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

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 06:45 PM

Today I made a big push in the front garden on half of the front, and most of the weeds are out except grass in the iris, and those I think I need to thin and re-position in that area. I have a bucket of daylilies I dug out of one area that I'll move somewhere else. There are a bunch of bulbs along the wall that are various kinds of daffodils, and I may move those and cluster them somewhere. It was a bright idea to put them along the wall but it is an artificial line in a yard that I've tried to make natural and park-like with clusters of things or individual shrubs, no hedges. Right now it's clear some of the tall grass is gone, but until my new trimmer arrives (fingers crossed - tomorrow) and I can mow and trim it won't really look like the bed has been tended.

There is a corner of the grate on the soffit that is drooping and I need to refasten; the question is, are the critters using in diurnal or nocturnal? If I close it now and there are nocturnal roof rats using it, they'll be stuck in the attic. If I do it in the morning after squirrels are out then that keeps them out. I have a trap on the front porch where I've seen droppings and after I catch one or two I'll close the gap and see if that is enough. I'll probably have to put the trap up in the attic after I close the gap, just on general principles.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Sep 20 - 06:26 PM

Dupont:

Not sure if it is eyes or brain but there comes a time in each day when sewing seems too much and each day I say to self, start early tomorrow and each day I do not. Maybe the computer fries my eyes. But my good down coat has all its buttons, ready for the worst of winter!

Today, we sorted through a truck load of stuff R brought home - "take what ever you want:, someone said. Books, rugs bits of furniture. Nice pine bookcase is next to his chair for better organizing! Oddly made, round, wooden, folding table on back porch. Folding luggage rack of ancient vintage may go into guest room after a paint job. A nice tall wooden lamp is in hall waiting for a harp and shade. A nice pedestal fan will go somewhere useful. And a little pine foot stool, a handy reaching aid for upstairs. The nice 3-step has already been used in the pantry.   Books are stacked. Rugs rejected. And a neighbour who happened along loved the old, rather cute, tea trolley! Leftovers went to the city.

That incident reminded me: A potter in Minnesota told of clearing his mother's apt. After the family did their choosing, he went to the post box area/vestibule and put a sign: Mrs ... apt is open. Take whatever you want." When they returned, it was wonderfully empty!

After the day moving tomato plants upstairs, energy level is low. I also indulged in a surfeit of choc the last few days -NOT today! It was getting out of control again. When I left Beaver I had maintained a loss of 12 pounds; hope to still have that when I return in a few days.

Still have not heard from internet provider up there and am thoroughly fed up. If I am going to spend time there, I need the unlimited, esp in the winter. And with the covid lack of events!

I need to order a couple face cords of wood for here. Have been keeping a fire going on these cool days. Wonderful little Jotul holds it all night - with good hard wood. I have closed LR door and den doors; at bedtime, I open the den door for the heat to go upstairs, having closed all rooms but the TV and BR. I wonder how long I can keep from turning on the furnace!

Close to frost the last 3 nights but may warm for a couple weeks. I covered the green pepper plants but hope they can be uncovered soon. The upstairs plants are going to take gallons of water! I shall need to carry gallon jugs up as the upstairs powder room sink can only fit a 6 inch container!

Brugmansia lost ALL its leaves over the summer and made numerous attempts at sprouts to no avail but two new ones finally look as though they will make it. The directions said it needed lots of water, but I finally got the message to STOP. I hope it is finally dry enough to make a new start on life; almost two weeks now! We did get two massive blooms from it- last fall and again at Christmas.

Trimmed lots of parsley leaves to dry. Hope to get fall leaves from neighbours to (they bag them!) to put down on a portion of back yard through the winter, in attempt to prepare a small garden space for next year. I have netting to put over it!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 09:29 PM

The California smoke has arrived. The air is thick and the sun this afternoon was orange in the sky. I was going to do yardwork but after just a few small projects the allergies started in, or the smoke has that effect, who knows? After a good long nap on the sofa with a puppy I felt much better, but then it was time to walk the dogs before the mosquitoes came out. Maybe tomorrow.

Tonight's walk was a chance to see if the Google Fit app in the phone is set up. It looks different than the version in my old phone, but it's now tracking how far (.91 mile) and 21 minutes with the dogs. We aren't going for a land speed record and we talk to people while we're out. I'll be walking regularly now that the weather is cooler.

I didn't make it to the compost site, first I went to my favorite discount gourmet food warehouse and found fresh mushrooms so now I have the dehydrator finishing up the first batch. I'll do one more batch in the morning and then sauté and freeze any that are left. Tomorrow is the compost site, I still have all of the materials in the back of the SUV. And tomorrow is the weeding.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 10:28 AM

My UPS sends me email when the power has gone off or has been restored. Through the computer that it keeps an eye on.

Nice weather for yard work today; I'm still waiting on the delivery of a new electric string trimmer (Monday?) but I need to get started on the rest now. And start walking the dogs regularly again. That's good for them, to remind them of who is the "pack leader" and also get us all out of the house.

It's also time to start cleaning up the green house so in a few weeks when I want to start moving stuff in I don't have to struggle past stacked stored stuff. Last year it worked pretty well to over-winter a couple of potted plants. And while I'm at it, I need to count the number of fence slats for the next section I should put up this month. So many projects were pushed to cooler weather and now I need to organize them. If I bag some mulch today at the free city site I'll be able to put it in the gardens I weed this afternoon.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 19 Sep 20 - 05:37 AM

The laser printer broked down (2 paper jams in a short time and then printer stuck with a “jam at exit” message I couldn't clear) so I ordered a new one which came yesterday. I had a little bit of trouble getting hplip working (I needed a newer version for one thing) but once sorted, the printer was working on my Linux network.

The only other problem I had was that I was getting loud beeps when printing. I couldn’t find anything related to sound in the printer’s menu or the manual but a Google search revealed the answer I’d not seen. I’d plugged the new printer into a socket powered via a UPS. The beeps were the UPS complaining about the load when the printer was printing.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Sep 20 - 11:14 PM

Dorothy, there's a warm and fuzzy feeling after reading about all of your productivity and forward motion when you move between those two properties. Good work! With your gardening antics you might enjoy this gardening story: last month I bought a tub of fresh mozzarella balls in olive oil, sealed and with plenty of time to use by. I kept trying to remember to buy some basil but never spotted it. So 2-3 weeks ago I put some seeds in a couple of pots. The package says to thin them when they're tiny, but I didn't. Now they're dense and all producing the first and second whorls of leaves, about 4-6" tall, so I transplanted a couple (dug into the middle of the clump of basil with a spoon and pulled a few out). Then I thinned three or four plants and brought the leaves in and pulled out a container of grape tomatoes and the mozzarella cheese drizzled with Balsamic vinegar and made a capriccio salad. I'll do the same thinning a couple of more times at least for more salads. I have lots of cheese.

My cucumbers planted about six weeks ago are producing and I made pickles earlier this week, three jars (they are Atlas canning jars that marinara sauce came in) of fresh pickles are now aging in the small fridge. I have more to come, but I won't always make fresh pickles, I'll probably also process some, maybe bread and butter pickles.

Today I learned that my daughter's fiance loves xmas, to the point that "she would play xmas music all year, if I let her." And the red with snowflakes mask I sent home with my daughter today will be welcome. I'll happily make her some more—she's someone I haven't really known what gifts would work, when everyone is grown and has jobs and can buy what they need.

The weather is still warm but the quality of light is shifting to fall, and that always is welcome after the scorching summer. I have a light cotton blanket for the bed and have pulled it over me a couple of times in the last week. It's a process of gradually adding layers until it's finally cold enough to change out the bedding to full-size wool blankets or get out the down comforter - but that's probably three months away yet.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Sep 20 - 09:55 PM

Dupont:

Lots of interesting posts since I was last here! I went to Beaver for 2 weeks and have been back since Monday but the trip wore me out more than usual so I have been recovering. At Beaver, I worked like a fiend: pulled weeds frantically until body rebelled, made pots and did a bisque firing. Then body really quit! No unlimited internet there so I read a few books. Enjoyed the weather as it turned cool. Put a fire in the wood stove the last couple days. Separated a clump of sorrel I planted two years ago: almost need an axe to separate it. Planted a dozen smaller bits in a raised bed, shared with Good King Henry. These very hardy leafy vegetable perennials are quite nice. I look forward to having enough to feel I can harvest! So far I have only been nibbling.

Came back to Dupont and have been weeding the bed here but mainly with the little Japanese hoe which scrapes the tiny weeds off at soil level. very labour efficient. Green peppers are producing. Squash never did. Today I potted a healthy parsley plant for inside and the two little basil, and brought in an oregano plant to have for K use. The 3 I planted here last month are doing well - oregano does! Big job today was bringing in all the tomato pots, carrying them up to the second floor room -"gonna be bathroom" with its good west window. Also brought in - I am an idiot! - the seedlings of striped tomatoes and black tomatoes from ones someone gave R. Any intelligent gardener would have saved the seeds until March!

I sewed on more buttons! And have a bunch of projects lined up in orderly fashion. Awaiting energy. Put a fire in the wood stove the other night but mostly not necessary yet. And we do have a furnace! But I think a little heat in the den on a cool-ish evening means we do not need to turn on the heater yet. I switched to warmer clothes.

I lost my diet the last few days. Maybe I can get back on track tomorrow, having eaten everything in sight today.

And tomorrow we have an appointment to view a house for sale - one of our favs along the river, built in 1780. She warns it needs work... So, I am already thinking of pros and cons. We do love this house. And I have NO energy for moving.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Sep 20 - 11:28 AM

In Ontario, the footings of a decent house are at least four feet below the frost line, and that’s usually easier and a lot more cost-effective if you just dig a goddam cellar already. Also, having four to six months of actual winter, we need plenty of frost-proof (at least) storage.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 20 - 11:18 AM

It's very muggy as we get the very outer ring of humidity swirling around Sally. Too muggy to enjoy walking today, but we're getting closer to that time when it will actually be autumn-like. COVID-19 is leveling out, but with school starting it may rise again so gyms are a risky venture still. I'm only down a couple of pounds with the alternate day fasting, but that's partly because exercise has been minimal.

Here in Texas, at least in this part, they rarely build basements, and when they do, sump pumps are necessary. Where I grew up in the Pacific NW basements were commonplace and water generally wasn't a problem (though in the last house where I lived with my mom the floor was sloped and there was a steady little dribble that ran down to a drain near the garage door.) I think the farther north you go the more essential basements are to the stability of the foundation and the house. It has to do with freezing.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Sep 20 - 09:46 AM

French drains are popular here, too, as our subsoil is clay with the consistency of concrete. When house-hunting three years ago, we lost a bidding war over a house with a French drain in the front yard and no fewer than four sump pumps — dodged a bullet there.

I weighed myself yesterday and swore an mighty oath to pay A LOT MORE attention to diet and exercise. Southern Ontario is now in the first stages of a second wave of COVID-19, so going to the gym is not a good option. I guess that means daily trots around town, mask in pocket, and yoga stretches on the bedroom rug.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:01 PM

Don, do you have room and the slope to dig a French drain? Down here they're a popular way of moving water away from building and places where it collects and stands. Fill it with gravel and it can even grow turf over the top again. Sometimes there is bottom half-piece of PVC buried under the gravel. I've put a couple of small trenches in in my back yard to keep water from my back door.

Adjusting to this alternate day fasting means not tempting myself with too many favorite snacks around the house. I shopped today and did a good job of keeping it to meat and vegetables and materials needed for making pickles (since my cucumber crop is beginning to come in.) Admitting that you're eating too much sugar and getting off of it is always a challenge, but it feels good now to stick to healthier foods. Weight loss is minimal right now but the improving cooler weather and amount of yard work awaiting my attention guarantee a lot more exercise soon.

Meanwhile indoors the dog hair is forming drifts again so it's time to sweep and vacuum. And on the dog front, I spoke with my next door neighbor this morning - the dogs now quietly wait for him to go out into his back yard in the morning. Pepper has responded to the training collar and figured out that her barks are what cause the shock. The command she gets in the house (like when I'm going out the door and she barks at me) is "quiet" and if she still barks, the shock. So she knows what the shock means when she's out at the back fence watching for Cecil. Now we're working on stopping the jumping around at feeding time when I tell her "sit" and she doesn't stay still. She sets right down when the small shock is offered. After I'm satisfied that those commands are learned, Cookie will get a go at the collar for a couple of her problem behaviors. It was expensive, and I took time to read up about how using it correctly for training before I deployed it. I had to modify some of my behavior also, it wasn't just Pepper. We're all much happier without Pepper barking from the crack of dawn, and I think she is also. She's more relaxed when she waits for the morning treat from across the fence, it's like we turned off, or at least toned down, an anxiety thing in her brain that was there out of habit. My change to help with this is to get up very early to feed them, so if she was complaining because she was hungry, now she had turned that attention to me and she's at my bedroom door promptly at 6:30 when the alarm goes off. I hear a single "scratch" at the door telling me she's there waiting (not barking).

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 06:23 PM

Meanwhile, in the other corner of the forest that Charmion knows so well, we have had frost warnings. The upper Ottawa Valley may have seen its first frost last week, and ours in Ottawa cannot be far off. I have been cycling in fully sleeved jerseys and full-fingered but light duty gloves. I almost put on cycling tights when it was 5°C out, but have been glad I haven't.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 11:41 AM

Today I wage a channel battle
Water's gettin in th' back door
It used to only rain inches
Now it rains 2 feet or more

I'll dig a ditch as deep as the roots
And hope we all will stay dry
when it comes to fire, shoot!
you just have to lay down and cry

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:54 AM

It's frankly chilly today in Stratford, and If This Goes On we will see our first frost before Michaelmas (29 September for alla youse non-Anglicans), and a proper Indian Summer. So it's time to book the annual furnace maintenance, lay in a fresh supply of furnace filters, and find out whether I can squirm into last winter's lined jeans despite getting fat in lockdown.

I went through the closet yesterday to remove garments I did not wear last summer and will not wear this winter -- or, indeed, ever again. Alas, for those expensive "technical" Under-Armour tee-shirts that clung uncomfortably to my ribs in the hot weather -- off to Goodwill they go, while I return to the cotton ones from Eddie Bauer.

On the other hand, heat rash is over for this year, and we can let up on the heroic garden-watering efforts.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 11:37 AM

I have met a few intrepid inventors like that over the years, what with working out in the sticks where you often make something yourself because it's too far for a craftsman to travel. Probably not the case these days, everything can be built elsewhere and delivered. There are probably still folks like that in Alaska and far West Texas with a smattering around the rest of the US (a friend of mine was an electrical engineer at Lockheed so when he quit and he and the wife and cats moved to West Texas he learned welding and such and was off - has been building and tweaking things on his properties for years. It's a great activity and when I visit I love the tour of projects.) I will note that she was an RN and worked several more years at a hospital out there, keeping up their insurance until they were ready for Medicare.

I pronounced the electric string trimmer dead this weekend (I'm not going to try to replace the motor, it would cost more than the trimmer) and have a new one on order. I put it at the curb with the trash this morning and I won't be surprised if it disappears before the trash collectors get it. If someone can use it for parts, more power to them.

I am reminded by Charmion's story of what it was like when we spent summers at the cabin on the edge of a lake in Northwestern Washington. My father inherited it from his father, and since he was a teacher we had summers off, so we headed up for 2 or 3 months every year. But it meant more work, especially for Mom, who had a washer that did the agitating and rinsing but then had to be put through one of those laundry rollers to squeeze out the water before hanging it up to dry. There was the white two-hole trash burner that offered up heat in the cabin that was probably 800sf, and took baths in a tub of water in front of that stove. There was an out house up at the top of the yard. The stove was electric, and there was a fridge, and we had the only phone along that stretch of the lake and there was a key tucked away on top of the porch so if a neighbor had an emergency and needed to call for help they knew how to get in to use it. As mentioned before, we had to help with the firewood (usually alder logs from our own property). I don't remember much of the indoor activity, probably reading or games. We lived in Seattle the rest of the year, but those summers and the time spent outdoors at the lake are my most complete and fondly remembered times of childhood.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 09:54 AM

What an amazing story (and person), Charmion. Thanks for that.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 09:49 AM

Jon Freeman, your remarks about woodburners remind me of my aunt and uncle, who lived in a ramshackle house perched atop of a rocky outcrop in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The property was a hard-scrabble farm and bush lot that Uncle's father acquired during the Great Depression, so it was very basic when Tom got his hands on it circa 1959.

Uncle was one of those village genius types, convinced that he -- with his bachelor's degrees in history and education -- could figure out a better solution to most mechanical problems. With seven children to raise on the salary of a Montreal high school teacher, he was also committed to the DIY principle. The "country place", a holiday home when my cousins and I were kids, was where Uncle exercised his fertile imagination and questionable skills the most, conscripting his four sons as labour.

Heating did not become the primary concern until Uncle and Uunt decided to sell their suburban bungalow (seven children in a three-bedroom house -- just think!) and retire to the country. The house had no furnace, and no cellar in which to put one, so the heat source was a stove in the middle of the main room. The house was surrounded by 160 acres of bush and forest, so Uncle decided that fuel was not something he needed to spend money on. But how to get the wood up the side of the crag to the house? By that point, Uncle was 65 years old and disinclined to spend his sunset years in heavy manual labour.

Uncle's solution was a home-made funicular cog railway of his own design, with a windlass at each end. He would bring firewood out of the bush on a skid towed by a small tractor, load it into the hopper, and crank it up the slope to the landing stage at the top. Groceries and everything else heavy and/or bulky ascended the same way. When Uncle's arthritis made the stairs too risky, he would ride the hopper himself, in an adapted lawn chair.

Uncle died about five years ago, having managed to stay on the rock until the very last months of his life. Aunt, now aged 90 and living with a titanium hip, moved to a nearby village (on flat land) only last winter. The house on the rock, complete with the cog railway, is now occupied by one of the cousins and his family -- the place is uninsurable, so there's no point in trying to sell it.

I haven't been there for a few years, but the cousins inherited Uncle's village genius gene, so I assume the adaptations continue.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 05:00 AM

Last year was the first one where we didn't light the woodburner. Dad's not been able for several years, mum no longer can do it safely and my problems make getting down to load it up quite painful.

They got an oil filled electric radiator to go in front of the stove instead as the central heating doesn't quite manage that room on its own (it would need another radiator fitted somewhere - where?. I think it made for high electricity bills but people stayed warm. That said, the price of a load of logs keeps rising and we've never sat down and worked out the cost of a few (paid in cash) deliveries over the year.

As things stand, there are 2 pigsty sheds stacked with what by now will be lovely dry wood (I think mostly beech) and that's a nice stock to have should the woodburner get started again.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 03:28 PM

As my father used to say, firewood should warm you three times: once when you split it, once when you stack it, and once when you burn it. You would be getting more heat for your money by moving it twice.

As a kid I was the participant in lots of firewood handling. By the time, in college, when I went to work for the US Forest Service on a fire crew I was surprised that one of the guys (a forestry student, even) didn't know how to properly handle an ax when doing that work. I took his ego into account and walked him up the road and around a corner out of sight before teaching him how to hold and slide his hand on the handle in order to use it effectively. This was back in the 1970s, when not three days later they rounded up the men from that crew (him included) and sent them to Eastern Washington on a fire and left me at the station, steam blowing out of my ears in anger. (At least after this last time the whole group went into the fire boss and told him that they thought it was totally unfair I was left behind and I participated in fires after that.)

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 01:06 PM

“Fall growing season” — wow! I guess that’s why perfectly sane people put up with the hellscape you Texas people call summer. In Ontario, fall is the withering and rotting season.

Materials for our woodshed suddenly appeared yesterday, so I assume Steve the carpenter will make good on his undertaking to finish it before the snow flies. I am looking forward to shifting the firewood off the front porch, where Himself leaves a major mess for all the neighbours to see and critique whenever he splits a few hunks of cedar for kindling. We are expecting a cord or so of ash around Thanksgiving, and it would be so nice not to have to stack it twice.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 10:13 AM

I have a pot full of basil sprouts that needs thinning. I'll try using a spoon to scoop a few and transplant them instead of just pinching off the extras. You can never have too much basil!

I have several "to do" things on my list for this month that are out in the garage. It's the first month in ages that working in the garage is something to consider. When I park and close the garage door I then push the button to start the door lifting and stop it quickly, so there is an open inch or two for air circulation. It makes a huge difference in the amount of heat in there (since a window and the door on the opposite end are open to create a cross-current.)

Other to-do things are the transplanting in anticipating of the fall growing season. One tree needs to be planted, another one needs to be dug up for a friend.

It's time to start planning the fence work, and I usually pay for the lumber out of pocket any time I do some work for a friend (cat sitting). This cat sitting is still up in the air; she will stay with her parents while the sibling who usually keeps an eye on her parents is away for a vacation. If the travel plans are still viable, then this will happen. But even if she doesn't travel, I'm still set to do the work (there just haven't been as many ways and places to spend money this year so I have the savings in place for this work). I have larger fence plans that it would be nice to put into place this year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 06:45 AM

The only (I think cast rather than wrought) iron bed frame we had came apart easily enough with a spanner.

I wanted to cut up the springs from an old mattress (that had long lost any fabric) into manageable pieces fairly recently.   I used 24” bolt cutters for that and needed the leverage they provided to get through the spring steel.

We got 6 x 50cm plastic tubs the other day so that’s the veg plot the shorter side from the gate as you go in all given over for container growing. We now have 11 of this diameter pot with two holding rhubarb plants. I’m not sure what (except courgette) will go in the other 9 over a growing season and guess well wind up experimenting a bit to see what works and suits us and I think we have a bit of scope to do that.

I want to sort out the watering for them next but am out of (on order) 4mm irrigation pipe.   I’m thinking in terms of an 8’ cane (our old bean row ones) in each tub and running the pipe at a high level. That should make trimming round them (with a Ryobi One+ tool, SRS but I can’t help with your question*) without having to move the pipe and drippers easy.

The grass has been recovering and much has been growing quite quickly. It’s surprising how it can come back. 2-3 weeks ago I’d say our 40x5 yard “yawn” part of the track was the worst I’ve ever seen in with more brown than green but a good health looking green has returned to nearly all of it.

Over in the field, I saw a tractor flailing the crop one night early this week and there are just short bits of stem sticking out above the ground now. I guess the harvest will come next week.

--
*All I really know is that my 3 5Ah batteries are enough and depending on what I’m doing, I may only need 2. The first battery will usually take me mowing our (todays guess is…) 40x5yd “lawn” patch and into the veg plot. If I’m just going to follow up with going round the pots and a quick tidy up round the edges with the trimmer, I’m not going use much more from the battery I will have changed to during the mowing. If say I add in mums “orchard” (let’s say an 8 x 8 yd square which has a couple of trees in and I like to allow to grow a bit longer [or sometimes not cut some of at all when say the daffodils are out]) into the bit I want to trim (the whole patch – I don’t mow here), I’ll be getting into the 3rd battery.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 11:43 PM

I have an old fashioned flat spring set built into a sturdy wooden frame (from the late 1800s) propped up in the garage. One day I may use it for some kind of display thing. Good luck moving the bed. Have you tried a wrench and a screwdriver?

While the power was out for hours from overnight to midday I spent time reading (on the Fire Tablet/Kindle) and once there was enough light coming in the kitchen window I worked my way along the far counter and stove with a couple of old rags and the bottle of 409. When the lights came back on that area looked very nice. There had been a buildup of dust, held in place by a fine layer of cooking misted grease.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 06:31 PM

OK all right already. I'm goaded and shamed to go ahead and remove a bed that has taken up space for 10 years. It is wrought iron.
Last time I tried I failed. This is a job for a meson disintegrator but it isn't invented yet. There must be another way. I may end up having to use a sawzall and fire extinguisher. I wonder if the old fashioned coil spring under mattress has any tales to tell.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 10:56 AM

The tune session was great, thanks for asking, Maggie. No windows open; it was just too chilly and wet.

We did manage to maintain two-metre spacing, with no trouble. I had a music stand for Mary Anne, who perched on a dining chair in the middle of the parlour rug, I sat in the kitchen door, and Serena had a seat at the table. Serena and I are supposed to be off the dots by now, but Mary Anne is brand new to this repertoire and needed both the roadmap and something to scrawl notes on.

Watson the tomcat paid a visit to inspect Mary Anne's ankles and express disapproval of the fiddle, but his primary mission was to tell me that Treat Time was imminent, and obviously the higher priority.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 07:31 PM

Charmion, how did your music session go? Did you leave windows open during the visit?

I have turned my attention to digging out the particularly seasonal items in my stash of stuff to list on eBay. It's time to take an extra photo with a holiday bow or wrapping paper under the items to go with photos already listed or taken for the upcoming-listing. It can be edited out later if the items don't sell by the holidays. I also weeded out stuff that I'm just never going to get around the listing and it's going to Goodwill.

It was a low calorie day today, two meals instead of three, and drinking lots of water. I won't be sharing details, just observing that I'm trying to get back on track now that exercise is easier. I still don't have safe access to a gym, but I can get out and walk comfortably around the neighborhood, which explains the timing.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Sep 20 - 05:38 PM

I've had an informal goal this month of low-spend, if not no-spend, but the electric weed trimmer finally died. I'm surprised it lasted this long. The gas-powered one needs to go back to the shop, it leaks fuel. Looks like it's time to shop around. I have a number of Ryobi tools that use the same batteries, I wonder how long a battery would last in a trimmer in a big yard? I'm probably still best dragging the long power cord and finding another cheap electric one.

The front yard is mowed and some of the trimming is finished. The worst of it along the NW side of the house is where it got overheated and died. I did finish that stretch first.

The reason I came to post is that I finally figured out what is up with my phone app for Google Fit and have it again tracking my steps. It doesn't make a difference around the house during the day but it renders a nice map of the neighborhood when I walk the dogs. This is a new phone and I hadn't completely set it up when I logged on.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Sep 20 - 12:19 PM

Sounds nice! I'm watching the COVID-19 infection numbers start to level off here, hoping by October I'll be able to have a couple of family members in the house, seated far apart but at least under one roof. We have to see what mid-September looks like after the three-day-weekend before making that decision. For now, company visits in the driveway or we go sit spaced apart on the rock wall under the pines in my front yard.

Today is the day I have decided to start the alternate day fasting again. It's still hot out, but the quality of the heat, the amount of cooling overnight, make for better walking weather (and mowing weather - I've put it off long enough). By starting now I still have several months before the colder cooking and eating more weather sets in, that make the diet a bit more difficult.

I have an exercise to do to help with the bursitis, and a note from the PA at my orthopedist's office to Google "IT Band stretches." As the swelling decreases around the knee surgery I'm able to do a few things that involve kneeling (working in the flower beds has been from a bent at the waist standing position all year), though I need a well-padded cushion still.

Late last week I went by Goodwill to drop off the stuff that was in my laundry room bin and the large lampshade I decided isn't going to be used here any time soon. It was a good idea that didn't pan out. Now I don't have to move it every time I do laundry. My next efficiency move is to re-think the compost buckets beside the back door. 5 gallon buckets have always been really heavy to move when full, even years ago when I was more fit. It's time to look at lidded 3-gallon buckets. I've worked out how to put them in the compost so the dogs leave them alone - dig a hole in the existing pile, pour in the glop, then dump at least one full bag of lawn clippings from the mower on top. The grass is growing enough now after rain last week that I can mow the back yard for the clippings, I don't need to lug the bag contents from the front.

There are still big things on my to-do list - now that the knee is fine and the weather is cooling, watch this space for notes on fence repair, patio cover repair, closing the loose vent cover hole in the soffit that I don't want squirrels entering.

What are our regulars and lurkers planning for fall? I've heard from a few via other channels but won't post here unless they ask me to. I still wonder how Susan is doing - there is a lot of content on this thread, plenty for Hardy to read out loud if they are curious about our comings and goings. I hope by the end of the year to hear something from Susan herself. That would be a good goal.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Sep 20 - 10:22 AM

We're playing tunes at my house today, and it's raining with a forecast high of only 15C -- definitely not patio weather. Serena the fiddle has recruited Mary Anne on guitar, so this afternoon I must calculate socially distanced seating for three women with three instruments between our dining room and parlour.

Fortunately, neither of the others is allergic to cats.

Ideally, we would sit around the dining-room table, but it's a 48-inch round job and the dining room is small. Therefore, one can sit at the table, another can sit in the kitchen door, and the third must sit out in the parlour.

The things we do for tunes!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Sep 20 - 12:20 PM

I went into the new and improved sewing room this morning to grab the full trash can before the morning pickup. The room has been swept, dusted, and reorganized and while it can be used for someone to sleep in, mostly it is a space to work in. The only thing needed for a guest to stay is to put away the ironing board next to the bed.

I've parked a few things in my son's room next door, and that is the room I do use as the primary guest room, so I need to think about where those items will go. There is an antique sewing machine in a table intended for eBay that needs cleaning and rewiring before listing. One small three-shelf cabinet was moved from there into the sewing room to hold supplies next to the sewing machines that are now each set on sewing machine tables. The large rectangular table is now laid out with the cutting mats for the rotary cutter.

If my family is ever allowed into the house again they will see a changed place. Moving furniture during quarantine is a therapeutic activity that offers good exercise.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 08:56 PM

The cabinet is about 8' tall and 7' wide and has 30 fairly square 15" deep cubbies for storing lots of stuff. I can't see taking it apart to try to fit in a mattress frame, but then, I didn't describe this cabinet before. It's put to good use filled with my sewing and craft stuff.

I've made a lot of progress, the bed is in the corner, the fossilized cat barf is mopped off of the floor from where the bed stood for the last 10+ years (there were old pieces of antique bed frames and slats stored under there and the cats, in their last days, seem to have hidden among them and been ill). I am now looking around the house for a small table I might use in there to shift the sewing machines off of the long table. I moved in one small cupboard already that will work for some storage of things; if I can rearrange some more stuff I can use the large table that now has 2 sewing machines instead for cutting cloth. But I need a table that doesn't have hinges or slats because I'd be losing pins and whatnot through the gaps. I have a lot of funky tables that won't work but I can probably trade them out around the house and find something. There's one in my office I can move to my bedroom . . .

Not quite someone's "Futility Room" or "Glory Hole" but this room has been a smallish black hole allowing me to ignore things I'm never going to use and really don't need to be keeping. There is one piece of furniture that may go to the Goodwill and a bag of trash to the curb when all of this is finished. I didn't touch the long narrow closet, that is its own disturbing storage space that my daughter will have to tackle one of these days.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: mg
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 04:15 PM

is the cabinet big enough for a twin mattress? And if you can make a big cabinet you can make a murphy bed. they have kits. And I gave away my duplicate coffee grinder yesterday and I don't drink coffee..just grind pepper and flax seed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 02:59 PM

We go months without being touched by another human when we live alone. COVID-19 times are strange indeed.

A friend called this morning and asked what I was going to give myself for my birthday. I hadn't thought about doing anything like that, and with so few places to go, anything decorative or new as far as clothing or jewelry would go unused. I have worn out a couple of pairs of shoes lately and have a DSW coupon for my birthday month, so shoes are a possibility, but they'd be casual.

That set me to thinking, though; if I were to put in something like a new piece of furniture I'd love one of those cabinets that houses a Murphy bed and get rid of a regular bed in the craft room, opening up floor space and room for a cutting table in there. All of these family antiques mean the swap is highly unlikely, but I COULD go ahead and rearrange that room again. It's set up like a bedroom with my craft stuff on two walls. The bed has room on three sides now but if I moved it to the corner that would open up several more feet that now serve as access to the closet. No way I'm going to move the large cabinet I built years ago to house all of my daughter's stuff (there was a time when none of the floor was visible; the cabinet cured that) but I think there's room for the bed next to it on that wall. Moving furniture is good exercise and generates endorphins. I got a big bang out of moving all of the front room and sunroom contents recently, now it's time for another revitalized room.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 01:56 PM

Geez, what we are reduced to.

Every four weeks, I drive to Kitchener (80 km round trip) for a needle at the allergist's office. It's the only contact I get these days with real, genuine strangers -- you know, people one has never seen before and never expect to see again.

In the Time Before COVID, that happened every day. Now, only once a month.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 12:51 PM

This morning I got my shots. The mystery flu shot was without sensation but the Shingles vaccine was a real middle school punch in the arm.
Its only as sore as from extreme exercise. Two shots to go.
It was good getting out of the house.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Sep 20 - 07:52 AM

Debbie was saying she got a root canal yesterday and was glad to get out of the house.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 20 - 12:11 PM

I can no longer put off mowing the lawn. The heat wave has broken and we had a fair amount of rain to give the turf a boost.

Puttering this morning as I attack more things in the stack of papers that need some kind of attention (product warranties - worthwhile, or simply a future source of annoying email?)

I think it's time to brush the dogs and give each of them a bath. The weather is good for it, the water coming out of the hose isn't cold (for any of our comfort - I get pretty wet during the process) and they're overdue. It doesn't really remove the amount of hair in the house, sometimes I think grooming lets more loose for a while (even though I discard copious amounts during the brushing).

The weather is also good for transplanting, so the redbud that I dug out of a bed beside the back gate and potted a while ago will be planted in a place of honor in the front yard near where the Elderica pine stood until last year. It was going to eventually fall, and most likely on the house, so I took it out. The other pines in the front yard are a much better adapted variety for this area and are a little farther from the house. This redbud will be fine in the open or just as happy in the understory when the remaining pines grow out the broad umbrella tops (it takes about 40 years before they start producing cones with the wonderful pine nuts, so I probably won't be here for that.)

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Sep 20 - 06:56 PM

My annual flu shot was the first stop on a fairly convoluted trip this morning, resulting in a couple of bags of groceries (including a lot of Envy apples, a variety I buy for my ex when I find them and pick up a few for myself). The rest of the trip was to drop off masks to various friends. We don't get to talk for long, and it's on the front porch or in the carport, but every visit like that is precious.

There were over-ripe bananas needing attention so despite the high humidity today I turned on the oven and made a double batch that went into four small pans to distribute to friends (I got a text a few minutes ago from next door saying hot banana bread goes really well with Blue Bell ice cream). Spreading goodwill, one loaf at a time. The loaves are small enough that no one needs to feel guilty if it disappears quickly.

With this extended quarantine activity the upcoming holiday weekend is going to be a dud. Not that I go shopping for mattresses or new cars or whatever the item that is pushed heavily on this September occasion, but for so many people it will just be another day at home, not an occasion to go shopping. As people plan for Halloween and xmas the question will arise - will anyone be able to come into the house to see a tree or fancy mantle, or to join a big meal? I predict the energy will be spent decorating house exteriors.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Sep 20 - 12:39 PM

I have weeded out most of my halogen lamps also, but I have a favorite kind of banker's lamp that I keep going. They make LCD replacement bulbs for halogen fixtures but they don't have the clout in lumens of the bug-burning scorched-dust smelling halogen. And they're very expensive. My dusk-to-dawn motion-sensor porch light uses them and I bought some online recently that are crap. The porcelain bases on each end crumble after little use. I won't buy those again and I wrote a scathing review on Amazon. (And this is why I always read the bad reviews first.)

Last night I decided to remedy problem of sluggish sewing machines with an hour spent with a small brush (originally the stiff nylon bristles of an old typewriter eraser pencil) and the sewing machine oil bottle. It has been six months since the last tune up; they're like a hot knife through butter now. It's rewarding how good maintenance can keep a machine running. ;-) There was quite a buildup of lint inside the bobbin casing areas after six months of mask making.

Now to make the appointment for the Nissan update. I discussed this with my daughter and concur with her approach to car maintenance: she had her oil changed last week and the shop owner didn't wear a mask (county ordinance says we all should). So when she got back in the car she disinfected the steering wheel, starter button, etc., and then, while still wearing her mask drove for several miles with the windows open to blow out any remaining germs in the air.

We had a heavy rain overnight and several days more are in the forecast. The heat wave appears to have broken. I must start mowing the lawn again. And now the air conditioner is running to pull the moisture, not the heat out of the air.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Sep 20 - 10:16 AM

The laser printer went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore yesterday with four -- count 'em, four! -- halogen lamps, a steam iron, and a bunch of other excess electric and electronic gadgets.

I loathe halogen lamps. They generate a great deal of heat, and the bulbs are a nuisance -- they come in several types that are sometimes hard to find, and they are fiddly to handle. When a lamp takes bulbs that may or may not be available for purchase within half an hour's drive of the front door, and replacing said bulb means taking the lamp apart with a screwdriver and may entail burning one's fingers, that lamp is a Problem, and that's Problem with a P that rhymes with T that stands for Trash.

So now we are both (wirelessly) using an office-type ink-jet printer that has not given a lick of trouble in three years, and the Glory Hole has a bit more swing space.

Which is a good thing, as Himself came back from the market on Sunday with a huge plastic keg of maple syrup that will keep us going till next Easter, if not beyond. It needs about a square foot of shelf space, fortunately not in the refrigerator until the seal is cracked. That will be a while, as we're still working on the last keg Himself brought home from the market ...

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 20 - 06:55 PM

Finally, after several dives into the dark corners and upper shelves of the closet, I found the pairs of Capri-length trousers I was looking for. They were where I thought they should be, just further back and really well hidden. I could have used them all summer, but at least I know now that I wasn't losing my mind, that they were here.

How is work going in the Futility Room, Don? I periodically need to tackle my laundry room (or Utility Room) and it's about that time again. Too many boxes and parts of old projects on the dryer, not put away in the cupboard above or carried out to storage in the garage. And the Goodwill bin has stuff sitting on top because the inside is full.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 20 - 12:52 PM

I'm sad to not be shipping via USPS, it's my go-to service, but it's broken right now and anything for eBay has to be able to arrive quickly to keep buyers from going ballistic. Everything else can go into the mail and take it's chances. I have another eBay parcel to go today; I have to drive over to the nearest Office Depot store to drop off FedEx boxes.

Finally some rain and cooler (90s) temperatures this week. I'll be able to get into the yard more in the mornings. I have stuff to load up and take over to Goodwill; I'd love to browse their offerings right now, but I'll stick to t-shirts, I need a few more colors for my mask t-shirt yarn. I am finally producing enough to sell, if anyone needs a small order. 3D, fitted, or pleated, various sizes depending on type. $10/mask and $1/per mask shipping up to a certain number when it's moot and they can go priority envelope (8).

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 02:27 PM

We have decluttered a laser printer that eats expensive toner cartridges at a ridiculous rate, and now Himself can actually open his office window without performing a complex balletic stretch.

Well, he could, if only it had a fly screen.

Gotta do something about missing fly screens, but probably not this year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 20 - 12:59 PM

September, even as warm as it is in Texas, is around the corner, so in my prickly-heated brain a break from summer misery is on the way. Autumn is brief here (if we get a week that feels like that season, we're lucky) is on it's way. It goes from hot to cold like someone flipped a switch.

The wheelbarrow is out and I'm going to be making some deliveries to the compost pile today. And doing some digging to start transplanting a few things that have waited for the worst of the heat to pass.

Inside, the house is in much better shape than it was a year ago, or even six months ago. It's time to start shopping my own cupboards and see what I want to move around to make it feel more like the holidays are approaching. And it's time to start listing the holiday stuff on eBay.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 20 - 07:54 PM

This weekend the PBS secondary station "Create" has been playing several hours of The Best of Sewing With Nancy, and one of them made me go looking at the web page. She spent the half hour demonstrating how various of the attachments and presser feet for sewing machines worked. Seeing these in action makes it so clear and worth trying out. Best of SWN: Untimate Fancy Footwork Part 1. There are three parts of this, and I'll watch the other two that I haven't seen later. You should be able to poke around from this link (scroll down) to find the other two and many good topical programs.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Aug 20 - 12:19 PM

Dorothy, I found a nice online place for sewing machine equipment and they have reasonable shipping prices. Sewing Parts Online. I bought a bobbin case and and couple of presser foot parts from them when restoring the Goodwill White "Jeans Machine."

My daughter showed me the test for thread to see if it's too old to use (at least on the sewing machine and for garments you want to move around in and not break the seams) - giving a length of it a quick yank quickly decides it. It breaks, it's too brittle. I had to discard so many spools (mentioned before as something listed now on eBay for crafters who don't care if it's old) and it resulted in the dismal discovery that these spools of thread for regular sewing machines aren't offered in every color under the sun any more. You're lucky to find the basic ROYGBIV colors plus black and white. Joann's has lots of coupons to untangle but I recently discovered that the sewing parts place also sells thread and fabric.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Aug 20 - 11:40 AM

Dupont:

First: this week's chuckle: You will laugh at my utter delight in sewing two buttons onto an old flannel shirt. But it was not the sewing on of the buttons but the finding of buttons from having sorted through both BR and back/back shed at Beaver. Then re-finding the bottle of buttons, sorting them by size AND, rather than just putting them back into the bottle, realizing I had a plastic container with cubicles just for this need! All of which also entailed sorting of next sewing tasks, and of fabrics and getting everything re-homed much better than before, leaving the sewing room in much better shape! Then I mended the pocket of a pair of slacks - chewed by mouse to get whatever was in there! Months these have been waiting - for the right configuration of the planets/weather/ mindset/ physical energy... All to remind me that I still do not have the extra bobbins for the machine...

Lawn is getting mowed bit by bit. Today - rain - no mow. Cool weather. R notes that he sneezes when he goes down to the book room/basement. I say "mold". He says "not". ...

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 20 - 07:39 PM

The state is still slow on testing for COVID-19 but the county I live in is trying to have lots of people get tested, so I set up an appointment. I don't think I've been exposed or had it, but they need as many as possible tested and are reaching out to a group of 45,000 to start with. I responded to a rather complicated message in my voice mail to call in and learn about this. Since I went through a period of recovery from surgery in the spring if I'd had a virus that didn't have overt symptoms I wouldn't know and I was feeling bad enough already to have missed any.

It's tremendously hot here this week, so most of my work has been indoors. I transported a large box to the FedEx drop-off for an eBay sale (finally!) - shipping is more complicated now when the USPS is so messed up by Trump's postmaster general. Bashing sorting machines mean it takes over a week for a first class parcel to travel 20 miles. Anyway, that was a couple of cubic feet of bulk cleared out of the front room.

I'm reading two books, one due in a week (audiobook) and one I just want to finish (Kindle). Completing both of those won't affect any space in the house. There is a cartoon of a huge set of bookshelves in a grand home library and they're empty, except for a Kindle propped on the bottom shelf in one corner. I'll never get to that point, but my Fire tablet is slowly filling with volumes.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Aug 20 - 11:37 AM

Dupont:

Pics of the storm were horrendous on CBC last night!

Took a load of mind this am by sending off two cards with notes, months overdue. Why am I so loathe to write to folks - so I have lost people who moved without bothering to tell me because they never heard from me. Because, I write too much and it makes me loathe to do another! I hate the manual exercise of writing - since grade school! So off went these two notes to "kids" I have not seen in over ten years. The mom, who quit phoning me years ago, and I quit phoning her because I only ever got the father, a nice man but...

But she sent me an invitation to the older daughter's grad - on Whidbey, in 2019! It was months late when I received it due to old address about which I had forgotten. And more months for me to "get around to it". But now they are done - one to each "child" as I could not leave the younger one out. And a change of address not and donation to The Catholic Worker; I only read bits but it has been part of my life all my life, so I could not just send a donation and "please stop...". Now to find a safe post office.

Now, beautiful day. I will try the yard for mosquitoes; they were vicious yesterday but today is dryer... I am mowing bit by bit. Was trying to finish before going back to Beaver but maybe not. Tomorrow we can go fetch "patio furniture someone is giving R. There is enough mowed area for it in the side yard! Maybe Monday to B.   

R has been leaving earlier and coming home earlier. Really does not like driving in dark; has not made eye appointment...

Broke diet badly yesterday and again this am. Start again from where I am... I ate enough choc - from a fancy gift box - to feel sick already. May cure me? Doubt it. MUST write in book right after BF!! But I was focused on that other writing task.

OK, plug in Lawn mower and see how much I can get done!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Aug 20 - 10:00 AM

I opened the patio door to let the cats enjoy the great outside and turned away to do something else. "Did you mean to let Watson out?" said Himself -- and, sure enough, I had completely missed the fact that the sliding screen was wide open. Fortunately, I was able to seize Watson by the tail and recover him without too much struggle.

But it's obvious my eyesight is not what it once was. Actually, it never was much cop, and now it's even less cop than ever.