Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 09:17 PM

OH:

I dragged the big heavy box of Rector's Library books into the sewing room by tipping it into a large hamper and towing it with a rope. Next is to tow it out of the path of the TV cabinet I'll need to move out of here.

Everything is like that here, now-- moving A to move B before tacking C. But as I told care mgr Daejanna ydy-- I'm so glad I get help ONE day a week. The rest of the week, I'm not sitting on my hands!

Slow and easy does it.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 05:47 PM

It's still warm here, but I muscled through it to get a few more things tended to in the yard. I took down a couple of large limbs from the front vitex and hauled them to the other side of the driveway where I'll lop off limbs and stuff them in the trash can that gets picked up again on Monday. There's no point in dragging them to the back yard in order to save them for dragging back to the front later.

I mowed back yard finally this afternoon. And the oddest thing, the yard is layered with small black caterpillars. Yuck. I used the watering can to pour BT in a hefty dose over my vegetable garden to head them off but they're crawling all over the turf in the back yard as well. I can put some BT in a sprayer and knock off more later; I'm in to cool down right now.

Next door they're finally building the fence, about 3' beyond (for me) the current one because the one there was was built too far over my property line. When the new owner first proposed the fence he asked if I wanted them to take down the existing one (because there would be an un-reachable strip between), but it was almost a year ago and I hadn't thought about retiring and he was taking bids so I didn't know who would get the job. The prospect of babysitting the dogs and carefully dislodging my heavy-duty wire for the Invisible Fence was more than I wanted to deal with, so I told them not to worry, I'd dismantle it myself when I had time. But today I learned my friend and neighbor George got the job to build the fence and they're starting it right now, and he offered to dismantle the old one. Since I am home now while they're working I'll take him up on the offer, and before he starts I'll take a pliers out and pull the staples and move the transmitter wire. It will be nice to have the larger yard and the fence in place is one less thing I would have to do in the future if/when I ever sell.

We're due thunderstorms over the next 48 hours and after yard work the last couple of days I will enjoy a break, getting back to weeding and thinning when the soil is softened again. When I spoke with the nextdoor neighbor today I told him my aim for the front yard was to be park-like, but had overshot that and ended up with a jungle. I'm working on thinning it all this fall.

Last week I dug up some dusky yellow irises and took over to a friend, and today I dug a few daffodils that Mudcat's Janey asked about; I'll be shipping these soon so she can put them in this fall and have flowers next spring.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 05:13 PM

PS planter box moved.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 04:39 PM

OH, where dreams motivate the housework:

There are a bunch of things I need a 2nd pair of hands to do, but I figured out some cool furniture swaps for when that help is here-- long story, but I always wanted wicker and couldn't afford even the Walmart knockoff, much less the real thing. Here, we found a few nice, authentic pieces in good shape at Goodwill, and therefore I started watching for wicker.

Now, I could furnish a whole yard. And we do have one to furnish.

I know wicker won't maintain well outdoors, but I'm OK with using it till we're too old to live here, taking care of it, and storing it off season, sensibly. So I have a loveseat, telephone table, and windowbox-shaped planter box, with a tin lining to catch water, presently in the LR. There's also a wide coffee table that used to be against the wall for decor, but is now looking for other space to take up. They've made nice INDOOR cottage furniture here for 4 long and lovely years. Looking at them will always remind me of that... and of sneaking the loveseat home to our own house... loaded on the van's bike rack... via the back driveway, while the first housemate moved OUT the front driveway, loudly, in a relapsed-alcoholic huff. Too funny-- she never saw us drop that loveseat in the garage, and scoot out for ice cream!

So. The loveseat stays in the LR til Greg swaps it for a nice chair after January. The telephone table is now a LR lampstand (and will be replaced in January with an antique table Greg's ancestor made). The planter box has been in the LR picture window adjoining a dining card table, to hold napkins, forks, calendar, etc. The coffee table is now looking for another space to take up.

The telephone table and planter box will fit under the kitchen windows for houseplants! The planter box can have its understructure open to the front, with ample space underneath for my pink toolbox. I do have potted plants in PA to nest into it, and a ceramic planter there for the telephone table.

There's more wicker in the garage-- a large oval mirror, a second smaller coffee table, and another small item; also there's a chair out front centering a display of white iron lawn chairs. Two of the smaller items are in an armoire in the garage, and I can store the coffee table on top-- till we give it all a fresh coat of spray paint, and furnish the lawn in the spring.

All that wicker (except the two plant stands I'll move into the K soon) will furnish what is now just grass and heat pump/AC unit, about 14' x 30' of lawn behind the bedrooms, partiallly screened by a privacy fence. The exterior wall behind the bedrooms has a great roof overhang-- items under it are usually kept naturally dry due to the storm patterns here. That's the longterm wicker destination for use, pulled from the dry space out and around a large and deep coldwater wading pool (or hot/cold tub if we win the lottery).

The white against the green grass will be cool and airy!

So that's the place for enjoying sunshine with friends-- I'm sun allergic so I'll circulate from under a shade canopy or three, and two beach umbrellas, all of which we have already.

A cute addition will be the white 5-panel folding screen Greg repaired; I can hang plants on it and it can be aimed to screen a changing-room/portapotty corner of the fence. When we win the lottery, we'll cut a door through the middle bedroom which is near the loo, and put in an endless pool. I may have to get tiki torches for this backyard paradise for now.

The rest of the landscaping out there will be container flowers around the wicker, and rain gutter planters hung on the privacy fence. Greg already has plans for an AC screen, upon which to hang plants too.

I'd like to extend the privacy fence to meet up with the adjoining garage, and put a proper gate in that-- right now there's about 16' of removable ag panel there, that swings open for the lawn crew. Two fence posts ought to do it, and we do have a post hole digger.

Can't wait to bring my PA plants HOME, here. First step = move that planter box! I did pull it away from the wall, to make room to sit at the lunch table in front of the large LR window-- the card table of 4 years yielded to our bigger, round pedestal table with the May furniture load. I wanted my neighborhood-watching spot back, overlooking my garden! Sitting there it's just like dining next to the window in our camper, and so it always feels ike vacation there!;-)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: mg
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 04:26 PM

please think about bedbugs now before you get them..oops too late.. read up on how expensive they are to eradicate. read up on possible home remedies. if you have a ton of money, are fairly calm emotionally, don't travel, have the ability to wash and dry almost everything in your house if the infestation is bad..then don't bother. But people literally have nervous breakdowns over this. Especially people with limited resources. Only have items that are worth deinfesting..if you wouldn't bother, I would question keeping it..and travel is a whole other issue. I am very afraid, because I take public transportation, of bringing something to someone else's home. I steam my luggage after trips. I do not bring luggage into a bedroom but keep in in a cement basement. I bring as little as possible. I want bedbug proof luggage but don't know how to get it really. Honest..you do not want them.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 09:43 AM

The first batch of chutney went down-range yesterday and the house is still full of fruit. Consequently, we have fruit flies. Bah.

Today is Needle Day, when I visit the allergist in Kitchener for my four-weekly dose of miracle anti-asthma drug. That will take about two hours, leaving me with not quite enough time for both the second batch of chutney and a trip to the gym. Chutney wins, not least because my feet hurt today but also because the plums and pears I bought on Tuesday will be mush by Saturday.

I must also invest some effort in housework, especially to reduce the amount of visible cat hair in the sitting-room carpet. One of Himself's legal colleagues is coming to dinner on Saturday with his wife, so the place needs a bit of a buff-up. I hate it when a drift of cat hair wafts across the white ceramic tile by the front door just when a guest walks in; I would prefer the passage of at least an hour before the full implications of my laissez-faire attitude to floor maintenance become obvious.

The equinox is upon us and Perth County feels positively autumnal, with a forecast high of 22C and rain. Last week at this time the sun was blazing and the thermometer peaked at 32C. Next week, who knows? Sleet? Anything's possible.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 08:13 AM

OH:

Ive been here just a week.

In the coming week, I hope to get accurate measurements of the garage, gate, and its atached yardspace for Greg's draft of space planning for mutual discussion and planning of next steps. We're thinking adjoining shed for more storage. And label the garage corners to facilitate communications: "Please put that in the LL corner."

(NOT rearrange the garage! (Again) But start thinking about what needs to go to make way for the Big Move.)

I'm sure I'll continue other work in the house as well, but the cooler days here will need to be spent sorting archives out there, and clearing up the space they occupy. So another jobbie out there will be figuring out the best way to keep Newbie contained but with me, with the big garage door open for light and air.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 11:03 PM

I envy you your cooler weather, Dorothy! I spent 30 minutes trimming some limbs in the front yard before heading out to a yoga class and had to change shirts before I left. (I had gone over at 6, only to learn that it started at 7; I live so nearby that I decided to use the intervening minutes for something here at the house, hence the pruning.) And that BB problem (as a friend of mine in NY City refers to it) is a nightmare. Definitely something to get out of the house ASAP.

I use Dropbox a lot, and when I was working at the library it allowed me access to files I also use at home, but now they don't need to be in that cloud file, so I'm going through and sorting files and moving or deleting those no longer needed. Virtual declutter.

I brought a bag of potato chips into my office just now and the dog on the rug under my computer desk has figured out that I sometimes drop chips. They aren't bouncing twice!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 07:46 PM

Beaver:

Phone/Hannah: wants solid white bowls; will email preferred sizes and shapes. Cooler weather enabled me to get started yesterday and this am, then realized I was using speckled clay instead of plain white. Re-organized clay in studio and will start again with pure white but can still use the speckled ones. Cannot tell which is which until after they are glaze fired so there will be a bunch of bowls in white - with and without specks! Surely there will be a few she likes! She would like them before CA Thanksgiving so this is a rush job for me, and a reason to get moving - now that the weather is cooperating. Feels good!

R has managed to infest Montreal house with bed bugs; Ask me if I am furious! That is a anti-de-cluttering issue; drag enough junk into the house... I will not go to Montreal until I am assured they are history. If I need to go (for Hannah), I will do Airbnb. Yep, clutter the credit card, but it beats the alternative.

Went to Thrift Shop this am to see if I could find appropriate furniture for better storage. Nada.

Have not needed the wonderful rain barrels Dan installed but the one near the studio is a great spot to prewash hands of clay or soil! I also use it with sieve lined with cloth to collect safe water for studio use. Saves on distilling. Also use it to get a bucket of water for the precious cherry trees in pots that I am hoping to plant at the "new house".

R still talks as though this will be happening. I am still concerned about moving plants from Montreal house before freeze up. This is surely the last thing on his mind as he struggles to beat winter with myriad tasks.

Oops, that was yesterday! Today I managed to throw 4 more bowls; it only takes 45 minutes and a great deal of shoulder effort so I quit while still OK. Trimmed those that were ready, from yesterday. Will have to go out later as I turned on the heater and may need to cover them to keep from drying too much.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 03:53 PM

OH:

Strike one for Isaiah-- when I texted his mom that I was home in case my fone crapped out (we'd planned they'd txt b4 coming over for his 1st work day), she replied that he'd been sent home sick from school, and couldn't come. I had of course prepped many things for him, including gathering tools so I could do garage 101 with him NEXT time, not today.... :-( So I replied: "It would have been helpful to know this b4 I made a dozen plans based on him coming today, but I am sure you were focusing on him and I hope he feels better soon. Sunday?" She must be at work-- no reply yet-- but Showing Up/Strikes is always the 1st conversation. Learned THAT the hard way!

Another way I prepped was a recent insight learned the hard way-- I'd pre-opened the cabinet doors to Plastic Bag and Plastic Cup storage, cuz accessing those seems universal and ppl can never understand my verbal direx.

I had gone out front to start pulling up the drip hose where Dean's Plumbing will dig next week for a new sewer line, from my scooter. Did that, then stowed tools and gave Newbie a refresher on Scooter Commands 101 plus a new one-- Left Up = run on the cool parkway grass, not the 200° asphalt, and Come Right as we approach a parked car or other barrier. For long, shadeless stretches, she rode.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 02:15 PM

SRS, I use another trick--bags within bag. Everything in the outer bag is first containerized by category. I'd been on the road-- with enough chaos at each end-- that things were out of their little kits.

OH:
Mtg w county care manager Daejanna went well, esp w her ready agreement that the boundary failures I'd described were big no-no's. She will suggest staff dev at the agency and, if I request it, will move me to the other agency they contract with. I expressed that issues notwithstanding, I'm just so grateful for the help.

We discussed that if Greg is able to take on the vacuuming and trash, I might go to 2 hours in February. She plans another visit in January to meet Greg and assess services again, but there was no mention of possible fees.

Overall she affirmed that I'm coping well with a protracted and crazy-making transition and raising good issues.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 11:41 AM

Ages ago in a magazine or broadcast I learned a helpful trick for changing out the handbag from current to the next one. They had a nice-sized basket for just this task, and I keep one dedicated to handbag swapping in the dressing room. Unload everything out of your handbag into the basket and remove anything that doesn't need to be transferred. Then load the basket contents into the next bag. I always have to look for the little interior pockets and non-fastening slits for things like my little tags for the grocery store, etc.

I have neglected the houseplants in the north window of my sunroom; everything probably needs a shot of houseplant fertilizer in the next couple of waterings to perk them up. And I need to rearrange the furniture because right now they're difficult to reach, which doesn't support well-ordered watering and maintenance.

It looks like paperwork gets attention to start with today.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 10:03 AM

With the equinox around the corner, it's time to get ready for the first frost, which means bringing in the house plants. I think I shall have to give up my collection of orchids, as this house just doesn't have the right light conditions for them. The Christmas cactus (now almost 20 years old) will do all right in the north-facing study, but the orchids need a more intense light to get up the energy to bloom. I'll miss them ...

Himself spent most of the afternoon yesterday out on the deck with the fly of our large tent, which he was repairing with tubes of goop that stinks of acetone. I remember when that tent was brand new -- surely, only yesterday? But now its seams are perished from sun and age -- sorta like some humans I know. Anno Domini rules, I guess.

I guess I must be a ferocious neatnik by Mudcat standards, because my handbag gets cleared of excess stuff every day. Strange, but true!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 08:57 AM

SRS, wallets/purses, yep! Just ydy I was remarking to friend Judy that I'd downsized the purse but not the number of items in it, as I dug for lip balm and came up instead with another potion (Rx) I'd given up on ever finding. Later when I got home, I dumped put all the contents, and of course the lip balm my DIL had given me just days before was right in there, hiding in a fold of lining fabric.
.

OH:

I'm working towards getting a TV cabinet out of the sewing room and into the library. Judy invited me to a garden tour hours away but near my BIL/SIL, later this week, and so the sound system (now in the LL closet where the TV stand will go) will go to nephew John if weather for the trip is right. He has a garage band and we don't plan on using more than amps, so he can blast his neighborhood on 4 channels.

Books for the retired clergyman's book shelf will go into better (stackable) boxes this week for stacking near the now-out-of-the-way the SR window; his loose framed items went to the garage with the rest of the framed art stock; loose photos were added to a few others already on my dresser.

So I hope to get that TV stand moved with Brittney next week. We may not get all his shelves placed in January, but the large student desk his great-grand-dad built can go right in there.

I also bagged up a filthy dog blanket for disposal, after repurposing an old cotton thermal blanket for Newbie's corner, last night.

So the OH purge of now-duplicate/obsolete items is on, in anticipation of The Big Move in January (or two of those with the 2nd in March, TBD).

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 09:15 PM

Good intentions . . . instead of listing eBay stuff I sorted out my wallet, and it was past time to do this with several duplicate and expired cards. I compared cards with accounts online and in particular made sure the card from the Rx plan was the correct account even though they changed the company name since this was issued. From there I turned to filing and shredding and my office is looking a little better around the computer, though the other working space is piled high with papers still.

I took another pass at the grass in the driveway after clearing the area beside the garage. It's still quite disheveled out there with tall grass on either side, but the driveway cracks have now been hit with the string trimmer and swept clear.

Paperwork and videos this evening.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 01:44 PM

My next door neighbor was having difficulty pulling some tough grass rhizomes from through the slats in the stockade fence between our yards, and I knew it was because of a long plank I had leaned against my side. The grass tangled everything as it grew, so this morning I attacked that area with the electric weed wacker. I then worked a few feet down the driveway past that area and have called it quits for now; time to cool down. Humidity is high and the temperatures didn't drop this week after all.

A couple of more eBay things have sold, so that's an obvious cool-down activity for a couple of hours. I need to start making lists of the things I want to do rather than just bounce around, that's not very efficient. Just because I'm home every day for a while doesn't mean I'm finishing all sorts of stuff that needs doing.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 01:13 PM

OH:

Let me tell you, when your age requires that you accept help, it will make sense that I shared about that aspect of decluttering. ;-)

After a host of helps including one errand, we spelunked the clng supplies tower, and re-arranged it for my convenience, since taking out the bar fridge had opened up a whole shelf. In the process we found a TREASURE: the missing framed Renoir print from the bathroom I thought Tyler had taken, and misc stolen items, toys, and a framed LL item squirreled under/in that tower. Dust bunnies were vacuumed and there was a re-vac of LR after Newbie chewed up a wool dryer ball. And suddenly, time was done.

Zero time wasted. Ended with my asking "what could be better next time?" ("Nothing")

We can open next week with what I appreciated, such as boundary focus-- after oatmeal/tea wakies.

There were still kitchen and 3 bedroom cleaning areas (and whole house dusting) that weren't done due to time-- I can actually fill 4 hours with errands included, in this tiny, organized house.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 11:03 AM

OH:

In prep for tmrw's mtg w care mgr Daejanna, I'm taking notes as the boundary issues arise w Brittney and using a format from Clinical Pastoral Care processes to "verbatim" what is said and how it feels as the client. That said, the help that is necessary now is SO APPRECIATED.

Last night while working on something else, I came across my notes from another astounding failure of basic boundaries with another cleaner with the same agency. Adding their other cleaners' boundary confusions to these two instances, I now can see that it's not my great-attention clergy-spouse/peer counselor eyes 'causing' these issues-- it's an agency training issue, which I'd bet Daejanna will spot all by herself at tmrw's mtg.

A lot has been accomplished since 9! Finishing touches on stuff packed in PA and unloaded here.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 01:02 PM

Beaver:
Phone calls: Grandson is 21 tomorrow so I phoned him Sunday eve and he appreciated it due to busy week forthcoming. Short (15 min) due to: my concern about his minutes and my inability to discriminate his voice patterns. His Dad (#2 son) (an hour+) is easier to understand; needs counselor/therapist and cannot find info on one that performed miracle a few years ago; call to my bro to find one I worked with about 15 years ago; he could not spell her name but gave me # of someone who could. Called that # this am and sent the spelling to son- OH! she was the one he could not remember! I knew she was good! Hope she is still available to work another miracle. # 1 son phoned, by request, and told me not to worry about mystery email requesting $4000 or else! but change password on whatever had the one the email revealed. Trying to figure out what that might be. Reminded him of nephew's BD and told him of bro's concern. (that's OK; Troy will phone him just to talk...) Only 40 min as T was tired from have done two two hour gigs on Whidbey. Sometimes it would be nice to be there!

In addition, I managed to clear a good portion of BR floor and am thinking of how to better store some stuff. OR, if I am not sewing, do I need a 4 drwer bin full of sewing stuffs? As my energy level sinks, I prefer to make pots when I have any energy.

Today is not as dreadfully hot and humid. A soft breeze! There is still wood to be stacked but it is all covered and there won't be snow for a couple more weeks, at least. When it really cools, I can do that.

Ankle is still iffy at times. So I am VERY careful of each step! Sometimes I think I am being silly but, with C's mis-step, I guess not!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 11:15 AM

Ouch on that tumble, Charmion! I still have a tender place on my thigh from falling on campus in early June (it left a mark).

This morning I went out before the waste disposal truck came through and hauled a couple of more things to the curb. Pepper's chewed up $6 pool is no more, and I filled it with the chopped up woody limbs from two large dried out native sunflowers. There was a large dog food bag with regular house trash, and then a large Rubbermaid bin with more cut up and aligned sunflower parts (align them and you fit more than stuffing any which way). I'll pick up another wading pool for Pepper next time I'm past a Dollar General Store. I'll be putting various more trimmed bush parts into that Rubbermaid bin for several weeks and dragging it to the curb twice a week.

The stand mixer gets used mostly for the grinding attachment. I buy beef chuck or other pot roast-type cuts and freeze them in 1-pound pieces. When I'm making tacos or want to season something with hamburger I let it thaw (ideally) part way then it's very easy to cut into pieces and run through the grinder. I make carrot salad, I have made other things that involved grinding but I can't remember what right now. In the bowl part I tend to use it for times when I'm cooking for a crowd; mashed potatoes or to break up boiled sweet potatoes to add other ingredients before putting it in a casserole with little marshmallows on top. I make banana or pumpkin or zucchini bread in batches so I mix it there. I most often use the paddle, sometimes the whisk.

Years ago I was given a large durable bread machine (made by Wellbilt, branded to various companies) that I use on the manual setting for bread and rolls. I let it do the kneading and first rise then it's finished and I take out the dough to shape and let rise again before baking. Bread, rolls, pizza dough, etc. Every so often I find one for a song at a garage sale or thrift store and have picked them up almost brand-new for the kids.

My ex had one with the aluminum bowl cracked, and asked if I'd keep my eyes open for another bowl. I found a barely-used machine for $20 - it was as good as new and the bowl was great but the machine was missing the gasket and the paddle. Next time I was at his house I realized he used his gasket and paddle with the new machine and it's bowl and discarded his very old machine. I've tended to do that kind of repair myself lately, marrying parts from new and old to come up with one completely working device. My small Westblend grinder was that way - the switch on the old body had broken and I had to operate with a twist tie and a toothpick. I found a new body with a top that was missing the blade, but my top and blade fit on the new body.

The neighborhood excitement is over - Pepper has been busy listening to noises from next door as the local lumber company came to retrieve the unused planks from the patio decking and new roof project. They will get a credit for the unused wood, but the process of using the little hydraulic loader to put it back on the truck, and the unloading and reloading of the loader - so much for Pepper to keep an eye on! When I realized what she was excited about I opened the front door so she could watch them through the glass of the security door. She takes her job very seriously; when she was adopted she had no idea at first all of the things that would keep her busy around here! (I'll see about replacing her wading pool later today.)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 10:03 AM

OH:

I was just notified that I'll be back on Brittney's schedule starting tomorrow at 9am. Upside, she knows the house and most routines. Downside, boundary issues and not a great cleaner. But county care mgr is making a routine visit Weds. She can probably steer Brittney towards the better way.

Another interesting wrinkle is that since I need 3 hours help but they only have 2 or 4 hour slots (so they're giving me 4), that early start time sounds like she'll be making me oatmeal and tea while I wake up enough to be cogent, and she can start in the back of the house until I'm awake enough to convey the week's priorities.

She also knows the service dog well and can move boxes and stuff. Now I just need to redirect her stream of "How Broke I Am." I fought for blue collar folks most of my life. Now I'm the CLIENT. I'll encourage her to spend break time in the Liberation Library!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 09:17 AM

Perth County is presenting us with the same stonking heat that Dorothy sweated through last week. I just hide out in our lovely (if grubby) air-conditioned house, no apologies. The world would not be improved by me coming out in a heat rash.

Stilly, what do you use your big stand mixer for? You write a fair bit about pickling, but I can't remember you discussing baking. Are you one of those people who brings boxes of cookies to the office, and fills up the freezer with cake?

I am crap at cake and pastry, probably because I so rarely make either. Bread is my thing, and I flatter myself that I can do pretty well anything I want to with yeast. But most modern cake recipes look to me like a chemistry experiment followed by a craft challenge: first, get the thing to rise properly, and then spend ages arranging ganache and butter-cream constructions to make it look like a building by I.M. Pei. (The Great British Bake-Off has a lot to answer for.)

I'm sporting a bunch of new bruises and ugly scrapes on my elbow and hand, the result of an ankle failure that dumped me on my own doorstep the other day. I put my foot down wrong and that was enough. It's embarrassing for me (not to speak of painful) and scares the be-Jesus out of Himself, whose mind immediately conjures up the worst-case scenario -- Oh, God, she's having a stroke! But no, it's just what happens when one's undercarriage should be subject to a product-recall notice from God. It'll be fun at the gym today, where everybody will have something to say about my Technicolour shins. Thank God, they won't see my butt.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 18 - 10:56 PM

I took a whack at the tall grass in the vegetable garden today and cleared a few square yards of garden space before it got too hot out there. I'll resume the work tomorrow, hopefully the dew won't be so intense since it has been a few days since our last heavy rain.

Indoors, I've slowly sifted through old blog posts and deleted dated stuff and pages I don't intend to continue posting to. I'm looking at themes, and figuring out how to put up stuff that doesn't actually link from the blog page. Stuff I think I'll have to try to put up via FTP once I figure out where they'll let me put it.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Sep 18 - 03:01 PM

OH:

Completed spelunking the six banker's boxes that had been labeled for LL. Good thing I didn't wait because id already forgotten some details, so I added more labeling to a few. Moved two to their destination lower shelves pending further work, perhaps after the new lower shelves are built... "Last box" packed was emptied of most of its miscellany, most of which flowed twds various pre-designated house destinations.

One box not spelunked, I left for another time-- it got overwhelming so I stopped.

The LL floor is no longer a tripping hazard, and I could accept a LL visit that's been pending if it goes "live"-- function is now generally restored.

One box contains a number of books etc for LL shelves. The "New Arrivals" box here is overflowing again, which means cataloguing must resume before that box can be addressed. Yuck. Don't love cataloguing... but it would fill out odd, unfilled helper hours! It's not so bad when a second pair of hands brings me a few at a time, and shelves them as I get them entered. I can certainly move to do all those tasks, but not having to keeps my computer focus, uninterruptedly-- with the music going I can stay in "the zone" and it goes quickly-- and almost pleasantly!

~S~

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

OH:

In Xenia, it's "eat when you're hungry; sleep when you're tired". Except for keeping my brain on dayshift by getting up at a fairly consistent time, that's Ohio time. And the sleep is ON-- I yawned off the last hour before a midnight bedtime last night, slept 9 hours, and awoke after brekky and a 2 hour chair sleep. I don't need to know WHY, and that's how retirement can be like vacation. That's one reas on I'm healthier here-- I rest so deeply.

I hope it's like that for Greg. Vacation has been, most years-- that's why clergy get 4 weeks, because the first week is spent restlessly unhooking to GET to that place; the 2nd is spent resting that way; the 3rd is having vacational fun; the 4th is travel/dread/dreaming of retirement and making stress-relief plans you'll never keep.

I MIGHT unpack a box or two in the LL that I'm tripping over.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 18 - 09:43 AM

Most mornings these days start out humid and the grass weighed down with dew. Here's hoping our 40% chance of rain misses us and things dry out enough to make work comfortable and the lawn mowable.

It has occurred to me that as a retiring person I can now visit garage sales early and easily. I must be careful about that!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 09:07 PM

I did a lot of driving today to attend an event that included organic gardening vendors. I participated at a booth, answering questions and selling a few books. I'm looking forward to working more with these folks in the future, but via telecommuting.

The first two weeks of September were packed full of appointments, the next two weeks are wide open and I have plenty of things to keep me busy. Let's see if I can follow through with my intentions to be efficient yield any results. And find another job.

Those neighborhood garage sales are nice - every so often we end up with a pent up supply of things for sale (not sold during a period of hot or wet weather) and everyone ends up holding their garage sales on the same weekend. They're impromptu, not organized, block-wide sales, but still wonderful when they happen.

Charmion, when I moved into this house I had a lot of contractor work done and I paid for materials at every opportunity with one particular credit card to earn points (from my credit union, so they play nicer than some of the big bank cards). When the work was finished I had enough points to order a Kitchenaid stand mixer - they never seem to really go on sale. I have over the years acquired a couple of the attachments. The one I use most often is the grinder, for every time I need ground beef.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 08:36 PM

Beaver:

Yesterday was predicted as HOT so I stayed inside and read. Checked out the weather about 6 pm and found it very fine; I could have trimmed pots. So, today I went off to do things and all but collapsed. Did not stay at event but came home in A/C car and was happy it was cooler in house. Put a wet wash cloth on my head and aimed the air cleaner fan at myself. Tolerable about 7 pm and I was outside long enough to pick the few yummie raspberries and a handful of wax beans and water the cherry trees and the plants in the studio. Oh! The beans are still in my pocket!!

Looking at the west hill after the mist lifted this am, I saw signs of fall and while driving saw a few turning red trees. A beautiful red, yellow and green Maple was the best.

Another do almost nothing day and tomorrow predicted worse. But I ate reasonably and am well recovered. I actually feel as though I am about to die when I am out in that sort of heat. Looked at a couple herb books for heat sensitivity aids... Nada.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 04:47 PM

OH:

Breaking news, young Isaiah has just joined Team Ridgebury in the capacity of pre-hormonal second pair of hands. He stopped by one day last July and offered lawn help, which we didn't need, so I snagged his number and opened communications with his attentive mom.

Just when I despair of any help, another nice youngster with hungry pockets knocks on my door. He starts Wednesday, arriving w his mom, to unhook the trailer and hang one Ag panel to keep Newbie from climbing out to eat cats.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 04:13 PM

OH:

Lazy and pampered day fighting off a cold. The only productive effort today was a mini-request arising out of the summer's research project, which I was able to knock out into a zip file in less than an hour.

Also I happened across uneaten vacay food still quite edible.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 11:22 AM

The Eliza-Senoufou's village-wide yard sale sounds like the annual Great Glebe Garage Sale in Ottawa, which attracts punters from miles around and always seemed to coincide with the day we took the cats to the Glebe Pet Hospital for their annual jabs.

The last time this happened, I and two yowling cats found ourselves in hot competition for the last parking space within spitting distance of Bank Street between the Rideau Canal and the Queensway. In sheer desperation, I beat out two minivans for a wedge of asphalt between a delivery van and a pick-up truck full of fifth-hand (at least) furniture. In retrospect, the mob of bargain-hunters picking over the leavings of prosperous middle-class Canadian life did not make a pretty picture -- but at least the bits and bobs were headed a new life with new people, and not the dump.

Our current abode has rather less storage space than the place we had in Ottawa, where the entire cellar was given over to shelving, plastic bins, Himself's barrack boxes, and the wine.

We still have the wine (well, not the *same* wine, but at least the same clay-pipe storage arrangement), but not nearly so much shelving, so I have to exercise far more discipline with respect to stowing stuff.

Yesterday, I went out to Canadian Tire, that great Horn of Plenty, and purchased a Kitchen-Aid standing mixer, the first such item I have ever owned -- or, indeed, used. (After more than fifty years of cooking, I have taken up sourdough baking, and the recipes I have assume the use of a power mixer.) Before I could embark on this errand, I had to find out precisely how wide and how tall the appliance is, and identify a storage spot for it. Fortunately, it fits on the pantry shelf; half an inch taller, and I would have been (reluctantly) taking it back.

Incidentally, I got a screaming deal; the mixer I bought is baby-blue, a discontinued colour, which brought the price down by Cdn$250.00. The red one cost Cdn$549.00. Riddle me that.

When my parents were young, people made their own bread to save money. As I drove away from Canadian Tire with my $300 bargain, I rationalized like crazy, thinking, "Well, I could be a golf fanatic, blowing the family fortune on membership in the Stratford Country Club!" (As if.) At least we eat the bread.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: KarenH
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 06:40 AM

My problem is how to take books to donate to Oxfam (charity bookshop) without getting tempted to buy more while there to bring home. Really trying to do better than one in, one out, but not very successfully.

Also, one really does need more than one guitar.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Sep 18 - 04:17 AM

Next weekend our village is having a mass front-garden sale. Anyone who wants to participate can submit their address to the organiser and it's put on a printed map. These maps are handed out for a small fee (given to a charity) to visiting customers (they come from villages all around) and on the day, from 10.30am until 3pm buyers wander round examining the goods on offer and purchasing them.

We're going to take part. We've done it before in our last village. It's so easy not to have to load up the car and drive off to a car-boot sale.
If it rains, we can open our garage door (garage is empty) and sell from there.

Husband is rooting around in the loft, bringing down chairs, coffee tables, a carpet shampooer, tons of Crimbo decorations, and we're also selling some garden furniture (but not my famous bench!)

I'm looking out ornaments, small mirrors, clothes (we have a portable clothes rack on which to display them) kitchen equipment, linen (table mats, tablecloths, old-but-still-nice curtains etc etc)

It's such an excellent opportunity to clear out the house. Our bungalow is tiny and we can't have clutter.
Also, I love nattering to all the visitors. I might make some cup-cakes/scones to sell with tea or coffee.
It will be like a very enjoyable party, with a bit of money at the end!
I'll pop some of our takings in the charity fund afterwards.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 10:47 PM

This morning my daughter joined me to tour an exhibit ending soon at our local modern art museum, and then we went out for lunch. I can't afford to eat out as much as I have the last couple of weeks, but today we were able to take advantage of Free Friday at the museum. I'm still discovering how different traffic is during the day, that period from 9 to 3 when people are at work and kids are in school. I plan to return to work one of these days, but for now, I'll enjoy this easy shopping and driving time. I'm driving to an organic gardening event tomorrow and expect to be working with the folks there on a contract basis (from home in the future).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 06:41 PM

OH:

Chix crockpot was a great supper, with enough left in the bowl to supplement a can of chicken enchilada soup. The rest of the first batch is cooling for the freezer, while a second bag of frozen chix is in the stock created. It will be crocking away til morning, and I'll be putting a lot of it in the freezer, to draw from as needed.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 05:51 PM

OH:

I spent the day recovering from the driving by walking back and forth thru the house, doing small tasks and taking one or two items at a time out of open boxes to carry to their planned destination. I now have two small boxes emptie, and my clean and folded vacation laundry put away. Putting things where they belong and re-discovering my innate orderliness has helped in every transition, but I look forward to just BEING here-- without transitions-- starting in January!!!

Groceries are off the list for today. Too hot to scooter and too brain-fuzzy to drive. Theresxactuslly lots of food here, including frozen blueberries I'd left myself!

Later-- items unloaded ydy and dumped on LR floor dispersed: Crate acoustic and minivox amps went aganst a LR wall for winter acoustic picking; Greg's picnic mass kit went to a LR wall by the front door; a box to open and then split its contents between LL and SEwing Room put in SR (LL floor space filled pending unpacking of several banker's boxes into shelves). Left in the LR to address is one large box of misc items to disperse thru the house, and then repurpose the box for Greg's clergy library items sitting in open boxes in the van.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 12:29 PM

Beaver:

House situation is unfathomable. I do not mention it to R much anymore. The sale of Montreal house fell through but R is still looking for a purchaser. He thinks he will pull it all together "at the last minute". I am happy here and really do not much care anymore. That hot spell all but did me in. I was SO happy when it ended - "Oh, I am not at death's door!" So I threw some pots. They are waiting to be trimmed but the heat and humidity have hit again today. I picked up more books at the library and have plenty of food. The house is closed up and still cool enough. Studio is 79F! All the essentials are under control. I am not going to try doing laundry 'cause I ain't goin' out there - to hang it! Did a few little things inside this am, did library, farm market and picked up fenugreek, hot curry powder and cashew pieces at Harvest Moon. May do a few more little indoor things as energy and inspiration arise.

Speaking of inspiration: I got the cashews packaged and stood looking around - "For inspiration" I told the staff. Then along comes Iny with a bag of - "looks like curry - YEAH!" "Hot curry" she said. So I went and packaged a good amount of that and then remembered Fenugreek. Then I no longer felt as though I had forgotten anything!

Now for veggies with hot curry seasoning! Lunchtime in central Ontario.

Subject: Pennsyltucky PY
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 11:35 AM

OH:

My copy of Greg's retirement announcement was in the overflowing mailbox I purged yesterday. I keep looking at it to be sure it's really going to happen!

Life in Tioga County moves much more slowly than here, near Dayton. I've chafed at the pace here because my long experience has been that change happens in TC at the rate human beings actually can change. So I prefer that pace.

But it occurred to me yesterday that the intensity of the 3 weeks it took to do all I did during my three weeks back "In the County" was just about at that faster Dayton pace. And that as I integrate back into Dayton-pace, perhaps I'll find it less.... maddening. Perhaps more patient with it. Perhaps more effective, in it. It is two very different cultures for sure. I can love both.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 10:05 PM

I've tackled the garden starting along the driveway side of the house, toting a couple of wheelbarrow loads of weeds back to the compost so far and trimming a few shrubs. Now I need to keep making progress and weed around the house before it dries out too much to work easily. I also lopped down all of the large wild sunflowers and the dead corn stalks to get them out of the way. When the garden hasn't grown up much in the spring the sunflowers look cheerful out there, but when they get really big they make a mess and crowd lots of stuff. I didn't get branches at the curb this week for bulky waste pickup so instead I'll put them out in modest amounts as trash every week, cut up and stacked into a tall Rubbermaid trash can.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 09:08 PM

OH:

I'm almost caught up on sleep and getting household fud back on track. Grocery list made for tmrw.

Some of tdy's time went towards resolving a fone issue. Also I got most of one plastic bin unpacked. It included one of Newbie's beds, and I placed that over what the last cleaner had said was a dog-ruined section of white carpet. WRONG! It needs only a minimum of Febreze!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 02:05 PM

OH:

The cleaner not an ideal match... but twice as many boxes, etc. were unloaded than hoped. That means 1.5 boxes/day unpacking is about right. The time it took to label them was SO WORTH the extra minute per box as I packed.

Unlike most of their helpers, the agency confirmed that Amber can't make grocery runs for me. I wonder if she has a record involving money. I feel shitty for being judgey--- but after Tyler...

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 10:32 AM

Maybe it's time for an update on Dorothy's houses, but the last I read was that they wouldn't be able to move to the new house till November because the sale on the Montreal house had a time factor involved of being finalized then. I hope so!

I canned applesauce last night, clearing out space in the fridge that was full of apples. I peeled them because in my research on fiber it seems that while the pulp is considered soluble fiber, the skin is harder on the gut as insoluble fiber. Whatever the case, this applesauce is a light bright color, not the darker look it usually has when I puree the pulp and skin all together after steaming.

Finally a morning without overnight rain and the possibility to mow the lawn before I shower and head out for the afternoon.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 07:57 AM

SRS, yeah! Smh.

The PA house is pretty far north so it's unlikely to get too much Florence, but it depends on the front's track.

Now that Hardi's retirement plans are official, the Ohio house feels very different. Unexpectedly homey. I thought I'd already made that internal transition. Apparently there are deeper layers. All it needs is Hardi here.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: mg
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 02:33 AM

I thought montreal house fell through

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 12:59 AM

Dorothy, you must be making plans to move to the new house soon? Please tell us what we can expect as you prepare to move stuff from the Montreal house to the new house?

Susan, lucky you survive anything wrapping itself on the axle. Ugg. Are you away from the stormy weather, and is the house in PA going to get some heavy weather from hurricane Florence?

My knee is in good shape after a treatment six weeks ago and follow-up visit today to check on it. There are a variety of things possible in the future arthritis-wise, but this was the easiest so far and it is working. I also stopped by my GP office. There are a number of shots that become available as you get older, and I'm making a point to get them. The pneumonia shot is next, once they get another batch in the office (they ran out this morning and I stopped by in the afternoon. Good thing I could at least get the flu shot.) I'll be able to work on the garden, as long as I don't go too crazy with the spade fork, and may do myself a favor to switch sides as I do the digging work.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Sep 18 - 08:10 PM

Home!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Sep 18 - 05:40 PM

Beaver:
3 heavy weather days/NO energy days seem to be ending with SUN, high humidity and HOT - all in about an hour. I managed to get my Mexican rug back on the wall just now after thinking about it for 3 days. The ladder is not easy but possible for me to put down and then up, which I needed to do to get the rug up.

The ladder, like Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way! It is beautiful cedar, finished to a smooth finish and varathaned with satin finish. When down it does not impede the doorway between LR and K and when up it is totally out of the way and beautiful! AND I can navigate it - up and down with no problem! I am SO happy to have this job done - and beautiful. There is room for an oldish trunk of fabrics and the beautiful old straight back chair "for Larry", with carpet so he does not have to de-boot. (This is not a de-boot type house!) The trap door is renovated to look better and hinged to open with ease. One more wonderful Dan job! When it dries outside - maybe tomorrow!he will paint the outhouse and finish high places on the shed that I could not easily reach. That may be it for this season - unless R has him work on the library. I need to save some money before spending more!

Now to plan a way to advertise and get people to beat a path to the door and, hopefully, buy some pottery! Possibly re-instate Keto diet... Have not gained back to lost 5 nor lost any more.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Sep 18 - 01:33 AM

Transit:

Arrived safe at Ohio son/DIL after multiple highway-shoulder stops to fix and finally remove tarps. One tarp strap, fortunately, lost its battle with the axle it wrapped itself around at 80mph.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Sep 18 - 01:48 PM

The rain in Texas is not directly related to the Carolina's coastal weather, though all weather is eventually related if you look at the global picture. :)

Safe driving, Susan! Safe walking, Charmion!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Sep 18 - 10:35 AM

PA:

Trailer ready to go. Confirming last arrival details, which will influence actual departure hour--u and then off we go.

Sun coming out for a cheery drive!

~S~