Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Nov 18 - 02:13 PM

Beaver:

I have a marvellous t-shirt: four largish animals, from the woods, playing instruments "In Tune With Nature" I guess part of being "in tune..." is recognizing and accepting diminishing energies. That cord of wood still not stacked: Does it matter if it stays there, covered, until the snow leaves again? Being so well organized, I just discovered I am missing one ingredient for the glaze I was going to make. Does it matter if I put the rest in the bucket and add that one after I get back to the mill where I have LOTS? I remember looking at it, so why oh why did I leave it behind!

But just maybe I could do some mending instead of sitting like a lump and reading yet another book.

R is still cleaning up the house. How I wish he had done all this 8 years ago! How I wish I could let go of what could have happened and just be positive about what is. This could be a valuable de-clutter! He is happy with what he is accomplishing and I must stop whining. Too soon to say for sure but there appears to be light at the end of this tunnel; we can only hope it is not a freight train coming through. Or is he just a cock-eyed optimist? At least he is on speaking terms with the realtor and looking at home insurance...

Just as I was going to comment that shredded paper is much better for starting the fire, Charmion adds the bit about her guitar! However, a small shredder would prob do the job these days and still leave room? Mind, I have enough paper starter to last all winter and more comes in weekly. Just throw bunches into the already started fire, but a fireplace is different.

I am organized to measure glaze and waiting for the day to improve/get a bit warmer, maybe even stop raining for a bit? OR so heavily for a bit? This is the warmest day for a week (45F)- Phooey.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 18 - 02:25 PM

Some weeks ago I was at the used book store and they had lots of volumes to do with denim crafts and projects. Not a one in view yesterday. I should have grabbed one when I had the chance.

I saw a great mid-century style sewing table at Goodwill today, it was a large work surface when folded out, but opening it gave a gush of stale cigarette smoke. Nope. Not gonna live with that stink. There is a folding smaller sewing table in my garage that was delivered here recently; it was my mother's, and though she has been gone for 20 years, and quit smoking 10 years before that, it still has the smell of stale smoke and will need to be completely cleaned to try to neutralize it. My brother remarked recently that any time he left Mom's house after he'd moved away to college he always had to shower and wash his clothes (so did I) - he wondered if we always stank like smoke to our classmates and co-workers before we moved out?

Handed a few VHS tapes over to the Goodwill donation folks this morning and found a mint-condition Food Saver storage jar. I don't use them to store food, I use them to seal smaller jars that are put inside with their lids loosely in place. A seal within a seal for dry foods. I was just telling a friend about that, so this may be her housewarming gift.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 18 - 10:14 PM

I have two monitors on my desktop and the smaller older one has been acting up. Today it wouldn't start at all, except briefly. I swapped out cables, that didn't help, so I swapped out the monitor for a small spare one that usually stays in the other room for guests (to use with laptops). It worked. I found a replacement that is a couple of inches bigger than the dead one but the same manufacture as my large monitor (HP) and was both cheap ($103) and deliverable today (Amazon Prime, of course). It helped to look at their list of "Top 100" devices they sell, that's why this one is there, I'm sure. It has great reviews. I use two monitors because the design work is easier with the dual monitor setup.

I've managed to clear out more around the office and the new stack of styrofoam will head out go out in the trash later this week. I need to give the front yard one more mow before it's dormant for winter. I mowed the back yard today and need to do the trimming (after I put a new gas line in the gas trimmer) to polish it off. And of course, that fence job awaits. I got a nice workout this afternoon wrestling the mower around the back.

Finally, a note about the time change: I've managed to ignore what the time on the clock says and simply go to bed when I'm tired, and that means I'm getting to bed an hour earlier in Standard Time. I'm definitely not in a going-to-the-office schedule any more, but I don't want to sleep the day away.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:23 AM

Alas, Stilly, you and your brother did indeed stink of cigarettes when you lived with your Mum. If even a table still carries the odour, just imagine what was in your clothes.

On the other hand, smokers were in the majority back then, so most of your friends and acquaintances were the same.

When people talk glibly about how they wish they could turn back time and go back to how it was when they were young, I always want to yell, "No way!" The ever-present evidence of wide-spread tobacco addiction -- yuck!

Of all the nasty substances I had to clear away and clean up in my hospital days, the only one I truly loathed and resented was ashtray contents.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 10:37 AM

There were power struggles in my youth to do with cigarettes: I refused to wash the ashtrays (the worst stink in the world are wet ashes). And if Mom walked into one of our bedrooms with a cigarette in her hand it didn't work to ask her not to smoke in our rooms. She would answer "it's my house." She wore large opaque blinders as far as smoking all of her life. When emergency surgery was required to replace arteries from her abdomen to her legs "because her toes were tingling" she never said why. It wasn't until years later I discovered a description of Buerger's Disease that I realized how total her blindness was to this thing that we all hated. She never admitted that smoking was the cause or what the disease was. She quit smoking then but never said why, and still defended it the rest of her life. She was a really smart creative woman, but that addiction robbed her of what friends and family wanted for her, a healthy long life. And when I'm at a new doctor's office and if they ask if I smoke or ever smoked, I answer that I never smoked but I lived with a heavy smoker for 19 years.

On a different note, I see that Flickr, the photo storage and sharing site that used to belong to Yahoo but now belongs to SmugMug, will limit the number of free photos in storage to 1000. I'm sure I have more than that, so much decide which photo site I want to use and pay for. I have storage at Microsoft's OneDrive, but it doesn't share as nicely as Flickr does.

Liquid diet today, leading up to the evening "prep" for tomorrow's colonoscopy. I will be so glad to put this behind me (pardon that pun!)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 06:54 PM

OH:

The agency that sends the cleaner crossed a red line here Tuesday and will be replaced by the second of the two agencies the local senior services folks contracts with. It will take awhile to get onto their schedule and it's not going to affect my decluttering here because there's only one banker's box to purge and then there's a pause until I come back with Greg in January.

A box of miscellaneana has formed in the LL and is slated to move elsewhere for sorting/purging. There's also a cable company box in there (the wrong set-top box they'd sent), to call FedEx to pick up. I want my limited walkspace back.

Today I put the blank note cards I was given to good use. I'd organized a post-election gathering at the local blue bubble cafe, and took some with me for participants to sign for the local candidates. It was great to be equipped to turn that idea into action!

Tdy I decluttered the yard of election signs, all of which I will re-use.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 07:15 PM

Beaver:

I wonder if an ozonator would remove the smell of smoke. It works for mold and other stuff.

As a small child, I emptied ash trays for my grandma; hated it but did it. Would do anything to please that set of grandparents, I guess. But married a person of colour and my granddad, and uncle, disowned my father, bro and me... Did not see my cousins again for 50 years. Now one, of the two who had "found me", has un-friended me because of political differences. That kind of de-clutter I did not need.

Wind and rain most of day; full dark by 5:30. I almost got to work in the studio but... De-cluttered more of the LR and BR, brought in wood - as much as would fit - during a non-raining spell! At least I am still getting up at the old time. Went to town council meeting; visited with friends; gave S a wooden bowl I found for her at a thrift shop; she had wanted one. Now she wants a book on depression; picked one off my shelf that she can comprehend.

Call from friend who stayed at one of R's lofts last week: she had bites. She slept on the sofa. Sofa needs the treatment. Friends who stayed there last month did not use sofa, did not get bitten.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 07:55 PM

Is this the sofa you thought was nice looking? Perhaps time to rethink that furnishing choice.

This evening I dug the hole and put the steel post in for the corner of my adjusted fenceline. It is quick-setting concrete and I went out about 30 minutes later and poured some gravel in the hole. I made the footing pretty deep, it'll be covered with about six inches of dirt. The new fence is something that can begin over the weekend. Since the existing fence is going to come down I will scavenge some of the fence post bands and brackets to use on the post I put up today (taking them from the center vs the top or bottom rail of the existing panels). Eventually I'll be digging up the existing steel fence posts and use a sledgehammer to knock off the concrete footer; I did that with some that were removed to extend the driveway and put in the garage, and put them in other places. The one I placed tonight had a very small concrete footer so I left it there and put in new concrete around it.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Nov 18 - 06:44 PM

Ozonators remove smoke on surfaces; things that absorb smoke, not so much. After our Dec. 2000 house fire we learned about this. A commercial fire-recovery ozonator is huge, and creates its own temporary odors.

The new cleaning service starts Tuesday. In the fone intake, I emphasized sending a regular cleaner once we discover the best match. We'll see. I'm going to video some training modules to save my voice/mind!

Off tmrw to a wknd workshop so cya Monday!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 01:29 PM

Yesterday went well and all is fine. It's a nice day today and I can eat what I want again, and tomorrow friends are coming over for lunch and I think we'll build personal pizzas on middle eastern flat bread (an Iraqi bread that is like a big version of naan), have salad, and an apple cobbler. It's cooking and baking weather now, so we're all looking forward to this one.

I the fence post put up on Wednesday is now ready to use. Today is cool and lovely and I'm going to head over to the hardware store to get the 2x4s I need for the cross-members and start scavenging from the fence supports already in place on the old fence. When my brother was here visiting he shared a fence tip with me - stack the cedar planks and apply the wood preservative to the sides, top, and bottom, then lay them out to paint it on each face before I nail them into place, then I can be sure everything is fully treated. (Home Depot and Lowe's are competitors and are equally close to me - Lowe's announced they will be closing stores so I think I'll take my business there to help keep this store open.) I pick up wood in a couple of trips because it will have to go on a tarp in the SUV with the seats down to fit them in. I do miss my old pickup.

Last night I cleared about 2' of shelf space in my office; some computer books so old they'll go straight in the recycle bin. Back copies of university publications I kept for research are going as well. I had a box full of cassette tapes that have duplicate copies of LPs from my father's estate, and I need to start making digital copies of various of his personal recordings (Song Circle, etc.) and reduce the number of cassette tapes, though many of them need to be kept as original source material and the digital copy will be for research use. I kept copies of his LPs back when I was going to have to send them to various siblings but I got all but one box back. This was for reference as far as where he learned his songs. I don't need copies of the LPs I have in my possession.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 05:07 PM

I was going to start work on the fence after picking up my pressure treated 2x4s, but the weather forecast tells me there is a freeze warning. About-face and head to the garden with clippers and boxes to harvest whatever is still growing out there.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Nov 18 - 11:04 PM

Somewhere in Ontario!

At an airbnb in a field two miles from a charming village - where I spent the late afternoon, having soup and tea, because I could not get the door open with the code. A police officer finally helped me; he thought I couldn't find it but he did manage to get the door to open. Life is fraught with hazard! Eventually, the husband came home and found - big oops!- they thought I was coming tomorrow. I had at least 3 reminders from airbnb; I wonder if the hosts had any?

The idea was: eye appointment in P-boro, an hour and a half drive, a meeting tomorrow in Orangeville, another 2-3 hours west. Cut my driving. and gas usage. Added a bit more driving by detouring to pick up some stuff I could not get elsewhere which also aided a stop at a great grocery store where I could get special stuff. All a good plan other than the door glitch.

The major de-clutter is not having to go back to the eye doctor! My eyes are healthy and vision is 20/20, she says. And I can see at night!! So I do not have to worry about getting home before dark - as I surely will not tomorrow.

It snowed lightly all day without making much effect; roads were only wet. The mild weather (hovering at freezing but not below) meant an easier get away - no worries about plants and other freezables.

The sofa that prob has/d bugs is naught to do with me, or the house; it is in a dif building, thankfully.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 18 - 01:01 AM

The air smells like a freeze though we're not there at this moment; perhaps by dawn. It's a mix of cold air and wood burning fireplaces. I don't have a working fireplace at this point, so the smell is tantalizing but not something I can contribute to. I picked a few pounds of green tomatoes and hot peppers today, and one eggplant. I won't bother to try digging sweet potatoes right away, they're protected underground from this kind of frost.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 18 - 11:25 PM

Friends came over for lunch and we each assembled our own pizzas on quarters of large tandoori bread (an Iraqi flat bread) that I pulled out of the freezer. Sauces included Alfredo, a fabulous jar of pesto, and an organic tomato sauce. Cheese was provolone, and there were peppers, mushrooms, onions, sausage, chicken, and herbs and spices to add. This worked well since one of the friends is vegetarian and didn't have to worry about picking ingredients off of his share. Each quarter of the pizza/bread was baked and the crust was delightfully crisp and easy to cut into two slices. Apple cobbler for dessert.

Tomorrow I start scavenging hardware off of the existing fence that will soon be disassembled. I have the cross-members and after putting them up will calculate the number of cedar fence pickets. I'd like to have this finished by Thanksgiving (the entire job, including taking down the old fence).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 18 - 12:30 PM

I have the socket and ratchet set out, this removal of fence hardware takes the 7/16th or 11mm size. I'll be using a hand saw (only six 2x4s to shorten), and the drill to pre-drill the holes for the fence hardware screws (the size of small bolts). I'll go into the back yard next door to take a look at how they spaced the fence brackets on the corner posts or if there was an extra piece needed.

It is now winter in North Texas. We had a week of fall weather and that's all we ever get. The benefit to my schedule now is that I won't be at work 20 miles away during the warmest parts of the day when yard work is pleasant. I'll lay out a tarp in the garage to put the wood preservative on the fence slats without worrying about wind or weather. Good thing I cleaned out the garage last year and have plenty of floor space to do this work. A friend left a plastic tarp with me that she was going to recycle or trash; I'll lay it out for this job and then decide to reuse or trash it later.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 11 Nov 18 - 06:50 PM

Today I cleaned out more of my closet coming up with a large kitchen trash bag full of things to go to either Goodwill or Sally's.   Jeremiah found a few things as well.

I'm not sure this counts as decluttering but I went to a craft fair yesterday and came home without making any purchases. I used to love craft fairs but anymore, unless something is really screaming my name, I walk on by. There was one woman there selling mittens that she makes out of old sweaters and lines with polar fleece which I happen to LOVE but at this point in my life, I have several pairs and really...no REALLY do NOT need any more! I did stop to ooh and ahh over them and held a few but I didn't purchase anything.

The women who I am close (proximity and otherwise) to at work and I did some rearranging at work. It's funny how it happened....one of the girls got a large metal desktop organizer which prompted her to do some rearranging and the conversation over the top of our cubicles turned into how much we wanted some extra filing cabinets either for each of our spaces or larger ones to put at our end of the office. We also all agreed that we wanted another 5 drawer filing cabinet in the main office where all client information is kept under dual lock and key as currently we each have one drawer to ourselves....each being full to the max making it difficult to retrieve and return our daily client files. We have a great maintenance guy and we talked with him about what we wanted. He told us he had some things in storage and if we would be able to condense one of the large 5 shelved cabinets in the main office, he'd bring us another 5 drawer filing cabinet. I imagine you've never seen a group of women empty, sort, toss and condense office items into a different space in such a short time. Our new 5 drawer cabinet arrived but then our maintenance man brought a 3 drawer and a 2 drawer for us to keep at our end of the building (no client files, only Department of Health and Office of Mental Health paperwork that we use on a daily basis) so we don't have to run to the office all the time. We collectively decided that since there are 5 of us, we'd each get a drawer to do whatever we want with. We are all very excited and some serious decluttering is happening in our cubbies....and the thing is, we're all having fun with it. Nesting at the office is most interesting! :) Also, given the change from Halloween to Thanksgiving, we are all changing up our personal decorations as well.

Today I decluttered my car of the Whattachairs that have been kept in the car all season for soccer and assorted family events. I like when my car is basically empty. :)

We decluttered 1/3 of our chicken flock as well recently and have a freezer full of free range chicken for the winter. :) It's a great feeling knowing what our food consists of.

On the health front, the LiveStrong Program has been delayed a bit so I don't have much to report on that front. I have, however, found a new endocrinologist and am having incredible success with my glucose levels since he instituted some insulin changes. I also have a FreeStyle Libre which is a sensor that I can wear for 10 days that allows me to check my blood sugars with a scanner...no more pricking my fingers. This means I check much more frequently and am able to really see how certain foods and activities affect my glucose levels. New thyroid medications are on board too. I am hopeful that I will be having much more energy and feeling better soon.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is well.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 18 - 09:19 PM

That's a great overview of work and home, Michelle! I'm glad to see that your healthcare maintenance is moving the direction you want. I joined the "Silver Sneakers" program when I retired but am not sure how to get going - I have an account but no card. I guess I just have to go to one of the gyms involved and ask them. I'd rather do productive work around the house and yard to burn the calories, but I suppose a monitored program run by professionals would be a good addition to my routine.

This afternoon I took apart portions of the existing fence; I realized as I started that each bracket has to be slid up over the top so I took off the top ones instead of the middle ones. However, now that I have these I think I can take out the screw that holds them in place on the post and force three of them around a post that already has brackets and a fence in place. The screw is to stabilize it after such a maneuver. That's the theory I'm working on; I'll try it out tomorrow, and if it works, fine. Otherwise, I'll take out an existing fence post and move it and work from there. I could hire someone to do this and pay for all of the stuff, but I have it here already in that the old materials would just go to waste. And I'm stubborn - I can do this myself.

P.S. I don't have cable, I watch over-the-air with antennas. In the last couple of years some of the channels have shifted frequency for whatever reason, though they were in theory still the same channels (5.1 and 5.2 most recently, and a while ago channel 27.1 and 27.2 changed.) My television gave them new locations without removing the old locations on my preferences; I had to remember what the new numbers for the old channels were. A couple of weeks go I decided to research this and managed to set my office TV to the factory settings and rescan the channels. Perfect, everything where it belongs. Today I found the way to reset the kitchen wall TV and did the same thing. Life is easier when you can just punch in the numbers on the remote and it goes there.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Nov 18 - 09:50 AM

SRS, I also use home tasks for part of my fitness. What a structured workout could add for you is balancing muscle groups and flexibility that those home based things tend to miss. For every muscle we use in one direction, there are other opposing muscles that also need their turn. Very hard to describe, but say one set of muscles pushes, another set pulls. Or picture someone who does a lot of lifting but doesn't work on flexibility-- they'd have a hard time hanging from monkey bars.

I'm sort of desperately awaiting my card, so I can oppose water in all directions. One balance I need I know I need is more core work to balance my walking muscles.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Nov 18 - 10:15 AM

I got a Fitbit for my birthday. Among the many things it tracks is the number of occasions per day when I climb the stairs. Stair-climbing is apparently a major contributor to cardiac fitness among sedentary people, so I do it frequently -- at least 10 times per day.

I believe that Fitbit has it wrong, however; going up (as most of us know by now) is actually the easy part. The big trick is coming down gracefully and safely, without teetering, toppling, skidding or otherwise losing one's footing and, consequently, doing a head-first dive or a bottom-first bumpy slide to the bottom. For me, the hindrance is arthritis in the knees, ankles and feet that stiffens the joints of my personal undercarriage. The first descent of the day is always a crap-shoot: will the ankles flex today, or not?

The housework task that generates the most fitness benefit for me is vacuum cleaning. It combines weight-lifting with upper-body and core flexion and several interesting balance challenges, of which the first is moving the vacuum cleaner from the bedroom closet down the stairs to the sitting room rug without bashing the plaster.

Fun times in retirement. What larks, eh?

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

OH:

I started today with the new home services agency. OMG they are totally professional! The assigned "care partner" was great. We got acquainted over arepa-making; she made eight (six of which are frozen now), and she can now make them independently.

Today was mostly orientation. A few basic tasks got done, and a lot of basic concepts were communicated and understood-- where stuff is kept, what's important and what can slide. Plans for succeeding weeks were made pending agency confirmation that she'll be permanently assigned.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Nov 18 - 09:37 AM

Beaver:

Safely home at 7 pm on Saturday after my two day adventure. The house was 50F - not too bad. There were still small coals in the stove but I needed to boost them - de-cluttering some of the summer's collection of paper.

Mostly I was gratified that my energy level was still good. As though the trip had energized me. The cool night - it took that long for the house to feel warm - was OK. I would have liked another blanket but they are upstairs and opening the trap door would be a major heat de-clutter! The heating pad sufficed.

Even more gratified to find good energy on Sunday and not having to drag myself to do things. Remembered, for the first time in months, to take the spirulina. So, I have been getting things done - and taking it daily!And getting up earlier and getting things done.

De-cluttered the studio of most of one type clay - threw, trimmed and tehy are drying - and cleaned up tools, wheel, et al so it will be ready to switch back to the other clay. Did a bisque firing at the low peak time.

Today started out at 17F! Brry day to unload the kiln and take stuff to the studio for glazing - all of 20 feet but mind the ice! Sand is by the back door. But it is sunny!!! And I find it easier to go out into the cold knowing I can get back into a warm place. There will be good solar gain in the studio today.

R is still working on the house and people are still waiting to view it. "You don't want to be here" he told me so I am staying here until I get the word.

I have lost another couple pounds. I am now doing well on the Keto, finding creative ways to enjoy eating the veggies. No longer eating choc or craving muffins... I started bouncing (only) on the mini trampoline - 100 bounces only but it has an effect. Bringing in the wood is my best exercise and I feel myself getting stronger. It will be hard not being here to do that if we actually move into the new house. I know I lose that effect in the summer. My ankle seems almost 100% now and the bouncing does not cause a problem nor does driving for hours! (I drove about 8 hours on the weekend.)

Hoping the carrots are not frozen into the ground. This week is mostly all below freezing with highs of 30-32F. Tonight to 5F! About 3 inches of snow cover.

MY computer has become so slow it is painful. Looking for a glaze recipe last night, I found lots of duplication and wonder if a good de-clutter would help. It would be tedious!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Nov 18 - 10:03 AM

The snow is down in Stratford. Time to dig out my winter boots, and put away almost everything else I might put on my feet.

Crap.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 18 - 10:09 AM

This region will probably break annual records for rainfall; the good thing about now having freezing nights is that the grass isn't covered with dew when I take the dogs out the last thing. They can go on their own (dog door) but this trip out (with a treat in hand to assure 100% compliance) is to get the oldest dog out one last time. During the summer she was drinking so much water she was having incontinence problems overnight when she was sound asleep (she's also deaf, so noises don't wake her). She was sleeping on the tile floor at that time. That trip out works, and good thing, because I put the dog cover on the sofa last night (it is waterproof, but I don't want to test it with more than the occasional wet feet after a romp outside). They get to sleep on the furniture in the winter. Pepper was beside herself with joy at this development!

I rearranged things in my office and put the Amazon Fire stick on the television that is now recessed on a shelf by itself. Clearing old computer books from a different shelf meant I could move music books over there and this TV is now on it's own; it was standing on top of the record player part of my sound system, but I'm needing access to that again.

Another thing about bookshelves is that often things are stacked horizontally on top of the books. Some piles of those papers have been moved to my second desktop and I'm going through a few sheets at a time every time I walk past it. Slow but steady and most of the paper had logical and more orderly places to live, or into the recycle bin.

In the kitchen I just bagged a gallon of frozen hot peppers and the house smells herbal now as a whole bunch of basil dries on counters. This was brought in before that first hard frost. I have more things to cut up and freeze, and there is a box of tomatoes that are going to ripen slowly.

Charmion, your new community appears to be in the headlines now - HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain) was living and acting in your midst. He did a lifetime of good work, but it's nice to have a really iconic piece to hang it all on.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Nov 18 - 02:08 PM

OH:

Great fone visit w Greg last night. Soon we'll be back in team formation.

It was so much fun seeing how the lawn svc deals w leaves that the city sucks off the curbs. They even got up on the roof to blow leaves off, and I learned a neat ladder-setting trick. I've never been here to see this in past years.

Last night was the first time I can remember, thinking ahead about what I'd be doing for myself the next day with a "planning check." Til last night I was only looking at each day, each day. Sometimes not till noon after early AM commitments were fulfilled. Stuff w others was in my mental map, and calendar reminders, but not my personal stuff. That's pretty f&cked up! ;-)

This must be part of the sexist conditioning that leaves women serving everyone else and exhausting ourselves. I used to do all that re-prioritizing in my head, and leave myself off the priority list most of the time. I've had to learn life skills our family didn't cover; for me it always seemed easy to re-map every day all day, around others' needs. I don't think I can or wish to live that way from now on. I'll use my mind for other things!

So after having looked ahead last night, today I spent some time looking over the next few days to see what I'll need to flex, and this is what I found may work, which cued me to prep today for what will need to happen later as the rest of this week unfolds into next week:

Today: Garage, Patio, Scooter, No Dinner Out bcuz dinner out tmrw instead; garage/patio will be retrieving last wkshp items from car and seeing if it's warm enough to scooter out for milk and cash. If not, drive. Evening, ctd hse pickups, long shower, and set a bucket soaking.

Thu. AM TOC ofc, prepping for key Fri mtg, session, movie and poss supper w Judy, no extra sleep meds @bedtime bcuz mtg Friday.

Fri. No sleeping in; early shower/hair; 1pm Dayton mtg w Rep. Strahorn for the week's Explore/Fun (lv Newbie); bedtime Xtra meds.

Sat. Sleep in, Chore, Fun (take Newbie); chase down pool passes.
.

Without having done this, I'd have let a friend run me over with her steamroller, earlier, over plans we'd made-- she's been home sick too long but had really hit the ground running today, and had some timing ideas for our plans that I had to interrupt rather strongly.

Also because I'd done that thinking, I got to the store earlier than I might have, and actually got a scooter after a bit of a wait.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Nov 18 - 11:19 AM

I cleared out a bunch of garden debris piled on the driveway ahead of last week's first frost. I have basil drying in the kitchen and was able to compress the wilted and drying leaves into a smaller area this morning. I have to pull the hoses and sprinklers out of the garden area then I'll run the mower over the top and level everything except the sweet potato vines so I know where to dig for those potatoes.

Thanksgiving is a week away. So far I've purchased a bag of Russet potatoes for the mashed potatoes, I have cranberries to make sauce, and I picked up flour for making crusts and rolls. Turkeys are on sale around town and I think I'll pick up a fresh one early next week, probably on my way home from a job interview (!).

We find that roasted root vegetables are much more satisfying than stuffing, so I'll find a variety to throw in that mix.

I spent time yesterday out in the cold re-attaching the MDF underside of the soffit in one area near the back door yesterday; the job isn't complete but I've made progress. The nails that were used to fasten it up pulled out and it's difficult to find the beams it was attached to. I've completed one plank and need to stud-finder to figure out how to re-attach the second section (it's sagging, not off, or I could see it all).

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 16 Nov 18 - 09:07 PM

Due to the snow storm, I had today off. I have a great supervisor who appreciates how far I drive to work and she didn't want me on the road any more than I wanted myself on the roads! I slept in today, quite late for me actually as the night before was chaos. I had worked all day, picked up Jeremiah, got him ready for his first Cub Scout Award Ceremony, drove home only to find the power was out. Normally, Pete and I are just fine with this kind of situation as we have the wood stove to keep things somewhat warm but Jeremiah is thin and gets cold much more quickly than we do so I drove back into town and we stayed overnight at my mom's house. It was a much appreciated warm spot for the night but I rarely sleep well the first night away from home and that evening was no exception....so today, I was making up for lost sleep I think!

I spent time cleaning in the kitchen, cooked a ham in the crockpot to go with scalloped potatoes. I also had a previously roasted chicken in the fridge so I picked all the meat off the bones and set the meat aside to make chicken potpie (that will happen tomorrow). I boiled down the bones and made homemade chicken noodle soup (and grilled cheese) for dinner.
I also spent some time playing my ukulele today. I've been asked to play at a local holiday event so a little practice was in order. :)

I currently have 5 bags set to go to Goodwill tomorrow. YAY.

Maggie, I've been thinking about Thanksgiving as well. We will be spending the actual day with family but we are providing the turkey (among other things). We raised our own turkeys this year and are excited about that! :) I will also be making the cranberry sauce and a corn bake. My mom always makes her traditional German stuffing so she'll take care of that. She also makes the most incredible mashed potatoes...they are my favorite! Because she has very arthritic hands, I will be helping her peel all the potatoes for both the stuffing and the potatoes. It's funny....I can make the mashed potatoes the very same way that she does but hers always taste better....a mother's love I suppose! We used to make a huge dinner but these last few years, we are more about keeping it simple so no one spends ALL day in the kitchen either cooking or doing dishes. I'm sure we'll play some games afterwards....I'm looking forward to it!

I get more days off for Thanksgiving than for Christmas (Christmas is so hard for so many so our agency is closed only for Christmas Day and New Year's Day...no extra days). I'm looking forward to some extra time off next week. :) I have many plans......if I can some of them done, I will be most happy!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Nov 18 - 10:26 PM

I picked up a drill and impact driver set today to do the fence work. It was past time to get a big girl drill. The part of the fence I'm going to be working on will have pickets fastened with screws, not nails, and no way I'm doing it by hand. I was able to transport 30 cedar pickets (that smelled wonderful!) on a tarp in the SUV, along with vegetables and a few other things for Thanksgiving. Multi-tasking here!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 11:20 AM

Today is the day for painting clothes and gardening shoes as I tackle the fence at the front corner of the back yard and then move to the front yard vegetable garden (on the other side of the house) to dig around in last year's crops. I'll share sweet potatoes with the neighbor on that side if I have any, she's a regular recipient of my garden surplus. Neighbors on both sides get my attention today.

I picked up most of my list of perishables for next week; the weekend before Thanksgiving is like the night before Thanksgiving, a zoo in the parking lots and stores. Any more shopping can wait till midday Monday or Tuesday.

I continue to add items to my donation bin in the laundry room, and I'll probably drop the contents off on one of my trips out early next week. It's time to think about holiday decorations; I don't use as many as I once did, but this year, since I have a new dog who loves to take random objects (towels, rugs, plastic cups, etc.) through the dog door into the yard, I must consider what goes on the hearth in her reach or I'll end up with a back yard full of nutcracker soldiers. I'm not giving them up, I'll reassign them to higher posts. Promotions for all! :-)

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 08:10 PM

All sides, tops, bottoms and faces of my fence pickets have been treated with the clear wood preservative for one panel on the corner I'm working on and laid out on a tarp drying.

The brackets are in place with the bottom cross member attached. Since the plank is 8' but the expanse is only about 7', the end was cut off and I'll use it to measure against the other two cross-members. The "good" side will go toward my yard on one side and toward the street facing the street. I have a couple of extra pickets for putting up across the intersections to conceal "seams."

I quit when the mosquitoes came out.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 09:54 AM

Beaver:
De-cluttering is mainly snow removal! About a foot came down - all Thurs night and all of Friday. Cleared path to wood pile and studio Friday eve and from car to road - about 20 feet - on Sat morning so I could get out. Then again when I got home - the snow plow had left a fair ridge; I could drive through it when soft but thought it the better part of valour to clear it before it froze. Sat was just above freezing but it went to about 17F last night.

So snow removal is added to the exercise regime. More cold = more wood being used and, hence carried in. This is unusual snow for this early; does not bode well! But Fri and Sat are predicted as high as 39F ---Slush, Tush, Mush!!!

No word from R! I am beginning to wish for a sign that I can go to Quebec WITH the house plants - directly to the new house. On a day that is above freezing. I am getting anxious to get on with the new life in a new community. However, I still have pottery to finish and I am cosy here.

Two boxes of pots packed to go to Quebec.

Oh. yeah! Snowing again!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 02:21 PM

OH:

All systems here cooking and supporting a surprise request for immediate turnaround on Big Bucks fundraising copy for one of the organizations I volunteer for which is lobbying for policing changes state by state-- assembling copy I'd already mostly written into a powerful "ask" aimed at deep pockets. With a 24 hour turnaround. I'm on break awaiting a key quote to drop in but will def finish by mid-evening.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:08 PM

First draft submitted. Of course I'd like it better with a week to improve it... but that's what my blog is for!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 08:47 PM

Draft of letter to editor submitted to the related organization. My ankles are like basketballs now

Did I mention that my pool pass came through ydy-- had hoped to start today, but have bag loaded for tmrw aftn.

~S~

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

Today turned quite cold, but I got out to put up one more cross-member for the fence and two more brackets removed from the existing fence, staggered along the length of it so it doesn't fall down before I get the new part up (though there is one section held in place with a wire as of today.) Those brackets will support some of the new cross-members (why buy new ones when all of the old ones are coming down soon?) My treated fence pickets are stacked and ready to go. Once I get going on putting up the pickets I'll be taking down a couple of more brackets to move across the last short span. It's probably 20 feet of fence but it's taking some planning to get it done.

My second office desktop is looking much better now, the fridge has been cleared some in preparation for Thursday, and I've cleared kitchen counter space. The dining table is still occupied by sewing and eBay projects, they'll need to be relocated. I was thinking about getting out one of the solid damask linen family table cloths but one of the friends who is coming for Thanksgiving is notorious for spilling. Decisions, decisions!

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

Get out the linen, Stilly. If the dribbly friend doesn't do the job, somebody else will; when wine, gravy and cranberry sauce are on the table, the virginity of the tablecloth is measurable in minutes.

Thank goodness, we left Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror a month ago, so our digestions have time to recover before the Yuletide onslaught of goodies. Himself and I worked the church bazaar on Saturday, spending several hours in the presence of literally heaps of home baking. Oddly, I felt exactly zero interest in any of it; all I wanted was a cup of flipping tea! Even Anglican tea, typically strong enough to strip paint or the enamel off your teeth.

I can never get over the insatiable appetite of my dear neighbours for Santa-themed kitsch as the days shorten and the streets fill with snow. Much of it can best be described as butt-ugly, but that seems to be a feature, not a bug.

We have three weeks of Advent to get through before Himself starts nagging me about wreaths and ribbons. We will be on our own for Christmas dinner this year, so I hope to dodge the task of fitting a tree into the sitting room.

Is it too early for Bah, Humbug?

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 11:18 AM

SRS, I agree. Use the damask and treat w rainguard or the like. Have club soda on hand. Then enjoy your guests. Set a place for me if there's room-- Greg and I are apart for this one. Set one for Tamir Rice, too-- Txgiving's his death anniversary this year.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 01:28 PM

OH:

Just finished clarifying how I can and cannot be reached, and what skills I'm making avail to the org I did the longer assignment for ydy. Clearly I passed some kind of test ydy, because now they want to give me not a full in-basket, but a planeload of additional projects..... I learned long ago how/when to say no.... this requires saying "maybe."

I do have a move to get busy on!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 03:26 PM

Fastest annual physical EVER when your ob/gyn has two c-sections awaiting later in the morning. We're okay, usually we are able to talk longer, but the important questions were asked and answered. That gave me time to weave around town to various businesses and do my shopping before the rush after work or the day before Thanksgiving.

In the last two days I've learned about three different murders in my circle of acquaintances. Senseless, brutal, and heart-breaking. One was a professor I used to see at literature conferences and talk with via email discussion lists. Her husband was also killed. The third, not actually known to me, but closer to home, was the murder of a young man trying to protect his wife, a grocery store clerk at closing time. The robbers included a young woman who was a former employee. Not surprisingly, there were "bad vibes," as I was told by a clerk at the next nearest grocery in the chain. It closed earlier this year. Ironically, or well timed, a local radio interview program spent an hour today talking with Barry Glassner, who revised his 20-year-old book The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things. None of these people probably feared what happened to them as the most likely cause of injury or death.

Off that oddball soapbox.

To the dentist for my six-month cleaning, then back to the fence, hopefully to get more done before the mosquitoes come out. Because even now that the days are generally cold, if they warm up, the mosquitoes appear.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 07:41 PM

:-0 !

OH:

Got signed up for Medicare Part B to take effect w Greg's 1/1/19 retirement-- whew!

Resumed aquatic PT today with 20 min assessment of all musculoskeletal systems and found which have been waking me up at night and need balancing or strengthening. New water resistant MP3 case worked. Just the right length of time/amount of force to start-- wanted more but am not too sore now for Monday evening's routine prep for tmrw's cleaner.

Which-- aaaaarrrggghhhh- I was just told will be Yet Another New One. YANO. I'm going to name each one Yano. Pronounced "Yeah.... no."

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 12:21 PM

OH:

Today's Yano is a masters OT student, home for break, who won't be back. She's helping finish and refine the goof-proof customized chore list for this house, which future cleaners can use instead of my brain. It includes GF recipes and service dog vocab, as well as a brief review of my medical history and ortho situation.

Last week skipped a bunch of stuff were doing today.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 07:07 PM

The first side of the new fence is ready to assemble tomorrow, all cross-members are in place, and I can probably get the the second side as well (all three cross-members and the pickets). I'll have the full day for the project. The last panel of the fence will be changed soon but the one that is in place now is sufficient for the time being.

The first full week after the first weekend in December is our neighborhood's quarterly bulky waste pickup so I'll be moving the old fence that I take down out to the curb as it comes down. They don't want you to load things there until the weekend ahead, but tough. It's going as it comes down. I'll probably use a Sawzall and cut the panels into 3 or 4 pieces and take it out that way. No need to take all of the pickets off of the old cross pieces. Burying the Invisible Fence wire or tacking it onto the bottom of the new fence is a decision I'll make once the old fence is out of the way.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 12:29 PM

From Ohio, PA holiday planning (managing the holidays and moving).

Menu: turkey, scalloped cheesy spinach potatoes, roasted sweet tater cubes w honey, stovetop stuffing for Greg and cheesy arepas for me; cheesy corn and crunch casserole; green bean, bacon, mushroom, onion casserole; cherry tomatoes; fresh fruit; pies.

And glucose meter. ;-)


My thinking is that since we're apart for Txgiving, our last Christmas in the farmhouse should be
1, a big deal with items that can be
2, made in advance w
3, double ovens,
4, to prevent packing burnout.

Most recipes are oven rather than stove top, and I have some GF adaptations and simplification tricks up my sleeve as well.

I'm thinking quantities to carry over for our Dec. 27 anniversary and the following days.

I've asked Greg to do his signature made-in-advance turkey job, and the scalloped potatoes. Also a roast or two to eat down on freezer items; and/or maybe a big batch of italian sausage too.

The idea is: not much cooking in that last week before our fast departure, and cooked but frozen leftovers to take, if any.

Since romaine is now presumed contaminated, veggies are casserole style. We can always add cherry tomatoes.

I plan on doing the bulk of the cleanup; I'll need that standing time. As each glass pan is washed and dried, into an open packing box! (Ditto dinner plates, which will give way to paper at the end.)

I also plan on doing the shopping.

My thought is that rather than see this as his "orders" (his default setting), he might look forward to this plan for a boatload of comfort food from his loving wife, as we are apart Thursday. (I've sent him each recipe for pix and mouth-watering.)

Of course pies and cheesecake are always welcome! (He loves to bake.)

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 09:26 PM

I'm sitting in my office chair with a bag of rice (the kind in a jersey bag you heat to put on aching muscles) between me and the chair back to soothe my aching ribs and back after a full day of fence work. But I finished! There is still a 9 foot expanse of old fence in place, but I'll replace it next month. For now, the new corner takes in the section that was left out when the neighbor built his new fence on the property line. My dogs won't get out and nothing will get in. I took down the first segment of the old fence just to get started, and already realized I need to go out with pliers to pull out staples holding my Invisible Fence wire on the base of the old fence. (See my Facebook or Instagram accounts, I posted a few photos this evening.) Tempting as it is to start hauling this to the curb now, I'll wait till December.

Lots of work tomorrow, six of us getting together. We don't eat till dinner time, so I'll brine the bird in the morning and be ready to bake it in mid-afternoon. There are lots of vegetables this year. Some roasted, others (like sweet potatoes) fixed with spice and marshmallows. Mashed potatoes. The usual.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 11:33 PM

Good job, SRS!

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 07:19 PM

OH:

I hardly ate yesterday, feeling like I might be coming down with or-- better-- fighting off the tummy bug Judy recently had. I did get out for 10pm groceries last night and a new cheap aquatic earbud with ear hanger, most of which I left in the car til morning. Not hungry at all overnight, and slept 5 solid before pain awoke me, still not hungry.

Downloaded audiobooks-- several I had missed while waiting for another, and a piece of the Mabinogion (Welsh) by a favorite reader. I'm almost done with the Arsene Lupin book I'm in,

Later I hauled in more of the groceries, chairnapped, watched a movie with Greg via fone on our respective tablets, and hoped for 5pm turkey with Judy after going back to bed for 2 hours. Checked temp but no fever at 4 (anti-inflammatories mask it).

Woke w still no appetite so I begged off on our Bob Evans plans.

Warmed up w more tablet muder, and rechecked temp. It's official now-- I am registering a fever.

Chicken soup was calling me, so my Thanksgiving meal was 1/2 can of chicken & rice soup, with added oats and a small skinless chicken thigh. I hope for no dire digestive consequences. The second half of the can is in a covered bowl in the fridge. I bought a LOT of soups last night.

Looking back, I can see that yesterday morning's weird wakies were related-- felt drugged . Very weird.

It was during my pregnancy and young motherhood that I learned to do what you can, WHILE you can, when things start to get icky or overwhelming-- not to wait to "feel better." I'm SO GLAD I did that grocery run last night, and got so much stuff. Cuz now I just want to sleep.

The pork roast/chicken thigh crockpot I'd started when I brought in the vittles is done, and the meat in now out into plastic, with the crock of juice and the meats cooling in front of the countertop fan.

~S~

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 12:29 AM

The dishwasher is crammed full and running, everything else was hand washed. Food is put away. Guests headed home with various parcels of food, and my daughter has a new roaster oven that she was happy to learn is hers. The friends at her house do a party for friends every year the day after Thanksgiving and she said the stove's oven is prime real estate, so they will probably use this tomorrow. This was the Nesco that I found for $15 at Goodwill - I have one almost the same that was about $70 new. One way to declutter!

That tall rectangular table that I found a few weeks ago and left in my kitchen was handy, a great place to stand and work. They agreed that things were more crowded, but it was in use much of the time we were preparing the meal.

Tomorrow is "Black Friday" and I'm not planning to go anywhere. Traffic police limit access to the busiest shopping areas, parking lots are zoos and only if you find a space as far away from the store as possible you might have a chance of finding it again and being able to drive away easily. A better strategy is to work on things around the house that need doing and shop during the week when everyone else is at work. The sales aren't worth the hazard of fender benders.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 07:13 AM

Beaver:

Going to minus 4F tonight! That is nippy! I added wood to the stove a couple times during the night last night, preferable to waking up cold. Means bringing in more wood - and de-cluttering the wood pile...

I had hoped to go to Quebec tomorrow with all the plants, directly to the new house BUT it will be below freezing tomorrow (not good for taking plants outdoors!) AND R still has not reached out to the owner to make arrangements. We were supposed to pay a month's rent on the 15th... It is complicated - by R & I not having the same priorities. BUT, since one of our fav groups of musicians is playing tomorrow night - their last performance as they change their priorities - I will go down anyway and stay until the next break in the snow falls. I will take Geri an agave wrapped in bubble wrap.

R says the Montreal house is fit now; he has been working on it for about a month and it is now ready for showing. There will be an open house on Sunday - and no snow predicted! Hopefully it will be sold to one of the anxious lookers. There have been 10, maybe more?, waiting to see it. An open house may bring out more. Hope...eternal!

Better news is that R et al have sold a property that has been trouble for years; much agony over getting it sorted out with various levels of government. So this is a big hurrah. A big de-clutter of R's overworked brain.

My wonderful "new" kiln quit yesterday, throwing a total monkey wrench into that planning. Larry came over this morning and showed me how to check fuses with a meter since it seems to be impossible to determine their condition by sight. Also how to open the fuse box for the "kiln room". The last pair of new fuses lasted 14 firings - firings are one of the few things I manage to record carefully. So, new fuses at the ready and new knowledge.

But the pots cannot come out until tomorrow; I will not get to see the new glazes and do one more firing (or two) accordingly until I return. I am trying to do a bunch according to friend Hannah's requests and have them for a family showing (hers). The family complained that they were not invited in October! I hope early next month will suffice.

I am wondering how much we will be moved by Christmas. While I tend to the "Bah humbug" attitude, there is a certain cheerfulness to the season which I am willing to accept - without all the trappings. I am certainly looking forward to moving the accumulated stuff from here to there. Oops! I just remembered that which I put in the van for storage! In this instance the snow is a great clutter as I will not be able to easily get to the mill carrying stuff (why I am not taking pots there to fire) so must wait until I can take it directly to the house. I hope for someone to plow the driveway there!

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 02:36 PM

I don't have stuff stored in my SUV (no van, but sometimes the space would be handy) but I did leave the seats on the passenger side tucked down in cargo-hauling mode. Next week I'll be picking up more pieces (cross-members and pickets) to replace the last 9 feet of fence at the front of the house on the side where the neighbor put up the new fence. If I need to transport someone they can ride behind the driver's seat or in the middle seat in the second row.

There are still a few splinters I picked up this week, despite wearing gloves, that are slowly appearing and getting removed. I expect a few more as I move the old fence sections to the curb. Today is lovely, a high of 70, so I'll take a couple of hours this afternoon to start that work. I also need to mow down the rest of the garden—there wasn't much of a sweet potato crop to speak of so I can mow down the remaining vines that are sprinkled through tall grass and tomato plant remnants. Time to plant the regular potatoes.

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: LilyFestre
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 07:56 PM

My family was just too worn out to do Thanksgiving yesterday so we decided to have our Thanksgiving meal today. Yesterday was spent doing minimal cooking, lots of lollygagging, playing, napping, making music and basically doing whatever we felt like. Turns out that was exactly what we all needed!
This year, we raised our own turkeys, potatoes and squash for our Thanksgiving. We also had a corn casserole, homemade cranberry sauce, my Mom's traditional German stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes, walnut crusted pumpkin pie and apple pie. Everything was wonderful....best of all was the company we shared. :)

An extra bonus? My blood sugars stayed in range the entire time! I am using a Freestyle Libre sensor these days which makes it so very easy to check blood sugar levels. I change the sensor every 10 days (soon to be 14 days) and can use a reader to scan my levels every 15 seconds if I want. I prefer this to sticking my fingertips 5 times a day and would recommend it to anyone!

I have several days off which makes this the longest holiday break I will get all year (although I do take 10+ consecutive days off during the summer). So far, I am enjoying it immensely. We will prepare the house for Christmas decorating (which means a good cleaning/scrub down) before actually doing any decorating. All Christmas gear will be brought down from the shed too as hunting season is about to be upon us....we try to limit outside time during deer season). In addition, I'm headed for a mammogram which I HATE but know is important to do. It's not painful for me but kicks up some cancer dust...ick.

I imagine I will be doing some cleaning in my sewing room over break as I rarely have the time or energy to do that.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody.
(Great job on the fence Maggie!!)

Michelle

Subject: RE: Declutter & Fitness - Clearing Out the House
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 18 - 10:13 AM

Everything is prepared to start taking down the fence, after pulling staples yesterday so the Invisible Fence wire is free of the planks. There was one post with a rather complicated number of wood pieces attached because it was where a jog in the fence was held together. That was unscrewed where possible and pry-barred where not and now the pieces are either in the stack of long planks or in the trash for smaller abutting pieces. If I'm smart at the end of all of this I'll borrow one of those heavy magnets on a pole and go over the area to round up nails and staples shed in the process. And I should wear my work boots, not sneakers.

It's nice to have cleared surfaces after the holiday meal. Packed up craft projects are crying out to me from their various storage places. "Liberate us! Let us spread out on that dining table!" There is a TV with a Bluray player attached (that streams NetFlix) next to the dining table, in place to serve as the background to sewing and more. I found a double-stack plastic lazy Susan to load up with small sewing supplies that can be transported between my craft room and my dining room table. Small slots for thread and bobbins, and all of those little things that need a place to live so they don't get lost. Snipping scissors, seam ripper, tailor's chalk, bodkin, etc. I've gone through a series of trials of ways to keep those items in view yet prevent their falling off the table or getting behind things. Silverware trays also work.

Thanks for keeping an eye on the Keith thread, Susan. It has been updated. Alas, Mudcat has been decluttered on long-time member.