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

Subject: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Dec 18 - 01:31 PM

Getting a jump on the New Year by starting this a little early. The other thread ran for two years, and most people probably know about clicking on the little 100^d next to the numbers of posts, but for those reading on tablets or phones, shorter threads are more accessible. So we'll start out with a space easy for lurkers and regulars to read on any device.

The past thread can be read in it's entirety here. There are other threads that can be located by searching the forum for "De-clutter" or "Declutter." There have been a few spin off threads, the most remarkable being the one several years ago in which LilyFestre received a cancer diagnosis and the discussion was moved to a thread that allowed everyone to focus on that topic. (She recovered and is doing great!)

Katlaughing started these, our late Mudcat moderator and writer, crafter, and grandmother of Morgan. We all became Mudcat aunties to Morgan as we learned of his adventures.

Most of the time we just keep tabs on progress here, sometimes it is used as a place to posts lists and goals that can be easily found (versus writing a note to oneself and losing it in the house or office clutter.) Lurkers drop in, and it's my observation that most of them are less chatty and more efficient in the tasks they decide to take on than some of us who putter along pushing the extra stuff slowly out the door. Those lurkers are often heard from only a couple of times, at the beginning and end of the personal episode they are reporting on.

We all have a music connection but this is less about music and more about achieving harmony with the stuff in our houses.

If you're in a hurry to get to the task, there is the practice of döstädning, which translates to “death cleaning.”

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Dec 18 - 03:59 PM

PA:

For those new to this group, I'm close to finishing a 4-year downsize and move from 5000+ (two stories) sq ft in PA to our 1000 sq ft (one story) SE Ohio retirement home. I've gone back and forth delivering furniture, etc with open cargo trailers, vans, and a rented truck.

I'm close to the end of a month in PA to enjoy our last Christmas here and NOT to pack ANYTHING, for a change, until we throw a few essential items into our van when Greg retires January 1. We'll come back for a quick March trip to empty the house of last furniture pieces and boxes.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Dec 18 - 10:55 AM

As you say, Stilly, some of us lurk more than others.

The move from Ottawa successfully decluttered us of a great deal of clag, and I am pleased to note that I don't miss it one bit. What's more, I'm pretty sure Himself doesn't miss it, either.

We still have far too many books, but they are here to stay; if I were to launch any kind of library purge, let alone a major sweep, I would get fierce push-back. Instead, I focus on switching to ebooks as much as possible. Pulp novels work just as well on screen as on paper -- maybe better, as ebooks don't collect dust.

I confess to being a dust denier. I also have a great talent for ignoring spider webs. One of these days I'll get me one of those long-handled wool things for taking down spider webs from ceilings, but on the whole I'm not in any hurry.

And now that we have a kitchen range with a self-cleaning oven, life is seriously good. I recommend the self-cleaning oven to anyone out there who is still messing with caustic soda, or putting off cleaning the stove because caustic soda is scary stuff. Yes, a new stove with a self-cleaning oven is expensive, but so worth it. Stay out of Starbucks for the foreseeable future and put your latte money in a Mason jar; in a year, you can get yourself a new stove with a self-cleaning oven. Just do it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Dec 18 - 11:00 AM

Charmion, agreed about the oven. Mine is the lowest end stove that includes a self-cleaning feature, and I used it last week.

It's time for a xmas eve run past the recycle bin before people fill it up with the annual glut of corrugated cardboard from gift giving. And to pick up a few remaining ingredients for dinner tonight.

I've cleaned up the kitchen and finally this morning took the glass full of xmas cactus pieces and planted them in a dozen small terracotta pots that are now stored in my sunroom window and hopefully some will sprout and be nice gifts next year. The kitchen window sill is much clearer since several other things went into the donate or the e-waste bin. I have a box of the "still good but I can't use" stuff that my ex and the kids can pick over before it goes to Goodwill.

Cookie distribution to a few close-by neighbors will begin a little later today.

Have a good holiday season, whatever you celebrate. We don't practice a religion so we celebrate family and the opportunity to get together and laugh (and bicker) over the preparation of a meal that is at least partly composed of family recipes from my ex's mother. The kids grew up with my cooking, that's not a mystery, but we want them to know how to make a few of the dishes their father grew up with in Puerto Rico. We take a risk every year because chances are that more than once during the cooking he's going to say "that's NOT how you're supposed to do it" or "you forgot the X ingredient." We are saving our gift giving until later in the week when the fourth of our family group will arrive.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Dec 18 - 06:16 PM

We celebrate Christmas in this house. Our Christmas tree has been up for about 2 weeks and as of last night, all the presents are wrapped and Christmas cards are done, waiting to be sent. We spent some time working together to tidy up the house today and then have been just enjoying the day as we please.

Tomorrow we will celebrate in our traditional fashion and then I return to work the following day. It's a difficult time of year for many of my clients so off to work I go. The full moon on top of the holiday will be interesting to be sure. My decorations are still up at work and will need to come down. I have a lovely windowsill in my cubby and will need to decide what to do with it once all the holiday decorations are done. Currently I have a cute little nativity set lining the window, a winter bird and a framed photo of my family that is winter themed with the word JOY on it. I also have a small tree decorated in maroon, browns and antiqued gold ornaments, some beads and teeny tiny white lights. I've really enjoyed that and maybe will keep the tree until New Year's.

As for normal household work, I tidied up in the kitchen and bathroom today. Pete has almost 2 weeks off and will be redoing the bathroom floor while I'm at work. The current flooring is now over 20 years old and past it's prime. On Friday, we picked out a few different flooring samples to bring home and try out....I think we have settled on a mottled gray floor....it's much darker than what we currently have but we are both up for a change. While we were at the store, we also looked into glass tiles for a backsplash in the kitchen. It's much more affordable than I thought it would be and looks fairly simple to install....we shall see.

I'm off to make tacos....Jeremiah's request for this Christmas Eve dinner.

Merry Christmas and Love to all!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Dec 18 - 08:28 AM

PA:

The game's afoot.

(What often looks like planning, here, has sometimes actually been the result of going to bed or waking up wits the semi-conscious thoughy: "HOW the EFF am I going to EVER get outta here!" And then my semiconscious auto-pilot creates a scope and sequence to fit.)

So that inner sense woke up this AM screaming, and we're discussing how that's MY process these last 4 years, not Greg's. (HIS process is more like how we always get going on vacation.) So we're laughing about the eggs I thought I'd make this AM that were just thrown out, and smoothly adjusting to mesh!

But it's beginning-- that afooting game -- and it's exciting!!!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 25 Dec 18 - 04:53 PM

I have just signed up to the "What do you promise to do in 2019?" thread and that is, to massively de-clutter this house and double garage we've had for 32 years! Yes, it's that "don't leave it to your kids" thing, with us both being over 70, albeit both having had long surviving parents (all went to late 80s or first half of 90s, despite 3 out of 4 having been smokers!) Haven't been able to put either car in the garage for at least 15, if not 20, years, because of all the assorted bits of wood, stuff from our parents' houses, stuff that might possibly be mendable (NOT, but himself thinks it is!)
And heaven knows what's up in the loft! And "summerhouse" woth various unridden for years bikes, etc. And glasshouse, and shed.....
We are both retired so the job bit doesn't come into it, tho' the life bit does: "don't know how I ever had time to go to work" - then there's music (me), rugby, gardening (him), culture in a city renowned for it, minding the grandchildren (both) .......

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Dec 18 - 05:47 PM

Something has messed up my main computer and restore isn't working. If I refresh the software I lose my installed apps and some of them I don't have disks for.

Logging on via my laptop just to see that one computer is working. The Microsoft update may have caused the cascade of failure in my security software.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Dec 18 - 08:12 PM

Best of luck, Tattie Bogle!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 01:00 AM

I think the problem is the security software (Kaspersky) not the Windows. It used to be more highly rated; I don't know if it merely got pushed aside with this current administration wrangling over Russia (Kaspersky was taken out of US govt computers) or something else. After several attempts to fix the Windows, and being unwilling to lose all of the software already installed, I will use the security software from my Internet provider (the price is right, and it's Norton - I think I can run thirty devices using that software if I want. I have three.) This afternoon was quiet after the comraderie this morning; friends went out to movies and if the computer hadn't seemed to be a pressing problem, I would have gone. Maybe tomorrow.

I have a handful of things for Goodwill, and yesterday dropped off recycling. The bins were completely empty, in preparation for the recyclables generated today. I sold and shipped two eBay items and have identified a few more things to list soon.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 08:51 AM

PA:

Departure fever will, this time, result in gathering up loose trash and goodwill as we check each room.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 09:40 AM

Three weeks into this bout of bronchitis, having completed the course of antibiotics and faithfully huffed all the doses from all the puffers, I am still coughing. If not quite as violently convulsive as it was at its peak, it’s loud, phlegmy, and definitely not the kind of thing you want to hear in the grocery store. Or, indeed, anywhere else. So Christmas was a bit isolated: just Himself, the cats and me — and the cough.

I was sick enough that no decorating was done, and fancy cooking was limited to a roast duck. Fortunately, there was a Christmas pudding in the freezer from last year, when I made a whole flock of them.

Tomorrow we take the road to Windsor, to see Himself’s sisters and to get our festive ticket punched with the extended kin-group. Alas, the cough is coming with us ...

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Dec 18 - 12:12 PM

As far as illness near the holiday goes, I got lucky with the type that visited, a virus that was unpleasant for a couple of days and led to careful food choices for a couple more, but didn't cancel the holiday or cooking. This bug seems to be making the rounds, but since it isn't transmitted by a cough or sneeze as far as I know, it's really sneaky.

My decorating is modest by modern standards, I think, and I've put most of it off, but the whole family will be here over the weekend so I'll put some garland on the mantle and a couple of other favorite ornaments around. Our delayed holiday could, in theory, give us the opportunity to do deeply discounted gift shopping but no one is such a glutton for punishment. Stores are not to be approached this time of year.

There is a lot to do around the house for the next few days so decluttering isn't a huge focus, but since things are being pulled out that are seasonal, I can choose to thin collections of things on the fly.

The dogs and I went for a two-part walk today; the exercise around a large block, then the excursion into the woods across the road. We haven't gone often because it was bad for ticks this year, and it's warm now, so I still need to check everyone over. Next time we head over I'll take my clippers because there were a lot of greenbriar across the path. Fitness for all of us, and an attitude adjustment for the newest dog who has gotten progressively rowdy lately and needed a reminder of who is the pack leader. When we go for the walk it is the dogs' job, ala Cesar Milan, and I am in charge. And after the walk, breakfast. They had a lovely morning of it!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Dec 18 - 12:11 AM

I have quite a stash of beads, fake rhinestones, glitter, seed beads, etc. and tonight I worked on embellishing a felt stocking that was quickly assembled last year at this time, when on spur of the moment I pulled out the felt, handed my childhood felt stocking to my daughter as the model, and along with some gold bric-a-brac and a contrasting color felt, she made two quick stockings for two visiting-durable-partners-who-aren't-yet-spouses. I promised myself they'd be tarted up for this year. Only one of them will be in use this year, and that one has more contrasting felt characters (reindeer and sleigh), and various sequins and beads attached. And a bit more to come. What else are these little packs of sparkly things going to be used for? If I need more in the future I know where to get them.

Tomorrow I start working on a man's plaid flannel shirt. Better to get the smaller stocking task out of the way first. My goal is to have the shirt on a hanger in plain view on our gift-giving day (probably Sunday). Technically it's last year's gift, but the shopping for fabric and pattern and such was so close to xmas last year that the shirt wasn't made. And it was put off, but now I have time and a clear dining room table and I really love the magic of assembling a garment. It goes from being yardage to something someone you love will wear for many years to come. This is probably an 8-10 hour project so I should get some good movie viewing in (background noise/accompaniment) in the next couple of days. I listened and glanced up at the Kennedy Center Honors while I worked on the stocking.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Dec 18 - 11:32 AM

I am not a crafty person, and I read the accounts of those who are with a degree of bemusement. It's quite clear to me how crafters are even more vulnerable to the clutter bug than most people. When you can credibly whip up cute novelties out of this 'n' that, how could you bear to throw anything out?

My artisanal skills are limited to food, so I have a freezer full of chicken carcasses because, you know, soup ...

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: mg
Date: 27 Dec 18 - 02:10 PM

I love the idea of quilting so whenever i get the urge i buy material i like and send to quilters at rosebud reservation in sd. Some support their families this way. If you have extra cloth. Thread, batting etc. They might like it but check first. I donot have a good address now

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Dec 18 - 01:03 PM

Mary, do they make a quilt for you, or is sending the fabric more along the lines of "wait a few moments and the urge will pass"?

Tweaking eBay listings to see what will budge some of them. One is offered regular price and shipping is extra. Another price is raised by the shipping costs and offered "free shipping." Seriously, people don't do the math, at least, some people don't.

The last few days were unseasonably warm, but now we're back to clear and very cold weather. I did some yard work in the warm weather and walked the dogs and emptied one of the compost buckets beside driveway door (it breaks down more there before I take it to the heap in the back yard). Yesterday the trash wasn't picked up, staggered a day due to the holiday (no one got that memo - trash was out up and down the street), so this morning when it was all still at the curb a red sedan pulled up at the end of my driveway and sat for a bit. Then someone got out and picked up the discarded hose piled on top of the trash bag. Fine. I gave them a little privacy with the hose, but the idiot was blocking view of the trash when the trash collection truck went by so everyone else's trash was picked up - except mine. Minus one hose. I've carried the bag back up to the bin next to the garage.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Dec 18 - 06:38 PM

Beaver:

Robin arrived before Christmas and has de-cluttered tremendous quantities of ice and snow from strategic areas. And moved items from house to van that were too heavy for me. And made the back sheds more accessible. I have cooked - and de-cluttered frig and freezer!

Today was above freezing (+3C) and much ice was eradicated!!

He has yet to install shelf in utility room and remove, and replace, moldy, icky looking caulk around bath tub. My big requests.

We attended two wonderful Community Christmas dinners and met a new interesting human, explored further north, visited Madonna House on the beautiful Madawaska River and intend to go back tomorrow for a tour - to view the Russian style chapel in the woods - and a visit to a ---Arghhh! --- used book store of considerable interest. Have managed not to acquire more stuff but ... Oh, an antique and very interesting electric waffle iron; we have not ascertained if it works. It looks older than the one we had when I was a child but not as old as the one I have that is designed to sit on a gas or wood stove.

R arrived with a copy of the very interesting, and appropriate, book The Organized Mind by David J. Levitin.

At the moment he is snoring while waiting to go to the 7-11 Cafe, hosted by my dear musician friend of 40 years. Wakey, wakey!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Dec 18 - 11:49 AM

PA:

Wakey, wakie indeed. Last wknd of parochial ministry here is off with a bang-- tiny wedding today (shortly), last Sat svc tonight, 3 liturgies tmrw including two YUGE ones. Decks are cleared to fully be present at all and record several.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 18 - 10:33 PM

Cutting out a pattern for a shirt this evening I realize that they've changed a lot over the years. I thought the tissue paper was as thin as it would ever be, but it's gossimer now. And they save ink by not printing on various things like seam allowances. And along the edge I see that it isn't 5/8th of an inch in all instances, they seem to expect me to be using a serger. I'll check with my daughter tomorrow since she has used these more recently than I have. Ironic that just last week I found the right sized box to store all of my old patterns in, the ones I've bought in the past and never made or made, but that have more heft and information.

This time of year in cold weather and right after the holidays is generally a pretty good time of year to sell things on eBay, so I'll be busy with that as soon as the various holiday activities subside. A family event tomorrow and friends over for lunch on New Year's Day and then I'll get that stuff listed. I've photographed several items already.

I don't have any resolutions to declare or act on, I have the usual things I'm trying to accomplish year round to keep me busy. But every so often an idea of how to do something in a new way will be presented or will pops into my head, and it probably happens with each of you also. So here's wishing you luck finding those good ideas or helpful goals as you move through the new year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: KarenH
Date: 30 Dec 18 - 04:20 AM

When working in the kitchen, take a dishcloth and place it under your right foot, being careful not to lose it when moving about. This ensures that if any crumbs are dropped in the kitchen they are not trodden into the carpets when you move around the house. Just one tip I picked up this year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Dec 18 - 11:03 AM

That's fine if you live alone, but I have dogs! No crumb on the floor goes undetected for long. On the other hand, my dogs might tear up or eat a towel on the floor. One of them drags all sorts of things out into the yard via the dog door. :)

Family is coming over today so the dogs got an early walk. When we started out Pepper was all alert and twitching around on her shared lead with the lab (a double or split lead clips onto the leash), but after a couple of blocks she settled into the pace with the other two. That helps reduce her excitement a little for the day ahead and gives us all some necessary exercise.

Sounds like today is going to be a big/sad/happy/emotional one in a particular part of Pennsylvania. I hope you have a great time, Susan!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Dec 18 - 07:42 PM

PA:

Omg

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Hrothgar
Date: 30 Dec 18 - 07:56 PM

Charmion, there is nothing wrong in being a dust denier.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Dec 18 - 08:45 PM

Beaver:

Uh,oh! Trip to the bookstore netted two boxes of books (his) and three books for me. Very interesting: The Healing Trees by Robbie Anderman is an excellent resource on using tree leaves, bark, twigs, etc, for healing - very specific and clearly laid out - for the Northeastern woodlands.

No shelf yet as there are too many books to read! However, after R cleared the doors to the cabinet in front of the house (beside the front door) - designed for pottery storage - which has migrated to the screen house - I realized there are two folding tables in there, one of which might be used to lay out fabric for cutting purposes and then returned to the cabinet; I could sew something! I also use the cabinet to store trash until making a dump run, which we did today - about 6 weeks netted one small bag of recycling and two of trash. All paper goes into the wood stove.

The 3 current boxes of pots, soon to be 4 or 5, will go to Quebec next trip as Mary informs she has money for me, meaning she has sold a number of pots. YAY! I must keep her shop "cluttered" with pots!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 18 - 12:00 AM

We had several cooking things on the agenda for our family holiday and while it all turned out, I think it's safe to say that we wore out everyone by overdoing it. While the kids were still here I pulled out my phone calendar, navigated to Dec. 25, 2019, and entered "grill steaks or chicken or get takeout" for that holiday as a reminder.

As people cooked I cleaned as I could and the dishwasher is running a second load right now. Having a clean kitchen at the end of a long day like this is a gift to me tomorrow.

One of the dogs must have swallowed something after I let them into the house; I didn't want any tripping or problems while we cooked or opened gifts so they were in the yard for several hours. He might have eaten dirt in the yard, or might have grabbed who knows what - paper? plastic? a washcloth? Whatever it was, he's drooling all over the place now. I'll see how he is in the morning and we may have a vet visit in our very near future. That will declutter the wallet.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 18 - 08:04 PM

The pooch seems to have recovered from whatever ailed him. And I'm about recovered from that full day of cooking - I didn't cook a thing today except warm leftovers. Tomorrow I have more cooking to do and that's plenty soon enough.

eBay has been picking up since it's cold out and more people are poking around on the computer during the holidays. I have to keep puttering with those listings.

My daughter asked for an organizing book on her xmas list this year, the one by Marie Kondo; the reviews of this book lead me to believe the content is rather esoteric so I gave her partner my favorite organizing book, Don Aslet's Clutter's Last Stand. He has a straightforward approach and discusses the psychology of why we keep and fail to discard so many things. The kids know that if there are old things around here that they no longer want and they are found to sell on eBay that I'll add ours into play and send it out the door.

Finishing paperwork and doing some filing as a year-end activity, and keeping the dogs in when the neighborhood fireworks start. And as I flip over to Antiques Roadshow their first items this evening are fine art found in thrift stores by the woman who brought them in. Oh, my.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 31 Dec 18 - 09:42 PM

Beaver:

No fireworks out here in the swamp!!! No precipitation for the next couple days so R can go back to Montreal safely! Shelf installed! Bathtub job in progress. Several books read! A fun week generally. No work in studio at all. After he leaves I shall try to get back on track, however, Mary informs she is having to move the shop so may not have a lot of space. But there are a few things that folks have requested, so I shall do what I can and take it to Quebec when I go - whenever that will be. Did a laundry today so he can wear the clothes in which he arrived and keep "here" clothes here for next time.

Ahh! the tub is done with sparkling clean white caulk! Super YAY!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 11:29 AM

I agree with you, Stilly, on the superiority of Aslett over Kondo with respect to clutter theory. Aslett does not get into the joy potential of stuff; he's all about the utility. The older I get, the more I agree with him.

Should I find myself on my own again (God forbid), I would send the whole houseful of stuff to auction and move to a bed-sit within tottering distance of the public library.

Marie Kondo's approach is too emotional, in my opinion, and no check on the true hoarder. My mother could have quite honestly said that she derived joy from every single plate, cup, Royal Doulton figurine, stack of newspapers, box of doorknobs, shelf of books, pile of books on the floor, bag of old letters, etc., etc., packed into her very large house.

I'm still a bit coughy and shaky, but determined to launch the new year as I hope to continue, with a productive visit to the gym and a nice supper of mushroom omelette. There's enough bread in the freezer to last us a couple of weeks yet, so baking is not on the agenda. I must, however, attack the messy basement TV room with the full force of vacuum cleaner and duster; even I cannot deny that the pattern of the Bokhara rug is disappearing under the accumulation of cat hair.

To infinity and beyond! Or at least to the gym. That's infinity enough for me right now.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 11:40 AM

Not a resolution, just a realization over the last couple of weeks that I've moved forward from the recovery stage after retirement and now I need to subscribe myself to enough activities and a part-time job to fill the general human social requirements that going to the job in the past fulfilled. Doing this without the toxic stew of bad management should be beneficial. I must have dreamt about getting a job last night because I remember thinking I'd been so tired from the first day at work that I overslept and was late on the second. Not sure where that job was. This is a cognate to the forgot-to-drop-the-college-class-and-now-it's-finals dream.

Late in the afternoon on Monday someone bought the antique tea pot I'd had listed forever on eBay. I had dropped it to within a dollar of what I paid for it (Goodwill) and was ready to pull it next month and take it back to Goodwill. Lesson learned - if it isn't a regular item on eBay that you can see routinely sells, leave it at the thrift store. It's time of year to do a few clearance listings since I seem to have a glut of some items I routinely pick up every time I see them.

And as a parting observation this morning, I turned on (and muted) the Rose Parade. The Rose Queen and court are on the screen now - and amazingly, the Rose Queen is wearing her glasses! You never see a beauty queen wearing glasses.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 05:23 PM

The ornaments are all off the tree and the tree is out of the house and will soon be put to good use. Pete and I selected the flooring for the bathroom and although we had hoped to get it all down during the break, it just didn't happen. Some other repairs around the house took precedence and I am completely happy with at least having made a decision.

In just a few minutes, I'll be doing some picking up of other decorations and rearranging the living room back to normal. The floors have been swept and mopped already so that's all done.

I worked yesterday and then hit 4 grocery stores, gassed up the Subaru and picked up a pizza for our New Year's Eve get together. We spent the evening at my Mom's playing cards....Uno Spin to be exact. It was a fun evening for everyone!

Happy New Year Everybody!
All My Best,

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 06:41 PM

PA:

Departure prep gently began today with prepping containers for upstairs, to go up with us at bedtime-- a 55 gal trash bin lined with a bag that size and a recycle bin to use as a catcher to bag up goodwill items.

The first attack is the master BR closet, because off season items are stored there in zipped garment bags (the wide ones for portable closets, etc. Greg brought home the next segment of his vestments collection-- the antique set is presently hanging unprotected in the dusty laundry room, so two of these zip bags are coming down to shield those pending March truck-packing.

That BR in general is full of depressing litter to sort/wash/purge, and I figure tidying our room will hopefully motivate the next steps. Before we can start packing the van, we need to unload some of what we brought home from our church work spaces... and make final decisions on what to take and which day to hit the road. Neither of us has that vision quite yet.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: LilyFestre
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 07:04 PM

I forgot to add that Jeremiah and I have added some dance activity to our daily schedule....about 20 minutes worth or so...great fun!

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 07:33 PM

Beaver:

The montreal house

I may or may not have done the "blue clicky"... Thought you might enjoy seeing the house in its new incarnation - after R spent a month, almost full time, clearing it of excess stuff. Amazing what a pro photographer can do. Looks beautiful if you do not know the K is barely usable and the travail of living in a house while it is being shown - so one cannot really LIVE in it.

Life here is cosy. Snow is under control. Wood pile is accessible. R worked hard and even took a long walk in the woods on this beautiful day. I hemmed a pair of his pants and am waiting for him to try them before doing two more pairs. The clothes he came with are clean and ready to wear back to Montreal. The frig and freezer are nicely de-cluttered, as R plans to leave tomorrow. I shall endeavour to get back to Keto. I have no idea when I will leave for Montreal. The "new" house is still in limbo.

Could not open the van due to freezing so stuff that would have been stored is still clutter in house.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 19 - 09:10 PM

This afternoon I finished making a favorite dish that is the annual gift for my ex; the other evening we made a different dish for dinner and he took home the extra. It makes sense to give him consumable gifts since he usually tends to buy himself whatever he needs during the year. He'll put it in the freezer in single portions and use them up over the next few months. The house is going to smell like oil for a couple of days but at least the kitchen is cleaned up again. There isn't a dollar amount to attach to this kind of gift, but it is one that is exactly what he wants and my pocketbook is happy at the low cost. The value-added is in the preparation and cooking.

The dogs and I are going to watch a movie in the living room this evening - the dog cover on the sofa can be covered with a towel for me and if they want to hop up and join me we'll have a good scratch-and-tickle time. It'll be a treat after the noise last night that the youngest dog found to be quite frightening. The neighbors apparently set off artillery shells in their yards on the other side of our creek. Shotguns? Firecrackers? M-80s?

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 09:28 AM

PA:

Recruiting help today. Closet tasks done before my back quit.

We hope to set departure date today.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 11:43 AM

Day two of the year dawned with sleet coating all of the tree branches and tiling the patio cover. It's now raining but travelling out is not advised, so it was good thing I caught the mail carrier at the porch and handed over the eBay box that ships today. She's out there in layers: rain pants and jacket, rubber galoshes and a rain-proof safari hat. I put the barky blue heeler into my office so she wouldn't bark at the door but the lab insisted on pushing through the door to greet her (no barking, just wags). We have to work on door etiquette with the youngest one.

Time to start a new expanding 12-slot file for bills for the year. I started this system a long time ago and for the occasions when I have to go back to find a receipt or prove I paid a bill it is an invaluable resource. I have two that I use, meaning that I'll take the contents of the file from 2017 and bundle them all together into a large manila envelope and reuse that file because the most recent past year is probably the only place I have to search. After a few years I shred or burn the contents of the old folders after giving contents a cursory glance.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 03:59 PM

PA: Departure set for Sunday AM-- that'll be different. Help recruitment is underway. Departure tasks have been identified and allocated. We're making a point of doing fun along with work, along with watching the weather to avoid doing things in ice or mud better done in sunshine. Hockey game Friday!

But omg!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 06:41 PM

Beaver:

WOW! susan is almost on her way! It has been a long and difficult journey to get to this point. May the change be everything you have hoped it would be. Bon voyage to this new phase of life.

De-cluttered of R! It was wonderful having him here for almost 12 days. As I worried about him leaving early enough to get to Montreal at a reasonable time: 10 passed, then 11, then we had to go to the Thrift Warehouse before he left... a cabinet that would fit in a specific space and improve the situation, so we came back for the pick-up and went back for the solid wood cabinet---Oops! too tall when we got it into house! I need to find someone to cut off about 8 inches and re-do it in a civilized manner. Then it will do the job and two other cabinets will go elsewhere and the china show case will finally have a home base. Maybe Dan can do it... It would have been perfect but for the ladder to the upstairs.

In the meantime, R left about 2 and phoned from Renfrew at 4 to let me know he was now going to be on civilized roads for the rest of the trip. After he stops at places of interest - thrift shops...

He really is recognizing that he has too much stuff and seriously looking at a future of divesting. Another dozen or so books today. Reading The Organized Mind was helpful in many ways. Also an intro to Thich Nhat Hanh via a little calendar I bought for my grandson. I was stunned that R had never heard of this amazing human; he loved the quotes in the calendar.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 08:44 PM

Thx DP. Tdy we especially focused on FUN, which we two intense and cerebral ppl don't come to easily. We're way too good at crises, so we simplified the packlist in favor of couple-health!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 19 - 11:28 PM

I figured out how to download the monthly free e-book from the University of Chicago Press (BatGoddess originally told me about these books) into my Fire tablet. Each month Chicago offers a free eBook, but I didn't want to have to sit at the computer to read it. I figured out that downloading the $2.99 "Aldiko" app and "side-loading" - moving the downloaded book from the computer via cable to the Amazon Fire - will let me read the books on the more reader-friendly tablet. Books on the tablet don't take up any space.

On the culinary front, I added some of the odds and ends in my fridge to a batch of beans, and after a bowl for dinner I saved a bowl's-worth for this week and the rest is frozen in jars for later.

Unreleated to clutter, is anyone else struggling to remember what day of the week it is this first week of the year?

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 06:58 AM

Free audiobooks? Librivox.

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Kim C
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 09:28 AM

I collected two big bags of clothes for donation, which made room for me to hang up things I actually do wear.

One piece at a time, I reckon.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 12:44 PM

Ah. Corrected to read "e-book." I have audiobooks covered as far as listening. I'll look into Librivox as another source.

Yes, Kim, absolutely one piece at a time! It doesn't take much to notice that a chair in the bedroom no longer has clothing draped on it or that your dresser top has been organized. I did a big purge in the closet last summer and still enjoy the benefits of actually looking at clothes I can wear and not having a bunch of too-small garments hogging the space. Some of the removed clothes are in a bin on the shelf because I do expect to eventually fit back into them, but a lot were either put in eBay or sent to Goodwill.

I've decided to do a month of the "no spend" exercise I did a couple of years ago, in particular to make myself draw down even more the fridge and freezer. I'll use my favorite deeply-discounted grocery outlet for the fresh stuff I need (I use yogurt as a major source of dairy and they also have a lot of produce.) The local museums have free attendance days that I'll start taking more advantage of. I made it through several months the last time before a whole bunch of bills kind of blew it out of the water, but the previous months did put me in a better position to deal with those bills.

Here's a starting point, an article from 2015 that doesn't seem to be promoting products along the way. And here's a frugal living article. They offer a link to how to stockpile groceries and frequently used goods, though I suspect anyone who has been following along these threads has that down pat. Trying to get rid of the extra stockpile is part of our effort, but smart shopping never hurts. A recent Lifehacker article.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 05:13 PM

PA:

That reacher-grabber reduced an overwhelming BR mess to manageable chaos (order) this aftn while Greg briefly napped. We're both making great progreys on the long task list we made ydy.

It's frustrating that this time there are so many tasks that can only actually be done at the last minute-- the morning we depart. We never left the PA house empty for vacation either in winter or for 60-90 days. But essentially they're just the sorts of things we've done for every vacay here the last 25 years. (It just feels crazy but actually isn't.) And we're having trouble meshing our schedules/body rhythms-- it will settle into place better once we're in Ohio.

The number of things we can't do today though DOES "force" us to have a little more fun. It's all good. I just don't like this little part!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 07:37 PM

PA:

Departure plan:

Tentative plan as of Thursday eve:
Tonight - puttering thru DR prep and other in-house stuff till early bedtime w benadryl

Friday - latish wakies to omelets and earlywarm aftn van rearrange/preloading; oil change & probable last Elmira hockey evening.

Saturday - rainy day, prep of hitch load and prep of house closing/food and misc containerizing; preload what can be and stage the rest on back porch; poss landlady house tour

Sunday - early AM complete loading and leave by noon for projected dry route w poss Sunday arrival by 10pm; option for crash and burn overnight if/where needed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Jan 19 - 08:30 PM

This thread will prove invaluable as 2019 will become a recession year.

Meanwhile on odd days I have to throw stuff/somthing out, even days I have to recycle and the first and last days of the month are vacations.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jan 19 - 02:57 PM

PA:

Preload done with no casualties. Lots of typical pre-vacay stuff done. Lvg soon for oil change and hockey. Think I'll dress up this time!

~S~

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 19 - 05:52 PM

Working on a task list for the month and for the quarter, involving things I can work on with materials already here (the no-spend project).

Today was a free entrance to one of the museums in town but because the exhibit required low light and no flash, and the printed the information cards with white text on black cards, I spent my entire time leaning in trying to read cards without getting in everyone's way. If I'd had my office glasses with me it would have been much easier. And this afternoon I've made my appointment for a checkup. So much for my no-spend month, I've hit a couple of co-pays already, but those appointments must be made.

It has warmed up for a few days so the dogs get a walk in the fitness portion of my day, and it helps the youngest one remember I am the pack leader. Our last walk was a few days ago and after about a block she calmed down and got with the program.

One of my larger eBay boxes shipped this week and leaves space to rearrange what is left and list a few more items.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019
From: wysiwyg
Date: 04 Jan 19 - 11:09 PM

PA:

Lovely closet surprise! Wanting to tart up for the hockey game, and knowing my hockey jersey is in Ohio, I pulled a red fleece vest I normally have reserved for choir parties-- SO not my color. What to wear under it, I wondered as I headed for a shower. Maybe nothing plus scarf and jacket OVER it. Gee it's awful heavy on that hanger-- oooo, an oversized cotton red v-neck sweater!!! BRAND NEW AND NEVER WORN, neatly folded over the hanger's trouser rod. I foreswore the vest. I added a striped scarf in BOLD Me icon colors including a bit of red. WOW!!! I have zero memory of buying that sweater. With that scarf-- million bucks and a great barrier between the red and my face.

Thank you, Closet!

~S~