FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Oct 22 - 08:33 PM

The SUV got some much needed attention today, with glass cleaner applied to the inside of the windshield and a vacuum run over the grass-covered carpets in the front seats and the cargo area. I also need to organize the contents.

Dog walking is great this time of year, and the old guy seems to be good with his truncated portion of the walk. I'm still doing Essentrics and Hinge Health, but tend to stagger the days I do them during the week. I was almost every day before the knee surgery, and have to get back to that. Once I start exercising I'm ok with it, it's the getting started part that I have to work on.

Tomorrow I'll turn off my string of lights on the porch, turn off the dusk-to-dawn fixtures, and stay in the back of the house during the prime trick-or-treating time. Last year I was walking the dog during late afternoon when the kids started making the rounds and it got dramatic when the dogs at one house came charging out the door when opened to trick-or-treaters; no problems but we were all startled as they pulled their five dogs away from my three. So we will have to walk in the morning.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Nov 22 - 12:11 AM

There is a chicken defrosting to use this week, and a 10 pound bag of organic white flour that was tucked in the back of a shelf in the freezer frozen for several months that can go in the pantry. These two evictions from that shelf give me room for a turkey, should I find one in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. (I sometimes wait and buy a fresh bird right before the day, but that depends on fresh birds being available and the size I want.) If I buy a frozen bird I want one without all of the injected salty crap they use. I brine the bird myself, I don't need them to make it too salty to eat ahead of time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 Nov 22 - 03:54 AM

Husband was presented with a gigantic flat screen TV by his landlord, and he now wants to bring it here when he returns to live. It's like a bloomin' cinema screen, and I loathe these massive TVs, they completely dominate a room. He says he'll try to sell it back to the landlord of his flat, together with all the furniture items he no longer needs. This will comprise a fridge, a sofa, a double bed, a mattress, a long table, a rug and a wardrobe! There is absolutely no way I can have all this clutter filling up the garage. And in spite of his rather hang-dog face, that TV is NOT going to be hung on a wall in this bungalow!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 22 - 12:22 PM

I saved this note all week so I could share with Senofou when the site came back:

Senoufou, maybe turn the garage into a Man Cave - hang the TV on the wall out there and suggest he keep a comfy chair and a side table. A TV on the wall won't take up space on the floor and if you need to open the garage for the oil delivery, etc., you can move the chair and table to a corner. This would be a compromise so he isn't actually leaving everything behind at the rental property.

A dive into the closet this week rousted out a number of belts that came with garments. No idea which garments and I probably don't have them any more. The belts are in the donation bin. I found two more tops with sleeves that are elbow-length. I'm not ready to donate all of my old tops - a couple of the long-sleeved ones might be usable even if they're baggy in cold weather.

I'm over half-way through digging the side garden where the work on the new heat pump will hopefully happen in the next week or so. We had heavy rain two days ago so the soil by now should have dried enough to be workable. I haven't been to the gym with all of this gardening, but will get back tomorrow (for one reason - I miss listening to audio books).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Nov 22 - 04:44 PM

Is the Norfolk winter conducive to "quiet enjoyment" (as it were) of a Man Cave established in a garage? Especially for an African gentleman?

We're having an extended Indian Summer in Stratford, and with any luck it might even last to Remembrance Day. The current long-range forecast calls for complete overcast and a high of nine Celsius on Friday, which sounds warmer than normal but no less gloomy than is typical for the occasion.

The ol' bank account took another hit last week with the completed repair of my old wing-back armchair, a family heirloom that had developed a 50-mission wobble. Once the upholstery was stripped off, it proved to have suffered almost complete glue loss in its major joints, remaining in one piece thanks only to habit and a few dowels. The furniture rehab guy, large and lumpy Ron, noted that the frame was carved and joined entirely by hand, and made of a kind of mahogany that is now pretty well extinct. He figures that the chair could well be more than 200 years old. With rather a lot of 21st-century glue and completely new upholstery, it should be good for another century or so of extended reading.

The upholsterer will bill me for another pound of flesh. By the time this project is complete, she will have earned it.

My back is still giving trouble, so I feel absolutely no compunction about the great heaps of leaves lying around the property. Last week-end, I cleared the ankle-deep patio and stuffed a dozen large garden-waste bags, but even that short spasm of normative yard work cost me a major extension of my latest bout of lumbar misery. The trees have yet to finish shedding, so I'll just let it be -- maybe until the snow covers up the evidence of my sloth.

We put the clocks back last night. It is now almost dusk, at 1643 hours Eastern Time. By supper it will be full dark.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Nov 22 - 09:49 PM

I'm sorry to read that raking is aggravating your back issues; I'm finding my stamina has returned after several days of digging (and not going to the gym this week—why go to the gym when productive exercise is available?) I have one corner of the area left to do, perhaps in the morning before the rain. Another stormy day is forecast.

This is clearing the area is for a garden but also, soon, for a new heat pump. The tech who looked at the old one said they'd put the new one a littler further over, but I need to make the case for the same spot - his suggestion would put it under my kitchen window. Along the side of the house are a number of important portals; the outlet for running a snake through the house pipes, the lines for the heat pump (it was installed long after the house was built so the lines run up the wall, through the attic, and into the guts in a hall closet), and the dryer vent. Today I knocked the aluminum cover off of the dryer vent and realized it was completely jammed at the end with lint. It has been taking a long time to dry - now I realize why.

I've potted hyacinths and asparagus to transplant somewhere in the yard away from the foundation. I plan to keep perennial and bulky plants away from that zone because one of these days I'll get the foundation fixed and I don't want plants all trashed by men digging holes every 8 feet or so around the house.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 22 - 02:00 AM

Hee hee Stilly and Charmion! A Man Cave! No, it would be freezing cold in there. Also, I need to put my car in the garage, especially during the winter months. Husband has always used the study in this bungalow as his 'Man Cave', and used to sit in there all evening at his 'desk' on his computer, or in the very comfy armchair. But the walls in the study are too small for the gigantic TV. However, he is now saying he concedes, and is putting the horror TV on our local Facebook to sell it for around £300. We saw lots of similar sets in PC World yesterday for over a thousand pounds, so surely someone will grab his as a real bargain.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 07 Nov 22 - 09:39 AM

Greetings from a traveling lurker. Best wishes to all on your multiple projects, and hope everyone is battening down well for winter, or has long since done so up in the frozen regions.

I spent a long but rewarding several days at the storage unit, regrouping and reloading the RV/caravan. It was difficult getting ready for freezing nights while the temp a balmy 84. But, hopefully I am now kitted out for boondocking, mineral hunts, and micromounting in the Southwest instead of loaded down with rock finds, books, and 'stuff' while doing family visits in the South and Midwest.

The most satisfying thing was to scan and shred a lot of paperwork, trip logs and notebooks. I did learn the hard way last year that one must make sure the scan went correctly and is backed up thoroughly, before one gets to the fun of shredding.   

Freed up enough room to drop the old laser printer into the cabinet under the loveseat. Never thought that would be necessary, but I find I need it for projects, etc. Minimalism has its limits!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Nov 22 - 10:58 AM

Good work with the scanning and shredding - it's a good habit even for people who have more space. Where will you be wintering this year, Patty? Any trips through Fort Worth? The offer of a parking spot and coming in to use the guest room is always open.

Another week, another letter from a company about a data breach. I have one of those plastic attached-lid hanging-file boxes that is the designated one to grab if I have to leave the house in a flood, etc., and a while back I added a folder with the most recent letters from companies regarding the status of their breaches. My electric company this time.

The side yard looks so good, and I have maybe three square yards left to finish. Those few yards are also my garlic patch, so I'll be putting any I uncover back into the soil for next spring, and I'll add more corms I collected this spring. I'm headed out in a few minutes to get more free mulch; I use the large contractor bags and get three at a time, put in the back of the SUV on top of a small tarp I have for the occasion.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Nov 22 - 10:12 AM

Scanning, shredding and shedding -- what we do to avoid sinking into a maelstrom of paper.

Speaking of paper, I have begun thinning the library. Yesterday, I pulled most of the novels out of their shelves, and today I shall visit the liquor store to bum enough boxes to fill the boot of the car. Over the next few weeks, I intend to reduce my book holdings by a hell of a lot.

In London, the "big city" at the other end of Highway 7, Goodwill Industries has two outlets devoted entirely to books. That's where the cast-off novels, memoirs and essays will go. When I have pruned the leisure reading, I'll start on the history.

This house contains no fewer than 15 bookcases, of which a full dozen are six-foot Billys from IKEA in widths varying from 40 to 90 centimetres. Yesterday, all of them were full. When I eventually move again, I doubt that I'll be able to take more than a couple of Billys along with the three Victorian bookcases I inherited from my parents.

Incidentally, a Billy bookcase will survive, maybe, three moves, possibly four. The Victorian ones have been moved repeatedly over four to five generations of use, and are still sound and fit for purpose.

As I scanned the shelves yesterday, I realized how much my taste has changed over the last 20 years. Books that I have kept since the '70s and '80s -- detective stories, literary novels, essays, short stories -- are headed out because I abruptly can't imagine reading them again. There's also Edmund's accumulation of fantasy, thrillers, memoirs and essays -- the complete works of Gerald Durrell, anyone? -- that I never wanted to read in the first place but he couldn't part with. They, too, will leave the building.

I'm not likely to take to the road in a caravan like pattyClink, but I can certainly see myself in a city flat, preferably within old-lady walking distance of a public library. I intend to be ready for that move before I have to make it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Nov 22 - 11:21 AM

Thanks, Stilly, but I continue my policy of trying to remain alive by never driving thru DFW!

I'll be in the boonies of New Mexico and Arizona, and hope to get to an event in southern Cali as my January end point. As if plans ever work out as we like!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Nov 22 - 11:48 AM

My father was one to collect every book by favorite authors and I sold many of those sets on eBay that I wasn't going to read myself. A few of them that excited some interest (and shipped to the UK and Oz) but most went for modest prices. I sold them in lots of 3-5 at a time as I was trying to increase my participation score on the site and selling and shipping books is easy. Others went to Half Price Books for a few dollars. With the office ceiling collapse three years ago I got rid of a lot of books because everything was moved out of the room for repairs. I have a tile floor in the den with 14" squares, so I created a book alphabet, piling all of the As, Bs, Ss, Ts, etc on various squares, and was able to find the duplicates. Those went, along with those that were no longer of interest to me. Many boxes.

A tour of the closet blouse rack today identified styles I don't wear now, are too-short-sleeved, or are way too big. A few big ones with long sleeves good for winter-time layers will stay. One large knit top I'm keeping is my favorite color and neckline that I can wear under something else so the sleeves and size aren't a problem. In theory I could do that with any of the large knit tops, but I'm not in love with them and can use the space.

I had some pint glass jars with handles (not suitable for canning) given me last year by my next door neighbor, in with a batch of good canning jars. I've used some for fresh pickles, but I still have a dozen or so unused, so they're headed to Goodwill.

I did a pretty good job of not spending over the last three weeks, with one more week to go in my offset no-spend month. With the exception of the new phone. And if I see a frozen turkey that is organic and not pumped full of salty solution I'll pick it up. The only turkeys on the Costco website are fresh, halal, and eye-wateringly expensive, upwards of $150. When I last looked up meat (lamb) it was the same - but a trip to the store reveals meat or freezer bins full of the regular issue versions of the lamb, so I expect the same of turkey. I'll go see if they have a large frozen bird to stash for later this month. Otherwise I'm trying to not spend and I did bring in some eBay cash.

A quote came in on the price of heat pumps - they have gone up considerably since last summer. The price I pay for waiting in this economy. I'll visit the credit union this week. I'm told prices will go up again on Nov. 15.

Patty, if it's any help visualizing the trip, I'm in a very easy-to-reach area, just outside an outer loop of Interstate highway around Fort Worth on the SW side of town. If you come in from the west on I-20 you have very little of the stereotypical urban congestion to deal with. And I know what you mean about driving around here - I NEVER drive to Dallas if I can help it. In over 30 years of living here I've probably driven to Dallas less than once a year on average.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Nov 22 - 05:35 PM

Continuing my work on the final corner of that garden. The hardest part is a combination of digging Bermudagrass deep roots and soil as sticky gumbo (after rain two days ago). Making slow progress.

This week I started flagging a few things in an unshared wish list on Amazon to later transcribe into a list (in a Word file) for family. Also a list of things I will consider sending to them. I'm endeavoring to not buy things for myself that I need to replace, etc, if it might be a good gift item for someone else to send me. The holiday surprise is then to see what people chose (and hopefully they spoke among themselves to avoid duplication. I may be able to post links to the Amazon wish list (public version) so a purchase removes that item from the list. As long as they read my list online with hot links.

Allergies kicking my butt today, sinuses and tickle resulting from continued yard work. We haven't had the first frost yet (not in view on the forecast so far), so everything that is pollinating now is going uninterrupted by weather.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 22 - 09:50 AM

Last push today on that garden, then to mow the lawns (front and back) and resume my normal life activities that include dressing in clean clothes and volunteering at the museum twice a week. Ducks continue to align in preparation for the new heat pump. Tomorrow is a holiday, so I'd better call the credit union this afternoon.

At the edge of the garden is a stack of limestone rocks that were used on the facing of a planter when the house was first built. That was torn down, they were tossed at the back of the back yard. I pulled them to the front for small stacked rock walls. I'm rearranging one of those and leaving room behind it for a few potted plants, to sit between that wall and the newly-dug garden. This will give grass less chance to get established and tangle in the wall, and also allow a few potted plants to stay in place but not be visible from the street, when they can be targets for thieves who have stolen pretty pots in the neighborhood before.

Allergy meds in full deployment today. Ragweed is having a particularly long season this year.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 22 - 09:09 PM

Digging the garden was finished yesterday and a few bulbs and herbs were transplanted back into the clean soil. Today the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers were picked, anticipating a freeze overnight.

The ducks are all aligned for the new heat pump and it will be installed a week from Monday. Tomorrow the tech will come check to see what all is here and what needs to be ordered. I still have a few questions.

If you wait too near the holiday to buy a turkey the choice is limited, and because I don't want to struggle to find the right bird, I bit the bullet and bought what is without a doubt the most expensive 22 pound turkey I've ever bought in my life. From Costco, it is organic, no injected broth or salt, and it is frozen. A fresh bird wouldn't keep and I want to brine it. This year for the first time in ages the whole family, with the kids' partners, will be here so it is worth every penny (my ex will split the cost - and it would still be the most expensive turkey at half the price.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Nov 22 - 09:39 PM

Dupont:

Have stuck around to be sure I did not get covid at the funeral. It was an all day event culminating in Down East music by two local musicians. It did help the grieving process but I have been very tired all week. Pots thrown a while ago have not been trimmed. Don't feel like going anywhere so hanging in for event next Sunday (20th) re other loss.

Laundry is up to date, K is clean. Groceries bought, meals cooked. We had to have the chimney sweep back this am. He and R got on quite well and he found the problem; the chimney had not been drawing - full of creosote from not burning fire hot enough. He said they had not done it well enough last month and charged nothing! Cosy now. We did turn the heat up a bit a couple days ago when it cooled off a bit too much. It had been off completely as we heated with wood until the chimney quit.

This am, I tripped over a known flaw in the floor and ended in a pile on the floor. Banged knee and it is not being very helpful; doesn't hurt (yet?) but I have to think very positive thoughts to stand up from a sitting position. Suspecting it might feel worse tomorrow...

No more outdoor gardening here. Everything is put to bed; last handful of tomatoes brought in; 3 tiny (Never watered!) cauliflower went in veggie stew, with lots of bought veggies. The ficus I repotted last month seems to have expanded - happy in its new pot? It fills the window in the den and I look up from reading and delight in it! It will be our Christmas tree.

The "Christmas" cactus is blooming nicely, thanks to advice not to water it too much. The Lantana was blooming nicely when I brought it in front the front steps but lost all of them; now it is getting lots of new buds and I am looking forward to an abundance of creamy flowers. This is its second winter in front of the south facing glass door in the hallway. It fills a 12 inch terra cotta pot, profusely.

Detest the time change - it is getting dark before 4 pm in this November greyness.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Nov 22 - 04:54 PM

It’s snowing in Stratford, apparently with intent to stay put at least for a week. Cold, grey and miserable, too. Fortunately, yesterday’s Remembrance Day parade caught the last of the not awful weather, although the overcast was thick and thorough and the rain set in just before the troops headed back to the armoury.

I was properly dressed (gabardine raincoat, wooly waistcoat, gloves, warm socks and solid shoes), so the rain and chilly wind did not bother me. Others, more stylishly turned out, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

For the third time, I spotted another medic on parade — a reservist who served more than 12 years in the regular force, including two tours in Afghanistan. He’s a city cop now. We always solemnly greet each other while the marching contingents get their collective shit together.

The Christmas shopping season has officially begun. I stopped by Crappy Tire for a bag of potting soil and almost gagged on the whiff of seasonal wares, especially a potent stench issuing from a pile of fake evergreens and something that had been treated to smell of cinnamon. I’m so glad I don’t have to work there.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Nov 22 - 12:11 PM

Yesterday was cold (for us - after the overnight freeze it rose to the low-40s) and I pulled a down vest out of the hall closet. It was in one of the kids' closets for ages and still had a sales tag (no price); I think it was a gift to my daughter. There was a gift receipt in the pocket from December 2007, purchased in Seattle. That said, I'm enjoying my new vest because it is too small for either of the kids now and it has great pockets for gloves, phone, etc. The pocket size is just dumb luck, back in 2007 phones were much smaller.

The heat pump tech came to check out the setup for the new install, and it may be that the same 20-year-old Honeywell thermostat can stay on the wall. The new kit doesn't come with one and though I like programmable, I don't need one there. I told him I'd like to not have the installation folks walk over the entire garden, but I may not get my wish. I'll at least block off where the herbs are planted now. I figured I'd better wait to plant the whole thing (seasonal crops and flowers for now).

The upcoming week has rain forecast so today is the day to do the mowing and trimming to finish a lot of yard work for the year. My fitness tracker may be happy with the walking; next week I'll get back to the gym for cardio exercise. The last couple of weeks of digging were more strength than a heart workouts.

Digging out recipes for green tomato relish. It's a lot of work but is a good gift and the house smells great when it's finished. I have to sort the peppers and tomatoes I picked on Friday and use them soon. I'll also fry some eggplant and take it across the street to that neighbor who doesn't cook much these days.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Nov 22 - 02:09 PM

No 2 SIL telephoned to find out whether I’ll come to Windsor for Christmas, as she’s assessing the bed space in her house. As a less-demanding visitor, I will get the pull-out sofa in the study — among the bookcases and close to the coffee-maker, so my favourite spot.

The Windsor-based branch of the clan are fruitcake eaters and marmalade fans, so I have some work to do before Advent sets in.

The Christmas visit will be a golden opportunity to move several sets of really good children’s books on to the youngest generation, who are just about ready for Narnia and Harry Potter, and the tweens who might like Susan Cooper. That will clear at least two shelves in my library. The Puffin paperbacks that my brothers and I read back in the ‘60s are just too foxed and tattered, so they will probably end up in the recycle bin. After I read them again, of course. It’s time for a refresh of E. Nesbit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Nov 22 - 06:21 PM

In the "no good deed goes unpunished" household chores category, I switched switches in the master bath and now the fixture isn't working and the heat thing in the ceiling isn't turning on. AND an outlet in the attic that my antenna booster is plugged into isn't working. Must undo what I did and see if I can return to just the original problem, a fixture that didn't turn on all of the time. I think it is time to call the electrician with a list of several small projects that maybe will be just a service call charge.

I backtracked and put in the previous switch and everything worked again. I replaced the bulbs in the fixture, they seemed to be the problem this time. But I still need to call an electrician.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 22 - 06:12 PM

I didn't get to the mowing yet, and it is cold and rainy today, so maybe later. It isn't going to warm much, but it will dry a bit.

The portable oil radiator I store in the garage is now in my office. Comparing the noisy portable air conditioner and the portable heater, this later one is far easier to live with, until next week's heat pump installation. My tall wire shelf pantry lives in the hall beside the cupboard where the air handler will be replaced so needs to be moved. I use bungee cords wrapped around the uprights about three inches above each shelf to help contain stuff, but move it too fast or jerkily and things can pitch off of it. I may need to also move the potting bench behind that side door. I'm sure there will be dust puppies to wrangle in the process.

Dorothy, how is your pottery work coming along, or do you wrap it up for the winter? Have you made the last trip to Beaver for a while?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Nov 22 - 07:16 PM

I did a pretty good job of staying away from purchases for the last month during my no-spend goal. The freezer has been drawn down as I use meat and vegetables and remove things frozen briefly on general principles (flour, pasta, beans, etc., to avoid weevils). On the last day of that month I'm back at Amazon because a remote control for the TV in the kitchen (the one most used) has died. Must replace that (though I did figure out again where the buttons are to manually change channels and inputs).

Friends from work are coming for lunch on Saturday, giving me a goal for picking up and organizing for a headstart on preparing for the following week's festivities. Our lunch will be comfort foods - grilled cheese sandwiches and cream of tomato soup. With all of us looking to the complexity of preparing holiday meals in the following week, simple will be welcome.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Nov 22 - 12:25 PM

Yesterday, I entertained myself with a spectacularly inept effort to get the furnace-mounted humidifier up and running for the winter. I cut my fingers, flooded the cellar floor around the furnace, and learned a lot. Next year, I’ll do it correctly the first time.

The evaporator pad (aka the wick) is a thick square of rigid mesh that fits into a plastic frame that snaps into a plastic housing mounted on the furnace. Water comes from a drip-feed device above the housing and drains through a hose at the bottom of the housing to the furnace condensate pump.

The plastic frame holding the wick has a 3/8ths-inch hole on one side and a much smaller, less identifiable opening on the opposite side. There is no symbol (such as an arrow) or direction anywhere on the device to indicate how it fits into the housing.

The wick put up a hell of a fight when I started inserting it into the frame — for some time, I was sure I had bought the wrong size. I checked the manufacturer’s website and found that, yes, it was the correct wick, in the correct size, so I set about the task with far more force than I originally believed necessary. I needed a large screwdriver to cram the wick into one side of the disassembled frame, and a hammer to fit the other sides of the frame around it.

So when I went to insert the frame into the housing, I put it in upside down. It took a great deal of effort, but the struggle to get the wick into its frame had me convinced that the job would be awkward and irritating so I persevered.

After mopping the floor several times, and examining the drainage arrangement to locate the leak site, I dimly realized that the big hole on the wick frame should go on the bottom, to match the drainage hose. I had assumed that the big hole was for the drip-feeder.

Extracting the wick frame was not easy, and the big screwdriver came in handy again. I reversed the frame and it slid into place with hardly a nudge. I mopped the floor again and went to bed.

Thus passed a typical Tuesday in the life I live now. What larks, eh?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Nov 22 - 09:03 PM

Charmion, you're lucky you didn't hurt yourself or break something and have to replace the parts you were working with. Good job, no matter if it took a while. Last year I tried to replace a cabin filter in the SUV and couldn't get it back into the slot - you need to be a contortionist - next visit I asked them to put it in place and was lucky they didn't charge me for it. Doing things yourself, or at least starting, is part independence and part hoping to save a service call charge.

My annual checkup after blood work was today, and I asked the question that has been on my mind for a while: if I had stayed at this weight over the years and not gained the 45 pounds I lost, would I have so much droopy skin under my arms, etc? Nope. That's a special feature of losing weight when you're older. Joy/Not. Long sleeves for the foreseeable future. A bonus question involved having friends to lunch, one diabetic and one vegetarian, and what to feed them. :)

I have to repair a couple of holes that asshole Cookie this week tore in the dog beds that I put out last week, then cover them with the ugly couch-cover stuff I used on them last year. It's cool enough now that they need the warmer more encompassing dog beds. It's always something.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Nov 22 - 09:27 PM

In the Y locker room, those droopy upper arms are called “Bingo wings”.

Raise your hand and wave at an imaginary Bingo checker and you’ll see why.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 02:59 AM

Oh I've got 'bingo wings' too! I've lost a lot of weight (I'm now down to 9st 10lbs, or 136 pounds) and my skin hasn't shrunk to fit the new me. When I play bingo in our village hall, and I call with a win, my 'bingo wings' hang down horribly inside my jacket. I'm tempted to get back on the buttered crumpets and fill up the skin with some fat!
I've seen ladies on TV having surgery to take in the loose skin, but I don't fancy that one bit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 10:39 AM

I've had enough surgery to convince me that it's to be avoided except to correct a condition that threatens life or limb. Bingo wings are aesthetically off-putting, but that's all.

The snow continues in Stratford, with apocalyptic warnings of Lake Effect squalls from Environment Canada. The traditional amnesia has struck many Ontario drivers, accounting for the proliferation of fender-benders by people who neglected to slow down while entering a curve, or change their three-season radial tires to winter tires, or put the snow brush in the boot, or any number of other things we all have to do every year if we don't want to be that guy who fishtails out of the parking lot at Sobey's. And everyone will gripe about the snow until the week before Christmas, when it will suddenly become essential seasonal decor.

The weather makes my damaged joints hurt, which spoils my sleep and renders me even crankier than usual.

Today the snow is deep enough that I must extract my winter boots from the back of the closet and equip them with a pair of orthotic insoles. That means the end of trouble-free outdoor walking until Spring; for the next four months, at least, it's all about not slipping, tripping and/or falling over. Last winter, I managed to remain upright until the very end of March, when I went for a Burton on a patch of black ice in the parking lot at the Y. Let's see if I can do better this winter -- going for gold!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 01:12 PM

Agreed about unnecessary surgery. Yesterday when speaking with my GP I realized I was a great case for why elective procedures like knee (or hip, etc.) replacement can make an incredible improvement in quality of life. The loose skin, not so much.

I fear, though, that my eyelids will be on the block one of these days - the weight loss did nothing to improve the droop and weight of my lids (you can't see my eyelashes unless I raise my eyebrows and look really surprised.) The drooping lids also allow those hard white nodules to form because despite a scrub with a rough washcloth because the pores clog. Sometimes those are painful. But enough info on that.

Jon, we saw some activity from you on one of the tech threads this week - but how is it going with everyone at the house? Are you making any modifications or repairs these days? I still haven't installed my wired doorbell, but soon I'll have an electrician over to change out the transformer for the doorbell and then I'll get to it. (This means moving the contents out of that hall closet, where the top shelf holds all of the boxed games.)

A second batch of green tomato relish is underway this afternoon, then I'll see about letting the rest of the tomatoes ripen, give them away, or toss into the compost. The year was hard on the plants and a lot of these tomatoes spoil before they're ripe. Once this is finished, I'll begin the process of organizing the 7' tall rolling wire rack pantry shelves to help prevent the possible lost of contents when I move them for the heat pump work on Monday. A lot of the filled canning jars are on the floor under those shelves.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 01:45 PM

Dupont:

No energy; pots still not trimmed but I am trying to keep them moist enough; cannot find chiropractor who uses the technique of the one in Bancroft who really helped my energy level.

Keeping the house moderately in order; food gets cooked, sometimes R has helped; fire in wood stove is nice; new wood is not as dry as it should be; snow is pretty but it is COLD out there and I am loathe to leave the fire! I water plants; the christmas cactus started losing all its blossoms! So I googled and found it prefers cool - NOT on the rad! It lost a bunch but the remaining buds are opening happily in the BR, next to the orchid.

R has cleared the basement of many boxes and occasionally announces books that are LEAVING! - from a few to a few boxes! We now have an Air Stream trailer (30 ft) in front of the garage, in driveway. Why? It was George's (friend who died last year). He did a great job of backing it into driveway and it merely takes up otherwise unused space... He had been telling me there was a surprise coming!
Preferable to the boat he kept wanting to put in back yard. But why?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 03:23 PM

If you don't want the Air Stream I'll take it off your hands! They make such a great guest house out in the yard. :)

Second batch of green tomato relish processed and cooling, and I just had some of yesterday's batch for lunch, for which I toasted 6" of baguette then fried a chunk of a peppered Kielbasa link sausage and slathered about 1/4 cup of relish on the bottom of the roll before adding the sausage. OMG I forgot how good this relish is! Addictive. Treat it like a side vegetable instead of a condiment.

Mowing this afternoon, then maybe to the ex's house to help move a huge latex mattress that was all the rage a dozen years ago but now it's dead weight. It takes two to move it and we'll either roll it enough to get into the SUV to take to the recycle place or the dump or he'll have to cut it into pieces for the trash. The more I think about it the more I fear it will end up in the trash.

Cat sitting starts up this weekend through next Friday or Saturday. It does mean a lot of coming and going but it is good for my bottom line in the saving for putting up new fence panels. It's about time to do another couple of panels. I think I have 5 to go to finish.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 18 Nov 22 - 09:15 AM

We are getting by, SRS. No plans for any projects but are keeping up OK with what's needed to keep things ticking over.

I've done one electrical job since last in this thread. The front outdoor floods (also triggered by outdoor sensors) used a timer push button inside and I've changed that for a z-wave module. Carers put dad to bed each night and when we know we are having a visit, like to have outdoor lights on in advance for them rather than them open the gate, walk a few steps until a sensor triggers. With the clocks changing back, lazy me got fed up with going to the porch to turn them on each night.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 22 - 12:13 PM

Jon, I have dusk-to-dawn motion detector lights outside all of the doors here, with the one in back being on and dim, only turning bright if one of the dogs or I go outside. The others are off unless there is movement. They save electricity and because I live near the woods it leaves it a nice dark little wilderness down here at our end of the street. I also have some electric plug covers that have small LED lights on the bottom that come on in the dark. These are great to help avoid tripping over a dog sleeping in the hall at night.

Busy end of the week as I move eBay stuff into the front room to clear out the rest of the house in preparation for company. I needed to do this anyway, it was stacked around in an untidy way. I'll be rearranging pantry items, probably culling some stuff, and I'll use a few jars of canned tomatoes from the bottom shelf to make tomato soup for guests tomorrow. I researched several recipes for making it from scratch, letting me use up more of the backlog from last year. I didn't can any ripe tomatoes this year, just the relish. And the relish is so amazingly addictive - I think there must be a umami effect from the ingredient combination - I slather it on sausage link sandwiches about a 1/4 cup at a time and they simply taste better than any other way I could eat them. I may make one more batch tomorrow afternoon, but I need more green peppers and onions first, that I'll pick up today. (There is a rich history of sausage in Texas - lots of influence from Czech and German immigrants and then there is the Mexican tradition). I buy links from a restaurant supply place near me - they carry a variety that has lots of cracked pepper in the recipe.)

I've also rearranged furniture in the den and moved the dog kennel, as well as putting the ugly covers back on the newly-repaired dog beds. They all slept on them last night, so I was correct that it's cool enough now that they prefer the cuddle of the high-sided beds.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 22 - 11:56 PM

The otherwise-interesting contents of long-expired jars of gourmet sauces and dips have been emptied into a bucket to pour into the compost before I head to bed. Canned foods also, that are years past the date they were processed. In the process I've uncovered a lot of good stuff that I forgot about to put to use (and send some home with friends this weekend - with the promise they'll eventually return the canning jars). This allows me to stabilize the remaining contents on the wire pantry shelves and I'll move that out of the way of workmen on Monday.

I spent an hour at my ex's house helping him move the most incredibly heavy (but still excellent condition) latex queen-size mattress. We concluded that none of the thrift stores would accept anything so heavy, and sadly dropped it off in a bin at the recycle and dump station. We dragged it from the guest room, crammed the folded mattress into the back of my SUV for transport, and as we struggled, understood that it would be incredibly difficult for anyone else to take this home from a thrift store, hence the dump. This lets him work on the guest room at his house, while I work on the guest room here.

We also looked at stuff in his garage that is going to Goodwill and I brought home a half dozen tan cotton mats (a heavy-duty chenille type) that I'm going to put down in stacks of two or three for the dogs in a couple of places around the house where they tend to sleep. Outside my bedroom door, for one (no room for a dog bed, but the mats will be ok). For some reason he also had some nice unused shower heads (the kinds on hoses) so I'll look through those and maybe swap out the elderly shower head/hoses here. I've been meaning to add more Teflon tape to my shower hoses because they dribble a lot. These things were all nice to bring home, but considering how heavy (it was a huge struggle even for the two of us) that mattress, I think he probably figures he came out the winner in this transaction. (I found one place that would pick up mattresses for a fee - their charge to remove it from his house was $87.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Nov 22 - 09:39 AM

I would have happily coughed up the $87, even in US funds. I’m still getting acupuncture treatments for the back spasm set off by my last braver-than-brainy physical adventure.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Nov 22 - 11:30 AM

Tomorrow is the last Sunday before Advent, or "Stir-Up Sunday", when the Anglosphere starts its Christmas baking. So today is hunting and gathering day, when I spend a ridiculous amount of money on dried fruit and ransack the supermarket for butter that doesn't cost the Earth, except it does. Somewhere deep down in the heart of me I remain convinced that the right price for butter is $1.98 a pound.

Snow continues to fall across southwestern Ontario. It's not particularly cold, just below freezing, so driving conditions get treacherous as the wet snow quickly packs down into ice. Each intersection is an intelligence test: Which driver will remember to take her foot off the accelerator in time to avoid skidding around the corner, and who still hasn't made the switch to winter tires?

This matters to me today, for I am going to Kitchener in search of Valencia oranges. (Because fruitcake.) If there's a Valencia orange anywhere in Stratford, it's in the Witness Protection Program.

The rest of the weekend program is mostly about laundry and house dust. It's time to get out the feather duvet and wrestle it into its cover, so I might as well wash the bed linen and towels, and scramble under the bed to banish the colony of dust bunnies breeding down there. I must also wash the floor in the kitchen and front hall, where the tracks of the furnace technician are as clear as pugmarks in fresh mud, but that thrill can wait for tomorrow.

The first signs of this winter's eczema appeared on my left hand this morning. Not fair.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 22 - 11:30 AM

I'm with you about that price of butter; I bought some at Costco in a 4 brick package (not sticks, there were none to be had), it is rarely for sale at my gourmet warehouse place any more.

At least a case-worth of canned goods left the house yesterday with friends, who kindly brought their own boxes for jar transport. I try to keep the boxes new Mason jars came in to hold filled jars and catch jars as they are emptied, and today I've been moving empty jars into the back of the hall closet that is part-one of my two-part pantry system. I've rediscovered plastic storage containers and ceramics in there that will actually be handy over the holidays (lots of thick ceramic footed trivets and elegant serving bowls, for example). I should thin out the storage containers.

Scrubbing the tile in the den today, a few squares at a time while my ex is using my carpet cleaner on his living room carpet. Here we are scrambling to clean the houses that the kids did such a good job of messing up when they were young.

I'll finish trimming around the front and back yards today, the last time for the season. I need to clean out the SUV (I have an explosion of cloth shopping bags in the back seat - they can live in the garage for a while) and be prepared to open up the third row of seats. This is a balance of the esthetic of a tidy yard and the practicality of a tidy vehicle.

New heat pump tomorrow, and I'll spend the day working on removing the last of the adhesive from the hall bathroom floor. Dogs will spend the day in the yard.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 22 - 09:29 AM

I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the work to start this morning. The dogs are in the back yard (it rained last night and I've been washing the den floor. When they come back in I'll have to mop up behind them.) I've moved objects in the way and need to possibly move some more pots outside, but I'm not going to until it becomes clear that it's necessary.

This week I'm feeding a friend's cats and one of them does a vanishing act - and if he closes his eyes that little black cat is pretty much invisible. No such issues around feeding my dogs. :) I raced up to feed them this morning and parked out front so I can go give them more proper attention at the midday meal (when meds are given, otherwise lunch for cats isn't necessary.)

I hear a truck outside.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 22 - 06:47 PM

The heat pump removal and installation work went well, only about six hours. After all of that, the old thermostat controls the new unit for now but we tried the emergency heat and it isn't turning on (one position on the switch that controls a separate heat coil inside - the heat pump compressor does the normal heating and cooling work outside). Since it works for everything else and since they have to come back to finish one other cosmetic thing outside, I'll research and buy a basic thermostat that he can install on that visit.

I don't need a phone app or Alexa controlling the heat or cooling. It turns out the AC tech and I both have family arriving this week for the holiday and are both content to delay the work until early December.

I paid by check today and was dismayed to find that I can barely remember how to write the amount on the cursive line. It dawned on me later that I needed the "and 02/100" instead of just hitting the end and writing 2 cents. As long as the numeral entry is correct that's what they use.

There is a case of peel and stick floor tiles here now and I'll see if I can get those down in the hall bathroom tomorrow. They're temporary after I finish scraping off old adhesive that (ironically) nothing will now stick to. I'll put up one of the new showerheads and it will have a fresh look.

It was difficult to get into my office this afternoon so I spent time in the sewing studio ironing fabric for some holiday masks. It's a pretty green plaid that can work beyond the holidays and I'll have some ready soon for friends and family.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Nov 22 - 09:14 AM

An asthma attack hit me yesterday, and finally caused me to split from choir practice half an hour before quitting time. I still feel a bit crappy this morning, but less white-knuckly.

It’s interesting how easily humans learn to tolerate bodily limitations. As I sat on the edge of the bed with my inhaler in my hand, I honestly wondered whether that was really the pain of developing bronchospasm in my chest or did I just want an excuse to duck choir practice and stay home with the cats and my current audiobook. Then I coughed up another hockey puck and went to choir practice anyway. Two hours later, breathing razor blades, I had to bust out of the alto section and leg it for the open spaces.

My body does not enjoy the onset of winter. The first blast of real cold always lays me low until my twitchy airway adapts to the horrid new reality — which, so far, it always has. It’s just not a fun transition.

Meanwhile, I have fruitcake to bake today, and the Ottawa-bound Christmas parcels to start on — boxes, wrapping paper and packing material to round up. It also occurs to me that I should call my lawyer and tell him to add nephew Logan’s college residence costs to the clause in my will that covers his sister’s university tuition fees.

Oh, yeah — and change the furnace filter, and rake the cat hair out from under the dining-room table, and …

It never ends!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 22 - 10:25 AM

I remember reading in past years about your cold season asthma. I've noticed that I tend to forget my cloth face mask in place when I walk out of stores in cold weather, that it keeps my face warm and air in my nose moist until I get to the car. Would something like that be helpful?

Dorothy, are you doing a US Thanksgiving dinner, or did you do the Canadian one last month?

Comings and goings yesterday resulted in several small cuts on my hands that now need a soak, antibiotic ointment, and bandaids, or they'll linger longer than necessary. Just when I need my hands in good shape for so many projects here. The job yesterday went quickly because every time they asked for something like "the nearest hardware store" I was able to find the wood screws they needed (in my shelves in the garage). Same with stabilizing the larger concrete/styrofoam footer (pea gravel in two bags for the front patio - I can buy more). So no delays for equipment runs. But digging around in the lumber, etc., is probably how I dinged up my hands.

I picked up a scrub brush on a broom handle for working on the den floor (dog footprints on tile) and the bathroom floor cleanup after I finish scraping the old dried adhesive. This allows for less getting up and down on the post surgery knee or bending and stooping for prolonged periods. Laundry to wash the towels that have hung for months in the hall bathroom and could use a freshinging. Finding bedding that also could be freshened by a trip through the dryer.

And - most importantly - time to make The List. What am I going to bake, to boil, to make in advance, and what needs a long prep time? I have to start thawing the turkey in time to brine it over Saturday night. I do a combination of water and fridge, so I think tomorrow is when I'll put the bird in water for much of the day, then into the fridge for the rest of the thaw. Do I have all of the ingredients?

The fan over the stove top needs a good cleaning. Filters soaked and fan parts cleaned. If it were going to make a noisy protest about needing cleaning it would choose when family is here, so I'll try to fit in time to clean before everyone arrives.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Nov 22 - 05:35 PM

A mask helps, but not enough.

In really cold weather — -15°C and below — I wrap a big muffler around my face, I’m outside just long enough to dash from car to door, or door to car, and I’m generally okay. But at the beginning of winter, it doesn’t matter what I do; the attack eventually hits, I go back on the inhalers, and the coughing levels out by Christmas if I stay upwind of all the respiratory viruses.

Four doses down, I feel more or less normal again. Better living through biochemistry.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 22 - 12:08 PM

Turkey is in the small fridge this morning starting the defrost. There are four loaves of banana bread, studded with walnuts, ready to start using as holiday gifts. My son and his partner fly in tomorrow; my daughter and her wife will be here for the big family dinner on Sunday. They live in the next county north in a large house with a half-dozen people total and usually do a holiday party, complete with turkey, on Friday after the official holiday. I'm hoping everyone stays healthy so no pandemic visits at our house on Sunday. Anyway, I'll send a loaf of banana bread home with her to use for that event when we are meet lunch today.

Then the mad dash to finish a lot of things I've started. The guest room is completely ready, now it comes to setting the dining table (the leaves are coming out of storage) and finishing mopping floors (it continues to drizzle, so I continue to tackle muddy dog footprints), and some self-stick tile squares will hopefully make the bathroom look better. I've been tackling that old adhesive all week. Today is the last big push. Tomorrow I'll be clearing counter tops so several people can work at once is the final chore (and one I'll have to stay on top of because stuff accumulates so quickly.)

I'm at 150 pounds this morning. No telling how the next week will go but I'm hoping to not blow my weight loss progress out of the water too badly. That said, I'll make note of what I eat that needs to be entered on MyFitnessPal, but probably won't count things like desserts that don't help with the calcium and fibre counts. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Nov 22 - 09:18 PM

Dupont:

NOT doing another Thanksgiving. One is sufficient. Definitely not doing "black Friday - that insidious USA - Spend!!! ploy.

Have had a few better days and a couple "feeling like me" days. Yesterday I foolishly decided my dust allergy could manage clearing up the area around the wood stove - it couldn't; I went to bed with headache about 7:30 worried that I might have caught covid at the Celebration of the Life event on Sunday but woke up this am feeling very good, almost got to those pots but only got them into better shape; they are damp enough/dry enough and I recovered them. Ran out of energy. Oh well.

Trying to decide whether or not to try a trip to Beaver - but only with Robin. phoned him to see how he felt about leaving tomorrow, back on Tuesday, and left it to be considered until morning. He is on a trek with Eph.

Talked with son Troy today about visit possibilities - theirs (he and Julie)to here - May would be good; mine to Whidbey to see their new house - hoping to move in at Christmas! Sixty-One years after we moved into the beautiful home we designed (my dad and I) and built (Dad, bro, self and then-husband) in PA that I would have loved to live in "forever". ME -going to Whidbey is daunting (to me) but important to Troy. All the troubles with air travel these days... If Robin could go with me... He sent me a short film (1:47) of the house in process - start to finish! With music - not his- classical - finale is the Ride of the Valkyries!

Anyway, this house is fairly clean, lots of food in frig, and wood for the wood stove... And no headache! Had sweet potatoes and applesauce - mixed - for lunch. Very yummy!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Nov 22 - 02:41 AM

I shall be very happy when husband moves back here (probably January) but I'm also slightly dreading his typically 'male' habits - whooshing and squooshing water all over the bathroom, up the walls (why do men do this eh?) like a resident walrus, and 'missing' the loo a bit (why do men not sit down to wee?). Also, when he cooks, the hob is covered in grease (I only eat from the fridge, I don't cook anything nowadays). He even forgets to wipe his bloomin' feet at the front door, but marches indoors onto the carpet with mud/wet on his shoes. To think he was a school cleaner! (He's now a bus-driver).I'm afraid I'm a bit obsessive about tidiness and cleanliness in the house.Ah well, I'll have to 'grin and bear it' :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 22 - 12:52 AM

My son and his partner arrived today and after three years (Damn COVID!) it was wonderful to just visit and putter and eat on and off most of the afternoon and evening.

The cat sitting I'm doing for a friend is probably actually a very good thing, because it forces me to organize the day around something than needs to be tended to. Tomorrow I'll go feed breakfast before my guests are even awake, and I think they're going to go do stuff later with friends so I can feed the second cat meal then head to the gym for an hour on the recumbent bike. They are here to go to a wedding on Saturday (and I finish cat sitting midday Saturday) then we do our family thing on Sunday (Thanksgiving dinner), and next week is wandering around the county visiting interesting shops before they fly home.

The big news here is the new heat pump - everyone is impressed with how the garden bed on that side of the house looks with the new shiny outside unit. The shortcomings of the house are minimal - it's pretty tidy and I have the dining table cleared for the holiday meal. The dogs are a great distraction from any housekeeping issues - they want attention regardless of how the house looks, and our guests are happy to oblige. The dogs are happy also.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 22 - 10:57 AM

Senoufou, you two ought to hold a house meeting at that point when he moves in (or the day before, in case it becomes raucous!) and each state things you'd like the other to do. Letting the bad habits return when they can be fixed is asking for trouble.

We have a couple of days of rain ahead then the rest of the family visit will be in nice weather. It seems they brought the Puget Sound weather with them.

As the holidays approach and the baking commences I'm trying to pace myself with the calorie intake, and to keep everything comfortable, am having my bran and flax cereal every day or two. Poor Mrrzy, with the post-surgery complications they are going through, has to avoid this powerful tool (because of a keto diet). There is also a lot of fruit around here, including a pineapple I have to cut up today. Meanwhile, I'm drawing down the resources in the freezer for meals in the next few days, working to maintain the delicate balance of "enough" for a meal but not generating leftovers, because I need room on Sunday for when I will contend with all of the turkey dinner leftovers.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Nov 22 - 03:10 PM

It’s grey, chilly and depressing today in Stratford, and I am camped in the comfy chair with no desire to go anywhere or do anything more challenging than the New York Times crossword puzzle.

I’ve been to pool class, so I punched the exercise ticket, and I ate the last of the roast chicken that I’ve been working on this week, so I’ve taken aboard the day’s protein requirement. A small editorial job is wending its way toward me, but it hasn’t landed yet. I’m off several hooks, at least for today.

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to do! So I’m free to read.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 22 - 01:29 AM

Much of this week has been heavily overcast and drizzle interspersed with thunderstorms. Sunday is supposed to be sunny and the yard will dry out.

My gym has closed the pool for a few weeks to redo some of the wet area; I hope when it reopens to get in there to swim laps. It's more than time to add that activity.

Tomorrow is the big push to prepare for our Sunday dinner, and I plan to have the table completely set (within reason - I'll put the silverware on last so I have enough to use until the big dinner.) It's a good thing it should be a nice day because the dogs will be restricted to just the yard during meal preparation and consumption.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 22 - 11:04 AM

Sodden day and muddy footprints across my clean floor. I'll keep a bucket and the mop handy later and get the worst of it.

Cooking today and tomorrow. For an excellent cause, and with some help, I hope.

The counters and kitchen table have been pretty clear but I'll remove even more stuff today to make a work station at the tall table in the middle of the kitchen (versus the eating table on the other side of the peninsula.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Nov 22 - 11:53 AM

Noted both of you (Charmion & Stilly) indomitable do-it-all ladies mention using a pool for exercise. Maybe it is more of a fountain of youth/health than people realize.

I love to be in the water, and have a 90-minute full-body routine, both swimming and working every joint in every direction I can. It makes me feel like a million bucks, and be much more active than most my age.

It has been quite an adventure finding public pools around the country. Many towns just aren't big enough to have one, fair enough. Other towns/cities are run by pool-haters, who personally don't use them and so spend all the rec dollars on grasscutting dozens of ballfields.

Lately parents have been demanding 'something for kids to do in summer', so the fashion is to build an 'aquatic center' which consists of a splash pad water park open for 6 weeks (I am NOT exaggerating) of the year, max water depth 2', ideally with blasting radio on a P.A.

But, real pools are out there, and it is fun to track them down.

So, another thing to be grateful for, having access to a pool!