Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 16 - 07:45 PM

I went to a party this afternoon at a co-worker's house, saw a house that is definitely a work in progress host a lot of people. I'm farther away, so if people would drive here is one question, but one of these days I'll bite the bullet, put away the flattened cardboard boxes in the sun room, and just say phooey to the mis-matched everything here and have people over. But I would like to put down some new flooring in the bathrooms and maybe the hall first.

I'm home early from the party - it's still daylight, and still July 3, but the locals set off illegal fireworks and the dogs don't like them. The next couple of evenings would be hard on the dogs if I wasn't here - to keep them from racing out through the dog door every time they hear an explosion.

The humidity this spring has been brutal, and it is extending into summer when the heat usually dries out the air. I'm doing many more indoor activities than one would normally find me working on in a typical summer. I've looked into the antique contents of a trunk and am considering putting some linens and crochet/lace items on eBay. They're light, easy to package and mail, though it may involve international shipping. A lot of the sales I see are in the UK, so that might be where the buyers are. eBay has some kind of setup for international shipping that I haven't tried yet.

I'll spend time poking around looking for bits and pieces that can go in eBay sales. For example, I have LED lights all over now, but I used to have the little mini-maglights all around the house. I see people are still buying them on eBay, so I need to find where I put them and see if they're working and list them. And find the other categories of things I'm keeping for no particular reason. The things you wouldn't think twice about saving if the house were on fire - that's a lot of stuff, when you give it some consideration. So some of it, if it is easily packaged, can be sold and shipped out.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 16 - 03:32 PM

Found some more stuff around the house that I'd not thought about in ages, but that will mail easily and list quickly on eBay.

Picked a couple of more zucchini. The trick seems to be to inject full-strength BT into the stem when the plant is small so the vine borers can't get into it once it's planted and destroy the stem. One day a healthy plant, the next day it's dead when they're at work. These are looking pretty good.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Jul 16 - 03:48 PM

Beaver:
I left the photo albums with son in PA so if the house catches fire there is naught to save! As for sheets! We now use only flannel and, for some reason, I have been able to get lots of nice ones at thrift shops. The way we live, if anyone visits, they had best bring a sleeping bag, maybe a tent! We do have a hide abed - SO comfortable???? But beats the floor.

R arrived Saturday eve, missing all the "festivities" of Canada Day. There were a couple he might have enjoyed - tea and croquet at the outpost hospital! However, we worked on where to put the umbrella clothes dryer and it ended up in the worst possible place for the view and the best place for convenience. I did several loads on this wonderful drying day and am hoping I can remove the post from its sleeve and store it out of the view. Actually, today, R can!

As I write, he is cutting a hole in the LR ceiling for the new trapdoor to the sleeping loft. We are hoping at least one friend will make the trek for the famous Gemboree - rock and mineral event which draws about 20,000 people for the August long weekend. I usually lay low during these influxes but R is, after all, a geologist!

Yesterday, we took time off in the late aft to trek to visit art galleries/visit with owners/friends and then to a BBQ with Tammy and Blair and gang of folks, including a great music fest still going when we left to get home about 9 so R could continue. My bedtime!

Two qts of rhubarb stewed - from a friend's patch, chicken roasting in the oven. I bought a few zuke plants for the garden and sage. Also basil and rosemary for pots.

While the work is happening and the oven is cooking, I have a fan in the K window in hopes of drawing the heat and dust that direction! Almost 4 pm and it is 75F in LR. Lovely breezy day but hot sun. Expect it to cool off tonight, again.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Jul 16 - 06:29 PM

Back from the first road trip in the camper. Had a great time and loved living in a small place that goes where I go, it's like a magic carpet. I find myself in a beautiful place, and presto, I happen to have a cabin there! Came home with 1 new book, 1 small field guide, and a palmful of rocks, which is not ideal but beats my usual trunkful of rocks and souvenirs.

Now back to the cold (actually stifling horrifically hot & humid) realities of The House and All Its Stuff. I was kind of hoping it would all seem simpler when I returned, but nope, I've just added a stack of new to-do's like 'buy grease for hitch', 'pay tax collector for new plate' etc., and the old to-dos are still here.

Plowing my way through my multiple lists, will try to group the errands and projects into coherent plans for days, and pray for a cold front!

Acme, I'm glad you are finding lots of 'mailable' stuff to sell, I know what you mean. There are so many things that will mail well that have no sentimental value and need to get to somebody who's looking for them. Glad there is a way to do that.   

The big klutzy stuff, a whole 'nother ball of wax. Can't persuade the relatives to take the old family furniture yet. Some is going to get goodwilled but a couple of actual heirlooms need responsible homes.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Jul 16 - 07:55 PM

Beaver:
The sleeping loft has an opening and has been vacuumed thoroughly. R says it is OK for someone to stay up there but I am dubious. Maybe with a cot and foamy. But if S visits for the Gemboree, she can sleep on sofa. A great deal of work needs to be done up there to make it comfortable - summer only. Needs two good windows and kneewalls to improve stability of floor and roof. Guess we are pickier than some former tenants.

Anyway, it was a nasty job which I only suffered from as the dust factor impinged - one antihistamine and maybe another one and a nasal spray. R gets a few gold stars. And a couple wasp stings.

There is a piece of plexi-glass over the trap door hole so light comes down from upstairs window. We hope to make a trapdoor with insulated glass insert so the "skylight" effect continues. R wants to put a skylight in the west roof as well. what year?

The deck needs some more work - another support and more before I do the decking. But I have a new drill and drill bits so it should go along better.

I have been reduced to mainly meal prep and a tiny bit of planting and weeding - support staff! Serious lack of energy. Hope I feel better tomorrow.

I happily took down the clothes dryer all by myself and put it aside - not blocking view! We had beautiful days so R took half the window out and threw all the left-from-before trash out the window, including a TV, and took it all in the truck to Montreal.

Last eve, I sorted a number of the plastic bins and triaged 3 bins of sheets and blankets for upstairs - when the time comes. R dragged the old carpeting out of back/back shed but it still needs some attention to make floor better. The rugs are to go on a spot to kill vegetation in prep for a raspberry patch in the fall, she says hopefully!

We looked at a spot to one side for R's library/cabin. Looks good. It will have no windows other than skylights so no view needed! Just bookshelves and a glass door. Maybe next year.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 16 - 10:44 PM

After a four-day weekend it's back to the grindstone. I used a couple of my zucchini to make a casserole (Italian sausage, pasta, onion, pepper, tomato, wine, mushroom, cheese. . . ) to take for lunches. The kitchen is clean. Laundry is finished. I pulled weeds today, but didn't mow out front (though I did mow in the back yesterday). There were lots of things on my list, but it was a slow-motion weekend, unmotivated because of the oppressive humidity.

There are a dozen listings in my eBay account, as many as I've ever had up at once. Some more likely to sell than others, but eBay is always a place to be surprised by what sells and what doesn't. It comes from a suggestion from a friend - that if I enjoy it I should make time for it, and accomplish the declutter at the same time. I have a couple of projects along those lines to work on this summer.

Have you posted any photos of this cottage of yours on facebook, Dorothy? I'd like to see what it looks like, especially before and after shots.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Jul 16 - 08:42 PM

Beaver:
No before pics! We just lit into it - ripping out the carpets and closets. Then the fix up work started and is on going! I think I will wait until I finish the exterior painting - hopefully with a big rainbow on the north wall. I'll try to post a couple - K and LR and the studio exterior.

I got up at 2:30 am for a hot bath - a desperate situation as I knew I would just feel worse without doing it. Bath with Epsom salt and a first shower to clear off. The hot water only half fills the tub so it is not great but in the half hour I sat, the water got warm enough for the shower. I'll do another tonight - not at 2:30 am! Have to get the dust out of my bod: I feel it building up again. Have a fan going and three windows open.... I think the dust is already in me.

Really hot and humid today; hoping for rain tonight - or at least the excess humidity falling onto the ground!

Found pots for rosemary, etc. at Thrift shops, a rod for door curtain for utility room, a nice thick foam mattress for upstairs.


I collect small boxes all week - at the grocery stores - for my friends with antique shop; on Weds they come to Town and I give them the week's collection - a lot this week! They sell lots of china on E-Bay.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 16 - 10:44 PM

D - I saw some photos on facebook - it's nice to have a place in mind when I read about the work you do there.

We haven't heard from Susan in forever - I wonder how that move has progressed and if everything is in the places she has in mind?

I have more eBay listings up, one that ends later tonight, and an auction that will run for a week that started very low (.99) to attract interest. It seems that if you start something at 9.99 or 19.99 that you'd actually like to get $100 for, it's less likely to happen than if you start at .99. I suspect you pull in more folks gambling on getting the bargain price but who stick around longer and bid higher in the heat of the moment.

For a short week it has been extremely long. I'm looking forward to my 3-day weekend and plan to get to work by 7 am tomorrow so I get an early start on the days off. The weather is finally cooperating for mowing, which must be done as soon as possible.

Mudcat is decluttered of one server, one of them was taken out of the rotation this week as too old to be up to the task. Max is decluttering - maybe it's time to direct a few dollars his way to purchase a replacement.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 16 - 10:30 AM

A few weeks ago I used spare lumber and castors and framed a set of wheels to place under an antique trunk. I used to keep the dog food in there till the ants discovered it; now on wheels I hope to resume storing dog food there and move it out of harms way if necessary. This move clears a large space on my Hoosier Kitchen (an antique large cabinet organizer built in the late 1800s) at a time when I can use it for canning.

My eBay listings are varied and will continue to be so. I see so many things I intended to list that if I'm serious about decluttering I need to keep this momentum going. My favorite sized box for shipping is a flat rate Zone A USPS box so I've ordered another batch to pack and keep listing.

Mowing and weeding for outdoors work today, and some canning salsa this evening.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 16 - 04:19 PM

Working my way around the livingroom, dusting, putting things away all the way - so if it is shoes that go in the bedroom closet, walking them all the way in there, not leaving them in the hall that goes to the bedrooms. And as I come across donation or sales items, they're going to that room and are in the queue. The weed eater is set up with new nylon line, so as soon as there is shade on the front and side of the house, I'm headed out to tidy the yard and driveway.

I'm pretty sure the extra energy I'm feeling today has to do with a substantial drop in the humidity level, making a world of difference.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Jul 16 - 10:47 PM

Beaver:
Some getting things done days and some getting nothing done days! Yesterday am I finally threw pots for the first time in weeks; 4 hours work felt good and netted a bunch of nice pots which are now waiting to be trimmed - tomorrow. The rest of the day was exhaustion!

Today was an interminable trip to Peterborough - about 1.5 hours - with super friends who volunteered to chauffeur me to appointment re cataracts. Not ready for surgery yet so another appointment in February. What a nuisance.

We had a pretty good visit and I treated them to lunch when we got back. Talked with Bob re his December show at the Gallery, which I am sponsoring, having kicked him into applying! We agreed that he will pick out some of his "sketches" of Bancroft buildings circa 1970s for a 2017 Calendar and I will arrange for production. They don't need the money but we want to give people the opportunity to have the wonderful pics. So a visit to find out about production is on tomorrow's list - after I trim the pots!

The garden is progressing and I managed to cut back some of the weedy shrubs and dragged one piece of carpet out to kill grass and weeds in prep for raspberry patch. Planted 3 types of peppermint on the mound septic where they can spread to their heart's content!   


Beautiful cool eve after hot day. And so to sleep!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Jul 16 - 10:45 PM

Beaver:

Would seriously like my eyes to recover from drops of Tuesday.

Sorted through a bag of pics and negs and triaged them for new homes; keeping some. Delivered a set to a friend - her current home as seen in 1982: She was delighted.

Yesterday was too hot to do much beyond breathing. Long consult today with a friend re the calendar project - "Vintage Bancroft". This will entail another two consults tomorrow and hope that I can move this forward and have the calendars ready in two weeks for a big weekend here. Pen and ink sketches of local buildings, some of which no longer exist, some have changed drastically.

Critters have de-cluttered garden of all bush bean sprouts and about half of zuke plants! Discovered it too late to do anything today but will look for netting in the am and replant beans.

Rained a lot of today; lovely! and a cool night for sleeping!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jul 16 - 11:15 AM

You know how you end up cleaning counters and putting away random stuff when someone is coming over to the house? That is me, this morning, waiting in the air conditioning tech crew. I'm sure they'll manage to declutter my wallet of a few dollars.

I'm not sure if they'll spend more time indoors (that inside unit is in a closet in a hall - easy to reach) or by the outside fan (next to the asparagus and the hibiscus). I've planned to trim the asparagus to get another crop, I think today, before they arrive, is the perfect time.

For the time being the large canning pots are back in the pantry. The wild grapes weren't ready when I checked on them this week - I picked a couple of quarts of ripe fruit, but the rest are green and will ripen in the next week or so. This weekend is soon enough to try again. I have a steam juicer to extract the juice, and then I can make jelly any time in the next couple of weeks.

Dorothy, I also have a few crops that have had predatory visitors. The beans are gone (snails, I think). The tomato plants are looking unhappy. It's time to plant for fall crops if I want new plants (instead of nursing these along) but the place that consistently sold the variety I like has closed the nearby store. I'll try to keep these vines going and come fall they'll perk up and make more fruit.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jul 16 - 09:12 PM

Beaver:

Willy woodchuck dashed from the vicinity of the raised beds to his front door when I went out about 8 pm! I cut the leaves off a cauliflower and left them at his door! Maybe...

Busy all day - well after I got up about 10 after getting to bed at 3, thanks to problem contacting tech support - 2 hours! THEN I turned everything off and re-booted and....! Yep! So I paid some bills and spent time on FB and deleting emails to settle down before bed.

Had a fun time at the Market, visiting and gathering info. To the home of woman from whom I agreed to buy an old kiln - last fall! She was going to phone me... So today I picked up the shelves and furniture, gave her a couple things bound for thrift shop; she gave me a pair of slip on shoes which I was feeling the need of! And they are going to deliver the kiln - not tonight I guess! Hope for tomorrow! It is closely related to the kiln that died on Whidbey so I am looking forward to checking it out. That one, I knew how to repair totally - after over 20 years of use!

Then to grocery store; I think the ginger root has a couple potential sprouts so I shall give it a try. Advice? I tried this about 35 years ago to no avail... To bank for cash for kiln, to Rona for end caps for eaves troughs - STILL do not have any so Paul promised to write it down and order some for Weds. Still working on a RAIN watering plan for raised beds.

Sorting stuff in shed no room for new kiln.... Bad mosquitoes forced me inside. Manana! Need to get serious about glazing and firing for big craft show in two weeks!

Devised a chart a few days ago - to keep track of weather, what I eat, what supplements I remember to take (reminder), It may work for a while and just maybe I will learn something from it.

Now to write a letter to editor re providing heat relief for our older or heat sensitive residents. In the cities people can sit in malls - if they are able to get there. No malls here so where???? Weds was so bad the eve outdoor concert was cancelled. I sat home and breathed - quietly. But did try to go to concert. Glad it was only 4 minutes away.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 09:50 PM

Mill:

Finally realized, yesterday am, that I was not going to do glaze firing at Beaver; did not even have enough kiln furniture in the sizes I needed. So I packed up all the pots - bisqued and green and set off, Stopped to pick up the Wharton Esherick book - almost an hour visit! And arrived at 6:30, went right into unloading pots and glazing and got firing going by 8:30. Ate roasted cauliflower - left overs - and a small pice of cheese. It was rather a fasting day as i managed all day on green/ginger tea.

Part of getting ready to leave was wrestling the kiln onto a dolly and getting it into the house. They had delivered it on Sunday while I was away and it was sitting in the yard when I got home!

Today, I threw pots for a couple hours took a lunch break then a LONG visit with Geri, supper and finally unloaded kiln, glazed pots, re-loaded kiln, and started it at almost 8:30 - again. Then I went to check the flower bed. Pulled weeds; it was not too bad but some of the perennials need dividing. Some of that dreadful poisonous plant are around the area. Tomorrow...

Then I hacked a path to the front door through the weeds with hedge trimmers, including reeds higher than my head. I guess it is at least two months since I was last here... Maybe late April as that is the last firing in the log book. Nature does abhor a vacuum!

Bedtime!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 16 - 10:25 PM

It's time to start the jelly-making, pickle-making, salsa-making, etc. activities now. Today I picked more wild grapes and had enough (added to what I picked last weekend) to steam juice about 2.5 litres of juice for jelly. I have zucchini from the garden for bread and butter pickles, and the salsa has needed making for a while now. I hope I get to the ingredients in time.

I also have to plan time for a new air conditioner compressor to be installed, and finish some editing. None of the stuff needing attention right now is something that can be handled in a sort of multi-tasking approach. They each demand one's full attention. I'd best get organized.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Rumncoke
Date: 20 Jul 16 - 07:17 PM

I managed to grow a ginger plant by placing the root into a pot of sand and compost with added fertiliser and placing it in the hottest part of the conservatory, which was against the south wall below the level of the windows. The pot was wide and shallow.
I used a root from the local grocer, washed it several times in warm water over the course of a day, planted it and sprayed it with warm water every day. It will rot if over watered and die if cold water is used. It seems to like heat but not sunlight. It was shaded from the sun by a wicker waste paper basket the year it grew best, so about 50 percent shadow.
Use a heavy pot as it can grow quite tall.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Jul 16 - 09:26 PM

Mill:
Thanks for that bit, rumncoke! Saved.

Have done a firing each day - Monday thru Friday. Today, on peeking in still hot kiln, realized it had not gone to temp so re-started it. Was planning to go back to Beaver tomorrow but can put it off to Monday to do last load.

Serious lack of energy Thurs onward; have not accomplished new pots nor much else. Two good rain storms - Fri and today! Cooled off and I feel better this eve. Found a new general store, in the middle of nowhere, near mill which carries the good sausages and meat that I have been driving an hour for! YAY! We accidentally found it when going to a restaurant nearby. That is a terrific declutter - driving only 10 minutes! And encouraging a new business.

I will have 4-5 boxes of new pottery for next weekend's big art & craft show. Hope it clutters my wallet!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 16 - 02:11 AM

I remember being told that a form of wild ginger lived in the Smoky Mountains and we had to keep our eyes open for poachers. They lived in a the moist green understory, so your description of conditions sounds about right.

Today my fridge needed attention - tomatoes, onions and peppers are now converted from veggies in bowls in the fridge into containers of salsa cooling in there that will go in the freezer tomorrow. I didn't process them (canning) because some of the tomatoes were so ripe and had spots that were cut off. Canning really does require fruit at peak condition without spots, holes, mold, etc. And there is a batch of guacamole in the freezer. Tomorrow may be pickles - I thought I'd try to get to them today, but the two other projects ran long. Decluttered the fridge, and restocking the freezer.

My eBay listings have been moving along, and I have a bunch more to put up this weekend. Plus some freelance work. Lots to keep me busy indoors when it's so hot and muggy outside.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 16 - 10:22 AM

If I'd pulled out my recipe I'd have known to cut up all of the pickle ingredients last night and leave them soaking in salty water overnight. Then I'd be bottling and processing this morning. I'll put them in the fridge for 8 hours and process them tonight.

Some of the larger extra zucchini I'll cut into chunks, saute, then freeze for a casserole I make through the year (usually with purchased zucchini or other squash).

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: maeve
Date: 24 Jul 16 - 11:13 AM

"...eyes open for poachers." Sounds more like ginseng, perhaps? Wild native ginger (Asarum canadense) is a very nice little ground cover smelling like roses when divided, but I can't imagine it being attractive to poachers. Tropical ginger (Zingiber officinale" is not related to either, although Asarum has a similar spicy scent to that of Zingiber.

Tropical ginger is building quite a good market in the Northeast, grown in hoop houses and sold fresh and rosy pink.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Jul 16 - 09:48 PM

Beaver:

Good to be home! Drove back yesterday and did very little. Unpacked car today, other than new pots. Did errands, groceries, haircut - great de-clutter! Then rested a long time before getting to it again.

Beautiful cool eve and a few more things planted. Zukes are starting to produce; should be a few before first frost! The ginger root that seems to have buds was left in a bowl of water last week and it does seem they have grown a tiny bit. I will deal with them tomorrow, energy permitting.

Spent a couple hours last eve and this eve trying to deal with "customer service" for Bank of america. Most of it on hold, then bad phone connections, failure to speak clearly, horrible noise between... I will de-clutter my life of this credit card; the company does not speak Canadian. It used to have decent customer service but no more. A US credit card at my Canadian bank has an annual fee but by now the $39 seems like nothing compared to the nuisance. A chore for tomorrow at my friendly local branch where I entertained two tellers this morning with - "The cheque never got there, what do I do now..." And agreement that the options were.... The next time I go to the US, just take cash or traveller's cheques? Do those still exist???

Plum' wore out.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 16 - 11:28 AM

We had a heavy rainfall this week that the garden liked but it has increased the local humidity to an uncomfortable level again. This has been the muggiest summer I remember in years. The AC is up and running so the house is tolerable throughout now.

Working on an eBay project I was at the Goodwill and found a few items that are intended to go directly into online sales. My kitchen counter is a bit crowded right now, but they'll go into boxes and listings this weekend.

More canning this week - jelly this time.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 16 - 11:17 PM

I've researched the items I want to next list on eBay, but haven't taken the photos yet or picked out the boxes for shipping. That comes this week. The kitchen counter is clear.

After a busy weekend the kitchen in general is cleaned up after several cooking adventures. Jelly making, fixing meals for the week, and teaching a neighbor how to make a dish she asked about. Waking to a clean kitchen in the morning is the biggest gift one can give oneself, so with that in mind, the house smells like the fried eggplant for eggplant Parmesan, but all evidence of the cooking is now put away.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Aug 16 - 06:04 PM

Beaver:

Calendar is on the market - beautiful! Proceeds to local Hospice. Rough week physically. Finally realized that I had the first ever outdoor allergy and took a pill and started feeling better - with head de-cluttered! Craft show de-cluttered a number of pots and helped the wallet. Sales of calendar helping to pay the designer and, hopefully, soon the printing. Hospice will be able to sell lots at their many fund raising events. Phew! OK, so it was not well thought out. I just wanted to DO it but did not think beyond having it - to celebrate the artist and his upcoming show at the Gallery.

Robin helped me set up and take down booth, thankfully; We treated ourselves to good suppers both days. There certainly would not have been any otherwise! But now the dishes are washed, the "new" small freezer is in the utility room, the deck is finally ready for me to screw down the boards and will look great - and useful when it is loaded with 10 face cord of stove wood - ordered so I better get busy with the electric drill - early tomorrow morning before it is too hot to breath. And the booth next to mine used plastic "lattice" which we will purchase to put on the deck to protect the beautiful boards from the wear and tear of stove wood.

Major trash run, with truck, to land fill site - carpets cost $10 and we decided 'twould be far better to spend $10 and de-clutter! And a bunch of other dead building materials - so nice to see them gone!

Unfortunately, R took my lovely scythe to my beautiful tall mullein, the one I just stood and admired the other day! The one I was looking forward to seeing in full bloom! IT"S NOT A WEED! It's an herb. And it is gone..... I went out and put the stalk in a bucket of water. I am bereft. R is chastised.

New task, after a small meeting today, to seek info re what is happening at the old uranium mine site and think on forming a local environmental working group.

The house bills are paid. The plan for steps to sleeping loft allows a large, specific piece of storage furniture in LR. Hoping for that and another piece for the BR for R's next trip so I can do some serious organizing. Bins are in back/back shed so I can go through them, organize and decide to get rid of some more stuff.

Arghh! I just looked out the window and I still have a kiln on the deck - covered with tarp. Tomorrow!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Aug 16 - 09:23 PM

Beaver:
Kiln still on deck but the new deck extension (about 10x18) is almost finished - 7 more boards to go! Looks great! Working in the early am before the sun gets there worked well. Maybe tomorrow I can work on the kiln situation.

I am giving The woodchucks - yes,two! - veggie scraps. They enjoy the cauliflower leaves and even weeds I pull and leave at their door! I can watch out the window as they pull things into their home to nibble! My "garden" has been decimated but the tomatoes and peppers are intact and will produce something before frost. R brought a bunch of window glass this last trip and tonight I placed them all around the raised beds; they are about 6 inches taller than the beds - Maybe??? Harvested oregano tonight - my very best crop! The shoots on the ginger root seem to be growing VERY slowly. I am still grieving to loss of the elegant mullein.

I can work outside from six am (if I get up!) to 8:30 and 7:30 pm until 8:30. The heat is dreadful; kind neighbour came by today and offered me a space in their walk out basement to sit and read. But today I got the brilliant idea of a fan blowing over an ice pack plus a wet wash cloth on my head. Worked Very well.

I managed numerous errands today - in air conditioned places: calendars in the bookstore - the owner was enthusiastic!, the Times sold 6 already and I suggested they could print another 100 at their leisure; there are about 130 being marketed at present. Picked up my new USdollar credit card at the bank. Some pottery to the Art Gallery and viewed the new exhibit - by the Algonquin First Nations folks, including a genuine birch bark canoe!

Looked for some real food - unpolluted with chemicals - futile. Fed up and wondering how far I would have to drive to get better produce and meat. When the weather turns cold - in a month or so! - I will be able to bring meat from the good butcher in Quebec. Bought frozen fish and was too tired to cook it so had a big bowl of broccoli for supper and some cheese.

Did two loads of laundry this am and hung them on my wonderful umbrella dryer! They dried quickly in the heat and are put away. Still need to make bed. Can only move around for short stints due to the heat but it is cooling now. Soon to bed so I can get up early and get a few things done before the heat; my day in the Gallery tomorrow and the opening reception in the eve - air conditioned!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Aug 16 - 07:23 PM

Beaver:

Caught willy woodchuck enjoying the cherry tomatoes; put cage around them. Kiln still on deck but today I bought the stuff to make a way to plug it in so in the morning: finish last 7 boards, move kiln into kiln room and plug it in to see how it functions - if it functions!! Make some pots if there is time before the heat hits again.

The last two days have been quite nice - feels like fall! Glad the firewood is tacked down from reliable person! Yesterday was a mainly have fun day. Today, mostly on computer deleting and sending emails and researching a few things. Roasted large batch of sunflower seeds, and made cheese out of numerous containers of sour milk, thus de-cluttering the frig! Freezing the whey for baking projects. It was cool enough to use the stove and oven! Heat returning tomorrow. Checked out tents for over the firewood. And tickets for Seattle but would prefer to drive - 41 hours each way. If R can get away.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 16 - 07:40 PM

I finally mowed my front lawn - it really needed it - and I finally put all of the dishes from the sink into the dishwasher to run. This week I just couldn't make myself wash dishes by hand, so I suppose my brain was telling me to run the machine for this month.

We're in the low 100s now every day. But the air is dryer, so it is actually easier to put in short spurts of work in 103^o weather than it is in 90^o weather with high humidity. And I think it has reach that time of summer for evening showers on the patio now the city water is so warm through the tap.

I picked up several things more to put on eBay. Something to do this evening, perhaps. My garden isn't producing much now, but this afternoon I mouse-proofed a bit and put gobs of dog hair (bagged after brushing the pooches) into the peppers, eggplant, and sweet potato beds, and then followed behind with a homemade mix called "garlic pepper tea." I added a little orange oil to the mix because I read the ingredients of a "mole scram" product, and garlic and orange oil are two of them. I don't have castor bean (just as well) but I do have orange oil. Put a couple of bulb's worth of garlic and a couple of jalapeno peppers into a blender with a couple of cups of water and make a slurry. Pour through a sieve to remove solids, and I filled the jar up to 1 quart. My organic gardening guru puts this much "tea" into a gallon container and fills that to the top with water, and then uses only 1/4 cup of that per gallon in a sprayer. I don't want to fool with that gallon jug so I'll be careful and use less of this more concentrated mix.

A little bit of this goes a long way, a few teaspoons of it into a pint squirt bottle and I squirted it onto the ground under the garden plants and on the little spot where I noticed rodent digging in the garden wall. Must be careful not to spritz myself with this stuff.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Rumncoke
Date: 07 Aug 16 - 10:16 PM

I've had courgettes hide under the leaves and grow into marrows some years. I made marrow and ginger jam - actually more like marmalade, and great on toast.

If you want it I can look for the recipe.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 16 - 12:23 AM

While you're at it, tell us what "courgettes" and "marrows" are. :)

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: mg
Date: 08 Aug 16 - 09:14 PM

I am on a mission to spare people from dealing with customer service at verizon. except for dell, i have never seen anything like it at all. the people meant well, but their hands were tied. oh you have the wrong department...i must have gone through 12 reps in a matter of days. after establishing with technical support i had a defective phone, you would think they would just send me a return mailing and be done. no..days and days have gone by. someone was sending me one and we got disconnected. more reps. one said there is one in your account. i said i can't get into my account. finally they figured it was locked. so then the dumber than dumb ones sent me a text to the phone that did not work to unlock the phone. i said can you email me. no..i would lose my job. they said go to the nearest verizon store and they will mail it for you. it is in the next state and i don't have a car but i got there. they said they could not mail it because it was the different kind of store.

if i can save 10 people from buying anything from verizon, i will feel good. i have to use verizon towers but i am now waiting for a phone from jitterbug/aarp. nothing but verizon really works here although some phones do work...i am waiting for my seventh phone in a few months. my brother in law is dying. no one can reach me. if you have any way to use any other carrier, i recommend it. this has been so beyond bad they should use it as a lesson in an mba class. i think someone could blow them out of the water if they had decent towers and decent service. since jitterbug uses verizon towers i will let you know how their service is..i will say it is 8 days since i ordered a phone from them and it has not arrived but the customer phone service was good. ANYTHING BUT VERIZON.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: maeve
Date: 08 Aug 16 - 09:55 PM

mg- Yes, indeed. I agree.

Acme-
courgette=zucchini squash
marrow= the same grown very large.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 16 - 10:00 PM

So I've been growing those all along and didn't know it! :)

mg, I'm so sorry about your phone hassles. Once you get the one you intended, then you have to spend time (it took me weeks) to finally get everything set up and/or disabled so it works the way you want. There is a lot of "bloat ware" on the company phones that you need to disable or delete if it will let you. Good luck with that.

The back yard is partly mowed and trimmed, the part closest to the house and as far back as the greenhouse. I find it is pleasant to look at it now.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Aug 16 - 10:29 PM

Beaver:
Too bad I no longer have that Great Pyrenees - for fur. No dogs/no fur. Willy does not bother the pepper plants or the larger tomato plants. Next year the cherry tomatoes will be in the raised beds and those will have protection. Too late for much more to happen this year. If we get another month frost free, it will be a bonus - AND a result of climate change. Fall is in the air and, although it was quite warm this afternoon, a cool night is in progress. Hot is predicted rest of week. But our hot is 90F! I am useless when it gets above 75! Good thing I live in the north!

Moved the remainder of last year's wood onto deck, finished those last 7 boards, pulled weeds in various places, put up an outdoor thermometer - and realized it is only in Celsius, sorted a pile of papers and organized categories, mended down jacket to stop the flurry of feathers, phoned helpful neighbour re the kiln project; I am having a visual perception problem and could not figure out how to wire the receptacle; Larry did it is short order; later I plugged in the new kiln and ascertained that it seems to work just fine!!! Did some organizing in the kiln room/toolroom. Inch by inch...

Have a great rhubarb crop; too bad I don't like rhubarb; emailed a rhubarb loving friend hoping she will re-home at least one patch! Cleared a pile of kindling to better site and planted a lovage in it's place, next to a patio stone to hold rain barrel. the last lovage I had, years ago, grew into a HUGE plant about 6 feet tall. Great disguise for the rain barrel.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Aug 16 - 12:40 PM

Beaver:
Only working in the cool of the am - by 10 am it is too hot in the shade! So 3 hours plus a bit in the early eve on the shady side of the house. A notice in the newspaper offering a place to cool off!

So, in my window, I am actually getting lots of little things done. Opted for duct tape to repair a down vest. prepared a nifty OLD screen door for painting, taking off old moldings and screening and sanded it, now painted two coats on one side, tomorrow the other side! Then new screening and molding and the hope that R will help me hang it on front door. Another is OK for back door but hanging doors is a two person job. By the time they are hung, it will be time to put them back in the shed until next summer/June! But it is a move forward.

I delight in finding things long stored and organizing little things where I can then find them! Sewing projects continue to pile up... I keep hoping for a rush of sewing energy.

I bought fiberglass screening and put it over the raised beds to reduce depredations thereof, after I caught the murder of crows leaving the strawberry bed as I arrived the other day! Constantly pulling comfrey - so invasive and WAY too much. I gave some small plants to a woman with a garden business, with warning! She told me Saturday of her amazement at how fast it grows; I re-warned her! She says she will keep it in pots; it may break the pots in one season. Might be worse than bamboo!

The perimeter of the back yard is a delight of goldenrod, Joe Pye Weed and cat tails! Then alders about 20 feet tall. But NO shade on west side. And No tree - except the WEED Manitoba Maple will grow fast enough to create shade in the next few years. OK, I am thinking 80! But I could plant shade for the next owners. Will consult with my tree provider.

Now, what else can I accomplish today....

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 16 - 06:23 PM

I was going through a jewelry box and dug out an necklace I made right after Katlaughing died. I had intended to send her a large round bead of rutilated quartz (much like this one, about 3/4 inch in diameter). I have several of the beads, and I used one for myself as a reminder of Kat. This has been a good week to wear it; enough said.

One dog to the vet yesterday for emergency surgery - she has a bunch of skin surface lesions on her abdomen and she evidently scraped a couple of them that had gotten very large and they were bleeding - everywhere. I bandaged her overnight and first thing in the morning we were at the vet. It could have been worse, it turned out they were all pretty easy to remove or cauterize, but with three incisions and staples, I now have her wearing a t-shirt (she hates the cone) to keep her from licking. One of the other dogs has a dew claw that is enlarged and inflamed and I'd already scheduled him for surgery for that next week. Ouch!

We're in the "low 100s" this month, so it's day to day, keeping the plants in the yard alive, managing the air conditioning to try to keep the bill down, ditto with the water.

I have more eBay items to list, but no energy when it's this hot. I envy those of you who have those wooden decks outside your houses - and weather that lets you enjoy them.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Aug 16 - 10:26 PM

Beaver:

Getting things accomplished little by little. Screen door is now painted ready for new screening and molding. New kiln is in kiln room but I still need to make a new dolly for it - in the am. Plates (8) were thrown yesterday and will be trimmed tomorrow. Ten mugs trimmed and have handles. Oregano harvested and drying on a nylon netting. chores lined up for tomorrow early am - before it gets too hot. Made a support for a tall geranium using thin copper tubing - twisting it into a tall cone. Looks neat!

Splurged and bought a 3 seater swing with canopy for the back yard. A lovely place to sit tonight when it was not SO hot and watch the sun go down, and read.

I am delighting in the very tiny but clear growth of the sprouts on the ginger. Still keeping them in a bowl of water so I can see the progress.

The screening is keeping the crows out of the strawberries. The windows I put around the garden has kept the woodchucks out of the other raised bed and I actually have some lettuce, parsley and possibly some carrots if frost holds off long enough. The basil is growing very well as it seems that woodchucks do not like it!

Re skin problem: Long ago, my dog of the time, had sebacious gland cysts. A vet operated -$180 in 1981. By the time the hair grew back so had the cysts. Vitamins A &D cleared them up completely and she had beautiful shining fur - at 14. Poor dog, no one wanted to pet her while she had those dreadful looking cysts.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Aug 16 - 11:02 PM

Beaver:

Dolly is ready for kiln; waiting for a second human to help move kiln onto dolly. Plates not trimmed but screen door is almost done. Swing is in a nice spot with a small patio stone and a rubbery support under each leg to keep in off the wet ground and stable. Painted some more of the east side of house tonight - after the sun was elsewhere and in the cool of the evening. Lost the light by 8:30! Stacked two Face cord of wood in last couple days = an hour each. Very good exercise! Many little things getting done/organized. Four more yellow tomatoes ripened! Woodchucks seem to have moved on by squirrel came to visit today - in BR! Phooey.Much yet to be done to exclude critters from house.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 16 - 11:13 PM

I'm clearing out my sun room to reorganize. That means there is stuff stacked in the kitchen by the dishwasher, by the kitchen table, and in the hall outside my office. And I'm not finished emptying. I'm seeing a pattern - the shipping stuff is the bulk of the clutter. I need to decide to compress, move to the garage, or discard a percentage of it.

I heard a tip from someone at work about cooking beans with a finger-sized piece of ginger root. It is supposed to remove all of the gassy properties. The trick is to take the root out the moment you take the pot off the stove or it will take on that flavor. I haven't tried this yet. Has anyone else heard of it?

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: LilyFestre
Date: 20 Aug 16 - 06:19 PM

Hi Guys!

   I've been away for far too long but to be honest, not much has been happening on the decluttering front. However, school will be starting this week which means I might actually have some time to myself to CLEAN and HOE OUT!!!! I am looking forward to it!!!! The downstairs of my house isn't TOO bad although there are lots of things to be packed up and given away or sold. Upstairs, particularly my sewing room and bedroom are a DISASTER area! I really don't like to shut myself in a room upstairs when I know Jeremiah is downstairs. If I bring him upstairs into the room I'm working in, nothing gets done. So that leaves the time when Pete is home and let's be honest, when he's home, I don't get much done. We like to spend our time together! Soooo......it looks like this might actually be the time where I can make some serious headway and have something worthwhile to report.

I have spent a good chunk of this summer taking care of my mom who had surgery in July. It's been a long road and I underestimated just how hard it is to manage two households at once. Live and learn, right? Her house is in MUCH better order than mine and so I've been working to keep it that way for her. I hope to get my house as organized and decluttered as hers eventually but it's going to take some work.

Anyway, I haven't read through all the back posts...time is pretty short these days...but I hope you are all well and have been busy this summer making your lives and homes exactly how they make you most happy.

Much love to all,

Michelle who can't believe Jeremiah is headed into the first grade already! How did that happen?? XOXOX

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 16 - 11:09 PM

Michelle - most moms I know really missed the kids for about 30 minutes on the first day of school - then enjoyed the time to work on things that have been set aside during the summer. Welcome to the club! It's part of the cycle of life, the school year and summer vacation. You've really moved into quilting as a hobby - is this something you'll do more of this year? We've all come so far from the day they put Jeremiah in your arms.

My sun room is in transition. I cleared out everything portable, swept, organized packing materials and boxes, and put some in recycling. I've moved all of the stuff out of the kitchen and the dining area, but there are still boxes (of items to list) in the hall. I need to be organized to take care of my eBay listings - I want to finally clear out the last of some estate stuff and think about specializing in some of the vintage items I can find at area garage and estate sales.

Since I use the door into the sun room to enter and exit the house a bonus of this work is that it should be more welcoming.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Aug 16 - 09:49 PM

Beaver:

Finally, a good day! The weather was perfect - not too hot, low humidity, nice breeze and I finally managed to trim those 8 plates!!!! And did lots of other things. Put in a couple hours in the am and about 4 in the late aft. All outdoors. All wood is stacked, until next load. I am happily tired.

Yesterday a small group went on an organized tour of 5 area gardens - mainly veggie with some flowers interspersed. Great fun, lots of ideas, a great variety of styles, each was unique, And I arrived home exhausted!

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 16 - 09:29 PM

I had a couple of friends over for lunch today and it was remarkably easy to clear a few things off of the central counter, off of the kitchen table, and cook and have our meal. In the past it sometimes involved moving a lot of stuff and mixing up stacks of stuff (my typical organizational setup).

A dozen more items listed on eBay yesterday, and it was much easier to work in a room where the possibility of tripping or slipping has been removed.

My yard needs attention, but I'll try to pace myself and do some of it each afternoon after I get after work. It rained hard yesterday morning so mowing will be easier after it dries more.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 07:57 PM

Montreal:

What a week! De-cluttering: Fritz took the front off the kiln box and seemed to shake something tight. The kiln which was missing on two of 8 elements seems to be OK ---but too late to catch up with glaze firings. NExt time I get back; about 3 loads waiting to be fired..

The house here is in sore need of de-cluttering - no place to sleep, no clean dishes no place to sit.... And when I arrived with frozen food and in a hurry, the lock was changed and I had to pace until R arrived to let me in. I dumped stuff and dashed off to visit a friends, daughter and mom - whose mind is being sadly de-cluttered of memory. Also a son/brother who will send me a link to a company that offers to help people retrain brain to hear consonants; that would be helpful.

THEN, it took an hour to negotiate the rush hour streets of Montreal to get back to the this house - so bad I wish I had the energy to go back to the mill - where I was since last WEds - sold a bunch of pots at the "antique everything event, tried to organize a bit in the storage area. looked for specific items - to no avail. But the living space was tidy when I left this morning.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Donuel
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 08:08 PM

2 rooms decluttered and 2 to go. Intermittent help is crucial.

Also the lost item makes for excellent motivation.
I can't find a cello neck. Not a small item.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 16 - 09:13 PM

The room recently I cleared out revealed quite a few things I'd been looking for or completely forgotten were stored in there. The final room that really needs attention is the guest room/craft room. I probably won't get there until cool weather sets in.

Dorothy - the lock was changed and you didn't know about it? Did something happen at the house, or did someone lose their keys and ID together in a bad place?

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Sep 16 - 09:33 PM

Beaver:
R claims he told me the lock was changed two months ago - In two months, he never thought to give me a new key! ARGHHHHHHH! The old lock was iffy and I am glad it was de-cluttered but .... I tried to sit down - the door mat was wet! YICK!

Thurs was spent clearing up as much as possible - washing dishes, foraging for decent food....

Ah well, Thurs we went to a CD launch for the Bombadils - in Montreal. R went down to the cafe to hear them again on Friday and took a friend. Fri I drove back here and Sat sold a few pots at MAynooth MAdness - LEFT early due to Dreadful noise of alleged music at twice any reasonable decibels. Would like to lay criminal charges for physical assault. I was so wrecked by the noise it took me twice as long to pack up and I was in bed by 8 pm - after an apple and cheese for supper. Will de-clutter that event from next year's agenda.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 16 - 12:22 PM

I spent a few hours on Saturday getting ready to mow the back yard, mostly by trimming and weeding around the shrubs and trees that have grown large and play host to tall grass I can never reach with the mower and is difficult to hit with the trimmer without mangling the shrubs. The lawn was mowed and I went around with the bucket to police the dog droppings - that's the best way to keep the fly population down back there. Still more pruning needs doing, as lots of limbs have grown into the way in paths and up against the house. Maybe later today. The mowing is regular work, the trimming might be construed as decluttering. (The trimmings are piled and once dry go through a small chipper and are used in the garden as hardwood mulch).

A while back I decided it was time to recycle VHS tapes - then promptly forgot about it. This weekend I packed some bags with home-recorded tapes, with plans to carry one or two in each day to drop off in a e-wast bin at work. These aren't home movies, these are television programs captured that are now available via streaming or DVD. I have a good-sized shelf I can use for something else once these are out of the house.

It is soon time to defrost the big freezer again, so I can rearrange and see what all I've accumulated over the spring and summer, and be ready for the final fall crops that (fingers crossed!) will come like gangbusters once the weather cools.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Sep 16 - 12:54 PM

Beaver:

Something de-cluttered most of my energy this week. But little things were sorted and organized, small changes making a difference. Stacked the firewood from Saturday's delivery last evening - it was dry and I was functioning. Cooked new batch of roasted cauliflower (two heads). Read a lot, thought a lot. Neighbour came by to help me decide what to do about leaking shed roof; tarp, as it is in too bad shape to replace metal roof. Have to get help for this. And someone to de-clutter "grass"/weeds while it is still dry enough.

Need to find better ways of selling pottery. I think my mind has become too cluttered - need some lists.

Subject: RE: Yet More Clutter's Last Stand - 2016
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Sep 16 - 12:20 PM

Several mornings this week I carried a grocery bag of VHS tapes to work and deposited them in the e-waste bin. It stands waist high and was about half full before they emptied it. I have a stack next to my computer of tapes I recorded off of television years ago that I may need to convert to digital myself. Not everything is available streaming or via DVD, so these tapes will be checked against what is available online before they also go into the recycle bin.

I have a lot of DVDs from over the years and as I go through the VHS tapes am finding many I already updated to disc. I made a list of the DVDs this morning to compare those VHS tapes against.

It's a rainy out, nice for working in the house. Cooking shows playing, partly because it also feels like it needs to be a no-news day.