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De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 29 Jan 19 - 11:16 PM This morning I shared some seeds with a friend and we plan to compare notes on how the tomatoes grow and produce in each yard. These were from my Secret Santa in 2018. From there I saw some other friends at the library where I worked, and then did a lot of driving to meet folks at a different library location I'd never been to before in a town that used to be small and isn't any more. The drive home was leisurely, a "back road" that took me on a cook's tour of the county, from the prosperous little town that is all new construction through the northeast part of my town that is much older. Interesting to look at the demographics and businesses that are in each place. I've added a couple of books to my Amazon wish list but I'll see if I can get either of them at a local library before I make the purchase. I should go add them to the "want to read" category in GoodReads. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 29 Jan 19 - 08:49 PM Also my program guide box is now in the house, and so are a bunch of other banker's boxes, with the not-immediately-needed but freshly-labeled boxes stowed at a height I can reach-- behind a curtain, atop file cabinets in library closet. (Resume box next after guide box.) For about 10 minutes (until we started another project off the Brandon list), I could see my library again. Which made me burst into happy tears. So many delays.... ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 29 Jan 19 - 03:38 PM Decently cleaned used undies = women's shelter gratitude. Brandon bailed on work I've been prepping for a week and, today, intensely-- which left the house non-functional. Greg bailed out the day by volunteering for the most important task, which resulted in clearing out a nasty garage area. That area had been designated for hardware and small tools-- which Tyler and friends had crapped up, and which others kept crapping up more. Now it only contains my scooter, and open shelves waiting to be used. My missing gardening handtools also turned up, which can go to another already-prepared area. A bag of trash and recycling also left the garage. Yay! Thank you, Greg Hinton??! ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 29 Jan 19 - 02:36 PM Beaver: Socks: needed for street people yes, and even used underwear. Boxes: reminds me that I need to get some. After I went out to shovel the drive of a huge amount of snow and saw the folks down the road were getting plowed out YAY!!!!! Yes, he did mine also with his wonderful machine and agreed to keep it clear while I am in Quebec. Then I went off to the library and Home Hardware - found my wallet was not with me! Came home without fuses (but did not blow mine). wallet in work coat from paying the man. That drive was getting me down. I feel de-cluttered!! Went out back and cleared path to the wood pile. THAT I could manage! Need boxes. Another trip to town - with wallet. Look at French presses and buy fuses for kiln. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 29 Jan 19 - 11:35 AM Charmion, I see socks all the time at Goodwill. Also they make great dog toys for shelters. Here, we're working thru a good test of the 2-cooks kitchen shaping up-- it's a cooking morning bcuz Yano doesn't start this week: . Sweet taters are boiling on the stovetop for tater salad, for a guest poss joining us for a casual supper tmrw eve . Orange rice is going on the appliance counter, in my venerable rice cooker, for the house and the guest supper . Flat crockpot next to the stove is going for pork/chix liver in 2x chix stock . Half butternut squash is roasting in the oven for the house (or as a tater salad replacement if skins on taters aren't edible) Brandon is coming at 2:30, and we planned that work during Coffee Chat. This is the 1st Xmas we've packed up in 20 years.... Now I have an empty picture window to decorate for the next season or neighborhood meeting, yay! ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Charmion Date: 29 Jan 19 - 11:07 AM The annual fye-out of the closet and chest of drawers is under way. I find that I wear only two kind of socks these days: the padded white kind made for summer walking, and the wool kind made for not freezing the toes in Ontario winters. Consequently, all other types of socks are excess to requirements. But who wants second-hand (sorry) socks, even if they are perfectly sound? Likewise underpants? Tax time is approaching, so I am also turning out the top drawer of the filing cabinet to assemble last year's expenses and bank statements. Everything older than seven years goes into the fire. That's because There Can Be Only One filing cabinet. Apart from that, things are quiet on the home front in Stratford. The weather is complicated -- a veritable tempest of snow over the last few days, and now the thermometer is tumbling toward minus lots and lots -- so I don't feel like going anywhere much. Himself toddles off to court and the gym, but otherwise logs most of his time at his desk grinding out legal stuff, or in front of the goggle-box, where he makes the cat happy by remaining quite still for long periods. It's winter, otherwise known as television season. Come spring, we have to get busy on landscaping. We have a large deck that looks pleasant in fine weather but unfortunately covers two basement windows and rather too much of the foundation; consequently, it must go, to be replaced with a stone patio. Oddly, none of the basement windows of this house have proper window-wells, so it's a good thing we have not had any long periods of torrential rain lately -- the result would be water pouring in over the basement window-sills. So we need the services of guys with shovels, rakes, and other implements of destruction to shift dirt, lay gravel, and fit paving stones. Every time I look at the deck, I wonder what multitude of maintenance sins of omission it might be hiding. That will cost money. Sigh. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 28 Jan 19 - 03:03 PM Today so far has been the dreary-now but eventually-rewarding scutwork of massaging garaged items thru the Purge Funnel and into the house. This is to make room in the garage for the balance of PA items which we'll bring in March. Today it was reacquainting myself with a garage archive-sorting project from the fall, left then very close to completion. So I got it finished-- which is now a pile of banker's boxes for B to bring in tmrw. Still need to prep library closet space for the non-FPH batch of these boxes, and allocate space in there to sort/purge/organize the FPH batch that will become that program guide I'm writing. In the garage-- where folks have been tossing crap right on top of that on-hold project-- I saved several of my Anti-Racism workshop items before they'd been irretrievably damaged, and set them to bring in tmrw too. My bad-- just before leaving for PA I'd unloaded these from a borrowed car and failed to bring them in then. Most of the crap was empty boxes to recycle, so I set those near the recycle bin (It's full already). Other stuff was trash and tbtg it fit into the trash bin. When I came in-- . Found drill bits for my cordless drill/driver, and bagged them after using the cordless to repair the dash mount for my GPS. . Cleaned out the "misc hardware" kitchen drawer and recycled a few odd items found in there. Sorted others to where they actually belong. (The garage area B will clear of my banker's boxes tmrw has been blocking hardware shelves we can resume using to keep this drawer clear.) . Found and brought in next empty Goodwill catch box. Requested current GW box to go tdy if possible. . Left garage set up to resume tmrw. I also eyeballs another area ppl have been crapping up, which is the area the next Yano gets to help me clear out--Artwork for Greg and I to hang. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 28 Jan 19 - 12:15 PM We're closing in on a month into the new year - I wonder how many lurkers have simply put on their work boots and gloves and scruffy clothes, gotten out the donate boxes and trash bags, and taken care of the clutter they've been meaning to clear out? Please drop in and share your progress with us! This morning I finished the second part of my attic cardboard box removal. There was still Styrofoam in in the garage from several of the boxes, so this morning it was broken up to fit in the trash bag and left at the curb. It's rare to find a recycle program that will take it, and when you do, how much gas will it take to drive a few pieces there? While up in the attic I found two boxes that will work to ship bread machines I've found at thrift stores to sell on eBay. My bread machine doesn't need a box, it lives on a shelf. Yesterday I made the mistake of buying a caffeinated soft drink in the late afternoon and it kept me awake till later than I usually head to bed. That messes up the next day. I need to find an acceptable caffeine free cola that doesn't have the toxic sweeteners (and I don't drink sugary drinks). I decluttered most of the pop out of my diet years ago but these occasional soft drinks are meant to be a reward for myself when I've run an errand, etc. Are there any soft drinks out there sweetened with Stevia that any of you have tried and like? |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 27 Jan 19 - 07:42 PM Beaver: Paths on deck, wood in, kiln unloaded - some new interesting glazes/ combos, car cleared and drive about half cleared. Below zeroF already! (7:30) Fire perking, Shoulder aching. Bed/book/heating pad and more MSM and GS. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 27 Jan 19 - 06:58 PM For light entertainment this evening, we toured the nearby Indian Ripple/Dorothy Lane corridor to a Dorothy Lane Market, and then explored that (think Kroger's natural section or Wegman's, on steroids). There are three DLM's in the area, one of which hosts a Meetup I want to use to find new friends. Along the way back we noted (and entered into our GPS) a number of places we know or want to know. I was pleased that my mental map is filling in. Every city should have a set of key corridors to explore first. I'm grateful a friend told me about this one. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 27 Jan 19 - 04:00 PM After our first two Sundays here were snow-closure Sundays at church, it was great to be able to go this AM and reconnect with old friends-- and actually get to sit in a pew with my husband. On the way home we stopped for brunch at a restaurant a friend had introduced me to-- and yay! Our church's later service time got us there after the Sunday rush! It's a day off house projects today. Tomorrow is forecast to be warm and rainy-- perfect day (45°) to finish the last of the fall file purge. Tuesday Brandon will cart in all those banker's boxes to the LL and I can purge their contents further in coming weeks, picking pages for a program guide I'm writing and recycling the duplicates. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 27 Jan 19 - 01:37 PM Beaver: I see a French press in my future! Thank you! Trip to Quebec is further in the future than I had hoped. After tedious repeated perusal of 14 day forecasts for here and there, it appears that next monday or tues can be suitable temperature wise and possibly free of snow falling. R does not have the slightest understanding of my wanting to get into the new house! "You can stay here." Trying to explain without totally losing it that I would be happy to never see that place again! And NO, I cannot move plants in sub-zero weather! I am fuming! So I shall go clear the fresh 4-5 inches of snow off the back deck and bring in wood. Then use the heating pad and more GS and MSM for the aching shoulder. I did manage to get the mirror over the K sink almost clean before I ran out of that energy spurt. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: LilyFestre Date: 27 Jan 19 - 12:52 PM The wind here has been ferocious today. It woke me up around 4am this morning, I got up to check that both fires were ok and went back to bed, snuggling deep into my little nest. We decided to forgo church this morning as it has been snowing quite a bit and for a long stretch of time, sometimes with whiteout conditions. I spent some time this morning putting clothes away, clearing the table, getting meds ready for the next two weeks. Laundry is going at the moment too. We celebrated Christmas with Pete's family last night. It was a nice evening for all. With that being said, I have some gifts that need to be unpackaged and put away. They stayed in the car all night as it was dark when we got home and our yard is a sheet of ice. Pete brought the boxes down to the house awhile ago and I am waiting for them to come up to room temperature before putting those away. I am taking tomorrow off from work as my mom is having some medical tests done at a non-local hospital and I am going to go with her. I'm packing some overnight items just in case they are needed. I am envisioning an afternoon with popcorn and Netflix. I'm hoping to read for a bit and also some time to search for a new quilt pattern. That might be sorting through some in my sewing room or maybe finding something altogether new online. I have a retreat coming up and it's time to plan! Speaking of planning, I also need to make a list for Pete of the items I would like to incorporate into this year's garden. He likes to play the layout at this time of year. I have taken a real liking to Thai Eggplant which uses Japanese Eggplant. Have any of you ever grown Japanese eggplant and might be able to suggest a certain variety? Stay warm! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 27 Jan 19 - 12:16 PM Making a short list of things to work on (and hopefully finish) today. Right now, I have a fresh cup of tea at my elbow, so while I enjoy that tea I'll work on an eBay listing. I have other stuff to do, it won't be eBay all day, but if I had done a cup-of-tea's worth of eBay every day I'd have a robust set of offerings by now. Today is the first in that proposed daily exercise. It may seem torturous to our more northerly participants in this thread, but I must get my onion sets into the ground and prepare the area for my red lasoda potatoes. If the soil isn't fully turned over and a large area loosened up few potatoes are produced. There are daffodils blooming up the street so I know I'm already getting a late start. There are other items on the list, it isn't my intention to enumerate all tasks here. But over the last couple of weeks I've had a running list, adding new items to the bottom for each day and crossing off what I finished. It's working. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 26 Jan 19 - 11:07 PM It was a lovely day, almost the entire time away from social media (including Mudcat). I did read the paper online this morning and forwarded a couple of articles, but most of the day I was preparing for and visiting with friends here for a long afternoon visit. Now to record meals on My Fitness Pal and see how much calcium I need to take to reach 100%, and it's off the computer again. I have a book of essays to read before it's due at the library. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 26 Jan 19 - 06:19 PM Corrected/amended post: Service dog Newbie was excluded from a planned family event today, so I sent Greg with the food I'd made and am re-ordering the Library now that the storage-dedicated file cabinet is indoors; I also labeled our shared home office corner in that room, to catch the home administrivia we're generating. It's very new, for Greg for things to be so organized without a secretary... so we check in with other about it often, as the orderliness possible here makes itself obvious. With a home 1/5 the size of the PA house-- and a home office about 1/5 the size of his recent Rector's Office-- this new opportunity to play house is often hilarious. The press of blending families and searching out a new parish during our newlywed year didn't really allow us to do this before with any intentionality. Thank God for all the Tiny House shows we watched the last few years for ideas, or we'd both be nuts by now! As the day went on, a bunch of cluttery containers disappeared from various spots in the house, their contents swallowed up into the file cabinets. The larger recliner swapped in last week was swiveled to its Library Is Open position, and viola! There was that spacious room again! So I spent some time with my camera, planning the next work with Brandon on Tuesday, to add even more storage shelving. I also reorganized a long counter in the kitchen that recently had its outlet restored to function-- back to the pre-Tyler Appliance Counter configuration. That's part of a long process of making the L-shaped cooking area a real two-cooks' kitchen. This new fone has a really slow-learning autocorrect! |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 25 Jan 19 - 09:41 PM Beaver: Finally woke up today with a sense of energy to get things done. Did home in house things and ate carefully lest that rob my energy, waited for studio to be warm enough and the sun was shining- but not much coming in. And I glazed a load and filled the kiln and ...YAY! With any luck I will have mugs - if they turn out- for Carole in Quebec. Now I need to get them to her in the first week of Feb. Then I still felt good so I brought in two dolly loads of wood. Then I was tired and achey so I sat on bed with heating pad on back for a while. I was elated to get the kiln loaded and find it a helpful learning that only doing the wood is the cause of aches. Not potting or glazing! Still working on logistics of trip to Quebec re plants that cannot be moved in cold, studio that must be kept above freezing,... and waiting for word from R that there is a bed in place, for starters! In time to get mugs to Carole and to hear a fav group on 1 Feb. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 25 Jan 19 - 08:42 PM I got to the warm pool just early enough to be in time for a quiet and hard mixed hour of ai chi, backhab, aquajogging, and PT exercises. Afterwards I called my ex-PT, hoping for a printout of my last aquatic program with her. I think I hurt every muscle just enough, ground off arthritic knees just enough, and stretched problematic tendons just enough. TBTG I perfectly recall that PT's pain monitoring/effort eval system. I went to bed knowing she'd laugh WITH me in the morning. (She did.) Not only is she sending the names of the exercises-- many of which I've been recalling--the whole program in pictures is on its way.... along with several new exercises I can do in the warm pool's unique setup. Such generosity! ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 25 Jan 19 - 05:04 PM I had the same issue in both of my bathrooms, Charmion. Back when I was building a large shelf unit for my daughter's room I decided to use some of the remnants to make some smaller things I needed. I created a small open double-shelf unit that is 18" wide, 16" high, and the top shelf is 10" above the lower one. There isn't a top to this thing, but this way there are a few inches of wood that keep things on the top shelf from pitching off of the sides. It's only about 3.5" deep, and it was made to fit into the space beside the sink, between the door and the wall where the very large mirror covers the wall over the sinks. It's enough to hold bottles of alcohol, witch hazel, a few lotions, sore throat spray, etc. The shelf is a good quality birch plywood and I used iron-on oak trim on all of the edges before sanding and staining it a golden oak that matches the cabinets. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 25 Jan 19 - 02:11 PM Charmion-- how this happened is: countertop baskets and vanity drawers. And transient relationships with overnight bags. Great news this aftn: We're now eligible for a 60% copay on County Council on Aging services for the next 3 months and are agreed that we can afford their 9$/Hr YANO (minus 40%) for two hours a week for the rest of the first quarter. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Charmion Date: 25 Jan 19 - 12:13 PM It's snowing in Stratford, with a wind stiff enough to drive the flakes at an acute angle to the ground. So I'm staying in, and cleaning the house. I have this thing about bathrooms. I like the surface around the sink to be clear of clutter -- nothing on it at all. But modern bathroom decor tends to not include cabinets where one can stow all the clag that people keep in bathrooms; in fact, our present abode is quite innocent even of a medicine cabinet. How did that happen? This inquiring mind wants to know. (It's a good thing Himself and I do not share a bathroom, because we would have come to blows by now over the way he leaves heaps of clutter around the bathroom sink.) So today I hung a little metal shelf thingy on the wall to hold the clag that I use every day, leaving only the soapdish on the counter top. Apart from that, the agenda is vacuuming and dusting, or dusting and vacuuming. It's January, and the alternatives are worse. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 25 Jan 19 - 11:59 AM Yesterday was the first of three weekly gel injections in my knee; the time has come to go through these steps in order to keep stepping. I'm not ready for replacement parts yet. Just in time for gardening season, since I need to prepare beds for onions and potatoes. I won't get the full effect of the shots for a few weeks, but at least it won't get worse than it was. Last night I waded past the clutter of boxes in the sunroom to show a friend my setup for eBay (the shipping boxes from the holidays haven't been flattened yet). She makes jewelry and is wanting to display necklaces without having the house or table or wherever she is working in view. I use a photo cube and a mannequin torso, the torso is covered with black jersey and I put a black knit top over that to give an attractive neckline look for things I photograph (last month I listed three leather handbags so I put the form into the photo cube and draped the long shoulder strap over the mannequin for photos that give a good idea of scale and are in a neutral space.) I really do need to tackle that area. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 25 Jan 19 - 07:16 AM DP, YES on a French press and freezing the coffee. If you REALLY want to impress, but a cheap grinder for you or your guest's use and freeze the beans whole. You grind, guests smell the addictive aroma and jump to use the French press. We use one of our grinders to grind cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, etc. They take up hardly any counter space. Invest in a good press, but the cheap grinders are great. Another impressive but cheap coffee workhorse is the stove top espresso thingie with two parts that screw together, found at big box kitchen stores or sometimes where coffee is sold. You'll want the larger size for that or the French press. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 25 Jan 19 - 01:20 AM Dorothy, I never drink coffee, but I have a coffee maker, filters, and a good grind of coffee in the freezer. And I get out these and let coffee drinkers make their own. I also have a French press if they don't want to go to all of the trouble. My usual offer is "I'm not a coffee drinker, but if you'd like me to make you a cup, I will." Funny how quickly they step up to make their own brew! :) Sounds like it will be interesting, filling that house with Victorian furniture! |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 24 Jan 19 - 07:47 PM Beaver: We are not giving up Beaver; we are moving from the Montreal house to the Chateauguay house for the sake of having a decent home that has heat! and off the street parking! and a bit more room around the house for a garden and the trees behind that are not ours but go all the way to the next highway and provides an area for walks, and a house large enough to have company, even overnight company! And R can have his very own office that bro cannot take over. And it is a solid brick house in good condition with beautiful original woodwork. I would have settled happily for something smaller but the fact is that we need ROOM/SPACE! POTTING SPACE, WOODWORKING SPACE, entertainment space. We could even have house concerts! And R has enough Victorian furniture to fill the whole place. The former owner is delighted that we are on the same page and will be caring for his home of 22 years much as he has. Right now I am trying to work out the logistics of getting back there to be part of making it into OUR home. The weather is not cooperating and I miss Robin and also want to see our new house and get on with the next phase of my life! IF it is not warm enough to take plants in the car, I have to come back in a couple weeks to water them OR ask my kind neighbour to do so... No moving truck will be used; R and his chosen ones will do the job. And it will take time! I will deal with small stuff. Those who are coffee addicts could help me out by suggesting ways to make coffee for occasional guests who MUST have their coffee. I have never had a cup in my life and would like to be able to offer it so people do not have to go out to a cafe...!! Not that single serving stuff but can I keep coffee in the freezer and prepare it easily. The last cup I made someone (instant, 30 years ago) was poured out on the ground! After all the shoveling yesterday, I took a hot bath but still did not sleep well, with heating pad on back. I did not get much done today but more snow clearing. It hovered around freezing all day and I still had no get up... Now the temp is going down again for a while. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 24 Jan 19 - 12:40 PM Brandon's closet and file cabinet measurements... plus my idea to simply remove 3 pieces of molding... plus Greg's rethinking and great tools on hand = YAY, and Brandon's not having to wear a dust mask to remove closet wallboard Tuesday! And, the carpentry/garage rearrangement work for his upcoming Tuesday will be a LOT more fun--for all! It MAY also be possible to end the cord maze in the library which is making several of us NUTS. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 24 Jan 19 - 11:05 AM I mentioned deep cleaning one time yesterday, in this thread, and now on Amazon I'm seeing an ad for Amazon services to have someone come in and do a deep cleaning in my home. Congratulations on consolidating the household and property to a smaller footprint, Dorothy! Will the location of the new house give you the same feeling of retreat from town as the Beaver location? I think your photos or map posted ages ago on Facebook showed in adjacent to a large park? (Perhaps Amazon will start offering you links to moving companies!) I'm restoring blog pages to their old illustrated selves with the photos I downloaded from Photobucket (they stopped allowing third-party hosting unless you paid a high annual fee) and am loading them onto the Wordpress site. I could have put them there before but I was using the free site and it didn't offer much space. Now I'm paying for space there and won't pay Photobucket. I also recently pretty much demolished my old Flickr account because they also sold and are imposing new restrictions. #TooGoodToLast |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 23 Jan 19 - 08:22 PM YAY, Dorothy! Spontaneous coffee planning is now a regular thing. Today it started with new thoughts on the closet project, and a consensus on poss approaches. Then the weather caused us to plan a getaway while roads are good. We went to a huge Amish bulk food grocery about an hour away, where we picked up special goodies and ordered bulk peanuts. I was able to gather pricing info on other staples we've been getting at a much smaller PA Mennonite bulk food store-- won't need to juggle THAT with our March moving trip! We had some good talks about how it's been going since formal retirement, cleared up a sticky item from ydy, and explored a state park Judy and I found which Greg agrees we will love for day trips. Finished w affordable supper at the little restaurant Judy and I had found. A good day. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 23 Jan 19 - 05:36 PM Beaver: IT is done!!! R met the former owner and they got on well and he is terrifically excited about our new house which we will soon be making into a home! There were those moments, you know. But it has come to pass... Now we have to deal with the reality of it. Lots of good news and the former owner is supportive and delighted that we will respect the integrity of this beautiful listed Heritage house (1902). First I've heard about that! Means we must have permission to make changes. Snow is shoveled, freezing rain started about 4:00 so I rushed out and finished the entrance to drive while it was still OK. Wood is in. All is well at Beaver. In Montreal, the roads are a nightmare and R is on to the next crisis - trucks coming to pick up machinery tomorrow and freezing rain and dreadful snow and ... Laundry dry. And I have worked hard enough today to take a break for the evening. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 23 Jan 19 - 02:57 PM I'm suffering due to a disconnect between my phone's weather app and what is actually happening outside. I was ready for it to warm up more today (my phone said it would be lovely by now). But today it says "Today is forecast to be MUCH COOLER than yesterday." And my brain just hasn't caught up. Today's to-do list included a couple of phone calls that have been made. On my fridge I have a printout of a form Michelle shared back in December with a schedule for cleaning in preparation for the holidays. I did a few days of it then forgot, but yesterday I decided to pick another activity and in this instance, it said clean bathrooms. I did just one, the hall bathroom, and I'll do the master bath today. This is the deeper-level dusting all of the wood edges on drawers, doors, and trim, getting out the glass cleaner, and scrubbing porcelain with cleanser. (Usually it's sweep, give the bowl a quick scrub, and empty the trash.) A local radio talk show this afternoon was discussing Millennials and their habits, needs, interests, etc. And said again what I have observed with my own millennial children - where my mother saved family antiques for us, the family antiques I've saved for my children may hold little interest. They don't now, anyway. I'll keep decluttering and as it gets to the bigger pieces of furniture that I don't need I'll give them an opportunity to express interest before I list them somewhere. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 23 Jan 19 - 11:52 AM DP: Great reiteration of your strong position! All the people who helped screw up my closet project ydy woke up smarter today. Film at 11. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 23 Jan 19 - 11:30 AM Beaver: Waiting for the snow to stop so I can shovel! Lots of snow and, I am told, freezing rain later. Warmer today - just below freezing at the moment. Studio is toasty! but I don't want to wade through the snow until I shovel most of it. And still the snow comes down - 8-10 inches, I estimate. In the meantime, I am planning what needs to be done in case the hydro/electric goes off. Need to find the propane tank under the snow! for the propane heater in studio. The house is no problem the wood stove is keeping it cosy. Store up some water, just in case. So far, in the cold snaps, the water has not frozen!!! It did in Montreal because R did not leave it running enough. Also waiting for R to phone and tell me the papers are signed. He commented that this house, too, could be an albatross but I exclaimed that it will be cared for; "I will not live like this anymore!" (that was in caps!) I am saving up my pittance just in case he refuses to do what I believe in necessary WHEN it is necessary. Laundry in machine; will hang it inside. Every time, I think the snow has stopped, it starts again. I may have to get to it and get wet; the old work coat will dry. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 22 Jan 19 - 05:50 PM A hard day here. Brandon mismeasured last week for today's most important job, leaving me to invent yet another creative workaround. X = done (---) = not, maybe next week With me: X Water the garaged peony X Make and tape/staple garage signs up high to guide upcoig rearrangements of garage items: L for Library - 1 in corner and one over big door G for Garden- 1 on L side and 1 on R-- GL and GR H for Hardware A for Artwork and Decor F for Furniture W for Wood and Lumber X Corner desk shelf? Cut and mocked up to raise printer and increase corner desktop laptop or writing space. X -1 File cabs to Library closet Only 1 fit. The other is now a temporary side table for my chair, which makes me hate it all but eases walk space a wee bit (not enough) in Library. X Ramp out of van and stored in now-emptier L corner X Mats out of van to Library for cold feet (Plywood?) Bother day when snow melts (Cut green/gold rug in garage for patio door area of kitchen) Check paints n spackle n 5/1 tool (Raise dog fence if we haz zip ties (lost) ) (Can't bcuz cabinet protrudes: Add rod sleeve to library closet rod) (In patio, tilt lattice panel more) (Reassess if ext cords needed for sliding libraary) desk-- it ran over cords which got trapped With Greg, Find double tap and see if kitchen outlet can safely be reactivated at appliance counter Confirm circuit labels and add any missed Dbl tap if retained may better be done on BR circuits-- lowert load there than prev occupants who originated the dbl tap |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 22 Jan 19 - 03:48 PM Note to self: When 2 men measure, the woman who knows how to make it fit loses her whole project. I'll call Girl Power! ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 22 Jan 19 - 01:07 PM Spent some time this AM planning a new shelving configuration to maximize the media side of the Liberation Library's double closet. Brandon is coming this aftn to stow two file cabinets in the other side-- which will substantially clear walk-space in that now-frustratingly-crowded room. Then I can map more shelving around them, and Brandon can put all these in for us next week during his Tool Time with Greg. -S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 Jan 19 - 11:35 AM I cat sat for several days and used the dish soap there to wash out the cat bowls and trays that are placed under bowl to food to keep crumbs off of the floor. It's what the cats are used to so I went with it. Anyway, her brand of dish soap is Palmolive, and now my hands are broken out because that variety of detergent has a coconut ingredient. I always buy Dawn because it doesn't cause this problem. The little cracks that have formed on my fingertips (at the corner of the nails) is a common winter-time affliction if one is in water a lot, but these days I'm generally not. Every so often something comes along that reminds me that a particular product is a problem, and this episode was it. Contact dermatitis to coconut is more common than food allergy I am my own living "patch test." The list of coconut-derived products is really long, and there are dozens of different named chemicals that cause this problem (the biggest being sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate). |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 21 Jan 19 - 10:44 PM I sent some of my daffodils to Janie in North Carolina last fall, and perhaps she'll be greeting them when spring arrives in her neck of the woods. I also gave some irises to a friend here in North Texas and expect she'll be seeing them bloom by March or early April. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 21 Jan 19 - 05:58 PM I saved big daffs and an iris to force, from the big sewer dig last fall. Just need gravel. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 21 Jan 19 - 01:49 PM Beaver: "Daffodil stalks are tall and there are a couple of buds swelling on those nearest the front of the house where they get protection from the wind and some radiant heat bounced from the stone wall." Now you have really done it, Maggie! Last year there was so much snow on top of the daffies, one never did grow - I saw it, a bit of green leaves but... Trying to be careful that the snow does not get piled on there this year. Did not get the protection around that special bed that I had sort of planned. Darn, I see there is already too much! Well, about the end of April, I might see them. Maybe. The studio was at 33F this am so I bought a new heater, suspecting the old one of wearing out. Does not appear the anything actually froze but it is a warning. The next round of work in there will be to organize so things that might freeze are up higher. Tonight will tell me if the new heater is the answer. Maybe some tall sticks and burlap around it...? So more snow does not get thrown there. Also bought a new wider shovel with a metal edge so I can move snow more efficiently. Found two very nice boxes at the grocery that I can use as file boxes to use in the new cabinet - after Dan cuts it down to size. Our friendly neighbourhood ermine was just outside the back window yesterday, long enough for me to see she had supper (a mouse I think) that she took up to the sleeping loft, clearly making herself at home. I heard the patter of tiny feet up there. I thought she might come down for a visit but, happily, she did not. We actually delight in her presence. As cold as it has been I was wanting to invite all the wildlings in to our warm place! She is so flat, I cannot imagine being able to exclude her. We shall see what she has done come spring. Most of what is up there is in plastic bins. I would offer some old sweaters but do not want to open the trap door and let any of the precious heat out! |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: LilyFestre Date: 21 Jan 19 - 01:44 PM Daffodils!!!! On this arctic day, I had forgotten all about them...thanks for the reminder and something to look forward to in a few months! Our water was frozen this morning. Pete spent about 4 hours getting it all thawed out. We have water for the toilet and kitchen sink but the drain in the tub is frozen (at least for now). It is reported to be minus 30+ degrees in the town nearest us. Schools are closed for either Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or due to the temperatures. I have a ham in the crock pot, all the dishes are done, the fridge has been cleaned out and soon I'll be folding laundry and preparing for my work week. We were going to play some cards this afternoon and maybe we still will but at the moment, Pete is sacked out in front of the fire with Oatie snuggling right up with him. He works hard and I'm going to let him nap...he certainly deserves to! I am toying with the idea of starting a new blog to track my weight loss progress but also for tracking my health and things that I find to be of motivation. I'm not sure just yet...but it surely did help the last time I had any real success. I'll let you know if and when I decide to do that as you are welcome to tag along. :) I'm ready to make some changes. Michelle |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 21 Jan 19 - 12:42 PM I forgot about the eclipse and when I did get out there I had to return to the house a couple of times (tripod, flashlight) and hoped to get lucky with speed alone but the aperture setting needed adjustment (not auto) and my shots were all overexposed. I have good shots from previous years. Another eBay item has sold, nickle and diming my PayPal account back to a robust state. I estimate about $100 a month in sales, enough to pay a bill or two and I use PayPal for all of my USPS mailing. It's easier that way. Daffodil stalks are tall and there are a couple of buds swelling on those nearest the front of the house where they get protection from the wind and some radiant heat bounced from the stone wall. I think the pledge drive is about finished on my local NPR station. I'm a sustaining member so I don't need to call in, and when you participate it sometimes makes the pledge drive less onerous, but this year it palls. Good thing I can stream other stations; Washington, D.C. and Boston are on a different pledge drive schedule. eBay and editing today. It's still too cold outside for yard work. My no-spend January has lurched along so I'll extend it into February. When weather is cold it's easier to stay in and not spend locally, but we had nice weather last week and I discovered a couple of great sales. Nothing frivolous, but not entirely essential either. #GoodIntentions |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 21 Jan 19 - 09:27 AM DP, the last agency promised they'd train newbies... but after 3 w/o keeping that promise, I put it all into a Word doc they read upon arrival. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 21 Jan 19 - 07:43 AM With a surprising but welcome early waking, I restored the last personal schedule here with only very slight updates. I'm in sync finally. I've been showering at the Y. Tdy was my first shower here in 6 weeks. Omg! |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 20 Jan 19 - 08:57 PM Aaaand.... the last load of laundry has now been put away. This led to clearing out two plastic drawers for Greg's stuff, that I hadn't had time to clear for him before I went back to PA in December, now he has room for his stuff pending March dresser delivery. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 20 Jan 19 - 08:42 PM Beaver: "Get some sewing in"! Maybe someday I will. Told a friend about "yano". Her mom has round the clock caregivers but they are all Phillipino and they always make sure there is someone to replace anyone leaving, and train the newbies! A tight community. Only about 4 inches of light fluffy snow last night! YAY! But I managed to get car stuck in driveway on Saturday so I finally called on a neighbour for help. He shoveled the snow and extricated the car; his shovels looked more effective - a trip to Home Hardware. His muscles are much more effective - OH well. He came back after the snowplow and cleared what it had done! COLD, windy. Only down to minus 20 C so far tonight. Last night I turned the cube heater in the studio all the way up and it was only 38F in there this am. If it gets colder, there are no options. Hope! The house is OK and I brought in more wood today after clearing a good path. Find the dolly very effective as it saves me carrying and the wheels are adequate to go though the bit of snow and even over the throw rugs. It takes up room in the LR but all things considered, that is a minor detail. When one of the usual (2) spaces become empty, I can wheel it over and offload so it is ready for the next load. And I only have to open the door once, a bit longer, to bring in the equivalent of 6 armloads! This was a great idea! Otherwise, I am still in semi-hibernation. Eclipse any minute now?? |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 20 Jan 19 - 08:28 PM The ADL remediation has continued all day and Greg has finally begun to see this house (and my running of it) in everyday normal mode-- it's been so good to attack all the backlogged tasks, and with help at the ready each time I called out for a lift or a 2nd pair of hands. One last load is in the dryer to fold and sort for destinations in the house, during hockey internissions. Almost know who I am again. ~S~ |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 19 - 07:12 PM The card sounds excellent - years ago I did the Flex thing for child care and it was nerve-wracking to have all of the documents and get everything filed at the right time. And the steaks sound like a great push-back against the weather. I found broccoli on a great sale last week and bought far more than I can eat fresh myself. Some to give to friends in a few days, some to blanch and freeze, and last night I made broccoli beef after thawing a NY strip steak I got in another great sale at the same store. Good leftovers for a couple of days. eBay sales are moving along so it's time to organize and list some more. The sunroom is a bit stacked up with boxes left over from the holidays (the boxes I recycled last week were from the attic). I'll see how many of them can be used for shipping items and flatten the rest. |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: LilyFestre Date: 20 Jan 19 - 06:04 PM The paperwork mountain is no more (why, for the love that all is holy, do I keep all of that stuff when 97% of it is JUNK MAIL)!!! Hooray! The monthly bills have been paid, signed up for our Flex card which is used for all prescriptions and deductibles. It used to be that we'd have to pay for the meds, co-pays, etc., then turn in the receipt and wait a few weeks to be reimbursed. Now we have a debit card that can be used for medical purposes only...but how cool that there is no more scanning, pay out or wait time for the cash to be returned!!! YAY!!!! I also sent in another payment for our vacation for this year....it's a few months off and I already can't wait!!! :) The first winter grilling event is about to happen...steaks on the grill (first steaks for us in well over a year), sauteed mushrooms, baked potatoes and a salad. It's good being snowed in!!!! ;) Night All! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: LilyFestre Date: 20 Jan 19 - 02:16 PM We did not get as much snow as was predicted but I'd say we got about 14 inches here on the mountain top. The frigid temperatures, however, are steadily dropping and I won't be a bit surprised it we hit the -20F that is being called for. I am thankful that the 3 of us have Monday off where we can stay in and keep the house warm. I am also thankful to say that all my clients currently are housed, something I would not have been able to say a month ago. There are shelters in place in the area where I work however they are small, with the largest being able to hold 14 people. However, they are also putting people up in hotels. Jeremiah has been playing in the snow, Pete plowed the driveway and I made a nice hot lunch to warm everybody up. I have several stacks of paperwork that I hope to get through today and to pay bills. Yee Haw. Such fun. It needs to be done and it's a nice quiet day to do it. I also scrubbed the toilet and folded some laundry. It's nice to have this day be leisurely as I normally would be getting things around for work. We have steaks to BBQ, a Lawrence Family tradition for blizzard weather and a ham to go in the crockpot tomorrow. I have some things I want to get ready for the work week, including hanging my clothes out for the week....I've not been so good with that lately and it really does slow me down in the morning. I could get up earlier to make things go more smoothly but I know myself and that just isn't going to happen. Perhaps I'll get some sewing in...we shall see. Have a great week everybody! Michelle |
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Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life - 2019 From: wysiwyg Date: 20 Jan 19 - 01:49 PM Round two ADL remediation: . DW loaded and running. . Chairside water refills started. . Kitchen trash pulled and relined. . Snowblowers instructed. . Candy put away. . Samsung fone found n charging-- stored GF restaurant docs there. Fone is now camera, memo, Wi-Fi only. Maybe navigation. . Water station towel set out Round three soon: putting away Thursday's groceries. |
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