Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jun 18 - 11:02 PM

Laundry is finished, dress form is set up, kitchen cleaned, papers burned, research more or less completed on a couple of projects.

Tomorrow is Monday. Yuck.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Jun 18 - 10:55 PM

Ohio:

My July 6 senior helper will help me assemble that big bookcase, yay!

Not much accomplished today-- a cyst on my nose blew up into an urgent doc appt early this AM followed by long nap and pain meds thru Weds. Not ambitious, but general picking up stuff planned for tmrw.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 10:07 AM

We're back in Stratford after a weekend away in Ottawa for a foot race. That is, a 1,200-km trip (there and back) for the privilege of hoofing as fast as possible over 8 km of Lanark County's variable terrain in the hope of doing it at least as fast if not faster than the last time I did it. I must be mad.

Himself, of course, is fine with foot races; he's strong and fit with nothing wrong with his feet. I'm actually quite fit, but not as strong as I used to be and my feet are a mess. Nevertheless, I covered the 8 km (5 miles) in 80 minutes. That's a 16-minute mile; a decent forced-march pace and not at all bad for a member of the Bunion Brigade.

Unfortunately, orthotic insoles are not made for such shenanigans, and I now have a substantial blister under the callus on the side of my left heel. As Churchy La Femme would say, ROWRBASIL!

Then we came home. Six hours of highway, plus road food. Today, I am tired beyond belief and quite unwilling to do anything more adventurous than a trip to Sobey's for minimal groceries.

Himself (who did the 5 miles in 51 minutes) has announced that he wants to break out a flower bed this week. I rather think that he has revised his plan to wait until his quads are feeling a bit more the thing. It's been a while since he ran 6 km and trotted two more.

We're a great pair, we are.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 01:48 PM

(Better tell Dan about the orthotics, Charmion!)

Ohio:

Another LL Topic catalogued. I've discovered the magic of keeping a bag of healthy chips in the adjoining file cabinet drawer. I'm pretty good about keeping water in a safe container nearby, but food rewards for desk work, yeah!

At the doc appt ydy, we found I'd lost a few pounds. This is the longest run since DX on a synthroud dosage, where natural appetite plus natural activity level equals alertness, good sleep, and spontaneous weight loss.

The more clothing I bring here, the more I discover the opportunities created by having duplicates. One year, I mis-ordered twill jeans and ended up with a surplus-- several awful colors, and they weren't quite cut right for my height, leg-shape-wise, either. (I'd use them as last resort in laundry shortages!) They tended not to get worn much, and I assigned one particularly vivid shade of blue to my Ohio closet. Well, the other day, I was wishing I had more walking shorts here, and realized that now I live in a town with a range of services not available in RuralLand-- a dry cleaner within scootering range-- with an alterations service.

BOOM! Vivid blue shorts for summer with a colorful top-- that WORKS!

My original pair of Ohio jeans is about to go the same way-- brown twill bought used; for a long time they were the ONLY trousers I had here. I wore sweat pants mostly. Dear old things, so soft. Now I have more jeans, so-- Oh! more shorts.

And that pair of awful and dowdy-looking heavy-gauze cotton trousers-- navy blue but never did hang right, but as dress shorts? Soon!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 07:14 PM

Ohio:

Today I allocated a little patch of floor/wall space to our music binders. Now that max space has been allocated, we can start the paring-down process. Two of the old MudDorm cubes will fit, stacked, just inside the LL door for our players' binders-- one cube is there now, and the little plastic three-drawer unit that already held singalong books is set on top. If we go out to play somewhere or revive the Celebration Circle here, we can just pull out the relevant drawer and go, and the drawer will prevent the darn things from blowing away like they always did when we played outdoors.

Above that music combo unit, there is space for one small poster-- now that I know the dimensions of these areas, I can go ahead and put up all of the room's art pieces.

Moving that plastic drawer set freed up the space under a window for a low combo of shelves and cubby to go there; two of the four pieces for that is are in the LL now; one is readily accessed in the garage; the topper is in the LR awaiting being emptied and swapped for a bigger shelf I brought. (Senior Helper Brittney can help me swap those tomorrow-- I'll do the heavy lifting with an appliance dolly, and she can help me turn the corners to wheel it in.)

On this low purple shelf topper will perch the two 3/4-middle school-size multicultural role-playing dolls, bookending the Building Alliances topic kit. Below them will be Educational Change books and journals, and maybe the Youth topic kit, if it will fit, too.

In preparation for that, I also adjusted the big, wide bookcase's base to consolidate other boxed items into it, that had been on the floor around the room and in that space under the window.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 18 - 09:24 PM

Three plus weeks into introducing the new pooch and they're all relaxing into the New Normal. The oldest dog still gives her a wide berth, but that is slowly changing also.

Tomorrow I ship an eBay box that I wasn't sure would ever sell. I have a couple more like that I need to list or tweak.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Jun 18 - 04:38 PM

Ohio:

The shelves were indeed swapped around as described in my last post. Their books are installed. The dolls look quite chummy bracketing the Building Alliances topic on top of the Youth, Children, and Educational Change topic groupings. This freed up most of a long shelf where other sections below it were too tight-- I can space those out now. (I'll need all that space when I add the Facilitators' Guide binders to each topic!)

Brittney also kindly brought in the two main bookcase pieces we'll need for next week's bookcase assembly-- the tall, heavy side pieces. That leaves just 5-6 short shelves, top, and bottom to be brought in; I can use my scooter to bring them to the front door for Brandi to assemble.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 12:09 PM

Everything is in slow motion when it's so hot. I have a few plants to transplant in a shady area of the yard and I'll leave the resulting pots in an area where I remember to keep them watered as the plants grow more roots. Come fall they will be nice gifts for friends who are xeriscape gardeners. It's so hot that the front yard, unwatered, is dormant and there are only a few areas that need trimming. Same in the back - I keep an area watered so the dogs have some green turf, the rest can dry out. We're to outdoor shower weather here, that will keep moisture on the lawn near the patio.

A big box moved out of the house yesterday made room for more items to list and pack up for eBay. If you're patient (and tweak the price), just about everything sells.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 03:58 PM

Ohio:

Catching up on house clutter after a brief illness. Another LL topic catalogued.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 04:39 PM

Montreal:

Got to mill, fired pots for 4 days, came out beautifully, took all to Montreal and arranged on open futon, family arrived - Son and wife, GD with partner and GGD (4 months!). Wonderful visit. They had an apartment (airbnb), convenient to the Market and the Canal, and us. They shopped and cooked dinners; we went a few places together; they went their own ways; we rested! "Family is exhausting!" Sadly delivered son and wife to Airport on Tuesday - and collapsed! (GD et al had rented a car and drove up from NYC. Very handy as they were able to go their own ways!) They were very excited to get pottery - finally! emailed pic of it in their K cabinet! A major brain de-clutter!!!!

I cleared the remainder of pottery into boxes, into car and took some to mill to re-fire and some to Beaver to "show room". Took Robin and many boxes of books, and laundry to Beaver on Thursday. Did laundry, visited in the community; R repaired weed-eater, put new electric lawn mower together, installed ext cord for kilns to back deck as planned, read and rested. I cut enough grass to make place look somewhat civil - and renew pain in back - and rested. Went to yard sales and thrift shops - wonderful bookshelf for new house - need lots! and a beautiful, very special, comforter.

Like Charmion, the 5-6 hour trip is tiring! We returned to Montreal on Tuesday - and rested. Now, with the bridge to South Shore reduced to one lane each way OR 60 to 90 minutes - just to get across!- instead of 20-30, I am loathe to go to mill. An alternate route would add about 30 minutes to the 90 minute trip - better than 90 extra but, with long weekend looming, I am thinking of doing nothing until Tuesday! Then I need to return to Beaver as Dan is building bridge across the babbling brook and may have time for a couple more small projects - he says we can have him for a week and a half!

There are things in my car to go to mill so, when I feel it is reasonable to travel, I shall go to mill and offload stuff, pick up a few things re pottery and go to Beaver early on next day. Hope: rest, make pots, check out and repair, if needed, two kilns, fire, glaze, fire. Cut more grass but not so much as to hurt back. Harvest strawberries and lettuce, my major crops this year! Later there will be beets and carrots - between the raspberry canes, zukes and 4 cabbages, unless something eats them.

A trip to library is needed today. Books are building up on stairs again - yes, already! But the 5 pounds I lost are still lost. I will get back on track to lose more when I am back at Beaver. Now for a couple books to get me through this long weekend (Canada Day).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jun 18 - 06:56 PM

I have a commitment from my daughter to take a computer desk that I don't need any more - she lives in a house with several people and someone there says they can use it. If I hadn't picked up the standing desk I use now I'd still be using that one (the newer desk was part of my struggle to figure out why I was always in pain, before the PMR was diagnosed. Was I sitting too much? Nope.) That one cost a lot less than the new one but is very well designed. There is one caster that keeps falling out of the hole for it so I glued it in place this afternoon. My vehicle is the largest for transporting this, and by the time I'm ready to take it up to her it'll be set.

In the place of this desk now is a small two-door three-shelf cabinet on top of which sits a small television (that's the guest room). Considering the last piece of furniture one of the dogs bashed, I'll put a few books in the bottom to add stabilizing weight. The friends who usually stay in there are mystery readers, so I'll pull some of the stack from my front room and put them there to be perused.

The dressmaker form is working well and I've listed a silk evening dress on eBay after setting it up in front of a white sheet suspended from shelves in the front room. It is much better to have closer to a three-dimensional view than a photograph on a hanger or on the fabric cutting board.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Jun 18 - 01:50 PM

Ohio:

In good news, someone's long-lost car keys turned up from the front yard mud today, hung on my front door by the lawn crew. The keyring has a garage door fob I needed that may work. I'm pretty sure they were left by this house's sellers.

Mostly house declut continues,today, plus routine laundry, etc.

Earlier I stuffed a pit forming again in the poor, abused camper mattress I've used on an off since we got the Ohio house. I can.not.wait. for our real, innerspring set on box springs to be here.

I'm also counting the day's till Hardi's arrival and tweaking the setup for him; in between I'm doing space planning and making lists for what he'll bring with him.

I'll probably catalog the Working with Young Children topic kit today.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 10:18 AM

If that fob is for your garage door opener then changing out the battery should be a breeze. Otherwise there might be adventures for someone in town if you discover where it goes. ;-) My garage door stays down, I have never had a worry there, but my Nissan SUV is parked there every night, and some mornings when I get ready to leave I realize that all of the windows are down. Not by my hand. I'm not sure that any remote can do that, but I have to wonder.

This morning I went out to dig up the area where I want to plant my cucumbers will go and right now is tall grass. Every year the cicada killer wasps return to nest in the garden and apparently they do so even if the grass is tall. After a while I had a couple dozen buzzing around me (they're to big and dignified to "swarm," but they threaten to bounce off of you) so I retreated. I'll give the soil a couple of hours to dry out (the sprinkler ran this morning) and go out for a few minutes later. I'll eventually get this spot cleared, but give those that didn't actually have their burrows disturbed time to calm down again. A few probably will be plowed over, though. Trying to get photos of them is difficult, they're small and autofocus will get the background, so I tried panning on them in manual focus.

The desk goes tomorrow, so I struggle past it today unless I move it to the sunroom (where it will completely block that traffic.)

More eBay today.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 02:38 PM

The heat, with relatively high humidity, is wiping me out this week. I'm trying to keep to indoor work: I spent time cleaning the kitchen this morning, and in order to make more progress than just that I decided to clear out the medicine cabinet. I'd lost track of things in there from when the kids still lived here; now I have a bag of things to take over to the disposal bin at the pharmacy next time I pick up a prescription.

Lately it seems like onions don't keep very well in or out of the fridge, so I've been buying them on sale and dicing and freezing them. I finished one this afternoon and will bag it later. This saves me from the disappointment of preparing to cook something and finding there isn't enough of the onion that is usable for whatever the dish is. I'm going to do a small batch of canned tomatoes later, and save a few for a caprese salad this evening.

I'm still debating how much of the eBay activity I want to do, curious if it could actually be a separate modest source of income. Getting the dress form makes it a lot easier to sell clothes and there are some excellent thrift stores in my area with garments I know I can sell for minimum two to three times what I pay for it, and some things much more. But it is work.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 03:01 PM

Ohio:

The garage door I have includes that it will reprogram any compatible remote, so I'm passing up the temptation to ride up and down the street messing with some neighbor's head. But I need a fob style for my scooter because the Horde took the spare visor-clupped remote. I actually tried to use the visor-clipped one I'd brought as a fob, but it's too touchy-- going in and put of my pocket opens the door up to the neighborhood scavengers.

A day off on decluttering today in favor of a ride to the blueberry patch and attending a rally.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 07:08 PM

We had plans to go to the races and fireworks tonight but the high temperatures made us all change our minds about wanting to go. There will be other races and there will be more fireworks.

On that note, it IS hot out today and we've been doing what we want, when we want to....taking our cues from how we're feeling.

The boys did some work outside while I went to market early in the day. We had a nice cold lunch and then we all promptly fell asleep in the coolness of the house. The lights have been out all day (on purpose, curtains closed, fans are on and one window unit AC. The house temperature is absolutely wonderful and we are thankful for that!

Our very first family vacation is approaching quickly and I think I made a good decision.....We have 3 days off before we leave and it is my intention to spend one of those days really cleaning the house, one day for errands and one day for packing. I am looking forward to a fun, restful vacation and a clean house upon return so I can hit the ground running for work. The only thing that will need to happen when we get back is laundry and that's not a big deal. All my work clothes are staying home...LOL...I am NOT taking them on vacation!   ;) Anyway..I like the idea of leaving it clean. :)

Today I am puttering here and there. It's been a very long week for me, the bad definitely outweighing the good but I suppose we'll have this from time to time. I needed today to just be....in whatever form that may be. One thing I will share is that I have a spot on my arm that has to be removed. The dermatologist isn't sure if it is cancerous or not but since it's suspicious looking, she will be removing it after vacation. She was going to remove it on Thursday but when she asked if I was going to be swimming in the next two weeks, I had to tell her that I was going to be vacationing on a lake...so yes, swimming, boating and fishing are going to be happening daily! She said that she is confident that it is not melanoma so at least that's good. Still, I'm not looking forward to having a chunk taken out of my arm.

Anyway....my table is clear and clean, the counters are clear and clean, dishes are done, the toilet has been scrubbed, floors are in reasonable shape, the table by my chair is just about all cleared off. I've got a spot where I've started collecting things that we want to take on our trip as well as the checklist so I can mark it off as I go.

I got a new car this week and I love that it's empty. I'm planning on keeping it that way as much as possible. :)

That's all for now. I hope everyone is able to have a cool spot to relax in with these high temperatures.

Have a great week everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 18 - 07:24 PM

It seems that the company operating the Rx collection bin at my nearby Walgreen empties it about every two weeks, but it fills within about four days. So I'll try again later. Not all pharmacies have these collection points, and not all Walgreens.

It has been four weeks since Ms. Pepper came to stay here, and what a difference a month makes. They're all pretty mellow, and my next door neighbor says she has relaxed and figured out the treat at the fence routine. At first she was a little nervous when he tossed the dog biscuit, but has worked it out and joined the game as happily as the other two. She's glad to meet anyone who comes to the house and takes the lead of the others - any friend of mine is a friend of hers. She is growing back hair on her tummy after being spayed two months ago, and her coat looks excellent now that she's not confined to a concrete and chain-link environment. She still has this odd habit with water - I don't remember seeing water dishes in the kennels, so I think they got a drink any time they were let out. She still gets these really long drinks any time she follows me into the bathroom or kitchen. I am hoping this habit relaxes, it is disconcerting just how much water she drinks when she drinks it.

Back to listing sales items for the evening. When I shipped that large box this week I cleared out a lot of space for more of these items (I pack them up so they're ready once they sell).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jul 18 - 12:27 PM

Michelle, I missed your last post as I was writing. That vacation sounds lovely, and I'm glad the spot will be removed after. Good for keeping an eye on it; I have a couple I probably need checked (I had lots of moles removed when I was younger, for fear they could grow to be problems). And it's a great plan to clean the house before, because often the best part of the vacation is returning home.

Yesterday I pulled a couple of non-starters out of the things listed on eBay, and I have a trip to Goodwill today to drop off those and a few more. Someone can use them, but even a nominal charge is too much when the shipping adds to the price.

The computer desk will go to my daughter today after a friend comes by to help me load it into the SUV. Like Michelle, I like to keep it pretty empty so I can do this kind of moving without having to unpack it. There are a couple of boxes in the back back that will ride for a few hours in the middle back seat (the back back seat is always left folded down so it's a cargo area.) There may be other terms, but I grew up in a large family with a station wagon with a third, rear-facing seat that my brother and I had to ride in. That was the back back. (We've come a long way since those days - if I ever have to use mine for people they're lovely forward-facing seats and have their own AC controls and a couple of car power plugs for people with devices. Everyone has devices they want to plug in these days.)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Jul 18 - 02:11 PM

Ohio:

Ah yes, car storage. Friend Judy's van got clogged with items when the garden center where she'd worked closed up shop-- and her apartment is about the size of your average assisted living studio. So since I'd just cleared some space when helper Btittney brought in a small bookcase-- which had been stored in the only little-used corner of my garage-- I gave Judy's stuff temp space there to stack a few bins while she declutters a closet.

Thus Newbie-dog was able to ride along in style when we traipsed about yesterday.

I can't wait to stock our new van with the standard items it will carry-- ministry gear, activist gear, accessibility gear, and dog gear. This one has cleats to fasten in the gear, and I have two standing zip cases, a big duffel, and Newbie's crate to containerize it all.

Another LL Topic Kit got catalogued today-- 'Working with Young Children.' Handily, a one-page turned up among the articles, which belongs in a guide I'm writing for a program I developed in 1990, which may be revived next fall. That went with items for the same guide, that I am came across the other day, into a handy metal standing file on a shelf awaiting items from those bankers boxes of archives that I brought. It has just enough dividers for each role in the program's leadership, and metal sides where I can put sticky notes with notes to self as inspiration strikes. Acme, that's another place where several of your kindly-shared binders will be used--each role will need a binder.

I reorganized my LL cataloguing worksheet to separate out the topics yet to be catalogued, and I added a boilerplate section of items to copy into each topic as I get to it. Another organizing thing I recently did was create a standardized sample entry for the journals going in, so I copied that into the boilerplate as well. I still can't say I love cataloguing, but it feels so good when I stop! ;-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Jul 18 - 03:10 PM

Today has been busy. Lots of prepping fresh fruits and veggies for the week for snacking and nights when I'm just dog tired after work and don't want to do anything, much less cook.

I spent a few hours in our bedroom/closet going through clothes that I have had for years...some of them over 20 years...and am getting rid of them. I do NOT need all that stuff and I'm tired of it hogging up all the space! I bagged up 14 garbage bags (tall kitchen size).....2 for my mom, 2 that are one size smaller than I currently wear and so far, there are 10 bags that are going to be donated. I'd say I am about a third of the way through of just MY clothes. Pete is almost as bad as I am...we hate to throw things out but I am loving the new open space....so buh bye to too many clothes!!!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jul 18 - 10:39 PM

I wish this time of year, in addition to the heat, didn't also involve so many ants. Every time I go out to the garden, take something to the trash, drag sprinklers, whatever, it involves picking up a few ants that I find on me for a while after that. They are like their own little prickly heat generators.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Jul 18 - 01:56 PM

Ohio:

I've just been asked to help with a new project--researching Dayton ppl killed by police since 2000.

While working on that this AM, I received a call from Det. Wilson that Tyler had been arrested in Dayton and was on the way to Xenia (parole violation plus our guitar theft). He just called again to ask if I'd paid Tyler with guitars, for "installing a new garage door" (for which job, Wilson was told, Tyler has witnesses). I laughed my ass off, described that Sears had installed the opener on the door that came with the house-- and reminded Wilson how this pastor's wife generally is assessed as pretty credible, and how willing I would be to laugh my ass off in court-- and then shared that I have a clear and specific memory of showing Tyler the guitars as part of the house tour when he moved in-- "you can play these". Not "you can sell these."

LOL. Fool must be high now.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 08:09 AM

Ohio:

And before Detective Wilson called, there were the Sprint "return equipment" mailers inside my front storm door, which explained the cabling I'd found on my return. Somehow, Tyler had re-upped the house's sellers three accounts, and naturally Sprint wanted the bills paid or equipment returned.

So I wrote to Sprint right away, mentioning my prior report to cabletheft.com; I also contacted the seller to let him know his name had been fraudulently used.

I included two messages for Tyler via Wilson, the first time he called yesterday-- I'd love the return of anything of ours Tyler might still have, and Sprint woukd like theirs as well plus payment of their bill! ;-)

It is sad that Tyler needs all this intervention, but everyone I've spoken to who has loved him since he was very little has said that he needs the hard consequence and structure of more jail time. We certainly hope he takes full advantage of treatment available.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 09:13 AM

Dog to the vet this morning; I finally realized she may have a bladder infection, with all of the water she's drinking. Getting in during a short week is difficult. All appointments are taken so I'll head over and wait to be seen as a Walk-In. Those are long appointments so I'll take a book to read (not just read on the phone).

Everything is more difficult to plan and to carry out when it's this hot; the heat we had during June is typical of August, yet we're just starting in on the July hot days. Hard to say if this will break the record of the 1980 Texas heat wave (42 days over 100^o) but it will be a contender. The electric bill will certainly declutter the wallet considerably.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 09:22 PM

It was 103^o here today, and has been like this all week, but it appears a respite is coming our way - if you consider 95 - 98^o a respite. You can feel the difference.

After the trip to the vet it has been a day of small tasks performed so that there hasn't been much need to go outside, though this evening I stepped out to run the sprinkler in the back yard to keep a green zone for the dogs. I'll set up the washer to run overnight and first thing in the morning will hang the laundry - it'll be plenty warm to dry everything but not in the heat stroke category yet.

I did some cooking today because I was completely out of black beans. I usually bottle them in old LiteHouse salad dressing (~ 12 oz) jars and freeze them for later use in all sorts of dishes. This spring a friend brought a wonderful black bean cold salad over to lunch that we ended up spooning on top of fish tacos, and now I can't imagine the tacos being complete without that mix. As I wait for my friend to send the recipe I'll freeze most of the beans and keep some out for salad.

Going through our first noisy Fourth of July with a new dog. The racket will start any time now and continue for a few days.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 09:40 AM

Ohio:

I decluttered my fast mega-project of researching 53 police-involved deaths by running the whole list through the most comprehensive database I'd rediscovered, and the next stint will be to run them again thru an obit DB-- my assignment is to find the story, find family members living in the area, and choose among those found for the most appropriate to contact-- close enough to know and potentially contact the immediate family but not so close that a contact from the outreach org would cause them harm. (FB is a resource at that step.) I'm not making the contacts, but it's an honor to have been invited to do the research piece. The stories are so sad. (The outreach org offers outstanding support from other grieving families.)

I shifted to this approach instead of name by name, start to finish on each, because my old notebook was groaning so badly that it slowed down the work too much. (And that made for too much unhealthy desk-sitting time.) With the DB clues entered in my document, I can use the fone for some steps, with feet up, and to find the stories that weren't in the DB.

Hardi and I had another good talk the other night about vacay activities and priorities (and cargo planning), so I have my tasks well laid out for the next few weeks in prep for his arrival. I need to plan a safe doggie space in the garage so she can hang out while I work in there with garage door open for light and air. I think I have a spare tether-cable out there, that I can hook up for her.

Today is house-chores day, in short shifts between desk time shifts. The dishwasher is already running. One added task is to go thru Hardi's closet to check on what he already has here (vs what to bring). Tonight, I'll scooter with Newbie to get groceries after it cools off (and before neighborhood firecrackers start). In between, putting 1008 sq feet of clutter away. :-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 11:35 AM

There must have been a facial tissue tucked away somewhere in the laundry; this morning the work clothes went into the dryer and the sheets and other items on the line; when the line-dry linens come in they'll do a quick turn on air in the dryer to catch any paper fibers.

Today is mostly about vacuuming, putting stuff away (clearing out the fridge, and around the house clearing as many horizontal surfaces as possible) and eBay. This is going to be my Holiday from Clutter. It seems to me there was a movie that used to play around this time of year, Cheaper By the Dozen, about an efficiency expert, and probably summer-time drama with his sons and daughters. Or the Jimmy Stewart movie with Maureen O'Hara as his wife, and they went to a cottage at the beach for the summer. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation. As I recall, their houses were never cluttered. Seven Year Itch, now that's a summertime movie, but I only remember the state of her freezer in that one. This has nothing to do with anything, but a little holiday stream of consciousness. I'm reading a book (sent by Jeri as Secret Santa) in which women in historic times in Portsmouth, NH, worked really hard at whatever they did. So as I hang my laundry on this July day and contemplate knocking lint off later in the dryer, I know I have it so much easier than a couple of hundred years, or even just many decades, ago.

There is some chicken defrosting to cook on the charcoal grill (I haven't filled the LP tank yet), some tomatoes in the fridge to can (that's the 'clear the fridge' activity), and lots of boxes to prepare for eBay. The can where I empty my vacuum cleaner tank is ready, and I plan by this evening to kick back and watch a movie and keep the dogs in the house so they won't worry about the racket.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 12:42 PM

Ohio:

Second DW load going-- pots/pans.

Clean laundry stowed.

Recyclables washed and stowed.

Second big DB found for NIF's from 1st DB.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 04:38 PM

Ohio:

Unpacked a milk crate of books, did more LL space planning, put away some LR stuff, set out new wastebasket...

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 04:53 PM

Himself is now barrowing away the spoil from our new garden bed, where he toiled in the heat for nearly a week.

Perth County has some of the best farmland in Canada, but our little hunk of it is ... mmm ... not so much. About eight inches below the surface, Himself hit a layer of yellow clay that was close to brick-like in its ability to resist the shovel, and only a mattock (Cdn$39.95 at Canadian Tire) would even pierce it. The weather was unspeakably hot and sultry the whole time, with highs around 35C, and each shift of digging resulted in Himself drenched with sweat and covered with yellow clay -- net result: mud. So yesterday's laundry was six loads, of which less than one came from me.

As well as the mattock, this project also required the purchase of a pair of no-kidding work boots (Cdn$159.99) and about ten bags of compost and sheep manure (Cdn$65 and change). Fortunately, we were able to borrow a wheelbarrow from Neil-across-the-street, thus avoiding a significant layout of capital, but now I must visit Canadian Tire again to negotiate the purchase of a sprinkler. We had one in Ottawa, but it disappeared in the move -- pêrhaps never made it onto the truck.

The grass looks awful after having had a couple of cubic metres of yellow clay piled on it for a week, so I'll go the full Monty and buy a pound or so of grass seed while I'm at it.

On the plus side, the air conditioner is working again. Gawd, what a relief.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 06:04 PM

Charmion,

Rather that trying to dig into the clay, build some raised beds over the area (even a few inches is going to help) and fill it in with topsoil, compost, humate, whatever they sell over at the big box store that DOESN'T say "Scotts" or "MiracleGro." Avoid those products and go with making your own healthy topsoil mix and plant in there.

The fridge was full of small bowls with small tomatoes, and today I converted them into cooked tomatoes. Two pints are canned (yeah, I know, a lot of hot water for that little, but I want to be able to say I canned something this year!) I also put some cooked ones in plastic containers and froze them. I used some of yesterdays black beans and made a small batch of black bean and corn salad. It's sitting in the fridge now and smells wonderful. Tomorrow I'll make more of those fish tacos it's so good with.

Next - vacuuming and picking up.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 06:48 PM

Charmion, you don't even need to build frames for raised beds-- lasagna gardening.

Ohio:

Two DW loads actually put away, and the last two big handwashing items are soaking.

The potting-bench end of the long kitchen table is now clean and restored to vinyl tablecloth prettiness-- I was given some surprise succulents when Judy's garden center closed, and it took quite a messy dig to shoehorn them into the terra cotta dish garden with its other inmates. I'm down to one box of miscellaneous cluttering that table, now.

Btw I decided to forego our fabulous PA kitchen island. If I liked bar stools... it would be perfect, and it being a tad narrower than the table, it would ease one of the two kitchen traffic paths. But after several months wrestling with how to add a hinged tabletop to side of the island, I decided I love that table too much to give it up. And the space under it swallows up even more stuff than the island would have. So Hardi gains a garage storage piece, with a food grade top for prepping outdoor-cooking goodies-- we'll need its storage space out there.

I got into the habit of sitting at that long table not only for food prep, but for at least one meal out of four each day-- like the LR eating space, it overlooks a pretty front yard view,,and I like varying the view. And from there, at brekky or bedtime snack, it's a few quick steps to call Newbie in (out of barking mode).

I'll miss the island-- I'd planned it for so long. But I ljust love that table, and it will seat 8-10 people-- which actually happens nowadays, since we're finally near family. (It's also a fabulous buffet space!)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 08:57 PM

Today has been most enjoyable. I slept in, puttered at will, spent a few hours sitting on the front porch watching all the chickens, guinea hens, turkeys, cats, dog, etc. while a soft rain fell and the thunder rolled in the distance with Pete sitting right beside me. It was wonderful to just enjoy our setting. Normal chores are done for the day as well as multiple lists for our upcoming vacation. Whew. I hope I don't forget anything but if I do, I'm sure we will live! Plans were confirmed for one of the days out and a swimming hole found....most necessary for all of us! Laundry is just about all done, the dishwasher is running and all breathing critters are parked in front of a fan (and the AC is running)...it's sticky hot and the fans are wonderful. My mom recently surprised me with a new fan that works somewhat differently.....it's got great air flow but is also quiet....love it!

The animals have all had their flea and trick preventatives, vet papers are in order for boarding the animals too.

Stay cool people. ;)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 09:04 PM

Ohio:

Guest-room bedful of lingering linens stowed, during evening news. They went to so many destinations that I've logged enough walking today to sleep well. It's so nice to see how quickly this little house can return to ORDER! Like a miracle, every time-- never gets old.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 18 - 10:07 PM

Tonight I set up the little round barbecue in the driveway and cooked a chunk of marinated tilapia for tacos tomorrow, and I grilled three chicken breasts, eating the small one for dinner tonight and the other two are to go in other dishes or on salads. Since the fridge has only a couple of ripe to eat tomatoes now there is room for this. I ended up with a puny five containers of tomatoes, but preservation is the name of the game. That's several meals in the future. The tomatoes usually make a fall comeback and I'll be able to either can ripe tomatoes or make something with green tomatoes before the year is out.

A friend retired last week, and I see on his Instagram that he is quickly turning his attention back to his painting after many years of neglect. We both post lots of garden and food photos, but his paintings are lovely, and remind me that I need to get back to the sewing and beading and embroidery I used to do a lot of.

Dorothy, are you doing more of your potting, or are you still moving things around from town to the mill to Beaver, and is the bridge still a mess? As time draws near to time to move out of the old house and into the new (old) house, you must have a checklist as long as your arm of things to tend to. I hope your plans are taking shape.

There is a blue heeler curled at my feet under my desk right now. We made eye contact when she arrived and she glanced toward the window as we both heard explosions of fire works. I think she'll be fine, but will stay close.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:59 PM

Barbecue stowed away, and cooked fish and fowl are in the fridge for meals this week. I'll refill the LP tank on Friday as I swing past a couple of other businesses in the area. The little grill is starting to fall apart, with the cover for the bottom hole (regulating air flow) dropping off in my hand just now. The LP grill is still putting something in the air, vs the charcoal grill, but is probably more efficient overall.

I spoke with my mail carrier; she would take advantage of the water if I leave a bucket of ice with bottled water in it, so I'll start doing that as long as it is so hot. The next few days are in the 90s, much more tolerable.

This morning I puttered around the bed, bath, and dressing rooms, cleared out stuff that can't be used, donated, or sold on eBay. Reviews can be written when the product was a disappointment, so others avoid the purchase, that's the best I can do. I also swept and dusted, and the next thing is to pull out a couple of bins with clothes and see if they go to eBay or Goodwill. That will clear off the lovely cedar chest at the foot of my bed. One of the bins is full of clothes, next to the dressmaker form, ready for their closeups.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 01:41 PM

Ohio:

By dinnertime tomorrow I should have BOTH of the missing bookcases in the LL!!!

Frabjously yours...

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 09:34 AM

We had a short cloudburst yesterday that broke the heatwave in Perth County, at least for today. What a relief.

The new garden bed is now in commission, with tarragon, parsley and lavender planted in it. At the same time, we filled in a large shallow hole Himself left in the lawn when he scraped up the clay spoil and re-seeded the entire scruffy area with grass. Yet another trip to Canadian Tire, this time for hose attachments and a lawn sprinkler, and this morning I actually watered the flipping lawn for the first time.

The first cherry tomatoes should be ready by Saturday. Including the cost of the pots in which they are growing, those will be the most expensive tomatoes ever cultivated in this neck of the woods.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 11:36 AM

Packing for vacation today....taking everything we need for a week. This begs 2 questions from me.

1. When did we NEED all this STUFF? I remember when packing a change of clothes, shampoo and a toothbrush was plenty. Now we have a car full.

2. If I am taking what we NEED for a week as a family, what the heck is all this leftover stuff in my house????   

Ugh.

Everyone here is stressed today. I don't know if I'd ever plan this kind of vacation again. Hopefully we will have a fantastic time and this painful packing will be long forgotten.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 12:04 PM

Ohio:

Bookcase #1 (from the bookstore) is now safely reposing in the garage, ready for a little reassembly/reinforcement. Of course it needs more than anticipated but it is HERE.

Bookcase #2's structural parts are all now IN THE HOUSE for 1:30 Brandi arrival. Using the scooter to bring in the 3 structural shelves, kick plate, and hardware worked a treat!

My plan is to show her all of the above for her decision on an order of attack, for which I'll be her helper. It's still my hope to get both bookcases in place in the LL by suppertime.

While waiting for Judy's van to arrive for pickup of #1, I spied a dresser in very rough shape, set out on a neighbor's curb. Figuring it's unlikely to be wanted once the rain further attrits it, I nabbed 2 drawers to slide under my own dresser which is up on risers. Hardi will probably build me a custom drawer later to match my dresser, but these curb finds are bound to look/work better than the cardboard boxes now in use!

>S<

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 03:54 PM

Ohio:

Brandi is a strapping lass and SUCH a great work-partner. Shelf 1 and 2 will both need some future attention but are in place awaiting the insertion of their middle (loose) shelves. Both cases and their shelves have been cleaned.

Shelf 1 was reinforced in the garage and delivered to the front door via scooter, which was highly entertaining.... we tried several configurations... it ended up on the seat, behind me, as I stood to bring it around on the sidewalk, with Brandi steadying it while I focused on NOT tipping the whole thing over. She thought it was a little crazy until I explained that I often stand while running at top speed, to relieve my aching knees! But it made what would have been a miserable carry into an entertaining and fun adventure! :-)

|S|

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 04:11 PM

Michelle, once you're out of the driveway you'll probably think of something you've forgotten, but you can live without it or buy a replacement along the way. The main thing - Have Fun!

I remember as a kid I always packed a small suitcase or pack with books I wanted to read in the car, a notepad (was I going to write a journal? letters? a novel? I just knew I needed paper), and because I had siblings, I think we brought along decks of cards or small games to play in the car or at campgrounds. The parents took care of everything else, and if they made occasional stops at hardware stores along the way, no big deal. Just so you have your camera - I'm sure you'll get lots of good photos.

Today I've been working eBay listings, adding more items so that I have at least 20. It's July - and believe it or not - time to start putting up anything that is considered "back to school." When my kids were small and outgrowing clothes more rapidly than wearing them out I used to pack them up as entire outfits and sell them - pants and shirts, skirts and blouses, jumpers and blouses, etc. Now I put up things like small crockpots that area great for making overnight oatmeal for the kids. I mostly aim more at the grown-up market now with clothes, and I have lots of estate items leftover from family members that can be home office or school use.

I have another box of stuff to drop off at Goodwill tomorrow when I make the rounds for several errands. It's a luxury to not have to drive anywhere today.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 06:02 PM

Actually, the very first to be packed was the games...card and dice games, a few board games and outside games too...then I packed up the misc. stuff that I have been listing all week and all the non-perishable food has been packed up too. Toiletries and meds are all set to go as well. We made a menu so that list has been helpful as well. Pete has been tending to all the outside things that needed to be done as well as showing the neighbors what to do and when as they will be stopping by multiple times a day. Jeremiah's clothes are packed but Pete and I haven't packed anything yet in the clothing line yet but that won't take long. Shorts, t-shirts, tanks and swimsuits...all systems GO!

I'm sure it will be fine too...just a bit overwhelming for me at times.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 09:45 PM

Ohio:

Shelf #2 is now stocked with all but two of the Topic Kits planned for it-- they're too heavy/high for me to move. Hardi will when he gets here.

This cleared a LOT of floor space around my desk. My recliner does fit in front of it as planeed.

The cubbies about to be replaced by Shelf #1 have had about 1/3 of their space cleared into a tower for music stuff elsewhere in the room. Tomorrow I'll finish reinforcing the shelf and move the rest into it, from the cubbies.

Then next week the cubbies move deskwards, now that the fluttery boxes of books went into Shelf #2. But first I need 2 pieces of plywood cut to marry them onto the base Hardi had built for my PA office corner, because I'm pretty sure the pine closet shelves I need to measure are too short.

)S(

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Jul 18 - 01:36 PM

Ohio:

I did find one pine shelf. The cubbies are now sitting on the base Hardi built waiting for another board and helper Brittney to help boost up the very heavy topper, but I can start using the cubbies NOW. The first thing to go in was our wedding picture and my pencil cup.

°S°

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 18 - 02:45 PM

Decluttering a house via the post office is certainly a slow method, piecemeal, but it does end up with a little money in the bank. And if no one else is paying you for your time, you're free to watch TV or listen to audio books as you work to slowly push things out the door. Yesterday, and continuing this weekend, I'm listing items that were in the way in the sunroom. And things that were stacked on the dining room table. But there are things all around this house that, if one reads the articles, one knows the kids aren't going to want when I'm gone and I'm not using now. So I slowly clear out stuff, and one day perhaps I'll find a smaller place (as long as it has a good garden plot).

The growing number of self-storage units around this town corresponds to the growing number in most communities. Is selling my stuff contributing to what others put in storage? Perhaps. But it isn't contributing to new manufacture using precious resources, and it is keeping the post office in business. And I'm determined to not use self storage again unless it is simply a pivot point in a move from point A to point B, not a long-running clutter container.

Keeping things in play, moving them to other households, into the hands of collectors, artists, practitioners, teachers, whoever can use these items, that's what is going on here. When Katlaughing was active here she also used to talk about beading and other art work. I still have those supplies, they haven't been sold yet. Hopefully they'll go out the door as finished pieces, not as a large lot of unused crafting beads and findings.

It's a hot summer day, though cooler than many we've had recently. I just returned from a run to fill the LP tank, pick up a bunch of fresh produce (some of it will be frozen this afternoon), and to drop off a bunch of VHS tapes that no one is interested in on eBay but that will entertain households that still have the old tape players and can afford a dollar a movie. There were some good ones in there, but I have them on DVD now or can stream them via NetFlix. And now those boxes are available for shipping something else sold on eBay.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jul 18 - 09:36 PM

Beaver:
Good chuckle, Maggie! Checklist!! My plan is to get as much as possible to the mill in advance, let R move furniture to the house, then move things from mill as needed. I will think about it in November.

The bridge is a mess for a few more weeks. I went to mill the long way around this last trip; to mill on Weds, then to Beaver.. Dumped stuff, picked up stuff and arrived back in time for super storm on Thursday! Plants had all survived!

Resting? The house was SO hot!! On 30th we spent most of day in relative cool of the shade at R’s parental home where I read while R plumbed in the cool basement.

Then on 1st we went on a 3 hour journey – which took 6 and a half hours. But my car has AC!!! Our destination was just as hot as the city but somehow it seems cooler in the country – trees! I read in the fairly comfy house while R looked at damage from intruders. The driveway is a mile long and there is no electric so an alarm is out of question. The damage was not as bad as we feared. We arrived back to city at midnight. On the way up: couple yard sales at which R bought very useful items: beautiful doors for the reno on parents house! And a tool storage unit which he actually organized on Monday so I no longer have to trip over stuff in the K!!! Big YAY!

I am finding trips exhausting and the future will have to contain fewer. Two – three days recouping after each! Also, my efforts to de-clutter grass with wonderful mower and weed eater aggravates the pain in back but if I so some each day… It does look better. I continue to drink the anti-inflammation tea.

I am intrigued that 80F in this house is not as bad as 75F in the city house???? Did a load on laundry today and some grass de-clutter. Weeding is on-going, in small chunks!

Charmion, I, too, would have suggested raised beds. So much easier on the back. I can sit on the edges of mine and don’t have to bend over so far to weed.

Something ate the cabbage plants but everything else is OK. I do think something is harvesting strawberries; covered them with screening.

Still down that 5 pounds and perhaps one more.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 18 - 10:53 PM

Dorothy, I haven't stepped on the scale in ages. I know the Prednisone is hammering me, though I'm still tapering and am down to 2mg a day this month. My rheumatologist and I have discussed the exit strategy for September, and we hope I'll be off if it then and all of my attention to calories and calcium will finally result in no more shrinkage (height) but weight loss (30+ pounds).

I picked up some wonderful produce today at my discount grocery, and plan to can (process) both beets and carrots tomorrow. I've been freezing fresh blueberries that I'll use with the good yogurt I bought there (vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries stirred in is like blueberry sorbet). I steamed a big batch of carrots tonight that had gotten a little old; they're okay for adding to the dog kibble for moisture and fiber, and they love cooked veggies.

I mentioned Katlaughing earlier because I was had been looking at some photos put up by her daughter and her grandson on Facebook. He's growing so big, and she was so very proud of him. We were all his "Mudcat aunties," and I'm glad to stay in touch through Facebook. He's still artistic, and still musical. And I suspect he's big enough now to look out for himself, something we worried about when he was smaller and artistically inclined. He also still has the wonderful dogs wandering through his room, a connection we regularly share - the dog photos and humor.

As with a few days ago, I have a blue heeler on the rug at my feet, under my desk. She isn't a lap dog; that's an uncomfortable maneuver when attempted, but she loves to step up to give kisses and to stay close-by. She has hairless spots at the bone ends where she sits that make me think she spent a lot of time on concrete or in an enclosure. Was a month or two in a shelter enough for that? She has the choice here of carpet, dog beds, or tile, so I assume she chooses to sleep on the small throw rug at my feet for proximity.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Jul 18 - 08:04 AM

Acme, Newbie is apparently a good amount of heeler plus boxer, currently about 45 pounds. Her 'lap' time (only when invited) is hind parts between my knees on the recliner's leg rest, shoulders across my thighs, with sleepy head reachable by my hands. It helps that it's an electric lift recliner-- once she's up I can tip us back with a remote, so she's not slipping off/clawing up/wiggly. About an hour, before bedtime, warms me up as the house chills rapidly to the overnite temp of 66°! It's quite interesting to hold her that way when she's dreaming. Not twitchy dreams of running-- fear dreams, probably processing old homeless trauma.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Jul 18 - 01:31 PM

Ohio:

I re-thought and completed the office corner configuration this afternoon after the failed first attempt yesterday. While trying unsuccessfully to sleep a bit later, at wakies this AM, I envisioned various possible schemes-- even one using both of the pretty cubby bases Hardi had made for me in PA, but the one I went with uses one base.

The first iteration had 3 cubby towers side by side, making a 36" wide x 30" tall set of 9 cubbies, on top of a 9" base. Too tall and probably 1/2" too wide. Topper too heavy to place by myself, and logistics for planks needed too complicated.

The next idea I envisioned was putting the cubbies on their sides as often used, with a base below plus a base on top covered with a plank as a bohemian top shelf-- without the heavy but pretty topper. The topper is also divided into cubbies. I thought about other uses in other rooms. ... NO. WANT IN OFFICE.

So I laid two towers on their sides, on a base. The first workspace inch I gained was immediately apparent-- this is very close to the typing desk. The base and first cubby are 13" deep to the wall because of an outlet behind it with a flat plug, to a height of 21". The next cubby on the stack goes to the wall-- 12". The topper goes to the wall and is only 9" deep-- plus its bottom section is open (not cubbied), and gives a lovely display area for photos and pretty encil cup.

So in total, the now-reunified stack is 6.5" inches narrower than the first attempt, due to laying the cubbies on their sides. It also gives quite a bit more elbow room for the desk's occupant, because the lower height and multiple 'steps' back in depth as it rises create both visual and actual space.

Also I was able to lift the topper to this height by myself (barely!).

The previous attempt yielded nine cubbies all in one bank of cubbies, to the left of the workstation. This one is only 6 plus topper. The other three are vertical, on what will be the left side of the corner desk which will now fit loosely behind the workstation-- for bills due and bills paid.

All these cubbies won't be furnished with their decor and files until Brittney swabs them clean on Wednesday-- the PA filth was never removed, in the haste of unloading around Tyler's mess.

=S=