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

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 07:32 PM

After the move, I became quite savage about accumulation, and that attitude is our new normal. Muddle is not allowed, and everything must have a home. The comparative lack of storage here is a feature, not a bug.

Except for books. We still accumulate books — but none of them are stacked on the floor. That’s forbidden.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 07:16 PM

From the Washington Post

The great decluttering of 2020: The pandemic has inspired a cleanout of American homes

“People are feeling their spaces right now,” says Gretchen Rubin, author of nine books, including “Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness.” “Some people feel like nesting and just want to paint everything. Others feel claustrophobic. Many have figured out they need more elbow room. Some are thinking, ‘I don’t want to waste something I’m not using. I want to put it back out in the world.’?”

“Think of how many people created home offices out of a room they had used for storage,” says Michael Frohm, chief operating officer for Goodwill of Greater Washington, which saw donations rise by 20 percent over last year and rented three temporary warehouses to store them. “They didn’t want all that stuff in back of them during a Zoom call. They were forced to clear it out.”

And this, from the same article: The temptation continues, because "On a recent Saturday at Goodwill’s Glebe Road location in Arlington, there were 600 drop-offs from overflowing cars and trucks. For thrift shoppers, Frohm says, it’s a gold mine: “The quality of stuff right now is amazing.”"

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Aug 20 - 09:41 AM

I am plugging through the copy-edit of the rewritten chapters of the Afghanbistan book, which I am now shipping off to Author. Consequently, the house is dusty and cat-hairy, and I don't care.

We have had a couple of days of torrential rain, so the garden looks perkier. But next year I really must plant something -- besides the mint and the oregano -- that blooms in mid- to late summer.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 20 - 08:09 PM

This afternoon I settled down in the newly-cleared sunroom for a power nap in the recliner. The classical station was playing Resphigi's Airs and Dances and I woke 20 minutes later to one of Brahms' Hungarian Dances. I think I've found a good reason to leave that current setup in place. It's also lovely to tend the plants with no difficulty in reaching them (lots of boxes and furniture used to be in the way of that wide deep window).

The struggle these days is in the garden, to keep the aphids and ants off of the okra and other crops. I've sprayed with soap and orange oil a couple of times, which helped a lot, but now I'm down to using Diatomaceous Earth and a veggie wash product (they sell it to use in the house to wash vegetables before cooking or eating, but it also does the trick on bugs in the garden and is very gentle on the plants).

I'm ready for the next stage of mask making, with a new set of fabric and to work out larger and smaller versions of the standard ones I've been making so far. The dining table is clear.

Still working on clearing other tables and kitchen counters. I spent time dusting shelves and realize that this house is going to continue to be a box of dust that gets rearranged unless I do something serious like vacuum up a lot and control the dog hair. Get it out, don't just dust a little here and there with a rag.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Aug 20 - 07:48 PM

Dupont:

Never made it to a nap because when I went upstairs there was no bedding! Oops, it was in the washer. So I moved it to the dryer and perked up as I got a bunch of little things done.

The woman who bought the pottery, emailed that her daughter is coming with a friend who wants some so it will stay where it is a while longer. I can also give dghtr the excess cash Mom had given me - this darn slimy money sticks together. This morning, my brain was good enough to figure out the finances! And a couple other things. Wonderful, as I could not do it last week.

R and I have agreed that I will go to Beaver on Thursday and he will drive part way on Friday and the short part on Saturday so he can finish the septic. Here's hoping!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:13 PM

The first eBay box contents are photographed and ready to go. I have to go between the two computers to use the newer version of Bridge and Photoshop to process photos. I did find some photos I'd forgotten about in the camera. Nice bonus.

Ants seem to be the plague of the garden right now, I've been out spritzing diatomaceous earth on my pepper plants. I'll go out later with vinyl gloves and give the plants a good once over to rub off some of the aphids or other pest eggs that are turning up on the leaves. It doesn't help that we're only allowed to water two days a week and I have to be sneaky to water on the days I actually want to water. Too much or too little is hard on the plants.

I hope you're enjoying your pool, Don. I was reading about the heat wave on the east coast. I hope Jeri got her air conditioner finally (a Facebook conversation brought over here).

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 20 - 01:05 PM

Wow, Dorothy! Computer nightmares there. And that's funny that R thought it was Saturday - his brain perhaps unconsciously telling him to take it easy for a little while. He can rest up; anesthesia takes time to get over and out of your system.

August is here, this is usually when the "dog days of summer" set in, but this year we got an early start on them. It isn't the hottest year, but it has been long and muggy and we're all stuck at home.

I am restarting the eBay activity, and the first things to list are simply what comes to hand as I clear off my dining table. One of the 30-gallon plastic self-lidded bins that I emptied in the old sun room is now organized with mask-making fabrics that were spread over the table. Boxes my sister sent are broken down and the items are either ready to be donated or sold. None of it was stuff I wanted to keep.

I managed to clear the pile-up on the kitchen table (instead of eating in one little clear spot I can now spread out). Battling the tyranny of horizontal surfaces - logical but not organized landing pads for stuff.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 20 - 12:49 PM

Dupont:

R was a long time getting over the effects of epidural but Doug brought him home about 5or 6 pm and we had supper together. Then, as soon as Doug left, bed!

Yesterday/Friday, I was waiting for R to leave for work. After two hours on phone with Tech support I went and found him watching TV??? He thought it was Saturday!

Most of this week was spent working on the problems deriving from a major computer hack. A major nightmare! 12 hours with Ephraim on Weds as he worked on computer and, talked to Whidbey tech support and then a trip to Apple Genius about 30 minutes away - lucky to get an appointment at 6 pm! Only one available in the area. The nice "Genius" worked on it for an hour trying to get rid of anything unnecessary and/or offensive. Then back here and E continued to consult with techies and work on computer, leaving about 11:30; R took him back to the Metro.

Thurs: spent hours trying to come to terms with what had been changed. while getting rid of the accumulation of emails. A couple more calls to tech. I could receive but not send. Tues eve there had been no new emails, my first call to tech!

Friday, having found that I had to put in the new - rocket science - password every time I left the computer for a few minutes...techie Jodie spent almost two hours helping me reset up email so I could understand it and find and click a box so I did not need to re-do every 10 minutes! Imagine, I go to stir the stew and come back and... ARGHHH! Someone also helped me change the password to access email to something more human.

Sent an email of thanks to Whidbey Telecom re Blaise, Adam, Thomas, Jodie ... Eph was also impressed by them.

Exhaustion from Weds precluded me going to Beaver on Thurs. Also the need to get bank accounts revived, trip to get new access card (complicated by my ID being Ontario and this is Quebec and a long wait due to social distancing which they were doing quite well), phone calls...

Now, I seem to have lost all previous emails, the important ones that were in "smart mailboxes" so they could be easily accessed and that have info I would like to or need to access. I do not have the energy left for another call to Techs. Maybe tomorrow.

Weds, I ate almost nothing. I have been good about not "making up for it" and on Day 40... I am still exhausted but there is a fresh pot of stew ready for a good meal, or four! Now, at 12:30, I am ready to go back to bed. A lovely, Hot, day. The lawn is still not mowed. R is still not 100%. Ephraim has moved into the city house from his tiny apt, a good thing not to have it empty. Also more convenient to the office. (He works with/for R and bro. He is worth more than his weight in gold, even if he gave me passwords worthy of Fort Knox!)


Prior to the hacking: On Tues, a mother and daughter came and chose 37 pots from the display in DR! Terrific De-clutter!!! We are trying to decide where to move them so they are still accessible but not taking up the entire DR! The first floor actually got vacuumed before they arrived! No more sign of bedbugs!! We've had rain so I don't need to water outdoor plants and those in the ground are starting to grow!

I still have a bureau in the back of my car, from Beaver to undecided so it just stays! I can hardly hold my head up. TV or bed...

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

I went to Walmart today at 6:30am and found the aisles as empty as my neighbor described. I loaded up on their store-brand cold and cough medications since what is in my cupboard is incredibly out of date. Happily I have avoided colds for a while, but when the need arrives, it's nice to have the basics on hand. The old stuff will go into the trash or to the Rx recycling receptacle at the Walgreens down the street. So this isn't so much decluttering as simply updating.

While I'm thinking about medical stuff I need to find out about getting my shingles vaccine and when to get this fall's flu shot. These need to be spaced out.

Tuesdays the city hall recycle bins are emptied so this evening I have a run to make with more cardboard and various kitchen things to contribute. I'm trying to corral the cardboard. Some of the books my sister sent have no sentimental value or commercial value so they'll also go in that bin.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jul 20 - 04:25 PM

After yesterday's post I mowed the front lawn and trimmed the area beside the garage where I hide the trash cans from the street. The humidity make the work exhausting and I seem to have gotten enough dust and grass up my nose to cause a sinus headache today.

The two front yard bird baths got a quick scrub with a tough nylon brush and clean water added, and there is now a small solar fountain thing floating in the birdbath close to the office window. It splashes enough water out of the birdbath that I have a gallon of water on the ground next to it to fill it during the day. This isn't a sustainable plan, so the little solar thing will come in for periods of time (it isn't supposed to be allowed to run for long if the water dries up). It really needs a deeper basin of water to be left untended, but if I tried (for example) to float it in the trough the dog water is in the puppy would fish it out and destroy it. This was a gift from a friend.

We aren't getting hurricane weather, but walk outside for a few minutes and you're dripping with sweat. Take a look at Windy and you see the storm clobbering Monterrey, Mexico and the humidity gushing across all of Texas. There were boxes of books in the garage I brought in and emptied and the flattened boxes are now ready for the recycle bin. I don't like storing books in the garage or attic here, because of the humidity.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jul 20 - 10:07 AM

Sudafed - I can take one and have an effective antihistamine effect; take two and I'm climbing the walls.

This morning I sat up straight in bed thinking it was Sunday and I'd forgotten a regular Saturday night post I always put up for a site I work on. As I scrambled to turn on the computer and bring up the software a little time passed and I realized it was Saturday morning, not Sunday. I can't say that happens very often any more, since retirement.

I hope R's kidney stone procedure went well. My next door neighbor had three different attempts to get a particularly large stone last year, and he's much more comfortable now.

It's overcast today, but the not-quite-tropical-storm that was headed for the coast hasn't reached this area with it's bands of storm clouds. I suspect this cloud cover is the result of the regular SE directional weather stalling in the face of that front pushing to the NW. It is hurricane season, though it usually means rain here at the most, not the heavy weather since we're several hundred miles NW of the Gulf of Mexico. We're in that time of year when just keeping the garden alive is the goal, it won't be producing much until fall. Keeping a patch of turf green in the back yard for the dogs, and occasionally watering out front to keep the encroaching St. Augustine grass alive (because it's better than the weeds I did have growing here). The cucumbers are seedlings now, the okra are perking up and growing larger. The tomatoes are almost completely dormant and I think I pushed back the encroaching leaffooted bug nymphs that will suck plants and crops dry if not treated. I'm hoping for homemade pickles this fall, cucumber and okra.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Jul 20 - 12:41 PM

Dupont:

I went with R this am as he drove my car to hospital for his kidney stone op. His cousin will bring him home - soon, I hope. We were at the hospital before 7 and I turned around and came home for a pit stop and headed to the produce store where I was the only customer at 7:45! The staff all had masks and were busy stocking everything on this lovely Friday.

I stocked up on fruits and veggies, and eggs and frozen chick and a pork tenderloin. I wish they had a roast of pork as we enjoyed the one I cooked last week - in the frying pan on stove top, with veggies. I only buy this local protein from southern QC. It is so much better than the usual. The roast, from a Bancroft store ("free From" brand), had been in freezer at Beaver and I used it as "ice" in the cooler on the way back here.

Getting home from the store at the time we usually get up, I have managed to do a number of useful small things and some weeding, froze 4 pints of Quebec blueberries. Feeling happy to have this renewed energy, esp with the cooler weather. Doing stuff made me hungry before my appointed lunchtime so I ate some blueberries and a piece of cheddar. Two pints of blueberries and two of QC raspberries still available for munching.

This is Day 32 of my "diet". As I write it in the book each day, I am encouraged to hang in. four very small treats in 32 days is very good. Feeling healthier is also encouraging.

Yesterday, R helped me move the tomato plants to a better spot on the back deck, where, if a fruit falls, it can be seen rather than lost in the profusion of plants below the railing. I will bring in the best three pots in the fall to start new ones for next. Learning the ways of tomato plants and how they grow is interesting.

Charmion: I too cannot take anything related to ephedrine. For antihistamine I have been using, for about 25 years, chlorpheniramine maleate, recommended to me by the wonderful pharmacist in Bancroft, who now has her own pharmacy. My bro also uses it and finds it works as well as the Benadryl he had been taking. It comes in a small bottle in a small box- about one inch by one inch by about 4 inches tall. I always have to ask for it but it is 100 in a bottle so I only need to find them every few years. Under $10 last time.

The bug bites are almost gone and no new ones! We are hoping we have won this round but are prepared. That old couch, the cause, was very heavy and R needed someone to help move it. I am assured it is now gone. In the 2-3 years since Linda got bit, I have asked him a few times and "What! It's still there!!" He has a lot on his mind. I have also asked him, for 10 years, "Take your work clothes off when you get home..." Now he does. He also drinks water, now that he is aware the lack thereof could have caused the stones. I begged... He also takes his supplements - whatever I give him. And it only took 10 years!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 09:28 PM

Over the years my sister has sent boxes of books from my mom's house. This it was week three boxes of books, and I recently relocated one box lost for ages in the sunroom that was full of stuff from travel to Japan decades ago. The books are WWII era, and I'm thinking that I have a set of stuff (videos and books) that may do well as donations to my former university's special collections to their veterans materials. Mom was in the Women's Army Corps stationed in Japan. Anyway, my daughter and I had a social distance lunch today and I took an assortment of boxes for her to poke through. (There we were in the parking garage with boxes on the ground behind my SUV.) #ChristmasInJuly

It looks like one of my long-term eBay sales items was finally purchased. My new phone didn't make the lovely "ca-ching" sound of a cash register that alerts me to a sale, so I'll have to figure out how to set it up. And list some more stuff.

I took out a couple of NY strip steaks to thaw and use on Saturday. With COVID-19 the way it is in Texas no one is coming into the house, but this time of year I can set up the little terracotta grill beside the patio and have a friend over for dinner in the driveway.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jul 20 - 09:48 AM

I know darn well that I have no contagious diseases, COVID-19 or anything else, but from the beginning of the pandemic I have always worn a mask when out of the house because the frequent coughing that goes with asthma is so unnerving to other people. I had a hacking attack in the park one day back in April, and it quite hurt my feelings to see a woman veer widely off the path and around a tree to avoid me, her eyes (above her mask) wide with what really looked like fear.

I just wish I could use Sudafed, or anything that resembles it, but the pseudo-epinephrin that is its active ingredient interacts badly with the bronchodilators that keep asthma under close arrest. Sudafed and its clones are still the most effective of the non-drowsy antihistamines.

Meanwhile, in culinary news, Himself has decided to try cooking a whole chicken in a Dutch oven in the fire-pit. Not sure how this will turn out ... If we come down with ptomaine, I'll know why.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jul 20 - 12:33 PM

The back yard is finally tamed and I played fetch with the dogs last night since their toys weren't disappearing in tall grass. Next for the front and digging up the keyhole garden beside the driveway to plant some late sweet potatoes. I have cucumbers coming up from seed and the okra finally got transplanted from pots to the ground last week (and I ate a couple of fried okra with dinner last night, the first two of the season). Tomatoes have stopped for now but I may put in new plants for fall soon. I got 1 1/3 cases of tomatoes canned so far this year.

The big news down here is that on Tuesday mornings at 6am the Walmart stores are open for seniors and my next door neighbor said that this week the closest store was quite empty. I didn't know they had these hours still, and I have a couple of things that take me to Walmart maybe twice a year, so next week I'll get up early and head over. Our COVID-19 numbers are increasing in Texas so taking advantage of special hours when the stores actually relatively free of people is a good thing. Next to Sam's Club, Walmart has the cheapest Sudafed knockoff in town. This year I've been more careful about taking it before I go out to keep my allergy sneezes under control. YMMV in your state or province, but it's worth checking out.

Dog baths this week. Once a year whether they need it or not. The water is so warm coming out of the hose that I use a lead to keep each one in place and hose and shampoo then rinse. It doesn't mean there will be less dog hair, it will just be cleaner dog hair. :-/

Good luck with the heat applications, Dorothy. That's what I've heard is pretty effective. Shame on R for being so lazy about that sofa at work!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Jul 20 - 12:44 PM

Dupont:

!!!! First: Wonderful to hear news from Michelle - GOOD news! I do hope you find way to keep J home from school! You are resourceful!

Today, I actually put on clothes for the first time in a week. I was down to undies and one of R's dress shirts (lots of old ones here). How often I realize the joy of large windows but not where anyone can look in without an effort. Over 50 bites last week took a terrific toll, plus the heat; majorly stressed x4, with covid and R's kidney stones - which have not bothered him but also have not left so we are looking toward a op on Friday. Today is cooler and I went out front to water and deadhead the geraniums and pulled weeds on the "dragon grave" where things are finally growing. thanks to some rain. There will be green peppers from the dozen seedlings, squash from the bought plants, lettuce from seed and the 'sturtiums are finally starting to bloom. Flowers are blooming, prize of which is a hybrid daylily in shades of pale yellow; may it increase greatly! I had to come back inside due to mosquitoes - now a couple dif bites! Earlier, I watered the potted tomato plants, and one pepper, on the back deck railing while it was still shady. Lots of tomatoes coming along and 3 healthy peppers on the one plant, mother of those in the front garden.

AS for the bedbugs: R has them in the city house a couple years ago, while I was, thankfully, at Beaver. We knew from a friend who stayed in one of his loft spaces (a dif building) that a sofa had bugs, but he sat on it. OH WELL! I suggested vehemently that the sofa should go. And NOW it has. But, I am sure, and he admits, that is where this new crop originated. He comes home from work, sits on futon to watch TV THEN stretches out and falls asleep. I calmly noted how many years I have been asking him to take work clothes off when he gets home...

So, he came home with DE and put each leg of futon frame and bed in a plastic container with DE. I washed everything washable, including the futon cover, in HOT water. Since, I have been putting things in the dryer daily,including our day's clothes, on HOT. AND put things on the porch rail in the very HOT sun (Donuel!). No bites in a couple days. IF we experience another hatch, he will cover things with heavy plastic and use a special "safe" heater to cook the critters - 130 degrees does it. We are so fortunate that the original instruction booklets came with the beautiful washer and dryer set we bought at auction. Otherwise we could not figure out how to get HOT (degrees stipulated). We may not be totally out of the woods but we are not currently being bitten. Some of my bites still itch but not to the whimpering stage.

In the heat and all, I only managed a good veggie stew and a roast pork with veggies, done in frying pan on stove top to avoid excess heat. Yummie. And kept on top of dishes. R did some vacuuming in TV room and "his" chair in Den re bugs. Now, the vacuum is sitting here looking at me... Maybe I can do the LR...

Day 29 of my "diet". I have done pretty well with only a couple small treats (1/3 of a raspberry/oat square) in the time. Feeling better and more able bodied. The other day I tried to do a leg lift while lying on bed. Could not manage an inch! I was lying there, "I think I should be able to do this??" This morning, several inches twice! Yes, I am supposed to be able to do this! I'll try more later. Made R blueberry buckwheat cakes for BF; did not eat any, only my usual 2 eggs scrambled. Routine helps. I am planning a bw cake for lunch, with almond butter.

Thanks for all the ideas about the bedbugs. I did find an excellent website that covered every question one might have quite well. And R's prior exp. And a scientist friend is examining the little critters I found on the futon for positive ID.

May we all avoid the covid, and practice stress reduction!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Jul 20 - 09:16 AM

I have spent several days at my desk, grinding through the chapters I have finished editing to ensure they're ready to go to the author. If I do say so myself, I have actually made the book readable; when I got the manuscript, it was incomprehensible.

Author says he thinks at some point it was fed through some kind of text-management software and then revised by a French-speaking person who knew nothing about the Canadian Army. Knowing what I do about some government employees and their regard for the quality of written English, I think he may well be right. He's not even looking at the version I was given to work from but just reading my rewrite and adjusting for what he knows that I don't.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should be looking for more than a production credit on this job.

Himself went back to the gym for the first time since the lockdowns began in March. Users have to book their time, so the place does not get crowded, and the showers and saunas are closed, but at least the weights and cardio equipment are available. I think I should follow his example; the pool at the Y remains closed with no forecast for re-opening, and I'm getting fat and even creakier than previously. The stationary bike is less than ideal, but at least it will not add to the embuggeration of my poor feet.

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

The grape vines that covered the hackberry tree across the road (that I've harvested every July for more than a dozen years) were struck a near-fatal blow last fall when the property owner "cleared" the land and the little man who came in after to pick up trash cut all of the vines around the tree base that the bulldozer missed. I haven't walked over to look because anything in the tree is too high to reach; we can only hope that benign neglect creeps into their maintenance plan and the grape vines again droop down from above. I'll walk over with the loppers and cut any poison ivy vines that try to commingle with the grapes as they did in the past.

For the third week in a row I took my large trash can to the juniper adjacent to the driveway and continued my project of trimming off the long sprigs growing out from it. Once I have a can full of branches I drop my bag of weekly trash on top and drag it all to the curb. I nearly cut the entire evergreen shrub down two years ago, but at the last minute saw an interesting shape it the central part that hadn't been removed, so left it. Since it is a mature root system it can grow quickly so I have routinely trim it back. I don't want that thing reaching the size of a motorhome again, encroaching on the driveway and the yard. Right now it's about the size of a small Prius.

The dog training collar arrived and I'm reading the booklet before embarking on a no-barking plan for my blue heeler. There are particular times of day when she isn't doing her normal alert on the mail truck or the trash truck, but barks at the neighbors hoping for a treat.

Stay cool, everyone. A friend of mine from New York City has an overnight trip planned out to Fire Island during this heat advisory. I hope it isn't so hot that he can't get out and enjoy the sea breeze. Maybe it's time for me to plan a drive out to an area lake just to get out of the house. The dogs would enjoy a walk on the beach.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 10:08 AM

Yes, that's the one (or apparently family), Charmion. It's known by both "rowan" and "mountain ash" in the UK.

This is ours which set itself in one of the pigsty bays. I'm not sure if it was there when mum and a brother did the initial sorting of the land or whether it appeared in her time here but it's grown a bit in the say 20 years I've known it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 09:40 AM

John Freeman, what you call a rowan tree -- does it look like this? Around here (southern Ontario), that tree is often called a mountain ash. Hardier souls than I make jelly from its berries, but I have always left them for the birds; by February, the non-migrating species are glad to get them.

I used to live in a house with a Montmorency cherry tree of considerable size and beauty, and I don't think I ever got enough fruit off it for more than one pie and one batch of jam. As the cherries ripened in summer, the birds flocking to it in the morning made enough noise to rouse me from a sound sleep.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Jul 20 - 07:29 AM

Well I had a look at our blackcurrants yesterday afternoon and something (probably a blackbird) has beaten me to them. I don’t think there is a quantiy that would be worth making a jam with now.

Staying with berries, the rowan tree round the back is looking really good, particularly in the early evening sunlight. The berries are orange at the moment but will turn to red and of course will be welcomed by the birds later in the year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 07:28 PM

That's what I've been thinking about the sunroom. I'd have to put my yoga mat up every time or the puppy will destroy it, but with the sunshine and plants it's a welcoming room for that. Is that your new TV you put in there? Is it on the wall or on a cabinet of some sort?

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 04:52 PM

I've been making some progress organizing/shoveling out the house. Got one room emptied out enough to do yoga in it, then stuck a TV in. I think there's still room for yoga, but it's too hot to move.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 20 - 12:38 PM

Tending the garden now in hopes of a fall crop of okra and cucumbers. I'll prune back the dried tomato branches and see if the roots grow a new set of branches. Bush beans are in a big pot and I see a few, but I may have to race against bugs to get any. I've had to start the organic pesticides and glue traps to try to get rid of a batch of stink bugs that are tormenting the eggplant.

This is a no-spend month, though as usually happens, the struggle is in trying to keep it to a low-spend month. I've had to do a couple of repairs or replacement of existing items around the house, but am resisting buying new stuff; I'll stick with the research for future projects without buying materials.

I'm looking through my almost-full Bullet Journal book. It has been an incredibly useful exercise (started in March 2017). I have the next book to use when this is full, and this will stay by my desk as a valuable reference. I taped a little list in the front of it, probably something that turned up in a Pinterest post, and I'll print another copy and tape it into the next one also. It's something I need to look at more often:

Start by doing 1 push up.
Start by drinking 1 cup of water.
Start by paying toward 1 debt.
Start by reading 1 page.
Start by making 1 sale.
Start by deleting 1 old contact.
Start by walking 1 lap.
Start by attending 1 event.
Start by writing 1 paragraph.
Start today. Repeat tomorrow.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 03:46 PM

Michelle, I think you're correct - the latest series of stories hitting the top of the Twitter feed have to do with over-worked and under-supplied janitorial staff in many industries and locations. If they are relying on an almost invisible staff (working nights or weekends when no one else is there) who have to struggle to meet or exceed standards with inadequate staffing or supplies - it's tough.

That's great about your tumor markers, and good wishes to Pete for his upcoming checkup.

Dorothy, short of burning down the house, have you and R managed to work out a plan to eliminate the active and hidden bedbugs? They're one of those things that happen without warning and you just have to grit your teeth and work hard to get past it. I have a friend in NY City who had had a couple of brushes with them, but they have an app for city bedbug outbreaks that at least helps a little bit to steer clear of them.

I've moved more furniture around today and am nearly finished reorganizing the two rooms where I swapped contents, and have what is now a very tidy and functional craft room. I still sometimes set things on the bed until I find a place for them but it isn't like the bed is piled with a mishmash of stuff any more.

Under normal circumstances a social outing wouldn't be anything to report, but I enjoyed visiting with two friends last night. We sat about 10 feet apart in a triangle under a friend's breezy carport. These kinds of locations are precious now; I'm going to trim a few lower branches on a pine in my front yard where I have a suitably spaced conversation area - years ago I built a stone wall facing the street and on each end is a capstone that is perfect seating for a couple of people visiting under the trees.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 03:18 PM

Hello from North Central Pennsylvania,

    I took the day off yesterday and Jeremiah and I started in one corner of the kitchen and started going through cupboards, wiping things down, getting rid of expired items and reorganizing. It felt wonderful!!! I suppose I could spend a good solid week doing as such before it would be complete but we did make a noticeable difference! Today I am focusing on the counter top I use most and putting away appliances that we aren't using much right now like the bread maker and Panini maker. Those tend to get used more when the temperatures are cooler. Right now, the counter is often filled with bowls of fresh eggs and produce from the garden. :)

    We also had use of a large dumpster for 3 weeks and made good use of it! It was a a little pricey but worth it in my opinion to be able to throw things in and let someone else haul it all away!

    Life here is going as well as can be expected. I continue to work full time and Pete is now back at work full time too since the university has partially opened. I had a tumor marker check done this week and am thrilled to share that my numbers are the lowest they have been in years. Pete heads to the doctor next week for his 6 month check up which is pretty involved.

Day 1: Ultrasound and bloodwork
Day 2: Injection
Day 3   Injection
Day 4: Small dosage of radiation
Day 6: Hour long body scan

    Jeremiah is growing like crazy, it won't be too much longer and he will be taller than I am. Right now, he is one shoe size smaller than me!!! He loves to read, ride his bike, swim, play basketball, garden, play with the animals, build with Legos and of course, play on his computer (which is extremely limited in our house....he is lucky if he plays for an hour 3 times a week). There is a plan for school in our district where the children in his grade will go to school 2 days a week and have 3 days of remote learning, however, the Governor is already alluding to possible complete closures given the rate of COVID's second time through. It's challenging for households like ours, with two working parents to figure things out when there is no set plan. Pete has NO flexibility in his schedule so I have worked out 4 viable options for me to continue working full time and managing homeschooling/remote learning, as needed. Truth be told, I'm leaning towards keeping him home despite the school schedule as I'm not feeling confident about the plan the school has in place. I'm lucky to have a job where I have a lot of flexibility and a supervisor who is willing to work with me and explore various options so they can keep me on staff. What a crazy world we are living in.

So...that's my update for now. I hope you are all well and staying safe.

Much love,

Michelle

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 09:49 AM

Donuel, I find the climate of northwest Europe quite comfortable, especially near the coast. Not too hot, not too cold, not too much snow in winter. Guess where my ancestors came from?

I don’t live there because said ancestors had very good reasons to leave (revolutions, cholera, financial collapse) and fixable physical discomfort is not a good enough reason to go back. Canada has its drawbacks, God knows — too hot, too cold, too much snow in winter—but here the neo-Nazis are still the frazzled edge of the lunatic fringe and fatal diseases don’t usually leave families bankrupt as well as bereft.

The summer heat of Ontario doesn’t last long by American standards, but it’s quite stunning. My Dad, who spent much of the war in east African waters, said the only place he found hotter than Ottawa in July was Aden.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Jul 20 - 02:27 PM

Charmion, there must be some place and time on Earth where the climate, flora and unique conditions were ideal for you. Unless Earth is the wrong planet. :^]

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jul 20 - 10:43 AM

Dorothy, I am so sorry for your trouble. I had a bad flea infestation once, and that was awful enough -- the job included smoke-bombing the house (by a professional exterminator) and insecticidal baths for four cats -- but fleas do not go dormant and hide like bedbugs.

Himself encountered bedbugs in a Ramada Inn when he went to Petawawa years ago to do a court-martial. The deeply apologetic manager had all his clothes (including a very expensive dress uniform) steam-cleaned, and his suitcase went into the dumpster behind the hotel. In more than 20 years of travelling all over the country and overseas, often lodged in semi-crappy motels, that was his only brush with the little bastards -- amazing.

The hydro bill came in yesterday, a sum that fairly made my head spin. Of course, now we have an air-conditioner that actually works, and a thermostat ditto, and the weather has been hot like the hinges of Hell, so that should not have been a surprise. At least I'm not mopping my brow while seated at my desk; I hate paying for hours and hours of air-conditioning at peak rates when the upstairs stays hot and stuffy.

I really, really love air-conditioning. In the olden days, by this stage of summer, I would have heat rash all over the back of my neck and in several less mentionable places. The price of electricity may be unnerving, but I pay the bill without (much) complaint.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 11:10 PM

Maybe. But in the meantime, everything in the room (at least) will have to be bagged in plastic bags and set aside and you may have to have a company come in and use heat to kill them in all of the seams and places where they will have crawled to. If you know what piece of furniture brought them in, get rid of it. Out, and don't try to bring it back. You may have to keep your mattress (the next new one) in a vinyl zipper sack to keep any stragglers from finding their way to it.

Which house is this at, or have you been bit at both houses? You're going to have to bag your luggage, wash all of your clothes, it's a long list of things to do. Think about cleaning out the upholstery in the car. It might be time to call in professionals.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 10:30 PM

Sunshine is a simple way to kill bedbugs

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 09:15 PM

Dupont:

R's friend has studied bedbugs and informs us these are immature bed bugs. R will endeavour to redeem himself bring them home by also bringing home the needful things to eradicate them...eventually eradicate. Meanwhile, two baths today with epsom and baking soda helped me maintain moderate sanity. My brain is only somewhat functional. R says when he had 6 bites it affected his ability to think. Well, he managed to get rid of them that time... Meanwhile, I am sitting here killing the tiny critters as they appear on the muslin cover and on the fresh sheet they somehow manage to find their way on to. They seem to be smarter than some people. That might seem to include me as why am I sitting here? I might itch all over but I am comfortable. another bath before bed and I hope to sleep.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: mg
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 04:15 PM

could it be scabies? hope not. https://dengarden.com/pest-control/invisible-bugs#:~:text=Invisible%20Bugs%20That%20Bite%20and%20Cause%20Itching&text=Contrary%20to%20popular%20belief%2C%20scabies,Burning%2C%20nonstop%20irritation

https://dengarden.com/pest-control/invisible-bugs#:~:text=Invisible%20Bugs%20That%20Bite%20and%20Cause%20Itching&text=Contrary%2

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 02:44 PM

Yes, SRS. I suppose gage is a subgroup of plums. They are usually smaller than say a Victoria Plum and green or yellow in colour. They are often very sweet and some will have it that the green gages are the best tasting of all the plums. I’m not sure they are the easiest to grow though and our green gage tree is not very reliable. That said, the oullins gage we have is supposed to offer a similar taste with better reliability but that one has rarely cropped here either.

We would be making a jam with them. The stones come away as the jam cooks.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 12:57 PM

I remember the process of painting with epoxy paint and rollers. When I tried to walk up the steep incline to the shallow end I kept sliding back down with my slick wet epoxy sneakers. The reflected heat at the bottom rivaled Death Valley. I had to take off the shoes and walk backwards in socks touching up with the roller as I went.
Today my most important water device is assembling and installing a toilet. Its already prepared by a pro plumber so the yucky underfloor pipes and wax rings are already done. I'll be using it year round compared to the pool. Expensive toilets weigh over 100 pounds but this one is a modest 67 lbs.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 11:36 AM

That sounds wretched, Dorothy. Find the source of that soon! And Donuel, I'mma comin' over to your house. That pool sounds fabulous! I have a water feature, a creek, and it's lovely to stand above and watch fish and turtles and snakes swim, and birds wade, but it isn't really welcoming for humans.

Jon, I had to look up your "gage" fruit. They sound like some kind of a plum? "The stone is semi-clinging" - it means some work, but not as bad as some peaches. So do you cut the fruit off and can it in slices, or make a jam out of it?

It's difficult sleeping weather now, trying to keep the A/C from blowing on me during the night and making my feet or my hips ache; optimum conditions include just a sheet and the ceiling fan moving the air a little. But it's too humid for that to work. Plus in the middle of the night the dogs chased a possum onto the fence next to my bedroom window so I had to go out with the hose and chase it out of sight. That wakes you up at 3am!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 10:50 AM

Dupont:

Pool sounds great, Donuel! You deserve to brag!

I neglected to mention my good news. I weighed myself at Beaver and am down 5 pounds from April. I am sure I gained some before I started this "diet" so I am much pleased. And pleased with how much better I am feeling. Today is Day 24. Keeping just this reminder in the log really helps me when the going gets tough. "You've done it for..days, you can keep it up!" Cheese makes me COUGH. Now I find that cashews do too.

Woke in agony of itch this am. Whimpering, I drew a bath again which did not help as much as yesterday. R is now on the case - about 45 bites. And no idea what the culprit is. Not bed bugs. No pic of it on google where there are dozens of "house bugs that bite". Put tea tree oil on most of them this am. R did my back which is covered with them. He is the house scientist and a stubborn Scot; he will persevere. I can barely think straight.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 07:25 AM

I think our blackcurrants will be around the use or loose point about this weekend. If we do use them I think we’d get about 5 of the pound jars of jam from them. That would be our lot in terms of soft fruit.

Later in the year, if some horrible wormy thing doesn’t ruin them, we will have Victoria plums that could be turned to jam – some of them anyway, the tree seems fairly well laden. I also think that this year between a green gage and an oullins gage, we could do a gage jam if we want. We also have a damson but I’ve not seen many fruit.

We will have to see what happens.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 05:37 AM

Just in time for the hottest week of the year the pool is back to crystal clear. I painted a 55 foot black whale and her calf on the sun side and bottom of the pool for extra solar heating by day.
It is heated by night by natural gas. I still have to adjust the lights I put in the trees to illuminte the pool.
Yeah I'm bragging and not complaining for now.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 20 - 12:00 AM

Oy. I hope those aren't bedbugs, Dorothy. Look them up.

Benadryl is my friend when it comes to summertime bug bites. I usually just take it at bedtime.

I spent about 45 minutes in the garden after 6pm and came in before getting sick from the heat. I went out a while later but it wasn't the right time to see the comet in the NW sky. I'll try again tomorrow. And tomorrow I'll be able to finish planting and mulching the rest of the garden.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Jul 20 - 09:40 PM

Dupont:

We managed to get to Beaver!! Left Sat am about 9 and I drove so we made good time. Got to the bakery and picked up some goodies and were at Beaver by 4. I started weeding and did lots until teh bugs were too bad and then in stints all day Sunday. I "found the blueberry bushes - no blueberries - and cleared most of one strawberry bed (4x8) and about half the raspberry beds. And around Good King Henry- and time ran out. Next door neighbour stopped as we were ready to get in car; gave her some GKH seeds.

I picked up the mail, went to the Credit Union, shopped at the natural food store - gave her my list and she packaged all the bulk food stuffs for me. modus operandi for now.

R did not manage to finish digging the septic - it was TOO HOT! He also did not write an important letter, but read books and managed to pick up another bagful at a thrift shop. I hope he relaxed some! He also managed to wrestle a too large cabinet out of the house and stored it in the outhouse, where it fits nicely and could be useful for storage. We also wrestled a bureau out and into my car to bring back here - "here" being somewhere in a Montreal building. Made lots of nice apace at Beaver! Feels breathable again!

No septic means no water can go down the drain. I bought 2 dishpans at the dollar store making it easier to wash dishes, so got the kitchen cleared nicely. I was hoping to go back alone this week but it took Tues to recover and today as well. I drove back; the idea being that R would not be so tired when he had to go back to work.

Hot all weekend but not so bad as here; the nights were cool. I sorted the BR some, putting away winter stuff - but not too far away as it will soon be cooling again.

OH, HELP: I am all over bug bites - very itchy ones. It started a couple weeks ago with a couple and I did not think much of it. Then at Beaver a couple more. Now... Watching TV yesterday, the itching was so bad I took a bath with baking soda and Epsom salt and that helped. Today, it started again and I realized it might be some kind of bug where I was sitting.

I took all the pillows outside, removed covers, washed everything! Put a clean cotton sheet, folded double on the futon and when I got up saw several tiny bugs on the sheet! barely visible Almost transparent and about 1/4 inch long - like a tiny bit of thread/fish line. Cannot find on Google. Some of the bites have become welts an inch or more in diameter. A dozen at least. They take turns itching. I stripped the bed and washed everything... And R has none! But he must have brought them home from somewhere. I have not sat down anywhere out of the house. Put a shower curtain and another clean sheet on the futon so I could sit.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jul 20 - 10:21 AM

There is a five-foot-wide cabinet that was against the wall but I turned it perpendicular and a few feet into the room from the corner. A wooden bench is up against the back of it now and it doesn't look too odd. I'll get used to it. This creates a view into that room from the doorway, and in that room so far are the original large (and very heavy) maple mid-century table that is completely folded and compressed now, but has two sides that drop down and two leaves that extend it (at its full size it's huge). The recliner with the newly re-covered seat cushion (using samples of upholstery fabric) is in there, and I had three ceramic fish in a box that I hung on the wall just to get them out of the way. They're arranged in a group of one in front of the other two, they are above and below. I live near a creek, I guess fish on the wall are fine until I take them to Goodwill or somewhere.

Now to figure out where to move some of the other errant pieces from the hall and the den where they were parked when evicted from the front room.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 20 - 11:35 AM

You nailed it, Charmion. I did have the sunroom designated as the room for eBay, but alas, it is also the room people walked into when entering the house, right past the piles of what looked like clutter.

We usually don't bother with the front door, it's always the driveway side we enter. So there was my stash. Yes, the room is almost empty now, so the things that will move in need to set the scene for a small parlor, or since I call it the sun room and have a lot of plants in there, perhaps the glider from the front porch and a few small tables and such for more plants. But that would have me moving something else large into the house.

The front room is next to the front door, essentially a second "living room" and the den, further back in the house, is a step down into that room and it's the larger "living room." These Texans, always putting in two living rooms. The front room is several feet wider than the sun room and is where I hope to organize the eBay stuff a bit better. And despite being next to the front door, its placement means most people won't even notice it.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Jul 20 - 10:31 AM

Stilly, I think you have to choose a specific function for your room if Roger's technique is to succeed. Then you bring in the stuff required for that selected function and put everything else somewhere else. I infer from your previous remarks on this task that, until now, your sunroom has been stash space, and you're trying to change that. If you want to hang out in there yourself, or invite people into it (when you can), then probably most of the stuff currently in it has to leave in order to provide not only the space but also the mood required for sitting and reading or watching telly or just nattering.

Me, I can't relax in a room full of stuff-in-process (such as all that packing material and goods for sale you have mentioned) because I feel guilty for not working on whatever process the stuff was accumulated for. That one characteristic might be what made me a neatnik.

Could you designate the sunroom as work space? Then you could consolidate eBay stuff and sewing stuff in there. But then you would have to find new places for everything that is not related to work ... Crap.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 20 - 10:08 AM

You know how some of those "sell this house" programs from 10-15 years ago are still playing on the B-list over-the-air television channels? And how Roger always manages to bring a few pieces from around the house to the now-empty room to make it a welcoming space? That's the thing I'm trying to figure out how to do now. And not manage to jam that room full in the process.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 20 - 12:50 PM

I know that "use them now or they're gone forever" stage of fruits and vegetables. And there is a feeling of great accomplishment after rescuing them at their peak because the jelly or jam will be delicious. Congratulations! My sister grows raspberries and makes jam that she shares with our brother (who until last year lived at the beach and brought her fresh Dungeness crab or salmon). She sends me a jar every now and then, and I send her my mustang grape jelly. I sent them pickled okra last year but not everyone jumped for joy at that.

The trash was picked up, now to make a run to the recycle bin and see if there is room for all of this stuff. It is emptied on Tuesdays and Fridays, so I may be out of luck until Wednesday.

Now to stage that sunroom to be a usable and welcoming space. I still have too much large furniture in the house, but if I move the right combination in here, maybe it will be less conspicuously over-crowded. And I should tile the floor, or at least paint it. Since it is nearly empty now, painting isn't a bad move, but a quick search shows me that I need to clean, possibly etch, prime, then paint. It's a job to keep me busy.

As far as I know my friend will have had her surgery this morning, then spend a couple of nights in the hospital. At this point hospitals are still open in most Texas counties for elective surgery, but I suspect my friend has gotten in just under the wire before that changes again. COVID-19 cases are growing exponentially.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Jul 20 - 09:40 AM

At half-past nine in the morning I feel as if I have already done a day's work -- I put out the garbage and the recycling, including heaps of cardboard boxes, and washed the garbage bin.

Jam season struck yesterday with three (count 'em, three!) batches of raspberry amounting to six litres altogether. Himself came home from the market on Saturday with a large flat of dead-ripe berries, so it was use 'em or compost 'em. The canner was going all afternoon, and supper was take-out pizza because I could not face another half hour at the stove.

I think that's about two years' supply of jam for us and the Brother-in-Law, especially since the church bazaar is most unlikely this year.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 20 - 12:44 AM

Trash at the curb tonight contains a lot of used padded mailing envelopes. They work well as free packing material inside packages being sent for eBay, but I have a selection and tossed about 3/4 of what was here. The contractor-size plastic bag for recycling is full with a lot of the cardboard stuff oddball shapes in there that would be handy for mailing but I don't really need. A stack of flattened cardboard boxes is out waiting to be dropped off at the recycle bins.

The sunroom bay window with the plants received much-needed attention, the old dropped flowers vacuumed, dust washed off the counter top and lots of things trimmed and watered. The pup got her butt swatted with a broom after she pulled the trimmed contents out of a trashcan and spread them through the hall and out into the yard. It took about 30 minutes to trim all of that stuff, 15 seconds to drag it out.

The table in that room is ready to be moved and then it's pretty well finished. The front room is somewhat organized and the next step is to organize it a lot more.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jul 20 - 07:10 PM

Flattening boxes and moving piles of books today, as I continue to empty the contents of a small room into a larger one. The front room bookshelves had empty spaces so this stuff isn't ending up on the floor like it was in the other room (though the shelves could be the front room equivalent of a black hole). Things are being placed in logical groupings, something the other room lacked. A lot of unneeded packing materials are going to go into the recycle bin or the trash.

I may be close enough to finished that I can complete the moving of stuff tonight. One thing to figure out is swapping out eBay items currently stored in a shallow cupboard in the sun room. If I move those things I'll leave a fair amount of space (I'll forget about them if I don't move them). I'll need to think about what else might be satisfactorily stored in there. That cupboard is about 14" deep and runs the width of the room, with mirrored closet doors that slide open over the opening. The mirrors make the room look a lot larger. Now to make the room a welcoming space when people walk in that side door.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Donuel
Date: 11 Jul 20 - 04:02 PM

Ahh the green is gone. I hope to use kid power to brush the giant 50 ft bathtub clean. Were not pressure washing an empty pool this year for such a short season.