FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 22 - 11:02 AM

Here is the next thread: Declutter * Health * Climate Change * 2023.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 31 Dec 22 - 07:36 AM

PAIN coincides with the swelling up of blood vessels in the brain. I ALWAYS WONDERED if the smooth muscle of blood vessels get exercised and build up stronger vessel walls and if more than brain vessels are involved.         
Research might reveal if strokes or aneurysms are less or more frequent in migraine patients. Maybe migraine has a protective blessing or not.
Only my Grandmother also had migraines and had exceptional predictive abilities although I don't rationally link the two. Migraine made reading even more difficult. My parents always said people differ in the books they read and the people they meet. I tried to fulfill the meeting remarkable people part. I was drawn to pioneers in a field, famous philosophers, psychologists, composers, conductors and musicians throughout my 20's. After that introductions grew more difficult as if youth was a passport to meet special folks. By looking at my early posts and now, you can practically see a before and after of migraine.
Today there are so many more medicines and treatments for migraines so I hope your son finds early relief and freedom.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 11:19 PM

That's good, if they're gone. We realized later (hindsight is 20-20) that my son was having migraines at a young age, perhaps 4 or 5. It wasn't until several years later that the penny dropped and we realized what it was.

I started the list of emails I'm going to unsubscribe, tonight making note of the web location of one that I'd rather just drop in on to read occasionally than have all of the email. Even if I just drop one a day for the next month that will help with the email clutter. Virtual instead of paper in the post, the stuff I don't read can block or hide (push down the screen quickly) things I should read.

I've started streaming a couple of series I've wanted to watch. I might as well make the most of the investment of supporting Public Television, going back to find earlier seasons of programs I watch now, etc. On another service, one of the programs I'm watching is on the list from Rotten Tomatoes, which is actually a subscription I'd forgotten about for ages and revived recently.

Tomorrow I will be able to get back into the gym. Finally. And do my exercises (streaming or phone app) during the day. I used to do the Hinge Health app before bedtime, but I find now I prefer all of that earlier and want to go to sleep when I'm sleepy, not stop to exercise first.

I hope you feel better all the way soon, Charmion, and don't catch anything else in the meantime. And everyone else, stay healthy!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 08:13 PM

Migraines start around puberty and extend to age 55 or 60.
Mine were weekly with a grade 10 at least once a month A 10 migraine involved agony accompanied by throwing up. Besides 12 aspirin a day temporary relief did come from very hot water being sprayed on the head in an orbital fashion. Doing that at 3 AM was inconvenient. It should be called a migraine event since there is excitement prior to and a fogginess 2 days after. It is said cluster headaches are worse. There were times I plowed through a migraine whether I was driving or sailing or I would not have had much of a life despite the extreme pain.

Bright light (even laser light) seemed to be a trigger.
But now I'm FREE.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 06:17 PM

I did nothing yesterday but cough and dose myself with broncho-dilator drugs and steroids. A major asthma attack cancelled all hopes, plans and intentions. Thank God, the drugs did what they’re supposed to do and I was spared a visit to the hospital. Today, I went to the Y for pool class, ran a couple of errands, and tired myself out completely.

COVID may have retreated, but I don’t think it’s gone.

My fiddle-playing friend pinged me today to set up a tunes date next Thursday, and choir practice resumes a week from Monday. I have a few days yet to shape up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 11:45 AM

Stanron, I use a transfer cable (Radio Shack at it's finest!) between my old desktop that stopped communicating with the Internet (I'd fixed it a couple of times, but after the third setting adjustment I was going to need to reinstall Windows and lose the software, worth much more to me than the old but still good quad core HP desktop). I bought a new Dell and when I do work in the Adobe software (the newest version is in the old computer) I transfer the results between the two.

The software installed on the old computer was the last version of the Adobe suite released on DVD, and I brought it home from work to install because we could have the same on our work and home computer back then, but the disks were returned. That is also on the Sony. I have the next older version on disks that I own and I installed that on the newer computer. Confused yet? I do small stuff in Photoshop on my new Dell, but the document design and more complicated things I do on the HP. Adobe charges a king's ransom to rent the software monthly and I don't do enough work to make it a prudent investment.

The little Sony VAIO has a goofy USB drive (it has two of them) but I could use the transfer cable with that also.

In the past on my desktop I've booted into different operating systems but that is a lot of fuss to do, not worth it now.

In another part of the house, one of the larger projects I have to do in 2023 is replace the sliding glass door to the back yard. This Dog World episode at two weeks and counting has made it clear just how awful that old portal is. My fingers are crossed it doesn't die in the open position in time for the next blizzard.

Note to self: in the future, enforce Ben Franklin's policy about fish and visitors. Entering day four of a five day visit on top of the dog stuff and it's wearing me out.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stanron
Date: 30 Dec 22 - 03:19 AM

SRS re your laptop, I have hard drives from computers that died up to ten years ago that I can put into any other computer I have and they will boot up and run. All the programs will work and all the old files are still there. Of course they are Linux systems. Windows won't do that.

However, for not a lot of money you can buy a device which will connect an old hard drive to your current computer through a USB cable and you can brouse the contents and copy files to another drive or your current PC. If my memory serves me right 3.5 drives need a five volt power supply but 2.5 drives don't. You can buy either kind.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 06:36 PM

For a number of years I've had occasional migraine auras but have never had a headache. Maybe a couple of times a year, and it's ages since I last had one. I get an expanding broken circle of zig-zagging scintillation that lasts for about half an hour. I feel a bit washed out for a while afterwards but nothing terrible. I haven't felt the need to get this investigated. One more thing I feel I don't want to be declaring for my travel insurance!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 04:53 PM

HOW are you migraine free? Medication, surgery, growing out of it? My son has quite a problem with them.

I'm working on my friend's children's book text in the kitchen on my 10-year-old laptop. The file is being saved to OneSpace so I can open and print it from the big computer later without fooling with a thumb drive or emailing it to myself.

It's time to replace the laptop, but it serves mainly as the backup if something happens to the big one. It has software I want to keep but I don't think I can transfer. I will have to see if I might be able to move a clone of the machine? I couldn't use the info on a separate external drive because it needs to be installed to work (I don't have the disks). Anyway, it's something for the future. If I could get a replacement battery then I wouldn't need to replace it for a while longer.

Takeout Chinese for dinner tonight.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 03:42 PM

I am surprised my son's Southwest flights were on time, direct and not even full. Early booking may be a factor. There is no doubt they need to update their scheduling of crews and customers.
The tripledemic includes a new Covid variant but there isn't
much concern unless you are a hospital worker.
I am learning a new computer which is different but seems to be an upgrade with clunky results.


While I am now Migraine free I can on rare occasions still get an aura that responds to sleep or meditation. Whatever an aura is it seems to be an optical short circuit that comes from the cerebellum or *back of the brain*

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 12:28 PM

My mother's family has a history of migraine and aura activity; my aunt occasionally fainted when one of the auras came on (she was a classroom teacher, so that was a spectacular event for her students to behold.) I've had only one full-blown migraine but a lot of the low-grade headache and extreme tiredness brought on by photosensitivity. Driving to work at sunrise I always had to stop part way and take a motrin and a power nap for 5-10 minutes. It didn't seem normal, but I thought the light must have something to do with it. Now I make a point of avoiding driving into the rising or setting sun (rising is worst, for some reason).

Dishwasher running after cleaning in the kitchen and this morning I decluttered the drawer where the boxes of gloves and the parchment and plastic wrap and several types of sandwich and freezer bags also reside. The space was awkward and I realized it was because of about a quarter of the space one side being filled with bags of old twist ties, chunks of wire, rubber bands, and various bag closures. I pulled them all out, vacuumed the drawer, sorted some of the best into three bags (rubber bands, twist ties, and zip ties). Those are now in a plastic shoe box in the bottom empty space of a cupboard nearby and the drawer doesn't need a shoehorn (reaching in to move a box that is keeping the drawer from opening).

Now to do the editing for a friend whose self-published book is being managed by a company and I think will be available print-on-demand after the first run. She needs an author blurb (the first one she wrote would absolutely scare me away from reading the book, so I asked her to stop reading it out loud to me and we'll start fresh and compare them later.) I've run out of stuff to clean so I guess I'd better sit down to that task. If I still had cats I'd be doing the litter boxes first. A writer with a deadline has a very clean house, have you noticed?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 10:55 AM

Southwestern Ontario is enjoying a few days of above-freezing weather with actual sunshine and a striking absence of dire warnings from the Ministry of Transport. Stratford's snowbanks have shrunk to ankle height and the streets feature large puddles where sewer grates are blocked with ice. It looks like March out there.

Due to its cellular structure, the widespread storm system had highly localized effects. Stratford, London and Chatham were socked in for days and Buffalo was buried neck deep, but Windsor received a gentle dusting and most of Toronto’s share was heavy rain. Driving west on the 401 on Tuesday, I noted the weather boundary east of Tilbury; fields and ditches blanketed with snow behind me around Chatham, and visible stubble and rushes toward Windsor.

The family visit went well except for the racket generated by four small children who had embraced the spirit of Saturnalia. Their grandfather (BIL Dave) and I rolled our eyes at each other and fled to mutual silence in the sitting room while the rest of the house resounded with shrieks and the thump of pursuing feet.

I’m back home now with the cats, enough chocolate and whisky to last months if not years, and four more new books. COVID has evidently left me less capable of long-haul driving; ambushed by tiredness, I had to rest at the half-way point on both the outbound and homeward journeys. As recently as a few years ago, a three-hour drive was a mere bagatelle hardly worthy of a coffee to go, but now it’s a challenge.

Today I shall count myself a success if I get the laundry done and vacuum the library carpet. The floors are covered with cat hair but the toilets are scrubbed and the house smells pleasantly of toast (not litterbox), so I’ve cleared the low bar that separates the lived-in look from a slattern’s slum. Yay me.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Dec 22 - 10:36 AM

Speaking for western Massachusetts, Stilly,
some unseasonably warm weather has decluttered much of the ice and snow.
It took several days, of course, but between the warm weather
and the valiant efforts of road crews with sand and salt,
the roads are finally clearing up in cities and towns.
The highways, of course, were cleared up the earliest.

In fact, we are due for periodic rain storms in the next week or so,
which will bring us an early "mud season"
until such time as there is another freeze.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Dec 22 - 11:12 PM

It dawned on me this evening where the reference "dog world" came from - from Susan (WYSIWYG). She had dog confinement and training issues going on at the house they lived in when Hardy was still pastor in the last church they were part of. Susan, if you drop in or are reading along, I hope you're well and get to interact with dogs on occasion. They can be such good and dedicated company. (Pepper, wearing her cone and her t-shirt, is asleep on the dog mat behind me in my office at the moment, happy to have been the only canine recipient of some small potato chip crumbs after a snack of mine.)

Susan, you have an over-size personality and sometimes rolled over the top of everyone, but I do miss your participation. And the work you put into trying to reclaim your health. I hope you're still working as hard now as you did when you were outfitting a van for travels and working on getting a good set of gear for going to the pool at the Y. Maybe you'll join us in the 2023 declutter thread, once I think of some clever (or at least, clear) name for it?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Dec 22 - 09:20 PM

I'm sorry to read about the shingles, Patty! I've had the vaccinations against them and hope it works, I remember my mother having a terrible time with them.

This non-stop dog world stuff and company and cat sitting whatnot is killing me - I haven't been to the gym in a couple of weeks and my knees really can feel it. And the vet is out of town for an emergency so yesterday's appointment was pushed to Friday and now pushed further to next Wednesday. Maybe he's out there somewhere trying to fly on Southwest Airlines.

I'm changing out the shirt on Pepper every day or two and washing them after a long soak in a detergent to hopefully sanitize the fabric. I had a dentist appointment today that involved taking four 500mg Amoxycillin 1 hour before the cleaning because of the knee replacements, the prescription is for this purpose. I still have four pills left in the bottle and they are identical to what Pepper is getting, so I'll add my four pills to her four and she'll make it to almost that appointment on antibiotics.

This year I'm going to do a dry January. It just seems to make sense after the excess of calories from the holidays. I don't drink that much, but none will be good for a while. Another thing for the new year is to unsubscribe a bunch of the newsletters that arrive via email that I never get around to reading. And maybe turn off a few Google alerts.

How is it weatherwise for our northern declutterers? Have you had to shift a lot of snow, or had someone with a plow dig you out (again)?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 28 Dec 22 - 11:39 AM

And while we are speaking about the turning of the year; mudcatter Monologue John recited, in his rich Yorkshire accent, this great piece by Tennyson this week at Singaround, and it is worth reading.

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 28 Dec 22 - 11:30 AM

Ooh, I used to love occasionally making a rice pilaf dish, involved bits of bacon, bell pepper, tomato, and some bacon grease. In those days we used to cook field peas and butterbeans with a dollop of bacon grease for seasoning. Whenever I would cook bacon, I would let the grease cool and 'set up' then set out wax paper, drop tablespoonsful on it, fold it up so they would stay separate, and freeze til needed for some dish or other. It could even help out with stir-frys. I know most people avoid this sort of oil/fat like the plague, but the more we learn about the evils of modern oil production, the less harmful a spoonful of animal fat in a whole pot of food, now and then, seems.

I am focused on shaping up at present. Recuping from shingles took a while. But now, I've gone from being winded after a walk, to getting in 5 long swim workouts in a week. Today I am on my way to a full-service park in AZ, and will focus on repairing and improving the body (and otherwise 'getting my act together') for a few weeks.

Good to hear people making progress and coping with setbacks. May you all have a new year full of very good things!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Dec 22 - 12:44 PM

Bacon grease! We needed some for a rice dish on xmas and I had a couple of slices wrapped in plastic from the freezer. It was so lean it turned out more like ham than bacon so once it was cooked the grease had some olive oil added to get the right amount of frying medium.

My next door neighbor gifted me a bottle of avocado oil - she has mentioned liking it for frying things (like those eggs of Charmion's). I used some yesterday to pan fry some cut up potatoes and it is very nice. Milder than using my EV olive oil, but very nice.

Pepper's trip to the vet was postponed due to a family emergency for the doctor; we all area breathing easier this morning. We're due in on Friday now and I'll continue giving the antibiotics and changing the kind of gross shirt each day and washing very small batches of laundry to keep a few clean. It gives me time to do other things today than deal with an upset dog.

Looks like it's getting to be time to start a new thread for 2023. I've enjoyed reading all of the participants this year who drop in for a time and contribute interesting projects. For some it is a daily log of chores that lead to decluttering, and I try to take a look back to see if I'm not repeating myself too often. New for today: I'm making the big move to put the old FoodSaver machine in the Out-of-the-House pile; it can't form a good seal and there is no point in donating a malfunctioning device to Goodwill. I'll put it in an e-waste bin if I can find one, otherwise, it's to the landfill. My new one received for xmas works like a dream.

I spent last night researching electric companies that serve this area. Years ago a state mandated a site set up to let electric companies post information about their offerings and most of them use an introductory price for a year or two contract to lure in new customers. Some of them are downright dodgy (low prices with many restrictions and the rest of the time a much higher rate). My current plan is expiring after two years, and I've decided to return to the previous company that is 7 cents cheaper for kWh compared to the current company's renewal offer (the next one is still 5 cents higher than the expiring contract). I have to wait until January 1 to be sure I'm in the two-week window where you can make the change without a penalty from the existing service provider. I learned this trick of changing companies to save money from the local newspaper's watchdog reporter. Under normal circumstances people would stay with the company they choose, but Dave advises change every year or two. He also writes about property taxes - electricity rates and property taxes - two areas that really bite people regularly. This will declutter my pocketbook more next year, but not as much as if I didn't change.

I'm scheduled to go to an early evening holiday party, but COVID is on the rise. I'll wear a mask and play it by ear, possibly leaving after a very short visit; my elderly visitor arrives later tonight and she already had COVID once. No way I want to pick up a bug tonight and give it to her again.

Stay safe, everyone! And our travelling Charmion's books are a great gift! They should find a good home quickly - there's a trick to getting someone hooked if they're not sure. Take some time and start reading an exciting part out loud, and stop before you get to the end of the segment. I did that to convince a 13-year-old reluctant reader that he'd enjoy the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. I mailed the first book, he let me know when he finished, and I mailed the next. By the time I mailed The Two Towers I got a return post card saying he'd be ready for the last book when it arrived. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Dec 22 - 10:03 AM

I'm off to Windsor in a little while. I'll hit the road when I have cleared the litterbox and eaten something with lots of calories. Probably fried eggs; I have bacon fat!

The boot of the car is full of books due to move on to a younger generation: Harry Potter, Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising", the Narnia series, "Watership Down", and sundry others that have retained their covers and all their pages despite heavy use back in the day. That's a bit of welcome clearance in the library, and if the niblings can't use them I'm sure they know families that can.

The Ministry of Transport claims to have cleared all provincial roads between Stratford and Windsor, and the Stratford plow crews were probably working around the clock -- Glendon Road looks recently groomed and we're not high on the priority list. So it's time to get cracking on the annual holiday tour of the relatives.

See youse all on the flip side!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 26 Dec 22 - 09:44 PM

Here you are, Maggie.....Brussel sprouts with prosciutto

I used balsamic vinegar for the sprinkle and left out the garlic, as we aren't great garlic lovers. It's very easy, and we didn't find them bitter.

There were some left over; my pizza on the next night (made with Lebanese bread as a base) was enhanced by them and it was nicer than I had thought it would be. I was prepared to remove them if necessary, but they reheated well.

The carrots were steamed separately, the only part of the meal not cooked in the oven.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Dec 22 - 08:30 PM

Cheers, Maggie. Yes, we've dodged the bullet so far, though I'd like to see another day or two to be sure. Our last contact was with my sister eight days ago, who developed symptoms just a few hours after leaving our house after a long visit. We both had covid in July and we're both boosted in October, so maybe we have enough immunity... the main part of our. Christmas will be to have everyone together next week. I'd say it's about 50:50 so far...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Dec 22 - 05:52 PM

Charmion, I hope you're able to easily travel to see the relatives—it's sounding like some parts of that region, particularly in New York State, are frightful for travel and first responders right now. Stay safe!

Steve, you don't mention COVID so I'm hoping you and Mrs. Steve have managed to dodge that bullet this time around.

JennieG, your carrots and Brussels sprouts with prosciutto sounds interesting. Care to share that recipe? I find the sprouts to be somewhat bitter, but with the sweetness of carrots it might be something I would try. Or give to my daughter to try - she's a fan of the little cabbages.

Keberoxu, I hope your plans work out the way you envision. Do you expect to stay in that area even after your time in the community concludes?

I reread my remarks about the storage containers and realized there is a missing story there. My father (a packrat) had two upright full-size freezers in his shed across the road from his house. The houses on prime beach property are small so parking and storage need to be somewhere else. In his beachfront area lots were about 50' wide and people tended to also own the long narrow lots on the opposite side of the beach road (fifty feet wide and about 250' long). His shed was a historic structure that was built on one of the beaches to the west and moved to his property maybe 70 years ago. Marysville has a big strawberry festival and every year he bought 5-gallon cans of processed strawberries that he decanted into various sizes of Rubbermaid storage containers and put in the freezers. And a LOT of other stuff. When I worked on his estate I ended up with one of the larger U-Haul boxes, one size down from the wardrobe box, full of these Rubbermaid containers.

I don't remember now what I did with all of them, but I kept an array and for years have used a smattering of them, but others have remained stacked in the pantry. A couple of times a year I do something garden-related that involves bringing out one or two of the 12-cup containers, but the rest just collected dust. So they're old, rarely used, and in excellent condition. I let my daughter pick through for the ones she wanted and these will replace some at her house that are cracked, etc. and will be trashed. It was an interesting weekend for remembering things about Dad, this is just part of it.

I parked these remarks in a file today because the site crashed before I was able to post, and since then have had a call from an old family friend announcing that she will be arriving tomorrow evening and staying through Friday evening. This is one of the benefits of 30+ year family connections with an 89-year-old woman, she comes to see family but ends up staying at the places that are most comfortable. I have an available guest room while her daughter 10 minutes from here has a house is full of people (her daughter's family). I've warned our friend about Pepper and her lethal cone-of-shame, and we'll have to give her a cane to use to rattle at the dogs. I'm pretty sure Pepper will still be in a cone after tomorrow's vet visit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Dec 22 - 08:02 AM

Congratulations on your new … appliance, Stilly. I have yet to persuade a contractor to renovate the shabby original bathroom in this house, and I shudder to think what conniptions would be required to achieve installation of a bidet here.

I awoke this morning to the growl of a municipal snowplow in the street, suggesting that the end of the great Christmas blizzard of ‘22 might be in sight. Nephew No 1 and family are in a motel somewhere east of Toronto and expected to arrive in Windsor this afternoon, so I guess I must brace myself to make the trip tomorrow. If the Chatham-based branch of the family doesn’t join the crowd, I will also stop there to check in with the niblings. Great-niece No 1 and Great-nephew No 3 report successful completion of their first term of study, and it behooves me to listen attentively while they tell me all about it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 09:13 PM

Funny that you should mention the Italian version of the bidet. My daughter saw some of those last year when she travelled there. The one I was given is Japanese, what all of the kids have - it doesn't require relocating to a new fixture to use it. The mechanism is under the seat.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 08:47 PM

Mrs Steve and I have only ever encountered bidets in hotels in Italy (mostly). We have never used them for their, er, intended purpose, and the twee little towels that come with them are used for drying our feet after we've washed the dust off them in the bidet at the end of a hot Mediterranean day. Bidets are great for washing dusty sandals too, I've found. Now where were we...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 08:41 PM

Interesting day, and the weather finally warmed up to the high 40s, so I didn't feel so bad about putting the dogs out in the yard for a while.

I am now the proud owner of a bidet that I will install in the master bathroom soon. "All of your kids got together on this one," because they and their partners have them and I commented last summer that I should look into it. My daughter apparently set this in motion back then.

The house is cleaned up after all of the food, and I decluttered sent home a number of good storage containers (Rubbermaid for both food storage and large under-the bed bins). I'd gotten them out not knowing if she'd be interested. The lamp that was re-homed is much appreciated by the recipient, and I sent a lot of food home with my ex. Breads and cookies went with my daughter. Next year I'll look into healthier fruits and nuts for gifts, none of us need the calories. I got into a baking mood this year, but will need to pace myself better next time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 10:42 AM

Yes, Keb, I sang, at both the family service and the one at midnight. Enthusiastically and in tune, too, despite having to breathe in all the wrong places as well as the right ones.

Stéphane the organist is on his way home (carefully!) and my car is back in the garage after determined digging and a push. I hope that’s all the adulting expected of me today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 10:29 AM

Charmion, veuille transmettre à Stéphane des vœux d'un joyeux Noël et une bonne année de ton frère cadet à Ottawa. (You should feel entitled to a share in these wishes, too.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 09:59 AM

Well, a church organist is not a bad Christmas guest to have --
were you able to sing in the choir, or did you let the others do the singing?
Happy Christmas to you, Charmion, and to your four-pawed companions.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 08:49 AM

The Christmas blizzard isn’t over in southern Ontario.

The local version of English has a word for what happens to people who venture too far from home in foul weather and end up in a stranger’s spare bed. That word is “stormstayed”. Right now, at 0840 hours on Christmas Day, I have a stormstayed organist under my roof. He lives in London, where he should have remained last night instead of struggling across country to play for Midnight Mass in Stratford.

And my car is stuck in a snowbank on Hamilton Street outside the side door of the church, so my first task today, after feeding Stéphane, is to dig it out. What larks, eh?

It’s snowing lightly now, and the weather radar indicates yet another storm cell rolling our way from Lake Huron. The town fathers have given up on plowing the streets, Perth County roads are still closed, and life continues to unfold as it will whether we like it or not.

So it’s a nice, traditional Christmas.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Dec 22 - 01:10 AM

1000!

Best wishes to all the Declutterers from sunny Oz....the only white we are seeing this Christmas Day is the occasional white cloud drifting by in the sky.

Himself and I are staying home, having a quiet time....I cooked last night (a seasoned turkey roll with roast orange sweet potatoes and regular white potatoes, steamed carrots and Brussel sprouts roasted with prosciutto, followed by rich Chrissy cake and cream) so today we have been grazing as and when needed. I forgot to buy cranberry sauce but a jar of cranberry and orange marmalade was pressed into service as sauce instead, and very nice it was too. It was more cranberry saucy than marmalade-y.

Tonight, being Sunday, will probably be the regular Zoom quiz with The One And Only Grandkid and his mother, and her parents. Our son doesn't join in these days, they split up a couple of months ago. When the dust from the split finally settles we will go down south for a visit.

Merry Christmas to all, and Bah Humbug to the rest!

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

After my shower this morning I noticed that the gap on that back wall from the top of the sheet rock to the ceiling, that was at least 3/8 inch this summer, is down to about 1/8 inch. That means the rain we had this fall pushed the foundation a bit into place. It won't remedy the problems, but it proves that keeping the foundation watered is a good thing.

Holiday empanadillas are made (8 of them so far) and the rest of the filling is in the fridge. Mexican families make tamales, Puerto Rican families could make pasteles (with banana leaves instead of corn husk), or in our case, meat pies. Tomorrow I can make more dough for these Puerto Rican meat pies or can bake to reheat some of the ones I made tonight. Our main meal is arroz con gondules, and the pies are on the side - all of the extra PR food goes home with my ex as his xmas present. So he may choose to take the extra filling to spoon over rice instead of put inside a hot water dough crust (think Chinese food). I had a couple of the pies for dinner tonight. We make these each year because we want the Puerto Rican recipes to be part of the kids' history, the recipes come from their Abuela. I make this because there is no point in trying to buy other gifts for someone who buys himself what he needs when he needs it, consumables are best.

Signing off for a while - and I hope all of our participants and lurkers have a great and safe holiday week, whatever you celebrate (if you celebrate anything other than family.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Dec 22 - 01:01 PM

Dupont:

Finally felt OK to go to the store for a few things and another for de-icer for the steps and back porch. As I drove from one to other, there was a streak of blue sky and sun. I thought I would get home and open the drape that would let in some solar gain. I went into the store, grabbed a bag, paid and left --- right into a raging wind and vicious sleet storm. Made it to the car and left the cart in mid parking lot, avoided a knocked over sign and came home. No electric!

Found and lighted a couple candles, others handy. Put my tea in a pan on the wood stove. Phoned R to apprise him. Had a bit to eat - crackers and almond butter.

R came home. At this point it was still above freezing, raining and melting - sump pumps need electric! Water running across floor in cellar and in library (basement)... Off to look for way to manage this crisis: CAnadian Tire had a couple possibilies BUT they now have a big TV sort of thing where one can look up items and get "details" and even reviews. The items both had terrible reviews - WHY are they still in stock???

Next store: I entertained myself looking around for something/anything useful and desirable while R disappeared. Eventually, I found him on the floor near the exit, putting a small generator together with moral support from one to three staff! A young couple left with the same gen in its box. There may have been a couple more customers in this Large store -between 6 and 8 pm.

Of course, when we got home, the lights were on! R checked the cellar and we ate supper. I went to bed at 9! a few cm of snow this am and below freezing temps - a bit of sun earlier but grey now and sporadic wind.

Roads closed in most of southern Ontario. We may leave tomorrow, weather permitting. The good news, so far - the hydro is still on at Beaver!

NOW, I am going to do a "R" laundry. We had a nice BF of Pineapple buckwheat cakes - R dissected the pineapple - one in freezer, one in BF. Oh, I shoveled the slush off the front walk and back deck yesterday and ache today...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Dec 22 - 11:13 AM

Still freezing, but in the 20s now. That is an improvement. This "bomb cyclone" seems to have been named by the Weather Channel—they're calling it Elliot.

My daughter finally produced a last-minute gift wish list; I need to make the point to these guys that waiting this long can be a hardship on gift givers who who want to give practical wished-for things in time for the holiday. Gift cards don't express a lot of thought. As it happens, she is asking for things that I think I already gave her a couple of years ago, so I'll suggest she check her sewing room. And she wants some under-bed hard-plastic storage containers. I had one empty from pulling clothes out of my closet this year and one in my sewing room with mending that could be transferred to a different container (and maybe I should work on that mending). Out came the soft paint brush again to remove dust from crevices on the lid. The upside of this kind of gift giving is that it is a tiny bit of decluttering.

I haven't been to the gym in a week and my knees are feeling it; they get stiff without exercise. The trip to the attic also seems to have generated a new aching spot. I'll do a couple of the streaming stretching sessions and see if that helps. Between holiday hours and this cold weather I can't see going to the gym again until maybe next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Dec 22 - 08:05 AM

Stratford is very quiet today, except for the howling wind. All roads in Perth County have been closed since midnight; I guess the cops got tired of collisions and ditchings. Snow plastered to the north side of the house is blocking the windows, so I’m drinking coffee in a sepulchral gloom while the radio plays Luciano Pavarotti singing César Franck’s “Panis angelicus”. We still have electricity, hurrah.

I’m clearly not going anywhere, so I might as well sit with the cats and the weekend papers (on the iPad). Maybe later I’ll run the vacuum cleaner over the parlour rug, but don’t count on it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Dec 22 - 11:23 PM

I'm washing dog bed covers this evening to continue the work toward freshening the house after a week of a dog with stitches, a cone, bandages, and now, super cold weather. I've tried to protect Pepper's tummy with a t-shirt (she uses a back leg while standing and scratches her tummy so the shirt is a barrier), but the t-shirt she had on this morning was stuck to a stitch - that elicited a yelp when I realized it. And it's so cold, I think someone piddled on the dog bed, so the shirt was pretty awful. I got my sharpest shears to literally cut it down the middle of the back quickly to get it off of her (gravity pulled the shirt off of that stitch) and toss it. It's weeks like this that give the rest of the year a perspective of normalcy.

I'm going to request that they sedate Pepper before the stitches are removed; another struggle like the one over the drain and this dog will never trust me again. That's next week on Tuesday.

We've just returned from a group bedtime expedition into the yard; I in my heavy gear and a handful of dog treats get them all outside to take care of business. I stand around out there for a while so they poke around and finally finish. My old dog Poppy taught me this skill: she was deaf and slept so soundly that sometimes she was incontinent during the night. When we made these bedtime trips, me included, she took the time to take care of business and was able to get through the night. (When they're let out by themselves and come back very quickly you don't know what they did.) #JoysOfDogOwnership

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Dec 22 - 08:20 PM

I assume we're all the same drivers around the metroplex on all of the highways, but when approaching Hwy 183 that goes to the airport, be prepared to step on it. There's something about that particular road that brings out the worst in people and they do it driving really fast.

Working my way toward the holiday through stacks of stuff with lots of stops and starts due to my dogs and the cats of a friend I am caring for (caring for cats, not the friend). The ultra cold weather means I have to pull on outdoor gear several times a day. Fingers crossed the power stays on.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Dec 22 - 07:47 PM

Dupont:
Not doing much this last while. My big event was managing to thread a needle and put the few stitches in the black turtleneck for R. It has been sitting in plain sight bugging me! Mostly I just cook, clean up cobwebs as they appear - sunlight helps!, spend interminable time on FB and dealing with emails/petitions and, managing to unsubscribe the odd email. The latest refuses to be found/go away. Maybe add to list of junk or whatever they call it - requires remembering how, which would take longer than a lot of deletes!

We would have left for Beaver tomorrow BUT....! R does not mind snow! But I would have to drive lest I have too many hemorrhages along the way... I have spent a lot of time today looking at, trying to find, road condition sites that are helpful. Bottom line, for me, is not until Sunday! Just got a text re weather warning from the electric provider in Ontario.

Asked neighbour to pick up what Kelly was going to drop off for me so I have my new Turtle t-shirt to wear - in case the small store is closed for a few days. The thrift shops will ALL be closed the week except the big one - in case R needs to buy books. Mind, he has numerous boxes of books in his library there.

I hope we can stay through to the 2nd but R may have to deal with business... Surely not during this holiday week???? I am having conflicting feelings about Beaver/Dupont. I would like to be able to stay there - go back and stay there for a few weeks BUT ----My life is full of "BUTs"! R seems very fragile as business stuffs hit the fan - repeatedly and I try to figure out how to help him deal with the uncope-able. Mostly just listen and try to get enough pieces of the puzzle to understand. I hope getting away for a week will help him.

I sleep, I make BF, I watch to make sure he fastens his seat belt, then I fill the day with FB and the odd bit of this and that - replanting, watering, bringing in some firewood, And delighting in the Solstice!!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Dec 22 - 07:09 PM

Yes, I often gripe about the 401. It’s the bug in the system that is southern Ontario.

What scares me about the 401 is the contempt people have for the familiar threat of dense traffic rolling at high speeds in all weathers. We’re used to it, and we consider ourselves entitled to go wherever we want and whenever we want, whatever the conditions. Unfortunately, we all believe that we are expert drivers equal to any challenge we might encounter, even (especially?) when we’re tired, sick, angry, hungry, scared, or simply distracted.

Edmund and I drove up and down the entire length of the 401 at Christmas for more than twenty years. The sheer volume of traffic in and around Toronto is just stunning, equalled only on the interstates serving Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and New York City. We were financially comfortable enough to take the toll road (407) that skirts Toronto to the north, but that’s not an option for most truckers, or for daily commuters — avoiding Toronto on my last trip to and from Ottawa cost nearly a hundred bucks in tolls, on top of gasoline at $1.87 a litre.

I guess I’ve just out-lived that sense of invulnerability that makes young people do what they do so casually. Whenever I merge into the stream of hurtling traffic, peering over my left shoulder with one eye and minding the gap in front of me with the other, I feel like a gambler rolling dice that are not loaded in my favour.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Dec 22 - 09:00 PM

There is a TV on the table in my sunroom to use for testing VHS and other devices for eBay; it used to be in my bedroom for exercise DVDs and streaming my Essentrics site - it stopped working properly for a while so I replaced it. (An antenna unit fell on it and after that clunk it kept turning itself off and back on when in use, though it seems to be ok now). Today just for the heck of it I finished wiring the sunroom for data and tested it on that TV. It turns out it is a smart TV and I can view a things like NetFlix and Amazon without a fire stick. It also receives WiFi, but since the TV is wired it's faster. I have not voice activated anything in there - I don't need it eavesdropping. It's on the table where I also have my current jigsaw puzzle that I've finally returned to working. The room was too hot much of the summer and I got out of the puzzle habit for a while. This tough one is finally falling into place.

This work meant a trip to the attic. I'm more flexible than I was early in the year so that helps, but the exploration I had to do following the line in the attic still wasn't very pleasant. I was masked for the dust up there. I have a couple of more rooms to wire, maybe I'll get to it now that I've started on the project. I had put in Cat-5 phone lines but haven't had wired phones for years. I can reuse those lines and replace the phone plugs with data ports.

It looks like we'll be doing lunch for xmas this year, because the convergence of different families means the young'uns need to parse out their time. We do what we must. Charmion, I remember reading several times of your concerns about driving on The 401, so it's good if one of your young ones is convinced to be prudent and drive that road when it's safer.

Dorothy, how is it going with settling in for the winter? Will there be any more trips to Beaver? Do you think R will sell the Mill? When are you planning to go back for a visit to Whidbey?

It was Alice's birthday yesterday, and a sad reminder when it came up on Facebook. Over the years we wrote back and forth, but I could have called, it would have been easy enough. I'm thinking I should do that more, just because.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Dec 22 - 11:24 AM

I gave out bags of small portions of various baked goods this year to friends and family, and have just spent a few minutes answering questions from next door about how to make the cranberry bars that were in the mix. I'd always thought they were perfect alone, but she said her husband crumbled his on top of a bowl of vanilla ice cream. That sounds so good - but I've reached my limit for calories for the time being and now need to work in a few trips to the gym and eat more fruit.

I think during the extreme cold I'll set up in my sewing room and work on projects there. I've realized that because of the lights it has a natural anti-SAD effect and those cold days are also bound to be very dark. I have felt the influence of the unusually overcast weather we've had this fall.

Gift giving this year is including the redistribution of items already here. My daughter's wife has taken up painting (illustration) but the desk she works at is such that her short Ott lamp is positioned in a way that blinds everyone else in the room. I have an Ott lamp on a stand to be overhead that I couldn't pass up when Office Depot was closing (I bagged a $120 lamp for $40) but I don't use it much. My daughter hinted that it would be put to good use there, so I've used a soft paint brush to scoop the dust out of all of the various crevices on the base (it holds a lot of little stuff - it would be great for holding beads, buttons, etc.) and have worked out a gift bag to hold it. The other big thing I need to see if I can fob off give to them is the set of silver plate silverware from my mother. I used it for many years but decided I wanted something that was more modern and packed it up for one of the kids. Or maybe for Replacements.com. It's one of those things that there is no point in keeping if the kids don't want it. She hesitated, and she didn't say "no" - but I suspect they have such a mix of flatware at her house that it would either sit collecting dust in the box of get mixed in and lost as a set.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Dec 22 - 03:26 PM

Miserable weather in the forecast, absolutely bog-standard for Christmas. SIL called from Windsor to announce that she has forbidden Nephew No 1 to drive madly across the province (Ottawa to Windsor, a journey of at least eight hours on the 401), into the teeth of the vortex, just to ensure arrival by supper-time on Saturday. If the family Christmas gathering can wait for safer conditions, my whole life improves.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 20 Dec 22 - 01:21 PM

We had covid in the summer. Apart from a nasty cough I felt well, but Mrs Steve was quite poorly for several days. We were supposed to visit an elderly couple in south Devon today, but in view of the rash of cases among our immediate contacts we called it off. We heard today that several more people "in our circle" have tested positive, including two that we had big hugs with in our house (along with our daughter) on Saturday night. We tested again a couple of hours ago and are both still negative. It feels like Christmas is on a knifedge.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Dec 22 - 12:15 PM

We've spent the morning with several shortish power outages, but it means things have to be reset or turned back on. Browser history restored, etc. And the UPC in the hall closet that the router, modem, and switch are plugged into is shrilly announcing that it's internal batteries need replacing. I have stuff plugged into a heavy duty power cord for the moment and will order the batteries later.

This feels like a dress rehearsal for later in the week. A reminder to charge the little personal battery backup for the phone, charge the tablets, have several large pots of water on standby in case that goes out. Water in buckets to flush, etc. Get out the new propane cooker. This is a quick dip into the really cold temperatures, not a week-long submersion like February 2021, but everyone is still a little gun shy.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 09:51 PM

I love the combination of different food types - that dish of dill pickles or olives is so sharp that it's just what it takes to give the tongue a pleasant jolt after sweet (or savory).

Steve, didn't you two already have COVID once? I hope you dodge that bullet this time.

We're due for a weather deep freeze at the end of the week, so I suspect by now stores are looking a little bare. But I have enough food here to last a long time and I can eat non-green vegetables for quite a while, though come to think of it I have broccoli, zucchini and some cabbage here. I don't need to run to the store and I have what I need for our holiday dinner.

A friend tells me he's on a low-glycemic diet now after blood tests earlier this year revealed health issues. So instead of dropping off a goodie bag of breads and cookies this evening I poked through the fridge and pantry and made a bag with an apple, some asparagus, some smoked almonds, and I'll add a few pretty colors of herbal tea bag packets. Low glycemic shouldn't mean he can't get little food gifts!

Pepper is much happier this evening even with the cone. Who's a good girl?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 08:38 PM

Bejaysus, my downfall is that I can't judge seasoning in my finished dishes, soups, stews, ragus, anything. Even after three or four tasting goes I usually get it wrong (typically, not enough salt). I don't like salt that much but I don't want anyone else to suffer! I think the golden rule when it comes to oranges/clems/tangerines is to never try to eat them after something sweet...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 06:20 PM

The ancient olives went to the municipal compost today, along with the staggering quantity of lemon rinds squoze during my two weeks of quarantine and rather a lot of spent mint tea bags.

The top end is missing from of the flavour profile of every damn thing I put in my mouth at present. Oranges are acid, and that’s all. Chocolate tastes dusty, and coffee is bitter. I haven’t tried any wine — if I can’t taste oranges properly, there's no hope for wine. Whisky’s okay, however, and smoked fish is unaffected. So, Scotch with sprats for a chaser? Food of the goblins.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 05:56 PM

We're on covid tenterhooks here. Mrs Steve and I attended a function on Friday afternoon, over 60 mostly elderly people in attendance in a fairly small room. We've heard already tonight that three of our friends who were there have tested positive. We both tested negative this evening (even though I have a stinking cold!). Fingers crossed, eh? We've decided that we'll test ourselves again on Wednesday evening.

I wouldn't eat those olives meself, Charmion. They won't see you off but I'm pretty certain that their quality will have deteriorated. Mrs Steve and I are infamous round here for eating out of date food. I used some crème fraiche this evening that was three weeks out of date, and we had a ham sandwich a couple of days ago with ham dated 4 December. Olives that are not in jars will go at least a week beyond. We've eaten cheddar three months out of date that was lovely. Shrink-wrapped smoked mackerel fillets are still great at least ten days out of date. We are having a Marks and Spencer pork pie for tea tomorrow evening that has the date 17 December. I ate some eggs a few days ago that had gone a week past their date. They were delicious.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 01:49 PM

I'm so sorry your poor dog is suffering, Stilly. I hope she recovers quickly.

Pool class went well this morning, but then all I wanted to do was flop in the comfy chair. I think I'm done for the day.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 11:34 AM

A second load of laundry goes in now that I'm back home with Pepper. It was painful to remove the surgical drain and she managed to express her anal sacs on the vet and pee all over the place. She wore a muzzle and it took four grown women to do the job holding down one 44 pound dog. The towel in the car and the shirt she had on are ready to launder. Poor girl. She's now home wearing the Cone of Shame and bumping into lots of stuff as the surgical site dries out after the bandage removal and flushing activity. I've covered the dog door and will let everyone in and out regularly through the sliding door for a while just to spare the cone (they can break when jammed against things.) I foresee a lot of treats in the next few days.