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

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 11:53 AM

Solving computer problems is always a satisfying task. Keeping them up to date to begin with is a problem a couple of friends have, and I hesitate to offer to connect via remote desktop to work on their systems in case the problems they have are shared.

How are the cats adjusting to the change of furnishings around the house? Now that the destroyed chair is out of the picture, are they targeting a new piece as a scratching post?

We're in the middle of another drizzly day so my work entails drying dogs (the towel is by the back door), mopping up muddy footprints, and not spending the entire day munching. My alternate day fasting is happening but at a slower pace than I've done it before; most days I try to keep the calorie intake at a low "normal" level, and I do the low-calorie "fasting" days (about 5-600 calories in the middle of the day) just often enough to knock off a couple of pounds every two-to-three weeks. The fasting system works but it's difficult to stay on for a long time and more difficult to keep weight off if you just stop the fasting. Some of my current size jeans are getting loose, but I'm not into the next size down yet. Slow and steady. Having a functional knee again helps get more exercise, though the bursitis is still in the background. I'm employing stretches to try to resolve that (and the weight loss should help also).

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Oct 20 - 11:12 AM

Seven kilos down this morning, and I wore the largest pair of last winter's jeans yesterday without discomfort, though they're still a shade tight.

Today I feel ever such a 21st-Century Fox (or perhaps cougar?), having researched an irritating thing about my Mac computer, found the solution, and executed it without error.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Oct 20 - 09:35 AM

A great clearance has been achieved with the packing and removal of Edmund's regular everyday clothes, most of which went to Goodwill. "Weekend wear" (jeans etc) and gym gear (with no sweat stains and all their buttons) went into the regular stream, and office-worthy clothes and shoes went to a program called ClothingWorks that distributes the garments to people who need better clothes than they can afford, either to get work or to get better work.

All that's left is formal wear, such as his kilt and doublet and his mess dress uniform, and a couple of sentimentally important items that no one else would want, such as the embroidered jean jacket he brought home from Afghanistan and wore All.The.Time.

Oh, and winter boots, of which he had many. Those I will pack up and deliver to Goodwill this week.

I'm sleeping a bit better. Still waking up at zero dark awful, but now dropping off again and waking for the day at about the normal time, which is, of course, cat o'clock.

I also secured a promise of skilled moving assistance when it's time to shift all the bookcases. Ron the furniture restorer and his antique dealer brother Tim agreed to do it (for a price), and, after seeing them haul out a very large walnut chest of drawers, I know they will do it right. One bookcase in particular, a large Victorian walnut number with glass doors, will require shoe horns and lubricant to extract it from the study; I never should have had it moved upstairs in the first place. The chest of drawers? Huge Victorian number from my great-grandfather's house in Beauport, desperately in need of rehab for splits and cracks, and the little bites out of the top finish where Edmund chucked his brass-buckled army-issue belt every damn' day for nearly 20 years.

Today I shall call Habitat for Humanity and arrange for the removal of half a dozen pieces of furniture that are excess to requirements: Edmund's computer desk, which is too high for me, and filing cabinets; at least one IKEA bookcase; and a futon sofa that converts to a queen-size bed. The futon was Edmund's bed before we got married, and we replaced the mattress and used it for a living room sofa in Ottawa. Here, it did not fit into the sitting room and we didn't need it for anything else, so it has been taking up space in the basement. No more of that.

I weighed myself this morning and found that I am down 6.5 kilos (a hair under 14.5 pounds) from 15 September. At this rate, last winter's jeans will be comfortably loose by the time the snow flies.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Oct 20 - 05:35 PM

This year few stores are carrying pie pumpkins. These are the variety that one steams and peels then freezes to use for pies and other pumpkin-y goodness. I found a store that I think has them so will make a trip in the morning, and shop for two other folks as well. Making a special run means it's a good time to spread the wealth. This is the first year I can ever remember having to drive to a different town to buy pumpkin.

It's a big push in the yard this week, because the weather will be perfect, we had a nice soaking rain on Friday, and the soil will be workable. It'll be both fence and landscaping.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Oct 20 - 06:25 PM

There is a Blu-ray DVD player in the kitchen under the laptop computer and connected to a TV on the wall. It turns out that player is now SO OLD the NetFlix app on it is out of date and won't play. Very little of the original software works. It still plays discs and I can plug a thumb drive into it to play mp4 files, etc. I have a spare Amazon Fire stick that I can put on that TV to remedy the NetFlix thing, or I could turn on the laptop and play NetFlix through it, but I mostly just use that TV for over-the-air viewing when I'm fixing meals (though the radio still gets the most use around here.)

I listened to Nottinghill while cooking - one I've seen so many times that it's like listening to radio - I pause to watch just occasional scenes. Good company when cooking, good songs to sing or dance along with. And this relish - lots of pans and bowls and equipment. It'll take a while to clean the kitchen but there are six pints that use up the last of the cucumbers from the garden. There are a couple of small ones out there that might grow large enough to put into salads, but the season is pretty well over. This adds to a nice haul from the garden that is only about 10' x 10'.

Now I need to think about what to do with the peppers. Probably freeze them. Poblano and jalapeno.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Oct 20 - 09:40 AM

Today we're getting the soaking rain I've waited for. Tomorrow or the next day will be perfect to plant the shrubs I brought home last week because the soil typically rock-hard soil will finally be pliable.

Horizontal surfaces need attention today. Most of them are out of sight.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Oct 20 - 11:26 PM

Librarians refer to "linear feet." I donated about 13 linear feet of materials to the university Special Collections when my job was taken away and I wasn't willing to leave my work product and photo archive to others to trash or discard. It's quite a resource now.

There are serious collectors of American Civil War materials (books, etc.) You may want to do a little search on some of the items if they seem specialized or very old (I suggest BookFinder.com and eBay.)

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Oct 20 - 10:53 AM

Today is my third day straight on the phone, cancelling subscriptions and changing accounts. Edmund's pack-rat tendency is surprisingly helpful here, as he kept cards for every damnable thing in his wallet, which consequently had a somewhat pregnant look. Right now, as I type, I am on hold with the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

The local Goodwill outfit has a program that collects good men's clothes for job-seekers, and Edmund's suits, dress shirts and dress shoes will go there, on Friday if all goes well. I have to round up some boxes and bags, as he was quite the snappy dresser. I have sorted the library books out of the substantial collection in his office, and next week I will take a road trip to London to return them. It's possible that I may be able to donate Edmund's law-and-crime collection to the law library at the University of Western Ontario, and that will loosen up some swing space in the bookcases.

Some 10 shelf-feet of books (scholarly and otherwise) on the American Civil War are next on the out-the-door list.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 03:54 PM

It sounds like a wonderfully creative thing to be doing, Don.

I was working with wood today also, but in this instance it was picking up the pickets and cross members to replace part of the old fence at the side of the garage. Western red cedar pickets, treated 2x4 8' Douglas fir cross members. I'll lay the pickets out and paint on the wood preservative on all edges and sides before I put them up outside.

Since I was going to be painting on the preservative I thought I ought to treat the garage like it needed for this work, so I swept up a lot of leaves and grass that have gradually crept in.

I've remarked here several times about ordering a new trimmer, with a $10 off coupon, and deciding to save more money by having it shipped free to the store. So my purchase price was under $50, but I waited almost a month for it to finally arrive. It's a nice trimmer, so no complaints there. But a couple of days after I picked it up I got a call from FedEx asking for a street address because they can't ship to a P.O. Box, and I figured out that the package was from the same store. I had a tracking number and called the store and said I thought maybe someone had accidentally started the order again on one of the occasions I called to find out when it would arrive. I gave them the tracking number and said they should have it sent to them, if it wasn't the one I'd already picked up at the store. Then they'd have one in stock.

Today I got an email telling me my return had been received and I think they've credited back the full purchase price. I guess if they're going to take that long to ship they'll occasionally end up giving away the merchandise.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 08:43 AM

The first post I ever made to Mudcat was about this sideline of mine.
It was met with accusations of spam. I haven't mentioned it again till now. The scroll of the 300 year old baroque cello is like none other and is a lost art of devine eloquence. I have made a dolphin head cello, Tiger violin and a devil's violin with eyes that follow you in 3D out of an antique Stiener violin but I could never carve a Roccoco-ramic scroll like this one.
I have a duty to do the best I can for the legacy of this cello That I ressurrected from its seperate parts found in a barn in Maine 30 years ago. I made a dozen great finds from ebay back in its wild west days when people sold whatever they had on hand be it a Paris School JB Vuillaume or other great instruments from the 16-1700's. Those days are gone.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 06:57 AM

I have begun the project of restoring/finishing 4 cellos and 4 violins.
A matching burl violin and cello with a beautiful grain pattern of ghostly figures and faces in the wood, are first to be finished and set up. The cello is done this week.
Then an actual Virzi resonator violin neck repair. A 300 year old baroque cello that has had its wood stengthened for steel strings will be done by spring. Whoever made it originally created a masterpiece of tone and the most artistic carving I have ever seen.

I put a painting of 3 Clipper ships under full sail beneath a rainbow from a passing thunderstorm sailing beyond a distant lighthouse and will be finished with a whale at the bottom of a new violin back. The grain of the wood suggests the reflection of a sun beam on the water. I put the images beneath the varnish.
An old German shop cello with a lion head scroll will get the most powerful acoustic magnifying linings inside that I invented as well as a unique varnish I also invented. A modern backward violin needs a soundpost and set up. That leaves a 30 year old unvarnished cello that needs my imagination. Maybe leopard spots :^/

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Oct 20 - 02:10 PM

My dad was the same, at least with shoes. I filled a 24" tall U-Haul moving box with all of the walking/running shoes he accumulated. Tied the laces together to keep them pairs. It was like he was in the shoe of the month club for years. I calculated a fairly high-dollar donation rate per pair when I took them to St. Vincent DePaul's, and these were something they were really thrilled to get, barely-used comfortable men's shoes.

I gave his goose down parka to my tall daughter (every so often she turns up wearing it and I'm reminded again of Dad). Tons of bath towels (not so odd, though, since he lived at the beach). He filled a wall of shelves with pottery purchased from Sam Scott in Seattle. When friends and neighbors stopped by while I was working on the estate I had them step into the room and choose a piece, since likely he'd already given them something from this collection, and they'd have another piece to match. I still have a lot here and have sent it to siblings and cousins upon request.

Years earlier Dad sent me an interestingly knit zipper cardigan sweater from LL Bean, and I finally wore it out. At Dad's house I found not only his own sweater in that style, I found one in the plastic bag that was a spare! Joy! And the next door neighbor had the same one in my size they had inherited from one of their parents after they died. I ended up with three of my favorite sweater that was out of stock at LL Bean.

I didn't have much at all from Mom's house; that estate was complicated but also for years she had been a heavy smoker who lived in a damp house. The combination was deadly as far as ever getting the smell out of anything that had been in the house. All of the kids grew up ardent anti-smokers, as was Dad (they divorced decades earlier, but smoking was always an issue for everyone in the family.) My sister shipped me lots of Mom's fabric stash and it went through long pre-soaks with baking soda and repeated washes before it could be put in the same room with the rest of my fabric. Books are still musty if you get close to them. But I digress. . .

I just made two denim masks for a friend to take to her father for a long visit. She spent the last two weeks working at home, not going anywhere, to be able to walk safely into her elderly parents' home and spend 2 weeks while the sibling who lives nearby and is their regular caretaker goes on a long vacation. We discussed the style he would probably like, the type of ties, and when she said she wasn't sure if he'd wear the brighter or seasonal prints she had chosen for her mother I remembered some denim I've used so made two of them on the fly last night and she picked them up on the way out of town. Under the new "normal" you really have to work hard to be eligible to get those hugs!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Oct 20 - 10:01 AM

A month or so ago, I wrote that I was pretty well done de-cluttering, and boy howdy, was I wrong.

Edmund hoarded clothes and books. Over the last couple of days, I have emptied two chests of drawers literally stuffed with his t-shirts, socks, underpants, pyjamas, gym shorts, race shirts made of skithery technical fabrics, running tights, sweatpants and sweatshirts, fleece sweaters and rugby shirts. First it all went into laundry baskets, but there are only six in the house (who needs more?) and I filled them in an afternoon. Then I started stuffing the stained, torn and faded items into old Army-issue field laundry bags, and now there are three of those leaning up against the wall.

My brothers came down from Ottawa for the funeral, and they each left with a quantity of shirts, sweaters, jackets and workout gear. Big Brother now has the Canada Goose parka, and it makes him look like the offspring of a human and a firetruck -- it's long, puffy and scarlet, and BB is about six foot two and broad with it. Brother Andrew went off with a Luftwaffe flight jacket and a handknit Fairisle-type sweater from Orkney, among other things.

The main bedroom closet is still full. Unfortunately, neither of The Brothers shared Edmund's size in shoes or hats. The big closet has a four-tier rack of men's shoes and boots, with more in boxes on the floor and the shelf, and at least three closets contain stacks of hats. They will have to sit for a while and marinate.

Today, I shall go to church and have brunch downtown. The fridge is full of cooked food, thanks to other people, but the folks at the diner will be looking for me (I broke the news to them on Wednesday and there were tears and contraband hugs -- public health says no hugging people you don't live with). I will probably find my friend Yvonne (sings soprano in the choir) and her husband there as well.

Sur avec la guerre, as they don't say in France.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Oct 20 - 02:50 PM

I dealt with both my parents’ papers, a task that involved a substantial donation to the National Archives of Canada of materials from my father’s ancestors in Quebec. My mother’s papers included a 32-volume diary written in legal-size hard-bound notebooks, and carbon copies of every damn letter she wrote after about 1960, plus the incoming correspondence. The diary ended up in the Archives, too — big tax credit for that.

Edmund’s papers will be a doddle by comparison. I have already filled the blue bin (recycling container for paper) with nearly a cubic yard of government bumph and research notes, and it’s on the front porch waiting for Monday. It was so heavy that I had to ask Neil-next-door to carry it downstairs for me. I will burn his old letters in the fireplace.

The funeral was a pale copy of what an Anglican funeral should be, because we were not allowed to sing. Sitting in a pew while the organist plays hymn tunes IS NOT AN ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Oct 20 - 12:30 PM

When I worked on various family estates I found that all of the lifting and shoving and general walking around led to a desirable higher level of fitness. Just as well in this time of COVID-19 when going to the gym can be risky behavior.

Those houses where I was working weren't my home, so I set up a break station so I could stop for a cuppa tea and whatever baked good I'd brought with me for the day. It was also there for others who were in the house to help.

After several great aunts' household goods came my way I realized that I'm not a museum and I started selling things on eBay. This allowed me to learn about items, decide the appropriate value, and if there was a story behind the item it was included (I am a storyteller, so the backstory was sometimes the thing that helped the item sell). Quite a few things went to collectors, and I still have the photos but they don't take up space or collect dust. Just to splat an item and a photo on eBay is impersonal; I didn't spend a long time writing, but I did flesh out the listing.

At my Dad's house the donated items were assigned a value and used to reduce his tax bill for the year he died because I was the administrator.

I still have quite a few kitchen items from my father's house in use here, and they serve as daily reminders of his enjoyment of cooking (something he learned after my parents divorced). When I arrived at his house to work after he died I ended up using several of his heavy cardigan sweaters and have kept them for cool days when it isn't cold enough for my parka. I have a couple of his comfortable chairs for reading. The rest was distributed and donated.

Mainly, I have his music collection - his papers, recordings, reference books, and equipment. That I still need to do something with the print and audio resources to donate to the university where several other Puget Sound area Mudcatters have already donated their collections.

The files were probably the most personal part of his estate, and I worked his paper shredder overtime. You notice that I haven't offered any advice about how to emotionally process this - I'll just give the head's up that the files can be a really hard part to work on.

Take care. Stay safe. Come up for air several times each day, and talk to people regularly.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Oct 20 - 09:14 AM

My mother died of cancer when I was 26 and my father was 61. At the time, I thought he was surprisingly brisk and calm, at times a little too brisk and calm. Now, I realize that he was working through a private checklist that the cool, intellectual part of his mind had compiled during the ugly last months of my mother's life.

So, a day or two after the funeral, he brought a big box into the kitchen and filled it with every warped pan and busted implement in the room, quite a haul as my mother was no cook and very hard on her equipment. He put me to work emptying my mother's chest of drawers and her side of the closet, and sent me out around town to give various keepsakes to a long list of her friends. Mum had compiled that list and designated the items herself, and it kept me busy for at least a month.

My husband was a collector and, under certain circumstances, he could have developed into a hoarder. Thanks to a decent salary, he could afford to indulge his taste for fine clothes, books about everything under the sun, camping and athletic equipment, electronic gadgets, and doohickeys of all kinds. Now I'm looking at it with a mental checklist: launder or dry-clean the clothes and rehome them, especially the valuable ones (hello, Canada Goose parka), as quickly as possible; start looking for book dealers; clear the kitchen of cast-iron cookware that he loved but is too heavy for me; stow all but one of the way too many coffeepots of various types and most of the coffee mugs in the Glory Hole for the next church bazaar, whenever that might be.

Likewise, several pieces of furniture will leave the house as soon as I can arrange their departure: a futon sofa that unfolds into a queen-sized bed (Edmund's napping sofa); a green leather La-Z-Boy settee that the cats savaged; two pine chests of drawers; and Edmund's office furniture, to wit: office chair, computer desk, writing table, full-height Billy bookcase from IKEA, and two two-drawer filing cabinets.

The bedroom we shared since we moved into this house is enormous, being as wide and about three-quarters as deep as the two-car garage upon which it was built. My voice echoes off the wall when I talk to the cat. So within the next couple of days I shall move into the guest room and my grandparents' Victorian bed, which I inherited from Dad and used after I divorced Mr Wrong, until Edmund and I got married. At more than six feet tall and solid with muscle, Edmund was a bit big to share an old-fashioned double bed.

The original master bedroom in this house is currently the study, with six bookcases and a filing cabinet, plus my computer desk, printer and my old drop-front writing desk. I will move my desk and computer into Edmund's office, along with the filing cabinet; with any luck, it will be a bit warmer in winter than the study, which is on the windward side of the house. That room will become the new guest room, with the queen-sized bed I shared with Edmund, and the huge bedroom will become a library-cum-family room, with all the bookcases, the TV and the sofa.

That should keep me running around until at least Easter.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: mg
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 05:14 PM

So sorry to think of what you are going through right now, Charmion.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 11:59 AM

If you have Alexa in your phone you can tell it to play that station at the time you want. I think. I haven't tried it myself, though I did get a second Amazon echo/dot thing this week to put in the front room where I need to be working more and there's no radio, tv, etc.

Second and final shingles shot today so I'm all caught up now with the available immunizations.

It looks like weather is moving in today, with a little rain possible behind the outflow boundary that is passing over right now. It's getting to be better cooking weather every day.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Oct 20 - 07:32 AM

In the last few days, I’ve had the radio on almost non-stop, usually tuned to a Sirius satellite station that plays nothing but classical music and does not do news, weather or sport at the top of the hour or any other time.

It’s years since we had any need for a clock-radio in the bedroom, what with Edmund’s insomnia and the cats’ uninhibited penchant for timely breakfast, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a CBC app for the phone that streams whatever is coming out of its various network stations. Now I just have to figure out how to make the phone automatically play the six a.m. news from CBLT in London.

That’ll give me something to do when the tumult and shouting of the funeral are done and all the out-of-town rellies have departed.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Oct 20 - 10:53 AM

More cucumbers mean enough for more pickles; maybe relish this time. I have a really good green tomato relish recipe that I could substitute the cucumbers in.

I'm listening to a lot of classical music this week. I typically change over to the classical station during the public radio pledge drives (last week) but I can't stand to listen to the nonsense coming out of the senate this week.

The sprinkler is running this morning; later this afternoon once it has sunk in a bit I'll do so weeding, planting, and mulching.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Oct 20 - 12:15 PM

It's a nice time of year so I'm headed to volunteer at the Botanic Garden outdoors soon - things like raking leaves need to be done and certainly provide the social distancing I am careful about. The knee limited what I could do last fall and spring, but now the gardens are open and my knee is in working order.

I think I've solved the itchy dog problem (I don't know if I've mentioned baths and a rinse in case soap was left on them) but I finally remembered that the biggest dog, a lab, got 3 Zyrtec a day (calculated by the vet) and that helped. So I've started the two itchy dogs on it and hope this helps because as much as they drive me nuts with the licking and scratching, it has to be driving them insane. Thank goodness Costco sells a generic in relatively inexpensive bulk.

Sometimes just remembering how you used to do something is a great discovery - I was working my way through the list of things I was going to need to try (I had already tried the extra rinse and switching food, but I remember now the vet said the dog was probably allergic to the grass in the back yard, so as long as the food is wheat free it won't make a difference). The food is an easy fix and I can go back to the regular stuff once the current kibble is used up.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Oct 20 - 11:47 AM

Damn. Refreshed another page and this one went instead, taking my finished message with it.

Dorothy, keep an eye on that house you were interested in, sales fall through. Though I have to say that the house you're in now sounds pretty darned special!

I was up late working on masks last night, something I need to avoid because I do want to get up at a decent hour in the morning. I mentioned in another thread the photographing and posting of photos somewhere so people can see the styles and types of fabric. I'll do that this week.

I've been working on a prototype for keeping track of masks with earloops, after dropping and losing a new earloop mask this week. The idea is to use 3mm silky rattail, like is used for necklaces to hold pendants (I have a couple of these, but didn't know what to call the strands - it took a lot of searching). It will involve clips like those that hold plastic nametag cases to lanyards and the rattail, clipped to the bottom corners of the mask. I'll add them in the photos.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Oct 20 - 08:12 PM

Dupont:

What a couple weeks it has been. After viewing the wonderful house on the Friday, I left on Sunday for Beaver. Two beautiful days floated by with no energy in me. The sum total was: unloading the kiln and finding some had exploded, and took others with them but still a good quantity. I reconstituted the underglazes that had dried out in the 10 years since last used. I thought a lot about how to decorate the pots and tried out a few brush strokes on paper. In the end, I did not have the will to try and had no energy most of the time. By the time I decided to do the same old stuff, I just gave up but trimmed the pots left from last trip and left them drying in the heated studio.

Feeling a little dizzy and wobbly most of the time, I finally broke down and phoned the health clinic and WOW! got an appointment to see Dr on Thurs - yesterday. Not having seen me in a year, and with new info, he wanted new blood tests and an ECG. I managed to see him, get the tests, get the house in order - except the unwashed dishes went in a dish pan and are stored in the Bath tub, to avoid mice. Also squeezed in short visit with Larry who was excited about the array of bisqued ware - in the LR! Larry is so supportive, even making me that path to the studio last spring through 6 inches of ice; it causes me to feel I must produce - for Larry! I certainly do not need any more pots but it is something to do.

Got on the road just in time to make it to the Goldmine before it closed - for pumpkin Brownies and apple crisp tarts - both scrumptious! (R and I shared one tart for BF this am.) But the last hour of trip was in the dark and not fun. I can see fine but still... I prefer daylight now. The shorter days are a pain!

The house we looked at had features that are sadly lacking here - space for potting and a huge enclosed veranda for plants and raised beds in the beautiful back yard. A few days later, R told me there was an offer and "I'm not really in a position to make an offer right now" I was so upset (I had already "moved in".) I texted him that I really did not want to talk to him. I needed to process and get over my distress/fury. We still have not mentioned it. Ten years of trying to be supportive and not add to his stress... I am now viewing as self defeating/counter productive, and I am exhausted and fed up. Ground hog day (the film) is heavy on my mind.

He did get home last night shortly after me. And, in my exhaustion, together we pieced together a meal. He had cared for the - now over 60 in-house plants - including the tomatoes, two producing pepper plants now, and all the rest. Brugmansia seems to have recovered from its snit and is getting new growth. The geraniums are still outside and I am not looking forward to finding space for them - but I will.

Tomato seedlings were not brought in soon enough and about half of one sort succumbed to damping off but there are still 8. I no longer remember which were which. Happy to know that Larry saved the seeds from the, one of each, R gave him. He has enough smarts not to start them til spring. In the meantime, I keep taking cuttings from the tomato plants to keep them from taking over the world so they ARE taking over our world as I am going to be "compelled" to pot them and find space for them! This may be becoming a serious disease! (mine, that is) When the weather warms in the spring, I will be able to put plants out on the curb "Free to a good home"! Even the African violets are becoming too many.

We have not turned the heat on yet. Chilly but R has not been here much and I can keep a fire in the stove. I did manage to bring in armloads of wood today and cover the new load to keep it dry as we are having rain tonight. It was fairly dry. Making a roast tonight to the oven is adding heat. If it gets seriously cold, I will turn on the heat.

Appointment on 15th for another sort of heart test (Echo, whatever that is). I can stop in at the hospital on the way back to Beaver. The timing works!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 20 - 12:29 PM

I'm going to set up a place, possibly in Dropbox, for photos of mask fabrics and styles, to help answer the questions I get from people about what kinds I'm making (and selling a few). And for the friends who would receive them anyway to express a preference.

It got hot again this week, and the air quality was poor, so I haven't been out digging as much as I hoped to be. I think by the weekend it will be more seasonal again.

I am convinced that when I dust around here I'm simply rearranging the same dust, not removing any of it. The girls (Cookie in the lead, and Pepper as her co-conspirator) grabbed a fiber feather duster off of a low table and demolished it out in the yard this week so I need to get another, and I'm looking at one of the multi-tube vacuum attachments meant for getting dust from areas hard to reach or where things might get sucked into a regular vacuum attachment. Maybe if I can catch some of it and send it out of the house I'll get ahead of it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 20 - 06:23 PM

The new electric trimmer has been assembled and awaits a cooler day to be put into service. We're back up into the 90^o range this week.

I spent a few evenings in front of the television this week disassembling large sized beefy men's t-shirts to make more t-shirt yarn for the masks I've been making. Lots of great colors now; I was running low and limited in the mask fabric I could use (to have the ties look good - I suppose I could use black for everything, but there are so many vivid colorfast colors out there to work with). I have about a dozen new rolls to draw from as I assemble these, and a growing list of people who want them.

I'm down about six pounds since I started paying attention and doing a couple of days of modified fasting each week; still in the same pants sizes for now, though. No dog walking the last couple of days, but probably tomorrow in the morning, and if it cools off again. Mowing the lawn, digging in the garden, and walking the dogs are my main sources of exercise since the gyms are still off limits. The Texas COVID-19 numbers are going up again, after not really decreasing as much as they could have (as we see in other parts of the country). This is depressing. I'm thinking I can do some outdoor volunteering at the Botanic Garden now that it's cooler and my knee is in good shape.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Oct 20 - 12:25 PM

Good for you, Charmion! Getting into last year's jeans is a practical way to verify to yourself that you've lost weight. I'm not yet into the lower size that I still have hanging in my closet.

When I picked up the trimmer I made a loop past a couple of garden centers and picked up two shrubs, a fern, and some herbs and vegetables to plant. Now I really do have to get out and work, but today is a poor air quality day so it will wait till tomorrow. The fact that I have enough shade to plant a fern is a testament to my plan back in 2002 when I moved in here to create some shade in the front yard so I could plant shade-loving plants in the under story. And one of the shrubs is the American Beautyberry, also needing less sun, so both of these will be planted under the baldcypress down by the street.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Oct 20 - 10:09 AM

Further to my last:

I have shed 4.5 Kg, which is just over 10 pounds. Another couple of kilos and I will be back into last winter's jeans.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Oct 20 - 10:07 AM

Thanksgiving is next Monday here, and the public health officials can't quite bring themselves to discourage family reunion dinners. "Don't eat with anyone you don't live with", says the Medical Officer of Health, while the official provincial guideline says "No gatherings of more than 10". How many households comprise as many as 10 people? In today's Ontario, vanishingly few.

We accepted an invitation to dine with Himself's brother and family, including The Nephew and girlfriend who live (and work in public-facing service jobs) in St Catharine's, and now Himself is wrestling with the risk. I am willing to go, but Himself is not sure. I believe that he's afraid the visitors from St Catharine's will (unwittingly and unwillingly) infect me. I told him to make the decision soon, preferably today -- somebody has to be the bad guy, and he's the one with the doubts.

The next sunny day, probably Friday, I must get out with the secateurs and dead-head the flowers, especially the hydrangeas, although I see lots of them fading away in other people's gardens. The August drought claimed one of our shrubs, a species known around here as "burning bush" for its fall colour, and I shall take down most of it with the secateurs and a pruning saw, leaving the roots for Helena the Garden Goddess and her shovel-wielding minions. Apart from that, I'll leave the plants to take care of themselves; so far, they're good at that.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Oct 20 - 11:47 AM

Me again.

When I was dealing with PMR a couple of years ago (treatment concluded in September 2018) I cut way back on the flour I was using (going as gluten-free as possible to eliminate an "inflammation" source in my diet). I had some interesting flour here in various jars and canisters that has since gotten very old and mostly rancid. So after going through the fridge to removed old condiments, this week I'm looking through cupboards and shelves at the flour that needs to be dumped. Some of it is going in the trash, some might go into the compost. When it gets wet it becomes a gloppy mess that probably doesn't help the compost. I could sprinkle this over the ground but it would attract pests. I guess the dump needs some organic material to help stuff break down.

I'm not eating as much flour as I used to, so I'll replace these out-dated grains slowly, with things I'm actually going to use. I like spelt flour, white and wheat. I had a lot of brown rice flour but I usually only used that to make homemade dog biscuits. And I don't suppose the dogs care if that flour is old or not. Semolina - also too old to use - but I enjoy making pasta noodles occasionally, so I'll get more of that. These days I can buy as much as I need in the bulk section of a nearby grocery, so I don't need to worry about buying large packages I can't use fast enough.

Dorothy, have you moved all of the plants in? I'm preparing to bring in some herbs that will struggle but probably survive in the window over the winter. This is our big transplant season and I need to move a particularly successful aster from the bed it's in now to a bed where it can sprawl to its heart's delight. Among other chores. I'm also planning one more batch of pickles.

The trimmer has finally arrived at the store so I'll pick it up today. Curbside pickup, to keep myself out of the indoor air that is gradually going to be more of a hazard to all of us. The North Texas COVID-19 numbers are going higher these days, what with school starting back up (in particular).

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Oct 20 - 05:48 PM

A note about my plants since I emptied the sun room of the storage and eBay stuff - there is plenty of room to reach all of the plant stands in the large 3-window bay-type window, and one puny little African violet has been nudged back to life and surprised me this morning by opening two pretty pink blooms! I've potted another of the succulents I rooted in water and planted a mum in a pot outside.

Some of the okra, the eggplant, and the tomatoes have been pulled and tomorrow I'll start weeding and digging for the next crops, probably broccoli, maybe cauliflower. I suppose I could try growing Brussels sprouts, but I'm not a huge fan so I'd be giving them to my daughter who does like them.

The back yard was finally mowed, but 3+ weeks out I'm still waiting for Northern Tool to get my trimmer into the store they're supposed to deliver it to. Lesson learned: I'll never again buy anything from them that they don't have in stock.

Middle of next week is Amazon Prime Day; I have a few items added to my wish list that I'll order if they're on sale. I've been working on getting the most functionality out of the devices I have here and have finally gotten the Adobe Digital Editions working on my Fire tablet HD and loaded several books (Bat Goddess told me about this a couple of years ago - the University of Chicago gives away a free eBook every month; if you get signed up for their email the note comes right about on the 1st and the send a link.) You need to use the Adobe authentication software and for the Fire I have to put the book into a Dropbox file and transfer it in that way; for some reason I can't get the computer to navigate to this tablet. The other device that has issues is my 2013 Sony SSD laptop; the USB ports are marginally useful so I've ordered a bluetooth mouse and will try that with the computer. If it isn't great I'll reset the computer to use in tablet mode and see if that helps. It's a touch screen and the mouse can be used elsewhere if it doesn't work on this device.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Oct 20 - 10:35 AM

Time to start putting some of the plywood pieces over the floor-level wall vents in the greenhouse, so when that first freeze threatens I can move a few pots in for the winter. And time to sweep and declutter as well. Most of the stuff on the front porch will stay there, but there is one plant that needs to come in (Bat-faced cuphea.

It's also time to start transplants around the yard. Thin the iris, move the lilies, move some aster, plant garlic corms, etc. It's a dry week coming up so I also need to remember to water the little redbud I transplanted last week.

It's cool enough that I feel like cooking again - finally! This year has been rugged, so being able to make comfort foods is welcome. On Friday I made a batch of macaroni and cheese, and to reheat I put it in a covered bowl in the microwave with a splash of milk. Heat on medium until ready so it doesn't become rubbery.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Oct 20 - 12:14 AM

You're correct about that. I'll inquire about her progress in dealing with the problem again one of these days, but I make a point not to insert myself into her workplace issues. I think it helped just to talk about it the other day.

Lovely fall-like weather right now, and evidence of rodents in the garden. Something took tentative bites out of a cucumber whose vine was dragging on the ground, so I've set up the trap again.

More fresh pickles bottled this afternoon (three spaghetti sauce jars) and I have a bowl brining overnight to make into bread and butter pickles tomorrow, probably 2.5 pints. I'll end up with about a half-dozen jars of those to last me through the next few months. The fresh ones will be ready to eat in about two weeks and they don't last long, they're popular with my ex and my next door neighbor. And me. I think we're nearing the end of the season, as the vines are looking rather bedraggled, but they've had a good run and there are another dozen or so growing out there.

As I hunted for a Ball jar box to store these newly-filled pints in I found a few things that are way too old and now in the compost, and I then turned to the condiments in the fridge and tossed another four jars. The commercial jars are in the recycle bin, the canning jars are in the dishwasher. I have a good collection of commercial jars already that are used usually for freezing things like sauces or my Puerto Rican bean recipe.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Oct 20 - 01:13 PM

That boss needs a talking-to, but not by your daughter, Stilly. Her job has an HR department, and this kind of situation is why they get paid the big bucks.

Despite rest and regular doses of Army smarties, my inflamed foot ligament is still hurting like stink. Consequently, I'm not racking up the mileage I should and I have not become any less porky this week than I was last week. Irritating.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Oct 20 - 10:46 PM

I had a conversation with my daughter today, who was near the end of her patience with her boss, who continually walks into her office without a mask. The state has rules about masks in public, the county and city have rules about masks in public, and HR at her employment insists everyone wear them all of the time. My daughter has a preexisting condition that means she isn't able to fight off bugs as easily as you or I might. And she doesn't think she should have to tell him what her condition is for him to follow the rules and do her the curtesy of wearing a mask in her office. I've sent masks to a couple of the folks I worked with when I was able to go volunteer there; I'd like to resume that work but the numbers in our county have gone up, not down (and were higher than Dallas County this week.)

I'm putting my fitness tracker to better use these days, getting out to walk the dogs around the neighborhood. The old lab kind of drags by the end of very long walks, but I think that's mostly because they're out of the habit of the walk. We'll work up to longer ones, today's walk was a bit much because I miscalcuated the block I turned on at the top of the hill and had a long walk around it.

You remember a some months back I talked about that silicone floor cleaner, particularly good for cat and dog hair? I've been using it in my sewing room to keep up lint and pins and hair, but today I went through most of the house and came up with quite a stack of mostly Labrador retriever hair. It does work pretty well.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Oct 20 - 10:45 AM

The new coffee percolator arrived yesterday and has proved unsatisfactory. Its coffee basket fails to keep the coffee grounds under close arrest during the percolation process, resulting in a brew full of grit. As soon as I get it packed up and labelled, it's going right back.

Fortunately, the old percolator has yet to leave the building. Next, I shall try a "Fitz-All" replacement bubble, suitable for percolator lids with apertures ranging from 13/16ths of an inch to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The aperture in question measures 2 cm, which is (sorta, kinda) 7/8ths of an inch, allowing a whole one sixteenth of an inch of play. Crossed fingers.

I have invested an insane amount of time and effort in this problem, and I have the Google history to prove it -- at least a dozen variations on "Farberware stove top percolator replacement parts".

Farberware, once based in Brooklyn, moved to China some time ago and left customer service behind in the process.

With respect to masks, Stilly, I suggest you resign from the Mask Police, if only to preserve your sanity. We have the same problem here: scofflaws to the right of me, whiners to the left, all sure their petty discomfort matters more than public safety or community solidarity. A few weeks ago, I read an article by an epidemiologist in the Globe & Mail that helped me get some perspective. He suggested concentrating on the majority of people doing their best to obey the rules, each one mitigating the risk by his or her little iota. What matters is the majority effort; as long as -- say -- 80 percent of the community follows the rules 80 percent of the time, the risk level is tamped down to a manageable level.

Of course, for that kind of thinking to work, at least 80 percent of people must think of themselves as 80-percenters who are not "special" enough to break the rules. That's hard for some egos.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Sep 20 - 05:33 PM

The thing about eBay is that often times people don't use the correct descriptions, so poking around with other keywords has yielded things like a 70 year old replacement bobbin case for the sewing machine, and other things I can't remember I repaired in the past this way. But sometimes it draws a blank.

Automotive work today, air in the tires and an oil change, and they washed it - I rarely if ever wash vehicles so this was nice (even cleaned the inside of the windshield - I should ask they what they use, because I can never seem to have it free of streaks). I sat outside and read as I waited, none of their waiting area for me this time. Too many people still think if they have the mask over their mouths but not noses they're fulfilling the state requirement. I'm tired of reminding people to protect themselves by covering the nose, tired of people trying to pull a fast one.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 01:46 PM

I went on eBay, and nobody was offering the part we need. Every other imaginable part, but not that.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 11:48 AM

eBay is the place to look for those spare parts, not Amazon. You'd be amazed at what people sell there if you haven't taken a look for a while. When items are "sold for parts or repair" that means the party buying it is likely to disassemble the item to sell the components online. I've repaired a number of things that way, and have sold parts that way myself.

I have a lovely green enamel coffee pot with a fancy fitted perk top that sits on top of my cupboards like a piece of art. I'd guess it's 100 years old now, and I'd guess it still works. I don't drink coffee, though, so I haven't tested it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Sep 20 - 10:25 AM

Today I ordered a new coffee percolator from Amazon because I could not find a replacement bubble for the one Himself has been using for the last several years.

I must have spent hours Googling for percolator bubbles. Amazon had one that *might* fit, but it cost a ridiculous $34.99 -- three-quarters the price of a new complete pot. The manufacturer, Farberware, does not sell parts, and EBay had nothing to offer.

While Googling, I found many references to a type of enamelware percolator that is fitted with a very common and widely available bubble. So I gave in.

And another kitchen gadget is bound for landfill.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 20 - 12:58 AM

We have a wind advisory overnight so I secured the light weight things out in the yard that might otherwise end up out in the street. It is a good feeling with this kind of wind - change is coming. Cooler weather. There are still three long months left in 2020, but they will hopefully be more comfortable than the previous three.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 20 - 12:34 PM

Decluttering dog hair today. Brushing then bathing. We'll all get a bath by the time this operation is over.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Sep 20 - 10:00 PM

You're still getting settled into the new house - Dupont - but you're thinking about moving again? I'm exhausted considering the possibility!

The redbud is planted a few feet from the ground-level stump from the pine I took out in spring of 2019. It's very small, but planting small trees is always much easier and they catch up to the larger more expensive ones very quickly. This one was in the yard and I put it in a pot last fall, so there wasn't a cost. It probably was a seed-in-bird-droppings source. Right now it's sheltered by some salvia shrubs and I cut the bottom out of a plastic nursery pot and cut the side to slip this around to protect from accidental weed-eating.

Tomorrow morning I'll make pickles. I ran out of steam for it today. The dogs got a good walk and now it's a quiet evening of sewing.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Sep 20 - 08:13 PM

Dupont:

Still here, waiting for load of firewood but R says he can be here for it so maybe. I was planning to leave Weds but the woman caring for the house we wanted to see had to get a covid test. We went today. It is very interesting. Lots of room, nice garage- "Pottery studio!" Beautiful back yard with some raised beds and lovely trees. Close to a road that is moderately busy, across from the river with "water frontage" - so steep it would need a staircase to get to the water. In good shape with lots of pieces needing completion, lots of possibilities, a great "plant room" facing east. And only about 5 minutes further for R to get to work. But more expensive. We are thinking about it. We love Dupont but I think we would also love the 1780 house with fireplace and exposed stone walls in places. I see it as more usable space as I cannot deal with the cellar here. I need to be above ground!

SRS: Installing the wood stove here was $1500 CAD for a chimney - two stories! R already had the Jotul. And $150 to get the chimney cleaned before hand.

The most important thing I have accomplished is voting! I managed to connect the printer to the computer with Wifi but could not get the scanner to function. No response at either Epson or Applehelp, I called my son but he could not help either. I tried the office supply store (Staples/Bureau en Gros) but in the end I begged help at the library. And off the packet went! Then I no longer felt as though I had an elephant on my head. I will try to address the printer problem before next year.

It is cool enough for a fire but I suspect we shall soon be asleep.

Mudcat friend sent me a link to a wonderful pottery youtube and I was up til after midnight last night viewing youtubes. It just never occurred to me to go that route for info.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Sep 20 - 11:13 AM

That work in your neighborhood sounds wonderful! The day is beautiful here so I think I'll prepare the bed and plant that redbud. I picked up mulch last night so it'll have a polished look when I finish. Still no trimmer.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Sep 20 - 11:02 AM

Cheap date? You and me both, Stilly. I confess to having once spent a birthday cash card on a lamp shade and a shed-load of LED bulbs.

Thumping and banging from the garden indicate that Steve is shingling the roof of the woodshed. Similar noises from up and down the street indicate that the whole neighbourhood is having a home-improvement orgy: a snazzy garden shed -- almost a bunkie -- next door, kitchen cabinets across from us, a new roof at the corner, drainage tile and brick siding around by the mailboxes, and plenty more similar projects hither and yon. Among other things, this tells me that Stratford, or at least our small corner of it, is not suffering too much from the economic effects of the pandemic.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 20 - 07:45 PM

I had a couple of birthday coupons burning a hole in my pocket so I did a little shopping after my dentist checkup. I have concluded that these days I fall in the category of 'cheap date'—I was out to find something to treat myself and I came home with a dozen pairs of socks and a fanny pack.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 20 - 12:00 PM

My diet goals are primarily to reduce the bursitis; I have a set of therapy exercises for the greater trochanter muscle that causes the discomfort, but the first thing on the list of remedies is to lose weight. So, like you, it takes pain to make me cut back on the sugar and carbs.

I would love to have a wood-burning stove, but my fireplace is so poorly built that it lets cold air in winters and hot muggy air in summers. I finally filled the fireplace with a box I made of the pink insulation stuff and sealed the front with a large piece. I now have a mirror on the hearth blocking the entire thing. I imagine when I get ready to sell the house I will have to buy a glass door and install it again. One of those cast iron fireplace inserts would be nice, but the chimney would require work first.

I sold the old smart phone on eBay; it was listed less than 24 hours. I listed it via "buy it now" at the highest price for the phones I saw that had already sold that had the same features, though one in an auction went for about $70 more. I won't second guess, I got my price, but when they go so quickly, you wonder. I looked up the buyer, it turns out he buys used smart phones all day long so he must have a business reselling them. This was the last phone of this type with a removable battery, a desirable feature, and I liked the sized better than my current phone, but what really made me switch is the changing telecommunications offerings - after the end of the year many calls on that old phone won't go through as the lower end of the cell phone offerings (the 2 and 3g channels) are being turned off and re-used by the FCC. I wanted to sell it before I couldn't sell it. I mention this because those of you with older smart phones will likely have to replace them at the end of the year and it may be the number of buyers mean there will be fewer sales or discounts. Here's some information.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Sep 20 - 10:57 AM

Steve the carpenter has almost finished our woodshed; only the roof remains to be shingled. We have a load of firewood (probably ash) coming in the next week or two, and then we can clear the front porch and sweep it clean of bark and splinters. There's most of a white cedar stacked up there now, along with the last of the 2019 load of ash and Himself's chopping block, and I have to admit I would much rather use that space for something a bit more sightly.

On 15 September (a week ago Tuesday), I set myself to stricter attention to diet and exercise, and now I am 3.9 Kg (8.5 pounds) lighter. I have a ways to go, however; my arthritic foot is acting up severely, and I must pare off some major plumpness in order to relieve its load and thus avoid surgery. If you thought I am sane and logical enough to do this without requiring actual pain to motivate me, you would be wrong. Sigh ...

Himself is also feeling rather porky, so he is not complaining about dinners that lack such refinements as pie and gravy. The cocktail hour, too, must be honoured more in the breach than the observance, at least until I can climb into last winter's jeans without the help of a shoehorn.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 20 - 10:59 PM

These darker days are noticeable now, and I find myself leaving more lights on around the house to compensate. Most are low-power use LED so it doesn't hit the electric bill too much. And now we're out of the extreme heat the electric bill will drop considerably.

I'm preparing a box to send to a friend that will include several working but retired computer peripherals from here - a USB port, some cables. I should probably find a power strip with a really long cord. He's one of those New Yorkers who lives in an apartment that doesn't have nearly enough electric plugs for this day and age.

Pickle time tomorrow, with enough cucumbers now for 2-3 jars - I have extra juice from the first batch in the fridge and I have some juice from pickled okra that I won't be able to use, they're not growing fast enough now. These will probably be the cooked variety, I'm thinking of a couple of jars of bread and butter pickles or dill slices for sandwiches.

Another eBay listing went up this evening. The other listings are getting attention, one has a watcher, but there really isn't a way to know when something is going to sell by those clues. It can sell after 20 views or 200. You just launch the item and see what happens.

We're about into long pants season again. It was warm today but rainy and soon the Capri pants will be folded and placed in a place on the shelf in the closet that I can find next spring, not hunt around for weeks like I did this year. It will free up some pants hangers on the rack.

I'm eating a lot of fruit and salads these days as I try to stay off of the sugar habit. There are fewer times during the day that I need some kind of a boost, and going between meals without snacks has been a goal. Good proteins, healthy carbs. I haven't lost much weight so far, but feeling good is an equally laudable goal.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Sep 20 - 05:22 PM

While mowing this afternoon I found several mounds of dirt that weren't associated with fire ants. Something is burrowing into the berm I built in the front yard, so I must deploy the Hav-A-Hart trap. I don't know if this population has anything to do with the droppings I've found on the front porch and on the swing glider. I should have a wildlife camera set up with infra red out there.

No trimmer yet; the store hadn't received today's shipment and the guy said it is often 10-14 days waiting for delivery to the store. I won't make that mistake again. I also worked in the veggie garden a little, just long enough for a few ants to find their way onto my clothes and occasionally stroll onto an arm or my neck.

A bright flashlight arrived on the porch today via Amazon; listed as a "spotlight" it's very lightweight and has a USB cord to charge. Times have certainly changed as far as flashlight technology, but I will once again be able to shine a light clear to the back fence to catch the old deaf dog's attention late at night when he gets started barking.