FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 May 22 - 12:15 PM

NewEgg Canada has no TVs smaller than 55 inches. A TV that size I would have to watch from the driveway. Also, the prices look consistent with Best Buy, which has a real-world store where I could see the goods and measure the feet to ensure the thing will fit where I want to put it.

I looked at Amazon Canada, and got much the same result. Small TVs are available there, but none at an image resolution standard better than 1080p.

As for Costco, I’m not a member and I don’t plan to join.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 May 22 - 09:30 PM

Dupont:

TV? Some years ago, we graduated from the impossibly heavy old TV to a flat screen - not huge. R connected it to an aerial and we get 3 English channels. I can also connect my computer to it but so find it hugely helpful. My son did fix me up with Apple TV and I can access a great number of programs that we enjoy. It has helped my sanity through the Covid.

Corelle: never have had a single piece.

Yard: Making progress on the weed whacking. Today came to realize there is some Wild Parsnip - a seriously toxic plant. I whacked it from a distance - lengthened the handle to max. Will not go to that part of the yard for quite a while. It is "way over there", not where we usually do anything at all. I have preserved a sizeable patch of yarrow - cutting the grass above the yarrow.

Today drove down to southern QC, took Rita a few pieces of rhizomes of a beautiful yellow iris. Then picked up my order of plants at the Jardin de Resistance. Managed to get some in the ground and do more whacking before the mosquitoes drove me inside.

This week: Cleared the back hall of plants and their fallout, cleared some of the china that was homeless into homes and some into "to go". Laundry caught up. House is tolerably tidy and clean; would like to do better.

Thought I would leave for Beaver on Monday but plants need planting! Then, this moment, I realize R has a major event on Tuesday so I shall stick around to see how that goes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 May 22 - 06:12 AM

fwiw, I did find a couple of 4K 32" tvs on Amazon UK but they don't seem no be common. Would you really get any benefit from the step up from 1080p with that screen size anyway?

I think our (Sony 1080p) tv is 42". I don't think it will be replaced until it breaks down. I think we would go a bit larger next time, maybe to 50" - I don't think we'd want to go bigger than that.
Ours has Internet but it's almost never used. Our connection is too slow and we'd never be subscribing to services like Netflix.

I was looking at even smaller (24") tvs the other day. Dad has become more unstable and erratic at bed time. After a very close shave a fortnight ago, I decided I could no longer move him safely at that time. We are using the temporary council service for that at the moment but a permanent provider could mean him going to bed at 7pm rather than his preferred (and which we certainly wouldn't get) 10pm.

I did put a (I think) 12" tv in there on another occasion when he had to go to bed early but it does seem a bit small viewed from the other end of the bed. I reckon I could use a wall mount with an arm and have a 24" tv toe end of the bed and feel that would be nicer for him. I'll have to see what happens with future arrangements and what dad finds he wants first.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 30 May 22 - 07:22 AM

To my surprise, I managed to extract the new TV from the car, move it into the house, unpack it from its e-NOR-mous flat box with internal styrofoam, and set it up — all by myself. I did not believe my arms were long enough, and the instructions clearly show the lifting and manipulating tasks done by two people, but everything turned out okay and I did not strain my back.

For an encore, I rolled up the parlour carpet (another cat attack) and hauled it out to the garage for the cleaners.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 May 22 - 08:10 AM

Oh well, I've just had an interesting one here. Dad somehow managed to get his right hand trapped between the outer rim used to propel his wheelchair and the spokes on the wheel itself. I didn't even know that was possible...

I managed to free a couple of his fingers but one was stuck, looked like it was swelling, and I couldn't try to yank it free. Fortunately, using a hex key to remove the screws holding the wheel I could get to with him sat on the chair, I managed to get him free.

I was wondering if that had failed though whether a hand trapped in a wheelchair would be an ambulance or fire brigade job.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 30 May 22 - 08:25 AM

Jon is the heroic fireman in this case.
Just finding the correct hex tool is hard enough.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 May 22 - 11:37 AM

I have sets, Imperial and Metric, of hex keys in "the drawer" in the kitchen where I also keep a few screw drivers, a rubber mallot, lots of spare parts to things, door and lock keys, etc. When you need one, you need one, and shouldn't have to search for the right one. Good job, Jon! That would be an unusual entry on the fire brigade log sheet.

I've ordered an $11 roll of rubber and polyester 3/8" elastic tape and have two sheet sets that need refurbishing, everything is good except the elastic on the fitted sheet is shot. That will be one of my quiet tasks during knee recuperation next month. I'm looking for other things as well that can be done seated with one leg up.

The rest of the tomatoes were planted yesterday and I've moved more soil from the keyhole garden to the new bed. Surreptitious watering last night (after dark, it wasn't my day to water) on the old garden will soften the soil for moving more today. It's an American holiday, Memorial Day, so I can be out there looking like I'm digging a grave in the front yard. :-/

The trash guys may have been surprised by how solidly heavy my trash can was this morning, and tossing contents into the truck will have finished the job with the resounding noise of breaking crockery. But it feels good to have that change out finished. I also finally dropped off several bags of sweaters and blouses that I never wore at Goodwill. My closet feels more friendly now, like almost everything in there is usable. I kept a couple of fancy dressy black sweaters that can go in the "loan to a visitor" category. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a few light jackets handy in case a guest needs one? And I think it's time for my largest pair of yard jeans to finally go into the denim stash in the sewing room. The thighs have worn through and they can't be worn in public any more, even were I to gain back the weight I hope to never see again.

Dorothy, I hope the drive to Beaver is good and all of your pots and gardens are waiting for your attendance! Charmion, when I got the large TV I looked up information about comfortable viewing - it never seemed good to put a TV way up above the mantle, for example. I downloaded a copy as a PDF with headers and footers so I have a URL for you: TV Viewing Distance Guide More than just a matter of personal preference! Treating it like a theatrical experience and putting it directly in front or a little bit below, like in the theater, makes it feel more comfortable. Good luck with that! (This is an updated version of the same article I picked up when I first got the big TV.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 May 22 - 08:11 PM

Dupont:

Defeated by mosquitoes, and the dropping barometric pressure, not much planted, nothing whacked. Hope tomorrow is better. Did clear a bin load of not too big jardinieres out to back porch rather than the floor of the DR. I just needed some energy and impetus, as in "I can't take these in here anymore!" Still some plant related stuff to clear into another bin and more but the heat beat me. So I spent the afternoon on line - a major hissy fit between two rehabbers (on FB) needed major intervention. They sorted themselves out pretty well but the interference from "I hate people" types was nasty. Mudcat Sing ... was a nice distraction after the anguish.

It is time to hook up the A/C in the BR to see if it works! And get R to open the attic door so the heat can go out the heat chimney.

And put away load of laundry, make some food... Off I go!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 30 May 22 - 08:14 PM

I have a sturdy little oak TV stand properly designed and built by the Mennonites, who are not noted for their consumption of popular culture but know what they’re doing when they make furniture. The screen is at eye level when I’m sitting in the comfy chair, and it’s on the opposite wall a good eight feet away. Any closer and my eyes hurt.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 May 22 - 11:02 PM

It sounds like you landed on a good level and distance with your table and chair placement. I forgot about that new furniture piece - I imagine the new TV looks good on it.

The whole garlic plants stood in the bucket since I dug it all last week, so tonight I cut them apart and put the bulbs in a flat cardboard box (like cases of cans come in) so they can dry some more. The garlic smell is really strong in here right now. I came in when the mosquitoes started bouncing off of me - I put mosquito dunks in all of the small watery areas that I can find, but I need to keep that up. Too bad garlic doesn't drive them away. I made several trips back to the compost pile today, but always carrying things or pushing the wheelbarrow, so my fitness tracker didn't show that as steps today. My body feels the effects of a lot of digging and lifting. I need to put the wrist watch tracker in an ankle band (I've made a couple) for the steps to show more accurately.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 May 22 - 04:58 AM

I keep sets of metric and imperial hex keys indoors too. I also have sets in my shed but I don't want to go outside to fetch them or move them between locations.

I got myself new sets for indoors last month. This was triggered by me losing a couple of keys that came with a 3d printer. I didn't have any before but ball end ones are a lot easier when (as is the case with the fan cover on the printer) accessing the screw slot in a straight line is difficult.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 31 May 22 - 10:46 AM

A bush by the back west corner of the house has erupted into bloom for the first time since I've lived here. I had no idea that it would produce long trusses of pink and white flowers, so it was a candidate for extirpation. I think it's a cultivar of Weigela florida .

About two weeks ago, I spent a frantic half hour in that corner, right beside the air conditioner, slashing about with my trusty secateurs. A great mass of dormant or winter-killed English ivy was thoroughly tangled in the very dead-looking lower branches of this quite undistinguished bush, which I pruned ferociously in the hope of revealing the gas meter. If I had had a spade to hand at the time, or been less in need of a beer, I would probably have dug out the bush there and then. So, two cheers for procrastination.

Another piece of furniture is slated to leave the building and, with any luck, it will depart tomorrow. It's a tall chest of drawers, of the type known here as a "lingerie chest", that Edmund and I bought from a naval officer in Ottawa when Edmund's collection of fitness gear was overflowing into plastic bins. (Edmund had the largest chest of drawers in the family, but he always bought copiously and rarely parted with anything that wasn't actually reduced to a rag.) In style, this item is most things I dislike about modern furniture: a sterile, formal design executed in fake materials, mostly plywood from the weight. I'm glad it's going.

It's stinking hot today, so I plan to stay in the house, at the computer, and grind through the production and distribution of reference materials for the Annual General Meeting of the Stratford Concert Choir. The AGM will be my last task as President, an office I have no desire to hold one hour longer than necessary.

In future, I will be the choir's librarian, responsible for issuing sheet music to the choir members at the beginning of rehearsals for each concert, and recovering the music (and putting it away properly) after each concert. This is work I can do in my sleep, and it will put less strain on my limited diplomacy skills than the presidency does. I will also be Secretary of the Board of Directors, so I don't have to read inept minutes. To my credit, I have managed to wheedle a highly capable individual to accept the presidency, and I hope she reigns for years and years.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 May 22 - 11:22 AM

I have a pack of those loose hex keys, not sure where or when I picked them up. They might have been my Dad's (I have a lot of tool duplication with what came from his house, stored out in the garage tool drawers.) The ones I use most often are attached sets. I loaned the loose Allen wrenches out before expecting to never see them again and they came back, whole set. This from a friend who can't find all of her spare house keys so keeps having new ones made.

Did you know that if you lose a dozen pounds it can look like a lot more on the scale? From the low 190s to the high 170s means you lost all of the 180s and a little bit more, but what a boost to the morale! Now 25 more to go, hopefully this year. The surgery recuperation period will present a time when I expect (hope for) a plateau (and not gain this back).

Found a pair of too-big navy slacks in the closet that still have the store tags on them, a missed opportunity when I was heavier to have worn more than just jeans. Those slacks were from back when I was still going to work every day. I think what is helping this alternate day fasting is that I've fully switched over to eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, and trying to vary them every day. Over the last few years I wasn't paying close attention to the non-fasting days and combined fasting (~500 calories) with eating lots of bread carbs on the non-fasting day makes it go slower and lose interest. I'm sticking to 1200 calories on my non-fasting days now.

I'm making progress on moving the soil between garden beds. When I built that garden I did a mix of adding good top soil, humate, and amendments, and am seeing this is beautiful garden soil still under the Bermuda grass, so am looking forward to using it again. I still get weeds in the raised beds, but I can move the planks and weed it or till it a lot easier. The rock-edged bed was much harder to maintain.

Charmion, I finally identified a mystery shrub that I almost trashed, it has been growing in a pot near the mums and mint and such on the side patio. I finally remembered that when I was planting the American Beautyberry out front I found a sprig of a shrub in the pot beside the bigger one, and I poked it into another pot to think about putting it somewhere else. And forgot about it. It's almost as large as the first one now, but hasn't flowered yet (a main reason for the mystery.) I paid $40 for the first plant so this one is a bonus. Now I'm glad I didn't dig it out of my pot, but where to put it? Meanwhile, I've planted one of the small trees behind the fence in the back 40 and ran a hose through the fence down to it. Now I pour a gallon of water down the hose every other day without having to unlock the fence and wade through weeds to reach it. I have two more trees to plant back there but I'll pace myself, one at a time until it's a bit established.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 31 May 22 - 01:38 PM

Same ol hedging, mowing and whacking yesterday and today. a Cambodian bamboo shoot shot up 35 feet before it even sent out branches like a flagless flagpole. It managed to hide when it was little.

A recent rose bush loves its location and has profuse large old fashioned circular UV bright Red iridescent flowers with yellow centers.
My vision is shifted to more reds and UV blue so this variety looks amazing to me. This is not unusual for nordic folks. When German U boats signaled with UV lanterns they did not know the Scandinavians could see them directly. I would prefer the mutation of four dedicated color cones in the eye rather than the usual 3 but thats impossible. Only women get that mutation.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 31 May 22 - 08:56 PM

Dupont:

I had Charmion's "stinking hot" yesterday and little happened here. But with some help from R, the DR is now clear of myriad pots and "saucers" now in two bins on the deck. Still some DR stuff which has not been homed as there is no room left in two very large china cabinets; need a plan B which includes mutual decisions about what can go to thrift shops.

My Weigela, is just starting to bloom; it is about 10x 12 feet and thoroughly hides the South window in the LR. Looking through photos on phone, I see full bloom on or about 20 June, so early this year. Yes, it does look scraggly at some times. The Canna that wintered in the den and back hall - Sunny! - is already starting to bloom in it plastic bin in the front yard - surrounded by the lengths of fallen limb - just the right length to hide the bin.

Today was lovely and I managed to get many things planted but still have a number yet to go. No whacking done. The different body movements - planting vs whacking - have me aching. Whacking seemed to be improving back and shoulders. Planting is achey! Still hope to finish planting tomorrow so I can go to Beaver on Thurs. I have a very low tolerance to mosquitoes! A friend sent me a pic of her mosquito gear! She lives on the edge of a swamp.

Took a lengthy nap today after eating nap inducing foods. Hope to remember not to do that again. My gut is still unhappy. After a nice salad for lunch... It will be interesting, but prob not exciting to see how much I weigh when I finally get to Beaver.

R has admitted to a Youtube addiction as the reason he is not getting home until 11pm. I suspected it was not all work and addressed the issue with some annoyance. "Come home and use my computer!" For some reason, he has not made friends with my old one even though he took it to the city to get help from Eph. I shall have good cause to speak to Eph about it; he convinced R to borrow my precious car today for special occasion. I shall relax when it is safely home! My pristine Prius.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 22 - 12:25 AM

Since I tossed my old yard sneakers I wore my steel-toed boots in the garden today, and was astonished to look down and find the soles had crumbled and it was down to the leather on both boots. In the course of an hour. Must be defective materials! I have had these maybe 5 years, and don't wear them often. I'll see about having them resoled with Vibram and keep them going.

I offered irises to a friend who wants both colors I thinned recently, and today when I posted about a small vitex tree I don't need, she also wanted that. So I'll be delivering plants on my long run through the eastern half of the county. All three of these offerings were things in the way or that seeded themselves (this tree sprouted in the pot two years ago and whatever else was planted in there died. So it became a potted tree by default.) I think we're both into xeriscape gardening (plants adapted to dryer climates) that survive benign neglect. These two plants are the stars of that kind of landscaping program. :)

I'm pushing myself to get a lot of things in the ground and mulched so they can survive the time I'm hobbling around with a bandaged knee. I can get to the faucets to turn on sprinklers with the hoses already in place but I shouldn't be out in the garden weeding or anything like that. Probably won't feel like it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jun 22 - 10:56 AM

The supernumerary chest of drawers is gone, adopted by the large & lumpy brother of my favourite furniture repair guy, himself a large & lumpy individual. While they were here, they hauled a teak three-seater sofa from the rather small parlour to the much larger library-cum-music room upstairs, and brought a dainty walnut-framed settee downstairs to grace the parlour.

My father’s favourite chair (and mine) has also left the building, but it will return in good time with freshly re-glued joints and more comfortable upholstery. That repair won’t be cheap — it seems that nothing good ever is — but it should set the chair up for at least another generation of reading and staring at the goggle box.

Now that the tumult and shouting are done, the house still looks full of furniture.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 22 - 11:31 AM

That's handy, that they would help you move stuff. A nice repayment for the donated chest of drawers!

I have a Mission oak rocker that needs reupholstery; it's probably 100 years old and has had a couple of layers of upholstery attached over the original. The quote I got just before COVID was $750. I decided the other chairs I'd kept to possibly reupholster also weren't worth it and gave them away but kept this one. And will do it one of these days.

Meanwhile, I have a pair of Timberland boots that suddenly lost their cheap made-in-China soles yesterday and have found a local place to repair them (maybe - he has to look at them). I expect it to cost at least as much as I originally paid for them, but the uppers are fine. Resoling means I'll have a durable pair of boots for many years to come.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jun 22 - 12:20 PM

Speaking of planting I cleared an area beneath the purple smoke tree and added 100 pounds of raised bed soil for the planting of exotic morning glories. After the soaking storm tomorrow I will plant the seeds I have soaking. I've done this before and it looks great through September. As you know the seeds are full of LSA ('amine' instead of diethylamide). It's already noon and too hot for me to mow. I will indoor mow - - vacuum instead.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jun 22 - 11:17 AM

Just don't pile that soil up against the tree trunk. Leave the root flare exposed or it will suffer. The flare is part of the trunk, not the roots, and in trees planted by landscapers it is the number one reason why trees have problems.

A little rain overnight, barely measurable, but I'll take it! This morning is nice and cool. The next few days will be a push to move more garden soil into the new raised bed and get it planted. I'll retrieve free mulch from my city source and have it ready to be ignored for a couple of weeks (watered only).

We have episodes of night time barking I'm trying to nip in the bud; it takes sharing the training collar between the girls alternate evenings. I have to research replacement batteries in the collar because it doesn't seem to hold much of a charge lately. The other night I put the collar on Pepper and in the wee hours I heard Cookie start to bark, then a yelp, then nothing. I think Pepper corrected Cookie on the barking, because she knew someone could get zapped for it. A night decluttered of barking is always nice.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jun 22 - 03:35 PM

I planted by the dark of the moon and will get a shower tonight.
The tall bamboo sprouts in a bin were so heavy I had to use a handcart.

There was a time when doing the vacuuming was considered an aphrodisiac. Now its dija get the cat box corner?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jun 22 - 06:04 PM

I wished for a little rain and got a socerer's apprentice deluge.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jun 22 - 07:41 PM

Isn't that how it often happens? I can hear that music in my head now!

I didn't think far enough ahead this morning when heading out to a doctor's checkup or I'd have included a trip to the gym and taken the boots over to the shop that might be able to resole them. I'll do those two things tomorrow since they both put me in the same part of town, and there will probably be a couple of other stops in the area. After I call to make an appointment with the AC repair guy. I've cleared enough brush out from around the unit that he can work on it. Again. He was here last year at the same time. It's a 20-year-old unit; fingers crossed we can get it up and running again.

I scored my first batch of fresh Olathe sweet corn on the cob of the season, and will have some for dinner. I'm still buying produce because so far I'm only harvesting herbs from my garden. I haven't planted corn for a while, but it's fun and charismatic to have a few stalks out there. Maybe I have a seed pack that isn't too old to plant.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 22 - 04:06 PM

We got that "Sorcerer's Apprentice" downpour last night. A few places lost power and some flood alerts were posted. I have to go back and see if the creek is any clearer. I need a kayak to launch regularly to pick up trash washed in from upstream.

It's too humid out for laundry to effectively dry on the line, so it will go into the box of hot air in the warmer-than-usual house. Next week the AC repair guy arrives. Alas, it isn't my normal guy, he died in March "after a battle with a sudden and aggressive cancer." You see a guy every year for 20 years and he becomes a friend. I had the thought that he might have retired and Googled him, only to land on his obit. Now I need to find another shop that has the same honest approach to repairing the AC and doesn't try to sell me a new one each visit.

The weight is slowly dropping. My two doctors' visits last week both happily noted the change. I'm getting most of my exercise in the yard, but am being careful not to get more fire ant or chigger bites - an infection near the surgery knee could delay the procedure. I have more work to do on the keyhole bed with tall grass (where the chiggers are), so I'll take the trimmer out to cut it before I do more digging.

In case you wonder:

Chiggers are the immature stage of certain mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae. More closely related to spiders than to insects, chiggers belong to the class Arachinida, along with scorpions and ticks. In Texas, the term “chigger” commonly is used to describe the parasitic larval stage of mites in the genus Eutrombicula. These common mites cause most of the itchy, summertime bites that occur after walking outdoors through grassy or brushy areas.

Several species of chiggers occur in Texas, but only two are troublesome. One, Eutrombicula alfreddugesi, inhabits disturbed grassy and weedy upland areas and may be encountered in overgrown briar patches and along the edges of wooded areas. The other, Eutrombicula splendens, prefers moist habitats such as swamps and bogs, rotten logs and stumps. Even within favorable habitats, distribution of chiggers often is spotty. Chiggers may be concentrated heavily in one spot while virtually absent nearby.

Chiggers of the genus Eutrombicula prefer birds, reptiles, rodents or other small mammals as hosts. Although chiggers readily bite people if given a chance, humans do not make good hosts. Chiggers often do not survive on humans more than 1 or 2 days, because of people’s adverse skin reactions and scratching.

Chiggers hitch rides on people who walk through infested vegetation. They grab onto shoes or clothing and typically explore a host for several hours before choosing a place to feed. Chigger bites are most common in areas where clothing is tight or where skin is thinnest. Bites are most common at sites around sock lines on the ankles where socks fit tightly, around the waist and near the groin. Bites also may occur in other areas, including behind the knee and under the armpit.

Another reason why living in the South can be troublesome.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 10:20 AM

The last Howard Johnson Restaurant closed today, they used to be everywhere. For Canadians that is like the last Tim Horton closing.
The other thing that seems to be gone is the idea of a concrete honesty.
It has been replaced with the perception of truth as the most important fraudulent honesty of today. WWII ushered in perception of truth in a big way but it has evolved into something so monsterous it may soon rival the Third Reich lies.
Today even my own appearance is a lie. Having to stay out of direct sunlight for a lifetime, with no melanine protection, I have aged me very little while other people my age have white hair or any hair, wrinkles and look ancient. Only below my eyes betray my age. Today I have to go into the attic and tend to my self portrait, mow and hedge again. Maybe I will cut a large dead branch off a devil's walking stick tree today.
It makes wicked looking canes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 10:36 AM

Good to hear from you again, Dorian!

Two days ago we had a heavy rain and yesterday was incredibly muggy in the aftermath. Higher temperatures today should remove more of the moisture in the air.

The rain removed a back yard tree that was hanging over the edge of the bluff over the creek. I'll have to walk around from the neighbor's yard to take a look at the bluff profile and figure out how stable it is. Did the roots pull out, making it dangerous to walk near? I suspect they snapped off, leaving the ground above intact.

Two more garments turned up in the closet that won't be worn any more. I also dug through my dresser. There are some things that needed tossing and others that I probably will never fit in again (or won't wear if I could) that are in the donation bin.

It has occurred to me that since my son has described voles being a problem at his house (complicating the mowing process, if you hit the mounds) I can help. I have a bag full of hair I combed off of the dogs that I put in my garden; I'll send him some. Share the wealth! You stuff it into the access tunnels of the animal pests (I try to keep rats and mice out of the garden with it.)

I need to retrieve more free mulch (it'll be a steaming pile of shredded tree trimmings now, after the rain). I can start putting okra in the garden, the seedlings have grown a few leaves and are ready to be moved. If I can have the whole garden in place this week then I'm content it will take care of itself for a little while after.

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

BEAVER!:

Friday, having finally planted all the veggies and told R he was on his own, I left for Beaver. Got here about 4 and was in bed by 6 - until about 8 am! Then rather late in the game, I phoned R to find out when and where the Celebration of life for his friend was. Took me a few minutes to find vaguely suitable clothes and dash away. I was about 30 minutes late but it went on forever! I, of course only understood one sentence in the hour of a dozen, apparently quite good commentaries. Robin was glad I came and we stayed for another hour for a bit of food and a lot of conversations - mainly his. I only met this guy once for a few minutes but had the sense he was special. Those who had known him thought so too. Then I drove 2 hours back and managed to stay up til 8 pm.

So far I have weeded most of the raised beds, arranged to have the GRASS mowed and fetched cash from the CU to pay for the expected firewood and the grass. Tomorrow some errands.

Lots of columbine volunteers in full bloom. Missed the daffies. Strawberries in bloom and starting to set fruit. Lots of blueberries on the four healthy bushes. A ton of sorrel which I have not yet had the guts to trim to eat! Picked and cooked rhubarb and realized - NO sugar in the house! Tomorrow! I'll add it, re-heat it, then freeze it to take to Robin. Need to put netting over berries tomorrow!

Huge quantities of trees down along the road up but none near here and it was nice to find the house in working condition! IF the electric was off, it was not for long; the freezer is fine.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 09:29 PM

Mulberries are ripe and plentiful. Blueberries are fattening up and raspberries are last in line.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jun 22 - 10:03 PM

Dorothy, your remark about not knowing if the power had been off reminded me that I haven't heard from my battery backup for a long time. I evidently forgot to install the software when I rebuilt the operating system, and now that it is installed it can't find the device. The USB cable is connected. Maybe when the computer reboots they'll do a handshake? I can program it to do various things, and tell it how long to stay on before it shuts down the computer if the power is out, etc.

It also used to tell me any time the power went out, and it occurred to me if you had an uninterrupted power supply with the same software it could email you when the power goes off and back on. Something to fuss with another day. At least I've identified that it needs attention, but get in line!

My newest raised bed is near completion as far as moving soil from the old bed into it. I picked up more free mulch today that will be enough for other beds, I'll have to make another trip for this one. I disturbed a healthy large (in relation to its species) rough earth snake (about 12" long) in a shovelful of dirt. It lay on the new bed quietly and I carefully tossed soil over it. I still have more soil to move from the old bed, and that will go on top of the other beds in areas where they aren't planted or mulched yet.

After our big rain a couple of days ago I think now is a good time to use my burn barrel. I'll pull out the papers I want to get rid of and set up the bricks in the morning.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 11:08 AM

Years ago when I built the keyhole garden I was using limestone rocks hauled from the back of the back yard. They were tossed there before I moved in, when a large planter adjacent to the front porch was torn down, and in with the rocks was a lot of crumbly dark-gray mortar. I tossed bits of the mortar into the soil mix as I built, but I really don't need it around. As I come across it now I toss it to one side and each time the trash is picked up it's a little heavier than usual as I get rid of a few pieces. I'll be able to keep this up for quite a while.

This week I must trim the vitex tree in the front yard; the hard freeze a couple of years ago damaged it and I can see now where the dead limbs are. I'll use a saw on a long pole and slowly cut them by hand. Next week they'll be picked up. If I had a heavy-duty chipper I'd keep it all here to use in the garden. I can chip the slim brances with my little electric chipper.

I did a deep dive via Google Scholar on some research and came across several interesting articles about how hard on the environment "fast fashion" is. For a long time I've wanted to make the point that fibers should be recycled just as much as plastic, glass, corrugated cardboard, and paper. You can make some really great paper with recycled cloth fiber. In these journal articles they discuss how the manufacture of fabric and garment materials is hard on the environment, not just the dumping of unwanted garments at the end of their life cycle. Most of the articles were open source and there was one PDF book on the subject. This makes me all the more determined to fix the elastic in the queen-fitted sheets and keep them in service. If they went to Goodwill they might end up headed to the dump. And to fix the soles on my leather steel-toed boots, not toss them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 04:17 PM

I have hauled more stuff out of the cellar to the garage for disposal. This time it’s rolls of carpet underlay, the kind made of recycled rubber, that is now so old that it’s depositing a fine black dust wherever it’s laid down.

Thus, I have a trip to the dump in my immediate future. That leaves me looking around the property for more clag so as to make the trip worthwhile.

Last week I went to the theatre three times, including two first nights. This week it’s the dump. Ain’t life grand?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jun 22 - 05:34 PM

I was astonished to see men in ratty pickup trucks come by and take all of the carpet foam mats when they were out at the curb. My contractor twigged me to that when we were pulling out the 1970s shag carpeting - he said they are able to get money for it somehow. It has been 20 years, I don't know if it's still the case.

More mulch picked up this afternoon but it's too hot to work right now. I think it's supposed to hit 100^o today. I patiently await the air conditioner repair guy.

Late lunch of a chicken pesto pasta (this is a regular eating day) and dinner will be salad. On an impulse I picked up a diet Pepsi, supposedly still doesn't use Aspartame (it didn't used to) in the fountain drinks. It will keep me awake tonight, but it was nice. I haven't had a soft drink in probably a year.

My gift to the dogs this year will be a new galvanized tank, the same length and width as the current one, but shallower. The Lab used to get in to cool off but the current one is now too tall (for his weak hips). The other two will just drink out of it. I tried an inexpensive kiddie pool and Pepper demolished it very quickly, so it must be metal.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jun 22 - 07:23 PM

Have you ever walked past a mirror in a store or seen yourself reflected in the glass doors and had the reaction "What was I thinking?" I need to sort my pants and shirts by size now. I've lost almost 15 pounds and that's enough to make today's large t-shirt that I've happily worn for several years look incredibly baggy. And the pants, while they fit at the hips, have gotten weirdly baggy around the legs.

Today the boot repair guy pronounced my Timberland steel-toed work books unrepairable. They aren't stitched, so are a "glue job," and even sanding off all of the midsole, apparently the glue won't hold with the replacement of the midsole and sole. They have had a couple of other pairs come in and with those results they won't accept Timberland for repair any more. I stopped by DSW on my way home (after an hour at the gym) and picked up a pair of Puma slip on sneakers that will now be my garden shoes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jun 22 - 07:50 PM

Beaver!:

SRS: DSW?? As for any tech stuff -- I cannot deal with what I already have! Glad you were reminded!

Plumb wore myself out and Monday was a day of rest - reading and just resting. in nightgown. That is serious resting.

Today I went to Home Hardware for netting, tomato cages - for Dupont, and a good pair of hand grass cutters. Put netting over strawberries and blueberries, and cut all around areas that I do not want Steve to mow - cut part of clematis last year. They are wonderful. I will take them to Dupont - Put them in the "Take to Dupont" pile. We have had 24 hours of gentle rain; hopefully it restored strawberry plants I disturbed by vigorous, much needed weeding. It has been a couple years since I was here to harvest berries!

Stopped at the bulk store for a small quantity of sugar for the rhubarb and it is now in freezer in small containers. There will be more in a few days.

HUGE bumble bee just outside the window enjoying the large comfrey just starting to bloom!

Greatly hoping it will be dry enough for Steve to mow tomorrow- and he has the time. More rain is forecast! It is so lovely sitting here looking at the leaves fluttering, I forget I need to finish with the internet stick before it costs $$$!

Hoping tomorrow I will have the energy to get potting.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 12:15 AM

Dorothy, I added a link to the store in my post. It stands for something like Discount Shoe Warehouse, they have stores all over the place. A Facebook friend suggested a shop that will work on hard-to-repair shoes and boots, though it looks like they mostly work on boots with stitched soles (these are glued). I'll give them a call.

I have a lot of mowing to do, and the weather is just going to keep getting hotter, so it'll be a morning task. There isn't much dew on the lawn early with this weather. And I'll need to keep the garden mulched and watered enough to survive this early heat wave.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 22 - 05:33 PM

The boots were pronounced dead yesterday, and today my AC unit was pronounced too old and expensive to fix. It's a 2002 Freon unit and Freon is expensive if you can find it. Since it apparently leaked, there is no point in trying to test this old system to then try to find ancient replacement parts. For now, it's off, except to blow air, and I'll get a window unit for the office and come fall will consider what upgrade can be made. Let's hope there isn't a third time this week. I don't want to live a charmed life.

The AC tech told me that the gas they're using these days, R410A or Puron, will also be phased out, so waiting isn't a bad idea, to see if there is something I should shop for that will have some staying power. RS-53 (R470A) is the next refrigerant coming down the pike.

Alas, while he was working he trod squarely on my Texas star hibiscus. I fear I won't have as many flowers this year, with the biggest one biting the dust.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jun 22 - 06:04 PM

A portable air conditioner unit is on order—buying an air conditioner in hot weather is not my first choice for shopping. I made a decision based upon a combination of articles about these units in general and by reading some of the reviews from certified buyers in a couple of sites. I also went by a store and looked at what they had on hand (not much). It's still a crap shoot. Getting it and having it set up before the knee goes under the knife is the goal; if this first one doesn't work it will be returned and I have a second one I would choose (returning the first would happen after recovery but within the 30-day limit).

A catastrophic machine failure is a great way to loose a night's sleep. I had to conclude that I'll work on what I can do something about for now (the temporary cooler) and I need to actually write up a replacement plan for some of these things to do them before they fail. Both air conditioners, water heater, those are big ones. Fix the bottom end of the sewer line before it backs up again (the new part is sound, but the bottom end is where tree roots still get in and cause backups). The foundation is the biggest one and that won't come first. Sometimes the house just grabs you by the short hairs and you have to struggle to fix it without getting hurt in the process. I'll work on a plan.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jun 22 - 10:58 AM

I shed the presidency of the choir in favour of taking over its library, only to find that the MacBook Pro in which its records are kept hasn’t had an update to its operating system since 2017. That’s like never changing the oil in your car.

So it’s in the hands of the local computer genius, who promised its return by tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I want to run a database on it … not possible with an antique OS.

Meanwhile, I had to do a major security overhaul, changing most of my passwords because Apple Mail won’t tolerate any password that even resembles one used on Amazon. That took a ridiculous amount of time to complete, and some of the gadgets are still complaining.

Despite the continuing ache in my back, today I intend to visit the dump. But first — to Canadian Tire to purchase a new tarp! There’s no way I’m loading all that crumbling rubber carpet padding in my nice, clean car without something to keep the fall-out under close arrest.

House repair is a constant theme here, too. My mouldy bathroom is getting worse — the mould has migrated from the shower wall to the toilet, where it grows on the underside of the seat and must be kiboshed with bleach every week or so. Remediating that mess will cost what it costs, and it’s increasingly urgent. I just made another appeal to the contractor, this time by email.

I don’t even care any more about making that bathroom all stylish and modern; I just want it fully functional and not a public health hazard.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jun 22 - 11:41 AM

I hope the MacBook Pro will take all of the updates. Over that period of time you're probably talking about new versions of the OS. I'm a Windows desktop user myself, and with the current house heating and cooling issues I've resumed nightly turning off of the computer. I usually just tell it "sleep." But it generates enough heat that I don't need it melting itself down.

A friend offered the URL of an online boot repair site to consult regarding the soleless Timberland boots, but they have gone out with the trash. I'm not fussing with a second opinion. I did some reading and will try Wolverine at some point in the future; for now, the slip-on Pumas that I bought earlier this week will serve as my yard shoes and I'll be careful when using the big mattock. This one has a pick and and adze and can do serious damage to a novice user. Since I've had one of these things around since my teens working for the Forest Service, I'm aware of the damage they can do.

The dogs need baths this week, at the rate of one dog per day. There is a good screen in the tub drain to catch all of the hair, but since it's so hot I can simply use the garden hose and do it in the yard. This is in advance of people coming into the house for the next few weeks. I'll also vacuum the whole house and mop the floors where the latest round of dried muddy footprints are in view.

The new AC arrives on Monday, and will be allowed to stand upright for several hours before it is put in place. I'll have no way of knowing if it was transported on it's side, and the coolant needs to settle into the proper position. I'll have to work out a drain for it (probably a bucket, but I have the existing sump from the defunct AC - I wonder about running a line out the window and putting it into use.) As it is, I need to look at where these are plugged in. I have a suitable heavy extension cord to plug this in on a different circuit than the computer equipment. So many considerations.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Jun 22 - 07:48 PM

Beaver:

It took a week for me to get the energy/inclination to pot. Today: threw about 15 pieces. Yeah I could count them but didn't and now at the library using the free internet.

Glad to have made some pots, I went into get out and push mode. Reading and a nap filled the aft. Then I pulled some weeds, clearing a space in a raised bed for potatoes that have sprouted. Need to do more but the bugs were nasty.

Picked up 3 books at the library yesterday; have finished 1.5 do have to hit the library again tomorrow for a couple more; it will be closed until Tuesday.

Today was clear after gallons of rain for 3 days. Hoped for the lawn to be mowed ... but not! It is still hovering about 70F so not too hot for me. I need to put on the screen doors but hesitate to fetch them from the back shed through the tall grass (knee high).

Finding myself feeling so much better here than at Dupont. Pondering what could be done to make Dupont more to my liking but the main thing is the air is different here - seriously different. Also I feel safe and have friends; I get to see and talk with friends - not just the staff at stores!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jun 22 - 02:29 PM

Dump run complete. Hurrah for me.

The Stratford municipal dump has an employee whose task today was to supervise people like me who bring their trash instead of putting it at the curb on garbage day. He went through the load, telling me where to put each class of junk. Corrugated cardboard here, metal there, textiles in bins, genuine trashy trash in the dumpster. Nice guy, great tattoos, endlessly patient but firm. My tax dollars at work!

The choir’s MacBook Pro is ready at the computer place, and I can’t find the power cord for the hand vacuum I just had repaired; maybe the vac shop guy has it?

Maintenance never ends.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jun 22 - 07:04 PM

107^o here today. Time to set up the sprinklers (and maybe run through them while they're on!) Cookie gets a bath in a few minutes, we'll both enjoy that! I'm going to relocate the stock tank onto the patio so it's in the shade all of the time, keeping the water cooler. I'll put a chunk of old hose out there to use to drain it over to the base of the baldcypress. That tree thrives every year from the water in the tank being cleaned and refilled.

With it being so hot there are no two-days-in-a-row for jeans, though that's ok. I'm trying them on and finding many of them to be too large and setting them aside. I'm eyeing the storage boxes on the upper shelf. For now I'm trying on Capri pants. I don't wear shorts much any more, or at least, nothing very short.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jun 22 - 09:25 PM

Ah, yes: what to do with fifty-mission legs in a youth-obsessed culture! Between the scars and the broken veins, it’s hard to find any part of my undercarriage that doesn’t look like the aftermath of a flak attack.

A few years ago I bought a pair of loose linen trousers with a drawstring waistband. I get an unpleasant rash when the summer heat and humidity hit their peak, so I wear those with a south Asian-style cotton shirt that I can sweat through without regret. In June it’s usually still cool enough here for a quilt on the bed and a jacket after dark. July and August can be scorching hot in Ontario, but not all the time and it’s over by mid-September. I would not do well in Texas.

Over the next week or so I intend to empty out the bins of really old clothes — my grandfather’s McGill sweater (circa 1907) and Great-uncle Alfred’s tails (1917!), for example. It's time to get ruthless; that stuff will never be worn again and it’s time to stop storing it. If I stiffen up my spine and buckle down to the job, I could clear the shelving in the basement and give the bins to the Mennonites or the Sally Ann.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jun 22 - 10:36 PM

The knee repair next week will be during really hot weather; I don't know if the bandages will fit under the slim hem of a couple of my Capri pants, but I may have a couple of other pair tucked away. I have to look around. I'll take a loose pair of fleece pants in case others don't fit.

eBay is a place that has buyers and sellers of vintage clothing, if you want to sell the old garments, or give them to someone who can do it. I sold some vintage WWII clothes of my mother's some years ago. (I don't keep most of that either. I am not a museum.)

Two dog baths down, the last one tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 22 - 11:21 AM

Down 15 pounds over about 7 weeks of working on it. Still setting aside jeans that are too loose or need the cuffs rolled because they're too long.

I have an old electronic Orbit hose controller (you program it to when you want to water, attach to the faucet and turn on the water. It only lets water run out through the attached hoses on schedule. There is a bypass to get water from the tap other times, I have to set that up next.) That Orbit piece cost enough that I was extremely annoyed at the puppy who two years ago chewed exposed wires on the hose attachment parts. I found replacements for cheap on eBay and last night put it back together and programmed it. I'll wrap it in such a way that the now adult dog can't reach the wires if she still feels like destroying something.

107^o again today. That's 41.7 Canadian. Ugg.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Jun 22 - 01:13 PM

Fifteen pounds in seven weeks is a lot — more than two pounds per week — but your soon-to-be-surgical knee will thank you for every absent ounce.

My wonky foot hurts far less now that I have shed more than thirty pounds, although it still bugs me with toes crossing (blisters!) and pressure where no pressure ought to be. I’ll never wear cute shoes again — unless, of course, I acquire a palanquin and a team of bearers — but I can at least walk briskly without limping. I call that a win, and well worth the minor hassle of monitoring everything I shove down the ol’ pie hole.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jun 22 - 10:29 AM

I've finally gotten it into my head (and most importantly - habits) to start planning the meal around what fruits and vegetables are fresh in the fridge or on the counter, and then look for a source of protein. Of not eating bread more than once a day (or even every day) and pacing myself with the higher calorie foods. A slice of pizza on an eating day, at lunch, means I can work off most of it and have a chef salad (light) for dinner. This is the alternate fasting process, and I imagine after the surgery recuperation (when I hope to simply maintain whatever weight I'm at) that I can finish losing by winter. I have to just keep eating more fruits and vegetables, not go back to my old grazing through more complex carb filled meals every day. I mostly eat fish and chicken these days, and less than I used to (I am supposed to eat more during the knee recovery period).

The garden process is a little wonky this year. I've had projects that kept me from doing the work as early as I might have, and now I have to work to keep it alive during the heat we're under. I plant some things later in the season now to avoid the usual spring pests (cucurbits mostly). I made lots of pickles a couple of years ago and would like to again this year, if I can get the cukes in. And this year I plan to make a lot more tomato sauce. You can make it after the fact with frozen tomatoes, but truth be told, the best time to make tomato sauce is right when they've been picked and you steam juice then separate them.

This weekend I baked (yes, in the heat) a couple of large sweet potatoes and made an extra-large batch of my kidney bean recipe (eaten plain or over rice). It means I'll have extras for my helpers who will be here for a few days. I imagine we'll do birthday takeout on one of those days (the ex turns an incredibly old number I never envisioned being when I was a young person.) Oh my - just a year younger than each of my parents were when they passed away. That's a sobering thought. His parents lived at least a decade longer than mine did, that helps.

Air conditioner arrives sometime today. The plants in my sun room are a bit cooked these days, as is the garden. Hand watering the garden today, only 102^o forecast as the high. Summer is a week away, ♬ tra la ♩ ♩ . I have Swiss chard seedlings that I will plant today in a shady area of the front yard, near the hose stand so they will be watered any time I use the hose. I love spinach, and I love chard eaten the same way (steamed with vinegar). This summer is such a scorcher we can eliminate the steaming process and let them cook in the ground. :-(

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 10:51 AM

The Labrador retriever got a bath yesterday, and it loosened all of the hair in his coat that was going to come off this summer. At once. I have a couple of brush things to use and will have to attach him by his leash to a post outside so he'll stay put and let me comb it out. It's a chocolate lab explosion in a dog hair factory this morning. But he is quite frisky, they all are. They tolerate the bath but they love the outcome.

I've reached my weight loss goal for this surgery, so will stop the alternate day fasting for now and just maintain a daily count of around 1200 calories (probably about 1000 when I'm sedentary after the surgery). The really high heat has made this easier than usual, because just taking needed big drinks of water during the day helps keep you feeling less hungry. After the surgery I have 20 more pounds I'd like to drop (maybe 15 - it depends on how the weight loss shows in my face.)

This isn't cooking weather, but needs must when you score a lot of good cheap produce. Last night I blanched and froze the contents of four bags of "baby spinach" for about 8 servings. And I had four containers of small mushrooms to sauté then freeze. Bounty from my favorite discount grocery. Lots of fruit also, nectarines, mangos, and a honeydew melon.

For today, the new AC is ready to set up and I need to work in the garden. I have a couple of trips to run, and might get in a trip to the gym (Silver Sneakers congratulated me on 25 visits - really? It must be at this location because I know I've been to the company's gyms more than that since I joined the program. They pay for this nice gym membership.) Charmion - my next goal, after the knee heels enough, is to finally get into a swimsuit and take an exercise class in the gym pool.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 10:59 AM

GFY That took discipline

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

Stilly, you will find lots of similarly scarred company in the locker room. The aquafit class I go to at the Stratford Y looks like an event for veterans of orthopaedic surgery.

Another trip to the dump today, this time with a load of clothing and household linen for the textile recycle bins.

Among the condemned items are Irish double-damask table napkins worn to holes and/or stained by hard water. Who still uses napkins that must be ironed? The fancy modern steam iron Edmund bought six months before he died has no setting for linen and doesn’t get hot enough. Another appliance that doesn’t do what I need done, dammit.

I kept four linen tablecloths, including a hand-embroidered one made by my grandmother and her sister sometime during the reign of Edward VII. Don’t know when I’ll ever use it again (it used to come out for Christmas), or where I would get it laundered in this day and age — it’s much too big for a domestic ironing board. But I’m not ready to part with it yet, or the lace-edged tray cloth that matches it. When did you last see a tea tray laid with a linen cloth? When I reel my memory back, I find myself in the mists of the 1950s with the rector on a pastoral visit.