Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jun 18 - 12:41 PM

Ohio:

Thinking especially of Hardi today. At 2pm, Senior Helpers' substitute cleaner will help me rebuild our 2nd-honeymoon kingbed, from the plywood base, up.

My AM back-stressing (strength-building) segment was removing intruder-hiding obstacles on his side of the bed; stripping the layers of linens I'd added on top of Horde body fluids and crumbs (for washing later); washing and air-drying the rug under the pee bucket; stowing the million pillows to use later in re-dressing the bed; stowing the pee bucket; untangling wires on his side of the bed so no one trips; assembling clean linens and draw sheet; creating and placing soft barriers to keep his bedside items from falling behind his nightstand cube.... and all that is done.

At 2pm (second wind for spine), I'll help the helper sort the rest of the padding to be stripped; stand the king foam up against my dresser; carry 2 camper foam pieces and sleeping bag in from the garage when we take out the kitchen trash/recycling; put those camper foam pieces on the plywood slabs and add padding to level that layer; add the king foam back on top of that; add overpadding to build height; customize Hardi's side with addl soft padding for his hips; customize my side with addl firm padding for my spine; add a cotton-batting layer joining both sides and mattress pad; add bottom sheet.

Then after a tuna melt supper, with my back's 3rd wind-- and probably tramadol by then if not sooner-- I'll add the pillows, top sheet, and blanket layer.

And fall in, still thinking of him as we count down the weeks till our next honeymoon! (That's when I'll add our freshly dry-cleaned honeymoon comforter.) :-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jun 18 - 08:58 PM

Ohio:

Dinner is staying down, tbtg. Before I took the tramadol (and got goofy), I made sure to thaw some hamburger patties, which I fried up later and sauced with an open can of tomato soup that needed to be used up. First I bloomed chili powder in the pan. When the soup had reduced enough I added frozen peas/carrots and some canned sweet potatoes. I served half over cold rice to cool it, and the rest will get black beans and cheese added to make a second supper tomorrow.

While that all cooked, I finally emptied the Horde's bin of spices-- mine and theirs. I threw out a few icky ones and kept a nice glass jar, after emptying it, to refill later from bulk supplies.

The lower spice shelf is now alphabetized with single-flavor jars, and the shelf above that is alphabetized with spice mixes-- adobe, chili powder, curry powder, 5-spice, etc. This way, it all fits. It's very different from our PA setup-- shoe boxes always overflowing A-M and N-Z spices. With more shoebox of bulk above these. When our 2nd fridge comes, a lot of the bigger bulk packs can go in there, like they do in PA. (Hardi and I have different ethnic cooming capabilities, so between us we have a huge variety of herbs and spices at all times!)

Then I cleared out a drawer in the sideboard, putting all the cordless drill stuff from that back into my pink toolbox. I think those drawers will be a great place to keep some of our overflow herbs and spices, just steps from the cooking zone and active-use spice cabinet.

I repurposed the lidless, heavy plastic Tupperware bin to be a dogwater bin. Takes less floor space because it's a rectangle replacing a big square Tupperware item that does have a lid (AND a lower cabinet to live in).

The toolbox went near its old kitchen spot, but between the wall and an HVAC register. I use that register to cool hot items down for the fridge, and sometimes I want them raised up-- the toolbox will make a handy shelf right there without obstructing the walkway to the back door.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jun 18 - 04:36 PM

Ohio:

Third shirt done (poorly and with mounting tendon pain). Rx: tramadol and gentle, alternate activity using the arm. Result, a two-topic box of LL books opened and sorted to get a quick look at needed shelf space (these were low-priority topics). Other boxes also awaiting shelf assembly were slid over a few inches to estimate furniture placement around the coming corner desk-- awful tight there!

Hm.... no desk space for one smaller darling shelf... will need clever placement! Perhaps under the window now occupied by cardboard office supply items that are headed for a different spot. Was really hoping closer to desk. Have base to raise it, with a horizontal cubby below. ... hm.... what Library topic(s)? Best measure before planning that far!

Also cleared a LR corner where a floor lamp needed to resume its former spot, and took that lamp out of the LL to put it back in its spot. Missing floor pillow found, and stored on display with its twin.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jun 18 - 01:55 PM

Charmion, ouchies! :-( Kudos though on that Requiem-- the Faure is my favorite to hear and to sing. IMO it's performed too seldom, in favor of heavier, showier vocal extravaganzas. There's a delicacy of tone and stucture in the Faure, gently holding such beautiful melody-- sweet but not saccharine.
.
.
Ohio:

I had to forego an important lunch due to digestive issues, so I used the no-lunch time to remove and baste the 2nd of 2 collars on the 4 seersucker shirts I bought recently, while hearing Congress on CSPAN.

The hearing went on a lunch break, so rather than hear the Trump rally that followed, I loaded the DW and put away the clean glassware I'd unpacked last week (all of which survived the trip and the DW). Nice to see the cabinet shelf categories working out and filling up-- one side is mugs below, with barware above; the other side is everyday plastics, with better glassware above. There's room on both sides for more to be found and unpacked-- the best of the rest for company use.

The cabinets are mounted unusually high and I'm short, so eye level placement for everyday items is more sessentiak than ever. But I live the extra canister height available.

Another category I can unpack when I come across it is china platters and serving bowls, into the lower china cabinet shelves. It's dark under there--needs motion light and mirror. I'm hoping to leave most of the upper, glassed display space for cheery decor amid silver servingware. Horizontal surfaces for decor here elsewhere are in short supply now, and will remain so.

(This is the unpacking stage-- 6 weeks behind schedule-- when I'll rely heavily on my March planning memories and the specific box labeling I did then-- now that daily shocks of Hordedom seem reduced to a manageable level.)

I hope to make the last 2 new shirts wearable when the hearing resumes. Two colors are spring/summery and two more fall-suited. I should put 2 away... but not until more PA shirts are here. It's so rare to find seersucker in my size, I wish I could get more.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jun 18 - 10:20 AM

Montreal:

Visiting family is exhausting! R and I - plumb wore out. He managed to get to supper last night and after eating fell asleep on the sofa. We opted out of a couple events. They had an airbnb two BR apt near the canal and the Market. Suppers all at their place and cooked by them. GD et al, solved the passport problem by renting a car and driving up so that has been great! It helped greatly for the family to have a car and not need me as taxi! And they will be able to use the tickets at a later date - this happens to many new parents! Zayda will soon have her own passport!

Son and wife loaded pottery into their carry-ons, well wrapped in bubble wrap - all they could fit - 12 plates, 6 bowls and a couple matching small pieces. Great de-clutter for me - both physically and mentally ---YAY!!!! Mission accomplished. GREAT relief! And they are thrilled to pieces! So I am also. A box for other GD can go to NY in the car and be mailed to San Diego. Another YAY!

Now I have sorted the rest to go to various places: things to go to mill today after I deliver folks to airport. Others to go to Beaver. Hoping R will go back with me on Thurs (or Friday?) for a few days. HA! I just realized: if we are only going for a few days, I can wait 'til next week to go to mill - and rest here until we can leave! Smart move. I want to re-glaze and re-fire the pots that were not up to snuff - advice from a pottery tech person!

Last night was an event for Son, his wife, and GD and I as we went through the 3 photo albums I have: that's your great grandfather ... and your great great grandfather... And bits and pieces of commentary on what kind of folks they were... And how sad his grand dad was to die and leave him (son was not yet 3 and has little conscious memory but wife feels it was a blow to him; they were very close).

And Son's disclosure of his DNA results: NO Cherokee - as we have always believed was great great gm. Apparently it is very common for folks to think they do when they do not - family myths. A shocking sort of de-clutter!

And I got to hear about and see (pic) a marvellous wood table my son concocted out of maple cut on their property - neat! I always knew he was artistic. That and the incredibly beautiful pond he constructed in their yard. So like his granddad Parshall. (He is just the age my dad was when he died of cancer; seems incredibly healthy. Hope!)

So, to the airport today and then do some put-off errands and collapse in a sad heap. It has been too short and when shall I see them again! It is a long and expensive trip to/from Whidbey Island. I expect Ali and family will be back; they love Montreal, and Brooklyn is not so far.

Charmion: I hope you enjoyed Manitoulin! I wonder if you have heard the song "Manitoulin" by David Campbell. It often runs through my mind. It is beautiful and so is the Island.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Jun 18 - 08:52 AM

I'll make a trip to Goodwill this week; it's time to empty the basket that's occupying study space that would be better left unoccupied.

I went to Manitoulin Island last weekend to sing in a concert (Fauré Requiem and other formal repertoire), and came home exhausted. Yesterday was a dead loss; I went to the gym in the morning and spent the rest of the day sitting around and trying to stay awake. No editing was done, leaving twice as much to do today.

My hands are changing, and not in good ways. On Friday, I started to put on my wedding band, but it stuck fast above the first knuckle. It fit perfectly last week, but now, not at all. The middle finger of that hand has also developed swollen knuckles, and now both fingers are locked up when I wake in the morning.

That's my fretting hand. Not good news.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 10:38 PM

I took some cooked zucchini across the street to those neighbors and learned that this kind of squash is something she still cooks (sliced and fried) so next time I'll take a whole one (these are generally larger than what you see in the grocery store - they grow fast and get away from me.) New next door neighbors have apparently moved in so silently, even with their dogs, that I thought they were still working on the house. Perhaps they like fresh vegetables. :)

As I walked out there I noticed the area over where the new sewer line went in is contracting as the weather dries out the soil, so I need to fill it in with more dirt that can be moved from other parts of the yard (piled up while they worked, smoothed imperfectly by the little earth mover.) If I dig up some of the stray Salvia greggi plants coming up along the dig site I'll have some plants to declutter later in the fall to friends and family. There may be heavy weather this week that will expand the soil, and on another front, we will learn how new blue heeler mix Pepper responds to thunder and lightning. Blue heeler mix Poppy doesn't like it and usually spends the night on a rug in my room.

I emptied the DVDs from the top shelf of a heavy pine cabinet and recycled all of the empty egg cartons that were used to elevate the back row. Now I need to figure out what can go on that shelf. It can be large and heavy, this is a very sturdy cabinet (the lower shelf holds almost all of my LPs.) The DVDs look good in the lighter taller cabinet next to the shelves with the electronics and I'm more likely to watch them when I can see them.

The dining room table is almost cleared again; the clothes that were on it are in the closet awaiting the arrival of the dressmaker form, or have been stacked in the sunroom. The next setup on that table will be for sewing.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Jun 18 - 02:37 PM

Ohio:

ALL journals now FILED w the appropriate kits! Shelves VERY full. Can now start to tackle finishing the cataloguing.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 11:01 PM

Ohio:

I actually bought one more bookcase and I can't wait til it comes. Judy has agreed to let me practice the Library tour on her so I can confirm the logic of the layout before finalizing it. This afternoon I cobbled up a neat borrowing process lending itself well to reshelving upon the return of items and volunteer help with maintenance.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 04:52 PM

Michelle, you made that whole race experience sound wretched. Better tuck some toilet paper in your pocket while you're at it. If you should chance on a time-warp place, you know it'll be out of TP next to the hole. And yes, you do kind of adapt - last time I was in Seattle for a "heat wave" we were fine (except my mom put us in a guest room in her upstairs with no fans or A/C; we dragged our bedding downstairs and slept in her office/library for the rest of the stay.) Living with it all summer in Texas, though, even Texans get really tired of it.

Adding to the clutter, but in a good way - I finally ordered a dress form mannequin. After reading reviews I shopped Amazon and eBay and found an adjustable dress form to use for photographing and sewing. I think I could even take it off of the base and put the torso in my photo cube for photography of short things or beads. It's a black cloth covered one, so it should display beadwork nicely (should I ever actually get around to doing the beading I am set up for.) My daughter and I texted back and forth about the uses and materials; some of these are extremely flimsy and the reviews at Amazon were scathing. (I borrowed one of my daughter's dress forms for a while, but she uses them all of the time with her costume design work. I couldn't get away with forgetting to return it.)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 04:01 PM

Ohio:

Back to bed for two chilly and weird hours with car nightmares. Weird! But hopefully that will prevent the sked-slipping nap later!

Dinner out w friend Judy later to transition her head out of her garden center schedule. I believe she plans a brief farewell visit before dinner, to bid them farewell as they close up shop today.

My plan is to enjoy fruit at home to make the planned 6-7pm meat/taters supper work for me.

The week's folded laundry is stowed, including king sheets, etc in a bin designated for Wednesday's mattress transition. The current plan is a pieced mattress under the thin but whole king mattress, with its current quilted layers and mattress pad on top. Hardi's side gets an extra (soft) top layer and mine gets a firm extra layer. I'll save an added foam layer to add to my side as needed, later, to compensate for the inevitable foam compression. (I want our innerspring PA bed!!!)

Check/debit register is caught up.

Bedroom loose trash is gathered.

BR portapotti supplies are containerized.

I unscrewed a BR light bulb in a 2-bulb lamp, to reduce heat produced.

A crockpot of rice is cooking.

A trip out to the garage netted a sprinkling of BTI, where unevaporated recent rain has been left for skeeters.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 12:45 PM

Oh Maggie.....I don't know how you stand the heat there.

Yesterday was an annual festival in my hometown and they always have a 2 hour parade. I marched in it for the first 18 years of my life, avoided it like the plague when I lived there as an adult but now we all go because Jeremiah loves the parade. It's ok I suppose...just not my thing. Anyway, we went yesterday and we were there for about 5 hours with the parking, craft fair, visiting old friend (love that part), the actual parade and then getting out of town....it was 92 degrees outside. Ick. Just ICK. I hate the heat. I used to live in Atlanta and the heat there was manageable because I was inside most of the time and EVERYWHERE had AC. However, you often talk about gardening and I just don't know how you stand it. It was the second key factor in us not following Pete's lab to Texas. I suppose you adjust after a time but ugh.....

The fridge has been cleaned out this morning, dishes are done, Jeremiah *helped* make a breakfast in honor of Pete for Father's Day (he actually did a great job!), the car is almost cleaned out and now I'm on to getting things ready for the work week. Laundry is going too, floors are swept......neverending. :) I'm happy to be home and be puttering. I thought we'd go fishing later today but Pete and I are tired and need today to recoup....so we'll go out for milkshakes later (there's a place nearby that makes THE best coffee milkshakes) and plan a full day of picnic and fishing activity for next week. The following week, we are joining a bunch of people to go to the races. I am not a racing fan, I don't understand the fascination of watching cars go around and around and I don't like the noise...however...I haven't not been in a very LONG time (I think I was 8 the last time I went) and the race track bathrooms were super disgusting....you had to squat over a board with a hole in it....I'm SURE things have changed in the last 40 years...LOL....and my entire family wants to go so I'm going to be a sport and give it a try. I'll be taking earplugs and a book for just in case.....anyway...we'll going to roll all that into a Father's Day celebration for Pete. He's such a fantastic Dad to Jeremiah....his patience and sense of humor, not to mention love...well...he's just an amazing Daddy...he just IS!

Happy Father's Day Peoples!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 11:07 AM

We're not even to the official summer yet and heat fatigue is already settling in. We've had several days over 100^o. Chores I've intended to do outdoors are deferred until either I can't stand it any more and go out, or until we get a little rain and overcast so it's easier to work out there.

Enjoy your vacation, Michelle! Having everything taken care of at home and with pets and livestock lets you relax and enjoy the trip.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jun 18 - 06:34 AM

Ohio:

Journal sorting done! Possible future tweaks, but ready to catalog.

An interesting challenge was the Artists' journal, with articles about so many aspects of life as an artist. I filed some with Class topics (working class, raised poor, etc.), some with world change, some with youth....

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 09:21 PM

Speaking of dogs, ours has been to the vet to get updated shots and all requirements for boarding while we are on vacation. :) It's one more thing off the To Do List. We have never gone on a real family vacation.....it's getting closer and we, as a family, are starting to get pretty excited. I had ordered a roof carrier for the car and that came in. Boarding reservations have been made and negotiations are in process for someone to come care for the farm animals while we are away.

I have 3 days off before we actually leave and I am hoping to get something done around here...I feel like I could use a good 2 weeks...but since that isn't in the picture, I'll do what I can when I can.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 03:50 PM

Ohio:

Laundry continues processing. Called alarm co.-- issue diagnosed and fixed.

Polished off a couple dozen newsprint-quality journals w annotations and categorizations, then filed half of what I'd annotated. Only a few go into Topic Kits already catalogued, YAY! Two thirds of one bankers box to go, all heavier paper and likely to be batch-handled, YAY! And once THAT is done, cataloguing can continue.

Journal categorization is also freeing up both floor space and shelf space, which will facilitate all those Wednesday goals w cleaner.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 02:47 PM

Dogs washed, quick trip to the vet to purchase three $24 Rx tick repellent collars (good for three months), now loads of dog bedding going into the laundry on gentle but for maximum washing, extra presoak and rinse. Into the dryer, and then I'm vacuuming the whole front room carpet before I run the steam cleaner over it as well, and vacuum the rest of the house. This morning after washing the dogs I found a tick on me so tiny I had to go get my glasses to be sure that's what it was. Trying to dig in right at the line of my underwire; the spot is red but it didn't actually connect. I need a tick collar also.

The bread is out and cooling on a high place and I've pulled out a little desk organizer for paper and pens that is now out of dog reach on the kitchen counter. I found a second ballpoint pen chewed up, this time she took it outside to demolish it. Dog proofing is something I'm accustomed to because of Zeke (he's a food dog, always) but this new one has different targets.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 02:00 PM

Ohio:

Five weeks till Hardi arrives for vacay-- I'm getting ready and can't wait to see him (and see how much stronger I may have gotten).

Yesterday the house alarm did an odd thing. I'll call the provider to inquire.

Five hours sleep last night with murdering-me nightmares, fun. An hour to snack and watch a real (TV) murder (nailed the whole premeditation in the first 5 minutes!), with a power bar (short calories ydy), then 3 more hours lovely, cold sleep.

Planned for today-- fold/stow/wash laundry; start organizing for Weds. substitute cleaner, who will:
. Clean sideboard w flax soap so I can wax and cover it (Horde damage to top);
. Help remove extra kitchen rug to LL (2nd pr of hands to pull out from under sideboard);
. Help remake mattress and re-dress bed (add 4" foam to rotated king camper mattress)
. If time left, help carry in bookcase parts (to assemble next week with Brittney).

Just made first trip out to garage thru rising heat/humidity. Also carried out glass-pack box emptied recently.

Net: camper king linens brought in to wash for use Weds. (washer going now), and my nearly-Horde-emptied pink toolbox for needed screws left in it. And found screwdriver! And safety glasses! Will use toolbox to containerize my cordless drill/driver they kindly left, plus misc hardware awaiting kitchen-table sorting-- one box from last Weds. is holding all the misc hardware the Horde left. Some mine; some they'd acquired.

Before sitting, I added a screw needed for the 4th clothes-hook I'd installed in the BR last week.

Hoping Judy accepts my dinner invite for her last day tdy, at the local garden center that's abruptly closing tmrw so its owners can retire. She needs that job, is older than I, and has been killing her bones to complete the two weeks notice employees were given, in hopes of a nice severance bonus. Hard use of a master gardener!

I don't know how much more I can get done today and still be able to do dinner later-- and I offered to drive or deliver so she can start meds right away. Most days the multiple posts here reflect how I'm surprising myself with being able to tackle more each day; I've only miscalculated once so badly that I needed the good drugs myself! ;-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 18 - 10:42 AM

Bread dough is in the machine kneading, and when that stage is complete I'll put it in a bread pan to rise. Baking bread in order to have the optimum ingredients for our "Welcome Summer" BLTs - a ceremony my daughter and I perform every year once I have enough vine ripe homegrown tomatoes.

Dog Bath Day today also. And I'll water and put out beneficial nematodes because there are way too many dog ticks around and they need to be banished from the yard and from dogs. And me. They hop off dogs when I brush them. Ick.

If I get enough stuff around here out of the way today, I may go attend a tour at my daughter's workplace before we all head back to the house to eat. It's also her dad's mixed birthday/father's day celebration. I hope he can tolerate the mayo and bacon this one time. He's pretty picky about his diet. I have some tilapia in the fridge ready to cook if he prefers that.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 08:41 PM

Jeremiah and I spent last weekend going through all his clothes both the hanging items and all the drawers in his dresser. We got rid of several bags of clothes and also went through the books in his room (he has many more downstairs). Today I delivered 5 of those bags of little boy clothes to a co-worker who has 2 nephews that will greatly appreciate everything. I love sharing clothes with her as she always brings me a photo of a favorite item and then the boys draw thank you notes...makes my heart happy!

I have started to declutter my car as by this time next week I will have a new to me car! I am excited about that as it's just in time for our upcoming vacation! YAY! It's amazing to me just how much stuff I cart around all the time. Recently I cleaned out my workbag so I could wash it and I think I had enough pens to last me about 3 years. LOL I am forever sticking pens in there so I am sure to have a working pen available for my clients when I'm out and about. Anyway.....my goal is to have the car completely cleaned out by this weekend. I'll be selling my Subaru outright and want it to be as presentable as possible.

Happy Friday Everybody!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Vashta Nerada
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 02:00 PM

I thought I answered this, maybe on facebook - the flower is all wrong for a mint. There are a few other plants with square stems.

Dorothy, watch your back! And I'm so sorry about the air travel complications and non-refundable tickets. Such a blow. You can get hastened passports, but you need to drive to the large nearby city that handles it and it still takes a day or so and an extra fee (less than losing all of the ticket cost). A friend had to do that earlier this year for travel to Mexico.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 12:44 PM

Montreal:

The chaos of my life - in brief: Kiln not right; moved second kiln up to shed; woke up next am with excruciating pain in back - at waist level; texted neighbour Sue who came with good cheer, a salve, and an anti-inflammation tea - marvellous! A do-nothing day - pain was ok if I stayed in bed in one position! I used a lot of comfrey poultices -However, by Sunday the immediate area itched; too much comfrey is possible! It was almost totally better by then. I continue to sip the tea; I find it helpful and comforting: ginger (chopped), cayenne 1/2t, turmeric 1/2t and 1/2 lemon to qt hot water; more spices to taste.

Finally back to kiln on Friday: The kiln overfired; inattention on my part to a warning signal. Packed the car with salvageable and drove to mill. Four firings and all is well. Rested, read, glazed, rested, fired, and met Geri at resto.   

Tuesday: drove to Montreal with pots. R had "made the house somewhat civilized" but did not vaccuum???? He, and others, are BUSY redoing roof on parental home; major job including a monster vaccuum to take out all old insulation and raccoon poop. On fourth day of that and more than a week so far. Coming home at 9 pm or later. Took the roof off sunroom and put a leaky tarp over it, rained hard, ceiling fell... Some people realize that half baked measures... Not my circus!

I went off to Canadian Tire on Weds and bought a shop vac and did the second floor, staircase, and LR - YES- with mask on. Sat downstairs reading; kept mask on and air cleaner on high waiting for dust to settle.

Thurs: did the rest of downstairs. Took allergy pill. Shopped for food and special stuff for family due to arrive today: Son, DIL, GD and partner and GGD!

Fri am: up early, set out food, thinking I would fetch Ali et al at 10am but decided to go fetch son and DIL at 8+am as I was early enough and awake enough and the traffic report said it would take 22 minutes; it lied but I told them I was coming about the same time I got message that Ali could not!

Driving; no texting but phoned son (blue tooth) to tell him I was on the way. Picked them up w/out problem and brought them "home"; stopped at convenience store for coffee! (no coffee at our house) They did not want food - "too early" They had taken a "red eye".

Ali did not realize she needed a passport for 4 month old Zayda. We were disconsolate as this was a well planned trip so son could visit me, pick up pottery AND get to see Zayda, et al.

Ah! They can come by car with only a birth certificate - Go figure! So they have rented a car and are en route. Troy and Julie are now resting at their airbnb, walking distance to the famous Atwater Market. I have put away uneaten food and hope it will get eaten before stale. So I sit here, having noticed uncaught cobwebs--oh well. The stress of the last couple weeks... Troy and Julie declared the pottery beautiful. Now I can curl up in a ball and be relieved!!! close to tears of relief!

And the plane tickets - Ouch! non-refundable.

Have not seen Troy and J since fall of 2010; They look good. They are wonderful! They saw Taun in NY, in March before he moved into his condo but he was already happy, just from having made the decision to buy it! Both my sons are happy! I am joyous.

R did his laundry and finally brought it home so I folded put it away. Nothing "needs" to be done until T&J phone for a ride, or not.

Maggie's dogs! Such creatures! The friend on Whidbey who took my Aussie posted pics recently of him at the end of life, with one of her dog pack snuggled up to him - "right to the end". "just a dog"???

"Until mankind can extend the circle of his compassion to include all living things, he will never, himself, know peace” -Albert Schweitzer

Charmion: maybe you could check the online Richter's Herb Farm catalog for your mystery herb. If it has a square stem, it is a mint of some sort; if not, not.

Need to do something about the lack of coffee; maybe Julie can help.

Doing pretty well with that special BF; managing to eat mostly veggies and protein. Might eat a muffin... No great desire to do so.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Jun 18 - 08:31 AM

Asking for quotes, checking with the Better Business Bureau if this is a small business, asking for identification, they're all part of the process of doing business. No shit. The new piece is requiring it of $10-20/hour day laborers, including minors. Until Cincinnati began emanating it's opioid epicenter this far (2 hours), it was more than enough to know the parents.

Ohio:

House/garage tasks ydy:
. Unpiled bookcase parts and access to next boxes (to unpack in garage)
. Unpacked box of glassware that had become semipermanent counter presence since gomorrafying arrival April 29
. Ran glassware thru DW
. Numerous items, sorted Weds, distributed from small boxes left at waist height on K table-- a plastic one emptied and soaked clean
. Empty water bottles gathered
. Canned soup stowed
. Four pretty and new pastel seersucker shirts hung up
. Decision made about counter by fridge and placement of appliances, until wiring safely fixed
. Researched Essential Sauce simple recipes to begin making for everyday flavor options.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 09:17 PM

Asking for quotes, checking with the Better Business Bureau if this is a small business, asking for identification, they're all part of the process of doing business.

A co-worker is retiring in a couple of weeks, though tomorrow is his last full day since he's taking time off and will come back on the 29th to sign out. The office clearing process has taken a couple of weeks; last week I was carrying a pot he gave me when I tripped on a raised piece of concrete near the building. Alas, it was a pretty pot. Other items have come my way, packed away in the pack when on campus to avoid further disaster. I've watched the clearing out process of drawers and shelves, the shredding and dusting, and think I have a house where I can go home and practice the same skills. Tomorrow is a reception and I look forward to some old friends coming back for the occasion.

At home on the dog front, Pepper is firm in her understanding of the expectations at meal time. She wiggles and gets in the way but doesn't encroach on the others' food, she gives a robust kiss on the chin when I ask for a kiss (Poppy gives a kiss, Zeke shakes paw, and Pepper also gives a kiss). When I tell them to eat she dives in headfirst. She's also good at waiting for the little bit I keep in my hand for after so no one goes to the slowest eater's bowl. Invisible Fence and table manners mastery in under two weeks - she's a smart girl and we're making progress. More and more she gives the other two dogs welcoming kisses, something our pitbull Cinnamon always did. Some people have said kisses are a sign in insecurity, but I really think in this dog and in the pit, it was the simple joy of greeting loved ones. It's good that the other two old dogs are getting that kind of attention again.

It's Thursday before a regular weekend. I don't have a compressed week this summer so it's just two off. If this evening I put in a load of laundry, do a little puttering here now, I'll have more time to work on my bigger projects on Saturday and Sunday. I do miss the long weekends, despite the four tough long days at the office.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jun 18 - 03:57 PM

Ohio:

Red flag on lawn crew member Ronnie, who offered odd jobs-- at least on indoor work. When I requested DL or state ID for an indoor job assembling a bookcase, I got this reply:

". If that requires me to give you my driver's license I think you need to find somebody else to put your bookcase together have a good day"

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 10:15 PM

Patty, check the owners manual for the programming of those features. You should be able to do a reset, though it may involve turning the key to different ignition positions, pushing buttons, and oddball things. I do that with my vehicles because they seem to come set to unlock all of the doors as soon as the engine is turned off. No thanks, I want to unlock the door myself, or doors, depending on circumstances. (If you don't have the manual, one of the online manual sites should have a free PDF copy to download.) The manual with my Nissan Pathfinder is the size of a modest dictionary and I still occasionally find new things that I didn't realize it can do because I skimmed through to find the essentials first.

Okra is an African vegetable and I find the African recipes offer remedies for the slimy consistency. For example, my Middle Eastern cookbook includes North African countries and describes soaking okra in vinegar to remove that consistency. The way I most often fix it is to moisten it and roll it in a mix of seasoned cornmeal (like the fish fry mixes) then into shallow oil.

We had our first "there's someone at the door" test with Pepper in the mix, and we had a suitably attentive crew who barked at the door and came into my office to bark at me to tell me someone was at the door. A guy trying to convince me to change my Internet service. I told him he needs a license to peddle in the village. The iron and glass security door was never opened so I didn't have to worry about catching dogs by the collars when I opened the solid wood door.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 09:42 PM

Patty, walk-in (non-reservable) campsites at state parks don't usually fill up before Thursday afternoons, if you can adjust your travel dates to start your weekends on Thursday mornings.

Sympathies on the car issues! I'm driving a loaner thru late July, and whole I'm grateful my DIL lent it to me.... oy!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: pattyClink
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 09:32 PM

As far as okra, you can try the traditional skillet saute-ing with cornmeal, but I think it's awfully hard to do just right. Better to add it to a ratatouille. Or cook it with stewed tomatoes and drained cooked veggies. Not as slimy as if you try to cook it by itself, I don't know if it's the acid or what.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: pattyClink
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 09:23 PM

Greetings from the road, where the more I simplify, the more things get complicated. Dealing with an infected toe on the road has been a little challenging, between tracking down urgent cares and doing empsom salt soaks and bandages and crap.

Purchasing a new vehicle has been a perfectly hideous experience. The new-to-me one is now in use, but seems to have a drawback for every benefit, and driving me nuts learning to use it. It moves the seat way back every time I stop, and resets the mirrors to face the ground every time I back up, etc. But it runs and is newer, so let me be grateful for that before I tackle the Rockies.

I seem to carry hot weather, rain, and bugs with me wherever I go, even into the northern plains. Have had more ticks this month than in the rest of my life. Met lots of great people, lots of great landscapes, but merely existing and tracking down the next campground is keeping me busy. Because suddenly EVERYONE in the Midwest reserves a campsite EVERY weekend. I may wind up parked at a casino Saturnday night. Who knows.

Kudos to all who are getting their ducks in a row, I'm just trying not to get bit on my ass by any ducks!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 08:51 AM

The only decluttering I'm doing at present is the tangle of inept editing in a certain book that I'm being paid handsomely to square away. I would like to declutter myself of about 20 pounds, but that's hard to do when (a) your feet hurt and (b) you're supposed to spend at least six hours of your day at your desk.

Yesterday, the nice man from Tim's Tree Service showed up to assess the six scraggly trees I have selected for removal from our garden. Three of them are Eastern Red Cedars, two are White Cedars, and one is a dogwood with a Manitoba maple sprouting up in the middle of it. All of them started life as cute little ornamentals and grew far too large for their spot on the property. Tim's Tree Service is a busy concern; we won't get a lick of their attention for at least 10 weeks, unless somebody higher up the list cancels.

I posted three photos on Facebook in the hope that somebody out there can identify a mystery plant in our flowerbed. It looks like a member of the mint family, but that doesn't narrow the field much. It's occupying space that I would like to use for culinary herbs, and I don't want to find out too late that it's something I would regret consigning to the composter.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 10:38 PM

Acme, perhaps the writing bug may bite us and fictitious reports from the missing may suddenly appear. ;-)

Or another approach-- I always thought (at the worst of my thyroid-disease-caused chairbound phase) that we clutter-challenged folk should organize a Slobs House Walk Tour. To show off what usually evokes shame and self-blame. I had one hoarding friend who'd just laugh and laugh at that image (I think usefully).

So in that vein we could write brochure blurbs. I'd start with today's duct tape decor workshop...
.
.
.
Ohio:

I took a quick look through the 1-1/3 bankers box of remaining journals today, which were down to several groups easily dispersed into their respective LL categories, and did the harder job of choosing articles from 4 or 5 of the harder-to-categorize issues. (For those I have to actually skim the whole issue and choose one of several excellent articles to highlight-- and therefore determine the best Topic placement.)

So that task in the LL looks like one more stint to polish it off, and then it's back to cataloguing remaining Topic Kits.

Newbie quickly learned where it was best to curl up near me as I tossed the individual issues across the room to the piles that accumulated! No rug in there yet, on asphalt tile floor-- nice journal toss/slides slapping across the floor made for initial startles, but we got a rhythm going!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 08:15 PM

Susan and I are playing tag team here - what is everyone else up to? There is probably someone out there who hasn't made a peep in ages who has managed to completely empty a house and restore order to their living space and still have craft activities available.

I re-homed a huge zucchini (as in easily 3-4 pounds) to a friend at work. Her Italian Long Island NY family has traditional recipes for these huge zucchinis and when I have one that gets away from me I take it to her. She beamed and told me about slicing it very thin, frying in oil with garlic, and adding it to a pasta dish. Has me thinking of a number of new ways I can use the ones still here at the house! How about thinly sauteed zucchini in pasta with pesto? Mmmmm.

Emptying audio book files from the phone and adding new books to listen to. Only a few electrons moved in that transaction. I need to go find stuff of substance to put away or rearrange. Perhaps tonight I'll put the DVDs in the new storage cabinet meant for DVDs and I'll find books or something else for the heavy cabinet where they are shelved now.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 04:47 PM

Ohio:

Oh great. The item I found to raise up my little drawer unit of essentials (under the nightstand) is apparently the source of the pepper spray my finger contacted-- and I set it right over an HVAC register. :-( Guess it's a good thing I'm headed to a mtg at Dayton library tonight while it (hopefully!) finishes air drying! ;-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 11:51 AM

Cool!
.
.

Ohio:

I found an item yesterday to report to Tyler's mother, regarding her now-17 son. Have documented it and sent message requesting short visit. If Det. Wilson hasn't told her by now that warrants are out, I have enough of a picture of events, now, to tell her what the 17 year old probably knew and may have participated in.
.
.

A former end table, long holding decor by the PA front door area, is now installed in our Ohio bedroom on my side of bed. This wider oval/rectangle replaces a cube my sister had made, that had been used in the MudDorm. The game of inches continues-- I THINK there will be room for the gun safe to open, on the other side of it, IF we don't put the matching end table in exactly the same spot on the other side of the bed. We may want to take the crappier one of the pair and cut it in half to mount to the walls. On one side or maybe both.

And I may raise mine an inch to slide my plastic drawer unit under it... it ALMOST fits on top of a plastic half-crate item that allows airflow from the HVAC register under it. Hm... have crutch tips that might just do it! I've used soup cans filled with plaster of paris to make other custom risers, but I'm not in the mood for tomato paste, lol. And I won't know how tall I want that nightstand until our taller PA bed is here.

(Why am I using end tables for bedroom nightstands-- because the nightstands that we're using now in PA are just smaller enough to work better eventually as side tables in the LR, and they all match fine with the custom headboard Hardi and I will make-- one king out of a double headboard/footboard.)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 09:06 AM

The P sound names don't seem to be a problem. I've also tried commands in Spanish, to see if that brings a response, but mostly she responds to hand signals.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 09:00 AM

Yes you did get lucky, Acme. You might try some vocabulary games to see what words she knows. She may have been taught basic commands with different terms, or might have some other words she's waiting to respond to. Newbie came with several I didn't realize right off-- STAY being the first one I didn't realize the shelter had taught her, lol!

She's OK not confusing sounds on Poppy and Pepper?

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 11:14 PM

We're slowly progressing towards a peaceable canine kingdom here; the older dogs are aware now that the younger one offers growls and sometimes light-contact snaps as she figures out how everything should be spaced, and she knows that the older ones are largely going to ignore her. She "protected" me from Zeke today when he and I were playing a favorite game of tug-o-war; as we wrestle over a heavy knotted piece of rope he shakes his head and offers a deep-chest growl, so she jumped on him. She'll learn this is a game between us and relax.

I am again astonished how quickly a dog can offer total allegiance to a human, once a safe home and loving environment is offered. I am reminded of the Henry Huggins story (by Beverly Cleary) when Ribsy's first owner spots Henry and the dog - they end up putting the dog between them and both call to see who he goes to. [Spoiler alert] He returns to Henry, of course (but I remember such trepidation reading that section of the book!) I read that book probably 50 years ago or more, and still think of that part of the story. This little dog has manners and expectations. She has had puppies, she came here from a shelter. What happened to her up until now? Did she have only one prior home? No chip, not spayed until she reached the shelter. Yet she has some solid well-trained skills and after nine days has thrown her loyalty in with our household. We got lucky, all of us.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 08:22 AM

Ohio:

Well that's gonna hurt later, but I figured out how to move the double recliner by myself! It's not quite exactly where I want it, but I'll take another tweak at it tomorrow morning.

I'm finding that big lifts are best done about an hour after breakfast to use overnight body repair and then use easier movement throughout the day to prevent getting too stiff.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 10:20 PM

A batch of zucchini is nearly finished in the dehydrator, a load of laundry is finished drying on the line, and another has finished and will go in the dryer (clothes for work). A stack of vintage clothes (by Marsh Landing, from the old Foley's department store) I was considering selling on eBay are in the Goodwill bin because so few of them turn up as actually sold that the odds are against having successful sales.

My next door neighbor brought her garden cart over and between the two of us we made several trips from the back yard to the curb to leave large chunks of the limb that was on the power lines last month. This week is when that stuff is picked up on our street. There are still lots of branches, but I plan to run many of them through my chipper and I'll put the rest at the curb in tidy stacks each week. And as a thank you for her help, I handed a pint of pickled okra across the back fence later when she was trimming the web worms out of a tree near the fence. "Pickled okra? You're giving me this? I LOVE pickled okra!" Well, yes, I knew that - she's the one who has introduced me to okra to begin with. I have four plants in the garden and she'll probably be the recipient of a fair amount of it (though I have developed a taste for fried okra and I do like making the pickled variety).

There are ways to stay on excellent terms with neighbors, and knowing about their favorite foods and growing them is one method. I only put okra in because this neighbor was having trouble getting it to grow at her house and I wanted to see how difficult it is to grow. I told her she could have most of it but I'd like to learn how to cook it (anything except boiled). This morning I gave two large zucchini to the woman who lives across the street, and several family members live with her since her husband died. She is from Guatemala and still doesn't speak much English, but we both understand food and she loves zucchini and later in the season I'll take her eggplant.

Good gardens make good neighbors.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 12:50 PM

Ohio:

Camper inspected and safely re-leveled. No damage noted except that key camper-opening parts were buried IN it and therefor not accessible to OPEN the camper-- expensive to replace-- so now we have un-needed spares.

Our bar fridge was in there-- amazed they left it. I forgot we'd purposely put it in there last summer for the first time.

This now clears the way for an insurance claim, all areas having been assessed visually.

Lawn dude Ronnie was great to work with. (They all are, the first time). He gets my vote for Bookcase Assembler.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 11:41 AM

Distributed three zucchini, cooked two others for myself, and I'll set up the dehydrator for a few more.

Some computer research needs doing for various projects, researching senior dog food, web hosting sites, a few recipes for my garden produce, and much more. Trying not to tumble down the YouTube rabbit hole in the process. In the background will be laundry running then drying on the line and intermittent gardening (weeding).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jun 18 - 05:01 PM

Dorothy, are you able to do any garden planting or planning at the new house this summer? What will you be doing?

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Jun 18 - 04:32 PM

Ohio:

The crockpot is now emptied of delicious jellied stock and bits (from four recent chicken/pork batches). Clearish stock went to the freezer, and sludgy bits and ztock were added to chix liver bits and jellied stock for a batch of creamed soup to make during the week. I now have the big bag of frozen veg for soups.

Batch of rice cooking in crockpot.

The four glass china cabinet shelves survived the vibration of the dishwasher this morning; they'll get a final vinegar polish later tonight, and then be installed. Then in succeeding days I can start unpacking the decor it will hold.

So grateful to have a plateau of normality! I'm still roller-coastering, but these plateaus are great.

I may get the camper popped up and re-leveled on its blocks tmrw w lawn crew member Ronnie, weather permitting. I hope they didn't trash the interior too bad-- it had just gotten an expensive supercleaning last summer, and we've done our best to maintain it in resale condition. However this access will also allow me to pull the king mattress out to supplement the worn one on our bed here in time for vacation, and cleaner Brittain will help me set that up and make up the bed. The honeymoon comforter is at the dry cleaners, so soon our BR will be completely de-Hordeated. A friend has offered to come smudge the room with sweetgrass.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Jun 18 - 12:46 PM

Acme, yeah, you try reporting on a child whose name, address, and mom's name you don't know! ;-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jun 18 - 10:33 AM

Within a week the evolution of the dog pack has been remarkable, and overnight a lot of things seem to have dropped into place. Until Thursday night I'd been able to put Pepper into the hall bathroom overnight (she isn't completely trained to the Invisible Fence so needs yard supervision) but last night was different. Crying to get out (squirt bottle of water is the correction), and when I left my room this morning I found the lab Zeke lying right in front of that door, waiting for his pal Pepper to emerge. There are still occasional growls as they all negotiate dog things, but Zeke has decided this is his friend, and the two of them were in and out of the dog door several times before we put on the head collars, removed the Fence collars, and headed around a couple of blocks before breakfast. And this morning I put down Poppy's food, without Pepper's face trying for the bowl, same for Zeke's, and when I put down Pepper's bowl I simply told her to sit and stay, and she did. These things, the walk and being in control of the food, help them focus on me as the pack leader instead of trying to jockey for position amongst themselves for that title.

I need to give Pepper a rinse off today, and the vet suggests using a conditioner on her coat. I think I didn't get all of the shampoo off last week, so this should help with some scratching. And the other two need baths. That's a big job.

Digital work today, making some short videos for a friend, work to stagger between forays into the garden. I watered this morning so I can go out with the mattock and dig out some weeds but the weather is hot right now. The garden has reached the point where you can look around and see all of the crops that are planted, they're no longer tiny little things poking out of mulch. I'll weed, then snap some photos to preserve this is the classic garden look, though from here on out everything gets huge and overlaps and it becomes a hedge of tomatoes and basil and such.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 18 - 11:05 PM

Yes, I did. Handing off the information will be helpful to his mother.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Jun 18 - 10:20 PM

Acme, did you read my great news about that little boy caught up in my house-trashing?

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 18 - 10:11 PM

I'm cleared after the fall to return to work on Monday. The visit today took three hours of waiting for five minutes of conversation. Now hopefully the calls and emails will cease.

We are at the seventh day of having a new dog here, and she keeps a pretty close eye on me, not surprising for a dog without her own human for a long time. She's lounging next to my chair as I type. When I feed the dogs I have them sit before I tell them they can eat - she's just at the point of mastering that trick. She will go for someone else's bowl if I don't "sshhhhhh!" her, but that's enough to stop her, and she has figured out that I have a few pieces in my hand for after everyone finishes. Next: get the dogs playing together.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Jun 18 - 03:53 PM

... FB messaging to Gavin's mom and then her family members...

Subject: RE: GAVIN
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Jun 18 - 03:00 PM

"Subscriber exclusive"

Ohio:

Using my secret pastorwife poweres, and some clever FB research, I have been spending the past several weeks trying to do (again) what police... and children's servives... and parole services wouldn't: deal with Gavin's safety. No one thought I had enough proof that they could open a case.

The last week was especially intense consultations, angles to explore, and FB messaging to her family members.... you want to respect people's privacy, but.... as Father's Day approached I was concerned, frankly, that Tyler would use my two-shot derringer to kill Gavin and then himself.

And that work paid off. I just got to talk to GAVIN'S MOM!!!!! She had that same concern! She's known Tyler since childhood, and has seen his previous descents into crazymaking.

It tuens out that she had already stopped allowing visits-- even supervised visits-- because of small clues she had picked up on, so what I accomplished was filling in the blanks for her (as she did for me), and affirming her over and over as a mom. And then we went on to discuss that inevitable stage when-- good, or bad-- a teenager MUST know that missing parent-- and how to manage it in the child's interests.

She's a GREAT mom! We both cried.

~S~