De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Dec 20 - 06:27 PM

We are blessed to be insulated from financial ruin from the pandemic but many are not.

I haven't noticed any degredation of artficial grass by the North front door and carport over the last 3 years. Thick soft and mud free was what I wanted. I used gorilla glue where it joined a sidewalk and drive way.
3-4 hundred will buy 20 by 25 ft of superior artificial turf.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 20 - 11:29 AM

I've been meaning to pull out the DVD with the basic belly dance class steps for exercise, and I have a tube of the topical pain cream that is widely advertised on TV (and the PA at my knee surgeon's office recommended it) along with some stretches to do to keep the hip bursitis from flaring up. This year after getting vaccinated, and when the coast is clear, I hope to return to dance class in the studio, assuming the studio survives the pandemic. In the last few months I've rearranged furniture to clear a space in front of the TV in the den large enough to practice those steps and to even dance along with some of the Hafla videos I accumulated over the couple of years I was going to the studio before the knee became such a painful problem. My brain still knows the steps even if my body has to work to get back into shape to dance them. :)

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Dec 20 - 10:18 AM

Raggy, how big is your back garden? Have you considered building a patio?

Even the best fake grass, such as Astroturf, suffers from exposure to the UV in sunlight, and all of it is expensive. A patio of manageable size -- think big enough for a barbecue and a picnic table -- would probably cost less, and would be an attractive addition to the property.

Two summers ago, we replaced our enormous back deck with a modest patio made of compressed concrete pavers. Everyone who sees it goes Oooh and Aaaah, it's far less of a maintenance challenge; and I can trust it not to catch fire from the barbecue.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Dec 20 - 07:34 AM

Stilly, those tapes that « pull off without leaving a mark » do so only if pulled off quite soon after application. As the adhesive ages, it bonds with the paint on the wall until it finally behaves like all the other kinds of tape.

The house is tidy and relatively clean, so I have to find another source of divertissement. The even more contagious form of COVID-19 has come to Ontario and flouting the lockdown is an even worse idea than before, so my entertainment must be solitary. Go for a walk? I’d love to, but, y’know, winter — it snowed heavily, then it rained, and last night another light sprinkle of snow treacherously covered the lumpy ice left by the rain on the streets and sidewalks.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 20 - 12:14 AM

I moved Dorothy's most recent post over here; I think she didn't notice the new thread. This will let the other one drop down the page.

Raggy, that sounds like a lot of work and a big investment.

I need to put a few things up on the walls in my repaired office (ceiling replaced and walls textured summer of 2019), but I can't reach the wall very easily with the computer desk in front of it. I suspect it will involve moving the one on wheels enough so I can squeeze in and put in a robust nail and hook for at least my last diploma - it's a nice reminder of that work. Some of those advertised sticky tapes that pull off without leaving a mark are a tempting purchase to make some other things easier to put up with the help of a long pair of kitchen tongs.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness: House, job, life 2019 - 2020
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 10:20 PM

Beaver:

We made it! Peaceful here. clearing snow and bringing in wood. Taking more small items to the Carriagehouse. R fixing a sign so it, hopefully, will not blow over with every passing vehicle! Recovering from trip. Woke up to 6 inches of snow this morning. Cleared most of deck, R cleared car and went for a drive while Steve plowed the drive. And READING..... Invited 77 "friends" to "like" the Carriagehouse page. Still eating the cooked food we brought with us and a large batch of turkey soup. Hovering around freezing point. Would be nice to see some sun!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Raggytash
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 08:19 PM

I started this last year.

So far I have had the ceiling in one bedroom reboarded the walls replastered and the room rewired and then redecorated. Add new a new carpet, curtains and mattress.

We have also redecorated the dining room with new carpet and curtains and just before Christmas we redecorated the living room again with new carpet and curtains.

After the new year the kitchen will be redecorated and another bedroom reboarded and rewired and then decorated.

IF I have any money left I am thinking of putting plastic "grass" down in the back garden.

I tell myself this IS getting me fitter!!

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 08:19 PM

I've been lurking & very slowly downsizing - a trolley load of books here, & a trolley load of craft stuff there, my 1975 Royal Doulton dinner set which I only used once or twice when it was new (plates are too big!) finally went to my favourite charity shop where it sits in a locked cupboard with price tag of $180. Why did I buy an 8-person set, when I have always lived with a 4-person table in 1-bedroom apartments. Well, it was duty free & it was 1975 & I was on my first proper (non-family) holiday, we partied & shopped!!!

Recently I took what was left of my jigsaw collection (a full trolley load + a carry bag), to my favourite charity shop, puzzles I bought in the 70s, as well as others I'd bought in recent decades, usually in charity shops. All I have left are 2 from the 50s that belonged to my grandmother & 2 other very old puzzles, 1942 & 1950s)

Sometimes I've just given one item to someone who would appreciate it.

Recently I went looking for a camera memory in a little plastic case, it wasn't with the other camera memories & USBs - oops. Said memory contains scans of 30 years of minutes of Australia's oldest folk club, & I'm hoping it fell into one of the boxes of club archives I have cluttering up my floor. I can ask for another copy, but ...

Good thing I rarely vacuum.

sandra eyeing the clutter

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 07:56 PM

Good beginning, Don! Damn the torpor, indeed!

Michelle (Lilyfestre) posted a thing on Facebook a couple of years ago that I printed and put on my fridge. It's supposed to be the 12 days of cleaning before xmas, but you can use it as a guide for any particular 12 days you want to get through all of the cleaning chores in just under two weeks. It's from a blog called "The Thrifty Couple" and here is the PDF of the chart. If you don't want to go straight to downloading here is the blog page with a link to the chart (scroll way down to get to the link to the printable chart). I don't think I've made it completely through all 12 days, but I have worked several in a row and cherry picked the ones that really need doing.

I started a very light yoga routine a couple of weeks ago that so far is a combination of my stretches from a book and then a few minutes of some of her moves. It's a really slow start. And for diet, I have in mind an "advent" period until the inauguration, during which I eat healthier and arrive at the new presidency in a little better shape. Some of this involves things like not eating after 7pm, and trying to keep my eating within a 10 hour period. That means you're less likely to lay down new layers of fat as you sleep.

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 07:31 PM

Damn the torpor full speed ahead.
My arms have gotten smaller and my waist larger. The answer is obvious, its just about choosing an unwaivering time for push ups and the discipline to begin a half portion regime.
To start spring cleaning 3 months early I will devote 1 day a week to start.

Subject: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Dec 20 - 06:43 PM

This thread is being started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for that reason there is simply no comparison to any other thread. The previous one ran from December 2018 to December 2020, so the last 10 months of the thread are steeped in reports of life in self-isolation or lockdown during a pandemic.

The declutter and fitness threads serve as a place for Mudcatters who need more exercise and who have homes filled with interesting furniture, materials, books, music-related items, work stations with the accompanying accoutrement, and a lot more – it adds up to too many things, and we are going through the process of organizing, discarding, or re-purposing this stuff. Much of the exercise we get is in pursuit of household organization.

There is a core of active participants and there are probably more people who lurk, and several previously active Mudcatters who are unable to post now or are completely gone and still on our minds. Some of those past members have shifted to Facebook.

I'm not going to tell other people's stories, but there is a lot to read if you want to catch up. Previous years threads are linked at the beginning of each one when it was new. https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=165433 is the most recent before this.

A non-medical mental health component weaves though these threads for this disconnected community, where we share ideas and praise helpful to those who benefit from the continuity of conversation and encouragement in the accomplishment of all of our projects. And consolation when things don't go so well, and shoulders to cry on when they're downright awful. We share stories of recovery.

2020 has been awful for so many people that I hate to hang our hopes for recovery on 2021 alone, it will probably take longer than that to help families and rebuild businesses after the pandemic winds down, and to repair essential services in the US after the presidency of 45. I expect to get a vaccine in March or April here in Texas, based upon my age and how the line is forming. What we know now versus what we learn on January 21, 2021, may change that.

I hope those who lurk will step up and share news of how they are, and maybe we can bring in a few new regular participants. I'm always amazed at occasional lurkers who've read the various posted tips, done the work at their homes, then drop in to tell us about what work they did – and then they're gone again. Most of us are doing a slow-motion type of decluttering. This year I hope we'll all pay more attention to the exercise component of this thread – we need to shed the pandemic torpor.

These threads were started by the late great Katlaughing, who in particular enjoyed the vicarious activity as her health was failing. Her nephew was frequently a topic of discussion and for a number of years we were all adopted aunties. She's always in the back of my mind when I start one of these - Here's to you, Kat! Skoal!