FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 02:33 PM

Though I had something else in mind to do this afternoon, I seem to have waded into the piles of paper and am ruthlessly shredding, adding to the box for recycling, or filing. Mostly the first two. Also some virtual discarding of files set up while I was taking a docent training program. There's a lot of duplication, notes from past exhibits, and stuff I just never needed to keep. It makes going in to find the most current document I need (a list of tour stops and the highlights at each) harder to find. So getting rid of the rest or putting it in a "finished" folder out of the way (so if I do have to dig back through it is still there somewhere). Computers didn't do a thing to reduce the amount of paper at my house, quite the opposite.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 10:35 AM

Charmion, I had a Siamese mix cat when I moved to the apartment after divorce and it had nice long windows so he could sit and look out, along with sliding glass doors onto a small deck. Usually if other cats came by he hissed and complained, but there was one little cat he seemed charmed by. She turned out to be a stray, and we ended up adopting her because he approved. (It still took a little negotiating once she was in the house, with the cats separated in different rooms for a few days, and one morning I opened the room door and opened the kennel door. I realized they were okay when I heard him peeing in her box, then a little while later, she took a dump in his box.) One of your cats may have decided they want to make friends with the outside cat while the other has expressed reservations.

Odd dream right before waking this morning: that I'd forgotten to set the alarm or to do the usual Saturday night tasks I do for my part-time job (there is a radio show on Sunday mornings and I set up the online stuff ahead of that broadcast). I sat up out of the dream, struggled to get the phone and was 3/4 through a message while turning on the computer, saying I'd put everything up in a couple of minutes when I realized . . . it's Wednesday. Whew. Message not sent.

More clothes into the donation bin. Yoga pants aren't really sized in normal human sizes; when I was large I used XL, but now that I've gotten back down to what I consider a "medium" size I'm shopping for Capri-style yoga pants size L. I wore a new pair yesterday and those are plenty snug.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 08:37 AM

The cats are fighting. This is new.

They’re litter-mates, and never once crossed paws before this summer. But a few weeks ago, in the middle of the night, such a barney erupted that I thought a weasel must have invaded the house. No weasel — it was a family spat. I went to the Y in the morning with an unquiet mind, but relaxed when I came home to find them curled up together in the No 2 comfy chair.

Last night it happened again, this time apparently triggered by the appearance of a strange brown tabby outside the patio door that set Isobel swearing and swatting at the glass. Having seen off the intruder (who never intruded), Isobel then turned on her lounging brother, chased him upstairs with much spitting and yelling, and kept up the hostility all night. Close-quarter battle resumed this morning when Watson crept downstairs for breakfast, and I think I’ll have to let them settle it themselves. But I’m thinking it might be time to consult the vet.

Autumn is taking over in Stratford, too, although it’s still uncomfortably warm at the peak if the day. At night the temperature drops below 10°C, and everything is shrouded in ground mist at sunrise when the air is chillier than the soil. The geese and ducks have yet to start forming up for migration, however, so it’s not quite time to dig out the wool socks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 04:45 AM

By the way, I'm well into recovery mode and am gardening again. The weather is lovely. Cheers for the good vibes!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 04:43 AM

Dorothy, biological detergents, mainly used in washing machines, contain enzymes which attack stains caused by grease, protein, fruit juice and starchy stuff. You can wash at slightly lower temperatures. The enzymes can upset the vital bacteria in the septic tank (which break down the organic matter). Non-biological detergents are what our forebears always used! They are always labelled "non-bio" in the UK as far as I know. Arguably, bleach is even worse for septic tanks. We have never obsessed over our septic tank but over 35 years we have routinely avoided bio detergents and used only minimal amounts of bleach. We tend to clean excessive grease from pans and plates with kitchen paper towels before washing up and we never flush non-degradable stuff down the toilet (wet wipes, cotton buds, tampons, etc.), never a problem for us but we have to "educate" visitors, which be a tad awkward! It doesn't take much to cause problems. Lots of baths, showers, washing up, machine washes and other domestic water use close together can slightly and temporarily overwhelm the system, and we get a slight whiff from the outflow occasionally when we have a houseful of family, but on the whole the system is very resilient. And we don't pay sewerage charges, which has saved us tens of thousands over the years. The whiff doesn't bother us as we have large pig and chicken farms close by, and when the wind is in the wrong direction...

As for the shorts, sandals and bare feet, it's thought that cellulitis (which is caused by bacteria that normally live on our skin in harmony) gain access via little cuts, scratches and insect bites to deeper layers of skin. Well I garden in shorts and sandals most of the time and I should think I get about a thousand nicks every summer, most of which I'm never even aware of, and I get bitten by horseflies dozens of times a day between June and August. As they itch for ten minutes (I'm blessed in that regard) I ignore them ((mozzies are a bit different, and if they're around I use a repellent). Somehow, from now on I can see myself being a bit more careful but not exactly changing the habits of a lifetime...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 10:20 PM

This evening I made eggplant Parmesan that was amazing - it used just one one-pound fruit from the garden and I fried in the large square electric skillet to fit the slices more in easily. The marinara was homemade using a bunch of small homegrown tomatoes I turned to sauce. The Ex came over for dinner and we each assembled these on our plates and melted fresh mozzarella cheese on top of the eggplant rounds in the toaster oven. Sauce heated in microwave added, then Parmesan grated on top for one last little broil before moving it on a hot pad to the table. The dishwasher is now full and I closed the door else dogs decide to start licking plates in there. Leftover fried eggplant (and I did some breaded chicken as well) to make into more meals.

Dorothy, I hope they get your floor put back in place soon (and am glad it was discovered before catastrophe hit). It's nice to see all of the steps you go through to prepare for cold weather. We're in the last third of September but tomorrow is supposed to reach 100^o so outdoor work isn't very appealing and I have to water the garden every couple of days. Once it gets cold here, switch the thermostat on the heat pump from cool to heat. Preparations finished.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 09:05 PM

Beaver:

Got here last Weds and did not recover from trip until Sunday. Found Library Internet does not seem to be available; I will ask tomorrow. Trying not to use much, on my “stick”, in the meantime.

What colour is Puce?

So glad I did not have to deal with the Charmion/Fanshawe sort of thing!!

I lost wonderful wool coats to moths in PA; Forgot there were such creatures when I lived at the farm where a lack of heat in winter froze the critters. And, being a slow learner, lost a couple good wool jackets since moving to the house in Chateauguay, which also does not freeze in winter!

Steve: Sorry to hear about your malaise! Sounds pretty scary. But, pray tell, what are biological detergents?? And what on earth is wrong with "wearing sandals, shorts and going barefoot”?

It has been Autumn in this part of Ontario for a week now. Leaves are turning lovely colours and some are dropping. The temps are holding above freezing for now but I shall definitely move into winter mode before I leave - about 3rd of October - Heaters in studio and bathroom and take off screen doors before snow creates difficulty. Swimming pools full of rain have fallen!

The floor in the kiln/tool room has not yet been replaced but BJ came today and we went to the lumberyard for the materials. He hopes to do it on Sunday. I heard that a month ago! - and had hoped it would be ready when I got back! The counters were left in the rain and started warping but he and his friend moved them today. I really need this completed so I can fire the accumulation of greenware and glaze a couple loads before I leave. I need to plan a way to leave finished ware available for the shop's Christmas season as I do not know when I shall be back. My plan includes staying for the 7 to 11 Cafe on last Friday and getting back to QC for the Brysonville School Revisited on the first Friday.

There is so much greenware, the baker’s rack on which I store it is more than half filled but I hope to get more made in any case. I don’t know when I will be back. The trip is clearly becoming more difficult for the aging bod. Today, neighbour Larry came with his trailer and a friend to remove the larger wheel and some of the brownish clay that needs to be re-claimed. I just find it takes too much out of my shoulders to do the wedging. I am upping my intake of MSM/GS to offset increasing discomfort but will not aggravate it by wedging. The lack of this wheel leaves more space in the studio for glazing/mixing glazes. I will stick to using white clay for a while.

The house in Chateauguay reached a moderate level of clean before son and friend arrived. We had an excellent visit, stress-free! My son’s whole being is de-cluttered with the lack of the albatross and the addition of a more suitable partner in his life. He is relaxed and HAPPY! Both my sons are happy - what a gift!   I was not able to give them things - as they have been working to fit two households into one. Tenley did choose two nice pieces of fabric to take along. And a beautiful Sari given me by my mother about 40 years ago. I hope she gets more use of it than I did! At that time, I would have appreciated a bit of cash, not an expensive sari. Aside from my birth, it was the only thing she gave me that I valued; I am very glad that Tenley loves it. It was still in the plastic bag in which I received it!

I tried to give son a beautiful wooden box he made in high school and gave me; I wanted to be sure he got it back. He preferred to know that I still had it and treasured it. I do! I suppose I can put a note in it so that it will be returned to him eventually. At 85, I am deeply concerned about this sort of thing. I still treasure a few small pieces from my grandmother.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 11:54 AM

I have a pair of flannel-lined LL Bean jeans on a shelf in my closet that I bought years ago. The size was ridiculously small but they seemed to give extra space in the Women's sizes. If I wanted another pair I should order them now, not wait till Winter itself is upon us. Thanks for the reminder! I probably ought to put the first pair on eBay. I lost that weight before the divorce and I was scary skinny when I realized how much weight I'd lost.

I rely on MyFitnessPal to track my macronutrients (Calcium is the important one for me) and one enters food and quantities to track that. I've used it since 2017 for the calcium information, so that habit is well-established, and probably works much like the other app. I sometimes drop in foods to see if they're going to fit for the day and then go ahead and prepare them, so it is an active participant in my diet.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 11:41 AM

The only psychological gimmick that ever helped me lose weight was a diet diary. That works because it prevents you from pretending that you’re not actually consuming an entire day’s worth of calories when you eat a bag of cashews. A good on-line diet tracker such as My Net Diary also keeps you aware of your balance of macronutrients.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, I need another pair of jeans and L.L. Bean, my favourite couturier, just opened a store in Waterloo. Hooray!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 11:03 AM

155 today. This is what I always considered my top weight when I was in my normal range. My target now is 150, though in summers when I was running around a lot as a fire fighter, etc., I probably got down to 145. Never having a scale around at the time, I don't know for sure. When I reach 152 I will have lost 40 pounds. ~ One-fifth of my body weight from last spring. A year ago in the spring I was in the 180s, so my weight even in the heavy times fluctuated; now, my goal is to keep better track of it.

I went for long periods of time not stepping on the scale as if the scale was the enemy, but the data points over the last six months show a steady loss - even during the recovery period after knee surgery, when I was trying to keep my eating to a higher protein content and stay at 1200/day for a few weeks. The programs that use psychology aren't helpful for me - I tried one through my work, paid for with our insurance, and dropped it after a couple of weeks. They went through a series of exercises to try to teach me that my brain would enjoy tiny bites just as much as regular-size bites, and if I took 20 minutes to eat a portion of a meal I'd be doing myself a favor. I'd be wasting a lot of time is what I'd be doing, and look like a fool if I tried it in public. It works for some. I just had to get into a zone where I could tolerate the smaller portions over the course of a day and get enough exercise to burn calories at the same time. And on my eating days of 1200 calories I regularly enjoy a pasta dish or slice of pizza, so I'm not feeling deprived of favorite foods. I read enough mysteries (Lawrence Block has a lot of alcoholic detectives who are in AA) that this takes a page from how he presents alcoholics anonymous - I won't eat a lot of calories today. (The difference is that tomorrow I can have that slice and look forward to it.)

What is Dorothy up to?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 22 - 03:44 PM

My chutney goes well with strong Cheddar cheese or cold cooked meats in a sandwich or on your fork, and with curries in the style of northern India and Pakistan. I eat it most often with cheese or cold roast chicken.

The first batch is simmering now, and the jars are ready in the canner. The second batch is prepped and ready to go tomorrow, when I’m on the other side of choir practice and I’ve had a good night’s sleep.

After standing all morning to peel and chop five kinds of fruit, my feet hurt and my back is tired.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 22 - 02:54 PM

How do you use your chutney? Is it like a dip, or to add to cream cheese on crackers, or on meat sandwiches, etc? Is it eaten in copious amounts (like dipping chips in salsa) or small portions?

Limbs cut from vitex out front, thank you Antonio, and I've started pulling the soil and grass back from the first on a list of nine woody plants in the front yard (seven trees, two shrubs) that have too much soil up over their trunk flares. It comes from planting them from nursery containers that were already full of extra dirt over the roots, and who didn't plant trees a little deeper to help them stay upright back in the day? It seems that buried flares kind of smother the trees. I can see holes drilled across the front by woodpeckers going for beetles under the bark, this is a sign of stress in the tree. The guy I work for spearheaded this work in the organic landscaping industry about 10 years ago, and today you can find lots of landscape folks showing how to uncover root flares on YouTube. Unfortunately, most of my trees were planted about 20 years ago.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 19 Sep 22 - 12:49 PM

I vouch for her chutney!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 22 - 11:06 AM

The Italian prune plums were in the market on Saturday, so today is chutney day in Stratford.

Edmund's No. 2 sister came to visit over the weekend. She's excellent company and an accomplished house guest, but I'm still pretty tired today from doing touristy things with Madeleine. We went to see "Hamlet" on Saturday night and got home very late because the performance was interrupted by a technical problem that trapped Hamlet's father's ghost on a lift under the stage. Fortunately, this production has ripened well since I first saw it early in the season, and Madeleine (ex-high school English teacher) loved it despite the break in the mood. But I finally hit the sack at nearly 2:00 am, then up at 6:30 on Sunday to feed the cats and get ready for church.

Madeleine's train was late, so I made it back to the house at about eight o'clock in the evening. I plunked down in front of the TV and sort of dozed off and on through several episodes of "Midsomer Murders" before finally waking up enough to realize that it was nearly 2:00 am and I still had to organize the garbage and clear the cats' litter-box. I finally got to bed at a quarter to three.

Midnight is the new three o'clock in the morning, folks, and these days I have no business being vertical in the small hours of the night.

However, I must now head out to the supermarket for brown sugar and cider vinegar, and then get that chutney made and bottled -- if I wait till tomorrow, the pears will be mush and the kitchen full of fruit flies. I'll take a nap before choir practice and turn in for the night as soon as I can after.

Why do all this when chutney is to be had at the supermarket? Because I make the best chutney. (False modesty is no modesty at all.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Sep 22 - 10:59 AM

Joe and Jill made it out of the royal scrum and back to Air Force One safely. Whew!

My house smelled so amazing overnight, after making seven jars of fresh pickles (now doing their brining thing in the fridge) and a batch of marinara sauce that used up all of the little batches of sauce I made over the last week from the funky ugly small tomatoes coming out of the yard. The sauce is for eggplant parmesan. I'll eat some and make the rest into a couple of small casseroles to freeze.

eBay box is ready to hand over to the postal carrier.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 05:26 PM

The VHS player I listed last week on eBay has sold, and I have another one ready to list tomorrow. I'm still searching for an online owner's manual for that next one, then I'll dig around the front room and find a box the right size for it.

I have some yard work this afternoon, then some cooking this evening while a load of laundry runs and maybe the dishwasher later. A productive day. Tomorrow is the UK's big pageant as they prepare to bury the queen. I suspect there will be no escaping it here in the US, but that's why they made headphones and audiobooks. And NetFlix. Rather than the funeral, the thing that comes most to my mind is how so many important world leaders will all be in one place at the same time. Seems kind of risky, actually, with the state of the world today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 10:24 AM

A friend with a chainsaw is probably coming over this afternoon to take out a couple of limbs on the tree I've been pruning. My saws aren't big enough to take these off at the base (it's a multi-stem tree with two of them that were mostly dead wood.)

I'm wondering if Dorothy ended up back in Ontario (I see that note on the Sept. 5 post that is directly above the form on this screen). Is this time to start winterizing, or do you have another month until that starts?

We have a hot week (mid-90s) ahead for the next seven days, after which I see a hint of a chance of rain. Just as well I didn't dismantle the watering setup yet. The huge floodwater mosquitoes seem to have laid their eggs in the soil and subsided for the time being, now it's just the regular variety that affect the timing of yard work.

The strawberries are bagged (a gift to my future self - they get used in smoothies). Changing direction, this morning I'll make some fresh pickles with some beautiful cucumbers found yesterday. They'll be ready in a few weeks, biding their time in the small dorm-size fridge I inherited from a friend a few years ago. I also found some beautiful big carrots yesterday so after I brought those home I proceeded to peel and cook all of the older carrots already here. Those are diced to go on top of the dry dog food.

I need to finish my current audio book and be prepared for some marathon listening - the next one is an unabridged version of a 1000-page mystery. The library has me in the waiting list and I pushed it back a few days so I can finish the current one. If any of you are fans of really reliable storytellers with detective series, Lawrence Block has always been a good one. I'm finishing one of his Matthew Scudder novels before I move on to the next Galbraith tome.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 08:02 PM

A lid job makes people look younger too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 03:31 PM

The ex and I just returned from a trip over to my favorite discount gourmet store. The strawberries were on the edge of being gone but I snagged 8 pounds for about $9 and I've got half of them washed, trimmed, and in the freezer on a big baking sheet. In a couple of hours I'll bag those and process the next four pounds. And I found some lovely cucumbers so will make brine this afternoon and get set to make fresh Kosher dill pickles.

They had some high-end yogurt there so I've picked up a gallon of it total (it keeps) at $1 a quart (this stuff goes for $5-7 a quart at Whole Foods) and they had some lovely frozen mushroom pizzas that I can add peppers, olives, pepperoni, whatever, and make several meals each. I love this place, but you have to go when you have room to store all of the stuff you buy and be ready to process it right now. And this is why my freezer is pretty much full all of the time. Between this and processing stuff from the garden, I won't starve in a hurry if I stopped shopping tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 11:20 AM

JennieG, I guess if I can go in twice to have the doctor saw off bone ends and replace them with titanium pieces and plastic disks, I'm not averse to surgery. But having it right there on your face - I imagine it took a while for things to heal and look normal again?

I made a sale on eBay overnight. The label was on and the parcel closed when the postal carrier drove past this morning so handed it over and saved a trip to the post office. Nice! And another couple of items almost ready to list. It's nickel and dime commerce, I work on them when I have a few minutes to go through the steps, but it adds cash to the bank account every month so is welcome. And - each item leaving the house frees up a little space and lets me see what else I have stacked in there. Plus, I figure this is a niche market, some of these older electronics I sell (in particular). Funny that my last job at the library was in the translation of media, from VHS to digital, etc. And when my father was a librarian decades ago he was the first AV librarian at his institution. It's a family thing, being interested in these old devices. :)

I made a little more progress working under the juniper in the yard yesterday. I still have some more to pull away and while I'm at it I'll prune some of the spikey limbs (cars have pulled close to the shrub on the driveway side and gotten scratched paint). I can see the work as moving from one corner of the yard outward across the space so it's easier to plan the steps.

Now that summer is passing I am turning my attention back to the jigsaw puzzles. Last year I worked them year round; this year I skipped them during the days when that room was so very hot (after the heat pump on that side of the house died and the temperatures soared). Mornings and evenings are ok now for a few minutes of puzzling over the pieces. The heat also did a number on many of my house plants in the window, so I need to repot and trim some of them. We're getting close to the time when I can put in the new heat pump.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 02:03 AM

One side effect from the heavy eyelids that I hadn't thought about, was tiredness. As the nurse explained, your lids have teeny tiny muscles that make them blink and hold them open, which she said explained why my lids felt so tired in the evenings. Those little muscles were working overtime. They aren't now.

When the surgeon measured my eyes and lids prior to surgery he said he would make an incision (makes my toes curl even now when I think about) just above the eyebrows, cut out a wedge of skin and stuff, and sew it back together.....and he said he would need to take out 7-8 millimetres. That's over one quarter of an inch in old money, which will give you an idea of how much they had drooped.

I know surgery isn't fun, Maggie, but if you find you need to have it done - then do it. I for one can recommend it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 01:42 AM

Steve, I'm a great believer in Vitamin D from the sunshine. Get as much of it as you can. And I hope your energy levels improve very soon. It's awful to be weak and what the Scots call 'peely-wally'.
If you like, I'll have a lovely argument with you on here. Get your fists up!
Seriously though, I do hope you'll feel better very soon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 08:37 PM

Well I survived our memory café this afternoon, and our last-minute replacement band were just fantastic. I'm still very chesty and my energy levels are zilch, but I now have a free weekend as Mrs Steve is having a weekend break with her bunch of dancing girls 20 miles down the road in Polzeath (with luck they won't bump into David Cameron, as Polzeath is his favourite watering hole...). The forecast is good so I might catch some vitamin D on our front porch and catch some Beethoven/listen to the birdsong/find someone to squabble with on Mudcat.... Only kidding! :-)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 03:09 PM

Whenever I hear of eyelid surgery, I think of, of all people,
the author Salman Rushdie
because he required just that surgery,
for the same reason -- that it was actually impacting his vision.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 02:52 PM

The "out of sight, out of mind" method has always worked well for me, but it's hard to do if you live in cramped quarters. I certainly never managed it until I had the use of a genuine basement.

When I finish this latest flurry of purging, I'm aiming for maybe two donation surges per year -- or whenever the six-foot folding table in the basement is full, whichever comes first. Sooner or later, I have to come to the end of clothing that I don't wear any more or never did!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 12:39 PM

I fear that kind of surgery is in my future - my upper lids have a way of overlapping on themselves that allows milia to form on the upper lid. They are at times uncomfortable. I just did a search and see that Dr. Pimple Popper has an episode with those. Ugg. (I've watched a couple of episodes of that program one time. It's grotesquely fascinating but I think that one time was enough!)

I'm warming to the front yard gardening project, it should be something I can work on comfortably for the next couple of months. After the first freeze, work on warm days can continue. Plus, that kind of exercise is a good full-body workout and after having lost weight I now need to find activities that tone muscles. My fitness tracker doesn't necessarily pick up the full range of gardening activity but I can feel it at the end of the day. I'm within six pounds of my goal at this point.

This week I've added a number of things to the donation bin in my laundry room. I find that this "out of sight, out of mind" system works - the bin contents are taken to Goodwill about once a quarter and if there is something I realize I really did need there is time to retrieve it. In general it confirms that I don't need and won't miss this stuff.

I have more okra to pickle this weekend, and I need to take some soapy insecticide out and spray a few spots where pests have turned up. The summer heat seemed to singe everything that might prey on the plants but they're back for the fall.

This morning I heard from a friend whose grand children are bickering over their father's estate. He died a couple of years ago and there hasn't been an orderly process of handling probate. The older son worked on it for a while but the younger sister didn't respond to his requests they get what they wanted out of the house. So he stopped working on it, the house was cleared of things he wanted or thought were important. I think a lot went to the dump. Now the younger sister (with a greedy manipulative spouse) has gone to court to be named administrator and is insisting the brother bring back everything they emptied. Really? She wants to reclutter and have a do-over on a hoarders house? Her mother and grandmother and I have talked - we're watching from the cheap seats, and hoping they don't end up just making more money for a couple of attorneys. In some ways it's a good thing my kids don't seem to be interested in the stuff in my house; I suspect they'll do an estate sale after I'm gone and all of these family treasures will find new homes. :-(

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 11:25 AM

Hooded eyes run in one branch of my Dad’s family, and I demonstrate the trait very well. I sincerely hope to avoid surgery — I’ve had quite enough of that, thanks very much — and I think it helps that I had my cataracts removed years ago, which gives me some leeway.

It’s a pity that so many people feel free to criticize the decisions others make about their very own personal bodies. At a certain point, living with a physical anomaly can get so awkward that a procedure that some would call “purely cosmetic” is necessary to the patient’s mental health. The operation to correct drooping eyelids — blepharoplasty, if I recall correctly — is a tricky business that no one with sense would undertake without a very good reason, and an even better surgeon.

A lovely, sunny Friday in Stratford. Today I’m cooking, and trying to identify a good winter spot for the widely spreading Maranta. This house gets two kinds of sunlight: too much and hardly any.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 07:06 AM

Eyelid hoods are considered a vision problem at some point.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 12:56 AM

Indeed, Charmion - the best ever!

My optometrist has hinted that I can expect to need cataract surgery sometime in the next few years, my eyes aren't quite there yet. Two years ago I had eye surgery (although a woman in my sewing group called it 'cosmetic surgery', I soon put her right) as my heavy eyelids were impacting on my vision. Afterwards....I couldn't believe the world was so big and bright! The decrease in vision is a gradual thing so the difference was quite marked. It entailed an eyelid lift, and an eyebrow lift, and lots of stitches and suture lines which are still visible but slowly fading. Not something I would do for vanity.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 09:41 PM

Charmion, I asked him how he cleans the rugs - it's an interesting process and he had lots of videos of stages of it on his phone. Pressure washing, a special soap meant for rugs, and a huge roller ringer (like on the old washing machines) followed by drying outside and nights in a warmed space, alternating until it's completely dry. And he had some very tempting rugs for sale there in the shop. (He discourages browsing - there are stacks of rugs that are large and very heavy. "I'm not moving rugs unless they know the size and color they're shopping for.") No kidding!

I have a couple of social events coming up at the end of the month, and my COVID booster will have had time to get up to full strength. One event will be outdoors, so no mask, and one is indoors (I'll still go masked). I'm curious to see if the vaccine is a good match for the circulating versions of this coronavirus but I'm not wanting to catch the thing to test the science.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 09:05 PM

Getting your hand-knotted Asian rugs cleaned can be a bit spendy, but it’s well worth both the price and the effort involved in extracting them from the house and hauling them to the cleaners’ workshop. If the dog has eaten the fringe, as some dogs will do, a good cleaner will also provide repair services.

I just love the glow of the red Bokhara on my bedroom floor. I’m told they’re out of fashion since minimalism is the thing these days, but I don’t freakin’ care!

Steve, I can heartily recommend probiotic capsules for your poor innards. After decades of bronchitis and pneumonia at stonking big doses of antibiotics per bout, I had major grief from my guts that just up and went away when I started using probiotics on the advice of the gastroenterologist who did my last colonoscopy. I hope you’re soon back on form.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 07:50 PM

Thank you for getting rid of that exchange. There was a post there I didn't want to see left standing in this thread, the spirit of which I do try to respect.

One more dose of antibiotics to go. For the last few days they've been playing merry hell with my guts. I usually tolerate them well, but I've been on a heavy dose for almost two weeks now. I have an emergency supply, sanctioned by the doc unbelievably, in case of a next time!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 07:33 PM

So as a friendly reminder inserted here, this is a declutter and fitness thread, and bickering carried in from other threads by the usual suspects is deleted and NOT appreciated.

Today after the gym I stopped by a rug shop on that side of town to ask about getting my Persian carpets cleaned. I have two small ones and one modest sized one, and I've heard good things. The place is stacked high with carpets - if you want to buy one that is in one of these stacks it is going to take a lot of work to get it out. He discourages browsing, he wants to know the size and color you're looking for if he's going to stir himself to do that much heavy lifting. I'll take one of them over next week and see what he quotes. I'm guessing we're looking at about $100 per rug. Some of the bigger and very old ones can be very expensive to clean; mine date from the turn of the last century and came from the family home. To my knowledge they have never been cleaned, only regularly vacuumed (at least in the 40 years I've had them).

It's too late to work in the yard this afternoon, the mosquitoes would eat me alive, but I'll get started working on that juniper again in the morning. I'm looking forward to how it looks ones the trunk flare (also called root flare) is exposed. And to start mixing up potting soil to do some pot planting for this fall. (I will go spend a few minutes picking okra - I have to do that every day.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 06:54 PM

The weather's been good today but I haven't really appreciated it much. The cellulitis has settled nicely and I believe my kidneys are cranking themselves back to something like normal, but I have the worst chest cold I've had in years (it's not covid). Every cough hurts me round my middle and makes my headache worse. We have our Memory Café tomorrow. The singer we'd booked called off at the last minute ("her clutch broke..."), leaving us stranded. Luckily, we have an act called Fiddlefit who have agreed to step into the breach, Gawd bless 'em. So it's been a bit of a day. I'm hoping to feel a lot better tomorrow so that I can go along. I might even take my harmonicas with me...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 04:18 PM

I ask that people consider information FITNESS.
Taking care of our digital selves.
Many people think Google will give them an answer to something.
The apps used will give you an answer based on filters of what you already know and ordering based on criterion Google determines itself partly by the number of clicks it gets. If they put something first it WILL get more clicks - ergo it is manipulated and bias grows.

Data mining follows you even when you are offline. Pay a dentist in cash and you will get targeted for dentist ads that night. The deposit is tracked.

Google ABSOLUTELY quarantines and eliminates access to Millions of websites they call pirate sites. Its bias is still a dangerous potential.

We should vary our search engine habits but even firefox is tracked. Check out how Google can shift an election bias by 60% INVISIBLY.
Source: video 'The Creepy Line' Dr. Robert Epstien
It can be found on Freevee

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 12:19 PM

A good few years ago now my dad had both his lenses replaced due to cataracts. He told everyone that he'd had to have it done because he'd been "suffering with bilateral pseudophakia." I had to gently inform him that bilateral pseudophakia was what he had *now*... :-)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Sep 22 - 11:57 AM

Charmion landed a perfect 10 with that brand name. :)

Next door neighbor called to tell me they piled some of their branches on the pile of branches I have assembled at the curb, since the branches they put out at the bottom of their driveway already were picked up with the regular trash. They wanted to be sure the rest went so they added them to my stack. The way we do this is probably repeated through the neighborhood - you establish a pile of trash at the curb as a marker for the city to note, that you intend to have material picked up as part of bulky waste. And until they actually do pick it up, you keep adding to the pile. Mine has about doubled since Monday because yesterday I took more dead limbs out of the vitex in the front.

I started pulling the dirt off of the roots of a juniper that has been ailing for a while - when I planted it 20 years ago I dug a hole and plopped in the shrub - turns out most of them come from the nursery with extra dirt added to the pots and the root flare of the tree or shrub is buried in there somewhere. This line of demarcation - the flare - should actually be at ground level and show at the base of the tree. This talks about it. I think this one is a few inches too deep so I'm pulling dirt off (I'll post before and after photos later). The soil coming off of it has been accumulating nutrients and is in very nice shape, so I'm filling a few of my pots right now. When I get ready to plant something in them I'll dump the contents into the wheelbarrow, add some compost and soil amendments (various organic products like lava sand and greensand that provide nutrients and keep the soil friable instead of hard-packed. This is a long-lived plant so the fact that I'm doing this now will just keep it alive and healthier longer. And this is perfect soil for the repotting I was wanting to do (keeping in mind it is pretty acid from being under this shrub - I could plant blueberries or azaleas in it without any changes). I will probably also mix in some of the old soil from pots to lower the pH. You never need to discard the used soil, just add more amendments, etc. I also need to expose the flare on the vitex, come to think of it.

I've decided to start on the driveway side of the front yard and work my way toward the yard's front path (the half-way line in front). So this shrub needs work, then weeding a bed near it, trimming a couple of other shrubs, then addressing the larger tree I've been trimming all week - I've just laid out several weeks' worth of work for myself.

And on a topic unrelated - I'm hearing happy reports back from an old friend who finally decided to get cataract surgery after bemoaning the state of his glasses prescription. The first eye is so clear and the colors are wonderful! Decluttering the old cataracts is one of the things that Medicare will pay for (for the standard lens) that improves so many lives.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 05:43 PM

My infection markers were normal today. My kidney function has made really good upward progress but another week or two will reveal all. I'm discharged from the hospital and I just have to have another blood test in a couple of weeks' time. I've been severely told off for wearing (a) sandals, (b) shorts and (c) for going barefoot. Grr. I may comply in very limited ways...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 01:37 PM

It’s Cardbordeaux in Canada.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 10:55 AM

JennieG, I almost mentioned the cardboard offerings in my list of inexpensive but acceptable wines - I haven't had any of them in many years, deciding to go with glass as it is completely recyclable. Meanwhile, it's good to know what was the unfortunately named progenitor of the House of Mudcat Collapso wines - though I can't find a trace of them for sale here in the US. A search on Google offers up other Italian red wine blends.

I've lived in a lot of different states and they each have their own rules for selling alcohol. There were dry cities here in Texas (there may still be) but the large city where I worked reversed that a dozen years ago and the liquor stores that sold everything at the city boundaries soon closed as businesses popped up in town. Beer and wine are ok in grocery stores, the hard stuff in their own stores. In Washington where I grew up there used to be state liquor stores until the Costco warehouses took it to court (Costco is also based in Washington) and now liquor sales are separate from wine and beer but not in state stores. In Arizona everything is sold in any store, it's just in it's own room. In Kentucky we used to have to drive a county to the west to buy cases of beer to bring home.

I haven't driven much of anywhere in ages except to buy gasoline without ethanol (next county west of here). I'm out of the habit, and if I go for more than I a day have to make arrangements to feed the dogs. And there is still COVID. There are fewer and fewer of us in public in face masks these days, but every time I think about maybe skipping it, an article comes along to convince me otherwise. This morning I read about the scourge of "brain fog" that goes with Long COVID. It's bad enough to feel that way temporarily after a medical procedure or in the grips of a cold or flu, but a prolonged episode, and no way to know if you'll end up with Long COVID or not - ugg. I'll keep wearing the masks.

Time to work on decluttering ugly potted plants out by the front porch and at the side door. Repot the contents or dump the contents if the plants died. It's all a bit of a tangle right now. And while doing this, work on the compost. I have a long hose that can be dragged to the compost are at the back of the yard. I need to turn and then water the contents of bins. After our hot summer the tops of the piles baked into hard cases and anything underneath hasn't had any water trickle through (even with that day of heavy rain) to help break down the contents. Repotting (and rearranging and sweeping) will provide an instant refresh to those areas. And while I'm at it, working out a way to make some small trellises (tee pees of cut branches or bamboo) for vines to climb. I recycled a lot of straight branches (curbside pickup) but I don't they they were particularly durable to use. Maybe cheap cedar furring strips in with other stuff.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 08:53 AM

I think there’s a couple of bottles of Colpasso in the cellar. It’s time to take inventory and identify what will need drinking soon; last month I found a 2014 Chardonnay that tasted of raisins.

When Edmund died, the wine rack (200 sections of terra-cotta drainage pipe stacked against the foundation) contained more than 150 bottles. Nearly two years later, I’m down to about 120 — and I’ve taken wine everywhere I’ve been invited in the interim. I bought some prosecco a couple of weeks ago to make Aperol spritz for the rellies, but I think that’s been my only wine purchase.

Yesterday I vacuumed, dusted and mopped everything on the ground floor of the house, removing prodigious quantities of cat hair, and today I shall attack the upstairs. It’s time to deal with the warren of dust bunnies under my bed, not to speak of 13 open bookcases and three Oriental carpets. The toilets and sinks are clean; it’s just everything else.

As the summer wanes, the angle of the sun has changed enough that I have to move several large houseplants to keep them out of direct glare. One in particular — a bushy Maranta leuconeura — has been so happy in the library that it doubled its spread during the summer and now looks as if it needs a room of its own.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 06:47 AM

The real name of the vino in question is Colpasso, a very nice red (Nero d'Avola) from Sicily. I put Dave on to it a while back, as it's available at Morrisons, an emporium with which he has connections, and he promptly rechristened it Collapso! Only appropriate after two bottles (not that I'd know)!

Off to the hospital in a few minutes for what I hope will be my signing-off. Luckily, the acute kidney injury, which I'm hoping will have almost completely resolved by now, had nothing to do with wine drinking, so our Wednesday night ritual of wine and cheese and no cooking looks secure! After that, I have to contemplate cutting my neglected, out-of-control grass, which will be sprouting from the chimney tops if I don't do something soon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 06:28 AM

I gained 7 lbs. Yesterday I removed 2 heavy rugs and installed 12x15 wall to wall carpet that matches the drapes and furniture. A glass table removed a square inch of skin from my forearm but it doesn't hurt. I still have some hallway work to do. Furniture moving was the bulk of the lifting but I'm not sore today. The room looks bigger today and the cats seem to love it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 12:18 AM

Back in late 2012 we were visiting friends in North Bay, Ontario, when Gilles took it into his head that we should try some wine from Quebec - it's only an hour drive. Off we went on a drizzly chilly day (cool misty weather makes for beautifuly atmospheric photos) to a town called Temiscamingue where we found what in Oz is called a bottle shop, a generic term for an outlet which sells any sort of alcohol.

After a conversation in French with Madame - I even said bonjour Madame in my best Ozzie French, and Madame seemed most impressed - we found some Quebec wine which, when we tried it that evening, none of us liked very much....it was very sweet, more like mead. However we noticed that 80% or so of their stock was from Oz! Wolf Blass, Yellow Tail, Jacob's Creek, which we can buy in any bottle shop here; we would have expected wine in Quebec to be either local, or imported from France.

Probably even had some Chateau Cardboard tucked away too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:57 PM

So here in the US I think (if I get the drift correctly) the Yellow Tail Shiraz or the one they blend with Grenache and a couple of others, with a screw top, would be considered a Vino Collapso? I rarely spend as much as $10 a bottle, so I suspect I've had a lot of it around here over the years. Aldi carries quite a few in this category, as does Trader Joe's and Winco.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:16 PM

Vino Collapso! My fave!

We have it in Ontario, too. This end, it’s generally a sprightly riesling from the Niagara.

Since Easter, my weight has been stable at or just below 160 pounds. I would like to shift ten to fifteen more, but that’s all. Thirty pounds have faded away since 15 September 2020, when Edmund and I swore a mighty oath to shed the flab we had accumulated during the first lockdown. I haven’t been deliberately under-eating, but I have been making a concerted effort to get enough protein and avoid sweets. Except ice cream. Life’s too short to not eat ice cream.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:10 PM

I had to look up the difference—the last time I lived anyplace with a septic tank I don't think there were "biological detergents" available. I guess the detergent's enzymes kill the good flora in the tank? We see advertisements for a product called Riddex that is supposed to be flushed periodically to keep the biological activity where it should be.

This week I'm starting the next push of eBay listings. I have a few listings that have attracted views and watchers but not sold so far. Now to start moving some of the thrift store and estate sale electronics. They don't make VHS machines any more and people still have tapes they want to watch or want to play so they can transfer to digital files on computers. The one I'm going to list tomorrow was found in a thrift store and there was a cassette still in it. Someone had recorded the sexy portions of movies, apparently. Maybe I'd get more if I included a view of that video. ;-) I test the players on a television positioned where it's easy to set up and use a Muppet movie in the player then take a photo of the player and the TV with the movie playing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 05:31 PM

You put me to shame with your wine moderation, Maggie. As you may imagine, I had every test and scan under the sun last week, and was amazed to be informed that my liver is in pretty decent condition. My kidneys are the right size, my bladder empties nicely (I had an ultrasound scan with it full and with it empty, within five minutes!), there are no blockages anywhere... My creatinine levels were, however, through the roof. They were going down nicely by Friday and I'm hoping for near-normality when I'm tested tomorrow. I'm hoping that tomorrow will be the end of an horrendous period of my life. That period included (wait for it...) the emptying for the first time in 34 years of our septic tank. I was expecting to be told that, oh dear, we can't do this, it's set like concrete in there.... But the chap said it was one of the best he'd seen and that it was really easy to empty! We understand that our system, which has always worked like a dream, may not comply with new regulations. That can be an issue for next week/month/year! There are only two rules, which we've always kept to religiously: no biological detergents and no bleach.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 03:52 PM

I have a lovely wine rack given me by a friend a half-dozen years ago when he was moving and paring down stuff; at that time I sent a smaller wine rack of mine to my son. I haven't refilled it during the spring or summer because when I have wine there I tend to drink it - a bottle every 3 or 4 days, but still, it was a steady source of calories when I was trying to reduce. My goal at the end of my weigh loss summer is to restock a few bottles and continue my modest consumption, but maintaining the lower weight.

I'm at 35 pounds lost now, aiming for 40 and hope to get there before cooler weather sets in. It's much easier to maintain one's weight during cold weather than it is to lose weight in cold weather.

A note about wine - I've often used it in cooking and my kids have participated over the years in cooking with wine or having it with the meal. My son (about 16 at the time) and I were in a grocery store checkout area when a woman slid a bottle of red into her shopping bag, missed, and it shattered. As we walked past he remarked "that smells really good!" and we circled it once, trying to get a look at the label. My goal was to raise kids who understood that alcohol was best consumed alcohol with food.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:51 AM

Good man yerself