De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Apr 19 - 02:34 PM

PS, one of my favorite tricks this move has been running my wardrobe out of a laundry hamper as I purge and pack other clothes. It's so much simpler than living out of a suitcase, and as it's the last item to load before locking the truck, I'll easily remember: folded = clean to wear, and the rest will need to be washed!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Apr 19 - 06:58 PM

Beaver:

3 degrees above freezing and snowing! Brought in some wood this am. Grateful for mild weather. Visit from Dan to consider prophylactic measures re water intruding - under door and through roof!   and a wood shed. I still cannot get into studio or tool shed. Still hoping I can get in by Sunday afternoon. I see the tarp has blown over the small wood pile! Thank you, breeze!

Sorting things to go to Dupont; time for some summer clothes - soon??? Well, less wintry ones, anyway! Supposed to be much warmer tomorrow - 12 degrees above freezing!

Had hoped to change to summer tires but cannot even get to them. Maybe Sunday but then I will have to take up cargo space - or keep using winter ones until May - wasteful.

Community Lunch (free!) today. I wish more people had attended to get to know one another. Connected with some rarely seen folks, some often seen and some I did not even get to talk with. And one man with whom I had a serious mis-communication a few years ago, came to me and explained very nicely that he had been going through a rough time. WOW! Right there in the middle of the crowded room - which may have made it easier for both of us. Now I can see him in a very different light, having been apprehensive about going anywhere near him.   

SRS: Google hates me; I have a g-mail account, apparently, but it refuses to let me in and there are no apparent come backs. And, I cannot get a new one because "there is already an account under that name." I gave up years ago; I do not need it. I just have the one email and that is sufficient. I never wanted gmail but the art gallery used it for a volunteer calendar and I was a volunteer so I tried. It was a nuisance. I am better off with the phone which is always with me (except when I forget it). I am very happy with its calendar.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Apr 19 - 11:46 PM

Set up another account with a different name. I have six of them, serving different purposes. One of them is my main account, but they're linked together as backup accounts and such, so Google knows they're all mine.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Apr 19 - 11:13 AM

I made some progress on the house yesterday, but not enough. I'll leave on a couple of radios or televisions and work back and forth between rooms, with the programming keeping me more interested and on task - background entertainment that I don't need to pay strict attention to.

After two weeks of waiting we now have a heavy-duty rainstorm going on. It means that next week I'll be able to put in the garden; the soil is too wet for a couple of days, then it's perfect to work for as much as a week, and then it is rock hard till the next rain.

The effect of a heavy thunderstorm means I have two dogs who want to stay right by my side. I'll be careful not to trip over them today while I'm coming and going getting ready for multiple (and overlapping) house guests this week.

Looks like a good day to wash winter bedding that can go back in the closet, and then I also have some dog bedding to wash.

It's just as well it's as rainy as it is because I need this indoor time for stuff that just doesn't interest me as much as the yard during the nice weather. A childhood of being told "go outside and play" has imprinted on me the love of puttering in the yard.

The rain has lifted and it looks like several dry hours, so I set up the burning barrel and this time have placed several years' worth of receipts ablaze. I keep records in a 12-month expanding folder and the register receipts go into an envelope for the month. At the end of the year I package the large pages and bills in a large manila envelope and put the envelopes of receipts in a basket. I just realized they go back to 2006.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 06 Apr 19 - 11:02 PM

Summer child care secured.
Long overdue package sent.
Taxes complete.
Dinner out with my guys to celebrate our promotions.
Prescriptions picked up.
Grocery shopping complete and put away.
Bills paid.
Relaxation Time.

This week I am passing on the title of Champion Trainer (YAY!!!) so tomorrow I have a little bit of prep work so I can train the Trainer in the online environment which is a pseudo set up of the program we use (during training, all trainees are given a pretend client and then we work our way through the program from intake to discharge). Given the increase of my caseload, I am thankful to pass this responsibility on.

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 12:19 PM

Michelle you have been busy! And the training/mentoring job is very important - I hope it all passes to the next person smoothly.

Newest frisky whippersnapper of a dog dug her way under the hard plastic siding around the composting food waste, ate a bunch of really gross decomposed stuff (had been in 5-gallon buckets for weeks before being moved to the compost) then threw up and was revisiting it when I discovered this situation. I had to poke around that compost bin to find where she got in; the day before I'd shoveled out most of the finished compost from the bottom and added a lot of fresh stuff into which I dropped the buckets of kitchen waste. (There are two lidded buckets by the side door for kitchen stuff that is periodically toted back to the big piles and supposedly "dog proof.")

My solution (I hope) was to go around the yard and scoop dog droppings and leave a berm of poop around that corner. And last night before bed I pulled the bricks out of the cool burning barrel and scattered all of those ashes over the top so there is a white powder on and around the new pile and container—so far it shows no sign of disturbance. However, the dog continues her antics: this morning she dove headfirst into Zeke's bowl after finishing her own! She was chased off and has spent the last couple of hours groveling. I'd think with all of the team-building walks we're taking she'd mellow some, but not so far.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 06:28 PM

a wall/berm of poop? That's practically diabolical and Trumpian.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 07:32 PM

PA

After brunch w Susan near Philly and driving home, we've completed the planned evening task:

X Sunday 7th Arrive PA by 4 rest and clear/pack DR, LR drawers/shelves

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Apr 19 - 07:37 PM

Beaver:

Still not able to get into the studio; everything is packed to go to QC that can be; And it was not yet noon. So I thought of leaving for QC today; picked up a bag of clothes; middle finger on left hand closed and refused to open. Noonish, I started thinking it too late to leave, not able to load car and wondered about driving with finger in that position... Decided to finish library book and leave tomorrow early. Decided to leave tires until next time. Better part of valour as I already fell once.

Finger unfolded, finished novel, finished packing car, went looking for a specific product at supermarket, not found. Returned book.

Stopped at Magda's cafe and she negotiated studio time next time I am here. Surely the snow will be gone in another ten days??? Was over 50F today! I have two Tuesdays without Eng. classes. Could stay here most of that time.

Call from R this am: no frig or bed yet. Oh well. His big project not progressing as hoped. Guess he needs a break.

Freed a few more pieces of wood from ice. There is now enough inside for tonight and for the night the next time I come. By then I hope it will be easier to access!

Ate a salad. Computering. Soon I shall go to bed with an in-house book. Ate too much choc again. Ate badly the last couple weeks but did not gain any weight - or lose any. Hoping for more exercise when the ice and snow leave.

SRS: I am not interested in an adversarial relationship with google which is what I find when I try! It is not worth the frustration. And certainly do not want more anythings. Even if Ephraim, or you, were sitting next to me! I will, if necessary, phone Whidbey tech support and they can help me find the white list and the black list. When I am back to Dupont and the unlimited internet.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 12:01 AM

"diabolical and Trumpian" - gah! It's an organic approach to keeping the dogs out of the compost. My organic guru talks about using a "tea" made of putting dog droppings into a bucket and adding water. Let it sit for a little while then pour it over the area you want the dogs to leave alone. They're usually averse to eating or digging anywhere that they can smell their own poop. So that's what I did around the compost.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 04:08 AM

Petrol mower is running now. It just needed the old fuel drained off and the carburettor cleaning but I’ve treated it to a new spark plug, air filter change and general look over for the season.

I’ve done a few odds and ends including fixing a couple of outside leaks (just drips) and setting the front micro irrigation up for the season.

Tomatoes are doing well in the propogator.

I had a rethink about my idea for the solar pump and decided to see if I could do something that might (or might not…) work inline and without the Arduino. A bit of searching and some trial and error led me to this. I’ve stuck the bits on a bit of strip board and it looks OK with a meter. I want to get a box to put it in and a couple of jack sockets before trying it and finding out whether it actually works in practice.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 06:58 AM

PA

Gathered upstairs clng supplies and brought down 2 fragiles to pack; gathered 2 more from dnstrs bathroom to fill my packing table.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 01:28 PM

A friend came to dinner last night and asked if I could pack and ship a painting for her. As she followed me into my sun room I stopped, turned her around, and told her to wait in the doorway. "I don't want you getting lost or injured in here."

I found a box that should work and she'll give me back the box and picture tomorrow and I'll pad it and ship it for her. And I do need to keep working on taming the mess in the sun room.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 02:50 PM

PA

The kitchen is largely purged of Goodwill items. The whole stale spice department is trashed. Plastic to recycle is next, after I match tops and bottoms and discover topless or bottomless pieces.

We've discussed which pots and pans are coming with us and found many of the countertop appliances' original boxes. So.... Serious kitchen packing starts soon, to run tonight and tomorrow with William tonight and Jason tomorrow, probably with Mary's help tmrw.

I made a plastic shoebox and a half of GF tuna pasta for the crew, to go with that last bag of Red Delicious apples (almost everyone voted for tuna), and a smaller batch of chicken salad for Greg (not a tuna fan). Two boxes of rotini may not seem like a lot, but add a bulk can of tuna and an almost equal amount of sliced veggies.... and that is a LOT of tuna pasta!

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 04:13 PM

I was using some of my old business cards from the university, crossing off much of the information, and adding my cell phone. Today I bit the bullet and ordered new cards for myself, reflecting my freelance/contract work, my gardening, and contact information. The design looks kind of like Truffula Trees. Four-color, one sided. Not too bad, but I'd have preferred to pick them up at the store and save the hefty postage charge. This is good - moving on.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 05:02 PM

Cleared every last box out of that "spare room": cleaned the room, dusted the boxes......then put them all back in again tho' they do look neater now! To be fair, some of them were boxes full of boxes, which had originally contained new electronic items, and were kept in case said items malfunctioned and had to be returned (although not a legal requirement in the UK to "return item in original packaging" if it should be faulty!) Recycling bin now full of cardboard.
Now all I have to do is go through all of the remaining boxes, one by one and keep on throwing out, shredding, etc. Probably enough to shred for a commercial shredding company!
What to do with a whole load of floppy disks that contain sensitive info? Smash them with a hammer? Who can still run floppy disks anyway?
Even found my husband's old hard disk that was replaced: comfortably cocooned in spongy stuff that the new one came in! Another hammer job?
Wardrobes and chests of drawers have to be done sometime. Not worn it for last 10 years? OUT then! (Or more like, can't fit into it any more, nor ever likely to again!)

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 05:45 PM

Tattie, many of the heavy-duty paper shredders will also shred credit cards, CDs, old floppy disks, etc. Maybe your local library or a shipping and office supply place (in the US, UPS Stores, Office Depot, FedEx, etc.)

I've had a stomach ache much of the day, the result of reaching to pickup an item and twisting as I stood up last night, so I took it easy today. There are some grape hyacinth in the turf that I transplanted to a shaded flower bed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 06:53 PM

PA

Dishes and mugs packed

Pyrex packed

Food storage prepacked

Metal mixing bowls prepacked

A few fragiles set aside for tmrw packing

Giant mugs soaking and box for them found

Giant box of re-used shredded paper empty!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 07:12 PM

PA

PS, I finally hit the wall. It's too much today on top of the weekend of travel, and my guts are now in full rebellion. The good news-- I made up that slop day I'd lost and lots of help coming tmrw.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 08:57 PM

Montreal:

Had planned to go directly to Dupont to offload stuff from Beaver, however, freezing rain about 90 minutes out and I decided not to go over two bridges in freezing rain. Slowed down and got here. Ate salad - and cookies. Watched TV and computered, R came for a visit and went back to work, supper is on the stove for when he gets back. I may not wait that long.

SRS: in spite of my ineptitude otherwise, I have designed several business cards that I can print out as needed. Not fantastic but quite respectable.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 19 - 10:10 PM

Why would we presume "ineptitude?" Perhaps in getting the printer to cooperate, but not in the art or design aspects.

Front yard mowed after moving the flowers. Dogs walked. I'm bushed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 19 - 01:05 PM

PA

The morning began with packing a few more fragiles, and especially a complicated, multi-part antique, formal oil lamp (converted to electric) from Louise Brown.

Kitchen packing and purging continues.

The backlog of packed boxes has gone out to the porch staging area.

I have my data backups off the old hard drives.

The LR is much emptier now and mugs are drying to pack. A box for the standing mixer has been found.

I closed and labeled a number of boxes originally packed last spring, so they too can go out, now.

Laundry is going.

I have enough packing paper left to stuff the fridge's glass shelves for transit.

Greg is ferrying another load to the dump and recycling center, bringing the trash batch for this month to just under 2000 pounds.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Apr 19 - 04:04 PM

PA

We're substantially done packing-- one last junk box the day we leave, probably, with drawer trays, a few pieces of silverware, and the coffee pot. All but the boxes requiring a dolly to move them are out front now.

William is due shortly to carry down nightstands from our bedsides, and add their lamps with a few other items to the Goodwill room upstairs. He'll help Greg disassemble the big outdoor griddle for transit, roll up a few area rugs, and vacuum.

Then we'll discuss truck loading plans for tomorrow evening, and what each crew member will do under William's direction. The crew will be Greg, William and a friend, and Jason. Well spend the AM prepping the fridge and taking a last bag of food trash to the dump.

Mary and Jason already took home most of the freezer's contents after their afternoon help, and William will take the rest tonight.

We did the paperwork today to sell Greg's car to William, which we opted to leave instead of towing behind the longer truck we're renting. We gave him a very good deal, as part of his bonus; that deal will also, coincidentally, just about cover the truck rental fee.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Apr 19 - 04:46 PM

On the “ineptitude” bit, we vary. I’d claim that for art work and I can’t freehand draw anything. A very simple lay out (which sometimes can be OK) is my lot. I’d not claim expertise on the other side but getting a printer to play is likely to be the lesser challenge.

Shredders: Ours (probably sold for home/small office target) will handle CDs, credit cards and staples left in paper. It’s not built for high volume/continuous use though.

I should have some twin slot shelving stuff tomorrow. Part of that will go to squeezing another shelf above my bed. It should take my Yamaha guitar (in its case) and I may just squeeze the lighter of the tenor banjos on there too. I want to get them off the floor in my bed/living room. I’ve also got one one Multi draw cabinet to wall mount in there and may add one more which would end available wall space. Some bits to chuck out but overall, I keep expanding in a limited area.

The rest of the shelving bits (I bought in packs of 10 ) will go towards a project that might happen later this year. The shelves in our smallest (6x8) shed (fitted rather hastily by mum and another brother over 20 years ago) are warped and collapsing and it really needs starting from scratch with new shelving.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 10:58 AM

I dug around in the closet for a lumbar pack (big waist strap, no shoulder straps, it's meant for things like biking) to put in a water bottle and my large camera; my goal is a walk with the dogs through the flowers in the small park up the hill from the house. Of all of the duplicated things around the house, backpacks are something that stick around, only a few flimsy ones have been sent to Goodwill.

My week of guests has thinned a bit, one who meant to arrive on Tuesday probably won't arrive till this evening. The guest room is ready, and happily, she's leaving her little dog at her daughter's house. Sweet as she is, Maisy has been known to poop in the corner of the dining room carpet on each visit, despite knowing how to use the dog door.

3/4 of a case of canning jars are sitting waiting attention after they were brought in by a friend a couple of weeks ago. I need to run them through the dishwasher and have them ready for use later in the season, and it will clear one tripping hazard from the sun room floor. But there's so much more to do in there!

Good luck with the final push out of the old house to Susan, and soon to Dorothy. I hope all of the measuring will pay off!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 04:23 PM

Thx SRS. The longer truck is also taller-- 1200 cubic feet vs 800.

We'll have 2 box springs and two recliners to load in the AM, and final instructions for Mary to supervise after we go, so she and spouse (my friend) are bringing her son Jason up in the AM, and after goodbyes, we go.

One overnight stop planned, and we'll be in our snug Ohio home Friday night, with unloading help from Greg's brother Jim the next morning.

Luckily we're leaving a porch fridge, so we emptied the kitchen fridge into it and will have brekky stuff handy.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 05:37 PM

Dupont:

SRS: I consider myself terrifically inept re tech stuff and was amazed when I managed to get the computer to provide me with a serviceable card for our folk dance group because I was desperately trying to improve the PR so enough folks would come. That and the posters I managed and adding an email list for reminders - and the group is still muddling happily on without me. I still get the emails and hope to return for dancing after the regime changes.

The English "class" went well and my one student is a kindred spirit; I can hardly wait for next week. She needs to improve her English; we can converse and seek better words, grammar, and pronunciation.

The tomato plants suffered severely by my absence; one may not recover. But all else is well.

R came to the house with two very nice wingback chairs for the LR and a lovely small table for somewhere. Four pics have been hung, prob not in permanent places but off the floor at least! We now have plenty of places to sit but no frig or bed. I am becoming militant/pushy; "Saturday is going to be warm and dry. If you plan..."

Yesterday was a dreadfully wet day of snow and rain and ice on the trees and shrubs but, thankfully, not on the roads. Today is like spring!!!

I offloaded the car today. Still need to take stuff upstairs. No snow or rain! Lovely sun! Walked to the volunteer centre, about 3 blocks away along the river. They were having an open house so I copped a yummy brownie and an interview re volunteering. In a few minutes, she asked, "Did you used to have a booth at the Huntingdon Farmer's Market?" This lovely Scot had bought a number of my pots, and took several to Scotland for gifts! I suspect she will find me some more places to volunteer and I shall be seeing her more. I did not even recognize this good customer!

I am being somewhat encouraged to set up a studio here and give lessons. I never "make money" doing this but it is fun, more of a community service. R would encourage it; another Scot, he seems to be ok with my lack of business acumen.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 06:55 PM

I took today off from work to celebrate my birthday! Presents were kept to a minimum and are all things I can use or plant! My mom is taking me on a quilting retreat....I am SO looking forward to it and also very happy that we are not adding addition THINGS. :) Also, friends and family raised over $200.00 for an organization that I support...HOORAY!

Pete and I spent the day toodling around the woods, taking photos, enjoying the spring air and enjoying the beauty of this area....it was perfection!

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 09:47 PM

I finished mowing the back yard as the last light of the day was fading; this used to happen a lot when I was working and mowed after I got home from work. Today it was simply a matter of putting it off and deciding to do it now because my friend will finally arrive tomorrow and we can enjoy the pretty yard and not wade through my weeds. With the evening mow and a morning walk with the dogs my fitness tracker and Google Fit are both happy.

We have a day of rain coming again on Saturday, so I hope on Friday to get more done in the garden and let the rain soak it all in and make it happy. Tomorrow is a visit, Friday is work.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 10 Apr 19 - 10:00 PM

PA

What a great crew!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Apr 19 - 11:20 AM

Decluttered some virtual surplus - about 2 gigabytes of photos that are duplicated in my Dropbox account.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Apr 19 - 12:40 PM

PA

The truck is fully loaded and the van is 95% loaded, except for both of our computer bags. We're out for a bite, and to drop off cable TV equipment,. After lunch, we'll take a last look thru the house while my laundry dries, load the dog, and go.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Apr 19 - 06:13 PM

Dupont:

Started de-clutter of flower bed at mill and a bit of the one here. Lots of good stuff coming up! Gorgeous day. Most of snow is gone here and most of ice off rivers!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Apr 19 - 08:29 PM

Arrived at overnight stop without incident.

Nightio!!!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 12:57 PM

Dupont:

Did song and dance routine for R last night: "frig and bed, frig and bed, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!!" etc. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe I can find some pom poms for a reprise?

Bought a pot of daffodils this am. Yay, daffodils! So cheerful! I can plant them later. Funny: red kalanchoe, pink af violets, fire engine red geraniums I have but the daffodils are IT! on DR table in a large blue bowl.

Tried a Zumba class this am, also. Lasted about five minutes; hated the music - thump, thump... exercise need not be torture! Nice venue and people, and I joined a local "network"; will receive email newsletter and may find other volunteer opps. Another few pieces of info re our new community. Also learned that the arm movements were not appreciated by either shoulder. Trying to think of activities we might do where arms are raised above shoulders... Only if I lift things above shoulder height; putting clothes on hangers in closet...

Need to find exercise to strengthen shoulder muscles without hurting them.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 04:51 PM

OH

I've arrived and Greg is due w truck shortly.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 05:26 PM

Houseguests this week, and the second one arrived later in the week than expected. Here till Saturday, so little will get accomplished outside of old-home-week drives and such. It's also too much to try to maintain a fasting or diet schedule. One thing I will insist upon is that my friend take her purse into her bedroom tonight and her phone on her side table. I was awakened by 5 minutes of a phone alarm way-too-early this morning because her phone in the kitchen was clangoring the whole house awake and she in her room without her hearing aid didn't hear a peep. It apparently goes off every day at the same time.

I mailed a parcel for the first friend who was here; it was a painting that needed a box large enough and packing to protect it. My home's eBay packing station was more than able to accommodate it. No mailing for this other friend, but this morning we worked on my laptop to log into her gmail account and empty out most of the seven-plus years worth of mail in there (so full she couldn't find anything). I think when I cleared out a bunch of updates things she meant to keep went also - I don't like the way mail ends up in more than one folder in Gmail. But her contacts should be intact.

Rain due tomorrow. I haven't gotten as much walking in this week, so I'll walk the dogs tonight by myself before the rain, my friend isn't up to the longer route we take. The dogs have all gotten along pretty well - my three and her little King Charles Cavalier (is that shortened to KCC?) spaniel. My two older dogs know this one, and Cinnamon used to get down on the floor and roll around with her when she was a pup. Pepper did okay after the first few exciting minutes, and since the other dogs were fine, so was she.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 10:00 AM

Susan, when the unloading happens will everything go exactly where you planned and measured, or is there a staging area in the garage for the time being? It is always nice if the largest pieces can go exactly where they're supposed to while you have strong backs there to help move it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 11:05 AM

Unloading is underway.

SRS, all furniture but one piece is coming right into its spot, and several are already in. All boxes except those labeled "1" are letter-coded for a letter-coded, floor-chalked section of the garage.

The three killer-heavy pieces are coming off the truck last, when the strongest helper is here, straight to a garage spot for two and a house spot, prepped, for one.

None of the non-1 boxes are urgent, and can sit in the garage "warehouse" until fall. But each section out there corresponds to a room in here, and boxes are labeled with their contents so I can find wanted items, unpack that box right in the garage, clean the items, and bring them in to put away.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 07:42 PM

Well. Things here are turned upside down.

Pete is in the hospital and will be for a few days. This is the first time EVER that I have been at home without him. Jeremiah and I are doing our best to keep things in order and staying on top of Pete's farm chores.

I'm a bundle of I don't know what...sometimes ok, sometimes not, sometimes overly busy, sometimes crashing.

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 07:47 PM

OH

The truck is unloaded, a day early. We're taking tmrw off but Jim and Brandon return Monday to organize things a bit and custom fit a cabinet.

~Susan

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 10:05 PM

I hope Pete recovers and leaves the hospital soon!

It's a bit upside down here, also, but not due to anyone's health. Just the need to put the SUV in the shop and figuring out how I'm going to do some of the running around I was planning on in what will probably be a smaller rental car for a few days.

Heavy rain today and tomorrow won't be much improved. I hope the weather is better for all of the moving and unloading.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 07:35 AM

It's incredible how much cleaning I get done when I'm worried.

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 10:36 AM

OH

True to usual trip form, I mostly sat and yawned ydy after meds-inducing sleep, post-drive-caff. (I unpacked two boxes while the men unloaded the truck.) Grateful not to have to go to the store, yet, after sleeping in and a good brekky from items left ready for same. No desire to unpack, whatever, except for deciding where the plastic drawers of toiletries can move to, out of the temporarily too-crowded bathroom.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 11:38 AM

Lots of catching up to do now that friends have come and gone, one of the dogs lost her expensive Invisible Fence collar overnight, and the car needs to go into the shop. It'll be searching for one and planning how to live without the other (I'll drive a loaner and I'm sure it will be smaller than can carry gardening supplies, fence pickets, etc.).

But that all said, the weekend awful weather seems to have cleared and it's gorgeous out. The decluttering I'll work on this afternoon is to cut up and load branches into a tall trash can. I kept a bunch of long baldcypress limbs, thinking I could make a trellis, but I never have and the time has come to clear them out. Big ones to the trash, smaller ones to the chipper. And who knows, maybe the collar will turn up. She might have ploughed through those branches and snagged it in there. This morning I did one tiny gardening chore; I transplanted three cannas from where they had sprouted in the yard to back inside the steel edging of the canna bed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 03:51 PM

OH

Some clean travel clothes put away, but half are blocked by furniture that can't move out of the way until next weekend. :-(

Hard decisions coming on clothes in leaf bags... Some can hang in the upper section of my closet but a lot of what's here probably has to go. But those bags ain't coming in until after next wknd, when our room gets straightened out.

~S~



Ditto linens. But those bags ain't coming in until after next wknd, and our room is straightened out.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 08:08 PM

Too wet to mow or do much digging today, so I played pick-up-sticks and cleared out limbs that were piled up under a pine in the back. Now the yard art pieces (an old push mower and a falling-apart wheelbarrow) are in view. The electric chipper dispatched a bunch of it, resulting in two bags of wood chip mulch. There are two trash cans at the curb, filled with stuff that was too large for the chipper. I think I got a sunburn on the back of my neck.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 10:40 PM

Jeremiah and I spent most of the day at the hospital with Pete. I am tired today but managed to cook 2 of the 3 meals (lunch was out on the town), the dishes are done, animals are all fed and watered, plants are watered and load 2 of the laundry is in the dryer. I decided to take tomorrow off from work and to do only half days the rest of the week. It's going to make for a very busy next week but family comes first...no question about it and I am lucky enough to have a supervisor that is on board with that.

We're having tornado watches and warnings at the moment...lots of gusting wind...feels like someone is slapping our house!

Goodnight All.

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 03:50 PM

New business cards have arrived with my retiree contact information, no longer tied to the university, the source of my cards for a couple of decades. A small ornamental wire and glass box that I was considering donating is now suddenly perfect to hold cards.

However, this box (the size of a box of checks) leads to the whole question of where to store the box so I don't lose it when I need to fill the card container. I'll tape one onto the outside to catch my eye, and consider what shelf it will live on. And looking inside the storage closet where the shelves are, realizing I have more stuff to organize and discard. You never know when some new thing will trigger the impulse to clear out. Always take advantage of that wave of enthusiasm when possible!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 04:09 PM

OH

Truck returned. Custom cabinet fitted, and is ready for new shelves to be added. Got groceries this AM. Greg is unloading the Deere and snowblower from the trailer, and parking the trailer off the street.


~Susan