-ml jars and three 500-ml jars. Only one Cortland apple and five small Bosc pears are left over. I would also have seven or eight small blue Italian plums if I hadn’t busted my diet and eaten them all instead of supper last night. They don’t keep, y’know — especially not in my house.

Back to what I like to call normal today — pool class, and an afternoon of work on the concert choir’s library database. Church choir practice this evening (it’s Thursday, after all). Although the equinox is almost upon us, the weather in southwest Ontario is still hot and dry during the day, and only a little cool at night. Roll on autumn!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 19 Sep 24 - 06:21 PM

I remain somewhat overwhelmed by the to-dos which seem to multiply daily. But, I'm determined to be patient and work on some good new habits as I settle in. Journaling constantly, just to keep on track. I now think the tremendous fatigue of the first week was not just exhaustion, but altitude sickness, I forgot that I went from 200' above sea level to 5000'.   

All the 'stuff' is now unloaded into the house; some of it just had to wait for some spurts of work in the cool mornings. The next phase will be setting up storage shelves and tucking lots things onto them; and some new furniture/storage will need to be acquired.

Was gifted an airfryer, and so far it's fine, but not sure it's worth the counter space it sucks up--and must always be used on a wooden board so that it doesn't melt the countertop! It's been good to encourage me to prepare some simple meats and veggies.

Got great deals on a few garden tools, and finally started using them. Hoed weeds from the driving area, trimmed the stalks from a sad yucca cluster. The biggest one I had to saw, and it was so prickly to get to, I had to don a canvas rainjacket as armor.

Blasted the cochineal stuff off the prickly pears, but have not soaped them yet.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 24 - 10:23 AM

Patty, time to take a tip from Gilbert and Sullivan and make a little list (ok, different kind of list, but I love that song) of all of those chores, and no matter how small. You'll be surprised how energizing it can be to see accomplished tasks crossed out that way.

Charmion, another ranger and I were stung by a bunch of wasps when we were out on the job in our Brooklyn, NY, park, and the supervisor insisted on taking us to a neighborhood doctor or emergency clinic. We each ended up with an antihistamine shot that was so powerful I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep a few minutes later, but had to get myself home first. I think I slept around the clock from that stuff, but it sure did a job on the stings. I hadn't thought about that in years.

The instructions with the new LED rope light say don't cut it but say nothing about use with a dimmer; it is helpful that the Interwebs have conversations about doing it. Searching Amazon for "plug in dimmer switch" and passing on all of the too smart for their own good variety, I realized I already had one of the analog switches stashed in with the electrical cords in the laundry room. That job is complete and the den will resume it's normal low-light aspect when the timer next turns on the lights in front of the stairs.

JennieG, I was scrolling back through here to see who we hadn't heard from for a while and finally watched that Op Shop Ladies video. So funny!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 21 Sep 24 - 12:30 AM

It is, isn't it?

You have to wonder what strange items are sometimes donated...."we don't want to throw it up so we'll donate it"......

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 21 Sep 24 - 09:52 AM

So now big black ants have gone into high gear, trooping across the patio dozens at a time from one 'flower bed' to the other. Apparently I disrupted their cochineal farming or something.

After some web research, I am inclined to try diatomaceous earth. I don't want to spread poison around and the DE is harmless stuff. I considered live and let live, but it just gives me the creeps when there are constantly bugs streaming across the patio, and I have to wonder if the little dears are under my foundation, too. A million acres of open land, I just feel they need to resettle somewhere else.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Sep 24 - 11:26 AM

This month I had my first encounter with The Clutter Queen, from the Boston area.
The Clutter Queen is a small business consisting of one Queen, a lady of middle age, and two assistants. One assistant for the office/internet/phone, and another able-bodied assistant for the actual work of clearing other people's clutter.
I ought to provide a link to The Clutter Queen's website.

When I contacted The Clutter Queen, I focused on the piles and boxes of unfiled papers that have been taking up floor space in my apartment.
We booked a four-hour slot in early September.

It's amazing how much faster it is to clear the clutter with three people (including me) as opposed to just me.
I found some things that I have been missing for some time;
and several huge bags of trash went to the apartment dumpster containing the stuff I never need or want to look at again.

The clutter isn't all cleared; we focused on one room only,
where most of the clutter was the worst in the apartment.
I'm seriously ready to contact them again to set up a future appointment.
The Clutter Queen

But first I'm trying to clear out some furniture.
I've already had someone express interest
in the twin bed frame in my spare bedroom,
so I hope they buy it from me and take it home before long.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Sep 24 - 01:58 PM

Patty, are they native harvester ants? They usually have a large hole (size of a quarter or up to a half-dollar) somewhere and their paths to harvest radiate outward from that center. Do you have creosote bushes in the area? They love those! If you can ignore them (get accustomed to ants) and maybe nudge the thing they're harvesting away from the patio (trim the bush that attracts them to that area while leaving plants in another direction alone) that might work. DE (be sure to get the food grade version, such as for animal feed, not the pool filter type that has impurities, and wear a mask when you puff it around). It is an interesting interaction if what you have is between ant and the cochineal target. (Different types of ants are known to tend aphids on tender plants in order to get the "honeydew" they excrete, so I'm sure there are lots of corresponding beneficial relationships out there.) Red Harvester Ants and Rough Harvester Ants. Puff a little DE into the path they travel and they are probably going to avoid that spot - you can redirect them away from a problematic side of the patio.

This said, there is no benefit to the invasive fire ants in my yard that morphed from mound-builders to underground dwellers who offer sharp painful dagger bites when trod upon. I plan to sprinkle dry molasses, another animal feed of chopped up straw soaked in molasses, dried then bagged. The sugar in the dry molasses encourages other biological activity to increase in the soil and apparently the ants don't like that.

More cupboard rearranging today, after a few days of the Corning ware being accessible. I like that ease of reach so will now move the Pyrex dishes with snap on lids out of the lower cupboard and figure out where they can be easily used and simultaneously cull some older Rubbermaid plastic containers.

Keb, you're a brave woman to bring in outsiders to declutter. Good luck with the project!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 24 - 12:17 AM

Some wheat flour items that I won't eat and aren't great candidates to give away (crackers, who knows how old) are tossed, as are a few things from the shelf where health items were stored. With two bottles of antacids that I rarely take, one bottle (I think it was in my file cabinet at work) tossed. Old hand lotion, ancient lip balm, sample toothpaste tubes, etc. They may not really go out of date, but I'm tired of looking at them.

Pyrex is now in the cupboard next to the Corning, and when poking on the top shelf I realized my pretty stainless steel teapot was hidden behind stuff. It's now on the middle shelf next to the porcelain teapot and the French press. I also relocated in a cute little ovenware miniature pie pan I'd forgotten about. Mostly trash management today, no donation items to mention. Tomorrow is eBay stuff because a local friend is looking for an old VHS/DVD players and I have several.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 22 Sep 24 - 03:37 PM

Keberoxu: great to hear of your successful decluttering project, must feel good to get one area done and dealt with, and glad you found good people to help!

Thanks Stilly. I will watch for ant trails and holes, so far that has not been obvious but I'm sure I'll find it as the weeding continues.

Re fire ants: I once saw a beautiful sculpture at a gem and mineral show; like an ornate ming tree made of metal. Some desperate plumber with access to lead-melting tools had decided to dispatch his fire ants by pouring hot lead into their branching tunnels. Very pretty result.

Meanwhile, apent some time organizing the clothes where I can find everything, also the upper kitchen cabinets. The lower are a challenge, there is one huge undivided space to be subdivided, but I have a stash of empty bins and things that may help.

Lists, yes I have lots of lists, but what helps the most is journaling my efforts, it helps prompt solutions and cultivate habits, and it is a litte more satisfying than crossing off words on a list. Which journaling I know several of you do here on the thread, but I would bore you to tears with all the details, so into the journal most of it goes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 24 - 05:08 PM

The Bullet Journal idea has worked for me, to keep track of things but also to look back and figure out when stuff happened, is it time again, etc. Started in 2017; I see a list of magazine and newspaper subscriptions in the first volume and that has moved to the Excel file, but a lot of the rest is still going.

Those ant mound sculptures are works of art, and not just in lead any more. The silver ones are spectacular. If you decide to make one let us know! Think about your new homestead this way - if the biome is healthy, if it has been treated well, then there will be critters there. You don't want to find yourself living on a toxic waste dump or where someone went crazy with the 2,4,D and awful Ortho products.

Headfirst into eBay this afternoon, finding a box big enough for some vintage duratuff tumblers. And I've located the combination VHS/DVD player for a friend who is looking for one, but I'll test it before I take it over.

My elderly across-the-street neighbors are a hospital tag team this month; he just got home after two weeks (at 90 they removed his appendix and gall bladder?) and now she's admitted because of bad edema. I'm going to start some cooking to take over to one or both of them, something I need to do as a regular activity just so I can tell how they're doing from one visit to the next. As much as I'm avoiding wheat these days, I think a batch of my dinner rolls would be a good start, but mostly I'll work on casseroles that can be frozen or microwaved. In the past I've taken things cooked from my garden, but the garden didn't do much this year so I'll improvise.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Sep 24 - 02:57 PM

Today I weighed myself and found that I am within 2 kg of the number I rather arbitrarily selected back in April. I had planned to start re-integrating dairy foods and a wider range of vegetables somewhere around (our) Thanksgiving, and I might just step that up by a week or so. My doctor offered to refer me to a nutritionist when I saw her last, back in the Spring, so I called her office and asked that she do that now.

Typical of the first week of Autumn, it's been raining off and on all last night and today so far. When sorting out the hall closet to make room for jackets suitable for increasing chill and damp, I found that the suede car coat I wore last winter is now so big that the sleeves cover my hands. It's a very good coat with a two-way zipper, so I must canvass the extended family to find it a new home.

Almost a week after the wasp assault, my feet are again the same size and the right one is only slightly itchy now and then. Again, Benadryl for the win.

In conversation with another locker-room frequent flyer, I learned that she and her neighbour invest significant effort in piling lawn clippings against their back fence to provide habitat for the "sweet little field mice". When I asked her if she had ever saw evidence of mice in her house, she looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Field mice stay outside!" Humph, I thought, but did not say. I hope she has cats.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Sep 24 - 04:14 PM

Cats in her house or owls in her yard. I wonder if the neighbors behind or beside her know about the fieldmouse project? That's the reason I stopped putting out birdseed, rats and mice do find their way in. My dogs are mousers.

Congratulations on the weight loss; keeping it at the level you want is talked about in the Case for Keto - I hope you can find a nutritionist on the same page with you. I'm going to have to have a similar conversation with my doctor; if I want to stay off of the statins I'll keep to the high fat low carb diet and the "slow carbs" he talked about.

Today I made more of my granola and the recipe is always shifting a little. This time I didn't add the one cup of raisins at the end. I have raisins to use up and some dates also, and after that will keep smaller amounts in the house. They can go in other foods that don't have so many carbs already (granola is pretty high even with very little oatmeal and high number of nuts and seeds.) I store half of the granola in an acrylic jar with a silicone gasket on the counter and the extra goes in a Rubbermaid bin in the freezer.

It seems the whole world is for sale on eBay in bits and pieces; as I move to more glass I'm considering how many of the Rubbermaid containers and lids I want to take out of circulation (keeping only new plastic I know is BPA free) and I see in eBay sold items a bunch of the vintage pieces like what I brought from my dad's house. So I may end up with a bit of extra space in the hall pantry closet if I disassession some of that. They're mementos of my Dad but I don't need all of these to remember his funky kitchen. I have a box of Tupperware for sale right now that hasn't gotten a lot of attention; I may need to repack and remove some of the containers and leave the lids and cute little speciality items, that seems to be what really sells.

My right arm has been a little tender since Friday when I got the current Covid shot; no symptoms to speak of. The flu shot can happen in the first week of October to better align with the arrival of flu. It's a cool humid day and I have some shopping to do so will leave before rush hour clogs my route to the town south of here where I hope that Kohl's has the bras that I like (I got the last one at the store nearest to me last week.) The state of my underwear drawer dictates I make this excursion and toss a few of the tattered ones.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Sep 24 - 11:21 PM

Never made it out of the garage this afternoon. There isn't enough juice in the battery to turn the starter. I knew this day was coming (it just usually happens on the first cold day of the year, not the first time the overnight low is 73.)

Point of interest: There are two basic types of batteries - "flooded" (battery acid and caps that come off to fill) and AGM - (closed units with acid in fiberglass) that generally have a longer life. Most warranties are prorated so the older the battery the less you get back if it fails.

I called around for 3 quotes: the Jewell automotive shop near me, the mechanic I just started using that is a few miles away, and Firestone, not far from here. Then I pulled up Consumer Reports to learn what their answers actually added up to.

Jewell would charge me $534.80 for a Motorcraft battery, 36 month full-replacement warranty. (Not on the CR list at all, flooded, new at O'Reilly for $256.99—extra points if you can see what they're doing here).

My local little shop will charge about $150 for a Delco (flooded, CR rank 84) with installation (30 month prorated warranty).

Firestone will charge me $258.37 for a DieHard battery (Advanced Auto Parts took over the brand from Sears) with installation, 36 months, prorated.

I only give these details because of the issues. Motorcraft and Delco are cheap but serviceable batteries. Jewel offers the "full replacement" by doubling the battery cost in case they have to fulfill their "warranty." The local mechanic offered to install a serviceable inexpensive flooded battery for a lower cost. The Firestone quote - hmmm. There are different DieHards, the Platinum AGM (CR Recommended, rated 86), $220 at Advanced or the Gold, on CR (79, flooded), $170. If I tell them I want the Platinum the total cost will go up some, but I'd have a better battery.

In the morning I'll call my shop and ask if they'll buy and install a better battery or if I can buy it and pay them to install it, or else I can ask Firestone to get the better battery. Part of this depends on their suppliers and what is in stock. And whoever gives me the better answer, then I'll call AAA to come jump the battery so I can go to the shop.

You work to be sure you're not being sold a bill of goods, and even after the research it is sometimes still a crapshoot.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 24 - 08:11 PM

After sitting overnight the battery had one start left in it and I managed to get over to the Firestone store without calling AAA. They put in the battery I wanted for the price I expected, and that is a good outcome; I didn't find myself stranded somewhere on a cold day (as has usually been the case with an old battery).

Two phone calls from elderly friends required some time and attention. I didn't make it out to my shopping today. I'll try again tomorrow.

Is it only Tuesday? It feels like enough strife for an entire week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Sep 24 - 10:47 PM

Dupont:

Managed to go to Beaver for a couple days - Drove there on Thurs and back on Sunday. That is really foolish. I really misjudged the time - could have stayed a few more days but did not take the pills I needed. I had a vigorous social life on Sat and picked up a quantity of our fav muffins and some scones from the Hidden Gold Mine. now frozen. Been resting since Sunday!

Most importantly, I did the "winterizing" and neighbour Larry came by so I could show him the glazing materials so he can use them when he gets to that point in his potting life. I had to take the unfired pots out of the kiln and back into the heated room. I still have hopes of filling that kiln but it is a year now. My energy level just doesn't make it.

But I am still trying- about 20 min of garden work and trips for groceries, would like to go for walks on Isle St. Bernard; the air off the River is wonderful -- and just a few weeks until snow! I cannot risk falling and being useless again.

Toyota dealer sent a text reminding it is time to change tires so I must make an appointment tomorrow to get one before snow time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 24 - 11:48 PM

Dorothy, are you still registered to vote in Washington? Please be sure that is taken care of in time! Good news about the trip to Beaver; if you'd taken all of your pills you might have been able to relax more. Something to remember when planning future trips.

I don't get in much more than about 20 minutes in the garden here still, though it is finally cooling, so that should change. We had a nice rain before dawn on Monday, making the soil more workable. It has been too hot to garden here and Dorothy is putting on snow tires this week. One of these days I'll manage to live in a northern area again. I do miss the more pronounced seasons and nicer (less hot) summers.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Sep 24 - 06:59 PM

Last week I found a bra that fit properly but only the one of that style; got a $10 Kohls Cash coupon with the purchase. After fussing with the battery for a few days I finally got to the other Kohls in the area today and they also had exactly one of that style, now even more on sale plus $10 off. At least two of the very worn articles can leave my dresser drawer (I keep one older one for wearing when I'm doing really sweaty yard work and I already have that.)

The friend I catsit for gets frozen cat food in well-insulated parcels and saves the padding and boxes for me because they're perfect for packing glass sales I put on eBay. Picked up four of those boxes today and some of the padding will go into the box I'm currently working on.

The daily highs for the 10-day forecast are high-80s to ~ 91; tolerable. The front is getting a bit tall so I need to spend a morning filling the spools for my string trimmer then go out and hit the patches of grass coming up through the groundcover I've pampered all summer. I also need to find new homes for some of the potted trees and shrubs (I watered them all summer so when given away and planted in the autumn they're more likely to survive.)

I made a dog food run today and am stocked for the next few weeks. Hopefully as I get toward the end of the bags I bought today I'll be back to placing scheduled online orders (with free shipping) and save the trips to the hinterland. Tractor Supply doesn't have city locations, they're in small towns outside of big towns. Getting the food supply back into sync is the goal.

Yellow squash casserole made tonight to last for several days, and to be taken to my neighbors across the street tomorrow. It came out great, with enough tomato and country-style sausage to make it almost a stew. A few dollops of red wine scooped from a jar in the freezer gave it a nice bright flavor. I don't drink wine often any more but I still love it for cooking.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Sep 24 - 11:11 AM

This morning when cutting up some small bell peppers as part of the vegetables to top the dogs' dry food I realized that the brightness in the squash casserole may also come from those colorful bell peppers I used in it. I had a couple of bags picked up at my discount grocer and used them in the dog meals mostly but I do also eat them, and they have a stronger flavor than regular sweet bell peppers. I'll set one of these on the windowsill to age and dry so the seeds might be viable and see if I can grow any next year.

It's a volunteering day ahead so into the shower I go, and back to my bar of olive oil soap as shampoo. Last hair wash I tried some from a bottle that is "sulfite free" but that isn't enough, it still has coconut products in the ingredients and my ears are itchy from it.

It is cooling here finally; overnight I didn't turn on the ceiling fan. It's still warm enough that just a sheet is my only cover, but soon I'll be using the loose-weave thermal blanket with it and then add layers as the season progresses.

I offered some blouses over on my Buy Nothing group that no one claimed so they are in the Goodwill bin where there is enough to make a run, so I'll bag it all to drop off today.