FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 21 - 06:02 PM

I ended the last thread with a screed about 2021. Rather than start this new year with all of that negative energy, I split the post between these two threads. Here is the last thread, coded to appear in descending order.

Fitness in the title comes first this year, and it needs to come first this year for me. Over the course of the pandemic I've become much better at exercising at home now, using the Hinge Health app (paid for by insurance), and with this development I may go ahead and add the Silver Sneakers exercises as well. I started the Hinge program during the summer and they have you step up the exercises for the first few months. I am up to their full 15 minutes a day routine. I enjoy going to the gym, but COVID has made that feel like a reckless move, and while 15 minutes a day doesn't sound like a lot, it's a lot better than not doing anything.

I'm not good at setting resolutions and following through; in fact, setting a resolution pretty much confirms that I won't do it just because of what it is. So I'm not an expert at inspiring others in this; I am inspired when people who have been lurking drop in to share their news of making a decision to clear out the extra and then go ahead and do it. They don't spend time telling us about it, just report at the end. I know that for Katlaughing, who was the originator of these threads, it started out as a process for her, but as her health failed, she stuck around for the camaraderie. It's a mix of that for most of the regulars here, and we are always happy to have new stories and descriptions of challenges come along.

For many people, 2021 was huge self-inflicted wound. Many of the problems we are seeing now, the stresses on the health care system, are the result of that lack of care (and lack of sharing resources) for the world around. Hospitalized cases of COVID are about 90% unvaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated and boosted are also getting sick, though generally not as bad. What to do this new year?

For now - I will stay home. 2022 will probably be best served by each of us making a list, a serious list heavily-weighted toward things that we want to accomplish in our homes that require little or no shopping or outside assistance. Finish old projects. Everyone needs to hunker down in place for a few weeks and avoid Omicron. What projects will you do? Mine will be two-fold - to start listing lots of items on eBay, and to do more sewing. I now have two holiday gifts and a bunch of masks to make. On nice days I'll finally start digging the hole and setting the post for the gate I want to install next to the garage. I have the posts, the concrete and the gate, and can order the hardware online and have it shipped.

Stay healthy and be happy this year. More than ever this will be a personal project we each have to map out for ourselves. I look forward to reading each of your plans for this venture.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 21 - 10:36 PM

The new year comes in with a bang (fireworks outside, never mind they're not legal) and a minor cooking miscalculation leading to a smoky house—I'm going to do my exercises, close the doors, and head to bed. Pepper is wearing her thunder shirt and has been hunkered down in the hall outside the bedrooms.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 09:57 AM

The big-ass microwave left the building yesterday; straining every muscle and sinew, I hauled it up the basement stairs and out to the car. At Habitat for Humanity, it was greeted with glad cries and eager hands, and I drove away feeling substantially relieved.

I weighed myself this morning and found that — despite all the booze and sweeties I could consume without making myself sick — I gained less than a kilo over Christmas.

New Year’s Eve was spent cooking, and this morning I put two litres of jellied beef stock and four litres of ham-and-bean soup in the freezer.

It’s grey and damp today in Stratford, with very little snow on the ground and none in the forecast. Everything is closed except the emergency pharmacy and one gas station. I think I’ll clean the bathroom and spend the rest of the day reading.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 11:17 AM

I somehow lost another 3 kg since August. I am not looking for them.

I am, however, looking for the purple leather glove I dropped. I still have its mate... stole the pair from my mom in my college years. Google is not helping me replace them.

Bought some presents but kept most of'm for me. Sevetal stuffed animals originally intended for various babies, notably.

Oh, wait, *de*clutter. Oops!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 01:19 PM

I need to put a new battery in my electronic scale, I haven't used it in quite a while. The news won't be good if I do, but I have been making a diet shift in the last couple of months that should eventually show up. I'm making a concerted effort to have different colors of vegetables and fruits in my diet; not just green salads or broccoli, but red beets, oranges, yellow squash, etc. Broccoli is a good green, but so are asparagus and zucchini, etc. - getting different plant families in there. This has been suggested in the health notes part of my Hinge exercise program, and also turns up in places like the little Consumer Reports health book they send out to subscribers.

Making this a personal goal was capped off after hearing a local NPR radio interview program with a science writer for Harvard and other places of note. Mark Schatzker's book is The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well, in which "craving" was a good thing - it was your body telling you it needed something. Processed food, with so many vitamins added (a long-standing practice in things like milk and breakfast cereal, going back to before WWII) it short-circuits our own sense of what we might really need. I've taken several of the supplements out of my daily routine, so when shopping and the asparagus or the onions really appeal to me, I buy them to use. Spinach is something I'm eating more of because it really appeals to me. This process also means that getting off of sugar addiction, off of daily alcohol, etc., is important, because they become part of our routine and can be an unhealthy craving.

Michael Pollan has been writing about this for years, and there are other authors out there who have been whistling in the wilderness. It took realizing that dietary supplements were a culprit to help me shift my practices. I took a core of basic supplements, C, A, E, etc., but would never touch a product like those "Balance of Nature" things advertised on AM radio that are "a full day's supply of fruits and vegetables" in their doses (those are probably are going to kill people.) I'm surprised the FDA hasn't shut them down by now.

This isn't something that is a new year resolution, I've been working on this for several months and plan to continue with it.

Good job with the microwave donation, Charmion! They will find a good home (and perhaps on a counter or rolling cart so moving it won't continue to be an Olympic event)! The box I took to UPS yesterday was 16 pounds, it had a cast iron pot and lid. It cleared a couple of square feet of space in the front room, and now that my dining table is emptied (I put away the ornament boxes) I can use it to stage a few more items to list this week. The photo cube is in the front room but I can put the boxes and packing material in the den. Especially for the first couple of weeks when I'll isolate here to avoid Omicron, there will be no social occasion requiring a large table top. (A good note - so far my elderly friend and her son who were exposed to the daughter/sister's COVID have tested negative.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 06:57 PM

Dupont:

Grey and damp here today also. And was lightly drizzling when R went out after BF to de-clutter the back yard of the fallen tree. Now, the den is cluttered with several large piles of damp wood! (NOT on the wood floor!) At least a week's supply. And he enjoyed doing it!

Pineapple buckwheat cakes for BF were great - unlike the pumpkin buckwheat ones yesterday which I shall snack on until they are gone! A new veggie stew is going well and we have almost finished the turkey! I have put off the pork roast until tomorrow when the planned overs are down to a lower roar.

I seem to be improving; it does help that R was home parts of a couple days and in a better state, making a serious effort to help me find a way to cope with "no life at all!" The days are getting longer. I am concluding that omicron is probably here to stay and I will have to deal with it. But I will never be safe. The chronic cough which I thought I was controlling chose today to become incessant - though it has stopped for a little while.

My #1 son finally phoned yesterday - instead of a little kid crying because mom was gone too long, mom was on the verge of crying because "you always phone on Christmas". They had a great Christmas with family in WA and I missed it/miss family. They are visiting friends who are like family in BC next week and I could not even bother going to the Ile today on such a drismal day - maybe tomorrow... Work is commencing on their new home and my #2 GD is visiting soon with #3 GGD and #4 (in the oven). The anti-vax GD is also an angry woman so a therapeutic environment is planned.

I spent a long time today looking for a "tempo" sort of shed for the back deck - the right size was daunting but I found two possibilities; we have to wait until the stores open on Monday to see if one is actually available. The goal is to put the wood in it and still be able to walk from back door to back steps (12 feet) but not block the window and not be where the ice came crashing down last year.

That's the way the world goes round, up one day, the next your down....

The plants are my therapy; each tiny blossom is greeted with delight. That I have some blue lobelia blooming in a geranium pot gives me joy.

I looked longingly at an older G. Pyrenees on line. Too many hoops! Just as well. I guess that is a clutter of the nth degree! ...

Subject: RE: De-clutter & Fitness in a Pandemic: 2021
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 08:38 PM

In the week between Christmas and New Year's,
the de-cluttering which I had put off for a long time,
meant I had to book round-trip plane flights
for the first time since before the lockdown
(heck, it might have been 2019 the last time I got on a plane).

Believe me, the airlines are between a rock and a hard place.
The airport terminals are understaffed.
Such flights, as are not cancelled, have got enough staff per flight,
but of course everybody dreads being crammed close together in a tin can!
When the departing flight starts the instructions to the passengers,
along with all the other details about flotation devices and oxygen masks,
they instruct you, when you eat a snack or a drink or a meal,
to take the extra precaution of slapping the facemask back onto
your nose and mouth IN BETWEEN bites and sips.

Being after Christmas, there was no way to social-distance onboard
as those flights were booked to capacity.
I was very very careful indeed. Feeling well enough now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 22 - 10:11 PM

Dorothy, I moved several plants into the greenhouse this evening after setting up the heater. There were a few plants out there since late November that were protected enough just by being indoors, until tonight. Those put in now might not make it through a 21^o night. This has been a strange winter - the last couple of weeks have had days topping out at about 80^o.

This evening one of my homemade pizza crusts was thawed, cut in half, and I made a great holiday dinner of sausage pizza (with onions and peppers) and asparagus on the side. The dogs have a good nose for vegetables that they get to share, so were there beside the table waiting patiently for the bottom parts of the asparagus (I break them before I drop the tops and bottoms into boiling water, then I eat the tender tops and let the dogs have the tougher bottoms of each stalk). Usually the night after the holiday is kind of noisy, as the neighborhood hoodlums use up the rest of their fireworks, but tonight it's really cold out there so said hoodlums are indoors for now, making it a pleasant holiday for us. Last night was incredibly noisy and completely miserable for Pepper.

This afternoon I watched cheesy old Japanese monster films (Raymond Burr narrating a story of Godzilla, etc.) and did some picking up and laundry. The kitchen is looking better. The xmas lights that were out front were taken down, two strings rolled onto a holder, one string into the e-waste recycle bag (with a big chunk of lights burned out and no real way to fix them). I have boxes of unused lights I've bought on sale that I can use next year. But will I remember before I buy more light strings? I've bought lights two years in a row that I didn't use, so I probably will remember next December.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jan 22 - 08:36 AM

Snowing in Stratford, and finally cold enough for it to hang around a while.

Around here, people leave their holiday lights up most of the winter; it’s just too miserable a job to take them down when the wind chill is doing minus lots and lots. I have two measly strands wound around my stupid little mulberry tree, so I’ll just take in the extension cord and tuck the proximal end of the lowest strand out of harm’s way until we have another snow-clearing thaw.

The cats murdered another mouse in the small hours of the night and left the corpus delicti in the middle of the bedroom rug, a Kirman that provides excellent camouflage. Having narrowly avoided stepping on it, I consigned it to the organic waste bin with a decision that, on the whole, the cats are earning their keep.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jan 22 - 10:25 AM

Dupont:

Beautiful snow falling! About 6 inches so far; -8C - not too bad. We may go to the Ile later if I feel the roads are ok. Told R I will not make BF until he chooses to appear. (Already 10am) Having a muffin for my BF but will need more soon. I love watching the snow fall. The back deck, of course, is lacking that "tent" we are hoping to acquire and R did not remove the wicker chair to the garage... He will later. It sat on deck all last winter but he seems to be taking more of an interest in home things. Fire in wood stove. Cosy.

Last eve we watched old episodes of Dragon's Den - all eve! Fri, we watched several episodes of Escape to the Country. Whatever this is that #2 son installed for me when he was here (2 years ago), has been a great help, when I am far enough out of the doldrums to remember to use it.

Popcorn as a pre-bedtime "snack" continues to be terrific - no nocturnal visits and less coughing in the night.

No snowplow yet.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 22 - 03:42 PM

A favorite zipper fleece jacket is wearing out fast, but much of the problem is just that it needs new elastic. I think if I replace it in the bottom hem and the sleeves, it'll have a lot more life in it, even if it's just for wearing around the house like today. And it's great for taking a nap - if I lie on the recliner I can pull the over-size black fleece-lined hood down over my eyes and it's perfect. Into the sewing room it goes. Better this, because chances are good that if I bought a new fleece zipper hoodie, I'd have two of them, not being able to toss this one yet.

Sunny but cold, and I see I have to replace the batteries in my outside sensors for a couple of thermometers (both were gifts, and were deployed in different ways around the yard and garage.) And another battery needs checking soon - the SUV. One reason for backing into the garage is that if it needs work, just open the garage door and pop the hood, its facing the correct direction. Over the years I've had a number of AAA service calls for a dead battery in cold weather. Though I actually back in here mostly because I live at a 3-way intersection and exiting is easier this way, it's also easier for a service tech to jump the battery and then for me to drive to (used to be Sears, now it's Costco or the Nissan dealer) to get a new battery. I'm hoping to get another year on this battery before that happens.

Dorothy, understood about the plants! I didn't pick one last crop yesterday and looked out on the garden spot to see my Swiss chard drooping. But since it hadn't thawed yet I took scissors out to cut it all, then trimmed and popped it into a pot with a steamer basket. You can freeze chard before cooking (though usually you would blanch it first), so I figure this is ok. I wouldn't wait until the day got warmer and do that, there was a very narrow window of opportunity to save this (and it's a pretty red stem - another color in my vegetable rainbow diet!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 07:08 AM

Stilly - re the lights, try making a Note to Self on your Nov/December calendar to remind you about your surplus of lights.

I was visiting my neighbour who has a lot more space than me, not just by having 2 bedrooms to my one, but by not having collections, sigh, or mess - another sigh ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 12:12 PM

SRS, good thoughts on getting our nutritional house in order. It is a good time to take stock and set new plans in motion, in all aspects of life. I don't have them clarified yet.

But I have had great success in the past with striving for the 5-10 servings of fruit and veg in a day.

I saw an infographic that divided them into color 'families': reds, blue/purples, greens, whites, yellow/orange. If you try to get 1-2 of each group in a day, you're getting a wide range of micronutrients.   If I do that, I feel better and have much less trouble getting weight off. And it's more fun to focus on what to eat, letting the bad stuff get crowded off the board, rather than focusing on no-nos.

I routinely just stand in the produce area and look at the colors I am collecting, to be sure I have the right stuff on hand to try to get in 5 different colors in a day. Sometimes that spurs you to try different things and work with the seasons. And it helps to not be shy about just buying one or two of something, or pulling one small bunch of grapes out of those giant sacks they want you to buy. Of course SRS has a pantry of home-grown stuff to lean on, but I am stuck with what is in stores and fruit stands.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 12:23 PM

Good tip, Sandra!

Patty, if you're still in the RV that's quite a challenge to buy just enough so you have a couple of meals out but don't have more than will fit in the fridge. Do you keep an extra cooler handy for overflow?

I have a mix of frozen stuff (I buy strawberries and blueberries in bulk at one grocery and freeze them), fresh (lots of greens, yellows, and a couple of reds), and the pantry is mostly red and green (tomatoes, relish, pickles, okra, etc.) I started this exercise a couple of months ago, so it isn't a resolution that I would tire of quickly.

Somehow (dog managed, I think) a painted Mexican carved fish that I've had for 40 years was dislodged from a low shelf, landed on the floor and said dog chewed off much of the upper caudal fin. Now what to do with it? Toss it, or find some use that doesn't show the wounded tail? (Said dog got a scold when I found it!) Declutter by dog - another method in my toolkit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 03:32 PM

Today I am learning to schedule and host meetings on Zoom. I did not want to learn any more about Zoom than I knew already, but now things are different and I have to.

Why are things different? Because the Omicron variant is surging in Ontario, and we're back in modified lockdown, that's why. As of midnight Tuesday, restaurants are limited to take-out again, gyms and schools are closed, and all kinds of other things are so inconvenient that one feels better off just doing without.

Crap.

I think I'll make myself a nice cup of tea.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 04:26 PM

Omicron is surging here, too & with right wing pro-business National & state governments, we are in a mess. Our Prime Minister is famous for saying he "doesn't hold a hose, mate" in the middle of our 2019/20 bushfire season when he took his family to Hawaii for a promised holiday (he lied about his destination & was forced to come back early!) Cartoonists & satirists have added to the list of things he doesn't hold - including timely vaccine supplies, leading to the 2021 Word of the Year - Strollout. Rapid antigen tests will continue to be paid for even tho he made an off the cuff remark that some people can't afford them - but businesses have to be protected - even tho some are selling individual tests for far more than the kit price, Jan 3 cartoon

In my state 20,794 new cases were reported yesterday from 96,765 official tests - a positivity rate of more than 21 per cent. Health workers are burnt out but the Premier says "our state is standing strong".

Festivals have been cancelled, & fans & businesses are voting with their feet at a large regional Country music festival - accommodation bookings are cancelled, venues cancel live music, but the Festival goes on ... My fingers are crossed for festivals later in the year.   

sandra (masked, socially distanced & sanitised) - my new signature

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 04:45 PM

The chewed fish might make a cute addition to a Beware Of Dog sign!

I've got a fairly huge (6 cubic feet) fridge. I just am determined to not waste food, so try to get just what I will use.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 08:07 PM

Would the chewed fish work as an ornamental addition to a potted plant?

The large regional country music festival is in my town, and we will miss the music. It's not all "Yee-har!"; some music appeals to us and some doesn't, so we pick and choose which concerts to attend.

I am noticing, however, a certain note of paranoia creeping into news reports, which is why I don't read or watch them. We're not actively trying to get sick - heaven forbid - but we're certainly not wiping down and sanitising everything we own or touch, and we're not throwing up our hands in horror at the number of cases either. After all.....what is done, cannot be undone.

Himself does the shopping, I stay home and sew and play music. I am having a lovely time in my sewing room.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 22 - 09:15 PM

Today I talked my ex into getting a COVID test - he has complained about sinuses and congestion for a couple of weeks now, and if he's not going to treat his allergies with things like a 24-hour tablet (I use Zyrtec) because he "doesn't like long-lasting pills" then he needs to use some other way to determine if his stuffiness is from allergies or COVID. The symptoms of COVID (Omicron) for those who are vaccinated and boosted are milder, with some of his symptoms as part of it. He drove by and I handed out a box with two rapid tests and he has the PCR test scheduled on the weekend. I have another box of tests arriving any day now (but they don't come as fast as other Amazon sales - the vendors seem to have a backlog, not surprisingly).

I'm not washing things that come into the house any more, but any time I go into a store, the post office, etc., I use hand sanitizer when I return to the car. I wear the mask. And for now, I'm not going into any businesses if I can avoid it. I need to get some dog food later in the week so I'll order online and do curbside pickup.

It's a tough week here as we some up to the 1-year anniversary of the attempted overthrow of the U.S. Capitol. Politics and Pandemic are keeping our attention. It's time to escape into some good movies or an audiobook.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 22 - 12:29 PM

The calendar alert for my normal scanning appointment went off this morning, and while I'll leave those alerts in place to remind me of what day of the week it is, I'm not going anywhere with other people. I need to walk the dogs and this afternoon is forecast to be nice.

Staying home for now means I have no excuse for not getting a few things finished that are on my list. Researching my prescription insurance, sewing projects, some work in the yard. Listing on eBay. They're all staring me in the face this week.

U.S. reports over 1 million new daily Covid cases as omicron surges

• The U.S. has reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections.
  
  
• A total of 1,082,549 new coronavirus cases were reported Monday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond.
  
  
• The U.S. also has the highest seven-day average of daily new cases in any country tracked by Johns Hopkins.

Unlike 2020, when there was a curfew and there were rules about masks and going into public places, there is an opaque "Declaration of Local Disaster due to Public Health Emergency" in my county. No idea what it's about. This is apparently the ninth iteration of the document.

One of the "Whereas's" includes "These measures include isolation, surveillance, quarantine, or placement of persons under public health observation, including the provision of temporary housing or emergency shelters for persons misplaced or evacuated."

I'm not hearing about any of that happening now, but the county health officials have been putting out as many testing and vaccination stations as they can. That latest declaration is in effect until March 1 of this year. Hopefully by then Omicron will have subsided (but will it be replaced by something?)

So I'm at home.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Jan 22 - 12:53 PM

To prepare for possible power outage I made 2 gallons of vegetable beef soup that turned out great. Generators are on standby, devices charged but the unknowns are more clever than me.
I watched a comic drama called 'Don't look up' on Netflix which is very timely.
While many are without food fuel water and very frightened, we are in good shape. As for books I am finishing Mel Brooks latest lunch money submission on kindle.
I am organizing an ebay sale of collectable toys called micro machines that made over a grand last time and should clear several grand for these 30 year old factory sealed toys. I knew the Gallob licensing executive in Florida and now even have the original wholesale catalogs that are the holy grail among collectors. Because several people are trying to corner the mico market, a sale is assured. The heavy 1:18 scale collection is not as desired. I don't know about the 'Cars' collection that includes all the signatures of the voice over actors at the original cast party like Jay Leno, Sharon Stone, James Taylor... Why toy collections? They are more fun than Widget Stocks. I hope to turn toys into a custom made cello from String Works in the USA. They are very accomodating with luthiers who are flexible and open minded.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 22 - 02:20 PM

Over the years I've read (often here at Mudcat) about the solid quality of some of the older receivers compared to what is produced today. And in general, they go for a nice price on eBay if they work or if you sell them "for parts or repair." Finding them is the trick, and getting them into the hands of those who do the repairs means some profit for me and probably a lot more profit for them (after they add the value of the repair). I find (online) and include the owners manual and usually find the remote control, if there was one (they're all sold on eBay).

There are other smaller things also. You have to stick with what you know there is a market for. The beauty of smart phones is that while in a thrift store or at an estate sale you can look up and item and find if there is a reasonable market for it.

I was watching one of those cable house remodeling programs this weekend and cringed when they took a nice antique brass chandelier and painted it chartreuse. Yuck. But someone probably sold it to them and made some money doing it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Jan 22 - 05:05 PM

Take a toy out of the original packaging and it can lose 90% of its value. wierd
A Mississippi couple have a show my wife watches about their house makeovers. She watches it like I watch old STNG. My handyman skills pale in comparison but I can grout. In fact "I am groot."

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 22 - 09:52 PM

Yes, that's probably the same program, set in Laurel, Mississippi. They're a cute couple who work well together. That town, like Waco, TX, with the Magnolia folks, is getting a house-by-house makeover.

With the new year I'm trying to put some things into use around here. Case in point, a smart bulb that was free with something else I bought but never added to the network. I already have one smart bulb in the kitchen, this one is in the den, but I'm having trouble naming it so that Alexa can find it. I can use my phone to turn them on and off, but Alexa is easier.

In the last week there were too many things sitting out on the kitchen peninsula, resulting in accidentally leaving a couple of containers with food out overnight that had to be tossed into the compost. So I've cleared off the counter. An ongoing task, clearing horizontal surfaces.

Running the dishwasher and the laundry, ok for now, and waiting for Amazon to deliver the foaming root killer that I need to run down the drain every couple of months to prevent another backup like I had last month.

I've seen that image but never actually heard of a "groot." Lots of views on that clip, so apparently I'm in the minority.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 22 - 11:42 AM

Today is our last sunny day before a sequence of cold descends from the upper Midwest, so I'll go scoop the leaves from the street gutter and drop them onto the lawn to mulch in. There will be more leaves, this is the first of two or three such operations during the winter.

Hospitals in regions of Texas are at 100% capacity in their ICU units; the next step is triage. Day five of the New Year and of staying home is involving phone calls to friends for a social boost each day. My radio plays public radio, and right now the administrator (the Tarrant County Court at Law Judge who is elected and who isn't really a judge) of my county is on the radio saying that the governor has taken away the county's ability to act, the governor is calling the shots (and he doesn't believe in closing down or restricting activity for COVID, etc.) so the judge can't close businesses, call a curfew, curtail school activities, etc. "Trust your physicians, quit reading some of this crap on the Internet" he says. 34% of COVID tests in Texas are coming back positive during this Omicron surge. That is HUGE.

I need an excuse to turn on and drive the SUV to keep things running, so I can take some recycling over to the village bins (outdoors, not monitored) and take a drive past the outdoor donation spot for Goodwill (set the bag into the canvas collection rolling hamper thing with no contact). The last time I left it parked for days on end I ended up with wasps nests underneath making it sound odd until the mud dropped off. No mud daubers this time of year, but still, it needs to run about once a week.

Did I mention the set of jersey (t-shirt) sheets that I've decided to donate? I don't use them often, they feel good when first put on the bed, but they're so stretchy that it's almost impossible to get in and out of bed without a struggle and the blankets bunch up too much. These sheets stay in the linen cupboard until I decide to give them another try, and am reminded again why I don't really like them. They've been laundered and to Goodwill they go, with some twine around the set and a note indicating the size. Good luck in their next home.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Jan 22 - 01:04 PM

Well, day 3 of outage means I am going to deepclean my fridge when the power comes back on!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 22 - 03:12 PM

I had to do that last year. I tried not to open the freezer so at least things were still very cold and could be cooked and used. Is your outage weather related?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jan 22 - 06:31 PM

The heaviest snow in 7 years.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 06 Jan 22 - 08:45 AM

"Take a toy out of the original packaging and it can lose 90% of its value. wierd"

Seems a shame to me and I don't see the point in a toy you can't play with. I got a couple of steam engines (Mammod traction engine and Wilesco steam roller) a few years back and I read of collectors having them never used but the fun to me is that you can (even if only occasionally in my case) fire them up and see them working.

I got one of my brothers a toy for Christmas btw. Some Fishertechnik - this tractor kit. It's great stuff. Tim, who had a set or two back in the 70s, said it was a great "blast from the past", was reminded of how he enjoyed playing with it and that he had fun making the models this Christmas.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jan 22 - 12:56 PM

Nostalgia has a price, and it's much higher if the toy you want to buy has never actually been played with! Toy sellers probably make a killing with all of the toys bought and put on a shelf to collect dust. My kids had Beanie Babies and kept the tags and played gently with them; good thing they enjoyed them as toys because the bottom eventually fell out of that artificial collecting marketplace.

When selling family antiques on eBay it's clear that there are target audiences for some things. I had an interesting bulky Bakelite-case hearing aid (with the box and the instructions and the advertising brochure) that was purchased by a physician who probably did audiology for a living. I still have stuff around here that my kids probably need to revisit to see if there is anything they'd like now that they're adults. My home isn't a museum, so I'm glad to look closely at most of this then pass it along to someone's collection.

Breakfast this morning looked more like a lunch or dinner, but it's part of my healthier eating program I started last fall. A Bartlett pear, a medallion of sweet potato, and two homemade rolls with a small patty of sausage each. The colors of the plant part and the protein of the meat part with a bit of a bread. No dairy this time, but most of these have some calcium in the nutrient list. We're into cold weather now so I'll start setting up the little crock pot for my overnight oatmeal (with dates). Then I'll eat that with milk and fruit on the side. Since I reduced the amount of supplements in my diet I was sometimes getting leg cramps when exercising, but by paying more attention to the variety of colors in the foods in my diet that is clearing up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 11:58 AM

My sister is a fan of the stretch/exercise program called Essentrics by Canadian ballerina and fitness guru Miranda Esmonde-White. I found it on one of the second string PBS stations this week, various broadcast times, and catching it again last night realize they play the same episode all week. That said, this is the first time in ages I've wished for a DVR to catch these programs and build up a backlog. (I have a virtual DVR on Sling TV, but they don't broadcast any of the PBS channels that I could record.) Each year's set of exercise broadcasts comes in just north of $50, a monthly subscription is about $16 with access to all broadcasts ("cheaper than a gym" says my sister). She doesn't know that the gym I go to is paid for by Silver Sneakers (it's a big full-service gym, so that is a nice benefit). #Frugal

I have lots of options - Silver Sneakers is the big one, offered through my insurance. Hinge Health I've used for months, it's a phone app. For now I'm cobbling together routines that are free (broadcast TV, insurance, retiree benefits, etc.). The gym isn't a safe choice for now, but walking and gardening are a usual routine.

Another freeze overnight, followed by a sparkling bright day. There's a little hyacinth bulb on my kitchen windowsill to perk up the new year mornings (it's only a couple of inches tall so far, no sign of what color the flowers will be.) There are daffodils sprouting in the front yard (also just leaves, no sign of the flowers yet). The daytime temperatures will be in the 60s most of the week. I had a bowl of hot oatmeal from my little 1-quart crockpot - when it cooks overnight it's super creamy and the dates are soft and caramelized (this pot makes enough for four breakfasts that reheat in the microwave). Welcome to winter in Texas.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 01:05 PM

Crisp and cold in Stratford, with bright sunshine today. Normal winter weather for southwestern Ontario. One of the cardinals resident in my hedge gave me a rousing performance of his slide-whistle impression this morning, so I know all is well in his little world.

Not so much for me. On Tuesday, I had a car accident in which I T-boned a perfectly innocent Ford in broad daylight, the result of failing to stop at a red light. In something like 45 years of driving, I have never done anything like that before; in fact, I’ve never had so much as a speeding ticket.

I hit the Ford on the passenger side and I was in third gear, doing about 45 kph, so the poor driver was flung against the door. She was properly belted in, and suffered only bruising. The passenger side of her car was all stove in. My car is probably a write-off because its air-bags deployed, and I spent several hours in the emergency room being investigated for a lot of things it never occurred to me to worry about. The air-bag hit my hands, so they look as if I had punched somebody’s lights out. Apart from that, I’m physically fine. Mentally, I’m still badly rattled.

The police constable was downright sweet to me, which I did not expect and remain very grateful for. I guess it helped that I accepted responsibility and expressed remorse as soon as she told me what I had done. She gave me a ticket for running the light but did not charge me with anything else. The insurance people are efficient and kind, as well. I have a rental car until they decide whether my poor VW is toast. Doing without a car is not an option as long as I live in this house; the nearest supermarket is four kilometres away.

So life goes on, as it does. I need milk and veg, so I have to crawl out of my hole whether I want to or not.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 01:25 PM

Sometimes it's just plain your fault and denial is useless. This end, even if you're bang to rights, insurance companies don't like it if they hear that you've admitted liability on the spot. I got into hot water on one occasion when I'd done just that. It was OK in the end, thankfully. I can't remember now which of my rather numerous accidents it was, but they've all been minor, thank goodness! It's always a nasty thing to happen, so keep yer pecker up and take it easy for a bit. I find that evening access to a corkscrew can help...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 02:46 PM

I'm so sorry! Your great little VW!

Several years ago I missed taking my turn properly at an intersection that was broken and was blinking red all directions. I was t-boned, rear seat on my side, low speed, but being out of turn, it was on me. I don't think I said anything at the time, just took photos, exchanged information, and a police officer made notes and had the other car towed. No ticket. I got a new (to me) vehicle shortly after learning my unibody SUV was totaled. The difference in how you're treated can be in the insurance company you have - I use a very polite insurance company. They raised my rates for several years, but I am back in good standing with them.

You might want to have those groceries delivered. Every muscle is going to be stiff for a few days, and getting into a car (rental or other) and driving may be difficult at first. You'll revisit the accident - wondering how you missed that light? Don't beat yourself up - accidents happen. There were probably factors involved that you can conclude contributed to missing the light. Was the sun in your eyes? Did you look at the radio for a moment? These are things that can be corrected. I had a passenger and turned my head just long enough to not realize I was following another vehicle when I should have stopped. I try to be all the more careful, and taking the defensive driving course really again helped. Understanding that you did a great job in the past (and will again) also does help.

The worst of 2022 is over. The rest of the year will be much better! I queried Google about actuarial figures on driving accidents and came up with this from Quora:

So if you got your license at age 16, the odds are quite good that you’ll experience some kind of crash by the time you’re 34, at the latest. Over the course of a typical long, driving lifetime, you should have a total of three to four accidents.

Chances are these crashes won’t be deadly. There are about 10 million accidents of all kinds each year, from parking lot scrapes to multi-car pileups, according to the National Safety Council; in 2009, just three of every 1,000 of those accidents involved fatalities.

You've already beat the odds on your first accident, so you'll do fine for the rest of your driving life. ❤

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 04:33 PM

When I was in the accident that totaled my car years ago,
I was not at all at fault.
It still scares the bejeebers out of you,
AND one hates losing one's car.
I still mourn for that car, I was partial to it.
And they don't make 'em like that model any more either.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 05:24 PM

I got my licence late as I was a nervous driver & only drove for 3 years, short trips only as driving also tired me. I (slightly) bumped into the car in front in my first week! Repair cost $50 & I was only earning $25 a week.

My father was a mechanic & got my 15 year old car from a friend in the trade ($150), & did repairs for wholesale cost of parts, so when he retired I happily sold it for $100, bought a shopping trolley & have used trolleys & public transport ever since.

Speaking of exercise programs, a friend in her mid 80s was using the stretching exercises of one of Britain's major ballet companies, & is now using Lucy Wyndham-Read's Fitness exercises Yes, Lucy in Martyn's daughter, & my friend used to sing with him in the early 60s when he lived in Australia. videos- 7 to 15 min. home workouts My friend has lost weight, gained muscle tone & altho she (sensibly) still uses a stick to guard against falls, is very happy with the program.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jan 22 - 06:42 PM

I ran four unavoidable errands today without damage to anything except my wallet, so I guess I’m on the mend.

Every time I approached a traffic signal, I took care to note how visible it was to me behind the wheel. With the sun visor down, they vanish from sight when I’m still anywhere up to 150 metres back from the intersection.

Tuesday was bright and sunny, and I had the sun visor folded down. That’s why I didn’t see that the light had changed.

I guess I had better get a good set of sunglasses and stop using the visor.

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

Blue blocker (orange beige colored) polorized glasses work well for me . They enhance color, minimize glare and add contrast. Sometimes there is no avoiding sun blindness. 2 days ago someone almost T boned me because they could not see the traffic light due to afternoon sun low in sky this winter season and chose not to stop but they did slow down honking as if they had the right of way on red.
I drive defensively and imagine every tenth driver is intoxicated or challenged.

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

Oh, Charmion! So long as you are O.K. Pity about your car, but cars can be fixed or replaced. Main thing is that you are all right.

I have only ever had one accident, over 30 years ago. I was all set to make a right hand turn into a side street when a motor cyclist came straight at me from ahead. I slammed on the brakes but we still collided. Fortunately neither of us was hurt, the car had fixable minor damage and so did his bike.

To this day I don't know how it happened. The sun wasn't in my eyes, but there were parked cars and a pedestrian crossing to watch out for.....I just didn't see him.

A decent pair of sunnies would be a Good Thing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 09:07 AM

All over Christmas I've had a sore foot, now healing nicely, that's stopped me from going for walks. The weather has conspired too, and, as ever, I've stuffed me face (we're back on healthy food such as veggie pasta dishes and fishy things now). The upshot is, er, several extra pounds around the middle. I'll be taking steps...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 11:17 AM

Steve, I think most of us feel a bit porky after any festal season, but especially Christmas. And those who live in northern climes, like you and me, have good reason to limit our time outside.

Sorry about your wonky foot — I have one myself. My arthritic foot has a certain daily number of pain-free flexions in it, depending on footwear, so I try to keep my winter excursions limited to hikes (with stick) to the bank or pharmacy. Snow boots are heavier and stiffer than the sneakers I usually wear, so they reduce my range. Besides, every footpath (sidewalk) in town has at least a skim coat of ice, if not jeezly great lumps of the stuff.

One of the pleasures of life in this part of Canada is access to niche products from the Niagara wine region. This year, several vintners are selling “orange” wines — that is, white wines that are fermented on the grape skins. I cracked one last night with my humble supper (chicken cutlet and green beans), and it was … interesting. More body than the same grapes would have yielded in a more traditional vintage, but not enough fruit flavour to balance it quite the way I like for quaffing without food. One glass was fine, but the rest is in the fridge under a vacuum cork for future reference.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 11:24 AM

Similar here Steve, a joint bugging me. Yesterday I ventured out and found an aquatic center with a great pool. Got in a great workout, no weight-bearing. But, can't do that every day, so now outside I go to get in a few moves with the weight bar before too many people wake up and are available to stare.   

There is a lot to be said for a 'don't-break-the-chain' approach where you just determine to do Something every day, regardless of how little or how odd it might be. Yes, there should be a 'day of rest' but that can translate down to 'ambling scenic walk' instead of something more focused.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 11:35 AM

There's nothing worse than opening a bottle to find that you've got disappointing wine. As it's usually my fault for buying it, I end up punishing myself by finishing the bottle and giving Mrs Steve something nice instead. It's the kind of guy I am... ;-)

My foot issue was a split in the skin under the ball of my foot. I try to keep the skin thin but there must be something in the way I walk that keeps making it go thicker and liable to split. Sorry, too much info there! Anyway, I can go for a walk now. Oh, except that we have driving rain and a gale-force wind...

I use two hiking poles now for all except short walks. The ones I bought are Black Diamond brand, pretty expensive but really good (I've had adverse experience of cheapos). No shock-absorbers for me, and I use rubber tips on hard surfaces so it doesn't sound as if Blind Pugh is around... They're great for keeping an upright posture and I don't have to keep stopping on account of my dodgy back.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 12:29 PM

The Nissan Pathfinder I drive has a huge windshield and I usually have the visor in the down position versus having the seat in a higher position. And I have wrap-around sunglasses that I always wear when I'm driving, even on cloudy days, because of the glare. But that visor - managing to keep sun from coming through the gap by the mirror, etc., does offer up a distraction.

Thank you, JennieG, for saying what we all should have: "So long as you are o.k."

Allergy symptoms are going full-tilt this morning, sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes. Except for itchy eyes, this could be describing some of the Omicron symptoms. This is why I'm staying home. (I was at the grocery store briefly on the 5th; I made a note now for my own "contact tracing." I went in because the parking lot was almost empty and I was out after about 10 minutes. In this day and age, that is living dangerously.)

Before Xmas I bought a large bag (8 pounds) of navel oranges; I've given oranges away, over Xmas family was here and we ate a few, and today when I ate yet another I see I have three more to go. This has seemed like an almost bottomless bag of oranges. It serves as a reminder to me that I'm trying to eat fruit and vegetables in lots of colors. The Swiss chard in the fridge is the variety with a red stem; there are asparagus spears and a yellow bent-neck squash along with broccoli and cauliflower. Beets. So much of what I eat is in the cruciferous or tobacco families so I'm making a point of getting other plant families.

Yesterday I used up some tag ends of things (three varieties of cheese, diced ham, some sliced hard salami) in a batch of macaroni and cheese. The pasta was a rice-based gluten free one that I've had around for a while (it keeps). I added turmeric to give it a bright yellow color and a grind of black pepper and some thyme to give it a nice herbal bite and it was amazing. I haven't tried to lose weight in a while, but I'm enjoying managing to eat healthier.

Finally, yesterday I admitted defeat on the 750-piece holiday puzzle I had set up in mid-December. The dog demolished the corner I had assembled and I could never get up the interest to work on it much. I had a few edges and a couple of larger more charismatic features put together, but I wasn't going to finish this till Michaelmas at this rate. Before I set out another puzzle I need to set up some kind of barrier that will cover the puzzle when I'm not working on it, to keep that pup from destroying another one. For the time being I had propped things around the edges so I could see if it was disturbed, but the goal is to prevent her having access at all.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 12:43 PM

There are more speeding accidents on these pandemic roads, watch out.
Also there is more drinking.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Jan 22 - 01:17 PM

Jigsaws... I got some thick A3 card before Christmas and (the one he's doing now aside as that is a new one I got him for Christmas) I'm asking dad to do his 250 piece Wentworth jigsaws on this stuff. The idea is that I can stack any (and hope no one clumsy knocks them) that have missing pieces in their nearly completed states and hope to finish them if the missing bits turn up.

One bit of good news is that the missing piece from the church one I had custom made has turned up. I've also been able to box a couple of others up as checked and complete.

Other than that, so far we have. One jigsaw with a missing piece, 3 pieces waiting to find the jigsaw(s) they belong to and one box and its bag without any pieces. The last of these might be interesting if dad has put the pieces for two puzzles in another one of the bags.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 22 - 11:10 AM

I'm going to poke around to see if I have a sheet of that clear acrylic sheeting that I used to put on the wooden table tops to prevent spills on the wood (sometimes I put a table cloth over it, sometimes I put it over the table cloth). Chances are I have a piece I can trim to fit this table, and then clamp it down on the sides, and remove one side and roll it back when I want to work the puzzle. I think I might simply use a couple of those extra-large binder clips for this. The mid-century table top I use for puzzles has a beveled edge, no trim to make the edge too thick for this.

Jon, I am curious if those puzzles were commingled by your father. The only way to sort them is to work them side by side to sort the pieces. A lot more complicated than a game of double solitaire, etc.

By default, January ends up being a "no spend" month—as the bills from the holidays come in the resolve to do better is typically at the top of my To Do list. I see that UPS stocks are listed on the NY Stock Exchange, and I certainly contributed to this year's profits. Sigh.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 22 - 05:45 PM

Well, the « orange » wine turned iut to need aeration, like a red. I guzzled the rest today, and it was just fine.

And my phone has reverted to French. Whatever.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 09 Jan 22 - 06:43 PM

Peu importe.......

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jan 22 - 07:38 PM

I've often found that the rocket-fuel wine, earlier regarded as unpalatable, isn't half bad...as long as you've had a glass or three of the good stuff first...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 22 - 09:42 PM

Lately I've run a small experiment to see if there are acceptable wines that come with the Stelvin screw cap, and there are. I've found a couple of under $10 merlot, pinot noir, and others that are actual varieties, not just "California red" and other low-end blends. Costco has several. I've kept up the varied colors of vegetables and fruits, and it helps reduce the snacking; by the time I've finished a fruit and a vegetable with the main, there is less room for dessert. Sometimes a glass of wine with the meal is the dessert.

Another quiet week ahead as Omicron roars through the state. I have a list of things that need doing, and keeping track of what is the day of the week it is part of that list. On the 17th I'll look at the COVID-19 numbers and decide if it is prudent to try going out in a limited way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 04:09 AM

speaking of co-mingled jigsaw puzzles, I once found 2 sticky-taped boxes of the same vintage 500 piece puzzle in a charity shop. 1 box was heavy, the other very light, indicating they just might be co-mingled, so I bought them both.

One contained all the edge pieces, good thing I didn't just buy one box, sigh, so I pulled out every piece & put them on my plywood & perspex boards, & made one, then the other. All pieces were present & the 2 puzzles were re-sealed & went to different charity shops.

sandra

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 05:22 AM

Well I guess I've been a wine drinker for a half-century. Two or three decades ago, cork taint was a massive issue, and I lost count of the number of times I returned corked bottles for a refund. For a while, fake corks made of a dense plastic were all the rage (they still exist). I hate them for several reasons, not least because they can be leaky and allow air to get in and spoil the wine, and because they are hard to re-insert in the half-full bottle. Screw caps are very popular here and are no longer seen as toppings for inferior wine. Real corks are still used by traditional wineries, and good quality control has meant that cork taint is quite rare these days. The wine cork industry in southern Europe is ancient and traditional and I'd hate to see it disappear. The metal collar below the screw cap (as well as the screw cap itself) is environmentally incredibly unfriendly unfortunately. I love using a corkscrew but the only type I'll countenance is the waiter's friend, which, if you avoid poor-quality ones, never fails to get the cork out cleanly and will last a lifetime.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 10:23 AM

What do you have against other kinds of corkscrew, Steve?

I use a waiter’s friend myself, but I can see the day coming when my hands are too rickety for it. So I’m not doctrinaire.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 11:44 AM

Failure rate, Charmion.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 11:51 AM

Do you mean failure to extract the cork cleanly, or material failure in the corkscrew itself?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 12:21 PM

I prefer a Cork puller, it avoids the cork bits that the corkscrew sometimes causes. On very rare occasions if I meet a cork that won't let the puller slide into place for removal I resort to the winged corkscrew.

I'd never heard of a cork puller before I brought home a bunch of kitchen gadgets from my dad's house after clearing out his estate. I have over the years figured out what most of them were for. This one was not difficult.

I missed the trash pickup this morning, but when I looked up the street realized that they hadn't run past the houses up the rest of my street (they turned at the corner opposite my house and went up the hill instead of continuing on my street. I live at a "T" intersection.) So I carried my small bag of trash next door and called that neighbor (moved in a few months ago) and explained that I'd left my trash at his curb, so don't be alarmed if they notice an extra bag. In our little corner of the village we have been known to spread out trash among several houses when someone has a lot to go out but it isn't our month for bulky waste pickup. Everyone instead gets a little more than usual. We're a cooperative little ant hill here. :)

Looking back at the earliest posts in this thread I see that Keberoxu was on a plane over the holidays. I hope that has panned out well and no ill effects resulted from such close proximity to others. Did you take any rapid or PCR tests after?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 12:30 PM

How thoughtful of you, Stilly, to ask after my well-being. Thank you so much.

Yes, I got on that airplane two weeks ago today.
The next morning, at that other location,
I was in the airport trying to get onto an airplane back.
So it was all over on Tuesday December 28 when I returned.

As I am in congregate housing now, with COVID-19 testing every week,
I have since been tested at least three times,
and the results are always negative.

Yes, being crammed in a series of tin cans with wings on them
with a bunch of other people ... is anxiety-provoking.
Everybody, I mean everybody, had face-masks on.
And the airplane stewardess instructions to passengers now include
the suggestion that when drinks or snacks are served in-flight,
that each passenger, in between sips/swallows or bites/chews,
should slap that facemask back over their nose and mouth.
No more specific instruction than that,
and you can still see the point of it --
it's easy, when drinking or eating,
to just leave the facemask off even if
you are done swallowing/chewing, and just sit there breathing.
With everybody packed in next to you.

Well, I can't speak for the other passengers, all of whom were strangers,
but I seem to have got through the errand I was running, and the traveling,
none the worse for wear.

Being on the plane, all that said, isn't so bad.
Being in the airport terminal is far far worse,
because the airlines are woefully understaffed.
And I was traveling right after Christmas so you know that
there were far too many passengers all traveling at once ...
with their small children AND their pet dogs ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 12:49 PM

You're braver than I am, Keb. I don't know what it would take to get me on a plane these days, but it would probably involve shackles.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 01:16 PM

The worry about planes has caused us to shelve travel plans (to Europe anyway) for now.

I've never heard of those cork pullers! The winged corkscrews are my biggest culprits for wrecking corks. I bought two good-quality waiter's friends many years ago after a cheaper one broke, thinking that a spare was a wise-virgin purchase, but up to now it's still lashed to its packaging.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 22 - 03:30 PM

I had no idea those cork pullers are so expensive! I had three, one broke after years of use, and I can't remember who I gave the other one to. Probably family or a very close friend.

I haven't been to the greenhouse in a few days and my two pots of bat-faced cuphea dried up. I'll continue to water because I don't know if they died of dry or cold (the heater should be working back there). It may come back from the roots if they're ok.

This time of year I drink more tea - my limit on black tea is two "normal" sized cups (~ 10 oz) in the morning, but I had a cup of midday green tea, and from now on it's decaff or herbal so I can get to sleep at night. I need to remember to drink more water also; I sometimes get leg cramps when I do my exercises if I don't hydrate well enough during the day.

It looks like a nice week coming up, so some outdoor chores may be completed. Thank goodness for a bright sunny day - it helps the mood considerably.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 22 - 11:32 AM

Yesterday I dug around the depths of the kitchen cabinet where I keep various table cloths, party serving trays, and a couple of folded clear acrylic sheets that I put over the table tops to protect the wood from spills. Essential when the kids were small, now optional. I was going to sacrifice a table cover to the cause of trimming down to cover the top of my puzzle table in the sunroom but I found an L-shaped large scrap piece that I was able to trim and run under the sewing machine (the walking foot was perfect for this because this stuff is kind of sticky to work with) and cobble together a top. Frankenstein's clear quilted table cover.

I wanted to use the large black spring binder clips to hold it in place and had one of them from here in my office. I poked around the kitchen junk drawer and den library table drawer searching for more. This morning I remembered the drawer in the antique secretary/bookshelf in my bedroom and found three more. Perfect! They slide over the edge of the table and hold the plastic in place; I'll only need to remove them on one side and lift the cover. I may decide to use some tissue paper between the puzzle and the cover if pieces try to stick to it.

All of this because the puppy figured out that the puzzle pieces are apparently edible and stands on her back feet to graze the pieces at the edge of the table. I caught her one time. That first puzzle was used and a few pieces kind of crusty so I think they smelled like food, and that's all it took. She tasted the next puzzle (my holiday one) and demolished a completed portion (one of the few larger charismatic parts of the puzzle to work from). Now she's blocked from access to that tabletop, but I can see the puzzle through the acrylic.

These puzzles have become a wonderful mental exercise; studying each piece, learning the image used for the puzzle, detecting shifts in color to put together large swaths that appear to be the same color (sky and water and forests, in particular). I place a few pieces at a time then return to whatever else I was working on. I've missed doing the puzzles for a few weeks because I knew pieces were missing so was bound to be disappointed if I finished it. This last one (holiday) was an inexpensive used one, but I also realized that the artist cheated in the perspective - the people and buildings in the distance weren't as small as they should have been, making it quite difficult to sort pieces. All of this added up to a puzzle that was trashed and I'm starting fresh today with a new sealed puzzle (that I got on deep discount at Thursday Morning, a discount store with stuff from high end department stores.) The delay in tossing the holiday puzzle and starting a fresh one represents the "invention" period, during which I was mulling the possible answers to the problem.

/jigsaw puzzle rant off/

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Jan 22 - 04:44 PM

Dupont:

A quick post as I lose the last of the sunlight in my new sitting space in front of the Double South windows. Posts on Clayart the last few days encouraged me to go in the wanna-be studio/was gonna be bathroom and look at what needed to be done to make it more enticing.

I told R what I wanted to go in the front hall but --- in one ear... This am I asked for help to get a beautiful antique daybed from the "studio" into the second floor hall. Now comfy with cushions! Love it! Of course the ugly, uncomfortable antique stuff he had put there... 2 chairs and a love seat need homes... One in the back corner and the love seat... half blocking the door to a room. BUT I have a lovely spot. AND more room in the "studio".

When we were first moving here, I bought a sofa I just love for this space but it ended up in the LR - until the Victorian one gets moved here. I got tired of waiting. What will we do with the day bed later? For now, I really do not care. This has cheered me up! And my Georgia O'Keefe print on the wall next to me!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 22 - 08:32 PM

That room sounds lovely, Dorothy! I have two rooms here that I reworked during the first year of the pandemic (three actually - I swapped contents between the sun room and the front room, and the sewing studio was organized.) Every time I walk into the sewing studio it's just so inviting and is very bright in the afternoon.

This afternoon I made the holiday batch of arroz con gandules for my ex (if you look it up you'll see this listed as the "national dish of Puerto Rico"). It came out pretty good; this time I used smoked chicken because he didn't want ham or bacon (though fat back or bacon are traditional sources of oil and flavor). I smoked the chicken breasts last month and froze several to use for seasoning like this. The rice was made today because before now he had too much stuff in his fridge and freezer. Consumable gifts don't need to be decluttered later.

It is sounding more like I'm going to have to take the entire month of January away from my volunteer work; Omicron is pushing the numbers so high that the graphs have an almost straight line up. Today I went into the house at my ex's because both of us have been away from people for several days and both recently tested with negative results. There are so few instances like that. I was wearing a mask when I handed a gift over to my next door neighbor this afternoon (on her porch)—she's the one who had COVID last month, and the reason I was recently tested. She looked like she's feeling much better. That's good. Now I hope she gets the vaccine when enough time from the illness has passed. I will encourage her to do so.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jan 22 - 10:04 PM

I just learned that the pater familias across the street, aged 44 with two little kids, died of COVID just before Christmas. Not vaccinated, none of his family vaccinated.

Bloody hell.

I’m getting my booster shot on Saturday. Can’t wait.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 12:35 AM

There are way too many of those stories around. A local GOP politician who made a big deal of protesting the vaccines died of COVID on Monday. The story went something like "The local GOP office reported her death. Several of her Facebook posts were removed. Spokeswoman says this is 'no time to fight about vaccines.'" Wrong characterization - not "fight." Teach. This is exactly the time to make the point that she could have saved her own life and her friends and family that grief.

Meanwhile, today it was reported that some immunocompromised people will be able to get a fourth shot soon. Starting later this week, some at-risk Americans become eligible for a 4th shot.

Some people are born with absent or faulty immune systems, and in others, treatments for some diseases like cancer diminish the potency of immune defenses. The C.D.C. estimates there are about seven million immunocompromised individuals in the country.

The last time something like this (a booster) was suggested, it didn't take long before we were all getting them. Meanwhile, much of the world still hasn't had the access to any vaccines. (There was another vaccine developed, this one by Texas researchers using older vaccine forms, that they will give away. A plant in India is making it now. A new coronavirus vaccine heading to India was developed by a small team in Texas. It expects nothing in return. Good for them. We need more selfless acts, fewer corporations making billions while a big chunk of the population ignores common sense.

Time to take a day or two off from the news.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 06:04 AM

Just briefly to follow that (wrong thread, I know...). One facet of a strategy to persuade the vaccine-hesitant (to call them by a too-kind name) would be to give far more publicity to the fact that it's the unvaccinated who now constitute not only the lion's share of seriously ill people, but who are also the people clogging up intensive care units in hospitals, to the detriment of patients who need urgent care through far less fault of their own. Sorry, a bit heavy...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 09:52 AM

No, Steve, not too heavy. This topic has been well-chewed on this thread since the first vaccines were announced.

In the news this morning, from Québec City, Premier Legault has announced his intention to introduce a health tax to be levied from the unvaccinated to help off-set the pressure they are putting on the health-care system in particular and society in general. The pundits are saying that it will hurt more than it helps, and I rather agree; the unvaxxed will only wallow more deeply in their grievances while the revenue can’t undo the decades of under-funding that underlie the capacity problems that most bedevil hospitals and their staff.

Today I must take the Chevy cracker-box on the highway for the first time to practise for tomorrow’s unavoidable trip to the allergist in Kichener. Its lack of snow tires (not required by law and therefore not provided by the rental agency) puts a shiver in my bones; it’s a tiny car, and a sideways skid in the wrong place at the wrong time could be Really Bad.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 10:42 AM

Oh, Charmion, what a damned fool! It will stand as an unfortunate example of how our ill-advised decisions can have catastrophic effects on others who have no agency.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 01:16 PM

There was a story on Marketplace (public radio) yesterday that doesn't seem to be linked from their homepage yet. I'll share instead this one from last month, a similar story: Car dealerships short on cars, going big on prices

My second coherent thought after reading Charmion's account of totalling her relatively new car was "where will the next car come from?" They're hard to find and getting so expensive. There are strategies, and they discussed it on the program (hence trying to find the link) - such as going way out of town to smaller communities where there perhaps isn't as much turnover in the car dealerships.

I have a few disposable surgical masks here at the house, and will be double-masking if I have to go out. I've ordered more (nothing comes "tomorrow" from Amazon any more, Saturday is as soon as they can manage, but I'm ok until then.) I was thinking about heading over to a favorite grocery store during their quietest hours, but even that is too much right now. Any store's checkout counter is likely to be a vector for Omicron. And I think my ex and I are back to shopping for each other, taking turns so we both aren't exposed as often. At this point his is the only house I feel comfortable walking into because I know he hasn't been out anywhere for days. (Yesterday I delivered the delayed holiday meal of his favorite Puerto Rican arroz con gandules dish.)

The difference between the extreme risk of Omicron versus original COVID almost two years ago is that most of us have paid attention and learned a lot and know which risks are worth taking and how to mitigate those risks. It sounds like one reason prices are inflated now is that a lot of people stuck at home are shopping to relieve their boredom. Instead of drilling down and working on existing projects, they're bringing in new devices to entertain. I'm trying to do the opposite and making my list (I've done it before) of projects here at the house that I can do without having to go out for parts (or very little shopping involved.) As of yesterday, the top of my list is organizing the garage; last night when I drove the SUV I admired how good the corner of the garage looked since I swept it up last week. That pile of swept debris needs adding to and then picking up. I can drive in and out easily, but the sides need organization and I get such a boost from looking at it when everything is easy to find. Then I can work on the new gate that goes beside the garage because I have all of those parts also.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 07:20 PM

Dupont:

No sun today and still COLD! Up to minus 9C right now. I have not cleared the back deck nor brought in more wood as I do not want to let cold air in! In fact, I seem to be in one of my do nothing phases - nothing but internet, that is. Made cauliflower cheddar soup yesterday and burned it! But not too badly; it is still good.

Went for groceries on Monday and had to have help x2. The yogurt was on the top shelf - way back there! - so I watched for someone taller to fetch it down for me - all 3 large ones while we were at it; it was on sale. Looking for the milk I wanted, I must have looked at sea, a youngish woman asked if I needed help; She shouted at the person on the other side of the cooler (in French) and I managed to get 2% but also found a glass bottle!! of unhomogenized 3.8% from a farm in Riviere du Loup and a one qt of 3%. Then she asked, what else? Eggs! I had not found the brown eggs - but she did! Boy, did I ever feel OLD! She was so kind!

I checked the farm on the internet today and found it really interesting; will look for their milk again. Hope I can take the bottle back!

Cleared out the "studio" some more but have not gotten down to work yet. I do believe the weather affects me even though I am in a wam house; I know the atmospheric pressure does and today was another heavy, snowing lightly day.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 22 - 10:18 PM

I have no idea what time the trash guys will come past in the morning, but I'm ready! Bags are at the curb in the can (to keep coyotes and raccoons out of it). Twice in one week!

My garage got a good sweep out and there are a couple of bags (including the torn up foam rubber from a dog bed that Cookie demolished and spread around). I moved a few large things to get the worst of it. Tomorrow I'll rearrange some of those large objects. I wore a mask for this work since there are a lot of mouse droppings (we don't have hantavirus here, but I keep that in mind with this work). If I clear up the area enough I can leave the stall gate open and let the dogs chase mice overnight. That would keep them entertained. My old Catahoula Poppy used to chase mice in there regularly, knocking over things in the process.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Jan 22 - 05:26 PM

Dupont:
I know I am in bad shape when I cannot tell glass from plastic. The nice farm milk is in a plastic bottle so I do not have to think about taking it back! Just try to find more uses for it!

Today, I woke up alive for a change. Made humus,applesauce, cooked more black beans - have found they go well with beets! Also potatoes and cauliflower to have on hand. Cleared a couple things from frig to make room for new.

Kept trying to get on internet and, finally, decided to phone provider which, wisely, offered a nice message telling us there is a problem; I could stop thinking about it and tried to use apple TV which must also be internet dependent. OK. Cleared back deck, brought in as much wood as space and have found it already dry enough to use!! Nice fire in stove. Feels good on a grey day at -9C again. Also unearthed the bin of smaller wood and made it accessible but no room in house for it yet.

Did not get to the pottery yet; probably not today but hopeful for tomorrow. Feel good about feeling good and getting some things done without feeling I was dragging my tail behind me.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jan 22 - 10:07 PM

There is more progress in the garage with the left side now cleared (after sweeping out the center yesterday). Flattened boxes went to the village recycle bins, a portable table that I've never managed to set up properly has gone to Goodwill (it was given by a friend who probably had the same problem). The busiest area is at the back by the work bench, so I'll leave that for last. Some stuff moved out to the greenhouse, and some stuff was put into use. For example, I had two unused metal hose caddies collecting dust that have now been attached to the back side of the new fence that faces the street. This 10' stretch of fence hides trash cans and yard equipment, and now it will hold some of the short segments of hose that I rely on for my garden irrigation each year.

Another set of friends have been knocked off their feet by COVID. They were running medical-type errands today, looking for an xray for her injured ankle; her ankle will be ok, but when he asked if they had a COVID test (because he needs it before his medical appointment tomorrow) bad news - he came up positive. They are both vaccinated and boosted but with other health issues, and have headed home to quarantine and hope to dodge this bullet.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jan 22 - 02:22 PM

A sewing project has arisen: one of the friends mentioned in the last post has to do in-person teaching in his community college classroom, so has asked if I can make a mask that includes a clear panel in the center of it so students can see his mouth moving when he talks. There are students whose first language is not English and they need all the help they can get to understand the lecture. This will be an interesting challenge and I'll take it up this weekend.

Today is our last warm day before a string of very cold days (we're at the bottom edge of what the Weather Channel has dubbed Winter Storm "Izzy.") So I'll finish some of the outdoors work today and start on the mask tomorrow.

Yesterday I drove four miles in a perfect square as I did my cardboard/Goodwill run. I'll double that distance today when, way after busy hours, I head over to the 24-hour grocery for some fresh produce and dairy for myself and my ex. Double-masked. He'll pick up groceries here tomorrow when he returns a pot that I delivered his xmas present in (mentioned earlier).

Two boxes of rapid tests finally arrived. I read that insurance companies aren't going to be set for customers to just ring up tests at the pharmacy and have it covered by tomorrow (Biden's date for doing this. Insurance companies usually deal with medical codes, not barcodes). I don't know if I'll bother to try to get reimbursed, but the article said to keep both the receipts and the boxes in case they are required for reimbursement.

According to recent research the BinaxNOW rapid test from Abbott Laboratories is the most effective at catching Omicron variant, but as soon as that was posted they probably sold out everywhere. Here is a helpful article from the New York Times: Which Covid Test Should I Get? When Should I Test? What If I Can’t Find One? Answers About Testing and Omicron
Facing long lines and shortages of home test kits during the latest surge, people are searching for answers about Covid tests.

My jigsaw puzzle cover is working as I hoped. The new puzzle is 500 pieces and seems easy except that all of the pieces are exactly the same shape so you can mistakenly pair the wrong pieces. So that's why the puzzles with individually shaped pieces make a big deal about it on the box. I've had those so far and didn't realize this other sort was available. The puzzle cover is made of previously unused acrylic and there is a several inch wide extra flap on it; I'll cut that off and use it for the masks mentioned above. I just hadn't gotten around to trimming it yet, but I have a need for it now.

Stay safe, everyone! Omicron seems to be roaring through communities for the next couple of weeks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jan 22 - 11:54 PM

The double mask setup was ok, not uncomfortable, but it certainly was a lot of layers. Three in the cloth mask, three in the surgical mask. The cloth mask keeps the surgical one right up against your face.

Wind gusts overnight and through tomorrow; I picked up a couple of things I should have brought in and I think a couple of light trash bags have left the yard. I'll look in the morning.

The oddest thing at the grocery store - they are completely out of onions. Not a one in sight. It seems this is happening around town in other grocery stores as well. I need a couple more, I'll have to see if I can do curbside pickup at one of the grocery stores that has them still.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Jan 22 - 07:59 AM

Today I get my booster shot.

It’s almost Ottawa cold, however, which means lined jeans and the down-filled coat as well as wool socks and a fleece sweater. Peeling off three layers of bulky clothing in the cramped space of the clinic without losing mitts, muffler and hat will be the social challenge of the weekend.

The car saga continues to unfold. Indeed, the choice of replacement vehicles has been so drastically restricted by supply problems that I consider myself very lucky to have found a gently used 2021 VW Golf GTI that will cost a mere Cdn$10,000 more than the plain-Jane Golf that died in the collision. I have top-of-the-line insurance with depreciation protection, too, so the settlement will be generous. I have been saving for years, so I can pay the difference without going into debt.

Oh yeah, I also need a new set of snow tires, and of course the GTI won’t take the alloy rims I have in storage with the Golf’s three-season radials. That means buying a very expensive second set of GTI alloy rims. Each new expense feels like another air-bag going off in my face.

On the fitness front, gyms are still closed in Ontario. I hiked downtown to the post office yesterday despite the deep cold and the ice underfoot, and it definitely felt good to stretch my legs for a change. The now-obligatory mask protects the face from the biting wind, too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Jan 22 - 11:41 AM

Not a single piece of fresh chicken in the stores.
No cat food either.

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

I'll trade you a Winco bag of two 5 lb chickens for a 5 lb bag of onions. I think next time I get onions I'll dice and freeze some of them. I've done that in the past as a convenience move (scoop out how much I need to add to the skillet while cooking), and they'll keep better than fresh sitting on the counter. They don't seem to store for as long as they used to. (It occurs to me that the small cash-and-carry restaurant supply store a few blocks from here might have onions.)

Charmion, you probably wouldn't salvage the tires off of the totaled car to put on the new one, but if you have any spare lightly-used tires set aside maybe you can sell to defray the cost of the next car's tires. Or negotiate a trade with the tire supplier? I pulled up reviews of the car you name on Car and Driver, and it sounds like the replacement you're getting will be fun to drive. "It's one of the best in the business and makes every drive an engaging experience." You could do a lot worse! I'd love to drive a manual transmission vehicle again, and it sounds like VW is the only company that makes one that's nice to drive. Standards are an afterthought with other manufacturers and they haven't worked to improve the shifting experience.

I didn't have as many layers to go through for my COVID vaccines early last year, but I was aware that January and February shots in a large public room (a gymnasium) meant having to dress so it was modest and so the person with the needle didn't need to wait for me to go through too many layers. A short sleeved t-shirt under the long sleeved sweater and jacket accomplished that. The booster was in warm weather in a grocery store pharmacy when the short-sleeved t-shirt was standard apparel.

The wind is gusting today, rattling things around the outside of the house. A good day to work on indoors projects.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Jan 22 - 01:29 PM

Dupont:

Exciting news: The old K sink is coming out! It may be a reaction to a death in the "family" - my gardening friend of 60 years (95) died peacefully in her sleep yesterday morning. Her eldest son phoned me and we chatted briefly about the importance of this relationship in his mother's and my lives. I have, of course, known him for most of his life. After talking with him, I was fragile and phoned R and asked that he come home before 10 pm! He came home about 7 and we had a light supper and watched TV. With me reeling with dry sobs over this huge hole in my life; so many memories.

In trying to get the computer to attach to the TV, I messed up big time. In the midst of watching Canadian Dragon's Den on Gem,. it suddenly switched to US programming - I guess. Nothing we did remedied the situation. We could still watch ordinary TV. I will phone HELP when I feel better.

THEN, today, I got "Freshy" when opening a new tab; I managed to find help to get rid of that. YAY for me! I also got rid of that ISSU thing!! Later will see if anything helped Gem.

The kitchen sink: R finally decided to look seriously at it this am after I said I would settle for the new faucet - the old one has been leaking into a bowl - a very good bowl! - and does not work well. SO, the sink seemed irreversibly attached to the counter and the counter desperately attached to the cabinets... He started cutting the sink with a hacksaw - two small cuts at the rim about an inch apart. Nothing seemed to slide between sink and counter...

While his back was turned, I took hammer and an old kitchen knife and ... voila! I bent the small piece back and he could see the glue... OH! OK. He, now, seemed to see a way forward. I am hiding out in the TV room while he goes at it. HOPE! My dear friend always said the best thing we can give someone is hope...

Sunny day and -24C! A good day to sit in my new space listening to music, as I did yesterday as I began processing this big change. Her son told me: Someone wondered out loud if she was still lucid. "I AM VERY LUCID!" and that was the last word(s)! This grief is going to take a while. Yes, her being is within me and I can still "talk with her" but it ain't the same!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 22 - 02:13 PM

Awww, Dorothy. I'm so sorry!

The last time I saw one of my oldest friends I was in 2013, driving my son around the little town where I had worked for several years. We hadn't spoken in a couple of years when I stopped by her house unannounced, where her grown grandson was now living with her. She was glad to see me, I introduced my now-grown son, and then she asked how the kids are. All faces in the room froze with realization. I miss all of our long conversations from over the years and haven't heard back from her son to know if she is even living now. You're very lucky to have had "lucid" right up to the end! And that new sink will always remind you of her. Instead of Shirley Valentine talking to "Wall," you can talk to "Sink." {{Hugs}}

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 22 - 11:08 PM

The trifecta of Saturday cleaning accomplished: I ran the washer, the dryer, and the dishwasher in sequence (they add a nice heartbeat hum to an otherwise very quiet house). The sheets are changed. In the kitchen the fridge has been cleaned and a few things have been cooked for meals this week.

I went shopping yesterday and discovered the large grocery store was completely out of onions. The stocking clerk said they haven't been able to get any for three weeks, and he has heard that other stores are having similar order shortages. I mulled this: was I going to try another grocery store? Last night's trip was calculated to find an empty 24-hour store (it was). I don't want to go indoors around people much with Omicron in the air. Get curbside pickup and hope someone else could find a good bag of onions? And would they do curbside for a single item? Then it dawned on me that the restaurant supply cash-and-carry little hole-in-the-wall store near me has a few produce offerings. I headed over, there was no one else in there, and found and brought home six large onions. I'll be dicing a couple of them to freeze and bag (I do this anyway when I have extras). I'll be cooking with a couple. A couple are spare and hopefully onions will again appear in the stores by the time I need more.

In another pandemic-avoidance move (after reading up on disposable masks) two boxes of surgical facemasks arrived today (thanks, Amazon!) For the last two years I've worn the homemade cloth masks; the ones I've made since summer of 2020 are the three-layer 3-D style that are still quite safe. The older more fitted ones are t-shirt jersey or other lighter fabric and are only two layers: those need to be set aside. And even with the 3-D masks, it makes sense now to double mask. That's why I have all of these disposable surgical ones. I've tested it a couple of times now, it is ok. The cloth mask keeps the surgical mask underneath right against your face so you really do get a good filter. Those I sent to the NE and other contingents of Mudcatters (I've lost track, I sent out a lot of these) just double up and you'll be fine.

In cold weather it's layers time so I got out my favorite sweatshirt (an oversized green one that says "Aun Aprendo: I'm still learning.") It's really old, so I spent time zigzag stitching on patches and tacking things back together. It's still pretty ratty, but I should be able to wear it for one more winter.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Jan 22 - 08:47 AM

I’m still sorry I scrapped a camo-pattern sweatshirt that said “You can’t see me”.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jan 22 - 09:20 AM

Dupont:

Now there is no sink at all!! And the stores that sell parts are closed today! There is the bathtub... Trying to think of things to cook that require little mess. Need a wash basin... Waiting for the next exciting episode! I did get to see how wonderful the Stainless steel sink will look!!!

R then went off to supper at his cousin's wearing good clothes. I did a laundry, including the was-once-red Jacket; it is sort of red now.

minus 24C and beautiful sun, clear sky - which is why it is so cold- no cloud cover to keep the heat down here! I need to bring in more wood- hate to open the door!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jan 22 - 09:48 AM

Dupont:

And I phoned Applehelp last night and a wonderful woman guided me out of the AppleTV mess. I am still not clear about how it happened but it is fine now AND she told me how to connect computer to TV for that larger screen! I wrote it down. So I can console myself with programs I like rather than sports and other stuff of no interest to me. And I did not have to wait overly long for help, and had the choice of silence rather than someone else's choice of Music.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jan 22 - 10:44 AM

Not all here this am: meant to share this possibly helpful info:
Can you clean N95 masks?

A timely study, conducted by Dr. Pascal Juang and published in April of 2020, determined the following about mask cleaning:

Rotate between three to four masks, wearing one per day and then letting it rest for three to four days.
N95 masks can be heated to 70 C (158 F) for 60 minutes.
Boiling N95 masks for five minutes
Steam cleaning N95 masks at 125 C (257 F) for five minutes

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jan 22 - 02:06 PM

Another friend down with COVID, the most vulnerable person I know, she's 87 and has COPD. She has been vaccinated and boosted.

Dorothy, I remember reading articles about reusing the N95 masks, and hospitals ran them through autoclaves. I wonder if something like an air convection oven would work? They might blow around, but would get warm enough long enough. Or put silverware in with them through the loops to hold them in place on the bottom rack. Mine is a large glass bowl with the heating element and fan on top, and the temperature can be pretty precise (and I could use an oven thermometer in the bowl.)

The water of COVID is circling the drain, picking up everyone. We need to stop the magical thinking that we won't catch it and just stay home away from people. My friend, mentioned above, lives with her son. Who is on his way to the airport tomorrow after today visiting with all of his siblings in this DFW area (he lives 4 hours drive west of here). My friend tested positive this morning (after testing negative yesterday and thinking she just has allergies). The son plans to get on a flight from DFW to Hawaii tomorrow - those plans need to abruptly change, for everyone's sake.

I texted the kids to give the friend a call to "cheer her up." Code for "say goodbye." I hope for the best and fear the worst.

Meanwhile, the fellow I do contract work for was commenting on his allergies on his gardening radio show today. I work from home, never come into contact, but the business is basically a three or four person operation. [slaps forehead]

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Thompson
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 04:33 AM

I see warnings online *not* to use a convection oven for this (what is a convection oven?)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Thompson
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 04:43 AM

Oh, a fan oven. OK.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 09:12 AM

It’s snowing to beat the band all across Ontario today and I must go out — no veg or fruit in the house, and a date with the physiotherapist. I don’t look forward to surfing the Chevy cracker-box over the drifts.

I’m very gradually getting thinner. Yesterday, I noticed that my lined jeans are flapping around my legs and the waistband is all bunched up under my belt. I think I have another pair a size smaller …

Last night’s supper was mostly cauliflower, with garlic butter and freshly ground black pepper. Delicious!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 12:39 PM

Charmion, shifting into a smaller pair of jeans is a nice bit of progress in an a world otherwise stuck in place. I, on the other hand, ripped out the seat of a really really old pair of thin PJ pants and went against my "no-spend" policy this month and ordered a replacement flannel pair. Larger (alas).

I've researched the sites for monoclonal antibody infusions and have forwarded the information to my friend with COVID and to the most responsible of her grown children. I just heard that her son got on that plane to Hawaii. I am so disappointed in him right now. I have contacted my doctor's office and asked for Rx refills for now and go in for annual bloodwork when it's safer to go out. I don't want to go sit in that tiny lab room that has butts in the chair all day long (and compare that to the insanity of sitting in a jet for 8 hours).

Thompson, I was thinking out loud when I remarked about convection ovens, but this morning I found a study that looks into it. Skimming it and skipping to the bottom, it looks like the ovens had a liquid source for higher humidity and that the tests had a lot to do with how well the masks fit after being treated in a convection oven. A scalable method of applying heat and humidity for decontamination of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 crisis. From June 2020, so ages ago.

This article (from November, 2020) says dry heat can be used to decontaminate: FDA allows dry heat treatment for single-user mask reuse

So maybe just putting the mask away for a few days? Here is one that is quite bizarre - putting the mask in a paper bag inside a pressure cooker (with liquid? with the weight on top?) in the oven. How to Disinfect Your Mask: A Step-by-Step Guide is from June 2020.

And it sounds like some of them can be washed in water - a combination of treatments may turn up in a scholarly journal if I keep looking. I need to share this over on the COVID thread also. Give people something to dig their teeth into to complain about. :-/

No mail, no banks open today for MLK Day. One holiday isn't enough to bring virus spread to a halt if everyone stays home, so I'm going to postpone returning to my volunteer work by a couple of more weeks.

My jigsaw puzzle is coming along, though I swear there aren't enough edge pieces. Along the area where the dog usually attacked past puzzles, but I've kept it covered. In the end it usually means the size of the puzzle is smaller than I thought (it starts out spread out widely across the table top and compresses with its being solved.)

It's that time of year when a bulb of hyacinth or amaryllis is in a special clear pot (roots in water) to bloom on the kitchen windowsill. This year's purple hyacinth is open - and the smell is strong and sickly sweet. It's the worst of cheap motel soap smells, and I think this plant is going to go into dirt and out to the greenhouse really soon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 09:12 PM

Phone calls today to renew prescriptions and to switch from using the GoodRX coupons to actually using my insurance plan. A couple of months ago I revisited the setup with Medicare and our state insurance - to see if I was using those most efficiently. I was (and now I know why). Next, a call to the phone company to decide if the plan I'm grandfathered into is best for me. I think the time has come to tweak it.

Contact has been made with the family of the COVID friend and I am relieved that they have a plan if she needs more help and learned that there are local folks who are checking up on her.

I had groceries delivered to get more veggies and dairy (it was a modest order). The forest floor in the den was swept up, dishes emptied out of the kitchen sink. I did a little digging around in one garden bed, pulling weeds where I'll poke in some sprouting garlic soon. There are still some cluttered kitchen surfaces to organize. I made a big batch of my nacho beef and black beans filling and froze several pound-sized pieces of beef. I'll be freezing some of the cooked mix as well. Tomorrow I'll dice and freeze onions.

Contact with the outside world is digital.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 09:18 PM

I had a gin sour and a protein bar for supper.

Dimly, I recognize that this is somehow wrong.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Jan 22 - 11:55 PM

Dupont:

Charmion: on a day like today - anything is ok!

The K sink is slowly getting completed - perhaps yet tonight. Slow and not very steady but he is getting there. It is beautiful!!!!!!! But I have stayed out of the K and upstairs all day so eating - well not so great! Needless to say, the counter is awash with tools and parts! R commented: "maybe he sold the house because of the plumbing!" But the prev owner was here over 20 years so I suspect the crappy plumbing was his doing. When R finishes, it will be like Mary Poppins - practically perfect! Why it takes so long!

For R, I took out myriad containers of food and let him choose and nuke what he wanted. Then put them away. I finished the cauliflower soup and have been sitting here eating peanut butter and crackers to get through the night. Cannot even make popcorn. But, OH! how wonderful it will be when complete.

I did manage to do some sorting and putting away on the second floor. Some welcome progress - two empty boxes! And kept the fire going in the wood stove.

And a surprise call from a friend we met thru music - she has the voice of an angel - definitely! - I had tried a couple times to connect but she only answers the phone if she knows who it is. So now she knows - I left a message- and we had a good chat; she lives nearby and would feel comfortable visiting in this large empty house - after her first grandchild arrives - imminently! Something to which I can look forward!

Not keen on going back to Beaver. We got a bunch of snow; they got a bigger bunch. And the temp is dropping again!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Jan 22 - 03:53 AM

speaking of MLK Day 2022

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 22 - 11:26 AM

Dorothy, when I moved into this house in 2002 I had work done in the kitchen, including new counters and a new sink. I had a light put in over the sink and I think the carpenter stood in the left sink when doing that work and it has had a hairline crack in the bottom for all of these years. I noticed last week that the line is longer and a bit more pronounced. I probably need to plan for a new sink this year. I can pick up all of the parts and have a plumber install it and move the disposal unit from the old sink to the new.

Charmion, when do you pick up the new vehicle? Will you have the snow tires put on and have you found a home for the set from the previous vehicle? You seem to have a network there that allows microwaves, dressers, bookshelves, camping gear, and now tires to find new homes. We await the news of where they go!

Doctor appointment scheduled after the office called back and said they'll only do a partial Rx, not a full renewal. I have to go in for bloodwork first so I'll plan to go early and get in and out before lots of people breathe their germs in that lab room. Schools in this area closed down for several days last week to make an extended MLK holiday, hoping to slow the Omicron spread. I fear they simply delayed it; I'll watch the county numbers.

This morning it occurred to me that if I were swept away by COVID that the family would walk into the house and see everything being equal - all of the stuff around here needing to be dealt with, probably swept into trash bags or donated to Goodwill. So what is here that I look at every day that simply doesn't need to be here? I cleared off a small kitchen shelf of things just for display, such as mini jelly jars so old the contents are unrecognizable. A small sealing jar with Kosher salt - I'll just put it with the rest of the salt. Etc. If I do a shelf a day I could clear out some of the kitchen clutter in about a month. And then what to do with it? Recycle, donate, list on eBay. (The jelly is all emptied into a larger container of water and I'll pour the slurry onto the garden area since it works like an organic fertilizer.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jan 22 - 12:05 PM

I’m still waiting for the revised settlement offer from the insurance company, which is due today or tomorrow. The money will be deposited by Interac e-transfer, and I can complete the deal with the VW dealer when it has landed. The old-fashioned part of the process will be the trip downtown for a bank draft — car dealers like an actual document they can hold in their actual hands.

An important part of a modern car purchase is negotiating the warranties, and I will have to go back to Kitchener to do that. So … I’m looking at maybe another week of driving the cracker-box.

Snow continues to fall in Stratford with no immediate end in sight, and you just bet I’ll have winter tires on the new car before I take it off the dealer’s lot.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Jan 22 - 02:00 PM

Dupont:

After 12 years of two dreadful composite sinks (Montreal and here) I HAVE A BEAUTIFUL STAINLESS STEEL SINK!!!! With a lovely new fully functional faucet. And, when I came down this am, the counter was cleared of tools! I was jumping up and down with joy! R says he still has plumbing to do in the basement - but nothing to do with the sink. He "enjoyed the process"! Problem solving! No end in an old house!

I cleared the front steps and path but will need to move the snowplow ridge to leave. A beautiful sunny day; perhaps I shall just relax, and, later, wash the 3 days of dishes in my beautiful double sink with separate hot and cold faucets!!!

I hope the snowblower will tickle his brain next, and soon!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 22 - 03:55 PM

Oooooo, Dorothy! Sink envy! Enjoy that dish washing.

With this morning's call I changed my phone plan. My monthly bill has averaged ~ $33, it will come in under $20 once the new SIM card arrives for an update to the new plan.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jan 22 - 10:44 AM

This morning was an illustration for myself of just how much I don't want to catch COVID. I rose early enough to get to the doctor's office for the blood draws right when the doors opened - and was the first one to enter that little lab room for the day. From there to the gas station and realized it has been 28 days since I last bought gas (and I only needed 7 gallons, so not an urgent purchase). I was double masked, and while it's a lot of stuff on your face to have the N95 under the cloth mask, I was certainly protected.

Another morning, so another shelf declutter. Interesting what you find when you use a step stool and tongs to reach for the contents of a long-ignored cupboard. Contents organized, one item to the Goodwill bin, and one in the eBay stack. And I'd forgotten that I have dog-bone-shaped cookie cutters for making dog biscuits. I'll make some this week if I have the ingredients here (brown rice flour, no wheat flour--I think there's some in the freezer).

We have another few really cold nights ahead. Last year at this time it was cold but not frigid. Tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of my first COVID vaccine, when I stood in a chilly line on a damp day and every person in that socially-distanced line was thrilled to be there, to start the real fight against COVID that we could take part in. I found an appropriate meme on Facebook yesterday - it said "I didn't realize that 2020 was going to be a trilogy."

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 22 - 12:11 AM

My gift card from the new printer (Dell) was about to expire, so I ordered the new Ring doorbell with those points. Time to figure out how to install it once it arrives. I'll enter the domain that Jon inhabits, being able to view the outside world through a camera account. My phone was updated today with a new SIM card from my company and already I can see a difference - the Google Voice calls ring through with a small screen that lets me accept or reject the call. Excellent! I was dealing with outdated technology.

A trip to the pharmacy fully masked (KN95 under 3-layer cloth) was quick and late enough that the store was quiet. And since it was even quieter at Aldi I stopped to pick up some of my favorite chocolate (not available for delivery via Instacart - the entire inventory at Aldi doesn't appear on their list). I wanted to get in and out so didn't go looking for any other things I could use (but don't need right away). The fridge and freezer are crammed, it's only the produce I need to round off everything else.

I feel like I'm grounded; no plans to leave here until Feb. 1, for a doctor's appointment. Damn Omicron. 13 days. My county is under a disaster declaration and the rate of spread and hospitalizations is even higher than Dallas County. New drive-thru testing sites have been open at large facilities (stadiums) with FEMA staff here to deal with the numbers of people needing testing. It's last winter all over again, but worse.

On a bright side, the flannel PJ pants I ordered arrived this afternoon and are in the dryer. We have a very cold spell moving into the area.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jan 22 - 12:59 PM

You heard it here first: HP printers have too many websites, and figuring out how they work is beyond the ken of a normal human. That's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

My previously autistic computer is working wirelessly again, but I don't know why it stopped in the first place and I don't know why it decided to resume cooperation. I have a nasty sneaking feeling that it's at the point in its service life where it thinks it doesn't owe me anything any more. Dammittohell, the thing was purchased in 2017! It's practically brand new! (Gales of hollow laughter, Bruce).

And it's cold in Stratford, and I'm fed up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 22 - 02:23 PM

I helped a friend with her new-last-year printer when it stopped communicating and finally suggested she use a cable and found the correct one on Amazon (a $6 fix). That was a 45-minute phone call. Once she had the cable the printer started working wirelessly again. It is their job to make fools of all of us.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jan 22 - 08:25 PM

Not computer — printer. But you knew that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 04:39 AM

my printer/scanner finally died at christmas & & I've been trying to get a new one since - no stocks!

I've been recommended a brother MFC mono laser & they are even scarcer than hen's teeth. I need the scanner more than the printer, tho I do print, sometimes a lot! & so does my neighbour as she does everything with her phone.

I scan archival documents from the 50s & 60s so don't want the "recommended for you" offered instead of the one I want - A. it is bigger with a pop-out paper drawer, B. it costs more & C. gives me stuff I don't need. (grumble)

A - no room for a taller machine & a pop out tray, B & C. why pay more for "features" I'll never use - paper tray that takes a zillion pages, & option to scan dozens of pages at once ... (GRUMBLE)

I'm planning to visit a large office supplies shop tomorrow & speak to a staff member about the other printer/scanners on their shelves & there are very few of them - see which smaller ones they recommend, cos I've been mainly grumbling & not doing much research

sandra

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 11:11 AM

No stocks here, either, Sandra. I will continue to nurse along the printer I have -- clunky great nuisance that it is -- until its software problems become terminal. Let's hope the world is working better when that happens.

I finally got the complete price of my new-to-me car, complete with extended warranties and snow tires. It's an insane amount of money, far more than I would have spent if the motor vehicle industry were not in a complete tizzy due to supply shortages. The VW dealer in Kitchener had nothing else to offer that came even close to my modest requirements, and in fact the car I'm buying is much fancier and more powerful than I need or even want. An American car would have cost less, or perhaps a Kia, but I've driven VWs since the 70s and I'm used to their quirks. So I'm paying over the odds for fancy wheels with familiar quirks. First World problem.

For the first time in living memory I feel like cleaning the house. I had better do it before the urge goes away.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 12:32 PM

Sandra, I have always had a dedicated flatbed scanner, though my recent purchase of the Epson ink jet brought another one into the house. My Cannon is several years old, and it has a few buttons on the front I rarely use (to copy, etc.) Mostly I use it with Photoshop or Adobe and do high resolution scans (300-600dpi). I wonder if for the time being you could find a gently used one on eBay? This CanoScan 4400F also is lit on the top and I can do some low-rez scans of slides and negatives. (I have a dedicated slide scanner that I have to start using.)

I haven't tested printing from my phone to the ink jet printer. I'll have to see if I installed the app and test it with a piece of email.

Two more days and two more cupboard shelves organized and emptied of spare stuff. There is a collection growing on the kitchen peninsula so I have to move all of this to a box and eBay area. Mugs from a Seattle potter and spare dishtowels that didn't all fit in the rolling basket from one cabinet. I'll have to bag the really old ones for rags and they can live in the laundry room for now.

I went down an article-search and YouTube-link rabbit hole this morning with the news of the death of Meatloaf. I learned about him right after his first big album came out; my kids learned about him in Rocky Horror Picture Show and then I got out that first big album and played it for them. I have a solid 4'+ line of LPs here, most of them classical and folk, but there is a solid section of rock contemporaneous with my 20s when I was listening to more and able to buy it. No decluttering going on there.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 03:17 PM

Looking again at Charmion's remarks about her "modest requirements" in a vehicle. When I had to replace my pickup I went with a small car at first because I was in a hurry and it was affordable. It turned out to be cute as a button but very poorly designed, so when that was traded in I went larger.

The last couple of vehicles have been SUVs. Not because I need to drive eight people around, but because it has enough room, when the seats are put down and a tarp is spread over the tops of those seats, to put lumber up to 10' long in a diagonal position. I put down the middle row of seats (the back row is always down) and again with the tarp I can carry several cubic yards of the free compost the city provides. My recycling of large flattened boxes fit in there, etc. It's an attempt to have the transport ability of a pickup without the sticker shock of buying a pickup. The SUVs used to be on a truck chassis, now it's a unibody that is still ok for hauling stuff. If I had the cash to buy a pickup truck I could afford to pay off my house and buy some kind of small automobile at the same time. And this was BEFORE the supply chain snags of COVID.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 05:57 PM

I broke it so I fixed it. The upper rack of the dishwasher collapsed when I put weight on it. A drill and a proper screw put it right again.
Cleared large branches from the snow storm. Accross the street a branch pierced the roof. I did bedding laundry that consisted of 4 giant blankets that never would have fit one by one in the old washer. I also leveled the washer only to find it rocks a bit from the pedestal.

The grocery store is too close to go full speed (200mph) so its good I drive so little that fuel is not a problem. I shoulda bought a Hyundai but at least I have never needed a single repair on the CTS performance model which is like a four seat Corvette. I'm a fluid changer believer. The new electric Corvette goes 240mph which is ridiculous in a drive through. In Ohio they have liquor store drive throughs but Maryland frowns on that.
There is no doubt I'm in better shape this year compared to last. Getting up off the floor used to be a challenge and now its a snap.
I go looking for projects when I used to procrastinate even thinking about what to do.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 07:36 PM

I have no carpentry skills, so i don’t haul lumber. In fact, I don’t need to haul anything bigger than a bag of cat litter or a crate of wine. Consequently, a compact hatchback is all the car I need. Plus, I’m stingy. I hate the idea of paying for the fuel required to move extra weight of vehicle.

Over way too many years of driving, my car has been burgled exactly twice. I’m fairly sure that’s because I have always driven a very modest car and I never leave anything of value in sight, even parking change. And driving a manual means joy-riders don’t bother. In Stratford, I don’t even bother to lock it.

As for drive-through liquor stores … ! I was shocked enough to find draught beer for sale at service stations on the New York Turnpike.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 09:30 PM

Dupont:

Still reveling in the new sink and faucet. I can use much less water because I can choose hot or cold and not fiddle with the #%$# until I get what I want. Also realize that dishes built up because I avoided the ugly thing! I go down in the morning and tell the sink it is beautiful!

Undressed the little Christmas tree today but decided it was the better part of valour to wait for R to take it out. Most of the water in the big bowl is gone but the mahogany table - even though I put plastic and a cloth over it... Let R do it! In the process of repacking Christmas I re-organized parts of the closet. Have a fair amount of stuff leaving when I go back to Beaver - hoping for first week of Feb ... though I am very comfortable here, I need to check the mail; do not want to ask someone to do it for me.

Saw a moth in something in the upstairs closet so I put the box outside to freeze. Never had moths in all the years I lived in a house thet had no heat unless I were there. Forgot they existed until they ate everything precious when in PA.

Went to produce store today and filled the frig. Nice veg stew cooking and rice. Need to remember I have more root veggies in the cold part of addition. The two spare rooms have their own thermostats. Just sent text to R to remind him to bring home the carburetor for the snow blower; maybe he can get it running tomorrow! Before we get more of this white stuff.

I am loving my new sitting place in the upstairs hall - comfie and bright on a sunny day - today.

Maybe I will ask R to put the big empty bin in the cellar. I have not found a good spot elsewhere. (I do not go to the cellar; afraid of the air quality.)

A thread on FB was discussing K stuff. I pulled off a shelf an induction burner (?) and considered the space it takes and the fact it has never been used as it is a mystery to me - even after googling. Well, the stove is aging and one burner has quit completely so rather than re-home it, I will put it away somewhere - top shelf of pantry that I can only reach with a ladder? Just in case. Re-did that shelf space already! I spent large chunk of my life not buying electric appliances "because someday I will live without electric." And I did. I am slow to change gears! I went all those years without so why would I need it now?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic ridiculous
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 11:35 PM

If you're one who hasn't had Covid its likely you don't have friends or have abandon them. America land of the craven and home of the hidden. Biden says America has stood up, which is a feat for a 79 year old. Tom Hanks said we are all brave - now put on a face diaper and go hide.
Gun sales have hit a new peak and a new flood of ghost guns are assembled at home. Everyone's armed and there's no one to shoot except in schools. The outlook on coming elections is viewed by both sides as corrupt on both sides now. i've looked at votes from both sides now and still somehow, its all Bull Shit that I see...sorry thats enough of that.
So you don't have to raw dog it, but its time to go back out... in zero degree temps. Things have never been greater, like hypocracy, overcoming depression and death rates. "Two out of three ain't bad".

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jan 22 - 11:52 PM

The 2x4s and pickets I usually bring in the SUV are for building sections of fence. Not a lot of carpentry skills needed. A level, a screwdriver. Sometimes a carpenter saw if the 2x4s need trimming. Drill and ratchet for the crossmember brackets. I've also bought flooring planks (cheapest available) to use to edge the raised beds in the garden. Lay them on the ground between corner bricks.

I'll probably be making my 4 square mile drive again this weekend - dropping off more cardboard, more stuff at Goodwill, and picking up mail at the post office. Each spot along or at the corner of this 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 mile route. Rinse, repeat.

I'm making progress on the jigsaw puzzle—it has slowed me down to realize all of the pieces are almost the same shape, making it easy to mismatch similar parts of the puzzle. Thank goodness there are some zebras and a flamingo in the African wildlife that give me something to work outward from. It's good to get back to doing a puzzle after being stymied by the last one that was both too difficult and incomplete.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Jan 22 - 09:44 AM

My approach to fence construction is much brusquer than yours, Stilly — save up some money, hire a guy who builds fences for a living, and get it done and dusted. I respect those who can do for themselves, but I can’t (won’t) live with a half-assed result and I know my limits. I’m pretty good at hanging pictures, but beyond that I won’t go.

The Ministry of Health has announced that the latest lockdown has worked as intended so the province can resume limited operations on 31 January. Only half-capacity, still at two metres’ distance and wearing masks, but sorta kinda like the new normal we were getting used to back before Christmas. Will we be allowed to sing in the presence of others? Further deponent sayeth not.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Jan 22 - 10:13 AM

To me FITNESS is =equally= about uninterrupted rest. Some may identify with meditation, restorative sleep or healing deep states.
Good for you if you can get to delta sleep quickly but its not a race.
The most dreams come in alpha sleep or vivid dreams a bit deeper.
An after meal sleep makes it easier however the worst time to eat is late at night. If short spans of sleep is what you can manage do more of them.
I'm not selling anything but whatever improves your rest like a massage or weighted blankets or melatonin, enjoy the toys.

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

Interesting you would write about sleep, Don. I had the weirdest string of seemingly related dreams last night. I think it was the late chocolate. I know better. (I can't remember what the dreams were about, but they were troubling enough to keep waking me.)

Local health officials are predicting the Omicron cases will rise until the end of the month. But now that more people are using at home COVID tests, they won't know exactly how many cases are out there. There is a county site to report, but it is in English only.

Sneezes today tell me that there is still juniper pollen drifting through the area and the temperature will keep me in. Tomorrow is supposed to spike up to 65^o so I should plan to get out to do some work or at least walk the dogs. If I wear one of my masks I'll get less pollen during the walk.

I need to choose today's cupboard to clear. I need to do a deep dive into that capacious cabinet that is in the corner under the peninsula, that has three doors (from the sink side and the dining room side) that open into it and that is where odd things go to be saved until I need them but I forget they're there. I should install a couple of those battery under-cabinet lights in there so I can see, instead of needing a flashlight.

The front of the fridge was cleared of several old papers and calendars. I don't have the discipline to have a completely clear fridge; the fridge and freezer are where magnets hold up all sorts of notes and treasures, though a bit of time watching one of the HGTV hoarder programs is enough to have me want to dump a lot of that stuff. With those programs a little goes a long way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jan 22 - 10:01 PM

After several attempts I figured out how to get Alexa and LIFX to play nicely and operate the second smart bulb, this one in the den, next room over from the first bulb. I tried creating a second room in the LIFX app and soon realized that was a mistake. They are both marked "Favorites" and that helped. Eventually I found the device as far as what Alexa knew it was and renamed it (I'm not going to say "Alexa, turn on mini-bulb model 12345x.") Now she turns on either/or. I'm embarrassed to say how long it took me to set this up after originally buying the bulb. A smart doorbell is on order. We'll see how that goes.

As a bonus technology win, I don't use Facebook on my phone much, but I wanted to log on today so used the synched password, then for the first time was asked to use the new FIDO (Yubico) and I used the Near Field Sharing to touch and get it to work. I set this device up as another form of two-factor authentication last fall.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jan 22 - 11:37 AM

I have enough trouble keeping the printer in communion with the computer. The rest of the house and its contents will remain un-smart.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Jan 22 - 11:42 AM

Smart technology doesn't make what already works stupid.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 22 - 04:35 PM

I got a FIDO (Fast Identity Online) key several years ago for logging on securely to my accounts on a university computer in the public area. They're not expensive and not difficult to set up on various online accounts (Wordpress, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to get into those accounts (and block someone who might want to hack them). I updated it last year because I realized the old one couldn't be used on the tablet with the USB-C devices (and getting one with NFS ability means it doesn't need to actually be plugged in.)

With a bit of practice I've figured out how to send documents and email from my phone to the networked printer and make it print double-sided.

Yesterday afternoon I started wondering if I had caught COVID or the flu - but by the time I went to bed the achiness was so awful that it dawned on me that I had somehow, in all of this masked world through which I travel, picked up one of those 24-hour viruses that I used to get back when I was in college or working in places with lots of public contact. The kind that feels like you were beaten with a baseball bat. Sleeping around the clock helped along with staggering a Motrin/Tylenol cocktail. No fever, and a COVID test this morning was negative. Tomorrow I'll go get one at a drive-thru location near here just to be safe. It's ironic - I was last out on Wednesday, to a doctor's office and a pharmacy. And thinking back to my weird dreams overnight before this started - that tends to happen when I'm getting sick.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Jan 22 - 07:39 PM

Dupont:

Tech-wise (dumb!) I am with Charmion. Today I figured out how to bring my phone onto the car screen so R could phone someone - not while driving but he parked! YAY! Apps on phone?? Guess I might need a "passport"; hope someone can do it for me. I have my 3 pieces of paper from shots. In a pinch, I can find a place/phone # by asking the phone. It seems to change things with no help from me - ARGHHH!

Christmas Tree was giving last rites and R took it outside for the critters. I swept the debris and put it amongst the containers for the fire. And cleaned the wood floors. The induction thingy was put on a top shelf by R; if we need it, it is there. In the meantime, it is well out of the way.

Plumbing debris is dismissed but under sink is not really done as, apparently, some work "needs" to be done in cellar and may affect what it under sink...???? So, not knowing when this might happen, I will put the stuff back under the sink and keep an eye out for a shelf/shelves to make the area more efficient when it is done and the nice lino in place. I keep telling R, "have I told you..." He is apologizing for having taken so long, to him it was "just a dirty sink". If I had not ordered the faucet, he might never have... I guess I must stop "rubbing it in".

Runs to grocery and to produce store, at off times, last week. Frig and freezer full, still bread from that big order out on the deck frozen. Put large jugs of juice between back doors; the cranberry was frozen solid last night; still on table thawing! I suppose I could take everything out of the smallish freezer and reorganize it. Without even taking it outside but I could put it out if I needed to. Interesting idea as I am sure there is stuff that has gone to the bottom. Manana?

Since I cannot put fabrics in the beautiful DR cupboard (not mouse proof), I will use the drawers for extra jars and plastic bags... New thought as I remembered I started using a drawer for plastic bags. Make more room for other things in mouse-proof pantry.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 22 - 08:07 PM

Despite being tech savvy I haven't set up the phone via Bluetooth to the SUV. I find it a huge distraction to have to figure out what to push if it rings when I'm driving. And since about 90% of the calls I get are spam, there is no point it bothering to link them. In my last vehicle I had a little Bluetooth connector between my phone and the speakers via the accessory setting, but it wasn't set for the phone service, I just used it for listening to audiobooks.

I think the virus has passed; I'm feeling kind of wrung out but no longer chilled like yesterday. Time to change the sheets and take the extra blanket off of the bed that I needed overnight.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 11:18 AM

Among the many things I like about Volkswagen cars are the phone-to-car connection and its controls: a button on the steering wheel to accept or end a call and a rocker switch for sound volume. I don't have to take my eyes off the road at all -- and I'd hate to have to tell you how long it took me to learn to work it without fumbling. I use the phone while driving as the pilot of an aircraft uses the radio, and if callers think I'm brusque too damn bad.

As for spam calls, I fixed that problem by setting the phone to ring only when the caller is in my contacts list. Everything else goes to voicemail, and legit callers leave messages.

It's snowing again in Stratford. Bleah.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 12:20 PM

That's the thing I haven't taken the time to do - and I know practice with the car settings is the only way to respond easily when it's in use. Not being motivated to spend the time practicing is the culprit. I've set the phone so a lot of spam is caught by the Hiya app. I took a look at the device settings, and while Google Voice will forward only people in my contacts list, the company that the phone is activated with doesn't seem to offer that in it's settings. But maybe I should set using the Bluetooth effectively as a goal for this year. It won't cost me anything to add that new-to-me feature.

Another day of late rising means the trash was already collected on my side of the block but not next door and up the hill, so I walked my bag of trash to keep company with the neighbor's trash bag. I have a can full of the cut-up pieces of the last sunflower but haven't put it out yet. If it gets windy the wad of dried flower parts may blow down the street like a tumbleweed. Maybe I should just tote that to the far back of the yard and let it drop seeds back there.

After an almost catatonic weekend I've started organizing another kitchen "shelf," in this instance, The Junk Drawer. Everybody has one, right? I found some great stuff in the junk drawer at my Dad's house (things I still use here now) and this drawer is equally interesting - it contains things that had a use that can be used again, if only I remember they are here. I so far have extracted a handful of screws, smashed coins, and expired dog license and rabies tags. I don't know of a museum collecting such icons of a life lived, so I may take one of my old yogurt containers and dump those items into it for the kids to look through on their next visits. Do they want the flattened penny embossed with the nature center logo that we probably paid a dollar for? And more. Or maybe I'll toss them all now and the tiny past memory will be less durable. A handful of various screws went from that drawer into the large plastic ex-pickle jar in the laundry room where I typically go when I need to find the right sized screw for something. This drawer will probably take a while, but I've made a good start.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Thompson
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 12:20 PM

The phone should really be in the boot when you're driving. Safer that way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 01:21 PM

The phone has an app that sets up a "do not disturb" mode and it doesn't ring or make noise when I'm moving. But there are times when a call out might be useful. And if I do connect them, I can again listen to audiobooks while I drive.

Sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, and now moping in the office is finished and I'm waiting for the hard plastic chair mat to dry in the hall bathtub. It needed a scrub with the hard bristle brush on both sides. I think putting a few rugs and a couple of dog bed covers through the laundry is the next move.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 04:22 PM

For the record, I don’t have a junk drawer in my kitchen any more.

There’s a box in the Glory Hole where I put gadgets I haven’t used in a while. If I miss a gadget, I return it to service. If it’s still there when an opportunity (such as a church rummage sale) arises to get rid of the box contents, I obviously didn’t need it. A couple of weeks ago, I cleared the contents of the junk drawer into either that box or the trash. Almost all if it went in the trash.

Now the Foodsaver vacuum sealer lives in that drawer with the box of batteries and the downstairs flashlight. No more junk drawer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 09:04 PM

Every time I read the name of your basement storage space I am reminded of a very racy scene in Judith Krantz' Scruples novel.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 10:07 PM

"Mopping" in the office is finished, Stilly??

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 10:43 PM

Anyone who tries racy stuff in my Glory Hole deserves the inevitable painful result.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jan 22 - 11:33 PM

Mopping is finished, and the room has the slight lemon-fresh scent of PineSol. Three dog bed covers were washed in a Gain knockoff detergent from Aldi (I usually use a gently scented environmentally friendly detergent sheet) and a HUGE gob of dog hair came out of the dryer lint filter. I wiped down the inside of the washer and got a fair amount of dirt and hair, and when I pulled the dry covers out of the dryer there was still a piece of chewed stick stuck to one of them.

Of course they couldn't leave it alone - this evening I walked into my office and could see muddy footprints on the tile floor, tracked all the way through the house from the back door after today's rain. Gotta love 'em, the dogs don't leave anything clean for long.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jan 22 - 01:20 PM

Something went pear-shaped overnight when I set up system restore to get the glitch out of my desktop computer's right click context menu operation. The account on the Windows 11 thread.

I'm waiting on an onion bagel to toast as part of lunch. I'll focus on not burning the bagel or dropping the butter, and work upward from there.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jan 22 - 01:45 PM

I asked about the mopping, Stilly, because
the 24 January post reads "moping".

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jan 22 - 01:54 PM

Dyslexia and no squiggly red line under the word work hand in hand to give lots of typos like that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jan 22 - 05:47 PM

I really should have removed that external drive with all of the video files. It's killing me waiting for the backup before the reinstall, but it has started so I'm not going to interrupt it. 12% after 3 hours.

I have the old computer set up and am going to do some photo processing on it (it doesn't connect to the Internet), and I have this little backup laptop in the kitchen I mostly forget about. Limping along, but it's like travelling in the Shuttlecraft instead of on the Enterprise.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Jan 22 - 07:53 PM

Many many years ago (when I was young and slender.....sigh) I worked for the Goodyear tyre company, back in the days before computers and copy machines when typists used carbon paper to make more than one copy. (Yes, I am that old.)

I was given a letter to type referencing the end-of-year shutdown when many employees took their annual holidays, to allow for factory machine maintenance. It was duly typed; I checked it, my boss checked it, his boss checked it, for all I know the Big Boss Upstairs checked it too.....and it still made its way to Akron, Ohio, with the heading "Christmas Shitdown", causing, I believe, great merriment on arrival.

Subject: RE: Tech: They lied, Here's Windows 11
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Jan 22 - 07:18 AM

Sorry about the PC, SRS. Sometimes, they seem to conspire to be as bloody minded as possible... I hope you've got it sorted. Re your question in the other thread, if I was faced with the reinstallation of everything, I would put Win 11 on but that's just me.

I got more gadgetry yesterday. A SPDIF audio splitter and a Bluetooth transmitter. Sound from the living room tv can now be played to Bluetooth headphones and/or the tv sound base. With luck, it will put an end to mum moaning about sound (either too loud or sometimes on at all) from the tv. We’ll have to see how it goes but dad has said he’s quite comfortable with the headphones.

A couple of little things I need to do, partly as mum had a clear out in the bedroom are to have a bonfire. I'll try to do that tomorrow as the forecast is for a bright sunny day. She also wants some bases of drawers lining. I got some coloured A2 card from Amazon for this but need to motivate myself to to the job.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jan 22 - 10:42 AM

As a recipient of both the super-strength Flu vaccine and three of the COVID vaccines, I can only conclude that I had a modified version of the flu last weekend. COVID test came back negative. Whew! I have needed to pick up mail at the post office for days and didn't want to go till I knew for sure.

Amazon came through overnight with a faster external hard drive and I'm moving data from the drive that will be wiped by Windows to a backup via the old computer with no Internet connection. In a few hours I can let the new desktop be exposed to the ministrations of Dell and Windows and see if it will come back with a completely empty "renewed" machine. Then I have to work on it quite a lot before I can work on it. It looks like no more drawer decluttering for the rest of the week.

Damn. The machine is dead. Long live the machine.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jan 22 - 03:44 PM

My kitchen laptop is now connected to the ink jet printer (thank goodness that was in place - the network doesn't need the big computer to be running, or even extant, to run). I installed a new browser to use with my work accounts and have slowly added them to a growing list of tabs that will open at once. Glad I don't have to move the laptop into the office or lug one of the printers into the kitchen.

The backup is slowly moving into the new hard drive, and I have an older backup in a hard drive from the previous machine if catastrophe happens (worse than already). But the more current data I can hold onto, the better. I'm going to have to recreate quite a few files for now.

I went in this afternoon and reset the computer to "NEVER" as far as going to sleep. That's what shut down the backup I started yesterday.

There is redundancy around the house with tablets and Bluetooth keyboards, the phone, etc., but working on the big desktop is still the gold standard. Everything else is just getting by.

To make this temporary workspace more comfortable I've moved the pad for my standing desk into the kitchen to use at the waist-high bookshelf where the laptop lives. Elsewhere I rearranged bedroom chairs so I can use a library chair (a solid walnut-looking piece with the back wrapping to the arms, probably not bentwood) as the barre for the exercises I'm starting with the Essentrics program (I have two or three DVDs to work with before I decide if I want to join online). She suggests a simple and portable setup with a yoga mat, a length of cloth or a belt (I'm using the gait belt from my knee surgery PT), and a sturdy chair. Since I'm mostly doing other things than working on my computer today I imagine I'll move more stuff before day's end.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 11:08 AM

The computer backup slowly continues and my odd kitchen office is up and running. It's a strange day as I continue to remember the things I need to reproduce in order to do the work I normally do (contract job).

My across-the-street neighbor was taken away in an ambulance yesterday; I watched from the house, I didn't step over to say anything. That was a family time and frankly I couldn't tell if she was conscious. I've been in this house about three weeks shy of 20 years and I fear our neighborhood is about to lose one of the fixtures in this little world.

Getting back to work around here, photography for eBay and more moving of things into the donation bin.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 11:30 AM

I'm making a stand for the new electronic gadget. I've joined a huge 80 lbs subwoofer to a full spectrum speaker and attached a screw removable board permanently joined to the tv base. Perfect height to hold the 80 lb oled 65 inch tv. I couldn't lift it up to the tall wall mount anyway. I thought I had a 65 inch tv but apparently not, since this thing is enormous, with the stand it is 60 inches tall. Its as awkwardly heavy as it is fragile, just a quarter inch thick glass screen that broke when the corner touched the floor. The replacement comes on sunday. Amazing Amazon. So the learning curve has led to this surprisingly good looking new piece of furniture that matches the tv and is more secure than a table with legs.
After all the weight lifting yesterday I feel fine today. I guess it wasn't enough to feel the burn.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 01:37 PM

Dupont:

With no inclination to go home to Beaver - weather is forbidding with severe cold and sporadic snow; energy level is sub par and I have large chunks of each day when "it doesn't matter". I think I am spending more time in bed than out of bed and even after I get up, I want to go back. Brain gets tired and things do not get read; eyes get uncomfortable and I keep trying to find a solution - a fingertip of honey sometimes helps clear the eyes. Things ache here and there, now and then.

There must be mail in the box at Beaver; I consider asking someone to get it and send anything important to me. Then I don't do anything. I need a new sticker for car license and started to go on line to try to do it... I gave up...

A potter friend suggested "just throw two things"; it is too much trouble to change into work clothes. I keep hoping that tomorrow will be better. Then:

Yesterday I did two loads of laundry - redid the bedding, put the freshly washed throw back on the TV room Futon and everything is put away. A fitted sheet from unknown source (R) is in the "leaving" pile. I also went for groceries - to a store almost empty of people as was the hardware store where I bought two brooms and a large dust pan. This is in hopes of keeping things a little cleaner - one upstairs and one down (no excuses!) and the dust pan is to make an effort to compost the never-ending debris from the huge fern. Also brought in 4 armloads of wood and have kept the stove going. Cooked a batch of rice w/o burning it(!) and a large batch of applesauce w/o...! My new modus o.. is to take apples, cutting board, pan and knife up to TV room so I can sit and ready the apples; take the full pan down and put on stove at a LOW heat. YAY! And a new batch of black beans - unburned! Little things matter. but no pots thrown...

Spent time checking into the state of mind of a friend at a distance; had a great phone visit with a man whom R and I have met and he is aware and doing what can be done. Also messaged a couple other mutual friends to check their awareness that support/encouragement would be good. Will continue to keep an eye on his posts, as well as another friend in crisis. There is so much happening to bring one down these days. Moving into a "senior's residence" is one more blow for the one friend.

Trying to feel better, to figure out what could make me feel better, I finally got it together to soak my feet this morning- in hot water with Epsom salt, then used a couple products to improve the very dry mess of it. And trimmed toenails. This seems so simple but it has not been done in far too long - I just couldn't.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 08:53 PM

Self-care is something we all need to do, so Dorothy, your comfortable feet are a good start. And paring apples in one room and taking them to the kitchen - sounds good! I've had slow days like that also this week, the process of getting over the bug from last weekend.

I've started doing the Essentrics stretching in addition to the Hinge Health exercises, but figuring out the best time of day is what I'm considering now. I think I ought to spread it out, leave the 15 minutes of hip-strengthening exercises at bedtime and do the stretching when I get up. I'm rearranging the bedroom some to remind me to exercise. Simply turning the bed 90^o in the corner where it sits and arranging a washstand and trunk will make more room for the exercise space.

A few more things have been dropped into the donation bin today. The hard drive backup is crawling steadily, and I've again rearranged the kitchen workspace. Standing was getting old so I've shifted the computer two feet to the right to the peninsula counter that has a 12" overhang and tall stools for sitting and eating or working.

I have to go out next week for a couple of appointments and will resume volunteer work. I'm set with masks, and am told that all of the staff in the part of the museum where I volunteer are wearing masks. Good.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Jan 22 - 09:10 PM

I finally took possession of my nearly new VW GTI today. The weather was so disgusting that even the 18-wheelers on the highway were keeping to the usually ignored speed limit, and the Chevy cracker-box tried to ditch itself in a big patch of drifted snow at the county line.

The GTI is comfortable, stable and powerful, just what I like for foul conditions. My bank account is badly deflated, but at least I didn’t have to take a loan.

And the insurance company got its numbers wrong and short-changed me by about two thousand dollars. So that business is still to be settled. I sicced the Stratford insurance broker on them; he has all the direct phone numbers.

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

The Big Screen store motto "No need to miss a single moment of the agonizing holocaust in crystal clear clarity."

On holocaust remeberance day yesterday Tennesee banned the anti holocaust book 'Maus'.

Never again!

yes again ... sigh ...but this time you can't escape to the USA. You gotta go to Canada.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Jan 22 - 08:12 AM

We have our own crop of asshats, Donuel. Holocaust denial is alive and well in Canada — the home of “none is too many” — and thousands of Afghans our government promised to resettle are still freezing in transit camps or dodging the Taliban. Oh, and have you read about the trucker convoy heading to Ottawa? Check it out — they have a manifesto and everything.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, public health restrictions are easing up. The Y reopens on Monday, and choir practice will resume on 7 February. If the stars realign just right, I might go out for lunch next week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jan 22 - 11:50 AM

Despite the current hit to your pocketbook, I am pleased to see you back in a reliable car, and one with a bit more ooomph to help keep you safe. Good job picking it up and not turning the cracker box into a tractor trailer hood ornament on the way there.

The oh-so-slow data transfer is more than half way now. I think by Sunday I'll start rebuilding and then upgrading to Win11. Meanwhile, this WiFi only laptop gives me a reminder about why threads in batches of 50 and with descending numbers are so helpful here at Mudcat. One aspect of moderation mode opens whole threads and it takes a while.

After measuring in the bedroom I decided to simply slide everything over to the left a foot to increase the exercise space. Turning the bed may come later, it's six of one half-dozen of the other. Who knows what I might find that has been chalked up as "lost forever" if I move the bed. I'm thinking in particular there's a pocket knife that disappeared one day. I thinned some of the stuff sitting on the dresser and wash stand, more items to recycle or put in e-waste.

Neighbor transported to hospital this week is hanging on in ICU. I'm prepared to start baking should things change. Actually, either way. If she comes home or if she doesn't, the offering of warm dinner rolls to the household will be welcome (and with a restricted diet she can still eat those). The son really likes my apple pie, so if bad news, it might be time to start joining Dorothy in apple peeling.

My wasband has ordered a new phone, his first ever smart phone. The family is thrilled that he will finally be able to see the photos we send or read longer texts (all of which resulted in error messages in his tiny soon-to-be-defunct slider phone.) He sent me the phone model and I reviewed the options - it looks good. It's a mid-range less expensive Samsung that came out last year, so not super expensive but up to date. The company he's joining is sending it, so hopefully everything is set to go, just transfer the number. I expect to run a tutorial at some outdoors location early next week. Reminding him that it's just a small computer in his pocket will make it easier to learn to use, just not reminding him about the state of the big computer on my desk will make it approachable. :-/

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Jan 22 - 06:47 PM

I reorganized a floor to ceiling 15 foot book case with art encyclopedias, 9 shelves of dvds and 50 lbs of CDs in zip closed note books. Now beside it is a 7 stereo component book shelf. It took me all freakin day. There was enough dust to choke a goat but its all done now after being a catch all for 5 years. I'm glad my step ladder has a railing. There was plenty to donate. I found the cables on Amazon that will take a USB to ancient f plugs so I can use my old onkyo amp with the tv. I found some old HD radios and got them up and running. annnd here comes the snow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jan 22 - 07:55 PM

Sounds like a day of re-discovery, Don! I did that kind of cleaning in my office, though, and had a huge computer crash, so be warned: no good deed goes unpunished!

I decided the tubular sided step stool thing I was using, even with a extended handle, just wasn't sturdy enough, so I gave it to Goodwill after buying a solid fiberglass stepladder.

This afternoon I started work in the sewing studio again, so far ironing the most recently-purchased fabric that had been washed but not rolled so I can arrange it in layers on the cutting board. It's mask time again, and like Dorothy going into her potting studio, it feels wonderful to get back into that creative space.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 11:26 AM

Dupont:

Managed a bit of cleaning today - maybe an hour of stretching and bending to clear the debris from the fern and and dust and cobwebs as I noticed such with the terrific sun. Went out to find some tahini but only tiny jars available; I searched on line.. But I bought 3 almond croissants, the first in a few weeks to I have been good about that. One half is a treat. Then to M&M for frozen cabbage rolls which R parcels out as a bit of interest to his late night suppers.

Computer informed me I have averaged almost 8 hours a day which seems too much. Some of that is trying to figure it out and a couple long sessions on Applehelp. Then it decided to upgrade and now I need help again. I unsubscribe as much as I can give up. Read a lot of news, and pottery stuff, listen to some music and delete over 100 emails/day. Tiresome and time-consuming but interesting enough. And connect with lots of friends - very important. This all takes time. ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 06:12 PM

I have been feeling an urge to watch TV lately, so I toted it out of the basement and parked it opposite the comfy chair. The cats enjoy TV. I hope they like “Station Eleven”.

St James’s Stratford is doing Evensong tomorrow with proper music — but only four choristers (one of them being me) and no congregation in the church; it’s to be live-streamed. We had keep-your-distance rehearsal this morning and it should be boffo, or as boffo as brass-and-class Anglican liturgy gets when performed by a quartet. Proper singing, even in a mask, really gets my endorphins pumping.

The insurance company is fussing over how much to pay me and making a real dog’s breakfast of the transaction. Now they say they made a mistake (that would be *another* mistake) in offering what it said on the bill of sale because that sum included extended warranties. Ummmm, I had to replace the warranties as well as the car … It is indeed true that insurance companies are deeply committed to gathering money in, not paying it out.

Beautiful sunshine in Stratford today, and almost no wind. Cold, but not Army cold.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 22 - 09:49 PM

My ex had a multi-part exchange with his insurance company to get his roof replaced recently. It involved taking it to the next level and bringing in a second opinion because they were only willing at first to offer a few hundred dollars and hope he'd take it and go away. He went through the various protest steps and finally got the new roof. Customer Service hacks. This may help. Back in the day when everything was done by mail and certified letters offered gravitas, there was a book called Super Threats: How to Sound Like a Lawyer and Get Your Rights on Your Own that I used successfully a few times. It's beyond old at this point, published in 1977 before the Internet, before email, before much of life as we know it. But still, the advice about keeping records, registering what you can, keeping notes, taking names, it's all still helpful.

In under an hour the computer backup will be finished and I'll see what I can do to restore the desktop. I'll finish the contract work I do every Saturday to have it out of the way first. Not really looking forward to this. I think I'll do my exercises before I get started, to give myself an energy boost.

I figured out that I can join the online site for the exercise program I'm going to start, then logon to the Fire Stick app to keep the price lower. If I join with the app itself, it's $5 more a month (Amazon takes a 25% cut).

Stay warm, all of you in the path of the snow bomb.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 05:25 PM

The new computer setup is still a mess, not logging on to email yet (and I can't get it to load all of my settings, but I may find a way to move them from the old computer where it is still installed though unused for 2 years). But I'm slowly adding in things and now with my security suite and Malwarebytes in place, I can move forward.

I have been sewing this weekend, finishing masks I started ages ago. I have a couple of gifts to make once these are out of the way. This is a good activity to alternate with the computer restoration.

And one last observation about the computer - thank dawg I had Chrome synched. It made getting into these sites a lot easier.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Jan 22 - 05:41 PM

I spent 6 more hours of hard work and finished the rest of the room doubling the space. I set up the new organic tv. Like a living being it will degrade over time but its prime of life will offer an image superior to any competition. The wow factor was achieved.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 10:02 AM

The virtual insides of my big Dell look like a storage shed with a few things on the shelves but no organization to them to speak of. There's a lot of stuff piled up outside waiting to come in. And I'm struggling with Gmail and Thunderbird. Google insists on making it difficult to use these two things together.

The "coldest weather of the season" is headed this way mid-week. Even some snow in the forecast. I'll finish my shopping for fresh produce tomorrow and have everything ready to go. Hopefully no repeat of last February's freeze. We are better prepared this time around, even if the state electrical grid is the same ol' same ol'.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 12:57 PM

I’m having a visitor tomorrow, so I must clean today. The clouds of cat hair are downright reprehensible.

But first — a visit to the dentist! Whee! My favourite!

In other news, the insurance company has capitulated and will pay what it promised. I’m to receive another lump of dough by Interac e-transfer, probably over night.

Money is always nice.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 31 Jan 22 - 03:14 PM

"Money is always nice."

Money may not have been what you hoped for, but at least it will help you get what you want.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 10:25 AM

2022 seems to be picking up where 2020 left off; every time I open Mudcat I see a new obit thread for some fine musician who should have lived a lot longer. :-( This is not the kind of "decluttering" we want, planet.

I woke wondering maybe if I'm developing a bit of a bladder infection so first thing this morning I steam juiced some cranberries (from bags in the freezer) to make myself juice to mix a strong batch of cranapple juice. That usually nips it in the bud. And I can use the pulp for baking later.

Appointments this week, today and tomorrow, before the snow arrives overnight Wednesday. There is some cosmic good luck in that timing! The battery for the Canon camera is charged—I love getting photos of the yard and dogs in the snow. Hopefully without the shut down we had last year. I did manage to get some extra mileage out of last year's storm. Since I didn't have much interesting to write about in my holiday letter I extracted portions of the journal I kept during the storm and added a few photos. People were very interested in the photo of the dogs in the closet with me. :)

Steam juicer has finished, cranapple is mixed. Onward into the day.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 12:15 PM

The last lump of insurance dough has landed, plumping my bank account to a satisfying degree. My visitor came early and has gone home to receive a visitor of her own. I somehow never got the vacuum cleaner and out so the house was just as dirty this morning as it was yesterday, and she either did not notice or was too polite to notice the clumps of cat hair plastered to the grille of the cold-air return.

We had tea and a lovely chat. Her visitor is coming to Stratford to recover from a broken ankle, and we made plans for her to bolt over here for more tea and chat when she needs less demanding company.

I'm not sure Norma Waterson would have been entirely enthusiastic about living a lot longer, Stilly. She was 85, a pretty respectable age at which to pop one's clogs. My grandmother lived to be 98, and she regretted remaining on this side of the sod for at least the last five years of that -- she said so, and I believed her. Blind, deaf and too weak to play the piano any more, she was bored out of her mind most of the time. As for poor Tony, he had MS and death could well have been a relief and a release. We can enjoy their music for the rest of *our* lives, which is lucky for us and good for them, as we can thus hear them as they would like to be remembered.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 01:08 PM

She was only 82, Charmion.

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

Okay, Steve, 82. Also a very respectable age.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 03:09 PM

Whether you are rich or poor its good to get money, but when talking Amazon money,, you're talking obscenities.

One more room to go then all the crap will be concentrated in the basement where the paid purge happens.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 22 - 09:12 PM

I should have extended that remark to past the musical contingent; there seem to be a lot of big names passing away, it has the feel of 2020 again. Here's a Hollywood list as one example. There's a meme out there that says "I didn't realize that 2020 was a trilogy."

It was a busy day, as tomorrow will be, then it'll be weather enforced puttering around the house. The cold weather warning is from Arizona to the far NE of New England, taking in a LOT of territory. I volunteer at a local museum two days a week, and started back up this morning, though they're telling everyone to stay home due to inclement weather on Thursday. I'll be back next week.

Later, Costco was bustling, but is so large that it wasn't too crowded. I know my trip was less expensive than it might have been because I stopped and got a hamburger for lunch before going shopping. The shopping cart fills up in a hurry when you're hungry.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Feb 22 - 11:59 AM

I forgot to roll past the village recycle bins yesterday, but this morning I'm glad that the flattened boxes are still in the back of the SUV. A few will come back into the house to be taped around the outside of the wire kennel, creating a warm cave for one or two of the dogs. I forgot about doing that last year during the big freeze, but it dawned on me this morning as I looked at the large glass doors on the north end of the den. They also have nice dog beds in the den, but I may move them into my office where there is only one external wall and a separate heat pump to keep that room warmer. And come to think of it, if I had to camp out again, the office would be much roomier than the closet but still possible to keep warm. I could build a blanket fort. :)

Lunch today with my daughter, and I think the meal that appeals to me most today involves lots of carbs. A cheesy chicken pasta dish from our favorite French café.

Winter storm warning goes into effect at 6pm today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Feb 22 - 01:05 PM

BEAVER!

On Monday, realized I had the energy, weather report was good, so I packed up and left Tues am with a very easy trip. Home at 4:30 to a freshly cleared Driveway! (I had texted ahead!) AND no water - frozen somewhere - probably under the floor. Larry came over and we talked about it. Later I remembered vaguely this happening a couple years ago. Pots of snow on wood stove suffice. Phoned R and we reached mutual - that is probable reason. Nothing for it unless it thaws itself. Above freezing today, and yesterday, but that might not be adequate. I can live with it.

However, when I went to go on computer, a small cord is missing. I NEVER... but have searched all possible places. For lack of an 8 inch connector cord, I came out in the snow - wet snow! - to the library, to connect with the world, sitting in car as library is not open AND
I would not go inside if it were.

The house is well provisioned, no water spewing anywhere, only food in the frig froze! Electric is working. Electric blanket warmed bed last night! Cold spell starting tonight so, I dug a path through about two feet of light snow to wood and replenished supply and a path to studio to turn down electric heater which I could not access before I left - cost extra to keep it warmer than necessary but not too bad.

May not go anywhere tomorrow as this wet snow will freeze into a mess by morning. Only one degree above freezing at the moment. Must get home before the freeze starts!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Feb 22 - 07:28 PM

The cold rain has started here, the beginning of the descent in to a cold slippery world for the rest of the week. I got home before much rain started, the plants that needed bringing in are in. It won't be anything like Dorothy's white world, but we'll all be chilly. There are lots of weather closures showing up on websites and news programs. An occasional snow day is nice, as long as it doesn't come with the extended power outage.

I need to go get the bag of lava sand and have it handy for the porch and walks. It does track into the house, but it's what I have around here.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 22 - 10:53 AM

The next door folks give the dogs a treat in the morning, but since there was ice forming overnight I got a text asking if I could keep the dogs in till it was full light (because one of them barks until she gets her treat, though I've reduced the amount of barking by zapping her with a training collar occasionally). I was up a couple of times during the night to take them out (since they usually have free access to the yard via the dog door). Cookie had to be dragged out, she doesn't like that cold, but got lots of praise when she finally pooped and we could all go in again. We all went out to the fence this morning after a text was sent telling them the dog door was again uncovered. I wanted to be sure he got back to the house ok (they have a large concrete patio are behind their house and it's iced over.)

Cookie outgrew her dog jacket since last year and I'm not driving to Petco for a new one in the ice so I'll widen the front leg openings and put a little more Velcro on so it will meet under her tummy. She hated this thing when I first tried to put it on her last year at this time, but once in it she happily wore it for five days straight. Now she loves the idea of a jacket.

Today is a day for long socks, fleece sweat pants, a t-shirt layered under a big baggy sweatshirt, and static electricity like crazy. The house has two heating zones, so in the interest of conserving electricity I'll have the heat up only in the office and let the rest of the house cool down to 62 before the heat comes on over there (it's programmed that way anyway, from when I left the house to go to work, before retirement. I never changed it.)

Baking day today, it seems. And maybe pot roast or a stew.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Feb 22 - 12:49 PM

It’s been snowing for days in Stratford, but the temperature’s dropping now so we can shovel out with confidence that we’ve had our limit. For the moment. I think Neil-across-the-street disapproves of my shovelling technique — or maybe (probably) he’s just gallant. I caught him in the act of clearing my footpath this morning, and yesterday he was working on the driveway when I reminded him that I’m a paid-up customer of Nick’s Snow Removal.

The Fitbit app on my iPad informs me that I have lost 30 pounds since September 2020. No wonder my wonky foot doesn’t hurt so much these days.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Feb 22 - 02:17 PM

Beaver:

Waiting for the drive to be plowed. Maybe I will try to drive out after lunch; try being the operative word! The road is clear.

Shoveled out and got to library, went through emails and a bit of FB. Chilly in the car and I don't want to run the engine more, so home to the wood stove! And a good book. Hoping Steve cleared drive but ... I will park on the road. It is clear and sanded.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 12:09 AM

I used a saucepan instead of a Dutch oven to make a small batch of pot roast this evening. It took long enough that I ate something else for dinner and this will be for lunch or dinner tomorrow and another couple of meals. My goal is to have way more vegetables in there than meat and I still run out of vege before the meat is gone. I LOVE the potatoes and carrots cooked in this broth.

It stayed below freezing all day, as it will tomorrow. Tomorrow morning is apparently the part of this cold snap that will be hardest on the power grid. Fingers crossed we stay powered up.

Today I continued to work on the organization of my computer files and programs. It's slow going, but looks like it will work when I finish. I'm trying to keep the data on the D: drive and just have the programs installed on the much smaller C: drive. Programs don't seem to give you the option of where to install them like they used to. Win11 reared it's head and said it is time to install. I don't think so.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 08:55 AM

Another plumbing crisis this morning: water spurting out from under the water softener in the least accessible corner of the basement. The plumber is due sometime this morning, so no pool class for me today. And my next water bill will be a doozy.

This is the third major leak in those aged copper pipes in the four and a half years I’ve lived in this house. They’re original equipment, so they date from 1974, when world copper prices went stratospheric after the Pinochet coup in Chile. I rather think it’s time for a systemic approach to this problem.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 09:17 AM

PVC pipe is toxic to make (in southern states) but there is nothing safer, better, stronger or cheaper.

Besides garbage day there is little challenge today except for a 40 degree plunge in temps tonight. I set up two laser star makers for the ceiling. It has fictional stationary and moving stars with a cresent moon and various colored nebulas. I used to have am accurate mini planatarium but the lasers stars have more impact.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 09:50 AM

Aaaaand … this time it’s the water softener, which has died. Bloody hell. Reggie the plumber says a new one, installed, will run me about $1,400.

Well. Ain’t that a kick in the slats?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 10:40 AM

When it rains, it pours - or, the devices are in cahoots. The water softener sussed the news that the insurance company coughed up the rest of the cash from the car. Devious things, these machines in our lives.

I had another night of getting up in the wee hours to pull on outdoor clothes and take the dogs out. Normally they have full access through the dog door, but the ice is still out there and the 80-year-old next door doesn't need to have the dogs out in the yard barking at 6am to get their over-the-fence daily treat. (As soon as they see their kitchen light on, Pepper starts making noise, though I zapped her earlier this week to stop it for a while.) I let them out after 8am and texted that the dogs were available for their treats. I walked out again, to be sure my neighbor got back into his house ok. I've also sprinkled lava sand on the front walk here and will probably shovel ice in the back on the patio. If I put sand down back there the dogs track it in like crazy. Getting out the back glass sliding door is difficult with the iced up track. I have to lift the door up a bit before it will slide. This isn't the time of year to have that door go off the track completely so I'm very careful.

There seems to have been an explosion of paper around here so tackling that is job one today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Feb 22 - 03:19 PM

Beaver:

Is the water softener really necessary?

Drive is plowed. No point in going anywhere at -17C. But I came out to library to use the internet. Steve told me something about a whole lot of complaints about Trudeau, and the trucks are still in Ottawa? Hope to find some news.

Oh, and in Toronto as well. This is not good.

Well, the wood is in, the sun is shining, the bills are paid, and water is on the stove. Now I can go home and continue the book.

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

Oh, yes, the water softener is necessary.

Stratford water is liquid limestone. Without the softener, the entire plumbing system of the house would eventually block up with limescale, and all water-heating appliances would be doomed. Also, detergents and soaps do not work properly in hard water.

I drove out to Millbank this afternoon to order a TV console from the Mennonite furniture factory there. Millbank is way out in the country, deep in redneck territory, and I saw many protest signs on the way, including even an American Confederate flag hanging off a beat-up truck in the bustling metropolis of Gad’s Hill. Colour me disappointed in my neighbours, who should damned well know better.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Feb 22 - 11:37 AM

I did a Google search on Mennonite furniture makers in that town; they have some nice pieces (and must contract with a web content producer to put up their site?) How long from order to delivery? Will you pick it up? I don't suppose it comes to town in a horse-drawn wagon?

Mail was held up for two days, some of it delivered in the village yesterday, but upon checking with "Informed Delivery" I see they still had mine at the depot in a holding pattern. Hopefully today the mail carrier will crunch through the remaining ice on my street and bring it by. I put sand on the walk yesterday.

It was another night of the dogs in with the door flap covered, so I was up before dawn to take them out then re-cover the door. This morning their treat will be late because my neighbor was going out for coffee with an old friend and will be home any minute. I've had the cover on this morning, but at about 10am all three dogs rattled into my office and made it clear they all needed something, and as we went back through the house they were glad to see me remove the door. Now they're out in the slush and sunshine and can come and go as they wish. I'll be mopping the muddy den floor every day this week, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, my computer setup has two browsers with the extended desktop, but since the rebuild Browser #1 kept turning itself off after 60 seconds of no activity. So, for example, studying my paper notes to solve Wordle this morning had it going off too soon. Tweak the mouse and it's back, but the shutoff is annoying. I researched the sleeping browser and decided it is way too early in this rebuild to start playing with the RegEdit stuff, so found a troubleshooter to try. It reset the sleep time and I went back and put it where I want, but in the process it seems to have fixed the sleeping browser problem. Whew.

I've ordered items for the exercise program I am going to begin (Essentrics) - I have the donut cushion (meant for hemorrhoid sufferers) that is good under your hip for leg lefts (my sister swears by it) and ordered two pair of yoga pants. The pants I have here seem to have shrunk since I bought them 2 years ago . . . I was wearing yoga pants under my fleece pants during the freeze so they aren't just for exercise.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Feb 22 - 04:41 PM

The Mennonites of Millbank Family Furniture are not Old Order folks in buttonless clothes, but modern Canadians who happen to belong to a communitarian sect of Anabaptists. I’m sure they do their own website, if only because it’s very basic — the kind a business has when they know their customers go on line for reconnaissance and won’t buy until they see the goods in real life.

The TV stand I ordered will come to Stratford by truck, probably around Easter. It’s to be built of quarter-sawn oak that will weigh far more than I can hoist by myself even if it would fit in the car, which I rather doubt.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Feb 22 - 11:31 PM

I thought buttons were standard but zippers were forbidden. My great aunts (on my father's side) had a summer house in Amish country in central Pennsylvania (very near Mudcat Central, as a matter of fact) and I would see the black horse-drawn family carriages roll past the house.

Loading email into the new computer setup is still problematic - is it going to the C: or the D: drive? There are tons of messages in several well-established accounts. And today I realized that after years of not allowing download of messages, Yahoo seems to have set up POP email access without an annual charge. That one predates gmail by several years. At one time Yahoo had a lot of my activity with not only email but also photo albums (sold off and eventually ending up as Flickr, I think). The history of the Internet is written in Yahoo, one of the first big indexes (as compared to a search engine) way back when.

After an evening of laundry and picking up the bedroom is back to the pre-deep freeze setting, with the bed made, flannel PJs through the laundry, and things generally back to normal. But as predicted earlier, the muddy prints stretch through the house. First mop of the week will be before bed this evening.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Feb 22 - 10:40 AM

Nix the Yahoo mail, it turns out they still want cash to download into a computer program. I forget about it for years at a time, but it can work as a backup email if some account insists on an email account in order to get a discount.

My attention can once again turn to the outdoors since it will warm up into the 70s by midweek. I have a list of garden chores to start, with the first being to trim the dry canes from around the asparagus. There are still pieces of ice around, but yesterday afternoon I took a straight-ended shovel and noisily scraped the ice off of the paths up to the doors.

The jigsaw puzzle* of the African Veldt with an astonishing number of biomes around the edge (tropical additions for color) is coming along. I might manage to finish it this week.




*Try to avoid these same-shaped puzzle pieces in the future. They're murder to assemble.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Feb 22 - 10:55 AM

Mennonite rules vary by congregation; some are very restrictive and others hardly at all. Any time I go to Canadian Tire or Zehr's supermarket, I see Mennonite women in bonnet, apron, and dress down to the ankles charging through the aisles with loaded carts and packing their booty into minivans (usually black) in the parking lot. My favourite garden centre employs packs of teenage Mennonite girls who pair the uniform t-shirt (scarlet!) and shorts (very short!) with a little white pleated cap that looks just like a muffin-tin liner pinned over their up-done hair. At the other end of the spectrum, at the doctor's recently I saw an elderly gent so pious that his coat and waistcoat (black) were hooked together in front, eschewing buttons; only heaven knows how his trouser flies work.

Amish mileage probably varies.

Perth County joke: What goes clop, clop, bang bang, clop, clop, clop? A drive-by shooting in Millbank.

I woke up this morning with a nasty, suspicious stiffness across my lower back from hip to hip and no idea what caused it. My tentative plan to haul the vacuum cleaner downstairs to de-fur the parlour has moved to the Pending file in favour of a long walk. The weather is beautiful: brilliant sunshine, very light breeze, not too cold.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Feb 22 - 12:42 PM

Beaver:

Sorry to hear about the water problem; I have never encountered that one. Of course, I am still working on melting snow; washed a few needfuls and a very few dishes/cutlery. All those years off the grid did me well in knowing how little water I really need! Just keep bringing in pans of snow, melting on wood stove and decanting into a wash basin and use as necessary, ensuring that very little is necessary.

Spent a good part of my life in Amish/Mennonite territory in PA. A wide variety of beliefs and ways of doing things. The one I like best is the phone in the barn with an answering machine - lest it interfere with family life! Good people but many are very conservative, VERY! Akin to Quakers in their pacifism, but a world apart in some other thinking.

Meanwhile, out by the library, I will check into emails and FB. At home, reading some archival materials of the last 50 years and wondering if this or that person might be interested. Also trying to pass on a stack of good Quaker pamphlets to people who might appreciate them. And bringing in wood and white water!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 22 - 12:25 PM

It will warm up to about 70 by midweek so I'll make a point of walking the dogs and doing some gardening (the asparagus needs attention if I want a crop).

Last night I realized that Pepper had a puncture wound on her neck, and her Invisible Fence collar might have been involved (it had the long prongs on for now). It could also be that the noisy squabble she and Cookie had in the yard a couple of nights ago resulted in a bite that the collar is aggravating. I've taken the usual steps of temporarily removing the collar, cleansing the spot, and adding the pet antibiotic (Panalog). I'll watch and clean and if she needs to see the doctor, try to make that call by tomorrow so I can get in later this week. COVID really shut down the ability to get in to see the regular vet because they're not taking walk-ins (they used to have an extra charge for that, but far cheaper than the emergency vet costs). Pets, like children, have any number of injuries over the years that can be tended successfully at home. I think this is one of those. (As for the dogs, it's the classic case of they can't live with each other and can't live without each other.) Meanwhile, I think my order of heartworm medications has arrived in the mail today. I had to order from Australia because my UK site has closed down. Buying the same products from outside the US costs about 1/3 to 1/2 of the US amount from the vet, but again, COVID. I had to buy from the vet for the last 18 months and it costs a small fortune. The foreign sales weren't going because of no flights. Australia seems to have recovered quicker (and the vet actually told me about this place).

I have a trip to the northeastern section of the county this week for my haircut, so on my way home (I live in the southwestern section of the county) I'll make my usual loop of favorite shops to pick up my next bottle of olive oil, get the Middle Eastern soap I like (also olive oil), etc. I worked over there for 20+ years and that is still where some of my favorite stores are, but COVID has restricted the number of trips I make. The shopping list is growing.   

Since I made cranberry juice last week I had pulp in the fridge to use or freeze, so I made a batch of cranberry bars. Less sugar in the batter was better because the last batch was too sweet (it has to do with the cake mix you use as your dry ingredient). And I roasted chopped walnuts to add. A portion of the batch is in the freezer and I'll share the rest to neighbors. Did I mention that my fat pants are a little snug? I have to give most of these away or burst the seams.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Feb 22 - 03:52 PM

My back is all seized up again, and very uncomfortable. I went to the physio clinic this morning -- thank God he had a cancellation -- and getting into and out of the car was a double dose of misery; any movement that involves both leaning forward and twisting at the waist sets up a roar. Just getting dressed is a challenge!

First choir practice of the new term tonight, and I'm not sure how I'm going to sing in this state. (Yes, proper singing requires lower back muscles.) I'm bumming a ride, though. Driving is just too awkward right now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Feb 22 - 05:42 PM

I've had a lower right backache since last spring. I water massage in the shower since the hot tub is outside. My barkolounger reliner lazy boy has intense massage and heat so I combine it with an Amazon movie now and then.
I restored all the kitchen cabinates and sink with soft scrub and magic erasers. They are the original almond color now instead of a grimey yellow. New floors in the spring.

I hear Canada has had demonstrations by the pandemic weary and have caused some trouble taking over food kitchens for the homeless since restaurants won't let them in without vax cards and masks.
We see no need for hoarding food but the freezer is full.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 22 - 11:57 PM

So sorry to read about your aches and pains, and especially when you have the new car to drive (if you could only get in and out.) I am finding that even just 15 minutes of exercise a days helps with some of my morning achiness, but I'm also finding that some stretch moves trigger the upper abdominal hernia to be more of a problem - it may be from damage during early-teen gymnastics or decades later pregnancy, and getting worse now. Our bodies are maps of our earlier activities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Feb 22 - 08:51 PM

Dupont:

Surprise! I had thought to stay until next Tuesday but a long phone call with a long missing friend shook lose a lot of thoughts (good). So, this am as I was going about the usual "routines", I suddenly decided I needed to leave. It was 11:30 and I was on the road just after noon. Here at 5 pm. Still light! off loaded, wrote longish email to friend. Actually the death of Bill Staines whom we both loved and who was our original connection, shook loose a need to connect.

I only forgot one thing. Still looking for what has happened to that connection cord; I don't need it here but it has to be somewhere!

Left Beaver is good order; house here is in good order. Two other phone calls yesterday - spent about 4 hours total on phone! But one was from a friend of 40 years whose wife died 4 years ago. I had not known until I couldn't reach them and called a brother. Oops. I was matron of honour at the wedding and I had been pretty good at staying in touch... So Ralph is still in the process of healing; writing poetry and songs to honour her. He is not a musician so this will be interesting. He is a highly intelligent, very conservative, minister, who used to design trails in a provincial park, with his first degree! Maybe he can also write music!

Maybe tomorrow I can throw a few pots...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Feb 22 - 08:26 AM

Day Four of the latest back spasm is … not quite as bad as Day One. Choir practice on Day Two was just awful, every deep breath a stab in the sacroiliac. Day Three featured a slight improvement, thanks to Physio Guy and his magic acupuncture kit, and I’m hoping for a better day today. Pool class at 9:30 — if I can climb into the car, I’m going.

I turned out the pantry yesterday, dumping stuff with way too much seniority that I knew darned well I would never use. The dehydrated whole milk from circa 2010, the curry powder from the earliest days of Stephen Harper’s first ministry … out to the green (municipal compost) bin. I don’t know how long dehydrated milk takes to go rancid, and I’m not willing to find out the hard way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Feb 22 - 11:36 AM

Dupont:

We can have a good laugh over, "maybe tomorrow I can throw a few pots." Maybe today I can stay awake, barely, and watch TV, or go back to bed for awhile.

Driving the 401 yesterday, there were signs of spring that I did not see a week ago! The willows have a tinge of spring colour. The temp is up to freezing today, was 2 above yesterday! And we can still manage to park in the yard in spite of the last snow - about 8 inches. It takes determination and a lifetime of dealing with Snow. The snowblower is not yet repaired but at least the carburetor is back in the same vicinity. We could get lots more before, and even into, April.

Robin dragged in a huge light fixture - suitable for a large office... For the upstairs BR/office. Both feet (mine) are dug in. There are beautiful light fixtures in the Mill.

R kept the plants alive and did not complain at the new tiny yellow rose bush that I could not resist. Some of the Kalanchoe are blooming and the white lantana is opening. I am hoping some of the Af violets will bloom before the horticultural Society plant sale; people like to see the colour. I do too. I have started putting in labels when I know where that leaf came from; I cut strips from the sides of yogurt containers for labeling - after months of thinking of purchasing commercial ones! Duh!!

Maybe, later, I will shovel off the back deck...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 10:04 AM

The back is much better today, just in time for my monthly trip to the allergist in Kitchener. Filthy weather, though; snowing and sleeting and generally borderline dangerous.

The new water softener was installed yesterday, and Reggie the plumber is so fed up with his employer’s new management that he’s transferring his flag to the competition. I’m equally fed up, so I’ll follow. What good is a new management that doesn’t pass messages or return calls, and always treats you as if you’re calling for the very first time?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 10:38 AM

Following the help is a time-honored practice - I did that this month with the dental hygienist I always see at the dentist's office. When the good dentist retired and the indifferent one took over, it was time to move on. I followed the person I see the most in these transactions.

Binged yesterday on ice cream I haven't had for ages. But maybe that is the last for a while - now it's warming and it's time to get more outside exercise. We also could still have freezes or snow (we've had snow in March), but I would like to decree that I've had enough of that and it should be spring soon and I need to get moving.

I see by Informed Delivery a postcard coming from one of our august membership - interesting, she must have read my mind, because I've been thinking I need to ship some pickled okra that direction. (The funny thing about Informed Delivery is that you can read the postcard before it arrives because the message is usually on the address side, opposite the art.)

There are lines at the gas station lately, and I haven't had time. Today I do have time so I'll queue at Costco to fill up. And hope this resolves itself quickly.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 03:29 PM

Dupont:

Energy started to flow about 7 pm and I made a big pot of veg stew - yummie. It was still hot when R came home (10:30) and declared it very good. Prior to the stew I simply was on the computer. Ordered some packaged "Indian" about a dozen, at 2.99 they go nicely over rice with some yogurt on top. I try to keep rice ready in frig. Time to do another batch and some black beans with salsa; both mainstays.

I came back from Beaver with enough black beans to fill one of those gallon jars, of which I used to have one for each item we used, of that ilk! And a huge quantity of buckwheat flour at half the price it is here; from the bulk food store there. Two such in cottage country and none, that I have found, in Chateauguay; I have asked. There is one in the city - probably more than one! - st the famous Atwater Market. R goes to the market for cheeses. If I don't get back to Beaver soon enough, he could manage. Well, I need to find an effective way to store my goodies!   

Just came back from groceries. Cooked a nice BF this am; yesterday's porridge was inadequate. I have some almond flour I could throw in to improve the protein. Bought pineapple for buckwheat cakes. I am clearly not inspired to cook much! But a new batch of brownies is in order; the previous lasted about a month! I'll wait until the weather cools off again and do a stint with the oven.

Today is in the plus range and has rained some. The huge icecycles came crashing down this am! February thaw is messy but de-clutters considerably, making room for the next onslaught - in a couple days.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 09:25 PM

Today's trip to Costco earlier in the day allowed me to pull up to a pump with no wait. It's not that there are lines at all gas stations, it's that there are lines at Costco because their gas is high quality but less expensive than "normal" stations. This is one of the most obvious sources of inflation.

Dorothy, I see storage containers of all sorts at the Goodwill stores I visit. Glass jars with lids, ceramic pots with the gasket and spring hinge thing, Tupperware, Rubbermaid, and more. Over the years I've brought home some good ones to swap out for other containers of dubious plastic (weeding out anything old enough to have BPA).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 01:50 PM

Here in the states my particular insurance company set it up so networked pharmacies could let us present our insurance card to buy 8 tests a month directly, without filing for reimbursement. This is a non-prescription use, so it's very rare. But no pharmacy I've tried so far is willing to take the card, they all say "corporate won't let us do it" and that we should buy the tests and file the paperwork. But that' against the spirit of the whole thing. I've posted a couple of Tweets, I probably need to add more hashtags and put it on Instagram also.

Meanwhile, I need to take my little garden tiller in to have the fuel lines changed (they leak). I can do this but it takes me so long and with an indifferent result. Must do it before the repair shop gets busy. I guess today is one for trying to fix things. (It's lovely out and about 70^o.)

I ordered another pair of the really comfortable shoes I found a while back; I first found them in clearance at DSW, and I'd bought another pair on Amazon for about $60 for them; I was looking through my past Amazon purchases and saw that the same type from before was down to the last one and on sale for $38. Got 'em. These are my "walking around the museum with its really hard floors" shoes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 05:48 PM

I haven't seen any sign of fuel shortages around here, but the prices are nuts -- approaching Cdn$1.50 per litre. (No, I don't know how much that is per gallon.) The last time I paid that much for gasoline, I was at Heathrow Airport.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the premier of Ontario has declared a state of emergency over the truck protests, not just the occupation of Ottawa, but also blockades at the international bridges in Windsor and Sarnia. In Stratford, fresh food prices are stratospheric -- $2.49 a pound for apples! -- but I haven't seen any empty shelves, although certain items are inexplicably absent. One day it's lemons, another day it's store-brand laundry detergent.

It's been a hair under freezing and snowing heavily all day, but not for much longer. The forecast low for tonight is -19C and tomorrow's forecast high is only -7C, which means the air pressure is rising and the precipitation will go away. But the colder, drier weather will freeze the wet snow into lumps and bumps all over town, with a lovely slippery apron at the mouth of every scraped-out driveway. I plan to hike downtown tomorrow for a pub lunch with the bubble (BIL, SIL, and their lodger), so I'll need the hiking stick, the wool socks, the lined jeans and Edmund's army-issue fur hat, an outfit that makes me look like the Mad Trapper of Rat River. But I don't care -- no bad weather, only inadequate gear.

My back still hurts, but I'm now at the stage where exercise is the most important treatment. I went to pool class today and gave it my best, noting which parts, and which movements, still hurt the most. If I don't do anything nutty like fall down, walking is probably the best thing I can do for it now.

I actually dusted yesterday, and scrubbed all three toilets. Things are looking up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 22 - 07:10 PM

My small engine repair shop has closed! It was a one-man operation and it appears that he has retired. It looked so forlorn and empty, and a search online shows he thanked customers for nearly 40 years of business. I found another place that is a larger business, a mile or so closer in the other direction, and dropped off the equipment that needs work. Terrible parking lot, like the first place. They both seem to require backing into traffic. I'll have to approach from the side when I return to pick up stuff (Google maps shows they've taken over the next door building and I can park on the side of that place easily).

The main reason these tools have the fuel line problems is because of the ethanol in the gasoline. While at the shop I asked and was told about a place on the far west side of the county that sells non-ethanol gas. It's worth the trip and even the expense to keep the equipment running longer.

With the ice you describe, Charmion, I think I'd be tempted to wear a safety helmet while out walking. I lost a great aunt who slipped on ice and hit her head. (The news reported last week that comedian Bob Saget died of that kind of injury, though his heart was a ticking time bomb with a 95% blockage on one side.)

Dogs are demanding their dinner. I must do as requested or they'll be a royal pain. They're right on time - 6pm is dinner time for them. They started this at about 5:59pm.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 10:15 AM

Welcome to Texas - the high yesterday was in the 70s with beautiful sunshine; today is an overcast high of 47 (two degrees from now) and a low overnight at 29. I was all set for shirt sleeves again but have put on another layer, and no yard work today. And I hear a brisk breeze through the woods across the road (they take on a life of their own in active weather).

I'm still working with the Essentrics DVDs I picked up to sample that program and in particular after yesterday's stretch felt really great. And I see that when she does the hip extension moves she adds in the IT Band stretches, just what I needed before.

Laundry done yesterday, dishes running this morning. A requests for masks came in, and I have some web content to work on. Time for a cuppa tea and to get to work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Feb 22 - 03:43 PM

Dupont:

ho ho: Today we have Charmion's weather of yesterday. But, after spending about half of yesterday on internet and phone trying to find my fav salsa, I went out early this am in hopes of getting to the large store while it was underpopulated - two phone calls to their office "No we don't" but finally found it on their shopping site - do not ask for the explicit item! Just "Salsa" and go through the $%^&*( choices! But a woman inside: no we cannot have someone bring it to you; you need a cart; Do you have a small one (Theirs are huge!) She kindly fetched me a small cart and directed me to the correct aisle where there was plenty! Put 9 jars in the cart and went back, looking helpless - the perks of looking OLD! She took me to a cash and helped me through it and I bundled up my salsa and came home - before the rain...!!!!!

Then I vacuumed first floor carpets and part way up the steps. R will need to take the vac upstairs so I can do up there.

Containers!! YEP! I have a few very nice ones at Beaver that I was thinking of taking back to a thrift shop. DUHHH! Next trip. In the meantime: found space in a drawer for a whole bunch of packets of "Indian" that already arrived.(Used part of one for lunch - hot!) And have yet to find a good space for 6 jars of salsa. I purchase herbs/spices at the bulk food in Bancroft, in small plastic bags - but larger than the jar in the cabinet so, tired of half full bags on top of things, I decided a beautiful pottery jar in the LR would do just fine. Because it is special, maybe I will remember!?! Maybe one of the none mouse proof drawers (DR) would hide the rest of the salsa! Flour and black beans are still homeless on K table...

Spent a long time responding to an email from special friend. Giving strong consideration to damp mopping the wood floors. Have I mentioned how much I love my new sink!!

Cooked rice without burning it! Just to have it on hand to go with black bean/salsa/corn mix or the veggie stew. Could consider making a new batch of brownies too. And bake a couple acorn squash at same time. And start a fire in stove now that temp is going back down.

DRISMAL out there!!

Oh darn - reading a post above- Reminder!! Still have not found the mysteriously missing cable. DO something!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 22 - 10:14 AM

When I bake chicken or a chicken part (like the large leg quarter I baked last week) I retain the drippings with the meat to use later for soup or sauce. With one leg quarter (skin and bone and a little leftover meat) yesterday I decided to make a personal-sized batch of soup. I used a slow cooker (a base with a 1 quart cast iron enamel pot) so the chicken and drippings went into that with a little boiling water and sat for a couple of hours to cook into broth. I had the rest of an onion, part of a carrot, a little bit of celery that I gradually added. Egg noodles in with the diced potato and slow-cooked (very low simmer) some more; it was nice. There was just a little bit of chicken, it was mostly broth and vege.

It's the day I usually change the bedding, empty trash cans, generally get ready for the work week. Even retired it's still something I do on Sundays. Also on the list I need to vacuum the floor mats in the SUV and around the outside of the house I need to sweep up the lava sand I put down for the recent ice. If I make the move outside to sweep I may also start dragging the stacked dried garden dead plants back to the compost. It all depends on how warm the day; it's mostly sunny out there right now. Next week I should get the little tiller and weed whacker back, so from then on can decide when is a good time to turn over the soil for the next garden. It's a personal goal to get the garden equipment to the head of the repair line, in and out of the shop quickly. (Dorothy - I'm sure R does his own machine repairs; I have done so in the past but find I am the slowest repair person on the planet. It's done more efficiently and quickly if I pay an expert to do it.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Feb 22 - 08:53 PM

Dupont:

Progress re sink: I managed to heat the formica off the wood backing - this was the cut out from the original sink. The R cut a piece to fill in the place where it had gotten badly messed up when he took out the old sink. Heat from the iron - I saw it on a This Old House youtube. Now, the sink is again in place and next time he will put a new plywood on the floor of the cabinet and the linoleum THEN I can put stuff back in!!

COLD outside so I put a fire in stove. Now ready to sleep... OH that project required a trip to the dollar store for glue so I did have an outing. It was sunny! Tried to sweep back deck but the sawdust sticks to the wood; maybe it will get drier.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 10:42 AM

I missed a step in Dorothy's kitchen sink saga. Why is the Formica being heated and removed from the sink cutout piece from the counter (did I get that right?) Is a piece of the cutout being used as a patch next to the new sink? (Is the new sink smaller than the previous sink?)

We have a couple of lovely days. Let's see what I can manage to do with them. The to-do list is long.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 12:41 PM

Pool class and physio, check. My back is now much improved.

It’s almost Ottawa cold in Stratford today, and people are whining. I’m enjoying my down-filled coat.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 12:48 PM

Seasonal Schadenfreude.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 12:52 PM

Oohh, Kitchen sinks again...

Ours (some composite) has been in a terrible state for years. It's badly scratched and stained.

Trouble is (even if I could fit it), I don't see a straight drop in replacement and suspect a change would mean someone in to cut a new hole in a new work top as well as replacing the other couple of worktop boards to match.

We just live with it...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 22 - 06:51 PM

Yeah, Jon, I know your feeling. The Formica seam a few inches over from the sink has warped open a little, but I'm not ready to replace a counter and a sink yet. There's no point in putting a new sink in a counter with one funky spot.

No big projects finished today. I found refills for the squeeze mop I like; I just installed the last one and ordered before the packaging info got lost. The model numbers seem to change every few years. I entered the UPC code to an online site and it found the correct model in their database, so that's a keeper and I downloaded it into the phone. Meanwhile, the recycling is in the back of the SUV but the village bins aren't emptied until tomorrow (and it would tough work to cram this stuff in now). For drama, I broke up a real dogfight between Cookie and Pepper, and saw Cookie start it. Time to spend more time walking them and being pack leader. I stopped this one with a broom (never grab fighting dogs!)

There is still the evening, but I think exercise and dog walking are the extent of my plans.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 22 - 10:50 AM

I went out at dusk and pulled out the dead and now dry and easy to pull remaining stalks of peppers and okra, and gathered a couple of dried stacks of tomato limbs and piled it onto the tarp I use for dragging this around. These materials completely overtop the sides of the compost bin (because it's all dry and not compacted yet). Next time I have the steel-toed waffle-stomper boots on I'll step in and break up all of that stuff then run the sprinkler on top of it. There is a second compost structure, made of tall metal fence stakes supporting a plastic sided length of material that stands about 36" high and has nylon buttons to hold it in a loop around the posts. I'll lift that off of the compost inside (nothing new was added for a couple of years) and relocate the posts and siding for a new compost pile this year. Since that oldest pile is finished I'll use the tiller to break it up and then move the soil-like compost out to the gardens.

The weed whacker is finished and a call from the lawn and garden shop this morning informed me that the tiller needed new fuel lines and a new carburetor for about $160 in repairs. I asked them to JUST replace the fuel lines because I wasn't having any trouble with the carburetor. Is this the first test of this shop? We'll see when the tiller comes home. Two different repair guys on two different pieces of equipment, and I'll keep in mind which one to ask for next time. I really hate it when they think they can get away with too much work (or none at all and just charge for it) because a woman is the customer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 10:05 AM

Today.

Let's see what it brings. Why wait for the first day of the year to set goals? Why not today? It certainly seems to be a mistake to leave them till tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 10:37 AM

Well I've set myself a new goal but it's a musical one. Something to try after a long while of doing very little.

Tune wise, before my attempts with tenor banjo and mandolin and Irish sessions, I had a short spell playing morris dance tunes with a D/G Hohner Erica melodeon. I've still got the Erica but as time went on, I grew less interested and the box is pretty well knackered now anyway.

I've still had an occasional interest in the boxes but fancied trying my hand at the B/C system which is very popular in Irish music. I had one brief play with this and a Double Ray I bought very cheaply but never got on with it and blamed the instrument for some of my struggles (it was sluggish and in need of work).

Anyway, good fortune and a generous mum have just provided me with a nice Salterelle Awen so I want to give B/C a better try this time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 11:42 AM

Today the mid-February thaw has set in, with a forecast of temperatures well above freezing even at night. That means rain and slop, and of course winter is not over. Next week, sidewalks and parking lots will be covered with lumps of frozen slush. What larks.

At last, I have reached the bottom of the chest freezer. It lives in the garage, so I have to wait for warm weather -- probably around Easter -- to defrost it and give it a good scrub.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Feb 22 - 10:18 PM

Dupont:

SRS: you got the sink part correct! It is good! One of these days R will get around to the fiddly task of cutting a piece of lino to fit the floor of the cupboard so I can put things back in!

Feb thaw! About that bread what has been frozen on the back deck ... It is now safely in the indoor freezers!! YAY!!

Been busy renewing acquaintance with an important friend of 50 years via emails. Went into shock at the passage of time, after my brain fog cleared and I was able to do the math. Back on track; a good track I think.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 22 - 04:19 PM

Yesterday was lovely, today is wretched, a windy day that started at the day's high at midnight and is progressing to the mid-20s by midnight tonight.

As I drove home from museum scanning job I debated about a trip to the grocery store, involving another cold walk from and to from the SUV. The wind is cold enough to have me mentally cataloguing what I'd recently seen fresh in the fridge. I have enough vegetables and fruit and there is frozen chopped spinach and lots of frozen garden stuff. Today I finished the large Costco bag of fresh baby spinach before it started to rot, something that I rarely manage. It's a combination of being too slow to eat it OR storage in one of the really cold spots in the fridge that sometimes freezes part of the contents. Anyway, I figured I'd head home and eat what is here and not worry about topping off the supply. I can live without sweet potatoes and asparagus for a few more days. (Though the sooner I get a sweet potato, the better. I'll use one of the Beauregard ones for making slips for planting in the garden this year.)

Sewing this weekend, several projects. And after a hiatus I think I'll download another audiobook. They go well with sewing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Feb 22 - 10:48 AM

The chocolate Labrador retriever is showing his age more this winter, but he still has a good appetite. I'm entering "watch the dog closely" mode to respond to his 14-year-old needs.

This week I've decided to kick out the junk food and to continue the strategic draw-down of food in the freezer and pantry. I made a batch of spaghetti sauce last night (splashing tomato around the kitchen and on myself) to keep a jar in the fridge and freeze the rest. It looks like the looming shortage we'll be dealing with is chicken, so next shopping trip I'll get some and freeze portions—I don't use that much meat these days. I usually bake a single breast or leg quarter and it goes for a couple of meals at least.

I'm still adding software to the rebuilt computer; last night I downloaded Adobe's DNG (Digital Negative) software, and it appears to be working. In the last build it didn't like my older version of Photoshop. That makes it easier to use the big Canon camera (and not just rely on my phone camera).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Feb 22 - 09:35 AM

Our mid-February thaw lasted precisely 24 hours followed by snow and more snow. In fact, it’s *still* snowing. The wind is blowing great billows of it down the street and the neighbours’ dog (not a small animal) is up to his armpits in their driveway. Neil-across-the-street will spend extensive quality time with his snowblower today and I am under house arrest until the Nick the plow guy comes.

So I might as well cook. I have a cabbage, a celery root, and a kilo of stewing lamb, so Norwegian lamb-and-cabbage stew is on the agenda. Pity I don’t have any bacon, but I’m not going out in THAT if I can possibly avoid it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Feb 22 - 12:26 PM

Dupont:

Charmion and I are having the same wonderful weather! Might go back above freezing an a couple days. LOTS of snow. And the snowblower?? maybe tomorrow? I'm not going anywhere no matter what we "need". I can barely stay awake.

Just cooked another small pot of rice - without burning it, more by luck than design. We agree the "better" salsa makes a big difference and was worth the effort of finding it! I have made room in the hall closet for the dozen bottles! More "extras" can go in there and de-clutter the pantry.

Had company yesterday: Rita and PUPPY! and her daughter and SonIL. The LR was bright with sun at the time! Daughter, a grad of Julliard, founded and is director of a org that provides free music lessons and instruments in NYC (all five boroughs). Over 150 kids with parental involvement required. opportunitymusicproject.org Great visit, esp the puppy!

Phoned #1 son last night - and got him! He sent pics of the beautiful lot on which they are hoping to someday have a small home, with lots of light on one of the highest points on Whidbey, with a view across the Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. The ever increasing price of building materials is daunting.

14 is a good age for a lab! You have done well, SRS! Many years ago we had a shepherd/collie mix live to 18; she was an only child (of our runty little shepherd) so we kept her; her mom took care of her until she died at 14. "Baby Dog" did not seem to miss her mom and decided to herd the farmer's cows in our "back yard". It's in the genes!

R left before BF so I made myself porridge with ground almonds and dried blueberries, and cinnamon, with plain yogurt. That was good. But now it is lunchtime...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 22 - 12:57 PM

I called for a vet appointment partly by way of apology to the old Lab - I'd covered the dog door because he was out barking, but this time staying inside had him really distressed. I uncovered it when he wasn't going to settle down and go to sleep and realized later that I'd probably brought him in before he took care of business. Poor guy, and once again, reminding me that what I require (not barking at midnight) is not necessarily what he needs, so next week I'll ask about how to keep him comfortable.

About a week before Poppy passed away we were on a walk and she was so slow I returned to the house and let her in then walked the others; when we returned she was still sitting in the same spot. I felt bad - I probably shouldn't have tried the walk to begin with, but didn't know she was so close to the end. And I should have walked her into her bed when I brought her home. Reading what they need* and getting it right is a challenge.

The house is disorganized and there is a lot of paper that needs filing. It's time to start my income tax return and I need to mail my absentee ballot and hope it is accepted. These Texas GOP politicians are doing everything they can to reduce the turnout.






*If you reach the stage where you have to offer canned food, it is the end.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 22 - 05:35 PM

I mailed my ballot, then someone piped up and said it should have two stamps. It didn't say it needed two stamps, so we'll see what happens. (There was a long panel of barely legible print down the left side of the envelope front and I didn't read it. I glanced at it and thought it had to do with how to deliver your ballot to the county, in person, drop box, but no one else can deliver your ballot crap.) If I look up my ballot online and it doesn't show as returned and accepted by election day I can go vote in person.

I'm going to attempt pressure-cooking beets again, this time staying in the kitchen during the whole 18 minutes run. Last time the weight must not have seated properly and it dried out and scorched. This is part of my "eat a lot of colors" diet that I've been on since last fall. With that last beet setback I've avoided them for a while (and when I looked in the store I didn't find canned beets. I should have tried a bigger store; Aldi doesn't carry the whole rainbow of foods.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Feb 22 - 11:01 AM

"Family Day" in Ontario, a recently established provincial holiday that features patchy availability of goods and services. A fair few people don't really believe in it, notably us Olde Phartes who grew up without a statutory holiday between New Year and Easter. The groundhog, St. Valentine and St. Patrick still have more pull with most of us.

The snow has stopped (for now) and we're having another bit of thaw -- high of 7C and sunny today, high of 11C tomorrow and rain. Before the rain starts, I shall unwind the Christmas lights off the mulberry tree and maybe take a little stroll downtown.

Beets are excellent roasted, Stilly, especially if you give them a light coat of olive oil and a good dose of garlic and thyme along with the S&P. I've never bothered pressure-cooking them; like potatoes and carrots, I cut them up and just boil them in a saucepan.

Supper today will be the third round of Norwegian braised lamb and cabbage, and it's definitely better with time in the fridge. I made it in Edmund's enormous cast-iron skillet, the only pan in the house that accommodates an entire cabbage as well as the lamb and celeriac. That's the first time I've had that brute of thing on the stove since Edmund died, but I hadn't forgotten just how awkward it is, mostly because it has only one handle. Nowadays, most large skillets also have a "helper" handle on the opposite side for cooks who do not have hands like back-hoe shovels.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 22 - 11:15 AM

I have one of those large cast iron skillets with a cast iron lid. It came from my great aunt's house where a friend was helping me with the estate. When she saw that she said "you have to keep that, it's great for frying chicken!" I rarely fry chicken (I can count on one hand the number of times I can remember making fried chicken) but it is good for other things. And yes, very heavy.

I've started using the pressure cooker because it's here, and it really is much faster than boiling beets till tender. Once they're cooked, peel and slice. I'm trying to use the various pieces of cooking equipment that have been stashed in the pantry to see if I want to keep them or not.

Another dose of wintry weather is headed here after a warm start to the week (it should reach 80^o today.) I don't believe this is a named storm. But wait! I just pulled up the forecast - they've named it "Oaklee." [sigh] I will finish my running around today and plan to hunker down the rest of the week if need be. I have appointments on Wednesday and Thursday that I'd like to keep, so we'll see if it's just cold as can be or if it precipitates and makes travel dangerous. I think we're at the bottom edge of a southwest-to-northeast-oriented storm predicted to form overnight.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 22 - 06:33 PM

One 75-pound chocolate Labrador retriever has been bathed. The dog, the bathroom, and I are all a bit moist. He looks good and didn't seem too upset about it (it has been a long time since he had a bath.) I'm not doing the others today, I'll stager this chore over a couple of more weeks.

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

It seems that a clean dog is a happy dog—Zeke has been quite frisky since last night, and his coat is so soft today. He regularly requests cuddles anyway, but they're easier to give when you don't have to wash your hands after a back scratch and an ear rub.

More mud in the den this morning, tracked in after a gentle overnight rain. Combine this with the short dried out Bermuda grass beyond the patio that clings to their coats any time someone rolls and you have the makings for adobe bricks coming in on their feet and coats. Spring will relieve this, but we're weeks away yet. At least with snow all of that is out of the way for now (though yes, I know about the consistency of mud after a thaw.) A modern-day version of the Housewife's Lament. (The thing I will never forgive my mother for is she finished her family genealogy and mailed it out to 70 family members. I got my copy and instead of listing me as a park ranger, a forester, an interpretive naturalist, or a writer - she said I was "a housewife" because at the time I was raising kids and doing freelance writing. Something I never in a million years would have used, and I confronted her about it, I even sent her sheets of stamps so she could mail out the corrected version. She died before she got to it.) #rant off

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 09:21 AM

Isobel is due at the vet in 25 minutes. Getting her into the carrier is a stealth mission; at the critical moment, I put the habeas grabbus on her slumbering form (currently on my lap) and drop her in. The hitch is always maintaining my grip between the comfy chair and the carrier, which sits on the parlour floor over by the window, for Isobel is at one with that 19th-century naval officer who declined to surrender because he had only just begun to fight.

Here goes nuttin’ …

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 09:47 AM

Back when we had cats (I’m assuming your creature is a cat), we had a good plastic coated steel wire framed cage for at least 10 years and may still have it in a shed. I don’t remember getting any of ours into this as being a problem and it was easy enough to close the lid and push the “bolt” back in place. It was much better than the flimsy plasticy things we'd had before. Their reaction to being in there did vary though as did their response to being driven in the car. I would sometimes go with mum to the vets just as a passenger to try to help keep at calm.

I wasn’t involved in this one (a brother helped with that) but mum’s journey here when she moved from N Wales (W coast UK) to Norfolk (E coast) would have been a bit more interesting. I think there would have been 1 (or 2?) cats, 1 dog and at least 4 chickens in her car.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 10:28 AM

Pet week in the Declutter thread! I take Zeke to the vet tomorrow. He's ok with the ride and compliant about the SUV, but with his arthritis I'll have to do some major lifting to get him in - the body is willing but the back end doesn't cooperate well. And I took that side step off a few months ago, making it much easier for me but much more difficult for him.

There's a very thin coat of freezing drizzle on the ground this morning. I have an appointment at 11 and I'll leave early enough to drive there in slow motion (if need be) on well-travelled streets so it will hopefully be worn off. Tomorrow's appointment with Zeke may end up postponed if there is more accumulation. And the first thing I encounter on my route out of the village will be The "bridges freeze sooner than roadways" at the bottom of my street. That's the test - turn around and go home or continue onward.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 01:50 PM

Isobel is, indeed, a cat, and a very intelligent one, as cats go. We have returned from the vet’s office and she is back in my lap, having evidently put this morning’s adventure behind her.

Snowing again, after two days of thaw. Still February.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 03:04 PM

The vet called, Zeke's appointment was cancelled due to tomorrow's forecast, but reading the last couple of posts reminds me that I have a sturdy plastic step stool that I could use to get him into the car and take it along for the vet parking lot end of things as well. (I recently read Virginia Tam's Facebook remarks about using a stool like that for getting into her "caravan" - aka "trailer").

I wonder if the cat's rapid forgetting about the morning adventure has to do with how tempting it is to sit in a warm lap on a cold day?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 05:30 PM

Isobel is all about household routine, and enforcing it. In the early afternoon I’m usually reading, and when I’m reading Isobel is in my lap. Simple.

Isobel never pokes her nose outside voluntarily, so the weather makes no difference to her.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 22 - 11:02 PM

Skipping the stretching workout, I'll do a gentle Hinge Health routine before bed to give today's steroid shot time to kick in. I'm not going through the whole process of holding off knee replacement like last time. Steroids worked for a while, gel shots were never very very helpful. This summer I'll have the second knee done and look forward to moving forward with two functioning knees. Until then, continuing to get the leg muscles into good shape, losing weight, and preparing for about three weeks of extreme inconvenience with gear and schedules.

Lots of paper needs filing or shredding. The sewing studio is set up for more mask making, and I'm remembering how to do the projects that I haven't working on much for several months. I've made hundreds of masks so it will come back to me. Muddy footprints need mopping (with the newly replaced mop sponge) and Cookie's jacket needs expansion. I should have bought her a new one when it was warm but I forgot.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 03:52 AM

I got the 3D printer going for the first time in a while yesterday and had some fun getting things working. The main problem was that I failed to notice I’d not clipped the glass plate back correctly the last time I used the printer. Anyway, all’s working now.

The task was a simple one. Mum has been loosing her diary and address books regularly. Part of the problem is that she uses these in both the study and living room and things get put down en route to her chairs as well as getting buried under other papers and books.

The attempted solution I came up with was to get her a A4 Portable Bag File Holder and ask her to make sure the books (and possibly other things she might need) have the bag as their home. The printer was used for a simple hook to clamp to one side of her trolley and for her bag to hang on.

Not much else happening here except I've ordered (and already have a couple of items) veg things to grow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 07:43 AM

Jon, you do get a lot of use from that 3D printer! That kind of bag is handy - I bought one for my son for his sheet music when he was taking guitar. I tried to set up a system for a brain-injury friend who kept losing things. Large bright orange melmac bowls for the kitchen island and on her dresser. Put keys and hearing aid batteries, etc. there when finished. Trouble was, a lot of family came through to visit and put things on top of them or moved them to use for something else. #Fail

Years ago I put in a programmable thermostat and since I was heading out to work I programmed it so it would warm the house up to 70^o at about 5:30am. Then it dropped back to 68, and for the hours I was usually absent, down to 62. Up to 68 in the evening, then 62 for overnight. I retired three years ago and never changed it.

I now think that the heater blower is what clues Pepper to "it's time!" to head out for the treat from the neighbor. He rises early and heads out at dawn with biscuits for the dogs. So with a super cold spell the furnace went on at 3am and she was out in the yard and barking, with the other two in tow. I called them in, covered the door, and they fussed and barked and I let them out again, repeat. I got a couple of hours sleep last night.

While lying in bed I used the phone app to program the smart light in the living room and to turn on for five minutes at dawn, and will see about setting an alarm on Alexa to announce they should go to the fence for their treats. I need to figure out how that light knows when dawn is.

Today - two snow day projects in the hall. I have batteries to change out in that thermostat, then reprogram it. And I'll start on the hall doorbell chime and the adjoining transformer so I can put up the new wired video doorbell.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 11:27 AM

Got down to desktop, and dusted same! No longer does my laplop linger amongst random papers not even in piles! Papers organized, even, not just piled elsewhere. A win.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 11:30 AM

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood! Sunshine, not too cold, birds in the hedge singing their little heads off. Lately I've been seeing chickadee-shaped critters that are not chickadees, and gleanings from the Google rabbit hole suggest they are dark-eyed juncos.

I think it's time to get off the choir's board of directors; those meetings don't spark even one tiny bit of joy. I'll do it in the proper way, though, and be sweet and reasonable about it. Then I can just sing and be done with it.

I went to my usual pool class today and will go again tomorrow. On Saturday, I plan to try a different kind of water exercise, something called Aqua Zumba. I just hope it's not loud.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 04:46 PM

Mrrzy, I stopped by the post office last week and the box was crammed (I hadn't been there for a couple of weeks). I've been sorting junk from bills at the kitchen table, and there is a small crescent-shaped area in the clutter where I can put my plate, glass of water, and the phone stand (I eat alone, so I catch up with Instagram or read the online newspaper.) It is time to clear several horizontal surfaces of their paper buildup.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 06:18 PM

What was it that wore out your knees somewhat prematurely Stilly?
While there is an autoimmune factor in many joint problems there are also auto healing processes.
You will not find my advocating visualization for disease and illness despite the fact I was a therapeutic hypnotist. People must find their own path to mind body healing. I never cured my own migraine condition of weekly migraine torture so I know limitations exist. That migraine has preditably disappeared with age I have no illusions but all other conditions have healed nicely, some might say remarkably.
With your learning curve behind you I hope your second procedure if you decide goes really well.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 22 - 06:41 PM

Don, the doctor said he usually waits for the patient to tell him when they're ready for the procedure. It isn't like heart or gallbladder or cancer surgery or other things that must be done, it is elective, but it is a huge quality of life choice. If I step wrong I can almost topple over; it's an instant collapse when you move wrong when exercising, dancing, climbing around the yard, etc. Walking on uneven ground or climbing stairs is painful and you can hear the bones grind (the noise travels through the skeleton, and I think someone other than me could hear it if they were nearby.) It's a hard surgery so it isn't taken lightly.

I wore my knees out the old-fashioned way—hard work. In high school I took up mountain climbing, going up and down mountains wearing a heavy backpack (down is usually harder on your knees than up), and then there was all of the long-distance backpacking with even heavier packs. I spent several years working in forestry climbing through clearcut units and fighting forest fires (carrying a lot of gear). I've been gardening for years, doing a lot of digging and lifting and dragging and carrying of heavy objects. The cartilage is gone, it's bone on bone and my knees are knock kneed (only one of them now). Standing with deteriorated knees mean your legs aren't straight, they meet at the knees.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 22 - 11:09 AM

The steroid shot to the knee socket helped a lot. I'll be out in the yard this weekend doing some work on uneven ground without the usual discomfort. I had the trimmer and the tiller worked on last week and I need to test them within 30 days (the length they guarantee their work.) So I need to make a run over to the gas station that sells unadulterated gasoline (no ethanol). Home Depot for a new gas can, then to the next county over, where I'm told there's a Walmart gas station that sells it.

I've been getting a lot more stuff done since that shot. I didn't realize how much the knee was slowing me down. Of course, it didn't affect the filing of paper, the cleaning of the kitchen, etc. I think the now-sunny weather has helped with my mood.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 22 - 02:10 PM

I’ve had way too much smoke alarm drama lately, and last night the fire brigade showed up. After much twiddling and three trips to Canadian Tire in a snowstorm for batteries (two kinds!), calm has returned.

The firemen were nice, and very helpful. They even offered to come back and change the batteries in the three — count ‘em, three! — alarms on the upstairs hall ceiling if I didn’t want to climb a ladder. I probably reminded the crew chief of his mum.

I’m glad the steroid shot is helping you, Stilly. One of my several sisters-in-law is nearly crippled by a bum knee and so far has found nothing that helps. She had one injection into the joint that absolutely nothing — a gel shot, perhaps — and I’ve been nudging her to ask about cortisone for a while. It has done a world of good for my wonky foot.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 22 - 02:50 PM

Wow! Smoke detectors are a huge help and also a tremendous challenge (especially when they start beeping at 3am and you can't tell which one it is. I have 5 through the house.) And I always find that while the batteries come out easily, they are a bugger to put back in.

Gel injections in the knee never worked very well, so I'm not bothering with it. This one steroid shot is just to help me get to the time of year when it's easier to go through the surgery. When you can choose, it's nice to be able to. (After going through the third trimester of my first pregnancy in a hot Texas summer, we timed the second one to be born in the spring. Much easier on me.) They don't like to keep doing the steroids, so at some point the surgery becomes the only option. The repaired knee is so much better.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 22 - 11:58 AM

I'm pacing my news consumption; the assault on Ukraine is a wretched state of events and the best I can do here is watch for good NGOs that might be able to help as far as making donations. Add to that donations to politicians in some of the battleground states. My Congressmember was part of a GOP junket to Russia in 2018 at the very moment the senate was releasing the report that Russia did indeed interfere with the US elections. That group was there to suggest "we don't mind what you did." She needs to retire, and I'd like to help with that.

Last night I worked on more masks (the CDC is now watching hospital capacity as a way to tell people if they should mask or not - I prefer not to get sick and hope I don't end up sick OR hospitalized.) I started a new fabric for my library friends—the print looks like the marbled end paper you see in tipped into old books (or printed in some newer ones.)

Today is still cool but mid-week it'll be up to the 70s and I'll head outside to move a plastic sided compost enclosure in the back yard to start a new enclosure for weeds and kitchen waste. I always struggle to make the piles dog proof, and this time I'll probably make some kind of a wire mesh cap to go over it. It's the time of year to start pulling out the dormant Bermudagrass, a persistent weed that pulls out of the soil most easily after a freeze and rain (our circumstances this week). That weedy grass will go in the bottom of the new bin and I'll empty the kitchen waste buckets into it. It's a messy job but adds up to good compost. The pile that is inside the current bin location isn't of interest to the dogs, being a couple of years old. I'll start breaking it up probably next year (at any given time there are usually four piles in various stages of decomposition, with a new one started each spring.)

Decluttering jigsaw puzzles this week when I'll be headed to my old work town and drop them at the thrift store where I discovered a good supply.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Feb 22 - 05:19 PM

I took a trip to the nearest Big Smoke today to visit Lee Valley Tools, and found a festival of drifting snow on the county roads. Ugly. In town, it was a fine clear afternoon, but the minute I was on a road with billiard-table-flat fields to windward, conditions promptly soured. Such is life in southwestern Ontario. No ditch for me today. Hurrah.

The news from east Europe is unremittingly depressing and so full of speculation that I have stopped reading it. My social media feed is dominated by military indignation from every Cold War veteran of my acquaintance, most of them saying something like “I told you so!” If anything good happens, I’ll find out soon enough. If anything worse happens, ditto. Either way, there’s not much I can do about it.

Capacity limits, social distancing and proof-of-vaccination requirements go away next week in Ontario, but masking stays for now. In hope of better things to come, I have registered and paid for a music festival in August. The glass is half full!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 27 Feb 22 - 05:40 PM

Your brothers, nevertheless, remain silent on the subject on social media. (We do, however, have opinions.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 22 - 04:50 PM

It's a busy week ahead, with generally nice weather. Coming up is the one month when, in three years out of four, if you forget to flip the page of the calendar the dates are still correct. Daylight savings time in two weeks does the awful "spring ahead" to remove an hour that I miss for months until fall comes around again. I feel cheated.

There's a lot going on since my plate is full with self-assigned projects. If I manage to do some of these I just might lose weight from the energy expended alone. With the exercises and stretching there are muscles under the fat, but it is harder to do a lot of stuff when carrying the extra weight. So, in a nutshell, the spring is dedicated toward getting in better shape and losing weight while working on household projects so when I get to the knee surgery things are running smoothly around here and missing two or three weeks of regular activity won't put me behind. Toward this end, a couple of weeks ago I cut out the chocolate and much of the sugar and it takes a while to get past the cravings, but I think I'm about there.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Mar 22 - 11:23 AM

It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

I have deeply mixed feelings about organized religion, but some of its aspects are very helpful in daily life. Top of the list is the traditional Christian calendar, and I'm confident that Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Zoroastrians every other faith group that does holidays would agree. At bottom, Lent is forty days set aside to figure out where and how we are failing to do right, and to correct our behaviour and, thereby, our thinking.

There's a thousand ways to use it, from resolving to eat better and clean the house (and then bloody well doing it) to weekly attendance at Stations of the Cross and hefty alms-giving. Some people swear off their guilty pleasures (giving up booze and chocolate, for example), others go back to the gym in anticipation of bathing-suit season, and still others do something more intellectual to achieve self-improvement in anticipation of Spring.

As a PK (preacher's kid), Edmund always marked Lent with giving stuff up, usually booze and sweets. One year, he tried to give up meat and actually made it to Laetare Sunday (the third Sunday in Lent) before caving in to the temptation of double-smoked bacon. He felt personally burdened by the fact that his birthday always fell squarely in the middle of Lent, making timely celebration awkward.

I'm not giving up booze or chocolate or meat, and I'm not planning to become a frequent flyer at Stations of the Cross. I think I'll give up procrastination, especially with respect to boring jobs I loathe, such as washing the kitchen floor and vacuuming the parlour rug, and responsibilities that bug me, such as choir administration. Of course, I give up procrastination every year and so far it hasn't quite taken, but I live in hope.

It's a beautiful day in Stratford with bright sunshine despite predictions of foul weather from Environment Canada. I think I'll have lunch and go for a walk downtown.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Mar 22 - 11:46 AM

I am resolving to eat butter and hire other people to clean better than we ever could. As far as religious mixed feelings I am betting religion
has as much corruption and lies as your typical go fund me page. Much good will be done but there will be a bunch of crap too.

Its time for the second dose of food coloring for the blooming trees experiment. I am removing a pink shrubbery and replacing it with a red or orange azelea. Cutting down all unwanted brush and mulching with red pine is also in the cards.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 22 - 02:01 PM

As a child I had friends in a family in the neighborhood who were ardently Catholic, who used to tell us regularly we would go to Hell. I don't remember a conversation with my parents, but I suspect there was one, in which we were told that their religion dictated rules to them and we didn't need to participate in their fiction. That conversation would have been with my father, a lapsed Catholic. Mom was nominally a Lutheran and tried to teach us about the religion by making us go to Sunday school, but after a couple of years of that we were able to talk our way out of it. I don't pray or pledge allegiance at public meetings either.

Decluttering accounts these days; the newspaper I get is digital only and I paid an annual fee of $118, but got a postcard stating that was discontinued and they would charge me a monthly $18.72 now, or a $110 increase per year. I. Don't. Think. So. I called to cancel and amazingly they can offer a rate of $8.62 a month, coming out less than before. I'll keep it for a couple of months, but I don't need it. I also canceled the DVD part of my Netflix plan; I never remember to watch the darned things, so I might as well stop getting them. I can add it back later if I want - they'll always happily take my money. There are a couple of other things I need to revisit as far as keeping or tossing - after a while these things add up.

Five puzzles dropped at the thrift shop, and I brought home two. 500 pieces this time (there was a double-sided one I didn't buy - that's for the hard-core gluttons for punishment.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 22 - 11:12 PM

There's a huge gap because of a database failure. I printed the thread and will put up some long posts with the text. Not every thread got hit the same way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Mar 22 - 11:25 PM

I was beginning to fear that
we would have to give up the Mudcat for Lent ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 22 - 12:14 AM

Maybe not. It looks like the longer threads took longer to load. Keep your fingers crossed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 22 - 11:05 AM

The big worry lately has been the health of the old Labrador retriever, but aside from being deaf, forgetful, and lumpy (harmless fatty tumors), he's in good shape. The blood work shows a slight shift toward kidney problems in the future but that can be headed off with a low protein diet, that he's already on (it can go lower with an expensive Rx dog food, but the vet said that isn't needed now.)

I found what could be a major source of clutter (if I'm not careful) - a new online site for ordering sewing materials, all sorts. Wawak. And they mail out catalogs every month. Those catalogs will be the start. It looks like they have all of the good stuff that used to be in the big old fabric stores (those older big ones even before Hancock, that finally closed down in our area, leaving Joann's the last woman standing). AND I've responded to a freecycle offer of two trash bags full of yarn (I don't need the yarn, but my daughter expressed an interest in yarn recently, for the crochet squares she makes during meetings, etc.) If the offeror responds to my email, this porch-pickup may come under the heading of "be careful what you wish for." We've made contact, now all I need is the address, from the crossroads listed she lives a mile from me. If I do this right I can drive over to the museum where my daughter will be working tomorrow and meet her at her car to drop these off.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Mar 22 - 06:12 PM

A pampered dog with gout?

Binge watching Netflix isn't a fitness program.
None the less I have been highly entertained by comedies like 'The Good Place', 'Lilyhammer' (for Sopranos fans) and 'Upload' on Amazon Prime video.

With a near 80 degree Sunday I plan the yard clean up work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 22 - 10:03 PM

He is a very good boy who gets a good diet and will now lose a little weight (I'll disguise the fact that there is less dog food in the dinner bowl by adding a little more vege - that way he gets less protein and gets the fiber that everyone needs.) I cut 1/2 inch slices of zucchini and steamed them this evening - Pepper was less happy with the raw squash yesterday but gobbled this down immediately. When they think they're getting people food they are always thrilled.

Time to poke around in a trunk in the front room looking for a couple of things to ship to my son. I'm going to have to move stuff from the top of the trunk before opening it - I'll look at this as my second workout of the day (and before I start moving I'll put on a mask and dust.)

Charmion, I hesitate to pull a Keberoxu-style awkward moment here, but it has occurred to me lately that one of the most annoying things about totalling the last car is that you'd just performed a very expensive repair on the broken antenna. Was there any adjustment in the insurance company payment that helped ease that pain?

Dorothy, I've lost track of your comings and goings - Dupont vs Beaver. Where are you these days, and do you ever get to other locations like the Mill?

Are there any lurkers who would like to surface and give us a progress report? Those who read along and rarely post sometimes offer the most amazing accounts of their activities!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Mar 22 - 09:17 PM

I saw on the Mudcat Facebook page that
Wysiwyg is doing some online fund-raising.


...could not remember how to spell wysiwyg for a moment there ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Mar 22 - 10:16 PM

Help Susan Hinton get a Power Chair is the post that she put up. Better over here on Mudcat where more people know her. I'll look for the thread about "where is WYSIWYG" and add it there also.

While Mudcat was off there was other stuff going on in the world that needed attention. Today I finished preparing a couple of boxes to send out tomorrow, things on my "to-do" list for a while. My income tax files are on the kitchen table ready to begin and hopefully file this week.

Beside the front corner of the garage the hole is ready for concrete and the gate support post, I'll put that in tomorrow. From there I can plan the gate closing post and short stretch of fence from that post over to the property line. I should be able to finish the project this week. One more fence post to put in, a concrete curb across the gate opening (to keep dog-like critters from digging under it), and a dozen pickets. Th e dogs will have a great view of the driveway from that gate and I'm sure enjoy discovering it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Mar 22 - 05:14 PM

A friend will be staying a couple of days; the original plan was she'd stay with her daughter and spend Friday with me and my ex, but as is typical with this friend, her family's plans change. People had COVID the last time she tried (we didn't see her then); this time it's upper bronchial. Ugg. Anyway, I'll be making the bed in the guest room and scrambling to sweep and dust and put stuff away around here. When company is coming is when you can suddenly see your house through someone else's eyes. And this one right now is messy. Fingers crossed she doesn't bring the daughter's cold to us here.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Mar 22 - 09:20 PM

I was looking for the top of my pan-shaped food mill for the last couple of days, and finally realized I'd put it away with the other food mill (that screws onto the edge of the counter and has a lot of parts). Duh. I had them both out last week and wasn't paying attention when I put the big one in the box, except that there are so many parts and I don't want to lose any. I thought I was losing my mind that I couldn't find that thing until now.

I'm still trying to sort the seeds from the frozen tomatoes for making some sauce, and processing cold tomatoes didn't work to separate them. This summer I'm going to make a lot more sauce at the time I'm first processing tomatoes, that's when it works best.

Since I was downtown today I made a trip over to my favorite discount gourmet warehouse and they had a batch of dessert hand pies in the freezer (along with produce and yogurt I load up on there). These pies are just chocolate; the last ones were chocolate hazelnut and were amazing, and worth the trip. I am reducing my driving by making loops, so this was one of those, a three-legged trip out. (That will be blown out of the water when my friend arrives and needs to be ferried all around town for a couple of days. I'll go back to the plan next week.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Mar 22 - 12:06 AM

Well I've managed to declutter my freezer of 8 1-pint plastic restaurant containers ("poor man's Tupperware") of chopped tomatoes from last summer. There will be a fair amount of juice and some sauce on the side. Cooking the tomatoes then hitting them with the stick blender before spooning through the food mill is what it took to get the start of the sauce. It needs to cook till thickened some more, then I'll add the seasoning.

The sink is full of the pans and food mill, soaking, and I'll wash it up tomorrow. If my friend likes onion soup then I'll make some of that for lunch or dinner while she's here, thereby removing a frozen baguette that I can slice and toast for the croutons for the soup. More out of the freezer—meals this time of year are about drawing down existing supplies of preserved stuff (and of eating fresh as well - it's a juggling act.) This sauce is in lieu of buying a jar or two, and I can use it on ravioli and flat bread (for homemade pizza) from the freezer. There are fewer take-out meals when thoughts turn to finishing last year's crops in time to fill it with this year's produce excess.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 22 - 12:46 PM

Be sure to buy plum toms, not just chopped, Jon, and ones with salt or anything else added are best avoided, I've found. I'm not keen on Napolina ones (not quite the Italian company you might think!). Cirio are OK (and I use their passata quite a lot), but they are no better than the Waitrose ones and are more expensive. All a matter of taste! Whatever else, I've noticed that prices of such stuff are seriously on the up...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Mar 22 - 02:18 PM

Though we talk about food here, this isn't a recipe thread, and you should probably continue the discussion over to the food threads. I've moved a couple of them over now just to revive that thread. You were building up quite a head of steam. ;)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Mar 22 - 04:03 PM

The house still needs a good sweep and a couple of floors need mopping; I'll do that after I finish a web page fix that I'm addressing. When it rains it pours - my quiet week has suddenly filled up with things that must be done now. This is spring break around here, so the museums fill up with families out doing things during their week off. I took the rest of the week off to stay out from underfoot. I should be able to finish making the sauce (cooking up the sofrito part then adding it to the thickened tomato sauce) and have it ready for tomorrow. My fridge is embarrassingly full for a house where just one person lives. It's a lot of things that keep well and others that are coming out of the freezer to use.

Though wait - it isn't just me. I'm giving the dogs more produce mixed with their dry kibble. There is a five-pound bag of carrots to roast (a few at a time) that I enjoy but I also give to them, and they get the tough ends from the asparagus, etc. One of the dogs is on a diet so he's getting more veg, less dry (also because he needs less protein in his food).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Mar 22 - 06:19 PM

Dupont:

That was a long hiatus! Not that I have managed to do much. I did try walking to the river and back (about 400 yards), times 2 and that worked for 3 days then my gut protested vigorously - I suspect the stew in which I used a jar of commercial spaghetti sauce. Won't do that again! So I only walked about 50 feet back and forth by the house - just in case!

Today, a gorgeous day! I walked down to the boat launch and sat on a bench by the river and then walked back. YAY! Enough snow gone that I could get to the bench. The ice is decluttering but slowly - about 10 inch thick chunks all higeldy, pigeldy (!) across the river. Open water down river! Sat on the front steps with the sun full on and ate a salad and read. And, just now another walk to the bench. This time I did not need to stop 3 times to rest on the way up the very minor hill.

Yesterday, in an effort to do something useful, I cleaned the oak bannister with Murphy's oil soap. Some of it looks better. And it is no longer tacky. It did not help my interminably achey right shoulder!

BIG social event on Sunday - Farmer's Market! And R took the day off so we could go together and visit with friends (with masks). And BF in a small resto. Big purchase: beets, turnips and mushrooms from the coop (farm). My second event since the Covid hit.

The previous one put me in collapse for a couple days: I went to a play in the city on 5 March. R was working so it was up to me to get there, to be supportive of my friend who was in it and heavily involved. I studied the map of that part of the city over and over to be sure I knew how to get there and see where there was parking.

Right! I got there just fine! YAY for me! And parked right outside the theatre, on the street! and looked for kiosk to pay. Asking people whom I knew were Francophones in that part of the city! No help. By the time I found the obscure door to the theatre, I was exhausted from walking around in the slush - fell once. (later realized I had pulled a muscle in my neck - a few days healing)

Inside, I lamented loudly: "How can I pay for parking???" A nice woman asked me my parking spot number and paid on her phone and I gave her cash. YAY! Then... I could not pay for a ticket! There was no way to pay except on line??? Stunned and confused, "But Justine told me I could get a ticket at the door!" A woman led me through halls, up and down steps until we found Justine, who greeted me effusively and thanked me for coming and Gabrielle led me through some more labyrinth to the theatre and carefully got me seated - I was shaking with exhaustion.

But that was not enough: R texted me that he was there! and I told Gabrielle, who was nearby. He also had no way to pay and had to tell them, "But Justine told my girlfriend..." And G brought him in one minute before the show started.

It was wonderful: excellent musicians and singing and acting -100% in French! I understood two words and R understood "about 15%" but the spirit was beautiful. The words did not matter. And when Justine came to thank us for coming, we were able to be very enthusiastic about how terrific it was!! We went for a bite to eat at the Atwater Market(lovely sort of spanokapita) and I dropped him back at work. Three days to recover. But I DID it!! And I am so glad I did; it was vitally important to me to be supportive of Justine.

NOW: the upshot is that I must find out how to be able to pay with my phone. I felt SO incompetent! And VERY OLD!

The walks are already helping. I need to vacuum. But laundry is OK, dishes are ok, groceries are fine, and I find little things to organize better and other things to recycle.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Mar 22 - 10:50 AM

I heard a redwing blackbird outside the doc's office in Kitchener when I went for my needle last week. Since that infallible sign of spring, we've had four days of snow and wind and two days of thaw. A neighbour reported seeing and hearing robins yesterday. I'm planning to walk downtown today for a beer with the BIL & SIL, so I hope to spot one myself.

The house is a little less grimy since I finally hauled the vacuum cleaner downstairs for a go at the parlour rug. The garden is a mess as the snow comes off, but all my mould allergies are going gangbusters so it will have to wait.

The first daffs are sprouting ... !

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Mar 22 - 03:10 PM

A few daffodils and jack in the pulpits are blooming. I did a living room makeover with an illuminated remote controled coffee table, a powerful led room light, moon mirror, a music quilt 'tapestry', and an earth and a moon pillow.
Added red food color to the forsythia which has just begun to bloom.
I'm hoping for an orange forsythia.
I cut down a huge pink flowering bush to replace with red azelea. I'm on the lookout for a red rhododendrom.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 22 - 09:43 PM

Almost a month of posts have vanished, making it difficult to keep up with what people have been doing. The BS section of Mudcat is non-essential, but there's a family connection of sorts. And it's a place where I edit myself to try to make what I'm sharing interesting. So it is a loss, to have those entries gone.

I wish I had something interesting to add this evening, but I've spent the time completing my income taxes. I owed a tiny amount this year.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Apr 22 - 05:13 PM

It was a pleasant surprise after sending in my taxes to find an automated email from the IRS rejecting the first attempt, saying I hadn't taken the correct standard deduction. When I plugged in the larger number the tables were turned and they will be sending a modest refund. Possibly. I thought so last year but they whittled it down to almost nothing after catching a math error.

In the new gap of weeks since mid-March I have started an exercise program and this weekend rearranged my bedroom to give more space and to put down a free piece of carpet I found in my "purchase nothing" group on Facebook. I will head out soon to pick up a non-skid mat to put under it because it sits on tile and can slide.

I finished putting in a new gate and am considering how to put shade cloth over the new potting bench that I've assigned to a three-sided area created when I finished the gate project. It gets merciless midday sun so some shade cloth attached to the fence to pull over the bench is the plan.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Apr 22 - 05:14 PM

Dupont:

LONG hiatus! I must have mentioned the ransacking of our stuff stored at the mill, that we discovered the first time we went to the Farm market. Since then, police and then a second episode resulting in the arrest of two guys carrying stuff (kept as evidence; we don't know what.) This time the neighbour took photos! Two trips to collect stuff off the floor; they emptied almost every box. There were a LOT of boxes. I am still exhausted from the most recent Sunday; Geri helped. Happy to find some very special things still intact! - esp cut glass bowls! And six boxes of the newspapers from when I was the local reporter! Hope I find time/energy to look through them.


Weather is improving and crocuses in east yard are blooming and some in my mound out front. Daffies taking their time! Bought lawn seed for special "eco-grass" that only needs to be cut twice a season. Hope it works! And wildflower seeds that I was told would come up this year and prob bloom. I will broadcast seed tomorrow before the next rain and try to rake some of the lawn - not to remove anything but to turn leaves over so seeds fall to the soil. Maybe if they are under the leaves, critters may not eat them - or will...!

Sorting through stuffs bought up from mill and divesting myself of as much as possible(?). Have made a fair amount of pottery and have packed what has dried in bubble wrap and boxed to go to Beaver for firing. Triaging other stuffs to take for Leslie to dispense as she sees fit - keep or give to thrift shops...

Finally divested my self of 12 years of pent up anger/frustration at some of R's behaviours; brilliant but no sense at all sometimes (him). I tried to let it go but could not and it kept infringing. Now I feel lighter than air. He kind of gets the message that things need to be talked about- at the time. I kept it in, not wanting to upset him... Totally dumb! I acknowledged this/took some responsibility of being dumb. Things are considerably better. Will be even better after we go to Beaver and, with any luck, regain running water so I can spend time there and give him Space.

I still need to go to Mill with him to see if we can find my books; People have moved stuff around and I am totally in disarray over things that I have not seen in 7 years. I packed so carefully! I suspect my things are in an area I have not been able to access in several years. Things have been added haphazardly, things I cannot move alone. Will put this off for warmer weather- that place is cold and dank in mid-summer! But, at 85, I am feeling a compunction to get my stuff together - and jettison what no longer feels necessary. Like a foot high stack of OLD dress patterns! And OLD tax returns!

Yesterday, the next door neighbour caught me and we had a "conversation" in "Franglais" (French/English). She explained to me the property line, indicating we have our bins on her property. So, this am, R and I moved them to our side. And he noted the Stuff I have been asking to be rid of for a couple years. "It looks terrible; like no one cares!" Still did not move them... ...

The house itself is in pretty good shape. I also lightened a carpet several shades by vacuuming!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Apr 22 - 04:11 AM

I fitted the replacement bullet camera for round the back. My installation there is a touch unusual as I want the camera roughly in line with our small gate into the field. I might just about get away with mounting near the edge of the house wall but a floodlight occupies the position I’d choose. My solution has been to fix a cranked tv pole mount to the wall and fix the camera (which is supposed to be wall mounted) to that. The base of the new camera was bigger than that of the old one and I ordered a new piece of sheet steel for mounting but when I took the old camera down, I found that drilling 4 new holes in the existing plate was all I needed.

The new camera has zoom (but on pan/tilt) so here are a couple of views from earlier this slightly dull morning max zoom and min zoom. It will spend most of it’s time near min zoom but to get a bit closer to the bird feeders and the bench where mum likes to sit when she gets out might be nice.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Apr 22 - 07:57 AM

I am midway through a 'painting' of an underwater ancient shallow sea.
Instead of using paint I am using pounds of solid opal complete with Asian carved and polished plants and opal creatures from Australia, Africa and Mexico. On the upper right hand corner an island emerges from the sea with a palm tree and butter fly so far. I am carving a wave crashing on shore with color changing crystal opal today. The whole thing is about a foot wide and nine inches tall. The base is ocean floor opal and the other side is a display of various types of colorful opals big and small. Overall it is a serene sculpture of aqua and earth tones that could adorn any shelf or mantlepiece. Opals were formed under shallow seas millions of years ago. The idea for this piece came 15 years ago when I acquired the enormous piece of thick opal that looks like the sea that no one else wanted.
I use a mask, dremel and water to keep the dust down. I sold a cello to afford the opals over time which were much cheaper 15 years go.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Apr 22 - 10:24 AM

Don, I can visualize what you're talking about - are you mounting these pieces on a piece of wood or other solid backing?

Jon, is the camera a way to keep track that mum is safe when she's back there, or is it mostly for bird watching?

In my bedroom I've moved more furniture and picked up one of the rubber mats that goes under a runner carpet to keep it from slipping so the new carpeted workout area doesn't accidentally slide during exercises.

Attention must turn to out-of-doors; mowing, digging garden beds, and weeding. Inside, the small heat pump unit has been shifted over to its air conditioner phase because of the high humidity this week. I must dust all of the ceiling fans before they turn on and fling their blade dust accumulations into each room. And I'm on full-strength allergy meds now that pollen is flying.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Apr 22 - 11:11 AM

SRS, I put a camera there for security but I do also use it to make sure mum is OK when she goes round the back. I also later fitted another camera that points down our narrow path to the small gate to the field. That one was put there purely to watch mum. I haven't got the shorter side of the house that runs by my work shed covered but I can follow most of the rest of her journey from the porch to the field.

Mum quite likes looking at what's happening down down the field when she's on her computer too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Apr 22 - 04:56 PM

Its like a jig saw puzzle but the picture is in your head.
It is ALL opal including the gorgeous sea. I'm using 6000 adhesive which can be removed with about 20 lbs of pressure. The front is now done with a masterful sea bed base of opal matrix which required steel epoxy. There are 25 fish and coral made of opal but the sea looks open with depth. The display of more valuable gems will be on the back.
Some opals are 30% water. Water and carbon are the ingrediants of life.

Its 80 out so I better do some yard work....

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Apr 22 - 09:22 PM

My bedroom ceiling fixture (lights and fan) flickered out yesterday, and a little testing convinces me that it is the switch. I have another iffy switch in the dressing room (only acts up occasionally) so today I picked up two replacements. I'll turn off the breaker and replace them in the morning.

While moving the mirrored dresser I forgot there was a TV aerial perched on top of the mirror frame and it came down with a clonk! onto the TV on the dresser itself. (This is the setup for my exercises). The TV is now blinking on and off, and after tests, I think it is actually the Fire Stick plugged into it that is acting up, not the TV. Cheaper if it needs to be replaced, but still a bother. There are other similar episodes around the house, things that need repair or replacement. The devices seem to be testing the pocketbook - repair or replace or live without.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Apr 22 - 11:58 AM

Friday morning and the house looks like it was picked up and shaken. So much to do, where to start? Paper is always a problem, so I've headed to the office closet and pulled out an old spiral notebook from graduate school, pulled out the dozen pages of book notes, and will use this in the kitchen to transcribe all of the scribbles on paper that seemed necessary to keep for some reason. I've used these kinds of notebooks in the past (there are two or three still around I occasionally refer to.)

Most of my grad school stuff is long gone, but notebooks that had few pages used and can be reassigned are still there, hence the adoption of one for my kitchen stuff. I tape in business cards, cut out pieces of fliers, whatever. Keep notes on when dogs need pills. Write down addresses and phone numbers. Much of what my phone is used for now, but in paper form.

On Facebook I posted the account of trespassers in the yard this week, an odd couple who I suspect have worked out some scams to play in their interactions with people. They got cash out of my next door neighbor, me, I just let the dogs bark at them until they finished a shower behind the fence near the garage (using the hose from next door). Overall, the dogs did what they are supposed to - they barked at strangers in the yard. The strangers ignored them, but it got my attention. Now if Cookie would just stop hunting my lizards.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Apr 22 - 06:23 PM

I started clearing the garden of winter debris this week, so now I have a waist-high heap of deadfall branches off my (too) many maple trees and two huge bags of dead leaves swept, scraped and scooped off the patio. It’s still too early to clear the beds — that’s a task to undertake in May. At present, the cold wind howling in the chimney has me convinced to keep the furnace running for a while yet.

I’ve had three asthma flares since the snow melted, so I keep the dope kit handy and limit garden efforts to an hour or so at a time. Asthma notwithstanding, I’m singing well these days and I get out to the Y for pool class three mornings a week.

The next challenge is deodorizing the green Bokhara carpet in the parlour, which Watson has pissed on again. The air has a very slight pong and I’m expecting a dinner guest on Sunday. I’ve heard good things about Nature’s Miracle; any opinions, Stilly?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Apr 22 - 10:06 PM

Yes - my first choice of enzyme odor treatment is Nature's Miracle. I've mostly used the Skunk Odor Remover, but the one for cat or dog pee is also effective. I have a bottle under the sink for just in case, and the skunk odor remover also. Better to have it handy (especially the skunk stuff) because they usually get skunked after hours when the pet store is closed. Nature's Miracle also produce a very good clumping cat litter (I had to go to Walmart to find it.)

This afternoon I replaced light switches in the master bedroom and dressing room. One was just funky, the other was out completely. The house was built in the 1970s, I guess switches do wear out. Better a $2 switch on each than an $80+ fixture. The bedroom one is the lighted ceiling fan, and I'd need an electrician to take care of that.

I ran the lawnmower for a few minutes with the bag set to catch grass. I poured the contents of that bag over the compost heap, and tomorrow I'll move a second compost enclosure and mow more to put lawn clippings in the bottom before emptying the kitchen compost buckets there. And then I can start digging in the garden because I'll have a place for all of the grass and weeds.

This is an alcohol free month, but with dinner tonight I had a Mexican dark beer. Bought yesterday and planned to go with nachos because I thought it was suitable to celebrate the completion my taxes. (And the fact that I got them right and they're depositing my refund next week!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 10:33 AM

Dupont:

Lovely wind storm yesterday afternoon! I slept through most of it and, as I regained consciousness, thought maybe I should move the car away from the trees. When I opened the front door, ... It did not hit the car!! But it took R some time this am to saw it up for removal from across the front flower bed - missed the daffies and crushed a small clump of crocuses. A large chunk of the tree had come down - a mostly hollow 12 inch D. at base and about 20 feet long. Lots of wood for the wood stove! Waiting for it to dry. I will park car further away!

Yesterday, I loaded the wheelbarrow with raked up stuff and took it to the woods. R finally put some junk into the trash bin. SO hard for him to let go of pure unadulterated JUNK! I have broadcast eco grass seed and a small patch of white clover; threw buckwheat seed on back raised bed. It may produce before time to plant veggies. If not, good for soil. I have ordered plants from our friends farm - Jardin de la Resistance! Starting some squash seeds in the house. Threw some lettuce seed on front bed. Very casual gardening!


I am still sorting through the stuff we brought back from the mill. Papers are hard... Trying to find space is hard. Need the filing cabinet OR would that result in just putting all the papers back in ...? Very old letters from #2 son and some others - people I failed to respond and lost... Darn!

Donuel: Project sounds amazing!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 12:46 PM

I filed my taxes (such a penitential job) on Thursday, and I owe. That’s because almost all my income is pensions, of which I get no fewer than four that together add up to a comfortable competence (as Anthony Trollope would put it). The withheld income tax on each pension is calculated as if the others don’t exist, so this year I must pony up lots and lots.

On the whole, I don’t mind that state of affairs and I think I’ll leave it be. The alternative is wasting hours of my life that I’ll never get back to contact the appropriate gummint minions — four of them, mind you — to have more tax deducted at source.

Off to Canadian Tire to buy Nature’s Miracle spray. I moved the second litter box to the ground floor in the hope that Watson assaulted the carpet only because he just could not face the stairs.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 01:31 PM

Project opal is done. i am depressed it is not fine art but as a shelf knick nack it is better than arts and craft junk. I miss the fun of building an opal world with surprises such as a butterfly opal waving above a nearby island suspended by a cat whisker. i am happy i made a great contrast in distance perspective using only 2 inches of depth much like a painting of an ocean floor close up stretching all the way to distant islands. Thats what pandemic time can do.

This pandemic is as though we all learned what its like to live in antarctica for years. Instead of being part of a herd stuck in traffic going from A to B there are long silences inside. I remember thinking how some opals resemble miniature nebulas, a remarkable sky or a forever nightime display of stars... Now its back to rearranging the food and display cabinates.

The big diversion trip of the day will be going to the fabric store.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 02:32 PM

I think you're correct about COVID isolation being like living in Antarctica. The days blurred together, I read a lot of books (or listened to audiobooks) and sewed a lot. The creative time was not only appreciated it was necessary to keep one from going nuts. The recovery period from knee surgery did skew things at the beginning. And as to the art, maybe you're the Grandma Moses of applique bas relief.

I was able to print out a form for Social Security and drop it into a mail slot at the Social Security office to change my withholding. I think setting withholding for the state pension was a matter of putting a signed form in the mail. I'll have to explore this topic later this year when the second pension share (après divorce) comes into play. I did some searching, it appears to be taxable. Of course it is.

The compost enclosure has been relocated by reusing one of the posts from the former position and rotating the whole thing so the old pile is directly beside the black plastic expandable compost bin. I pound in those metal fence posts intended for chicken wire to keep this upright, and will make a chicken wire cover to put over the top to keep the dogs out. More precisely, to keep Cookie out. Now to head out to mow with the catcher bag so I can fill the bottom of that bin with clippings.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 04:48 PM

That reminds me I should apply for Social Security.
Bas relief applique, I like that. I dream of Angor Watt carvings.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 11:20 PM

I didn't finish mowing the back, there might be about 10% left, but I did what I needed as far as dumping several mower bags full of lawn clippings into the various compost enclosures. The new bin got several bags, then I emptied one of the stinky kitchen waste buckets; the other bucket went over the top of the pile I built last year that needs to have a hiatus and break down. Clippings on top of that also. With all of this I came pretty close to getting enough steps for the day on my fitness tracker. Tomorrow I'll finish mowing the back and move to the front.

The forest floor was swept away today and I see clumps of dog hair on the dogs telling me they're getting ready to blow their coats. Soon there will be so much hair I'll be able to knit another dog.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Apr 22 - 08:20 AM

I took another run at the clothes hanging in the boxroom yesterday and picked out a substantial pile of coats and sweaters that are in perfect condition but now much too big for me. I’ll have to keep them until the fall, however; Goodwill won’t want them until there’s frost in the forecast. Another pile is stashed in the car until Monday, when the dry cleaners will return to duty after their Easter break.

With any luck, by fall I will also be ready to let go of some more of Edmund’s clothes, and start on his array of hats — so far I have rehomed only one, an Army-issue fur number that the BIL accepted at a particularly chilly point in February. If only I knew more men with large heads!

Review of a fashion article posted on Facebook tells me that my 25-year-old tweed jacket is out of fashion. Again. It makes me look old, apparently. How much do I care? Not enough to ditch the tweed jacket, which is just the thing for a cold Easter morning with snow on the ground and a forecast high of 4 Celsius.

I’m roasting a leg of lamb this afternoon to share with a friend from pool class, who lived in France for 25 years and likes it as much as I do. She’s bringing wine and, I hope, a hearty appetite.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Apr 22 - 09:57 AM

Charmion, you remind me that I have a number of sweaters that I never wear that should be re-homed. If I bag them now they'll be ready to donate in the fall. I was efficient a couple of years ago when I thinned out a lot of too-small pants (alas, I have gone the other direction on the scale over the last few years). I have a few nice pairs that are in a size I think I might reach, but none of the single digit sizes are in the house now.

Jon, just now I was looking at the receipt for my two switches, and I admit to turning them over with puzzlement because of extra screws on the side (four total on each). I picked them up in the simple switch area (the last two) but it turns out they belonged in the bin of three-way switches. Since they operate in one place and no other switches feed into the same fixture it doesn't matter that they're three-way switches, right? Like using a regular lightbulb in a three-way lamp? They'll just turn on and off like they need to. Overkill, perhaps, but no harm done? (The light switch for the main bedroom fan/light fixture actually had a third wire, I assumed it was a ground, and I don't remember if the electrician ran an extra wire when he installed it.) I know the UK and the US probably wire things a bit differently (for one, we can't use our house wiring for radio or TV reception). I compared the switches carefully and just switched out the wires from the old ones to the same spot on the new ones, making sure not to put in the switch upside down.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 22 - 10:39 AM

SRS, I’m not sure what you mean by a three way switch. In UK domestic lighting, we have one way and two way switches, the latter allowing the light to be switched from 2 points. Adding switching points in between is possible and the switch used to do that is, as far as I know, usually referred to as an intermediate switch. This page explains things UK wise and says an intermediate switch could be used as a one way switch.

An annoyance with UK lighting wiring btw is that (unless they have changed with more modern houses) is that they don’t usually run a neutral wire to the switch. This limits the choices when looking to use home automation switches like z-wave ones.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Apr 22 - 11:18 AM

It looks like our three-way is your two-way. I've mulled over this - I'm not going to worry that there is anything wrong with how this switch works - when I thought about the light bulbs. You know the ones that you turn on the lamp and it's dim, then not so dim, then bright, then off - those are called three-way switches. If you put in a standard bulb it means you have to click through a couple of settings on the lamp before the light turns on, but it works just fine. I think that's the same thing here - it doesn't matter if something else is not wired in, it's just on and off.

I sent you a note via PM asking about html code.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Apr 22 - 11:54 PM

Three strips of thick sliced bacon, a few slices of Swiss cheese, a dab of mozzarella, two cups of milk in the carton, and I decided to use that with a few more ingredients in a no-crust quiche. I submerged broccoli in it for some extra color, and made it in a bundt pan. Helpful decluttering and a number of items into the trash for tomorrow's pickup. Leftovers for this week.

Gardening amendments are on the short shopping list for this week. I can't put off digging the garden beds any longer. I was hoping for rain today, but that chance diminished as the day progressed so tomorrow I'll water the area then till it after it soaks in a bit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Apr 22 - 06:10 AM

"...but now much too big for me..."

Alas, a problem I have never endured...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Apr 22 - 11:23 AM

Following Charmion's example, I bagged several sweaters that I bought on sale but never wear, that are too fussy or not my style any more, and as a closet bonus pulled a handful of t-shirts that are too small and, were I to lose that much weight, I still wouldn't wear. There are quite a few others in play that should probably also go, but it's a start. I need to aim at the "less is more" aspect of the closet, when everything I see is something I wear and I can mix and match it. It is a lot better than it used to be (I'd guess 10 years ago now I did a huge purge, and have struggled to avoid letting it get that bad again.)

I looked in the hall closet to see if there was anything in there needing thinning, but I'm less likely to remove an odd-fitting garment because on several occasions visitors to the house (who come in many sizes) have needed to borrow a jacket or windbreaker. A bonus for myself—I noticed my NPS uniform green windbreaker stashed behind a hanging shoe caddy that I keep filled with wool hats and mittens. In the past I removed the official patch from the shoulder so I can wear it as civilian gear now. I've been needing one this spring.

It is a kitchen luxury to have the new back yard compost pile in place and the two buckets from outside the kitchen door emptied into it. I can again easily empty the 2-quart stainless steel scrap bowl that sits in the corner of my kitchen counter. When the outside buckets were nearing capacity I tended to let that bowl heap before emptying it. It can attract fruit flies that way.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Apr 22 - 11:56 AM

Dupont:

Re life during pandemic (still ongoing): I fell into months of muttering "nothing matters anymore". Lower than a snake's belly. When I finally found the energy to throw a few pots, that ended and I am managing bits and pieces. The onset of something akin to spring has helped. Unfortunately, my energy level quickly dips so I spend a lot of time resting.

I no longer have any idea how much I weigh; will find out when we get to Beaver - hopefully Friday or Saturday. R cannot back out as my 2nd booster is on Tuesday - in Bancroft. And, if he wants some time alone here, he needs to ensure I have running water there.

Yesterday I managed to clear two bookshelf units so I could change their positions, hoping for more effective use of TV room - getting room for the file cabinet to fit in the corner so I can replace all the darn paper - all I cannot bear to part with, that is. Dust and a bit of mildew are involved in most of stuff from the mill. I come close to just putting handfuls in the fire bin but then I find a few notes from friends or a really interesting article. SIGHHH!

This am, I have started putting stuff back on the shelves - after getting R to remove the huge fern we wintered for the neighbours to the first floor and cleaning up the major debris from it. One clean alcove! With the stuffed raccoon back on its pedestal to greet folks coming up the stairs. Hopefully the plant will go home in a week or so!

I have taken to opening the BR window and keeping the door closed so I have a safe place from dust.

R is also de-cluttering and it is making him happy - taking huge machines to the scrap yard and clearing properties of stuff so they are salable! A major declutter!! I have been begging for it all the 12 years we have been co-habiting. He is finally realizing... He will be 75 on Monday...

Back to it!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Apr 22 - 12:50 PM

Dorothy, I took a look in my attic recently and see areas where I can tidy it for future work I do or for whenever I prepare to sell and move. It isn't damp like the mill, it is dry and dusty, but it is still hard on things stored there for a long time. For starters I dragged down a huge plastic xmas tree stand that hasn't been used in a dozen years. I think it is bound for Goodwill, unless I figure a way to plant something in it in the garden. ;-)

Regarding papers that are moldy and sentimental, I would suggest doing a scan (using a flatbed scanner or one of the overhead Bookeye scanners if your library has one) then saving the PDFs someplace secure and go ahead and burn those papers. Who is going to want them after you? If they're moldy, a library probably can't add them to the collection. AND - the bonus - if you scan any print documents as searchable PDFs you can find things quickly in that file.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Apr 22 - 11:16 AM

Charmion, did the enzyme cat pee treatment work?

Confession time: I had two cats in the apartment before moving here. They decided to repeatedly hit the carpet in one corner of the living room. Before moving out I pulled back the carpet, cut out the foam pad across the diagonal, then treated the concrete and the rug before putting down a new fitted piece of carpet mat (I'd picked up a remnant). I placed a large box over it to keep the cats away until we moved out. That at least solved the problem for human noses until the rent deposit was returned.

More clothes (pants and shirts) out of the closet today and I returned my stacked folded t-shirts to stacks by color. The rest of the clothes need attention - it'll soon be time to do a load of laundry - so I'll work on re-setting the clothesline posts today. Digging them out and adding more concrete to the existing footers should do the job. And new cross members to attach the lines (I have pieces left from the last fence project.) This is officially a declutter project in that it will use all existing materials.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Apr 22 - 11:53 AM

Dupont:

Declutter for today: 4-5 inches of "sno-rain" wet and heavy! It's ok. Careful driving is in order at just above freezing.

SRS: I have been stalled by the mold! I dare not go through any more. I consider copying a couple special pieces that have surfaced. The printer needs attention. I wonder about putting piles of papers in the oven - it exhausts to outside. A googled site suggests placing papers in an open container to fit in a large closed container of charcoal/unscented kitty litter/baking soda ... Another, very well done, showed how to prepare a large bin for record album covers and using a small ozone generator, with a tube running into the bin. Ozone is unhealthy to all living things!

I will try baking soda for small amounts and take a good look at the whole picture. Not all the papers are smelly.

Meanwhile, there are other matters needing attention!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Apr 22 - 12:14 PM

Dorothy, put the pages in an air-tight ziplock bag and freeze them for a while (at least 3 days). Be sure to keep it sealed once it comes out (so condensation doesn't enter). That's what archivists do when working to restore library or archives materials that have water damage. Baking would make them incredibly brittle and dark.

Archiving Documents with Mold

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Apr 22 - 12:28 PM

All human-detectable evidence of cat pee has faded, thank God, and both cats have approved the litter box that I moved to the ground floor.

It blocks the original back door to the house, but that entry is literally the only available niche big enough for a litter box. Fortunately, that door is not the only alternative to the front door; there’s also a door to the garage immediately opposite and a retro-fit patio door at the other end of the galley kitchen. If somebody chucks a Molotov cocktail in at the window, I can still escape safely.

It’s snowing in Stratford. Bleah.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Apr 22 - 06:57 PM

Dupont:

SRS! that sounds great. There is room in the freezer! And we are going to Beaver on Friday - til Tues. I have a plan!!! TY!

R did watch the youtube on using ozone AND declared is reasonable science. We do have an ozonator for a reason neither of us can remember!

Laundered bedding yesterday and asked R to help with fitted sheet - Darn thick mattress is unwieldy and too much of a struggle.

In the meantime, I have put a metal baskets of papers where ever I can find space on rads in areas I don't frequent. There are still two boxes of mixed china in the car - R needs to bring them in for me.

Lots of stuff put aside to leave permanently - going to Bancroft. And other stuff to take - never can remember what clothes I have there.

Pain in side/back has become worse; a call to the Dr. office elicits - vacation 'til Tuesday. I will go there for booster on Tuesday; the chances of talking to someone??? The nice receptionist could not even tell me they were on vacation! She put me through to voice mail which said not to leave a message. I am running out of ideas for self-care.

SO, must remember to phone for appointment to get tires changed on Mon or Tues; it was on today's "list"...! (The tires are at Beaver.) Other things did get done. I had moments of thinking to make pots but when I stood up to go do it, the energy was gone.

Snow gone! Hoping some of the seeds I threw on the ground a few days ago will have sprouted when I return. Parsley is starting to appear from last year's seeds.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Apr 22 - 09:41 PM

The best time to mow the yard is usually tommorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Apr 22 - 12:09 AM

I concur - I've managed to put off mowing that way for weeks at a time. :)

For the first time in 20 years I've lived here the boundaries and utility easements are correct. Two years ago the buyer next door scheduled a new fence to be put up on the west side of the yard and I asked them to use the survey to determine the placement because I knew the existing one was about 3 feet too close to my house (fault of the previous owner of my house, long story, goofy guy). I got back the rest of my yard.

The utility easement cuts across the long pie-shaped back yard about 2/3 of the way back, though a previous phone line installation ended up being laid all around the outside of the fence and coming back into the yard next door (where the wire was intended). Those neighbors are putting in Uverse fiber optic and the tech who spoke to them yesterday was going to go out and around the fence again, on top of the now-useless copper phone line. (There is another ancient line that SW Bell put down that jogs from the back of my house, around the garage, and into the next yard. I should find it and pull it out.)

I had a copy of my survey in hand and caught the service crew today and saved them a lot of digging - the line went straight across where the easement is and followed that line through the neighbor's yard. (Yes, Keberoxu, the dogs stayed in the house.) It may seem an odd placement, but we live near a year-round creek and the village won't place easements in the way of floodwater. This means that were I to sell my house tomorrow I wouldn't have to put up a new fence or pay someone to come in and put the utilities where they belong. (The previous owners rented out the house for 10 years so didn't have to disclose this kind of stuff. I would have to.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Apr 22 - 02:18 AM

My trusty gardener finally mowed both lawns back and front yesterday. I summoned some energy and trimmed all round the edges with my long-handled shears.
There's going to be a rent-a-table-for-a-fiver jumble sale soon at our village hall. I'm considering turning out my wardrobes and drawers and getting together a collection to sell. I seem to wear just the same half-dozen sets of clothes nowadays, and never use the posh ones, so someone might like to buy them.
My neighbour is having central heating installed next week. She's a real hoarder, and has had to declutter big-time to leave enough space around the house for radiators and pipes. To get a 1000 litre oil tank into her garden, she's also having to move about twenty (!) large tubs of flowers. She's very worried, it will be like drawing teeth I expect.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Apr 22 - 03:54 AM

Well after another period of no use, I found another little job for the 3d printer today. Dad had an accident with one of his coin boxes the other day and the drawers and the coins all spilled out onto the floor. I think he dropped it but the box should have a bar to at least stop the draws falling out. He's lost that and with his handling, even if he only tilted it, it would only be a matter of time before a shelf or two slid out...

I've made him a a new bar.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Apr 22 - 06:55 PM

I go to a couple of Goodwill stores a week, mostly with a list from family of items they're looking for. I was sidetracked today when I spotted a Russel Wright Iroquois parsley green bowl. And then some starburst saucers. I just realized I never looked for the main thing I was there for! Bowl and four saucers, .89 each. It's a win!

Heightened pressure now for clearing up stuff around the house because guests are coming for lunch on Sunday. It would also be nice to have the yard looking tidy. A day for each?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Apr 22 - 08:21 PM

Dupont:

Car is mostly loaded for tomorrow's exit! I am very happy to be going home. And hopeful that R can fix the water situation. With any luck, the water will have thawed and the pump will be functional. Worst case: new pump. Hope they have one in town!

I tried to get an appointment to get tires changed but they are a week and a half behind! A couple service places have closed. They need to hire another staff... Bit slow on that! Maybe the son and gal are still getting their bearings after death of main man last summer. I shall have to bring the tires back here and find someplace.

Also need appointment for regular maintenance - CALL Tomorrow, Dorothy!!

Turned heat down. Away five days. Watered plants.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Apr 22 - 06:39 AM

Something I might get round to this weekend is putting the tap timers back outside and reconnecting the pump in the field and then checking things are working. There shouldn't be much to do but there is usually the odd joint and tap to fix on the plastic pipework. I also ought to do some mowing but haven't got the energy so will leave that a few more days.

Potatoes (a few Aran Pilot I put in tubs a week or two back and Nicola Alan planted for us on Tuesday) are in and I've got tomatoes and aubergines growing on the windowsills to be planted early May. So we are at least off to a start with some of our bits of garden produce.

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

This morning I cleared space in the freezer for two 10# bags of organic flour from Costco. Two years ago at this time I was running out of white flour and the regular stores were empty (along with baking yeast, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, kleenex, and many other staples). My next door neighbor scored this same package for me when she was at Costco back then (when we weren't wearing masks yet and I was staying home after knee surgery). What a difference two years make. I was baking every week to share with the neighbors (to offer a pleasant surprise each week.)

Today I'm beginning the practice of "put things away every time you move through any room" to clear up for guests. Looking at the house through other's eyes is easier when people are scheduled to be here soon.

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

Digging a new hole for the clothesline post was tough so after making a few inches progress I poured in a gallon of water. 30 minutes later digging the rest was much easier. Compared to the last post, this hole is narrower and deeper by about 10 more inches. Tomorrow I'll work on the second post and can probably put the cross-members with the hooks in place later in the day. I need to pick up another bag of concrete first.

There is a list of things family members have asked me to look for on my Goodwill trips, and today I was able to hand over a $7 like-new Food Saver vacuum sealer to my ex. We've ordered a 2-pack of the rolls of 8" plastic that gets made into bags (I'm almost out so we'll share). There are several online sites with operating manuals for just about anything you can think of, and this one was easy to find. Another satisfied customer!

I've made progress picking up around here, but there is more to do.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Apr 22 - 01:28 PM

I paid my taxes yesterday, and by close of play today I will have decluttered the study of a seven-year-old Tax and Expenses file. The shredder will get a workout.

But right now the sun is shining and I need to stop frowsting and get out of the house.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Apr 22 - 12:53 AM

As annoying as taxes are, it's good to finish them. And I also have identified some files in adjacent folders that I need to thin and shred or burn soon.

The cross-member for the first clothesline pole is assembled and in place. It attaches via fence support to the very top of the post and has four heavy duty hooks screwed into it. The next post will be installed after I clean up from lunch tomorrow. This evening I got smart about the next bag of concrete - I ordered it curbside pickup so they have to bring that bag out and lift it into the SUV for me. Those bags of concrete are killers to move around. When I get back home I can tumble it out into the wheelbarrow. No lifting. (To mix it, rip open the bag and stir in a gallon of water in the wheelbarrow.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Apr 22 - 10:02 PM

Lunch went well, everyone came during nice weather but left when the radar showed storms looming; it hasn't rained enough yet to make the garden digging this coming week any easier. I need a good downpour so I can run the tiller through it easily. The soil around here is hard clay when it's really dry. If it doesn't rain I'm going to have to water it heavily.

Normally I scan slides at the museum later in the week but I have to be there for a meeting tomorrow, so will see if I can scan after that. It'll save me an extra trip and give me more time to work on the garden. I have sworn to myself that it will be put in this month, and I have only six days left. While I'm out I'll stop by the store for that bag of concrete. The clothesline restoration is a close second to finishing the garden this month.

I'm hoping to get back to some sewing in the evenings. There are requests for Pride masks (and a friend today asked shyly if I have any purple fabric for a mask for him for a targeted project of his?)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Apr 22 - 05:01 PM

Gardening week here, after a rain and with a few sunny days ahead.

One dog to the vet, checked out fine, but she's one to snap so he didn't check out her teeth. (We slip on a small muzzle when I'm over there.) :) I also picked up the bag of concrete on the way home, though the woman doing the lot loader work probably suffers lifting that stuff as much as I do. I assisted in getting the bag into the SUV. The dog, in the middle row of seats (her leash tied to the driver's headrest just in case) had no issues with the lot loader. And as usual, when let out of the car in the garage she was very happy to scamper around and into the house, to be met by inquiring noses who figured out she'd been over to That Place.

So, gardening, mowing, and replacing the second clothes line post. That'll keep me busy.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Apr 22 - 12:59 PM

Jon, I posted an article about security problems identified on Linux on an old Linux thread (refreshed just now, so it will slowly drift down the page). Something Microsoft has identified and reported on.

I'm plugging along here and it's mostly yard work today. Along with the garden I have to get my sprinkling system set up soon because things dry out quickly here on hot days. Deep infrequent watering without wasting a lot on the concrete is the goal. And if I get the trimming and mowing done today the yard will be at it's peak for the season because the irises are all blooming.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Apr 22 - 12:37 PM

Dupont:

Water was fine; pump was fine! R fixed a couple minor leaks and read a lot of books - having bought more at local thrift shops... Took lots of stuff to thrift shops and to the shop, including pottery which I managed to fire, glaze and fire - beautiful! Small box of soap dishes for Rita await pick up from my car.

Brought summer tires back and have appointment on 9 May for service and tire changeover! That will de-clutter the pocketbook! But no rent owed at shop so I have sold enough pottery to pay that. I did not ask if there was any $ left over for me as Pat was busy. R insisted on sharing his BD cheesecake with her! I waited until supper. (75th!) Pat is a pretty special person.

Got my 2nd booster on Tuesday- crawled into bed fully clothed with terrible chills for an hour or so, then was OK- battened down the hatches to head back to Quebec. Stopped at Goldmine to pick up two dozen carrot/raisin muffins (favs!) and a scrumptious, healthy lunch.   

Home before dark and unloaded, food in frig and went to bed. The lunch and half a "choc/expresso" muffin were adequate. Still tired on Weds, managed to get through about 300 emails, deleted a few with the thought of deleting a lot more when more awake! (Did so this am.)

Last night, instead of going to bed - much needed - I watched a hockey movie!! Caught by a Sikh presence on screen before I could turn it off, I succumbed to what could be termed "counter-racist"? I watched it because of the Sikhs; I would not have watched just two "white" teams. Not implausible, the neophyte hockey players won the tournament out of sheer determination(they had to,to make it a good movie!), and with a whole Sikh wedding party cheering them. It had redeeming qualities, and was kind of fun. Went to bed after R got home (10), without feeding him.

We have come to a point of: he comes home late; I am tired; he can forage in the frig. At worst there are sandwich makings. Today I will replenish the frig with forageables. After I do the tax thing... R said he would do it but it became harder then doing it myself - and just when we needed to be leaving Beaver!

I have a pile of Quaker pamphlets and a few books which I have been trying to re-home. Did not open the computer until I got back and...! There was an email from a Montreal Quake offering to give it a try - BUT they are at Beaver so it will have to wait until next trip. DARN! But good to know anyway - hope! They have been cluttering the LR, from wherever they were previously stashed, for a couple months! Too good to just throw out, too specific to go to a thrift shop.

My weight is back up to 170 so thinking hard about what I eat. Back to a stricter diet. Ah! Cook chick peas for humous! The only time I managed to loss significant weight (20 years ago): one or two slice toast/tahini; lettuce and humous; chicken/veggies. Time to try again.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 22 - 06:30 PM

My arms and legs were achy today after yesterday's mowing the front yard. I forgot to switch the mower from bag to mulch and it was quite heavy - I struggled and wondered why I was so tired, then about 3/4 through the job realized I had about 30 pounds of wet grass in the bag weighing everything down. I dumped that in the garden and finished, just mulching. Good exercise, but it takes longer! The irises are blooming and when the yard is mowed and trimmed (I did both yesterday) it looks very park-like out there.

Clothesline is back in operation, and I split the difference - the new post is straight and strong, the other post is leaning but solid. So for now it's in use and when I don't have so many other yard chores to do I'll put in a new post and take out the old one. Both crossmembers were replaced with leftover treated lumber 2x4 chunks from the fence work. A little shorter than before, but not a problem (the lines are a little closer together.) I dried a batch of sheets out there in the late afternoon. (I sometimes tumble things on air - and am reminded, I need a new lightbulb for the dryer. It burned out last week - I've had this dryer for 20+ years, so that's a pretty good run for one bulb!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Apr 22 - 07:26 PM

I stopped work for a little while this afternoon when a friend came over, giving me a chance to take some allergy meds. Sneeze central here still, even though I'm wearing a mask for yard work. I'm using the weed whacker to take the weeds down to the soil (and then some) then I'll run the tiller through the raised beds. There is also a wheelbarrow of compost with soil amendments to mix in (earlier I tilled up one of the ancient compost mounds in the back - it comes out a nice rich crumbly finished compost to mix into the garden.) Tomorrow is the last day of April, so I need to push myself to meet my end-of-the-month deadline. I probably need a couple of planks to prop up the sides of these beds because last year's planks have crumbled. I found the cheap decking at Lowe's works pretty well.

I've pulled more stuff for donation out of my closet, this time shoes that are more snug than I like. In the last 20 years I find a half-size larger is more comfortable, but I've bought some of the old size (probably on days when my feet were feeling skinny). Clothes and shoe sizes have also shifted over time (the industries are not consistent).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Apr 22 - 07:39 PM

I can't replace weed whacker line so screw it, I am replacing it with a universal robust nylon blade head. Boy the lawnmower blades sure do sharpen up quick with a corobundum drill attachment.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 12:10 AM

I had a trimmer with the solid brush blade attachment, but I've never used it - I fear I'd take out way too much of the landscape. Or hurt myself. It isn't difficult refilling the cartridge for the trimmer, I keep a reel of extra line in my greenhouse with a few spare spools that get reused. The manufacturers would like you to think they're one use and done, but that simply isn't the case.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 10:52 AM

Damn! A pan of steamed spinach last night got left on the stove cooling overnight so had to be tossed this morning. I must return to not cooling, but simply packing the extra veggies in the batch right when they're finished. This has happened lately—if I forget and turn off the light over the stove I often don't notice the light to go through the kitchen before bedtime to notice something that should be put away. That was a couple of servings into the compost.

One last garden bed to weed whack then the tilling begins. I also have to pull up a bunch of sunflowers that have established themselves at the east end of the garden. I usually let a few grow during the season outside of the beds, but these are all dropped seeds from last year and the area is paved with sprouting sunflowers. Must thin!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 10:53 AM

A spare wound spool (or, in my case with the petrol trimmer, the whole head unit I can screw on) is a good idea. Winding the line, as SRS says, shouldn't be that difficult but I'd rather the quicker change if the it runs out while cutting.

My petrol trimmer came with a metal blade but I've never used it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 11:04 AM

Yes, I should have explained, when I'm working in the yard I wear an old nail apron around my waist (one from Home Depot meant for roofers) that I tuck in my phone case in one pocket and in the other I have a small pruner, a putty knife (to scrape wet grass out of the mower underside) and a pair of gloves, and into one side or the other goes a spare roll of trimmer line ready to exchange where ever the first roll runs out. No going back to the greenhouse to fill the same one. I probably have a half-dozen spools like that around here so I fill them when I get a chance then use them as needed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Apr 22 - 11:17 AM

Dupont:

cleared some small branches in front yard and gathered them in drive for R to cut up. Whacked longish - already! - grass closest to side neighbour. Will do more today; realized I can cut without harming the dandelions and yarrow, if done NOW! I can only manage a few minutes at a time - then rest.

Have a goal of mending this pair of pants that have been in the sewing machine for ...months! Then some more sewing ... BUT ...

Need to arrange some serious window coverings to keep sun/heat out. Thinking one inch styrofoam, the sort used for packed and trashed - maybe find some... I lived in a drafty old farm house years ago and made a styrofoam insert for each window to keep cold at bay; it also worked to keep heat out in summer. They were easily removed and re-placed.

Sounds like more thoughts than action but I have managed some small organizing things as I have recovered from trip.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 May 22 - 08:29 AM

It’s raining and grey in Stratford today, but yesterday was glorious — perfect for yard work, so I did some and then burned a heap of winter deadfall from the damnable silver maple trees.

Tree sex is an issue for me this year, as I have become allergic to their pollen. Consequently, I am living better through biochemistry while fighting back the inevitable sinus headache. I swear it takes at least twenty percent off the top of my personality.

The house is tidy, if a bit dusty, and all the laundry is done and stowed. The basement is clearer, thanks to a Mennonite friend who relieved me of some four dozen large Mason jars of three different sizes. The TV and its peripherals are finally established in the parlour in a purpose-built cabinet that keeps all the copious wiring under control, out of sight, and away from the cats.

The next challenge is spring-cleaning the garage. That’ll end in a trip to the dump! What larks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 May 22 - 10:37 AM

People are colder
a little bit older
There's places off limits
that make you grimmace
Like Antarctica
or your town in lockdown

Just being there requires
permission and rules.
You'll see people act
like mad dogs and fools.
So we pretend and dream
Its not how its seems.

If we're someplace else
we can ignore what we abhor.
Like what we wear or
where we can't go.
Can we abbandon that crap?
Whats wrong with that?
well...

We could freeze or catch our death of cold

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 22 - 12:28 PM

Dorothy, returning a repaired pair of pants to your wardrobe is a gift to yourself. Periodically I'll sit down at the sewing machine and repair various items left in the sewing studio for attention. If it's worth repairing that means it was a favorite pair of pants. (I should look to see if I have any accumulated mending candidates, come to think of it.)

What is it about strange people coming by the house this spring? Last evening a large older burly man walked down the street on the other side, then a few minutes later back up and past, except a couple of minutes later I looked up from my garden area to see this very large man kind of lumbering up the driveway. I looked around - I had a short shovel with a good grip handle within reach as a weapon - and asked him if I could help him? He asked if I needed help. "No, I'm fine," and after he headed back down the driveway, "Thank you for asking." Because even though he creeped me out he probably meant well.

The garden beds are ready for the tiller today. And planting. And I must figure out the pattern for my sprinkler setup. And mow the back yard. And transplant a number of small trees and shrubs given me by friends.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 May 22 - 02:48 PM

Strangers:
There have always been mad dogs and fools
but recently they seem lonely and desperate.
Shovels are quiet weapons and grave tools.
Honest to god I hope you won't attempt it.
For all we know he's looking for a pretty spot
to bury the ashes of his pet cat Montserrat.

I mowed this morning and beat the rain.
What's this commercial about testing your dog's DNA?
It reminds me of ancestry.com

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 22 - 04:17 PM

There are woods across the road for pet burying if he doesn't have a yard. If he's into more Nature he can leave it on the surface in the opening and let the vultures find it. (I usually take squirrels over there that have been hit in the street. It saves the vultures from being disturbed by traffic while they're dining.)

I may need to repair the throttle cable on my tiller, it's hanging up, and I will definitely remove the bar on the back. It has it's use but I think I'd prefer to go over the top of the soil more easily or even (as several suggest) pull it backwards to get the most bang for that dust-churning buck.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 May 22 - 04:43 PM

The woods across the street here is where I release live animals like turtles. The most unusual animal was a brilliantly colored scarab beetle. One morning there were about seven turtles each half piggy backed on the turtle ahead atop a log that pointed at the rising sun by the water's edge. Each with their heads turned upward as in a religious ceremony.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 May 22 - 05:45 PM

Throttle cable is okay, was just loosened and out of the housing, but I need a new air filter and have to get a bottle of foam filter oil. Do I wait till Friday from Amazon or try the lawn and garden place tomorrow? I'll try the local folks first.

The turtles are at the bottom of my back yard in the creek, along with numerous fish, snakes, mollusks, and various birds. Ducks, herons, etc. It really is nice living surrounded by so many interesting animals, it means the environment is healthy enough to support them (and me).

I've raked out the area I tilled so far, now to run an errand before I finish (and while I'm out, mail my ballot for May 7.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 May 22 - 12:36 PM

The local place doesn't have the tiller parts I need, so they're on order via Amazon, but the filter supposedly won't arrive for a couple of weeks. Darn. I want to use the tiller now. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will arrive ahead of time (I suspect this simply isn't in Amazon's warehouse so they can't predict when someone will poke it in the mail.)

A storm blew through and the power flickered last night, enough so I had to reset the clock on the stove and microwave. I wonder how much "zombie" power I'm losing to all of these devices with ready lights and clocks?

The week looks likely to be a bit stormy. If I'd managed to plant my garden things would be tousled in the wind. I'll concentrate of stabilizing things that might blow away instead. And there is indoor work to do.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 May 22 - 10:50 PM

Dupont:

Big grocery shopping today - almost alone in the store! All put away! Black beans cooked and a pot of rice. This reminds me to boil some potatoes - tomorrow.

We spent a chunk of Sunday switching chests of drawers so I have one large enough- decluttered BR. Found a spot for the noxious love seat so it is less in the way. R found a better spot for TV aerial and put an apparatus from box onto counter in TV - it is supposed to play all manner of recording things and a radio as well. And change records to cds!? If we can figure out how to work it! It now has a spot so we can study on it. And he moved the A/C from in front of the closet door so I can try to organize the closet better.

Slowly sorting my way through the piles of paper. Managing to divest myself of some and finding really interesting stuff - letters from my very young sons and lots more.

Those still unfinished pants are black jeans for R; no need as he picks up pairs at thrift shops from time to time. But they are still use-able - maybe tomorrow. They will be followed by another pair to mend and give away, at least one pair to hem and then a variety of other sewing projects. Some may be completed in this life time. Just want to tidy the TV room.

Next the downstairs hall: boxes of clay, 3 card tables and a shelf unit with grow lights attached for starting plants... I offered it to a friend today; she wants a pic; if not raining tomorrow, I shall getting outside so I can take pic. Then leave it and the card tables on back deck covered with plastic. Plan to use the tables in August for one last craft show - a BIG community event with live music all day for two days and lots of neat people - for which I shall strive to make a modest amount of pottery so it is less work packing and unpacking.

Big thing is deciding whether or not to risk life by going to suburban Philly for memorial of my close friend who died in January. An 8 hour drive (not risking flying) and R may or may not go with me. Thinking two 4 hour days and a night in hotel. No 2 son is going; could be my emissary. Could see bro and SIL also. And a few other folks. Maybe even go folk dancing on Friday night; they insist on vax and masks. And the Playhouse (nursery school) clothing sale will be on!!!! ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 May 22 - 01:11 AM

Can you take a train, Dorothy? Would that feel any safer? I'm still not ready to get in airplanes either.

I spent time sewing today, I haven't done that for a while and it was nice. At the same time I watched and cleared out a few things in the SLING virtual DVR. (TVs and Fire Sticks around the house make this possible just about anywhere.) My next mask pattern is a brown/black background with various brightly colored chili peppers, non-directional so I can get more masks from the swatch. As usual, I'll take one with me to the museum this week and present the prototype to my daughter to try on. They're all 3D these days, with t-shirt yarn holding them on.

The jigsaw puzzle in the sunroom was neglected for a while - it is a tough one - but I've got a few of the more charismatic portions of it underway now so expect to spend a few minutes a day in there.

Yard work will be when I can get to it - weather-wise, mostly. Good thing we have a long growing season, I'm getting a late start.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 May 22 - 11:48 AM

Knee surgery is on the calendar next month and now the ducks begin their involved lining-up process. And I need to be rather obsessive about keeping up the exercise to make sure the legs are strong for the recovery period. It helped a lot last time. I'll also focus on losing a few pounds.

The weather has been iffy here this week - two more days of possible showers restricts some activities (hanging out that next load of laundry, for one.) I can mow even if the lawn is damp. I'll be sure it is set on mulch so I won't kill myself like last week with the full mower bag.

Tiller parts will trickle in for the next couple of weeks and the new light bulb for the dryer has a two-week travel itinerary. The last dryer bulb lasted for 20 years, that's a pretty good run (even though it isn't on for more than a few minutes a week so it doesn't add up to a bunch of hours.)

Once the tiller is back in service I'm going to work on a few spots in the front yard to enlarge the flower beds. Turf is a waste of space, and there is half of the front that I can more or less isolate from the rest of the lawn so in theory, keep out encroaching grass and let it just be xeriscape plantings. This is a long-range plan, and with the understanding that in the future if I sell the house someone else might plow it all up and plant grass again. My aim is to make the landscaping both attractive and durable. (Too nice to get rid of.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 May 22 - 03:12 PM

I am reminded of the 3 mile island nuclear radiation release. People were vomiting with diarrhea and had a metalic taste. The fish in the Susquahanna river were all dead but authorities still insisted there was no danger to the public. I only had a strange intense nausea in my spinal column. Come to find out we came within 30 minutes of a chernobyl event. By day 3 I was 3000 miles away.

Treating Covid like the common cold going forward may hinder the awareness and necessicity of vaccine repeatition. Pretending we are finally back to normal may too optimistic but the trade off is with a potential mass social insanity.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 May 22 - 04:56 PM

Dupont:

Getting a bit smarter: listening to one of Mike's wonderful music programmes while I work. Need to remember more often.

Donuel: My two sons were in the vicinity of three mile at the time - with their idiot father. They did not get close enough to get sick but the wonderful youngest son of my friend Tina - whose memorial I will attend next week- died of cancer and suspected the cause - apparently "lots of young people" got the cancer after. Kip was in his mid 20s when he died - a self-supporting musician. Just a year older than my #2 son and one of his first playmates. Taun is planning to attend Tina's Memorial. (He lives in Philly.)

Found airbnb close enough; most in the area are taken that weekend! Waiting for a response from R before finalizing reservation - on a horse farm! Beautiful area!Only about 30 minutes from most of people/places. (Train is too public.)

Managed to mend two pairs of black jeans - one for R and one for other; started to hem another pair but back ached too much to do anything more! Pulled a few weeds this morning - that is the max! Yesterday: got that plant starting shelf unit out to back porch and photoed it for Rita, also put card tables out. The rest of clearing the hallway is up to R. This am, before leaving, he pulled the portable A/C out of a closet to the BR, ready for heat! I will put winter things in bins, and boots in its place. Clear the space for pottery; hope it uses different parts of back! It has never been this bad before.

Tulips started a couple days ago only one clump but it is growing!; daffies a week ago and still lovely, coltsfoot covered a chunk of "lawn" but now finished blooming; it was lovely. purple violets sprinkled around - to be encouraged! And some freckled ones in back yard! I will try to spread them around after they bloom. Yarrow coming up and tansy.The three little cherry trees are leafing out healthily. I had them wrapped in hardware cloth and chicken wire all winter. It was supposed to rain today but only sprinkled; I threw some wild flower seeds across the front yard - hopeful! Oh dear! no rain in sight for a week. They plant themselves so well when not wanted. There is a big clump of brown eyed Susan in a raised bed at Beaver that I can bring back next trip.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 May 22 - 05:36 PM

Dorothy, I'm sad to say the cancer deaths near the TMI plant are ubiquitous and horrific. There are some cancer survivors but we know that is for the short term. The wounds of being lied to are deep, especially from self inflicted evils of Nuke disasters and bio-war.

You get Spring a month late compared to us but we pay a price in August. Air Travel is pretty good as long as you pick a good carrier that hasn't had mass cancellations.

Your posts chronical everyday life in a way historians love. I don't think distant archeologists will be able to uncover our digital remarks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 May 22 - 06:07 PM

Don, My brother and I are "downwinders" from living near the Hanford plant when we were young. The family moved away fairly soon after my brother was born, but Mom put us on a list of people to be notified of events or studies - after a dozen years or so that listing went away. I suppose if some insurance company went digging in those records they could hold that against us.

I've been achy for a couple of days, no other symptoms. I'll go ahead and do a COVID test, just to be super safe.

Lawn mowing and trimming in back this evening. Today a small box arrived, an air filter kit for the lawn mower includes a spongy filter I don't usually use in the mower, so I might cut it into shape for the tiller. I could get started on that work now rather than waiting a couple of weeks. I can add a little oil to it later. This would be much better than the crumbly filter that was in the machine when I took it apart.

Alternate day fasting has resumed for now. I need to get some more fruit and veggies this evening, after I finish mowing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 04 May 22 - 08:47 PM

The US has passed the 1 million covid death count.
Doesn't seem real somehow. A much smaller number feels more believable.
I now know how 700 million sudden deaths might feel like.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 May 22 - 01:20 PM

A proposed new gadget for Jon to think about.

A new navigation system enables a swarm of 10 lightweight drones to fly together without crashing into one another or obstacles, even in challenging places such as forests.

Drones can compute their location and find a path to follow using a panoply of sensors, which can be expensive and unwieldy. Shrinking down a drone often involves getting rid of key components, impacting its ability to travel safely.

I've always thought having a drone would be interesting, but fear I'd lose it in the trees around here.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 May 22 - 04:53 PM

Dupont:

Nerve wracking wondering about the trip to PA and then about planning it, is over. The die is cast. Diagram of who I will meet when and things to do in white spaces. Leave on Thursday, Albany overnight, PA Fri eve to a friend and we will all go to the folk dancing. Me: hoping I can dance a few easy ones! SIL being very conciliatory: whenever you can, just call and come over.

Trimmed taller grass in front today, careful to miss dandelions. Two loads of laundry, still to be sorted and bed re-made. Wonderful weather no humidity and nice breeze. R in Den with wood stove perking! I turned the heat WAY down!

Collected some more items from the Mill yesterday; no sign of the rest of my vinyl albums or Marie Corelli books. The storage area looks like a cyclone hit - totally stirred up. Still pecking away at sorting and burning and sorting some more; there is a lot more paper still there. I consider just getting rid of it but have found some treasures in the first lot.

Box packed to take to #2 son - negatives for last 80 years, possibly?. Another folder for bro, and another bag for folk dance group. Making distilled water for the trip. Found decent clothes in closet - that fit! Been wearing the same few things for two years.

This trip into my distant past community could be its own kind of cyclone.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 08 May 22 - 07:53 PM

Saw you guys on mudcat facebook for my mudcat fix. The best thing I found there was Paxton

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 May 22 - 02:11 PM

The forecast is quite hot here for this week, so it's a matter of pacing myself for the outdoor work, and as much as I'm not a morning person, getting up earlier for some of it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 May 22 - 05:04 PM

Flickr sent another nasty-gram; since I'm not a pro member at this time I can't have more than X number of private photos. I've removed hundreds of photos anyway, but hadn't finished the job. There are few if any people photos - Flickr is leaving customers open to trolling by forcing free accounts to be mostly public. (That's where the old Mudcat Troll did most of his damage, harvesting from FB and Flickr). I've wasted time this hot afternoon sitting here editing groups of photos. Over the years I've gone back and forth, joining Flickr or not. For now, not.

I've walked through the house focussing on horizontal surfaces to clear clutter. So many things have someplace they can be stored if I get around to putting them away. In general if there are objects on surfaces then there is dust also because I don't move things often to dust around and under. As a result a number of things are in the trash now. Must be ruthless sometimes about not keeping everything because it might someday have a use.

It will cool some around 5, so I'll go out and mow the front then.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 May 22 - 05:37 PM

Today, I pruned and weeded at home, and had my fangs probed by the dentist.

The rest of the week will be rather busier than I like.

I put on my summer jeans this morning and found them too big. Last summer, I could barely button them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 09 May 22 - 06:20 PM

Three cheers and a tiger for you, Sis!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 May 22 - 09:12 PM

Dupont:

Went off to do errands and have the car serviced. The list blew out the car window when I was driving back home for a book to keep me company. 3 hours in the dreadful chair in the showroom @ $350 an hour! The car is well serviced; I am too exhausted to use the clay I prepped last night. I have, however, made some progress in sorting the stuff we brought from the Mill this trip. Food tonight is, however, from M&M.

This awkward time of year; the house is too cool or too warm. I turned the heat WAY down and have a fire in the stove. Trying to keep it warm enough for him and cool enough for me! BR window open some and close drape to keep out afternoon sun... And door to keep the cool in the BR. Etc...

Managed a stop at Koodo/Telus re the loss of my phone history a couple. Spent an hour on line yesterday trying to get help to NO avail but the nice young woman fixed it in one second. I might know what she did. Not at all sure what I did to cause it.

Went into a pharmacy to buy "222's" for Broome. They never figured out that I was having trouble understanding their words - muffled. But ascertained that these could not be bought without prescription; felt fortunate they did not call police; they seemed upset. Life seems to become more complex every time I go out there...

Got two large brownies at the bakery without any trouble! Put them in the "brownie container and cut them into much smaller pieces - about one mouthful size. We are being conservative!

The range malfunctioned and overcooked the food - not too badly but the window said something about calling for service. Down to one functional burner and now the oven... It's a Jenn-Air $$$$$$$$! I can live without the oven - anyway we are going away for a week! Right now I need to focus on what to take; what not to forget!

Manana!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 May 22 - 03:55 PM

Exercise and fasting today. Hopefully today will budge more than a few ounces at a time. I'm about to mow - a noisy activity that will hopefully disturb Cookie from her vigil at the base of the baldcypress where a young squirrel has been waiting her out. I distracted the dogs but the squirrel didn't catch on that that was an escape opportunity. Those rodents that fail to figure out the easy stuff are destined to be caught by Cookie.

Meanwhile, I set a have-a-heart trap in the front after seeing a mouse or young rat fly past when I was mowing. It's right against the wall; the only thing I've caught so far are fire ants.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 10 May 22 - 07:39 PM

A lung infection responded well to Amoxcilain, whew.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 May 22 - 09:55 PM

Dupont:

Never got enough energy to throw pots; put clay in a plastic bin, well covered and with water in the bottom. If I cannot throw tomorrow, hope it stays damp until next week.

Car is mostly loaded. Plans made for my part of trip. R's: I thought we were staying with Broome on Thurs but he/Penny arranged a hotel room - with her points! He added a couple smoked meat sandwiches to his bagel order, and the elusive Zero bars, to requests. R will pick up said foods tomorrow night. Donna is looking for zero bars - in her non-existent spare time! (SRS: might be interested in "The Word" bookstore in Montreal - owned by donna's husband - 50 years in a hole in the wall near McGill campus. On my FB "friend" list.)

Managed to trim a part of the back yard with my wonderful battery powered weed wacker - as the evening cooled a bit. It "only" went up to 25C today - too hot for me. When we get back, I will install the A/C in BR.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 11 May 22 - 04:40 PM

I cut a dozen vines and many more bamboo sprouts (6ft tall).
Now I have to change the weed whacker head and put a new chain on the. I weighed this opal thing and its over 5 lbs.in saw.
My deep red smoke tree looks good with the vining deep purple flowers.
Im on the hunt for a dynamic colored Azelea bush. I need to call the county to remove a dying Linden tree on the curb thats dropping large limbs.

I'm still doing detail work on the Opal Seascape. The next step requires gloves and mask. I have 3 small pictures painted with crushed colored gemstones. I weighed this opal work and its over 5 lbs.
I found a new way to create indestrucible but flexible foliage on the Opal islands.

I ordered a table from Etsy and after the sale an email said the table does not include legs. I said an advertised table but now without legs is called the floor.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 11 May 22 - 04:46 PM

The confusion is not me but my computer deciding where to put my typing on its own.

I'm listening to podcasts of Lex Fridman interviewing scientists. I don't think I can do all 250 hours.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 May 22 - 06:49 PM

One of two boxes for friends and family finally was mailed today. It's large, and I ran into a delay when it came to finding a shipping method - UPS didn't like my account information and locked me out and the other carriers were all pretty high. I got lucky when I went into my PayPal account with this bookmarked link and it let me do discounted shipping. If you use PayPal, it's worth bookmarking that page.

The second box will hopefully go later this week. This is another few cubic yards of stuff out of the house.

It's unusual for me to make more than one trip out in a day, but on my first time out I forgot to take my completed ballot for a May 24 election. I have plenty of time, but now that it's ready, I don't want to misplace it. I have a couple of other things I can do on that same trip. I bought a pound of asparagus today that was more expensive than usual - another customer and I were laughing about the decision to buy gas or buy asparagus.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 May 22 - 10:36 PM

Busy day - and I finally got to the gym to start using the recumbent bike and treadmill. Before the first surgery there was no COVID and the gym was much closer to the house. Now I'll try to get there a couple of days a week. I even managed to get in more than 100% of the steps with my fitness tracker.

Counting Coups: I've considered getting an electronic keyboard because my lovely old upright grand needs to be restored. It is so old that it's tuned a whole note low and is missing the hammer on high C. Today I found a keyboard at Goodwill for $20. There wasn't a power supply or sustain pedal (both plug in) but I tested batteries, replaced on dead one, then hunted through all of my old power supplies for 1A (it used to power a Linksys router.) Plugged in - and it works! I don't need all of the voices or reverb, I just want it to sound like a piano. You have two weeks to try electronics and return them if they don't work. You have two weeks to try electronics and return them if they don't work so I wouldn't have been out anything if it was a dud.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 May 22 - 11:01 AM

Sticker shock - putting gas in the SUV at $4.57 a gallon. Must. Stay. Home.

Finally all of the tiller parts are here. Watering for my side of the street is Wednesday and Saturday so I'll set up the sprinkler early tomorrow and after it has time to soak in I'll use the tiller to finish the garden preparation. In the meantime, I have figured out how to extend the fence another few inches for my privacy area where the potting bench sits now. I guess this is a "just because I can" kind of operation. The fence did originally end right at the driveway edge, now it's a couple of feet shy of it. And maybe it will keep any itinerant shower-takers from noticing the space.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 May 22 - 03:40 PM

In southwestern Ontario, regular gasoline now costs Cdn$1.95 per litre, and Diesel fuel is up to Cdn$2.50 per litre.

A litre is a hair larger than an American quart, so that's Cdn$7.80, or about US$6.00 per US gallon of gas.

Food prices have risen to levels I have never seen before: $2.49 per pound is the new $1.49 per pound for apples GROWN RIGHT HERE IN CANADA, and oranges are unobtainable for less than $1.99 per pound. On Tuesday, I paid $12.59 for a modest bunch of asparagus. My heating bill went from steep to ridiculous between January and April. Meanwhile, my investment accounts have taken a massive kick in the arse ...

Thanks to Edmund's Army pension, I'm fine for money. I worry about my car-dependent friends, however, especially those who did not have the luck and/or foresight to marry a soldier back in the day.

Stinking hot today, first heat wave of the year. I weeded and pruned again this morning, and rearranged the clag stashed in the garden shed to make room for the garbage can, which moves out of the garage in summer to increase the distance between the kitchen and the stink of cat-litter gleanings. A set of choir risers was stashed in there about two years ago, and to my surprise I easily moved them single-handed. Now they're stacked in the garage shelving that used to be jammed with Edmund's now-departed camping gear.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 May 22 - 04:12 PM

My modest Vanguard mutual funds have tanked - if I did the math correctly the loss this spring is about 20% of the total from the high. But since they're shares it's better when it turns around again.

While taking a mediation/power nap it dawned on me that the fence extension I'm proposing by adding to the post at the end of the fence would have been better achieved by simply letting the cross-members extend beyond the post position, not cut them off there. Now I'm adding scraps on to the empty half of the post supports and putting up one more picket. I had other kinds of plans when I put it up, and thought the gate would be positioned differently, is why. #LiveAndLearn

Down five pounds.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 May 22 - 11:41 PM

Fence extension completed. I had scrap pieces of treated 2x4 and screwed them onto the 3 support pieces on the last pole (I'd ended the fence at the middle of the post so they were sticking out.) I was able to screw on two more pickets facing the street, giving me 10 1/2" more fence, and to give it a finished look I then attached a final picket to the ends of those 2x4s (at a 90^o angle from the street). This way you don't see the last post and you don't see the fence just stop, it has a more substantial look at that end/corner.

The new filter is in the tiller and it's ready to go in the morning. I set up my sprinkler to water those beds after dark this evening (instead of waiting until tomorrow). So I can till early before it gets too hot. Bonus filters: I changed out the air filters in both heat pumps in the house.

I'll wear one of my double-layer masks for the garden dust (these I don't use for public places, just for yard work.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 22 - 10:48 AM

Australian fuel prices have also risen dramatically!
fuel costs around Sydney - nearest to me is 217.9 cents per litre

I don't drive so am not directly affected - apart from prices in shops etc. I heard a shopkeeper interviewed yesterday say that fright on a container (of whatever) used to cost $9 now costs $25!

Fortunately I have a good pension, but people on low incomes are badly affected.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 May 22 - 06:01 PM

Sandra, you are fortunate! We don't have great rapid transit here, and I have a vehicle that takes the more expensive gas, but I can manage to drive infrequently. Make every trip count, and do as many chores as possible along the way.

Several household chores today to choose from, but as I just walked into the den and realized it was easily 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, at the top of the is I have to get the shade cloth or lattice on the patio cover to keep the sun from baking the back of the house.

Visualizing moving some furniture. A lot of it, actually.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 May 22 - 06:40 PM

A half a tank of gas now costs $50. Two weeks of groceries 300.
No pool this year should offset inflation.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 May 22 - 06:42 PM

I live almost in the CBD, around the corner from the next train station east, & am 2 stations & a short bus trip from the coast. I"m also a 10 min walk from the harbour, tho it's been a long time since I wandered down to here. Most of my activities are just on the other side of the CBD = short train trip (2 or 3 stations) then max. 30 min bus trip. Trains & buses are 10 to 15 mins apart. My part of sydney is well served by public transport.

I have friends who live 20 miles west of Sydney where public transport is not so good. (services are 30-60 mins apart.) Some areas of greater Sydney, especially where poorer people live do not have much, or good public transport so folk need to drive to the station or to their work if there are no connections.

As to downsizing - I did sell half-a-bag of unwanted treasures last weekend! And have taken several bags of other stuff to charity shops recently. I still have 4 more bags in front of my wardrobes waiting to be loaded into my trolley & taken away. As a wise friend said, can I see space? Not really ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 May 22 - 08:50 PM

I did a quick fix on my patio cover - instead of buying a set of lattice panels (about $27 each, need 5-6) or even buying a larger tarp, I used the 10x12' tarp I bought last summer (still in the wrapper - to set up for filtering out sun on the glass doors). It went up on top, and later on I'll add the longer tarp over it and have a double filter there and shade the door. That bigger tarp is on sale until the 22nd (I have a coupon). The cover structure is warped and needs to be tightened up. Something else to do this summer.

It's time to finally list my eBay items and make space in the front room as stuff sells, as will taking my bin of donation things to Goodwill. I reuse that bin and it lives in my laundry room.

The big money-saver to take care of this weekend is to send in a tax protest to the county - taxes are increasing so fast and the tax office presumes this house is in mint condition. I need to catalog the flaws that I would need to declare if I were selling it, and deduct that depreciation from the appraised value they assigned. I'll have to go to the hearing, but I've learned some tricks about how to do that from a local journalist whose raison d'être seems to be to yank the chains of all of the county taxing entities. This is a gift to my future self.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 May 22 - 03:54 AM

Petrol is around £1.62 per litre round here. Trying to convert that, I get it to:

7.48USD per us gallon.
2.57CAN per litre.
2.86AUD per litre.

We had a bit of a shock last week when we needed heating oil, it had more than doubled to £1 per litre. We don't order the oil. Bob next door does that. If we can combine our 600-700L order with his order, the oil company will do it at a slightly cheaper rate as they can do both in one tanker visit. He told me that it was good job we'd not wanted oil a few weeks earlier as the price had shout up to £1.75 before settling at £1.

Our fixed rate electricity tariff ended this month and the best I could find adds about £1000pa to the bills...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 May 22 - 04:49 AM

I live in a 1-bedroom apartment & my electricity is under the 1-person household level. I giggle internally when I see the link for Energy Reducing hints on my bill.

My windows are locked open 6" or so, & I use small fans in occupied rooms in summer, & warmer clothes in winter as my part of Sydney is not cold, tho folks further west need heaters, no doubt some/many of my neighbours have heaters. I'm about half a km from the harbour (hidden behind buildings) & have friends on the harbour in a very cold 2 bedroom terrace a couple of kms away who are already using their winter quilt & heater. Folks further west (30-40km) have night-time averages below 10C mid winter. Folks in parts of the Blue Mountains (100km) can get snow.

But I'm ok in my little bit of paradise as winter draws on ...

Today I took 2 bags of useful stuff to my favourite charity shop, a craft shop & came back with 3 small balls of wool! Not that I don't have more than a lifetime supply of yarn ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 May 22 - 05:15 AM

I don't think brother Tim ever needs heating where he his (Diamond Valley, I think just a little bit inland from the main Sunshine Coast area of QLD) but, maybe he could use A/C he doesn't have. He tells me that summer heat and humidity combination cat get a bit challenging.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 May 22 - 09:24 AM

my sister lives at Noosa, close to the water & also endures heat & humidity

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 May 22 - 10:45 AM

An underlying theme in the declutter threads has been how to save money (and the pain of unexpected bills). Emptying our pocketbooks is something we try to avoid. We wince each time someone describes an expensive repair or replacement. Cars some to mind in the last year. Water heaters. Washers and dryers.

One savings I've managed this year is to change cell phone plans. AT&T was close to $70 a month, so I switched to the original plan at TING and dropped to about $33 a month. The company leases access to the T-Mobile network, so I have great national coverage. A few months ago I took a look at TINGs new plans and found a FLEX plan that rewards those who don't use much data. Now text and talk minutes are included in a flat $10 a month. It used to charge as I reached certain benchmarks - number of minutes, texts, or data. My bill is now $18 a month, and if I go over a Gig of data, it goes up by $5. I use the phone mostly on WiFi in the house to avoid the data. That's $52 a month that can go for something else. That's about how much the last tank of gas cost.

It's sad to think Don won't pay to keep the pool up and running - that might be a good alternative to going out for $$ recreational activities. Musical potlucks at the house around the pool sound inviting. And if something untoward happens, turn the potluck into a rent party. :-/

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 May 22 - 07:11 PM

I’m utterly exhausted after a long day of singing, at church in the morning, and then the Stratford Concert Choir’s first performance since the 2019 Messiah. Yesterday, I played back-up mandolin for a friend’s violin school recital. And I tidied the garage and raked three bags’ worth of last year’s leaves out of the garden beds.

Definitely enough productivity for a while. Tomorrow is pool class, and then I’ll flop.

My favourite contractor has surfaced again, so I might just get my mouldy bathroom dealt with before the collapsing stock market swallows all my money.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 May 22 - 05:38 PM

I started with last year's letter and added on - my annual tax protest is as agonizing as paying the federal income taxes. When you live in a house for 20 years and do only essential repairs because the others are out of reach, then the tax office needs to stop assuming this house is turnkey ready for someone to buy it and move in. This year I'm trying to push the taxes back before what they were raised to a couple of years a go. I've learned a thing or two (I hope).

Now to the post office to mail my letter to the tax district asking them to send me the information that they will be using to prove my house is worth more - the "comparables" are properties in the area that they say prove mine holds the same value. But if they have a pool, were newly renovated, don't pay flood insurance, etc., I can dispute their choices. And I didn't know that before.

On the same trip I'll make my run for the second tarp and some cheap bungee cords to anchor it into place over the top of the first one I screwed down yesterday.

The AC needs attention, but before I make that call I'll trim the weeds around it and hose out the filters on the outside unit like he told me I should last summer. It might help, and it can't hurt.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 May 22 - 09:46 PM

I posted a sequence of photos on Instagram showing the tarp installation over the patio cover. I didn't want to haul the tall articulated ladder out so I tied a long twine to a grommet at the corner of the tarp, attached a padlock to the other end, and threw it over the top to begin pulling it across. Nudging with a broom stick and a few leveraged pulls I managed to get the whole thing in place. With just the short step ladder and some cheap bungee cords I fastened it to the frame. This is over the top of the 12x10' tarp I screwed down onto just the very top, so the filtering is robust. The new tarp hangs a longer on the west side where the evening sun hits. The house is much cooler this evening.

I had my coupon at Harbor Freight but my size tarp was out of stock; I glanced to the side and found one on a shelf with a tag saying it was an "open box" and priced a dollar cheaper than my coupon. The stars aligned and my house is much cooler.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 May 22 - 05:39 PM

A friend took a picture of me tuning my mandolin the other day. It’s the first photo of me since Edmund died in which I don’t look as if I have a headache and can hardly wait to flee.

This afternoon I went through the closets and drawers in search of clothing to part with, and ended up with two huge bags of winter stuff that I packed up to wait for October, and a third bag of hot-weather garments that can go to Goodwill tomorrow. I have to obtain a cardboard box in which to pack up Edmund’s summer hats, and then they can go, too. (Except the UN-blue Tilley he was issued for deployment in Haiti; I need that for gardening.)

I find that I can now let go of some of Edmund's stuff that I held onto a year ago.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 May 22 - 06:54 PM

That's a good measure of healing, the sorting of stuff. I still have things from my parents that I hold onto, though much of it went. And they died two decades ago.

Costco has the wild caught salmon I like and usually has cases of it in view in the freezer. Today there were two nearly-empty cases on the shelf. In case this is a hint of things to come I bought an extra for myself and two for my ex, who asked for one. During shortages I'm fine with various sorts of toilet paper, but heaven forbid we run out of the good salmon!

Today is a regular eating (non-fasting) day so I enjoyed a slice of pizza at Costco. Sometimes you need a dose of crust and grease to keep things moving along.

Another large box mailed today, clearing the path to some other work in the front room. The boxes that Tractor Supply uses for shipping dog food are 24x17x9, so you can cram a lot in them. This box had some rather valuable Oaxacan wool rugs I bought 40 years ago and have never used or hung up. They're gorgeous and it's time to use them. They are interested in using them on the walls there. Meanwhile I still have a couple here and I need to build a new frame to hang up the one, and show my son the plans - it involves using Velcro all over the frame to stick the rug to so it doesn't hang folded or have to be stitched or stapled, etc.

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

The weather forecast suggests that by the weekend we'll be closer to normal spring temperatures and some rain might happen. Fingers crossed!

My den is looking better after shipping stuff, and previously I mentioned moving furniture. If I move stuff into another room, then things in that room have to move. It's a giant representation of that Chinese plastic toy with 35 numbered tiles in 36 spaces.

Now that the patio is in better shape I'm considering attempting a cushion on the wrought iron bench. The question - will Cookie leave it alone? She tears stuff up less often now, but she still has the impulse at times. Which reminds me - it's time to wash the dog bed covers and put the dog beds away. It's too hot for fluffy beds when the tile floor feels cooler.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 18 May 22 - 02:40 PM

How did I end up with dozens of high-quality plastic coat hangers? They’re the kind with broad plastic shoulders that furriers use, and the basement was full of them.

Not any more.

The locker rooms at the YMCA have nice built-in coat racks that are all clagged up with bent and twisted wire hangers that won’t hold a winter coat. Today I asked the guy at the reception desk if the Y might be up for a donation of decent hangers, and the management accepted with enthusiasm. They’re out of here in half an hour, when I head out for a haircut.

Two medium-sized bags of summer clothes went to Goodwill this morning.

I still have a superfluity of hangers, but what’s left is an assortment of wooden coat and suit hangers (the curved kind) that could well be rehomed by way of the spring rummage sale at church.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 18 May 22 - 08:18 PM

The ideal weather made this a fitness day. Mowed, picked up sticks and bamboo sprouts, applied a ceramic coating to the car and started the hot tub up to temp. The tarps and rugs that insulated the tub over winter were put over a future garden area to knock down weed growth.
I threw out inoperative appliances like wet vacs. Did the garbage and lawn refuse. Made soup and I'm winding down while the sun is setting at 8:13 tonight. I got through several podcasts during breaks.
Having discovered Lex Fridman I have over 200 youtube shows to go.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 May 22 - 10:20 PM

Busy, day, Don! I would love to have a hot tub out on the patio, but I'll never get around to putting one in. Charmion, that sounds like a great distribution of fancy hangers. I have the same ol' plastic colored hangers I use, and if I need more I dig in one of the kids closets. My daughter in particular had all sorts of costumes and sometimes I raid that stash.

I moved bricks and furniture sitting on the patio and took the weed-whacker to the edges, knocked a lot of the grass out of the cracks in a brick extension on the west side, then swept it all. To finish, I didn't exactly power wash, but squirted a lot of the worst mud-stained spots off of the concrete. There is a potted plant back on the little square redwood table, and the patio looks a lot larger now.

The bricks go in three places in V-shapes for feeding the dogs outside (so the bowls won't slide), but I haven't done that in ages. I need to teach Cookie how to wait at her other place outside. It'll come back to Zeke and Pepper.

My workout today was accomplished by running the tiller without the rudder or whatever the metal stake is that extends down in back. I removed it as recommended in several YouTube videos, then ran the tiller with just the blades and pulled it backwards to till the raised beds. It's digging and trying to move forward as you pull it back - an effective way to turn the soil down a few inches. It works well but was a lot of work to do that pulling. I'll make another pass in each bed after raking out roots and stems and gardens will get planted this weekend. Finally!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 May 22 - 02:18 AM

I've been turning out my wardrobes and drawers, and having a sensible review of many of my clothes. Some of them are rather too 'young and trendy' for someone of my age, and as I'm now much slimmer (size 12) the 'fat lady's ones' will have to go.
Gardening - gaagh! But I've managed to dig up several chunky plants I no longer like. They don't contribute much to the 'cottage garden' effect I'd like to create. So into the garden waste bin they went.
I'm proud to say my garage is now completely empty (except for my little Fiesta car of course), unlike many around here, which are crammed with stuff, so their cars have to be parked outside on their drives.
I think many elderly people become either hoarders, or 'clearer-outers'. I'm in the latter camp.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 May 22 - 10:13 AM

As a fellow clearer-outer, I also enjoy the wide-open space I have in my garage where other people keep their hoards of stuff. Every winter, I rejoice in that space as I drive around town without having spent a mauvaise quart d'heure clearing the car of ice and snow. Likewise, the driveway is left clear for the snow-removal people, who scrape it down to the tarmac and thus save me hours and hours of hard labour that I am frankly too old for.

Of all the household services I pay for, I love snow-removal the best, though lawn-mowing comes a close second.

I feel much more ambivalent about house-cleaning, and I now realize that I'm not crazy about having another person having the run of the place. The cat-visitor doesn't go into the bedroom or the study for more than the few seconds it takes to ascertain that the roof isn't leaking and the windows are intact, but an effective cleaner can hardly help eventually finding out where everything of value to me is stashed. Cleaners also grab and drop fragile things that should not be grabbed or dropped, and they apologize profusely but the things remain irreparably damaged. So I guess I'm resigned to the whole tedious business of dusting, vacuuming and scrubbing while I still can.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 May 22 - 10:47 AM

Years ago I experienced several years of using remote storage; after my father died and his stuff stayed locally in storage until I could move it down here. Before Dad's stuff could arrive I went through a divorce and filled two pods. So once I moved into this house I first emptied the pods into a room in the house (stacked up like a warehouse) and then I brought the contents of the remote storage locker and filled the garage. As the remodeling on the house was finished I moved stuff out of that room, and some of the garage stuff came indoors. I swore to myself that I would never have one of those garages that was so full of stuff that I couldn't park inside once I finally emptied it enough to pull the pickup in. For a while I needed a shoehorn to pull in and out, but now it's quite airy in there. Gardening stuff lives along the sides so when the door is open it looks like a garage with gardening stuff, not like a storage locker.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 May 22 - 08:04 PM

I'm about to swap out some worn-out night shirts with some new ones. At the thrift store I also found a nice blouse with 3/4 sleeves, but at home I found it still had a security tag so have to take it back tomorrow for removal. I was planning a short trip to the nursery, so I'll go a little further and have them remove that thing. It didn't make noise when I left the store so it may be one of the ink ones.

Planting the garden this weekend, that's what the nursery trip is about. I have a few seeds started but other things will be bedding plants.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 May 22 - 10:17 PM

Dupont:

Managed to throw and trim pots on the Weds and do some weed whacking. Then the trip: Got to Albany, got a bit lost; a nice lady at a garage let us phone Broome for directions. My phone which I was assured had ROAMing did not function south of the border. Had a very late BF with B at a Cracker Barrel - an interesting experience. We had to navigate, holding our breath, through the stinky stuff to a back area without candles etc. The food was Southern.

Then he guided us to the hotel and we proceeded to spend too much time trying to get the phone to work - NO customer service. I ended up paying $1 for some foolishness and the nice tech told me to turn it off and then on...!!! Just like the computer! I messaged them that I was not pleased to be taken in by some foolish "service" that I could ask advice on everything from doctors to lawyers...! Received a message that they canceled the "membership" of $46/month! Tonight I had to phone the bank re the charge on my credit card which was added two days after the message. And the possible double charge for the motel on Monday night - a mere $152 - when we were so tired we could barely see the road. I would have stopped two hours earlier...

On Friday, we went to Broome's house and saw why his wife spends 6 months/year in Edinboro! There was a path through the house - a lovely old colonial - with boxes to the ceiling in every room. Only horizontal surfaces were the bed and a space the size of a bath towel on the K table. There are also two barns, a couple transport bodies and more. He is really trying to get rid of stuff; he told of filling a van with hundreds of albums and selling the lot... it was only a small percentage of what he still has. His wife loves him! We love him.

We got lost in NYS and finally found the PA information center and a wonderful woman printed us directions for the rest of the way south. We even obtained real maps! Unfortunately, we had to phone Ingelora and ask her to meet us at the folk dancing. There I managed to give away a couple nice tops, some folk dance Cds and some printed material on folk dances!!! And a dress I bought in old Montreal in 1969 - Ingelora took that! I even managed to dance a few easy dances and it was wonderful to see my friends.

My son and his partner came to the Memorial and we met her for the first time - very nice. Some special people there for both Taun and myself. He was greeted by the sons of my friend and the parents of his very first playmate were present. We stayed for the lunch, then R and I went to the Twnshp community day because I wanted to meet a woman I liked on FB. Then we re-gathered at my bro's for a late lunch. I gave Taun all the family pictures I still had, including negatives from the last 60 or 70 years that my dad had taken. And the 3 colour sweater I knitted for him many years ago out of good British wool; It had gotten damaged and I thought I still had some of the wool but have not found it in these 15 years so he gladly accepted it, saying that Tenley could fix it. He is still slim enough to wear it - at 58.

Then we went to Ingelora's and chatted some more. I went to bed early. In the am we visited some more; we really like Ingelora. She is so happy divorced, in her own home, near the group home where her son lives. She teaches viola and violin to private students in her music room.

Then we went to the Charlestown Playhouse (nursery school) Clothing Sale - an institution! R acquired three pairs of good quality shoes ($14) and a bunch of books. I fancied a sterling silver dolphin brooch so I sent a pic to Taun to see if Tenley would like it. "She'd love it." He said he would get a nice card and present it to her from me. My son is happy!

R and I went for a quick lunch to my bro's (and SIL) and then met Taun at the house to which he had arrived as a newborn. My father and I, bro and ex built it ourselves. I had forgotten it; the marriage was already deteriorating and when my bro needed to sell his house next door my "husband" insisted we buy it and sell the one we had built with such loving care. My dad and I designed it and being there again after 55 years broke my heart - I loved it so much. Such a beautiful house to raise kids in - open and airy with huge window seat looking out at the trees and down to the small pond.Totally off the road and private. And the family that bought it from us have cared for it totally. The dad is 90 and still a member of the local volunteer fire dept. A lovely man. (Wife died some years ago.) The adult daughter was there to visit with us; we have exchanged emails and are on FB. My other son was her "first crush" when they were in grade school - grades 1 & 2, I think.

Then we went to see the woman who was our wonderful babysitter when she was 12,13... and her partner in her cluttered home in the woods near the village. I drove to the village and tried to phone - NO service! So I stood in the intersection waiting for someone to be driving or walking; sure enough: a woman walking four poodles, and a man who was walking himself gave us directions. Sara told me I did not want to move. She holds memories of that time of my life and shared only a very little in company. I hope to gather a few more. She said she helped me put a foot locker in the car; I must have taken it to Tina's for storage as I did not leave with a car.

So, I have much to sort out and much to get over - crying over the house I loved. And wondering how it all happened.

Monday, we wended our way up through New Jersey to have lunch with a friend of R's and then on up along byways until it was too dark for us to keep on. And more of the same on Tuesday; I decided I had to go to the Adirondack Wildlife Centre to pay my respects to a woman who had been a director and died in January; we stopped in a small lovely town with a beautiful library and a wonderful woman who found us directions, and told us where to get good food; R bought some books and we got the best cornbread ever and delicious soup. We found the Centre and walked the mile long wildlife trail, met the husband and chatted with him and I gave him a small donation in memory. Then we continued on until we arrived in Chateauguay about 7 pm. And early BED!

Weds, I did groceries and laundry, whacked some of the high grass, trying to miss dandylions, and pulled a bunch of weeds. And cooked a meal. Today, I managed to finish getting through the over 600 emails that had built up, sent a couple, messaged a couple folks, spent a bit of time on FB checking on a few folks, called the bank about charges on credit card, tried to fill out a govt form that was totally useless and arranged to get a vote by mail ballot sent here for the Ontario election 2 June. That is the week that was!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 May 22 - 11:05 PM

Dorothy, that is way too much activity for just one week! You have a time machine stashed in one of your Canadian houses, don't you? Your secret is out!

Sounds like a marvelous visit, and I'd love to see photos of that house you loved so much!

I'm glad you sussed the phone scam and got rid of that plan.

Today is W*Y*S*I*W*Y*G's birthday. I hope it's a happy one! Thinking of you, Susan.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: LilyFestre
Date: 20 May 22 - 05:24 PM

Hi All! Just peeking in to say hello!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 May 22 - 05:59 PM

peeking in to add my wishes for your birthday

long time no see, how old is your little baby now?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 May 22 - 04:14 PM

More closet clearing, this time in the blouses, vests, and jackets. There are some I'll never get down to that size again, others are styles I'll never wear again. I still have a few obsolete pieces if I need to achieve that look of a white or beige blouse with slacks or skirt.

A couple of weeks ago I cleared out all of the size 8.5 shoes; I simply don't comfortably wear that size any more. I might start the morning in them but later in the day as feet swell they're too uncomfortable. I'm in 9 and 9.5 now. Jackets and shoes and most of the blouses go to Goodwill. There is a bag of silk blouses that I offered to my daughter the costume designer - who says yes, she says she can use silk.

I am slowly dismantling a low wall around a sort of "keyhole" garden bed I built years ago - as I work I'm impressed by how much work I put into it. And struggling to pull out the bottom layer that was a foundation for the rest. I'm 1/4 of the way now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 May 22 - 10:46 PM

Dupont:

SRS! It was indeed. I planned and messaged and got it all organized ahead and the only blip was SIL who kept "not putting any pressure on you but..." The best part was my son coming out with Tenley for the Memorial, and being greeted effusively by my friend's progeny - apparently their mom kept them in touch with my life - and a few other long time no see folks. Taun was glad to see the parents of his very first playmate; I doubt he has seen Jake since they graduated from different high schools at the same time. I was down for T's grad and we went to Jake's, after the fact at Upatinas - the alternative school that started in Tina's lower, walk-out level. Those two and Tina's youngest - a year older - went to the movies together. And Tina and I had a visit. Jake is now in Colorado.

And, I have No pictures of the house and am hoping my son might. I was too stunned to even think of it. It is not large at all but the cathedral ceiling over LR and DR give it an openness and the large windows in the LR and DR - lots of light, and the beautiful trees outside that have grown up wonderfully in the 55 years. I sat on the window seat, looking at the beautiful ceiling and windows and FELT HOME. Taun remembered the window seat and looking down at the pond - he could not have been more than 2, possibly 3. I don't have the date of when we moved out, only Sara's, "You didn't want to move".

Taun, family archivist, appreciated the "treasure trove of pictures" I took him.

I am still recovering. Sorting out a few things, largely in my mind! -and sending emails, requesting vote by mail ballot for Provincial election, and enduring the heat today. Getting back to the piles of papers to sort - so many are really interesting! Too hot today to weed whack but I did pull some weeds early this am, and enjoyed the Allium - purple - just starting and some dwarf purple iris. The Roxanne geranium by the front step has not yet started but it is very healthy, a reminder of Tina who also loved it.

Messaged her eldest son and asked for email addresses for he and sibs so I can sort of stay in touch. First send them notes re their loss. George had told R how pleased they were that I had come. Makes me feel as though I matter, and R feel better about the long time away from work, a gift to me as I could not have done it alone. It was a grueling trip and I don't feel closure as much as I feel stricken by the reality - Tina is gone. The home I loved is unattainable. My bro has cancer and is doing well but, my bro has cancer. His daughter is still a mess. The 3 children of my SIL are doing great. She was a great Mom; she had terrific parents. It matters. So many feelings arising from trip.

I packed up the dry pots made before the trip and cleared the "studio" in hopes of getting more made.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 May 22 - 11:26 PM

Dorothy, we all know that life isn't tidy, and it sounds like you did a lot of catching up and came out ahead as far as memories of the people and the locations.

I harvested my garlic today; it was early and not all of them had bloomed, but the leaves were yellow already, meaning it was time. The house smells like an Italian restaurant with all of those bulbs in a bucket in the laundry room. I'll brush off dirt and sort them soon.

It's wonderfully cool this evening, maybe as low as 60; we've had an entire month of summer temperatures way ahead of time, so this break is welcome. I'll open the bedroom and kitchen windows a bit to let the house cool. If we're really lucky there will be rain this week as it stays a bit more spring-like.

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

It’s a rainy Victoria Day weekend in Stratford, and my garden is loving it. Between yesterday’s cloudbursts, I planted two clumps of Monarda didyma (bee balm) from a friend, and the pot of Primula vulgaris (primrose) that the in-laws gave me back in March. Then I dug out the deceased lavender and called it a day.

The same friend who gave me the Monarda has found a new home for Edmund’s baguette pans and fish kettle (poacher) — her next-door neighbour, who is a chef. Maybe he will also accept a couple of bannetons — baskets for raising sourdough bread. My basement is looking tidier by the day.

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

I planted a few peppers and tomatoes in the first of three beds. That involved some digging to finish pulling out roots the tiller didn't grab. After an hour or so I shifted to disassembling more of the keyhole garden. Rocks pried out and moved to the back yard, and a wheelbarrow full of soil dug out and tipped next to a plank that will be the side of the next raised bed. I put cardboard down to kill off the grass underneath. This fourth bed will hold the dirt from the soon-to-be-gone keyhole garden, and I'm planning to plant sweet potatoes in it.

The declutter of the day is that after pulling the laces out of my favorite pair of yard shoes in a long time, I put them in the trash. The soft soles are so thin that I can't put pressure on the shovel without it feeling like I'm digging barefoot. Time to find another pair for the yard. Old shoe laces go in the laundry room for the next time I need a cord to tie or fasten something . . .

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 May 22 - 09:59 AM

Also in today's trash is 1.5 pounds of JennieO turkey breast that is the least meat-like piece of animal protein I've come across since whenever. Too salty and strange mouthfeel. I tasted one corner of it then put it back in the fridge to await trash day. I won't even give it to the dogs. Not spoiled, just weird.

My photo cube (a 3x3x3 nylon cloth cube table tent) is back in the den on the cleared table because I wasn't using it much in it's place in the front room. It can be moved back when I need the table; I'll try to keep just the cube and two lights (that shine on it from outside to give diffuse lighting on whatever is being photographed) on the table, to make the move easy. Working on eBay stuff this week.

I'll be out running errands so the donation bin goes in the SUV. I bring the bin back empty and it lives in my laundry room accumulating Goodwill donations. Easier than leaving them all around the house and trying to remember them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 May 22 - 11:21 AM

The Saturday storm system that I experienced as cloudbursts wrought havoc across Ontario, especially in the Ottawa region, where a derecho effect toppled hydro towers and trees. Stratford was hardly touched — boughs torn off here and there, a tree down on Milton Street — but my brother’s house in the south end of Ottawa is still without hydro power.

I did something I should not have, and the sciatica has returned to my right lower back. It’s mostly ignorable, but unfortunately weakens my right leg so I have trouble spading the garden. I have rather a lot of digging on my agenda, so I am quite irked. Heigh-ho, back to physio.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 23 May 22 - 12:43 PM

Knee pain: If you are going to get a surgical procedure anyway this injection prior to surgury may be for you. https://www.iovera.com/patient?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=patientkol-branded&utm_term=knee%20treatment&utm_co


There are brand new lubricant injections that can be used instead of surgury but since I'm not prescribing research is required.
Many of them use Hyaluronic acid, injections are done with simulataneous real time image scanning

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 May 22 - 07:00 PM

Don, thanks for the information - but it's something I tried without much luck with the first knee. They were a pain literally and figuratively (it is inserted over three weeks, one per week). The knee has deteriorated to bone-on-bone. So while I tried it the first time, I lived with the pain for a longer than needed because of the delaying shots, I'm not doing that again. It's to the point where it's plenty painful and I know how it will go if I don't get it fixed soon. And who knows - maybe not waiting till it's so bad will help with recovery. I can always hope!

When I went out to my volunteer job this morning I forgot the donation bin along with my shopping list and phone. I'll try an evening run now that rush hour should be slowing. I'm trying to get things set enough in advance that I'm not making last minute preparations for a few weeks at home with the PT folks coming in. Time to arrange to pamper myself a little.

P.S. I made an assumption on the name in Don's link - following it I'm not sure what that is about but it isn't something that would make my bony knee feel any better.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 24 May 22 - 11:28 AM

The HVAC guy just left after an expensive couple of hours in the basement. The water heater, a gas-fired instant-on thing installed in 2009, has definitely reached the palliative stage of life-cycle maintenance, but it's good for a while yet. The humidifier needs a new wick of a type that the technician did not keep in his truck -- ain't it always the way -- and therefore requires another visit. Furnace and air-conditioner are fit and healthy, what a relief.

Especially after the expensive adventure of the water softener. Is it too much to ask that only one major appliance should fail in any given year?

The wardrobe reduction of last week resulted in *two* empty chests of drawers, one of which is now scheduled to find a new home. That leaves me with three: one in my bedroom for normal clothes, one in the box-room with clothes (mostly fancy) that I wear rarely but expect to want in the foreseeable future, and the empty one in the guest room for, y'know, guests.

The departing chest of drawers is the only one in the house that is less than 150 years old. It's apparently made of veneered "manufactured wood" (aka pressboard), and it weighs a young ton -- much too heavy for me to move by myself. Fortunately, it's in perfect condition without so much as a cat scratch in the finish, so the Habitat for Humanity ReStore should be willing to take it off my hands.

The box-room is also considerably clearer, and I intend to NOT acquire any clutter likely to end up in it. My long-term goal is to empty it of everything that isn't off-season clothing that I will actually wear when it's in season again, and the vacuum cleaner.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 May 22 - 06:50 PM

My ex called yesterday to tell me about a bill from a large phone company for 4 iPhones (Pro Max - $1300 each) and the extra monthly service plan for gaming data, etc. This said it was the first bill (installment - about $700) and it was in his name to his address. All of yesterday was spent trying to file online, but there were dead ends and they require a police report. Police reports, even online, stop when you can't say where the theft occurred.

This morning I called a local storefront of that phone company and asked what I needed to bring in to set up a new account and get a couple of iPhones. They would do a credit report (so SSN), ID, proof of address, etc. But if the credit report was good enough, the rest wasn't needed. His report is spotless. I explained then why I was asking, and it turns out the store folks can put you in touch with a real person in the fraud dept. My ex came over and we called again - it was a 45 minute call that resulted in an email with a report number he can show if anyone tries to claim he owes for the phones, and it alerts the credit reporting bureaus. He's also set up a fraud alert himself. This ID fraud ripped off about $5000 worth of phones after paying the sales tax at the store. The one satisfying thing? Once she turned in that report, the account was closed and the phones bricked. Nothing will work once the company bricks the phone.

That's exciting enough for today!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 May 22 - 12:03 AM

Charmion, I'm delaying the call to the HVAC guy, but I also have a budget-draining operation coming up soon. Since today has been a day of pocketbook preservation, I had a follow-up conversation with a family member who convinced me that it's time to completely freeze the credit reports. Only open them up if I'm planning a purchase.

Rain! Finally! This will make dismantling the keyhole garden a lot easier in the next week. It's a good mix of native soil, imported topsoil, and soil amendments that will be all softened up. Perfect for sweet potatoes, but they need to go in soon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 May 22 - 09:01 PM

Dupont:

Starting to take indoor plants outdoors. The Canna from last year, having spent the winter in the house! is now out in a large plastic bin, surrounded, to look better, by the hollow chunks of the fallen branch which I will put some other plants into the hollows. Mibni rose bush, doing fine in house, went into a sunny spot in the front garden. On Sunday, I will pick up veggie plants from le Jardin de la Resistance in southern QC. Try to plan a couple visits down there at the same time.

I am pecking away at weed whacking the tall grass and spent dandies, without murdering the wild strawberries or my fine crop of yarrow! The battery is only good for about 30 minutes then a 4 hour charge! But that is enough for my shoulders and back! I may be about half done. The mosquitoes drove me in tonight, impending rain for a couple days.

Construction going on down the road, 100 yards or so. It was dreadfully derelict and then demolished so this is predictable. Will be interesting to see what comes up. Our block is a total mix - old, elegant, small and almost derelict, etc!

Long email to the "girl" who grew up in "my house". See if I can help her with disintegrating marriage. Karen. The misuse of the name Karen is disconcerting - as a pejorative. I know a lot of nice Karens.

So, between rain showers, I can clear planters, etc out of the DR onto bins on back porch. And get back to sorting the papers that have spent enough time in the sunny windows to be tolerable. Switching from winter to summer - finding fans...

Sitting here, wondering how much more of Quebec I can tolerate; the new language law, just passed, is offensive to Anglos and self-defeating for young Francophones. There is no guarantee we will even be able to access health care in English. That is scary.

But for Robin with his complex business, I would stay in Ontario permanently. Yesterday, working in the yard, the woman from next door and the one from across the road, stopped for a visit. I managed a bit of French but Sophia is bi-lingual and helped Luisa and I make rudimentary conversation. I like them both but it is hard work. This aft, I saw Luisa at our end of her yard so did not go out as I just could not! She is going to Portugal in a couple weeks. I will go to Beaver early next week. It is such a relief to be in Anglo land! I would like to sit and visit with Sophia but she rarely comes out of house. This has been a rough couple of years.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 May 22 - 10:29 PM

Dorothy, I was in Harbor Freight last week and at the register the clerk was slowly working through some kind of exchange transaction with two young men. Black, but I soon realized not African American - they were from Haiti. My French is all but nonexistent - I can say the numbers from one to ten, but that's about it now. Then one of them asked if we could habla español - pointing at them, I asked if they'd come through Mexico? "Si." I don't speak much Spanish either, though as the transaction was wrapping up a man arrived behind me who was a Spanish speaker. If I worked at learning some Spanish it wouldn't go to waste here; I hadn't thought about practicing French.

On Facebook fellow Mudcatter Virginia Tam shared an article about lead being in a lot of pre-2005 Corelle. I have quite a bit of it, plates and saucers mostly - and except for saucers it isn't getting used much. I think rather than give it to Goodwill I should probably toss it - it's a guess that it's only a problem if it breaks, but I don't actually know that. Rounding it up will help with some of the crowding in my main kitchen cabinet for everyday plates and cups. I use saucers a lot, so will have to hunt for something non-Corelle to replace them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 22 - 09:28 AM

The dew has to dry on the grass this morning, then I'll strap on the homemade ankle cuff for my fitness tracker wrist watch before starting a workout that shows up on my Google Fit as "walking." It's actually mowing, and because my hands are always on the mower handle the swinging arm of a regular walk doesn't register on the tracker. Hence my shifting it to the ankle to pick up on my steps.

The slow process of moving soil to a new bed will happen some more. And I plan to do some weeding in the front beds and find a place to plant two pots of a new color of daylily I picked up this week. I also have three small potted trees to plant behind the back fence. I need to put them in places where they won't get trampled and where I can find them again to water regularly while they're getting established. And since bulky waste is coming up next month I can take down a couple of the tall hackberry trees that shade things out.

I've been to the gym twice this week, where I don't have a set of exercises, I just head for one machine and use it for an hour. The muscles around the knee are my focus. If, once the knee has had time to recover, we don't have another round of COVID, I'll keep going and I'll broaden my workout.

There is a stack of Corelle on the kitchen counter: dinner plates, lunch plates, saucers, and bowls, gathered from around the room. The bowls and saucers need replacing, the rest I think I can live without. I would usually buy more at Goodwill, but I suppose it's possible that other vintage plates (different pottery, not the Corelle recipe) could have problems also. It may be time to buy a few new. I wonder how Fiesta ware stacks up? I have one of those and could find a few more at estate sales, etc. The largest plates I use mostly for food preparation; a chicken can thaw on a large plate, or cut up ingredients sit on one prior to cooking. Paring down the stuff in the kitchen is a good thing in general, I'll just replace part of what I'm removing now to the pieces I most frequently use. (Next week I'll be at my favorite Goodwill, so I may be able to find something there - they actually end up with antiques regularly, and I think that's where I picked up the Fiesta ware.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 27 May 22 - 10:17 AM

Speaking of water, Nestle has circumvented an 1882 law that said the the great lakes are public and are not to be siphoned off to private entities.
Also the world's ground water that has been pumped for 50 years to replace the polluted or non existant water has now reached the level of economic depletion. Its getting to deep to drill.
If you thought gas prices were manipulated, the water crises will make pandemics look microscopic. Water wars are nothing new but water world wars (www) may threaten Canada and Brazil as water predator nations look thirsticly at the two top fresh water countries in the world.

Black gold will take a backseat to blue gold.
It is said societies will survive with 2/3 of the near 8 billion people were to suddenly expire. However it would be better to have water catchments everwhere instead of dams. Then abandon the areas that are natural deserts.

Now were off to the Memorial weekend water park before it becomes half pee by August.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 22 - 10:59 AM

I have one of those survival "life straw" filters here in my emergency stash, should I need to start drinking the water from the creek behind the house. I also know how to make distilled water using pots I have here.

There's a healthy stack of Corelle in the kitchen now. I've found new replacement bowls and saucers on Amazon, so I may trade the large stack out (to the dump, not to Goodwill) for a small stack from Amazon.

All financial institution cards in my wallet now have alerts, at least email and sometimes text, set up on them. Next, freeze the credit reports.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 May 22 - 12:33 PM

My sciatica has improved enough that I can use a spade again, so I transplanted two small shrubs that need more sun.

Apart from that, I’ve been kinda idle.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 22 - 01:18 PM

I bagged the Corelle in two used tough white shipping bags from Amazon, taped them shut, then dropped the stack into the trash with the sound of breaking crockery. If it isn't safe for me to use, no one else needs to either. I ordered six bowls and saucers to replace them and will be able to remove the wire rack in the cupboard that straddles the plates. No need for a second tier now.

It's hot again, but I'm headed to a shady part of the yard. First, to dig around under the juniper that is filled with tiny bagworms, showing that the shrub is in stress. It was planted too deep so I need to clear soil away from the root flare and let it breathe. Then spray it again with Bt to kill the bagworms. The soil that comes out of there will go into the bed I plan to extend for more flower planting.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 May 22 - 05:17 PM

How's the sciatica after transplanting, Charmion? Still ok?

I try not to use paper towels very often, so I tend to use a lot of really REALLY old terrycloth wash cloths that were new when the kids were little. We used them as napkins for the kids. Then around the house when they got so ratty they couldn't be used in polite company (and new wash cloths replaced them). Today I pulled an old t-shirt out of the recycle bin, cut it up the size of the old wash cloths and sewed together three layers - two of jersey and one of wash cloth. Turned it inside out, zigzagged around the seams, then crossed it a couple of times with straight stitches. This is a triple-layer rag for cleaning in the kitchen that can soak in dish soap or a little bleach water and go through the wash. Wash cloths by themselves don't absorb a lot, but these will do a lot better. It's an experiment, I made two.

I got the idea from some "as good as 1500 paper towel" products being advertised on Instagram. Why pay $13 for three when I have raw materials here?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 May 22 - 08:22 AM

Sciatica continues to ebb, and the transplanted rose of Sharon bushes are doing fine after two days of rain, some of it torrential.

Remember a few days ago that I wrote something about the unfairness of more than one major appliance conking out in one year? Well, the television is making ugly noises that indicate imminent speaker death.

Life is cruel.

Yesterday, I went to Best Buy in Kitchener and bought a new one.

Guess what? A 32-inch TV, once large, is now “small”, and it is very difficult — practically impossible — to find a good-quality device without Internet capability. If you live in small-town Ontario, you are doomed to disappointment if all you want is a TV that connects to an antenna or a cable network, and peripherals such as a DVD player or a streaming box.

So now I possess a so-called “smart” TV that boasts a 43-inch screen — still “small” by current standards. I may want to watch it from the porch.

It was obscenely expensive, especially for a gadget that will inevitably be superseded within the next ten years. And it must be “calibrated” to ensure that the screen renders colours correctly, a process that adds $100.00 to the already extreme price.

I did not buy the extended warranty. My appetite for spending is completely exhausted.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 22 - 10:08 AM

I've never heard of a TV needing to be calibrated in some way other than what the instructions tell you to do when you take it out of the box. You can avoid some of the smart stuff by not connecting it to the accounts it suggests.

My "big" TV was purchased probably 15 years ago now, a plasma screen that is 40". (Bought on time from Dell, on sale - paid off within a year to avoid interest.) Whenever I go through the front at Costco I walk past all of the humongous TVs, of which this would be on the small size. Did you look at someplace like New Egg or Amazon? My go-to place for electronics used to be Fry's Electronics, but they suddenly shut down a couple of years ago (though you saw it coming any time you were in the store with the scantly stocked shelves.) Next to Fry's is NewEgg.com for good prices (and reviews that are helpful). I know - "Now you tell me."

Mowing this week was completed, front and back. Now out to the garden.

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.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 02:35 PM

Thanks for the heads up on the pool occupants! I haven't been at the gym dressing room when participants are preparing for a pool class, but I won't be surprised.

I have occasionally set the table with fancy table cloth and cloth napkins, maybe once every 5-10 years. Invariably someone spills something on it. Wine and cranberry sauce are top contenders. :-/

I'm glad you're able to recycle textiles! That option is woefully lacking in any of the centers here.

Next trip out to do with the portable AC: a 25' 12-gauge 15-amp extension cord. I'm going to plug it into the outlet inside the AC closet opposite my office door, then it won't trip the breaker for the office. I know they say don't run it under carpet, but I'll get a door mat for the hall to put down so no one trips on it, and wend it around the wall to the new AC. If this was a larger unit (over 15,000 BTU) it would need 20 amp. Harbor Freight to the rescue.

I did the extra brushing on the Lab and there was a flurry of fuzz dropping to the ground. I picked up some of it so they don't track it back into the house. If it were nesting season the birds would be pleased; I used to find old birds nests in the back yard lined with hair that came from my Catahoula-Blue Heeler mix Poppy. She shed a lot and the birds loved that long soft hair.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 05:32 PM

Went through my mess o' individual winery wine glasses and got rid of all duplicates, made about a half-shelf of room and my glasses are now vaguely organized.

Did the same with my shot glass collection. Also now organized.

Prompted by my getting some souvenir shot glasses this trip, and not having room for the new ones.

Am starting to acquire old-fashioned-sized souvenir glasses; the room on the wine-glass shelf will be appreciated.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 06:39 PM

I have emptied nine large plastic storage bins that I refuse to refill with household clag. To my delight, Habitat for Humanity wants them.

Tomorrow I will scrub the grotty ones and, as soon as they have dried, I will load the lot into the car for delivery to the ReStore.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Jun 22 - 09:53 AM

Heat warning today: forecast high of 32 degrees Celsius, or 88 degrees American -- a mere bagatelle by Texan standards. It comes with a high likelihood of thunderstorms, however, and the humidity is correspondingly high, generating a Humidex of 41C. In short, not fun, but typical for mid-June. Things don't get horrible until the night-time low temperatures consistently hover above 20C.

A burglar alarm technician is on the ground this morning. As security companies look for new services to offer, their systems expand with new capabilities and new potential problems. My system includes smoke and carbon monoxide sensors that beep relentlessly at the slightest provocation, and fail surprisingly often. This always happens on the weekend, when the B team is on duty at the monitoring station. They promise to refer the issue to the tech support team who will call on Monday. They never say which Monday. The sensor crapped out five weeks ago.

Today's mini-crisis is ending well: the sensor had a five-year replacement guarantee with two more months to run. Sweet!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 22 - 11:51 AM

That reminds me to change the backup batteries in my wired smoke detectors. Something else for my growing list (but not for today's list). Why is it the battery always pops out easily but needs a shoehorn to put the replacement in?

I pulled out dog records and see that two of them are due their shots, though rabies are up to date. The village used to schedule a pet shot clinic every summer but haven't since COVID. More stuff for that other list.

Today's lunch will be roast chicken on a bagel, haven't had one of those in a while. Much of the rest of the day's dining will be fruit because I got kind of ahead of myself and everything seems to be ripe right now. Must make room in the fridge.

Good work on clearing out all of those bins. I hold onto them, I always seem to find some new way to organize. Sometimes they end up with garden soil and plants in them out beside the kitchen door, after drilling a few drain holes. That is truly the end-stage for any bin.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Jun 22 - 12:30 PM

I intend to avoid acquiring any more stuff that might find its way into a bin, Stilly. Also, I enjoy looking at the empty space where a bin used to be.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jun 22 - 11:12 PM

I have a little list (Gilbert and Sullivan wrote "I've got a little list," but it would have been more grammatical my way) and all but one item are crossed off from today. Now let's see what I forget to take.

That last item is an extra anyway, to read the the new AC manual and set it to turn on and off by itself. I already reprogrammed the big house unit so it will cool a bit more than usual (I usually adjust it manually during the day) so the dogs will be comfortable.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jun 22 - 10:25 AM

My Physician's Assistant happily told me of the comparison of my opened up knee in situ to the Xray (they always make note to help interpreting future Xrays). "Yup! This one is completely worn out!" When I first saw the doctor about my knees he said the worn state made me "knock kneed." That is no longer the case.

Looking forward to a weekend with family here. The house got a good cleaning this week, the dogs are clean (no having to wash hands after a pat) and the fridge is supplied for me and guests.

I'm still making cloth masks and will make another few to give my PA, because they use theirs a lot (I have taken them masks on most checkups over the last 2 years).

If I was still working I'd have 4 weeks or so at home, but everything I do these days can be done remotely, so not much will change, except not driving to the museum to volunteer.

By phone, Room 319. Heading home in an hour or two.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jun 22 - 01:58 PM

Today I start working my way through the congestion in my study closet. It's the last concentration of unsorted -- in fact, not even looked at -- boxed-up clutter in the house.

Easiest is the last boxes of Edmund's papers, which have only one destination: the shredder. But first I have to check with the nice lady at the Law Society of Ontario to get permission.

Next come several boxes of miscellaneous office supplies, of which the bulkiest are a stack of three-ring binders, rather a lot of plastic page protectors and a stack of yellow legal pads, all of which can be immediately Freecycled.

That leaves the boxes of photographs and negatives. One is full of commercially prepared slides from museums and historic sites my parents visited back in the day, and I have decided simply to chuck those. The rest ... Dunno yet. I'll think of something.

I must go to Canadian Tire to buy a folding work table that I can move around the house by myself. I have a really good "table, six-foot, folding", but it's in the cellar and too heavy for solo shifting. With enough effort I can move it upstairs, but getting it back down again would be much too dangerous. I've done it once, so I know!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 09:12 AM

On the plus side: Most of the Freecycle-bound clutter is spread out on the work table in the basement. The boxes of papers to be shredded are sitting on the study table. I found the box of shredder bags that I had misplaced.

On the other hand, I had put out of my mind just how many boxes of photos, negatives, albums and slides are stashed in there.

It occurs to me that digital photography has liberated future generations from this task.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 09:37 AM

Digital photography means our computers and external drives are full of files to keep track of.

I wonder if the slides would be of interest to crafters. Lampshades and window covers via Pinterest. My scanning project at the museum has me in the middle of a bunch of slides taken for research by two area artists. They photographed art in books and used them for ideas or to to calculate the positions for the figures they were painting (wanting to have a modern rendering of the classics). Except for the fact that these are two famous artists, they probably would have been dumped. Here is an eBay take on the selling of old slides.

I have a closet in my office that sounds much like your study closet. Lots of paper that should go, but when I dive in to look at things there are interesting ideas - but will I ever follow-up? Probably not.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 05:58 PM

Today I went to the big mall in Waterloo in the hope of buying a pair of ordinary straight-legged Levi’s blue jeans with a zip fly and no damage. Epic fail!

The only jeans in stock that were in my size and did not come with factory-fresh holes in the knees were retro 501s complete with button-up fly. I remember those from 1968, when one wore men’s jeans or did without, and they were not convenient. Fly buttons vanished for good reasons! The twenty-something vendeuse understood my distaste for the back-from-the-dead 501s, but I failed to convince her that pre-stressed jeans are not a good look for a lady of a certain age. “On you, it’s fashion, but on me it would look more like negligence,” I said, departing.

So I invested more than an hour of driving, with gas at Cdn$2.10 per litre, to learn that the LL Bean website is my best bet.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 07:05 PM

Charmion, you would love the thrift store in my neighborhood. I haven't bought new jeans in 20 years (though they're new to me so it feels the same as new). 90% of what they sell is clothing and there's something for everyone there, and I always find great pants. (This building used to house a large grocery store. It's huge.) With all of those vintage jeans to poke through, there are always several pair that fit perfectly. It's easy to come out with five or six pairs of jeans for $20.   

Thrift stores are the great anonymizer of used clothes. I always feel a little odd looking at clothes at estate sales because I'll know who used to own that particular garment. Not so with the thrift store. Odd? Probably. (I had some hand-me-downs from neighborhood kids when I was growing up, and lived with the embarrassment of knowing that other people recognized the dresses I was wearing as having belonged to someone else.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Jun 22 - 07:26 PM

Beaver:

Yard is de-clutttered of knee high grass etc!!!! I felt as though it was the Cavalry when I heard Steve's machine! There is still more I would like done but he did the most important stuff, including path to the wee bridge. (I'll post a pic of bridge on FB.) He will do more when he has time and keep it from getting away again, and stack the firewood!

The resident ground hog was enjoying the cuttings this morning! I suspect it was around before but the grass was too high to see it!

Then I fetched the screen doors from back shed and they are ready to hang; seem to have misplaced one set of screws but it is cool enough still that tomorrow is fine! I rarely come to this thread without finding a reminder! This one is to check for an empty bin in back shed for stiff that needs storing in shed - from house - for winter.

Also feeling I have made pretty good progress getting rid of stuff here. There is a great deal on its way out when
I decide to where? Not risking taking anymore to my friend the hoarder as we do not want the Carriage House to get more cluttered!

Managed to complete the mugs but need a few more pieces for an order. I have just spent two beautiful days doing little more than reading and watching the leaves dance to the music of the wind.

Trip to Dr: probably hernia - appointment with dietician - I'll give her a chance though I am doubtful; and someday in the future an ultrasound here in Bancroft. For anything more complex, a trip of 60 miles (each way) is required.

I am hoping #1 son's co-habit will like some lengths of fabrics when they visit in late August, celebrating her 50th. She still sews.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jun 22 - 05:31 PM

When the doctors instructions say you should have someone stay with your for 48 hours after returning home from surgery, they don't take into account that when it's family you're liable to overdo rather than just kick your feet up. I managed a compromise, and spoke with the PT supervisor yesterday and got some helpful hints. The ice pack takes two large inserts that go to mush very quickly and it is huge and saggy, so I'm just putting one pack into the case and that works better. The calf-squeezing things slide all around. Not comfortable.

The medical folks probably didn't expect me to make a birthday coffee cake this morning or make small personal pizzas for lunch, but anyway, everyone has headed home and now I will relax some more. PT starts tomorrow.

After a phone conversation with her partner my daughter asked me for a COVID test; since the partner wasn't feeling good she figured they both should take the test so I'd know if I had anything else to make me miserable. Everyone came out negative. That's the reason for keeping a few extra boxes of these things around.

This is the strangest year; it's like we catapulted directly from May to August. Hot as hell out there and no sign of it letting up.

Dorothy, good luck with the hernia diagnosis.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Jun 22 - 08:01 PM

Before surgury how about an old fashioned Texas sand bar party.
#1 check out a sand bar at high tide. don't forget sun block.
#2 Bring enough wood for a good bon fire.
#3 bring enough food and drink.
#4 Leave by 8PM

Remember its easier with a boat.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jun 22 - 08:39 PM

Parties at the beach were fun when I was a kid. Always had to watch out walking barefoot in case someone just threw sand over the fire to put it out. More than once I've gotten a burn. Now I live on a creek and I suppose if I didn't mind how closed in it is down there, a barbecue on the rocky beach would be possible. Around here people put chairs out in the driveway or open the garage door and sit inside in the shade. Rather than setting up a picnic the creek is the place to take a bucket and a pry bar for digging the fossils all around.

I'm happy with the shade tarps I put over my patio; they're attractive and effective. I have enjoyed sitting out there comfortably some afternoons and evenings.

Today I said good-bye to a 10-gallon nursery pot with three lantana plants that I transplanted out of the back yard lawn so my daughter can put them in pots at her house. The roots were so robust that it didn't take long before they revived from being dug up. She'll have flowers soon. They're popular here while they're invasive weeds in Australia. I've been mowing them for a while but they keep coming back.

The heavy-duty pain killers applied during surgery have worn off all around the knee and I'm keeping track of meds on a notebook page in the kitchen. And after four days the magnesium has kicked in - thank dog! I was warned, but still, when your guts grind to a halt for a few days it gets your attention.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jun 22 - 08:13 AM

I went out and played at a session yesterday. Edmund would have loved it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jun 22 - 09:57 AM

I was thinking about the two of you yesterday, Charmion, as we celebrated my ex's birthday. When is CET's birthday? We still celebrate ours as a family, usually with a meal - those are dates that are etched on the memory. (I never remembered our anniversary, but always birthdays.) When everyone left yesterday afternoon the house was looking good - they picked up around here for me. That was a gift!

The first big challenge since coming home is that I'd like to wash my hair today. When I bathe I take a shallow bath to keep the knee out of the water but I can't wash my hair there very well. I'll do it bent over the kitchen sink so I can use the sprayer hose to rinse.

Dorothy, early last week I got out in the knee-high grass behind the back fence in my yard and got into the chiggers. In the surgery setup area I had to pull my gown around to show the nurse the red spots on my torso, to be sure they would do the surgery. If I'd scratched any to a point of infection they'd have postponed. The tall grass is pretty (it's inland sea oats) that are meant to be tall, but the chiggers like them. I'll probably spray them with some soapy water to see if that reduces the redbug population.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jun 22 - 11:32 AM

CET (Edmund) had his birthday on 19 March, right spung in the middle of Lent. He tried not to take it personally, but nevertheless annually griped that it wasn't FAIR! Why couldn't he have been born a mere two days earlier, on St. Patrick's Day, when Lenten discipline is off for the saint's festival? Was that too much to ask? (Um, as a matter of fact, yes, it was.)

I well remember the acrobatics required to bathe with a non-walking plaster cast on one lower leg, and I'm still amazed that I never hurt myself during either the entry or exit stages of the evolution. At first, I could get into but not out of the bath-tub, being too weak from the injury and the surgery, and too stupid from the drugs, to hoist myself as one does in the return phase of a bench-dip. After the crisis of convincing my brother to extract me, I stopped taking the pain-killers and thus regained enough capability to manage the task about every second day. Hair-washing was a doddle by comparison.

Note to file: Don't break any more bones, especially in the legs and feet. I'm too old now for that kind of lark.

When I read about chiggers, I think of Ontario's swarms of mosquitoes and blackflies and count myself lucky.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 05:35 AM

My husband invited me last weekend to inspect his little flat which he's renting in a nearby town. I smiled secretly, because 'clutter' hardly begins to describe the state of the place! When he left me five months ago, he took all his 'stuff' - dozens of sports trainers, fancy cooking equipment, heaps and heaps of clothes, dozens of male toiletries and so on. It filled about twenty big cardboard boxes and four suitcases.
My bungalow is so clear and tidy in contrast. But he seems to like his 'man cave'.
If we reconcile and he comes back here to live, I'll have to bite my tongue when the large twenty-or-so cardboard boxes and cases get plonked all over the place, then emptied into every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe, plus the floors. (I might 'tidy' him away into a cupboard too, hee hee!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 08:46 AM

I don't know for sure but I think men make the worst&biggest hoarders.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 11:02 AM

Senoufou, I didn't realize that had happened! I am so sorry - you two have always sounded like a solidly loving couple. Of course, there can still be love even with there are issues that make a separation helpful for sorting-out purposes. My very best wishes on resolving that in a way that works for both of you. It's a good sign that he invited you over. I'm better friends now with my ex, now that we aren't married. We met in 1979, so he's also one of my oldest friends. We were in the first year after the divorce and going through some of the snooty stuff (when the kids would stay with who, etc) and I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. All of a sudden the divorce was no big deal, no one had died of it. He even suggested I could stay at his house during my recovery after the surgery so they could look after me. After that we got along just fine. (I don't recommend cancer as a way to get over relationship issues, but it worked for us!)

The technicolor bruising is showing up as we enter the fifth day after surgery. And the powerful pain meds they injected or applied have worn off, so I'm carefully pacing the various types (not all are prescription; good old reliable Tylenol is on the list to take 3x a day).

Out of curiosity I weighed myself today - with the leg as swollen as it is it puts on several pounds. I don't plan to weigh in again until after my 2-week checkup. And once I'm off of the pain meds is soon enough to think about resuming the weight loss activity.

Don, if you watch any of those Hoarders shows on cable mostly they seem to follow around women, but that may be the way the programs choose, not aligning with demographics. Some of the most famous hoarders are men - I remember reading about the Collyer Brothers years ago. It was a novelty back then, though now we know it is far more common than one might expect.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 05:29 PM

I spent most of the day with the shredder and the last of Edmund's practice files, and now my recycle bins are packed and stacked with 10 bags of paper chaff. The study closet is almost coherent, by which I mean that everything in it has a reason to stay -- at least for now.

Stilly, don't ferGawshsakes weigh yourself until you can at least walk far enough to count it as exercise. There's no point stressing yourself about embonpoint when you can't do anything practical about it; besides, you're healing, and you need all the nutrition you can get, plus some pampering.

Senoufou's post about her husband's bags and boxes of stuff brings up an odd thing that happened the other day. One of my sisters-in-law actually asked if I was interested in dating again! I couldn't believe my ears at first, and then the first words out of my mouth were "God no!" Not because I don't like male company -- I do, very much -- but because I'm finally getting the house squared away and I emphatically don't want other people in my space for more than a visit.

As for hoarding -- it's a gender-neutral affliction, in my opinion.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 10:42 PM

I recall watching an episode of 'Midsomer Murders' in which an elderly woman was killed by a falling pile of hoarded newspapers from a stack which went up to the ceiling and filled rooms from wall to wall, leaving only a narrow walkway.

Our dishwasher is having conniptions, looks like it's time for a new one. We could wash everything by hand.....but we waited a long time to get a dishwasher, and it does make life easier for two Olde Phartes.

And the kitchen ceiling light has packed it in. We have bought a replacement and are eagerly awaiting a call from an electrician to install it.

Otherwise, life up here on the hill in paradise continues uneventfully.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Jun 22 - 11:17 PM

Charmion, I was mostly curious to see how much the swollen leg added up to. I don't plan on a weigh-in as a regular thing for some time to come. (I did wait until the laxative kicked in to clear the gut after anesthesia brought everything to a halt. Perhaps TMI.)

Jennie, I remember that Midsomer Murders episode, and I've seen a similar device used in various other mystery and detective programs. I always wonder at what the set designers have to do to get ready for one of those episodes, and how much more risk there is to the actors and crew in the midst of it.

This week I've quizzed several friends about home warranty policies and the companies they use now or used in the past, and think that may be the way to proceed for living with the old appliances in this house. Replace the one dead A/C unit then get a plan that lets me select the company and workers who do whatever work needs doing. It means I can keep things going until they don't, not always worry about what will fail next. It's a gamble for those companies, will they get to keep the premium this month or have to pay out to fix something big?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 03:11 AM

Thank you Stilly. Yes, we were (I thought) a very solid couple, but there it is - off he went. But as you say, it's good we're still in touch, and may reconcile in time. It's been a big heartache, but I just have to keep a-troshing, as they say here in Norfolk!
I think hoarders exist among both men and women. My much-loved friend (neighbour across the street) is a consummate hoarder, and it drives her husband mad. She loves ornaments, antiques, family heirlooms etc and there isn't an inch of clear space in her bungalow. Her sheds and the garage are stuffed full too, and the dust! Cleaning is nearly impossible when clutter fills the house.
I'm the opposite. Anything unnecessary goes out of the door. I like empty spaces and an easy-to-clean house. Why keep stuff if you're never going to use it?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 03:45 AM

The Midsomer Murders episode was Dark Secrets. Edward Fox (perhaps best known for The Day Of The Jackal) played the murdering husband.

As for hoarding, perhaps the things we tend to hoard vary by sex rather than hoarding itself? I have a tendency to hold on to things that I think may come in handy for some project or task some day… I suppose I could extend it to fasteners. If say, I needed 6x1” woodscrews for a task, I’m going to buy a box of at least 100 and I’ve got 4 big organiser boxes full of wood screws, wall plugs, machine screws, matching nuts, etc. in my shed. I’ve also got small selection boxes of things including a few of types of small stainless hex head screws and threaded inserts, in my room. Of course, I’ll never use all of them, some maybe never again/at all but I do like to feel I’m pretty well equipped with these things.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 11:29 AM

Jon, though I have my own set of tools here it ended up doubling up (at least) on some tools when I inherited all of the tools from my father's house. There were some interesting ones that I didn't figure out what they were for until I actually needed something and had an "aha!" moment and went to retrieve the device.

It is the same as your house with boxes of screws and nails and other fasteners. I usually buy the size package closest to what I need but sometimes you end up with a pound box of nails or screws - there are lots of those stacked on the shelving in the garage. I keep scrap pieces of lumber and am regularly able to put them to use as I modify or finish something I've been working on, so the bin under the workbench is full and in the corners of the garage there are pieces leaning against the wall. The point of pride in my garage is that there is plenty of room to park the SUV and get in and out on either side without squeezing out or banging the doors into something. I refuse to let my garage be one of those that the car is always parked outside of and when the door is up it can be seen to be crammed completely full.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 01:35 PM

I built a car port out of a rectangle metal gazebo and hang flowering pots off the edges where the rain water wants to drain. A tall fence forms one long wall and a fence gate forms the shorter rear wall. Its big enough to also shelter snow tires a table and 4 garbage cans. Besides a metal and bamboo roof I got a extra heavy duty rubber tarp as a waterproof roof from Amazon that hasn't degraded in 5 years. It looks fine and keeps hail, ice and snow off the car. It probably costs a grand but building a garage was quoted to cost $35K or more.

I didn't design or engineer this thing from the start but instead took an impromptu approach over 3 years. I do have to share this shelter with a family of birds who like to nest there every year. Hornet nests are unwelcome and are evicted. However hornets do not poop on the car.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 04:30 PM

Jon, your hoarding style sounds remarkably like my mother's. When I cleared the cellar and box-rooms of my parents' house after her death, I found dozens of containers full of a range of fasteners that rivalled the stock at Home Hardware -- except nothing was new and unused. Literally pounds of nails that had been wrenched out of old boards, pickle jars full of screws marred with rust and daubed with paint, even a wooden butter box full of porcelain electrical junctions of a type forbidden in Canadian construction since about 1960. The false beams (quarter-sawn oak!) from the dining-room ceiling of the old rectory down the street lay on the cellar floor -- God alone knew what she had planned to do with those. I had to hire two guys with a truck to help me clear the jungle, and they were ready to quit at three o'clock in the afternoon.

My husband hoarded office supplies. Just yesterday, I hauled a file box full of part-used yellow legal pads down to the basement; don't know yet if it's going into the recycle or out on Freecycle, but it's going. There's also a shoebox full of pens and highlighters, four gadgets for making holes in paper (one single punch, one double, and two three-holers), a stack of accordion files with wrap-around elastic, a much larger stack of three-ring binders ranging in size from modest to enormous, five staplers, and other items too numerous to mention (as they used to say in farm auction flyers).

I did not inherit the hoarding gene, or perhaps the experience of clearing out after my mother switched it off -- I was only 26 at the time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 05:26 PM

Ah yes - that's the episode, thanks, Jon.

One problem here - and, I suspect, in many other places - is that buying single items (or even a small quantity of some things) isn't easy because of packaging. Want one of a particular type of screw? Too bad - you have to buy the smallest pre-packaged quantity, which is 25 - but what do you do with the rest? You can't bring yourself to throw them out because you paid good money for them and anyway you might need them one day, so you keep them.....and next time you need one screw you can't remember where you put them, so you buy another pack......

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 08:16 PM

Another box o’ stuff identified for disposal! This time it’s the bin of forgotten electronics that sat on the floor of the study closet. Not any more!

The Stratford town dump has a large recycling area with a special spot for all those gadgets we could not do without 15 years ago and are completely useless now. Tomorrow I will pay a little visit!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jun 22 - 09:31 PM

Office supplies. I still have lots of them, including the 3-ring binders. Some are odd library sizes that were discarded at work and came here to sell on eBay. I have a lot of e-waste that I used to take over to bins on campus but what with COVID I haven't been there much. There is an e-waste collection area in the recycling station near me that is operated by Fort Worth, though I live in a separate small town. They want to see your water bill to be sure you are eligible to drop stuff there (they also have a trash dump area and recycling and a sharing of usable stuff area). I'll get my ex to go with me with his water bill and take stuff in one of these days.

Charmion, your mom had a good eye if she rescued quarter-sawn oak beams. I hope your movers found a use for them.

My knee surgery leg is showing technicolor bruises now that I'm a week out. Most of them hurt, but they occasionally itch. Each PT appointment means the leg aches for the rest of the day. Meanwhile I'm trying not to make big important decisions during this time (like replacing the A/C or actually subscribing to a Home Warranty plan. This is the research period only.) Ugg.

Today I started hearing a high-pitched low-battery signal from somewhere in the bedroom wing. There are four devices there (hall and three rooms). These were warning beeps; they don't start beeping in earnest until 3am.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Jun 22 - 03:31 AM

My shed would have been the garage here but mum always parked her car outside. I think she used it as a store for a deliveries of wood before renting the patch of land in the field. It had become a sort of dumping ground when I asked for permission to turn it into my workshop.

With the workbench and shelving I put in, you’d not get a car in now. I’m not sure but I think I may have given this picture before. It was taken after my last major sort out and me adding lights and sockets a couple of years ago. The shed needs another tidy up now but nothing too drastic. One bit of clutter in there I need to try to find a home for (assuming it will still be in good condition) is a single bed. Due to a change of plans, it has remained unassembled in its box.

Jeannie, with most (some mostly larger bits are on the shelves to the left) of my outdoor fasteners in boxes similar to this and the indoor bits in smaller selection boxes, finding what I want is usually quite easy. Maybe I came over as more of a hoarder on these things than I really am. It’s just that I’ve still got rather more of some of these items than I’ll ever use.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jun 22 - 09:43 PM

My tool bench is built at the back wall of my garage, centered under the window, and constructed of sturdy scraps wood left over from a redwood picnic table and some 4x4" posts in front. The back is screwed onto the garage studs (the inside isn't finished). My contractor had, in the back of his pickup, a large piece of furniture-grade plywood that he offered to use in our project. Part went into a window seat in the new sunroom bay window and the rest went into my bench top. Because the wood had been chewed by dogs it has a weathered look. I found a $10 vise grip at a garage sale and fastened it onto the top right corner. The whole thing was held together with carriage bolts. It makes the garage look like it has been here as long as the house (instead of built 25 years after the house).

Not much decluttering happening this week, though I can still manage to toss stuff in the trash. Emptying the shredder bins, etc. I chased dog hair drifts around the den before the PT got here yesterday, and will repeat it again tomorrow. The thing most on my mind these days is finding a comfortable position to sit or lie; I can prop the leg up for a while but it doesn't extend comfortably for long since the soft tissues all around the thigh are tender. I can only put the ice pack on so many times. Staggering pain meds carefully helps.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 05:11 AM

Shredders… I must check ours as emptying it tends to get missed until the bin is too full… Our previous shredder packed in last year. We replaced it with a similar sized 6 sheet model but opted for a micro cut rather than a cross cut version this time. Ours doesn’t usually (but the way sort outs go, when they eventually happen, you can find a pile to deal with) get a lot of use but we do want something to chop up personal paperwork.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jun 22 - 01:47 PM

Charmion, I read your earlier remark about remodeling a moldy bathroom - I need to put in flooring in my hall bathroom, now it's just the concrete that was exposed when the Linoleum was pulled up. If I get the foundation fixed it means they'll have to inspect the sewer lines under the house to be sure they don't break with the shifting. If that happens they have to jack hammer and dig through the bathroom floor (piling dirt on a tarp in the bathtub) and repair the line so there is no point in putting in a floor till that other job is done.

It's a grim day today here in the US; I need to not be awash with bad news while I try to get past the pain in my leg (the news just makes it all worse). Time to do some sewing and finish the audio murder mystery that is due tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jun 22 - 11:24 AM

This winter I was moving furniture in my bedroom and shifted the antique mirrored dresser to the right, forgetting there was a TV aerial propped on the top of the mirror against the wall. The TV was on the dresser top. The aerial case took a header off the frame and hit the back of the TV. Ever since if I try to watch that TV it turns itself on and off every minute or two. Not on all channels all of the time, but enough that it's really annoying and I can't figure out a fix for it. So this week I ordered a "renewed" (returned) TV to put in there to replace it.

These are usually products that were returned without being used, but because they were out of the "chain of custody," as it were, they don't know if the box was opened or things removed, etc. it has to be examined and certified as working. The TV on the kitchen wall was one of those and everything was still in the box and works perfectly all these years later. So I decided to keep the price down and try one of those. It just arrived and the box looks like it's new and I hope everything inside is also. The funky TV will go on the table in the sunroom and I'll test it in there some more. If it doesn't stop that behavior I will put it in an e-waste bin instead of donate it because if it doesn't work for me no point in giving it to Goodwill for someone else to discover the same problem. With the surgery and PT I haven't been able to do my exercises, but this is the setup I use for streaming Essentrics. It needs to be large enough so I'm not squinting at her moves from across the room. As Charmion noted a few pages back, smaller TVs are difficult to find. I think this is 33" and is huge compared to anything I grew up with, but had the features I wanted in the small (under 40") group.

Dorothy, have you tackled the weeds and the garden and the shutter or screen doors and the kiln and everything else up there at Beaver? Been out to any area concerts? I hope the heat doesn't fry your yard this year.

It looks like our current heat wave won't break until Monday when the high is forecast to be 87^o. Normal June temperatures for a few days then back up into the triple-digits in July. I fear this summer will rival the 1980 Texas heat wave when there were 42 consecutive days over 100^o. We might not have consecutive, but we'll have a high number worthy of the record books.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 11:10 AM

This new "smart" TV is bossy - it wants me to accept the statement that it will send my clicks (viewing choices) to wherever, and I won't. It's logged into the house WiFi but I will probably take it off again to dumb it down. There are some things I haven't figured out yet (I have to find and download the user's manual.) The Amazon Fire stick is on the network for streaming and it has NetFlix, so I don't need it also on the TV.

The knee is slowly healing, it's a bit different than last time, including a little ooze through the bandage and small pinkish area beside that part of the bandage. I'm guessing I popped a stitch there. The on-call nurse asked for a photo and she said it's normal, but if it gets quite red, then call back. The thing that is the same between the last surgery and this is that I don't get a good-night's sleep with the various distractions this provides. The bandage comes off on Wednesday and I'm counting the hours. #ThankDogForIcePacks

Things I can still do include dragging the hose over to water the garden. I make a point of looking at how I'm dressed to be sure I won't alarm anyone. The calf-pressure cuffs look a bit odd (my Alley Oop look - you may need to be a certain age to know him.) The water and electric bills will be higher this month with the high heat and extra watering.

I am going to exert myself this afternoon to make a batch of my yeast dinner rolls as a thank-you to my ex, who has run lots of errands this month. They're one of his favorites. I make the dough with the bread machine on manual so after it stops kneading I shape, raise, and bake. When adding ingredients I mix in a good shake of granulated garlic and crumbled oregano into the dough and make them with olive oil instead of shortening. These rolls are a family favorite and friends request them by name for potlucks. Several years ago when my son moved to the Pacific NW he was going to Thanksgiving dinner at his aunt's house, so I suggested he make the rolls. I gave him the recipe - he knows how to divide and shape them because that was often his chore as a child. Now when I hear from my sister about dinner with my son and his partner she'll say that "he brought his rolls." The legacy shifts, and now he also owns them. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 01:56 PM

The wilfulness of a modern television is tiresome. Mine is loaded with Google software, so it drags me (kicking and squirming) toward streaming services the Google company has cut deals with, including Disney, Netflix and Prime. Of course, the list of favoured options does not include any Canadian services.

Back when we had cable, we realized that we watched only about four of the hundred or more stations available to us. The same thing is happening to my consumption of streamed video; I find something I like, watch all of it, and then can’t get interested in anything else on that channel and just stop using it. So far, I’ve booked out of Netflix and I’m rapidly losing interest in Disney — I’m sorry I paid for a year of it up front. Last week I signed up with Apple to watch “Slow Horses”, and I hope that holds my attention for a while.

Prime has a nice selection of innocuous Brit series that have a comforting sedative effect on me. Right now, I’m slogging through “Midsomer Murders”, which provides beautiful landscape to look at when the plot is really too tiresome.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 03:10 PM

You can watch a lot of those older programs free on streaming Internet sites. Pluto TV is just like basic cable. There is a channel dedicated to Midsomer Murders (it has commercials). There's one for Perry Mason. All of the episodes of America's Test Kitchen and This Old House. The CSI brand is well-represented. And IMDb has free streaming (I forget the name of the service it uses now).

I set the new TV so it automatically comes on to the OTA TV setting. That helps.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 04:31 PM

I don’t usually watch streaming tv but SRS’s post just gave me an idea. I’ve just used the (UK) ITV streaming service to finish off the Midsomer Murders recording I’d been watching earlier but had stopped 10 minutes before the end. Repeat episodes are shown regularly on ITV3 and new episodes come on ITV1 here. I’ve (again) set MythTV to record both when episodes not already recorded crop up and have watched quite a few episodes lately.

Before that, I went through some DVD sets I have (The Avengers, The New Avengers and The Champions) for say 1hr a night something to watch. I think I might get The Prisoner some time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 05:15 PM

Pluto TV and similar Internet services that distribute old American TV shows are not easily accessible in Canada, Stilly, and such content on YouTube is often blocked.

One of brothers-in-law is a radio geek from way back. When video streaming started, he went to nine kinds of trouble to get content from the States and the UK, and his system delivers shows from everywhere. He carefully explained how he evades the CRTC rules to get normally inaccessible TV, and I listened politely, but it’s just not worth the effort. I didn’t want to watch America’s Test Kitchen or Perry Mason when they were new, and they don’t have British or European landscapes to offer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 05:34 PM

A hint, Charmion, about coming attractions (not out yet):

Disney Plus, I think it is, is the network producing
the eight-part series sequel to The Full Monty,
which is being shot as we speak, in Sheffield and Manchester for example.

The one person from the successful feature-length film
who is NOT returning,
is director Peter Cattaneo.

All the others are:
producers this time around include
Simon Beaufoy who wrote the feature-film script, and
U-somebody Pasolini (Uberto??), who edited and produced at last minute
the old film, essentially improving over Cattaneo's shoots with the edits.

In truth, other younger writers have been chosen to script the episodes.

Most if not all of the film actors are back, in their previous roles.
This includes Nathan/Nate, the wide-eyed young boy;
now he is a man, and towers over Robert Carlyle,
playing Nathan's father as before.

On-set photographs have shown:
Carlyle; Mark Addy; Steve Huison (red-headed Lomper);
Paul Barber (the memorable 'Horse').
Also credited officially in their film roles, and returning, are
the actress who was Dave (mark addy)'s wife
("Me, Dave. I do." and all the men in the audience choked up).
As well as the actress who was Nathan's divorced mother.

Not as certain about:
Tom Wilkinson (the steelworks owner?),
or Hugo Speer
("Gentlemen, the lunchbox has arrived").

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 06:00 PM

This is getting more technical than we usually do for the declutter thread, but if you sign up for one of the VPN software programs, even if it's something you start and then cancel later, you can choose to subscribe occasionally.

Over the years I've found good advice at Tom's Guide and this mostly just discusses how to do it (they use the US Netflix platform as the target viewing).

I asked the question of Google and got a couple of reviews of VPN programs. That from Comparitech. Cybernews compares the top companies.

I get regular email reviews from CNet.com and ZDnet.com, and here's a search at ZDNet for VPN that includes a list of "cheap." Keep in mind that too cheap and you're almost into malware. I wouldn't go with a free VPN.

A final thought: I think you're an Apple user, so you'll have to do a search on your OS to find out, but there is a VPN built into the Windows OS. I just searched in Win 11, it has one. I am still using Win 10 and it looks like they're about the same to use. Windows 10/11 has a free, built-in VPN, and it's not horrible. This article is from 2020.

Here is the Microsoft knowledge base info on how to set up the VPN step by step.

Meanwhile, the rolls just came out so the house smells wonderful. My ex will be over to pick up most of them tomorrow when he runs an errand to pick up prescriptions for me. That fresh-bread smell boosts my spirits!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 08:24 PM

There ya go, Stilly. Way too much like work for my taste. I’m just not that interested in TV.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 05:58 AM

I use a VPN but for a different reason. It’s to put a device on the home LAN when I’m away. I access the cameras that way for example. I use the VPN built into my router for this. Android has a built in VPN client and I’ve found setting up a connection is straightforward.

Back to TV. I have seen a couple of Perry Mason episodes but think I watched more Ironside. I watched quite a few American detective type things at one time (Columbo, Canon, Rockford Files, McMillan and Wife, Hart To Hart, McCleod, Starsky and Hutch are ones I can think of) but there is nothing on that line I’d bother going back to. Dad on the other hand frequently watches Columbo which is regularly repeated here. It’s a wonder he doesn’t know the scripts to some episodes by heart the number of times he’s seen them.

On to other things, dad has been the main one lately. His mobility later in the day deteriorated quite quickly and, after a very close shave in the bathroom, I had to decide I could no longer get him to bed safely on my own. It took a few weeks to get regular evening careers (using a 2 person team and with a tew transfer aid [a Ross Return which is safer and easier for a tired dad to get up and be transferred with than a walking frame] provided) and we had to phone daily to arrange for the council run emergency/back up service to come out. Problems were compounded by mum frequently getting information mixed up and to add to that, dad, if he did say anything, supporting mum’s wrong details and accounts. At times, the pair of them were driving me round the twist.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 06:31 AM

1 in 40 in England have covid. 1 in 20 in Scotland. They generally have the 2 new varients. Could this be a Jubilee effect? I would say its a pandemic effect. Despite being summer infection rates are up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 11:01 AM

Jon, you've got one of the most complicated and wearing jobs on the planet right now. Are there other family members who can come in and give you a hand? And give you a break? (I fixed the code typo on that link for the return device.)

I agree with you about those Columbo episodes - there were maybe 40 of them made, so you can cycle through them pretty quickly, especially if they broadcast them two at a time, like some stations do here. I've memorized most of them and don't watch very often.

I'm waiting for a call back from a doctor's office but the spammers are busy robo-calling and I have to probably let the nurse's call go to voice mail and return her call. Phone tag, illustrated.

The hip on the surgery side is developing bursitis, despite eliminating the one physical therapy exercise that causes it most often. I'm going to have to do a couple of the stretches I was given to help resolve this. The painkillers that help the surgery site don't do a thing for bursitis.

There is good news: in the midst of this heat wave we've been under for most of June, we had thunderstorms and a substantial amount of rain last night around bedtime. It was wonderful to listen to rain on the roof, and today is much cooler (90^o instead of 100+). We'll resume the heat later in the week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 11:23 AM

Thank for fixing the link, SRS.

I did speak to one brother at the peak of my frustrations who said he would come over if needed but he lives in N Wales. The other UK brother is a fair distance away too. In any case, I think we are through this one now and life should return to our "normal".

It's funny really. We can have happy conversations a lot of the time, dad,eg. can have a good conversation with a friend, mum has regular phone chats with other family, etc. without it being apparent there is anything wrong. Things only get more complicated when things get more involved and I eg. need to get some facts straight. As I commented to the Oz brother the other day, in some circumstances, I can feel as if I'm living in the Twilight Zone or something.... This run has just been rather longer than usual.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jun 22 - 06:58 PM

Physical therapy today was brutal. Several new exercises were added and they stressed my already sore leg muscles. I'm going to have to apply the ice packs in several places. I did lots of exercising prior to the surgery, but since then I've barely walked or moved except for PT, so I expect I'm going to have to start over on some things to get back to my former level of fitness.

If I feel up to it later I'll do some sewing. I have a backlog of projects and it's a quiet pursuit. I downloaded a new mystery to listen to while I work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 09:11 AM

A bit OT but I’ve been playing with film cameras. The last time I had a go, my old Pentax MZ-30 broke down and I bought used a slightly older model (yes, it is this way round) MZ-50 to use. To my surprise, when I took these cameras out yesterday, I found the MZ-30 started working and I went to bed happy thinking maybe I could try a different type of film in each body and see what happens. Things changed today. The MZ-50 developed the same fault the MZ-30 had shown and after loading a new film in the MZ-30 and taking a couple of pictures, the fault returned. From two apparently working cameras, I went to nil.

I found online that the problem is well known, affects all or many in the MZ (ZX in the US) range and is due to cheap plastic gears Pentax used for the mirror return motor. I also found (or confirmed what I suspected) that even with a few pictures as a guide, I’m not up to fiddly camera repairs. I’ve wrecked the MZ-50 trying to take it apart. Not that I’m worried about that. You can find them in the £20-30 range on Ebay and aren’t worth paying anyone to repair.

I’m not sure what I do now but if I do want another film SLR, it won’t be one of these MZ ones at it will probably go the same way at some point. They may be cheap and quite user friendly but it’s no good if your sort of waiting for the breakdown.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 11:52 AM

You know a lot of those SLR cameras have a single lithium battery, right? Did you simply try changing the batteries first? Meanwhile, you can sell the cameras as-is for parts or repair on eBay.

I have my old Canon AE here, and I had a Contaflex (Zeiss Icon) that I sold on eBay years ago. And some really old collectible bellows Kodaks.

Bandage comes off this afternoon and I suspect I will need an antibiotic for a few days after that. There is a routine of elevating the leg and icing that will continue for a while also. Not quite ready for prime time yet. :-)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 12:15 PM

Thanks SRS but both had new batteries in (2 x CR2 lithium in these). I'm sure this the mirror motor gears problem.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 07:36 PM

There was something about the bandage that was irritating the skin underneath, causing discomfort and itching. It's off now, leaving a red ring around the area without surgical glue where the bandage was touching, and I'm using hydrocortisone to treat it. The pressure cuffs are finished and though it will be a while till the pain clears up this is a marked improvement. I'll continue to use the ice pack for now. It takes a while for this to heal completely.

I told myself I'd give myself time to get past the surgery then make a concerted effort to start listing stuff on eBay, so starting next week I will photograph several items to be listed. Sometimes I just do one a day and after a couple of weeks it ads up to a nice set of listings.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 08:51 AM

Ah ha I have 7 ebay auctions of vintage toys in their original box to finalize. They have been collated, bagged and sitting in the living room for 2 months. The pleasure of procrastination must end.

In the US, Pfizer will have 105 million doses of Omicron vaccine by summer's end.

The cool mornings will soon be over so I better hedge now and work off my rear end.

I regret seeing June end.

The end

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 09:50 AM

That's the last thing you need, Stilly, an irritating bandage over a surgical incision -- ugh.

All I have to complain about is that a toenail cracked, and broke the skin.
No problem walking on it or anything.
It was a problem last night getting into bed between the sheets,
and the sheet went over the toe and YAAGH?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 11:44 AM

Ouch, Keb! It seems to take forever for cracked toenails to heal. And when you have anything done on your foot (bunion surgery here) it takes longer to heal before they remove stitches, etc.

Overnight the Benadryl and hydrocortisone ointment helped my knee. It's still an complex-looking wound, pink around the outer edges and scaly from the glue and such, but it is better. The itch was so intense at times when the bandage was on that I was sure it must be infected, but that appears not to be the case. PT arrives in about 30 minutes so I've taken my pain pill to help me get through the session.

So Don has his own stack of stuff to list on eBay, like I do. I have to look at the existing listings (there are a few that have been up for a while with no activity) and get ready to generate new ones. Shall we each try to list four new ones in the next week? (Weekends off for good behavior and there's a holiday).

I'm looking back at earlier thread posts - Charmion, did you get yourself that folding work table, or has someone helped you move the one from the basement upstairs? I cleared off my dining table to do the eBay work, no extra tables coming in for this job. Senoufou, you were lurking, I think, when you mentioned your husband's boxes of stuff that might possibly return. Are you working on any of your own projects in the meantime? And Dorothy, tough to keep up, but I think she's at Beaver now working on various projects and weeding the garden and harvesting a few things. What's up?

Any other lurkers want to drop their cloaking devices and report in? What do we all have planned for July?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 02:59 PM

This residential patient at a clinic reports
a de-clutter to the on-campus residence bedroom.

My bedroom is a small room with very little floor space.
It was fitted with a double/full-size bed.
The bed ate up most of the floor space.

The previous tenant despised, loathed, and abominated the room.
I remarked that one could better utilize the room
if it were fitted with a twin bed instead of the full-size bed,
to which the previous patient said, "That would suck."
(tell you anything about the previous patient?)

Today, as I requested of maintenance/housekeeping,
the full-size bed was dismantled and trucked away,
and replaced with a plain, sturdy twin bed.

And voilá,
a room that is cozy and tidy and you can exhale in it as well.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 04:20 PM

We had some tree branches cut down yesterday. Things started a few months back when mum thought a tree looked as if was dying. I disagreed and said there were buds forming and sure enough it wasn’t long after that the leaves started to appear. Mum was still worried about the tree, quite a tall one and near to the house and we agreed that it would be a good idea to have an expert take a look at it just in case. The chap felt this tree was quite safe but he pointed out some branches on 3 other trees that he said would be best removed so we got a quote and agreed to have the work done.

I’d guessed the job would take all day but a team of 4 came round, equipped with a boom lift as well as chainsaws and the machine that chops the small stuff up and they were done in a little over two hours. They did a very tidy job too. A bonus of the job seems to be a bit more light towards the end on the daylight hours.

We’ve no house or garden projects planned at the moment and I think we’ll just settle for keeping things ticking over this year.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Jun 22 - 08:52 PM

Beaver:

Not spending much time on internet due to cost of using the "stick"; still no better way out here.

Dietician was helpful with gut problem and it has improved. No sign of an ultrasound yet.

Was thinking of going to a pancake BF/musical event on Canada Day but it is a little far, lots of people (covid) and seems best to just stay home. Nothing happening at my former home community and it might rain anyway. Missed the 7-11 Cafe last Friday due to lack of PR. Next one is on the 29th July...

Finally filled the kiln and did bisque and now have a glaze firing in. This one is almost all white/blue sponge ware. Will do another tomorrow and try to get more pots made. Told R I might come home next week; I like it better here... He and Dan stopped in on Saturday - actually Sunday 12:30 am! He fixed the screen doors and they put the lawn swing on the truck to take to QC; it will be better there as I have not been using it. Here I use the screen house. Not as many bugs at Dupont. De-cluttered the back yard! They left about 10:30 am on Sunday to deliver another machine and pick up a couple small ones. Got back to QC about 11 pm!

The weather has been moderate to cool! And some rain. Very nice. We have 6 tiny oak trees from the acorns R planted in a raised bed in April. He may get around to planting them at the Mill; there is lots of room and they would be an asset. He seems to be keeping the plants alive at Dupont. The mock orange here is just starting to bloom - right outside the window!

Someone has started a new Farm market in Bancroft and it is very nice. Get to visit with folks! Pat brings an assortment of goods down from the Carriage House as a PR initiative. While I was chatting with her last Sat, a woman came along and bought a butter dish! I need to make more!

I have weeds under control here.

Loved the comment:"Thank dog for ice packs!" When we were kids, we had a dog pen and dog house - 19 puppies! Found homes for all! But my bro painted on the wee house "god house"; we should have realized a learning problem? Dyslexia? Today we would. He managed school but it was not easy.

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

First of the month and clearly I need to treat it as a No-Spend-July. Last month with the air conditioner crash it was very expensive. I'll let the sticker shock sink in as I find ways to use things I already have here. And list eBay stuff. It has been a no-alcohol month since about February so I'm already realizing a savings from not buying wine or Scotch or beer.

I have friends who will run errands for me, but yesterday I though I'd save them a trip and get groceries using Instacart. The shopper leaves the bags on my front porch and I usually give them a couple of minutes to leave before I open the door so the dogs don't startle anyone. My phone chimed a text telling me it had been delivered, but there was nothing on the porch! I wondered where they were, if I was going to have to walk over to the neighbors and see if the order was there, or maybe in the next block at the house that sometimes gets my mail. As I walked over to look at the front of the next door house I glanced up my driveway and saw something by the side door step.

I went back into the house and over to the side door, to find all of my groceries on the ground, nothing bagged or in a box. And on a 100^o day, the butter and cheese and cottage cheese were on the pavement at the bottom of other stuff. I retrieved a laundry basket bring it all in, and I am afraid I laid into that delivery person in my rating on the app. I have a photo. I didn't ask for a refund, but I did halve the tip, and supposedly a supervisor will contact me. I'll ask that they please train that person how to properly handle groceries. He had them for a couple of hours before they were delivered and the app assured me they were in a "temperature controlled environment" until delivery. I doubt it - one of the cottage cheese containers was so puffed up it was ready to burst.

I don't want anyone to lose their job in this environment, but he needs some guidance if he's going to continue doing this work. Other than that, his produce selections were fine. Some of the past deliveries weren't so great (one woman brought a bag of yellow onions that I realized the next day were all but spoiled and I had to throw almost all of them away.)

Ms Cookie turned up with a shallow gash in her side this morning, missing some hair and some bleeding but not deep. I pulled out my veterinary first aid kit and washed with chlorhexidine and finished with a dab of antibiotic ointment. I rolled her around and didn't find any other injuries. The guy I do contract work for described his dog tangling with a young bobcat last week - she was a lot worse off. We have them here, but hopefully they know to stay outside the yard fence.

Clearly there is plenty of drama here this summer. My ex will be retired after today so I expect to have more frequent visits as he learns how to be retired.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Jul 22 - 02:14 PM

Sympathy for sacrificed groceries.

ooo an ebay challenge. I am competitive averse. Even in tennis I hit it back so that the opponent can easily hit it back. But they never do the same. I like the volley, they like the kill shot.

I'll start the lesser value auctions first, get a following and end with the impossible to find.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jul 22 - 02:49 PM

I did some tidying in the garden and put the hardier houseplants out on the patio in the hope they’ll get rained on. It’s Dominion — *oops* — Canada Day, so of course there’s rain in the forecast.

Stratford's hard water is not good for potted plants because the dissolved minerals eventually clog their root systems. Experts recommend periodic flushing with distilled water, but I’m cheap so I let Mother Nature do the job.

I’m down another size in trousers, and only about fifteen pounds from the point where continuing to lose weight would be unwise. If life continues on its current track, I should reach that point sometime around Christmas.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jul 22 - 04:56 PM

Don, I agree, I don't care for challenges and tend to push back. That said, I have a lot of stuff in boxes already that need to be described and photographed for listing. With the shipping container already chosen it goes pretty quickly.

Ex is retired as of about four minutes ago, and coming over for dinner, and our daughter is coming over after work to join us. It'll be simple, fish, potatoes, salad, veggies.

I've figured out that the surgical glue is what my skin is all red about, and as it gradually peels off the skin will recover. I may try a little rubbing alcohol on one spot to see if that helps remove it (a spot beside the incision, nothing that would be painful for that test).

It's still damned hot out there and getting hotter. And with Independence Day nearly upon us, the blue heeler will be beside herself with all of the racket. She'll be pretty warm if I put the Thunder Shirt on her, but I'll see how it goes. Maybe just let her hide in my bedroom closet for a few days. That's where we slept during the freeze back in February 2021 and all of the dogs are really fond of it now.

What kind of suggestions are you getting from your dietician, Dorothy?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Jul 22 - 10:32 AM

Beaver:

Dreadful about your groceries, SRS! Here, I can go to the grocery when it is virtually empty. When at Dupont, I can also. Sometimes I have ordered on line and it comes at a specified time to the door, in good shape. I can also order on line for pick up at the store - park in designated area and phone to let them know I am there and they bring it out. It used to be in plastic bags but recently, they switched to returnable boxes! Plastic bags are no longer acceptable in Quebec. The produce store - I prefer to pick my own - is usually empty at 6:45, closes at 7! So I dash in a whip though my shopping and get out. Staff is usually putting things away so I may miss an item. They are very kind and helpful but I don't want to keep them when they are surely anxious to get away! Of course I wear a mask in any case.

Canada Day:
Firing came out beautifully so I am sorting - some for a friend, some for the Carriage House(CH), some for the event in QC at end of August. I am back to "get out and push" today. Drank a cup of green tea, hoping it would help... I was going to try to get another load in today but I still need to glaze the rest, hopefully today. Tomorrow will do for the firing as this one was still hot; I could have done it more quickly but did not feel like hurrying. I once unloaded, and wrapped in newspaper, pottery that was HOT - until the paper started smoking! OOPS! Back to it; the tea may have helped!

Sinking back into low gear, I had another cup of tea and got pottery labeled and packed for CH, finished glazing and loaded kiln for tomorrow, threw five butter dish bottoms, hoping I did the math correctly to fit the existing lids, and one lid to fit an existing bottom (hope), then my back said, "Enough!"

Seriously concerned that the floor in the kiln room is bouncier than it was. Think I need someone to repair it before the kiln falls through, or maybe I am wrong. This is not a Dan job - it's beneath him! Also beneath the floor! Will ask around at the Farm Market tomorrow.

The Green Tea idea originated, for me, in the '90s when I went to the local library with a "splitting headache" and declared, "If the rain doesn't come soon, my head is going to break!" And was informed, snarkily: "Some people drink green tea for their weather headaches." It works! but I had forgotten about it as my reason for drinking green tea. So--- back to it! Long time since I got a headache from the weather- just feel immobilized.

The mock orange is slowly coming into flower; lovely just outside the window.

2 July: Took box of pots to Market; chatted with folks. Our local folk musician is playing today. I went home to turn kiln to hi and will go back in a bit to listen to John and chat with whomsoever is around. Spectacular day- breezy, warm, low humidity!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jul 22 - 10:46 AM

Stilly, don’t use rubbing alcohol on your healing surgery site; it’s too harsh, and it will damage the skin. I did it years ago and paid a high price — five days in hospital with a suppurating incision after surgery on my right ankle. Soap and water would have done a better job, and no harm.

What you need is a solvent, which alcohol isn’t. I would try a small amount of Goo Gone on a cotton swab, followed immediately by thorough (but gentle!) washing with plain soap and water.

In the olden days of huge post-surgery pressure dressings held down with Elastoplast, we used to clean off the excess adhesive with an acetone solvent that was, not coincidentally, pretty well identical to nail polish remover.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Jul 22 - 11:15 AM

I’m not trying to advise SRS on what to use but rubbing alcohol may be made from isopropanol or ethanol. Both of these are solvents. I keep a bottle of isopropanol at home and find it handy for removing sticky labels from jam jars, etc. as well as a general degreaser.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jul 22 - 11:19 AM

Okay, Jon, I’m no chemist, but I’m not kidding about the effect of rubbing alcohol on broken skin.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jul 22 - 11:52 AM

Thank you Jon and Charmion! I wasn't going to try it over the wound but to the side of it. I think perhaps a Q-tip and nail polish remover to test one of the outer edges of the adhesive would be a reasonable test.

Dorothy, I hope that kiln doesn't drop through the floor while it's heating! Get it looked at soon! And the weird thing about that whole Instacart experience this week is that he picked good produce, he just had a horrible technique at the handoff part of the transaction.

Yesterday was a special occasion to celebrate retirement so my ex and our daughter came over for dinner. I kept it simple, I'm not standing long in the kitchen, so I baked the last of the frozen affordable wild-caught halibut from Costco - I think the price has doubled since the last time I bought it. I boiled some small red potatoes till tender, then after they cool you press down slightly on each to split the skin for a slightly smashed appearance—those are fried lightly on both sides in some butter, salt and pepper, and are what my son calls "smashed potatoes." Crushing them a little gives all of the edges of skin and potato to brown in the butter that makes them so nice. (This recipe came out of Martha Stewart Living.) Salad, and fruit for dessert.

The forest floor is returning and the Labrador retriever is in great need of brushing, so I think decluttering the house of dust puppies and the dog of extra hair would be a good start to this holiday weekend. I had my bedroom door open last night allowing the blue heeler to come in, where she slept on the floor at the foot of my bed (at one point trying out the narrow space between the bed and the wall). Someone in the vicinity must have set off some fireworks last night.

This year is very dry so fireworks are liable to start fires. That's more excitement than anyone needs for July fourth festivities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 22 - 04:51 PM

I tested a spot of surgical glue with the nail polish remover, but decided against trying it more, since it kind of spreads and I don't want it on the barely-healed incision itself. Washing it gently with a rough washcloth does dislodge more of the adhesive, and I have fresh hydrocortisone cream to put on it now. The swelling is almost all gone except right over the knee itself, and I weighed myself this weekend and am at the same weight that I went in for the surgery. I'm still working on getting more protein so no alternate-day fasting yet, just maintaining this weight.

There are a couple of pairs of shorts that are comfortable; so far no long pants and no Capri pants because they rub on the scar. I have to put a draw string back into one pair (inexpensive shorts I picked up at Costco last year that have suddenly become my favorites because they're a little longer than the rest and they have pockets.) Good thing I have a bodkin for pulling the cord back into place (from all of the masks I've been making and putting in ties for around the head or ears).

We had a slight rain last night, just enough to make it muggy as hell. Fire danger is still very high so I have my fingers crossed no one sets the neighborhood on fire with Independence day fireworks.

Cookie hurt herself a little bit this weekend and the cut on her side is where she can lick it. I've started treating it then putting a t-shirt on her to leave the medicine in place for a little while. She looks cute in green. Her head through the neck, her front legs through the shirt arm holes, and then the hem twisted and knotted at her waist is rather elegant. She seems to like the shirt.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jul 22 - 05:14 PM

Two days after the holiday, Stratford’s firecracker fans are still indulging their jones for cordite, and one of the neighbours bought some that make a whistling noise before the ear-splitting CRAAACK! I’ve never been shot at in anger, but I dislike fireworks in general, and firecrackers in particular, because they make a noise like small arms fire where no small arms should be. Except that whistling thing; that sounds like a mortar bomb in flight.

Beautiful weather. Hot, but not too hot, not a cloud in the sky.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 12:08 AM

I had a PM from our deep-lurker maeve who suggested olive oil on the surgical adhesive. Good idea! I think the bath tonight got most of the rest of it, though. I am not supposed to immerse the knee, but I did go over it several times with the rough wash cloth and the adhesive got soft enough to be rubbed off. Whew! And I think I'm turning a corner with the medications and weaning off of some of them.

It's a war zone outside right now, and I expect Pepper will be curled up in my closet for the night and the next couple of nights. The forecast is brutal for the next 10 days, every single one of them over 100^o. A good rainstorm would help lots of things, including dampening enthusiasm for fireworks, but nope, the folks will be out shooting off fireworks and hopefully not burning down the prairie.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 02:17 AM

I've recently lost quite a lot of weight - no more crumpets (boohoo!) and more salads, no fatty foods etc. I'm now a size 12 whereas I was a size 20 (gulp!). I feel so much more energetic and fit.
So, I've been having a turnout of all my large clothes (those I can't alter with a few stitches - I'm quite good at needlework, but some things you can't alter.) Large pile of loose tops and roomy trousers, ready for the charity shop or the clothing container in our village.
My husband (who came to visit me yesterday) looked at my enormous cotton knickers in the drawer and said (French accent) "You 'ave to buy some leetle kneekers, zeeze are mush too beeg!"

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 08:12 AM

My sister never spent much time in artillery observation posts, so what she reported as "that whistling thing; that sounds like a mortar bomb in flight" is actually the sound of an artillery simulator or "arty sim."

Mortar bombs (from mortars in Canadian service) are fin-stabilized, and produce little if any noise until "the earth-shattering KABOOM." The whistle is intended to represent the sound of the driving band and to cue those in the area where it lands to take cover. Driving bands, the bronze rings around artillery projectiles that engage the rifling, actually produce a fizzing sound from their spinning in the airstream as they pass overhead. If the round lands in your immediate area, i.e. within its lethal radius, you will not likely have heard anything before "the earth-shattering KABOOM."

Arty sims are dangerous pyrotechnics that can produce serious injuries, far more serious than most commercially available fireworks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 01:50 PM

Beaver:

Senoufou! Major congrats on your loss!!

SRS: And you are back to life almost at normal!!!

Kiln is on leave until I figure out a new spot or the floor is fixed. Folks I met at the Farm Market came by to dig up some of my surfeit of Sorrel and a Good King Henry. After a quick tour and 'getting to know you' chit chat, we did a major grooming on the remaining Sorrel and I have a handle on its care, which must start in early spring (I was not here!) and continue to fall. Quite a nice veg mixed in with other stuff! VJ has a number of tasks in process, including their farm but has offered to rip the floor up - "Yes there is a broken joist."; he is a carpenter as well and has an aura of knowing what he is doing! In the meantime, I am a long way - a couple weeks of working in studio - from needing the kiln. I cleared about half the room in prep, still more to do.

Last glaze firing came out well and is sorted for different venues. I need to make room in front storage cabinet for stuff to go to QC; the house is getting too cluttered. Means a run to the dump - today? or not til Friday?

Did two loads of laundry which dried quickly on breezy Sunday, one after another hung outside.

R makes noises about visiting but I am not holding my breath. He is keeping the QC plants alive, was delighted to pick a fresh tomato.

Our weather continues to be mild; no forecast of temps over 26C and some rain, sufficient so far. The mock orange continues is slow unfolding of blooms! Something ate the few blueberries and strawberries; I need to feed them well so they can do better next year.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 22 - 05:27 PM

Senoufou, I've made several passes through the closet and dresser drawers in the past month taking out pants and shirts that were way too large now. I also weeded out work-style clothes that I don't need ("office casual"). I love that French accented remark from the Mister! I'm just about to size 12, it depends on manufacturer of some or if they're Women's or Misses. And right now I'm looking for pants that won't rub on the fresh scar on my knee, so it's mostly shorts.

Dorothy, a broken joist is a good thing to know about and respond to before the floor falls in! Good call on that one.

The social worker who oversees the physical therapy home program came by today to wrap up the home part of the PT; he's impressed with the scar because apparently some of the folks he has seen with the same surgery on the same date are still having drainage and such. And walking with walkers. I use the cane at night if I get up to go to the bathroom or kitchen, because my knee is particularly stiff then. (Or to shoo dogs out of my path.) I prepared for this with exercise way in advance for this very reason, to make the recovery easier. It's what the doctor recommended and it works. All of that progress aside, it is just as much a struggle for me to get past the pain as it is for the others. I use the ice pack several times a day and usually have to apply it at bedtime so I can fall asleep.

I've been looking over my eBay stash of stuff to list, in case Don is keeping track. I'll set something out this evening to work on tomorrow. Now to limp into the back yard and put fresh rubber washers on the faucet attachment with the garden watering timer thing. It has been dripping. I think I can handle this small chore.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Jul 22 - 11:46 AM

Stratford enjoyed a fine soaking rain this morning and my lawn is green again already.

After the big clear-out of the closets and chests of drawers a few weeks ago, I have already accumulated another laundry basket full of clothes to go. These are mostly gym gear and casual clothes that are either too big or designed for stuff I don't do any more.

Surgeons and the nursing staff who work with orthopaedic patients love people like you, Stilly, who actually follow their advice and get as fit as they can before an elective operation. They're (usually) too professional to show their disappointment and irritation with those who blow them off, but they lavish praise on those whose condition shows they did their best to prepare.

The nurse who gives me my monthly needle at the allergist's office always praises me so fulsomely for not whining that I have to wonder about the conduct of some of her other customers.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Jul 22 - 12:07 PM

Beaver:

Dump run done. cabinet cleared for storage. Raining today- no outdoor activity. Tried to go to a dentist office to see if it is environmentally safe; Had to phone and leave a message; call back: they are booked until April! The dentist I tried yesterday gave me an appt. for 3 pm and then I found the place stinky; Clueless! I told today's that I understand why they are booked and the other one is not. I may have to drive 30 miles or more to find a dentist!

Re kiln room: it is so easy to feel one is misjudging something but the floor was rocking too much!

So: library and research dentists. Then lunch and back to the studio; I sent pic of pots I made for friend and he wants deeper bowls and straight sided mugs - I have not ever made! But I can. Back to it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Jul 22 - 01:22 PM

Dorothy, I think it’s safe to say that a floor should not rock at all, ever. Even a little bit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jul 22 - 02:21 PM

Charmion, good thing I'd swallowed that mouthful of tea when I read your last remark, or I would be mopping up on my desktop! Dorothy, I second her remark!

I started looking at the dripping faucet and realized part of the problem is the faucet itself, so have asked my ex to stop by to help with a "few things I can't do by myself yet." I can change that washer, but what I can't do right now is get down on my hands and knees in the front yard to turn off the water to the house in the small vault next to the water meter. I have a couple of heavy pots that need moving also (with the help of a wagon, but I don't want to lift them into the wagon).

I picked out three very easy to ship items to list on eBay; a leather handbag and two good brands of shoes that I have never gotten around to wearing. Since I decided I need to just stick with size 9 shoes, the 8.5s have been pulled out of the closet. Some were donated to Goodwill, but the big name ones that are barely worn can go on eBay.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jul 22 - 11:19 AM

They say no good deed goes unpunished. My ex came over to turn off the water at the curb and after a good soaking we figured out which direction to turn the gate valve (and I need to prune back the shrub that is growing over the top of the vault). And then the outer screw on the faucet is rusted in place and the whole faucet needs replacing so he headed over to Home Depot to get another faucet handle.

It turns out this is just part of the unit, screwed off of the part soldered onto the copper pipe, and the whole thing needs replacing, so a plumber will have to sweat a new fitting onto the pipe. The guy at Home Depot recommended a silicon filler that will replace the leaking washer on the existing faucet for now. Ok. Only one phone call and one trip so far. Next time I call a plumber about the tree-root-sewer problem I'll also have them (probably "him") replace the faucet as well. Note to self - pick up the faucet I want to use so I have it here ready to install. I like the way the gate valves work but they usually use the screw valves.

Any day you have a home project and can do it with only one trip to the hardware store is a win. My average on some projects is three trips in a day or weekend. I also take photos to show them what I'm working on. We got the washer unit reassembled (less is more when it comes to this silicone stuff) and back together on the pipe.

Standing in the yard for a little while wasn't bad, but I need to pace myself. I'm weaning off of the pain meds today. Wish me luck!

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

My Cadillac started showering the passenger's feet with water which is a wierd unwelcome option. I took it to the dealership and got it fixed/turned off.

The last declutter downstairs room project is started before I tackle the the unfathomable basement. I'm going to enjoy the wrap around desk demolition with a sledge hammer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Jul 22 - 03:36 PM

Beaver: hit the wrong button and lost post. I will try again at home where it is more comfie.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Jul 22 - 03:58 PM

Talking of things moving under your feet (Dorothy):

I just drove to the next town over, where I am data-entering this from a public computer (rental).
To get to this spot, I had to drive over a bridge crossing a river.
There is a crossroads, of which the bridge itself is one-quarter,
and the crossroads has got a traffic signal with lights and all.

THis means that when the light is red in that one direction,
traffic is stopped right ON the bridge over the Housatonic River.
I was driving one of the vehicles that was halted on the bridge,
waiting for the light to change.

At that crossroads, drivers from another direction made a right turn,
and following the green-arrow-light signal,
they turned ONTO the bridge itself where my lane was stopped.
So these other cars drove past us going the other way over the bridge,
and yes,
that bridge rocked, rocked, rocked.

And I thought of Dorothy's kiln and the floor with the broken joist.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 01:23 AM

It’s always ordering on line for me and DIY things, SRS.

I had a plumbing job last month. The bath thermostatic mixer tap (this sort of thing) had started leaking. Because of a previous mix up, I was quite lucky with this one. I had a suitable spare tap in my shed. The plumbing bit was a very easy task too.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 02:13 AM

Oh John, don't mention 'plumbing' to me! For several weeks I've had a 'haunted loo' - it kept flushing all by itself, even in the middle of the night, and there's only me in the house - scary!. As I'm on a water meter, this was costing me money. But my favourite plumbers (Dempsey) would need to be paid of course.
Then, a few days ago, the Haunted Loo flushed continually without stopping, late one evening! I tried and tried to turn off the stop-cock under the kitchen sink, but it was too stiff for me. So I ran next door to my kind neighbours, and the husband brought a spanner and got my water turned off. I rang Dempsey's emergency number and a lovely chap arrived immediately. He told me I'd have to wait until the morning as he didn't have the requisite part on his van. So I spent the night with all water turned off, unable to flush my loo at all. He came back early next day, fixed the loo and now I'm singing in my head that song 'The Honey Cart' by the Singing Postman ("Whenever he's bin, yew kin goo agin, as regular as can be!" hee hee!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 02:44 AM

I think the best thing I did with our toilet was to change the lever operated flush to a push one the last time we had a breakdown. I could never persuade people here not to turn the handle as forcefully as they could and not to keep turning the handle impatiently as the water refilled with the lever ones.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 03:34 AM

That's exactly what my loo flusher is Jon, a 'push' one. And the photo shows the part my plumber changed for me. It was weird having no water whatsoever all evening and all night. Made me appreciate all the more having clean water on tap.
When I was a little girl, everyone had a cistern up on the wall and a chain to pull. (remember those?) I got a smack for yanking it far too hard and nearly pulling the whole thing down.
Makes my husband's 'toilet arrangements' in Africa look a bit more sensible (Hole in the ground and a pot of water to wash one's bum - no toilet flushing and no toilet paper!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 05:00 AM

I'm not sure whether I've seen chain flushes in houses, Sen.

I don't know when her Shropshire village got mains water but mum (b. 1935) remembers a time when they got water from the village pump.

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

During the weekend my daughter spent with me after the knee surgery we at one point got to talking about commodes (toilets) and the use of under the seat bidets. I think that is what I'll be getting for xmas this year from her. :) A lot of the toilets in use around here now have the dual flow (for liquid versus solids flushing). I got a new toilet that is just all low flow, it's designed so it flushes anything with the smaller amount of water.

I tend to save up projects for when I have to call out someone from one of the professions like electrician or plumber. If it's an emergency call, all the better if you can get something extra fixed at the same time and avoid an extra service call charge later.

The 10-day forecast is dreadful - up to 107^o predicted on Saturday, all days over 100 through Thursday when it's a balmy 99 predicted. Carlos Santana collapsed on stage last night in Michigan (way north of Texas and with the outdoor temperature at 86^o, but the stage lights making it much hotter where he was.) Stay cool, everyone!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 12:44 PM

My latest bout of sinusitis comes with a whole new effect: a swollen, red rash on my face that looks like the revenge of fifty years of whisky shots. The lymph nodes under the edge of my jaw are so sore that at first I thought I had matching bilateral toothaches. So now I’m parked in the number two comfy chair (the cats secured the best comfy chair while I was at the Y) to await a call back from the doc’s office.

Just to add to the general joy, my phone is showing signs that it is approaching the end of its service life. I intend to buy my next one outright to avoid the financing costs — a classic rich people’s economy. But even my rudimentary arithmetic skills can cope with calculating the true cost of the “no money down” deal offered by Bell Canada, so I have to make a 40-km pilgrimage to the nearest Apple store. I think that can wait until I feel rather less sick.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 07:12 PM

Well. It seems that my swollen, painful face is suffering from cellulitis, probably arising from the minor, but painful, fissure in the tip of my nose, itself the result of the constant itch caused by my many allergies and my constant rubbing thereof.

So I’m stuffing myself with a heavy-duty antibiotic for the next seven days.

I sure hope the swelling goes down quickly. At present, I have jowls to rival J. Edgar Hoover.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 07:23 PM

Beaver:

Chuckles re comments about my rocking floor! A rocking bridge, I would not like! Not at all! The kiln is in the wood shed for now. BJ assures me he will come when he has time. This leads to my chuckles re plumbing problems; lived almost 15 years without running water, got so used to it that 20 years later I still conserve water in every possible ways. However, if a storm is coming or if the water needs to be turned off- FILL the bathtub!

R has Covid but better today than yesterday. Yes, all four shots! Glad he is there and I am here!

Trekked down to Madoc (an hour) today for dentist. The clinic was odour free but had to ask the receptionist to please turn off the dreadful noise of TV - no one there but me. I waited over an hour and the noise put my brain into bad state. It took the receptionist "translating" for me to understand the dentist who was nice but had no comprehension of my difficulty. Two more appointments on Monday.

Then ---Brainstorm! Stopped to see potter friend and asked if he could spare a box of the clay we both use. YAY! He could. I am out of the fresh clay and pre-used is a nuisance, time consuming and hard on shoulders. This box will get me through the larger stuff that Needs to be made. Then I can use the "re-cycled" for lots of small pieces which sell very well at the Carriage House (CH).

Then I got gas and a Subway to eat on the way north, to the CH where I exchanged two boxes of new product for about the same amount of stuff that has not been so popular. A bit of social and then back down the hill and a stop to see a friend briefly - busy making a cage for the strawberries - so they will get some!

Home and a cup of tea and some food. Chick peas cooking. A few minutes in studio. Another beautiful day in the swamp!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 08:26 PM

Facial cellulitis?? what a NIGHTMARE.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jul 22 - 10:18 PM

I second Keb's observation. Get over that soon, that must be a misery.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 09:40 AM

The most noticeable effect of the swelling from my point of view -- that is, behind it -- is a general tightness and surface discomfort rather like that caused by sunburn. But it's in a bad place; the doctor was particularly concerned that it not spread into my eye-sockets, and the swelling has already half-circled both eyes.

After three 500-mg doses of Cephalexin, the matching bilateral toothaches have subsided, but the sunburn feeling and the red mask are still firmly in place.

Today I shall take a little stroll downtown for a lecture and lunch with a buddy.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 10:51 AM

It sounds like you're putting a "good face" on it, Charmion. I expect we've all Googled it by now - take care of yourself!

I pulled on an old pair of Capri pants and used a large trash bag "apron" I made ages ago over those (I cut the bottom seam out so I can pull the tube of the bag up over my legs and fasten at the waist) and took the weed whacker to the tall grass around the garden. That was about 30 minutes of moving slowly but realizing I haven't been moving that much at all in the last 3 weeks. Everything is put away again and that's it for now. Our high today will be about 104^o so I went out when it was early and in the 80s. This is going to be a record-breaking summer.

I've talked to a friend about the home warranty company she used for 14 years at her last house, and it sounds like it will be a reasonable one to work with. They let you work with your preferred contractors, where as big companies like American Home Shield are the 800 pound gorilla, they choose the contractors and what is used to replace whatever has malfunctioned. I've spoken to a friend who uses that now, and she's ok with them making the decisions, but I'm not. Twenty years ago everything was new, now it isn't. When I bought this house there was an American Home Shield warranty and I used when the hot water tank burst. Still a rather expensive experience because while they replaced the tank, I had to pay the cost of bringing things up to code and that was the only way they would install the new tank.

I have more eBay things to photograph today, and select shipping packages, then get them listed. Have you started any, Don?

Dorothy, how is R? Feeling better?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 07:19 PM

Charmion, you have my sympathy. Himself was diagnosed with cellulitis in the left ankle/foot last year; it has settled down for now (we think because it's winter, our exremities swell more in summer) but it may flare again when the weather heats up.

Dorothy - this Aussie knows where Madoc is! We've been through there, we stopped for fuel and for a coffee at Tim Horton's.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 07:55 PM

My childhood was one of pulling-the-chain flushes. When it didn't work, the advice was that you had to "take it by surprise". :-)

I've had cellulitis three times in the last two years, every time in the lower legs. It seems that you are more prone to it once you've had it for the first time. I didn't know what it was first time round, and because of the delay in getting it treated, I ended up with high infection markers in my blood, the threat of sepsis and severe blistering that took weeks to resolve. Beware!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 09:13 PM

Beaver:

Jennie: But you must have missed the Hidden Gold Mine Bakery! If you ever get there again!...

R is some better; still weak but taking nourishment and happy for a rest!

I seem to have been exhausted by my trip to dentist, emotionally draining to be unable to understand what the Dentist is saying. Phoned the receptionist this am and talked with her about what Monday will be for me and was assured the (Dif) dentist will be understandable, the TV will not be on and I will not wait an hour! She was terrific.

Then I collapsed for the rest of the day. Went back to bed, shivering at 73 degrees, with electric blanket on and slept off and on. Emotionally drained or wondering if there might have been something in the air at the clinic... Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is nasty, somewhat akin to fibromyalgia, with similar causes and symptoms - or not! Worst is that it is so totally misunderstood by general public: "Are you allergic to anything?" Yes! but what???? Anything to do with petroleum - plastics, hardware stores, cleaning products...

A beautiful evening in the swamp!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 10:21 PM

I had a bout of cellulitis nearly thirty years ago in my right foot, after surgery to remove orthopaedic hardware from the ankle. My foot swelled to the size and shape of a rugby ball and I spent five days on IV antibiotics in an isolation ward — infected wounds are horribly contagious.

This time it’s less dramatic (no IVs or isolation) but I’m not having any more fun than I did the last time. Plus now there’s no Edmund to bring me chocolate bars and a book about the Duke of Wellington.

Wikipaedia tells me that cellulitis occurs most often in the lower legs and feet, and in the face. Fancy that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 10:23 PM

PS: I know where Madoc is, too!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Jul 22 - 10:41 PM

Last week I gave myself an accidental chemical face peel. The Bottle said Moisturizing Aloe and in the smallest print of all...hand soap.
I left it on all night.

Get well soon, Augmentin works well on cellulitis.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 22 - 12:01 AM

I hope everyone is back to their old selves for the weekend. Get a good night's sleep if you can!

I stepped into the back yard briefly to push the mower around a small space for the dogs (it is so terribly hot here this summer that I'm concentrating on what I can water with one of those rotating sprinklers) so they have one area to hang out that isn't dead grass and dust. And of course I pulled wrong and have a sore spot behind my knee again. Too soon for the mower, apparently. I was very careful after that misstep and will not do that again for a while. Ice packs at bedtime. I ran the sprinkler this evening over that mowed area so it will be inviting for them (and it is in the shade of two trees).

This afternoon I called to ask a list of questions about the home warranty plan then went ahead to set it up. My rationale: when I was young I used to do work on my own cars, but as they got to be more sophisticated I gave up even the simple oil and oil filter changes to mechanics. When I divorced I signed up for AAA as my vehicle backup plan for jumping batteries or changing flats. Now that I've retired I think the home warranty is probably a prudent move to keep things running around here. I still do some stuff, but for the big mechanical things, I'll gamble that the warranty will come in useful now that everything is about 20 years old. And I made sure they will let me use the businesses I've always used - they actually prefer it, figuring customers have a feel for how businesses in a given area operate. The biggest company in this field doesn't give you a say in the matter and their contractors have been known to pull a fast one in trying to sell new equipment instead of performing simple repairs.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 09 Jul 22 - 02:37 AM

Sadly I fear that our days of travelling to Madoc....or indeed anywhere else outside Oz.....are over. Getting older (and poorer as a result), tedious long flights - which are no fun for the young either - travel insurance cover getting more difficult and expensive with the world the way it is now, are just a few of the reasons. But we have memories of our trips to Canada, and we keep in touch with friends from those parts. Our Canaussian son and his Canadian wife live in Toronto, we don't know when we will be in the same room again. Perhaps one day.

Himself's cellulitis is settled at present. We will see what happens.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jul 22 - 10:14 AM

Jennie, I've read about people who retire to live full time on cruise ships. They are figuring that the cost of the long-term cruises is cheaper than rent or mortgage and all of the expenses with a house or apartment. Maybe you could find a cruise coming this way and back, with a visit here in the middle part of the long expedition.

This household is proving to be expensive this summer, what with one new heat pump completely on my tab soon, and if the other one goes out, the warranty covers part of a new one. A big part, but not all of it.

The forest floor is in full swing here and the Labrador is losing hair in huge chunks. I'm trying to catch up and brush him every couple of days. They're spending most of their time sprawled on the tile floors indoors.

Without even trying I seem to have lost a couple of more pounds. It's so damned hot here (107^o or 41.7 C yesterday) that who feels like cooking, let alone eating? I'm intending to stay at 1200 calories each day while the knee is healing, and trying to get more protein.

Several eBay things have been photographed and today I'll sit down and list them. I'm having to pace myself because sitting for too long lets the knee stiffen up. I've already had the setback of the mis-step yesterday, I don't want to make it worse by working on the computer too long. ("Sitting is the new smoking.") I've started watching some of the stuff stored in my Sling TV virtual DVR, seated in the living room with my feet up. I can also do some of the PT exercises while I'm watching TV.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jul 22 - 04:04 PM

Thanks to the internet, I have new jeans, a size smaller than the old jeans. Also a pair of shorts, despite the fifty-mission look of my poor old legs. Summer is approaching its zenith, and comfort trumps vanity every time.

Hot and sticky today. My face both looks and feels better, but I’m not quite ready for prime time as I have the energy and initiative of a dead halibut. I need some groceries, and that will be the limit of my ambition until this evening, when I will haul buckets of water around the garden to the needier plants.

The poor little rosebush so nearly murdered last year by an jobbing gardener is making a strong recovery, which gives me hope. I have yet to identify the best plant for the back flowerbed, where the rabbits have done away with ambitious plantings of several species, including rudbeckia, echinacea and bee balm — maybe a thicket of Scotch thistle will do the trick!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Jul 22 - 05:12 PM

I'll see your dead hallibut and raise you 2 dead oar fish.

5 exotic varieties of morning glories are only 5 feet tall. I hope they go into high gear this month. I laid tarps over the garden to knock down the massive weeds this 'no garden and no pool year'.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jul 22 - 05:48 PM

Charmion, great minds think alike! I ordered a pair of Bermuda shorts from Academy Sports this morning and retrieved them via curbside pickup at lunchtime, when I also picked up lunch from a French café along the same route. I've had my bath and am testing the new shorts this evening.

Yesterday afternoon and evening I took a pump sprayer with a mix of water and finely ground kaolin clay (Surround WP) and essentially whitewashed the crop plants in my garden. It took a couple of passes for a good amount to stick and dry. I want to see if this helps them survive in the heat (by reflecting a lot of the sun hitting them). I've used this before when grasshoppers were a problem and the reflective attributes were a by-product. This time I am spraying just for that secondary effect.

There are times now when my knee doesn't hurt, but I have to remind myself that it doesn't follow that I can then roll over and arrange my legs differently to to sleep on my side, or sit longer in a chair at the computer. It's getting better slowly, but there are many things still off limits. Sometimes I can get away with side sleeping with a pillow between my knees, but not often.

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

When I read about the pain Mrrzy is experiencing with no diagnosis I count myself lucky that I know what is making me so uncomfortable, and it will gradually pass. It's 2 or 3 months before a good night's sleep is standard, and there are many accommodations that must be made to keep the knee healing and no set back from some ill-advised move. That said, last night was particularly awful because I toughed it out and didn't go get the 1/2 of the oxycodone. Once it is no longer a habit I may be able to use one at night occasionally, but I will ask about that before I try that experiment. Out-patient PT should start this week - and that is another source of pain to be dealt with.

The heat is going to be prolonged here and I have been doing my gray water garden survival work for a few days. Keep a 3-gallon bucket in the kitchen sink and every time you let the water run till cold for a glass of water or wash your hands, pour out liquid from steaming vegetables, etc., it goes into the bucket. A bucket that size fills pretty quickly but is easy to carry and I work a pattern around my garden to pour it on one or two plants per trip to keep them alive. Better this than wasting it down the drain. And the size bucket isn't too hard on me to carry with my bum knee. I've thought about running a hose out the kitchen window to a tank and saving myself so many trips out, but I haven't invented the way to set it up yet. So one bucket at a time keeps the yard alive.

Charmion, how is your face feeling now? I always dread the Rx for a heavy-duty antibiotic because it is hard on flora around the body. Invariably I find myself treating a yeast infection a few days out from the start of the Rx. (That's one of the things about the knee surgery - they pump you full of the stuff, so it's another part of the recovery process to be prepared for.)

Senoufou, you said your husband visited the other day. That's a good sign - I hope things progress back to what you want them to be soon. (For me, my ex is now my best friend, but it only works this way when we're not married to each other. The kids have remarked on this, that we're a team whether we're married or not.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jul 22 - 11:29 AM

I’m better still, today, Stilly; the redness is gone, the desiccated top layer of skin has begun to slough off, and the Hoover-look jowls are shrinking. I take a digestive probiotic supplement every day, so I don’t expect gut problems, but who knows what else a wide-spectrum antibiotic will upset.

Today I’m at home waiting for FedEx to deliver my new iPhone; the bastards give themselves a 12-hour time window and to hell with any plans I might have had. I could, of course, improve the shining hour with a little light house-cleaning — or not. There’s a lovely breeze across the porch …

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

I drove this evening to pick up dog food at Tractor Supply (curbside pickup) and then used an electric cart at Costco to travel the perimeter of the store to get fruit, frozen foods, and eggs. The cart ran out of juice at the register so I swapped for a cart and was able to walk out (slowly). My ex was along to help and do some of his own shopping, a good thing because I wouldn't have tried that trip alone. I commiserated with another shopper who had one of those knee wheelie things and his foot in a black surgical boot. "It's a big store!" he said, as his partner steered the cart and picked up heavy things.

I'm waiting for a quote for the price of a new AC heat pump and wondering how on earth they could get up in my attic to do the duct work this time of year in this super hot year in particular. People will be dying in this heat wave, but hopefully not in my attic.

PT starts tomorrow. I expect to be in pain tomorrow night.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jul 22 - 02:04 AM

Thank you Stilly, yes he seems to want to visit me every Saturday and Sunday, with e mails during the week. I'm taking it slowly - no decisions yet.
My neighbour-across-the-road has been working like a Trojan in my back garden, hacking and slashing all the 'over' perennials, trimming the ornamental shrubs and pulling up the numerous weeds. She's a real 'Norfolk' worker, despite being 73 years old! Also it was very hot yesterday (about 30 degrees C) but she never flagged for a moment. I always pay her for the work. She's filled up my garden waste wheelie-bin already, and is coming back today to do some more. This is the kind of 'declutter' I like - 'bucket and chuck it'.

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

I said I wanted this to be a no-spend month, but that isn't what's happening as I safeguard the ability to keep the house at a comfortable temperature for the rest of the long summer in Texas. The tech who pronounced the other unit dead is coming back tomorrow to do maintenance on the 3-ton unit that cools most of the house. The home warranty is in place since last week and I'm not going to see if this charge would qualify for coverage; I'd like to think I didn't put it in place to immediately start drawing down the coverage. Knowing the main unit is working for a while longer feels like a good-faith effort to use the warranty properly. They said if I did a home inspection then I could add a free rider for unseen structural flaws or something along those lines, but I'm not going to do that. The foundation problem is completely visible, that's the main other thing. Houses on slab foundations kind of ride around on top of the hard clay and foundation work is inevitable.

I read Mrrzy's page and am glad there is some relief there finally; here, the knee always has some new surprises. I'm off of the oxy now and pretending the extra-strength Tylenol makes a dent in it. After I finish the month of required medications (that conflict with Ibuprofen) they sent home with me I can switch to Motrin and that will help. It will be a month on Saturday - counting the days!

I'm putting an ice-filled cooler with a couple of bottles of water on the porch every day and have found on occasion the postal carrier or Amazon driver took advantage of it. I need to put some bottles in the car because this time of year I usually hand bottles to the panhandlers at intersections if there is enough time before the light changes. 105^o today. Anyone desperate enough to stand at a street corner in this heat needs help, if only water to keep them alive.

My shady back patio is giving me a break in the afternoon and evening, blocking most of the sun. I have water out in the back and the front for the ultra-local wildlife (toads, lizards, birds, and alas, a few mice.) The yard looks like crap as most of it dries to a crisp, with just a couple of watered areas for the dog's comfort and because there is one patch of grass out front that I'd like to keep alive.

That's it, signed,
Miserable in Texas. :-(

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Jul 22 - 03:15 PM

Many Canadians envy people who live in warmer areas, but I'm not one of them. Over the several years of these threads, Stilly's accounts of summer in Texas have convinced me (as if I had ever needed convincing!) that I should stay right here in Ontario, with all its pettifogging politics and winter woes.

Years ago, Edmund and I visited the battlefield park at Chancellorsville on a summer day that the park staff described as "not bad" for July. Half an hour of strolling the trench lines was enough to send me scuttling back to the air-conditioned visitors' centre with the splitting headache of imminent heatstroke, while Edmund happily larked about the baking landscape and cross-examined the ranger about the death of Stonewall Jackson. I'm even less heat-tolerant now than I was then.

The state of my face has improved still more, and I'm almost back to normal with two more days of antibiotic to go.

I am now in possession of a ridiculously expensive new iPhone that works just as well as the old one did until it didn't any more. The set-up process is supposed to be slickly automatic, but I spent all afternoon trying to do it as recommended, from the old phone to the new one by Bluetooth, only to have the file transfer crap fail at the very last moment THREE TIMES IN A ROW! Finally, I did it the not-recommended manual way and finished in time for supper.

The household strategic reserve of cat litter is dangerously low, and I need more drugs. Hey-ho, off for some more un-fun spending.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jul 22 - 10:28 PM

Charmion, I want to end up back in my native Pacific Northwest again one of these years. These summers in Texas are something I'll never get used to. In 2011 we had 72 days over 100^o. That's more than two months of this wretched heat, and this summer looks to be on course to meet or beat that record.

PT started today, and for a celebration of this point in the recovery progress I stopped for a quick dinner at Panda Express (halfway decent fast food place with healthy ingredients) then I broke the streak of weeks of just good for me food by picking up some ice cream on my way home. A nice but rare treat on a hot summer day.

Now I'll be going out a couple of days a week to PT and next week see about doing some of my museum volunteering again. Life is beginning to shift back into familiar activities. I'm not walking very far or very quickly, but I am getting out.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 22 - 10:50 AM

A bad night's sleep behind me and I can report a little more on PT - it always wears you out because they make you move and they do massages and touches to the scar that hurt. I learned a lot, like the scar tissue will loosen up as I massage the knee and flexibility will increase as the swelling continues to go down. The eye-popping pain and surprise of a ligament "popping" last week is normal, he said the scar tissue was just breaking up and it's supposed to do that. Whew!

Air conditioner tech comes today to service the old but still-working AC unit. Fingers crossed it keeps running for now. There's no living in this house without it. This week I'm negotiating the installation of a replacement for the dead one.

The house is in a messy state right now but the AC tech will be here after lunch so I'll give myself 30 minutes before the appointment to just walk through and pick up and put away stuff and then take a broom to the dog hair. I'm brushing the Lab several times a day and he's still blowing his coat like I haven't made any attempts to control it.

I have more eBay to list. Don, are you getting started?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 22 - 02:20 PM

A/C tech appointment delayed until Friday morning so he can finish a job he started today that is taking longer than expected. A coroner's report issued this week says that a 38-year-old former Dallas Cowboys football player died recently of heat stroke. He was in top condition but evidently still managed to get too much heat and not get medical attention. He was found during a "welfare check." There will be a lot of those discoveries this summer. Alas. There is a Wunderground (Weather app) calendar for July with forecasts going as far out as July 27, and every day is in the 102-104 range; after that it simply shows the "average" temperature of 97^o. We'd feel much better if it was just at the average.

I have the shower set up on my patio in the back yard and am going to start using it after sunset. The back area is totally private from views from neighbor houses and with the lights off in my house. It's liberating to shower outdoors, and one way to reclaim some pleasure in being outside in this otherwise awful time of year. it's just a shower head and hose that connects to the backyard hose, and the temperature in the lines has warmed enough that it's comfortable. What activities do you save for just doing in the summer? Lurkers?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Jul 22 - 05:01 PM

I do the same, after a hard day in the heat in my garden. I have a hose about 120 feet long. If I lay it in the sun for half an hour I get over a minute's warm showering if I run the water at half-speed. On hot days I don't even mind the cold finish. That freshens me up for the evening, enough to wash the sun lotion off my head and most of the DEET off everywhere else. I believe in air-drying. We have no neighbours...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jul 22 - 08:08 PM

The water running in my hose is warm from being in the sun, and then there are a minute or two of colder water that is in the house pipes to reach that faucet. Once that water is out I get the warmer water from the city water system piped in under the street.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Jul 22 - 09:49 PM

The Ebay miniature toys are stacked neatly in the corner and need better photographs.
I can adjust the temp in the hot tub from 80 to 107 but haven't used it much. Cold sinks. The TV music room downstairs (half underground) is the coldest in the house if I keep the basement door and air registers closed. I went to the car yesterday and the car thermometer said 108. The sun and black roof of the car port must be respondsible. I had a dead tree removed but have 3 more to be attended to around the pool to help solar heating of the water. For a cooling tip check moab.

I have to change the head of a powerful weed whacker to tackle ivy.
At least I am caught up with the mowing and hedging but its 'summertime and I am procrastinating' even without the pool or garden.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 04:57 AM

I don't know how great the risk is and would have to leave others to asses but I have read of Legionnaires in hosepipe water a couple of times. See this article for example.

Legionnaires likes temperatures > 20C and < <50C. People with hot water cylinders in the UK these days are advised to heat water to 60C for this reason. Of course that means you then should have thermostatic controls for your hot water outlets as 60C can easily scald you but that's another story...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 06:04 AM

I'm guessing that there's no time for any nasties to accumulate in my hosepipe. On hot summer days it's in use a lot. Anyway, in 35 years of doing it, I've yet to catch Legionnaire's (Where should that apostrophe go...).

Now if someone could fix a negative covid test for me... :-(

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 09:22 AM

Note to self - taper off of the muscle-cramp tablets just like I did with oxy. Horrible leg cramps in the wee hours may be the result of just stopping. I have the pill-cutter out and will reduce the use in the next couple of days. I'm almost to the 30-days mark after the knee surgery and this will allow me to use a more effective pain killer (ibuprofen) when I'm off of the blood thinner aspirin. Tylenol is ok, but for me Motrin works better.

There is a chance of thunderstorms today, meaning it will be humid and very hot. Ugg. This is the summer that just keeps on giving.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 05:14 PM

Still bright and sunny in Stratford, and the streets are again choked with out-of-town cars that leave us townies with nowhere to park. That’s a Good Thing; it means the theatre season is going well and the restaurants are doing land-office business.

My face is back to its normal colour and almost back to its normal shape — I’m still a bit jowly, but not offensively so. The last antibiotic dose went down the hatch at lunchtime.

At the Y yesterday, an habitué of the locker room pointed out that my bathing suit is now obviously too big. Unfortunately, this is a terrible time of the year to shop for swimwear!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 07:01 PM

Chère sœur, "une habituée," j'espère. ;p

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 07:12 PM

I too suffer from horrid leg cramps in bed, Maggie. I can have totally wrecked nights and get up with sore muscles. The only connection I can make with what I did the previous day is that I often get the cramp after a fairly active day, in the garden or elsewhere, but that isn't always the case. I often have to get out of bed and move around for fifteen or twenty minutes. Of course, you then have to try to get back to sleep...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 09:01 PM

This is part of the weaning-off of the cocktail of medications I was sent home with following the knee replacement. Drugs for pain, for swelling, for blood thinning (just baby aspirin) and for cramps. I will admit without offering details is that all of this plays havoc with the gut and I'm really looking forward to leaving a couple more of these behind after Saturday when they will be finished and not refilled.

I've gone through periods of time when I had leg cramps, usually during a summer when I'm probably not as hydrated as I need to be or not getting enough salt. So far this isn't one of those summers with the exception of the other night.

The AC repair guy is coming to service the working unit tomorrow and I'll spend some time sweeping up the forest floor and picking up. I have had only 2 people here during the last month, my daughter and my ex, who don't care what it looks like (though I usually do pick up if they're coming over). Even if I explain that I'm recovering from surgery (the knee will probably be in full view) I still need to pick up around here. I made it out to the curb with the trash this morning, so that is a good sign that some stuff is discarded.

I was away at physical therapy when a heavy rain storm passed through here this afternoon, and my next door neighbor says it rained hard for about 15 minutes. That is a wonderful thing for this parched neighborhood! It felt better out there also heat-wise.

Charmion, today as I got dressed to head out (I also visited the museum where I volunteer) I put on a shirt I haven't worn in weeks and I could see that I'd lost some weight. There is more to lose; I have a couple of swim suits and right now there is no way I'm going out in public in a suit, but I'll try them on one of these days. I also stopped at the shoe store (the pair of flats that I have worn constantly since this surgery are either going into the trash or the gardening bin to be worn into the yard and not in public any more) and got a look at my legs in Bermuda shorts in the store mirror. OMG. With this lumpy knee and 20 pounds still to lose, it isn't a pretty sight. 50-mission legs, indeed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Jul 22 - 09:11 PM

Are there drugs for leg cramps? The trouble for me is that the cramps are pretty unpredictable. I'm as likely to get them in winter as in summer, and I can go for weeks without trouble.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jul 22 - 07:00 PM

There are home remedies that people talk about for restless leg problems, and for cramps I've heard about people taking a teaspoonful of vinegar or keeping a mustard packet by the bed and taking some of that.

The combination of muscle and bone pain after the surgery is what the Flexeril is prescribed for. I don't know if it would work for occasional leg cramps (if once they start they continue all night, maybe?)

The problem of taking several medications, even staggering them through the day, is that if they all have a particular side effect it can make life uncomfortable. The narcotic painkiller and the muscle relaxant all can cause constipation, so keeping everything moving is a challenge. I'm almost at the end of those prescribed for the month after the surgery and will be so glad to be through with these.

We had a brief respite yesterday afternoon with a cooldown after rain, but it's back to baking us today. I leave a cooler on my porch with ice and a couple of bottles of water in it, and notice that the postal carrier grabbed both of them today. I'm keeping the bird baths filled and a few of the terracotta saucers that go under pots (normally) on the ground with water for toads, lizards, and birds.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Jul 22 - 09:54 PM

Beaver:

I have had great success with magnesium for cramping; I keep a bottle of "Calm" on the bedside table with a spoon in it (powder); if I get a cramp in the night, I take a swig of water(also next to the bed) and throw a half spoonful of powder in after it, more water, swish it around and the cramp ceasing in less than a minute. If it were a frequent problem, I would try to remember it before going to bed!

Charmion: sure you have been on 7 and passed the route to Madoc. If you happen by at lunchtime, Tues- Sat, they have interesting sandwiches and salads, good soups, lovely scones and other interesting goods at the Goldmine - about 3 minutes from the intersection, on the main st, across from a nice used book store. It is a treat,

Hot weather is not a treat! I have been fortunate here this few weeks. I carefully close drapes on the sunny sides and open them as the sun moves around the house. Then open the doors if as it cools in the evening - which it still does! I see a hot spell coming in a few days and shall have to plan. Love SRS' outdoor shower! I will think on that. No outdoor hose connection... I have two rain barrels collecting from eavestroughs - we have rain!!! The one on the south side of house is warmish. It is convenient for washing residual clay off hands before a final wash in the house. Keeping the clay out of the septic is important.

I, too, rather miss the Great North West!

This morning I got a sneaky urge to clean out the K cabinet that contains all those plastic containers and bottles and baking pans. Three healthy mice jumped ship in the process! I even got down on my knees to wash the cabinet floor, observing carefully that I would be able to climb back up off the floor. I did not actually throw much out but it is organized and there is room left over! Space for the buckets of flour, popcorn and beans!

I have lots of pottery ready to fire but the floor is not repaired yet. There is no room for more! I will see BJ at Market tomorrow. Steve has still not cut the back yard... I have lovely wildflowers in the small section I asked him not to cut - daisies, red clover, something blue, brown eyed Susan and a lot of buckwheat in bloom.

The sorrel is happy with its grooming; I throw some in each cooked meal; today I put a bunch in the freezer on a tray; I will bag it and do another batch tomorrow. The resident woodchuck can sometimes be observed grazing, moving about and picking each tidbit like a fussy eater! Not in the raised beds!

I harvested 3 small strawberries - total! Tasty but... Planning to feed them well in the near future so they can do better next year!

R actually went for groceries last night at the time of least customers and just called, full of what he is cooking! He is feeling better and sounds better but still has a faint line of the test so staying away from people. Tomatoes in the garden are producing slowly so he has had some. AND was excited to tell me the tiny pear tree we have been nurturing for two years, and planted in front garden in May, has a new leaf! It has lost all of its leaves and we feared lack of water.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 16 Jul 22 - 03:21 AM

I think opioids are more likely to give you constipation that not. I had over a year of that while on morphine (I've taken it in the liquid oramorph and 12hr release zomorph capsule forms). More recently, mum tried some opioid weekly release patches for pain relief. Her GP prescribed Cosmocol(macrogol) at the same time. Mum needed it.

Addiction seems to be another problem with this group of drugs. I may have been lucky on that. I was able to get myself off the remaing zomorph without withdrawal problems.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Jul 22 - 05:17 AM

It's hot and humid today and the heatwave that threatens us hasn't even started yet. I have to get into my greenhouse to control my rampant tomatoes and the attendant weeds and I think I'll need a cold shower after that. Then I really must start picking the broad beans before they go "black in th' eye." The horseflies are having their best summer ever so it'll be out with the DEET spray (and the sun lotion on my balding pate).

I won't go over my opioid tale of woe again, but suffice to say the way they made me dependent (and shattered my confidence in just getting around) made for the worst few weeks of my life. They didn't even work after the first week or ten days.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 22 - 10:40 AM

Two years ago when the first knee surgery happened I tried "stepping down" from oxy to tramadol, and found that the tramadol was difficult to just stop, I felt it in an uncomfortable way. The pharmacy had changed their phone system and I couldn't get through so I finally got a ride over there to stand in line to ask the pharmacist if I could safely cut the tablets to taper off of them. Thankfully, he said yes. This time I skipped the "stepping down" part and just worked my way off of the oxy. The best tool to have in a house where you're taking multiple complex medications is a pill-splitter. That's what I'm doing with the flexeril these days, 1/2 a pill a day and then every 36 hours, till I'm off of them and hopefully no more leg cramps. I was off of the oxy last weekend and as Steve says, they weren't helping the knee pain anyway. The knee now hurts mostly because of positional issues - trying to get comfortable and how it rests on a pillow. And trying to not get another case of bursitis in the hip.

Last night I decided I wanted to cook a real meal so I made an eggplant and pork dish (with onions and tomatoes, served over fried or mashed potatoes). It came out great. I ate a little and the rest is in the fridge and my ex will be over for lunch or dinner today. I gave everyone in the family a copy of the cookbook it comes from (I've discussed it here before - Tess Mallos' The Complete Middle East Cookbook). So when I was telling him about this dish (I thought he'd eaten it here before?) I told him what page and he looked it up while we were talking. Most of the family has the hummus recipe memorized, and there are others that everyone enjoys. Which reminds me, I wonder if I sent this to my sister? She might have our mother's copy. The funny thing about this book is that new editions are paperback and are about $60, but you can find good hardback editions for under $10. I always have a couple extra copies of this book in the kitchen and on impulse have given them to friends and neighbors (and coworkers before I retired. We often times had international students working in our department and talking about food was one of those conversations that really brought people together. This book was handy at those times. I gave my office copy to a coworker when I retired.)

Today I took a good look at the house and it's like the inside of a goat's stomach. A month of recuperating and not having people in (at which time I tend to pick up) has left stuff sitting everywhere. I have an audiobook I want to finish by tomorrow so I'll put the headphones on and just quietly work my way through the house as I listen to the murder mystery in Three Pines.

I dread seeing my electric bill this month. It's going to be a whopper. This week hovered around 102^o, next week it's up around 106^o. Over the course of the last month I lost another 4 pounds without even intending to; it's the heat that makes the prospect of eating very unappealing. Yesterday's cooking was simply because I had thawed a pork tenderloin and didn't want to waste it. I've gone through a lot of fruit this summer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jul 22 - 10:01 PM

I made a quick trip to Walmart (I rarely shop there, but they have everything) to pick up a wading pool for the dogs. The old lab might get in, it's low enough he can manage. I also picked up more COVID tests and will send the paperwork to my insurance company for reimbursement. The new COVID variant is really spreading here and is getting too close to family for comfort.

I'm filling the bird baths and basins on the ground every day and seeing lots of signs of critters visiting them. I also handed a bottle of water to the mail carrier as he came by very late today. Good thing the bottles are inexpensive at Costco, I can keep the delivery people who come to my house hydrated without breaking the bank. There is no end in sight and next week is supposed to be several degrees hotter.

When I buy a phone I always put a protective case on it and buy the strong glass protective sheet that covers the face of it. They always come in twos or three and I never use the rest, but today I decided to clean up the phone because that glass cover has slowly gotten dust pushed in under the corners so put on a fresh one. It's all spiffy and looks as good as new now. Heck, for my "no spend" month I'm hemorrhaging cash so I might as well find as many things I can do at no expense as possible. (We seem to take turns at this; Charmion has had a few months that seemed to keep on attacking the pocketbook; the summer seems to be my turn.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 05:21 AM

Dad was taken to hospital last evening. I didn’t know but apparently the morning carer was a touch concerned about a weaker than usual (although dad can be a bit variable anyway) right leg. He was fine the times I saw him during the day which included taking him to the toilet after lunch but he dropped a few things at tea time and when the bed time carers came (quite early yesterday), his right arm stopped working for a while. We called an ambulance and a series of mini strokes is suspected.

The hospital kept him in overnight and we are waiting for the results of tests they are doing on him.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 05:24 AM

All the best, Jon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 05:32 AM

Thanks Steve.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 08:51 AM

Middle-class life is a hole into which we shovel money, Stilly. We could give up car travel, functional knees, television, air-conditioning and smartphones, but we’d gain nothing but misery and isolation to no good purpose.

Fingers crossed for your Dad, Jon. It’s great you have the carers who can assess what’s going on with him and recognize a potentially dangerous change; you’re so close that I’m sure it’s hard for you to see that.

Speaking of big spending, the first installment of my great-niece’s university tuition will be due soon. Gotta contact my broker!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 10:18 AM

Thanks charmion. I think a factor this time was that the carers were around and I was in my room when the leg problem and loss of use of arm showed up but it’s also true that I can find dad difficult to try to assess.

It would probably be a lot easier with a normally able person. In my own experience, dad can stand up (with aids) first time, need a few attempts or even need a break before trying again. His handling is never the best and he uses a bib for meals but I’d have to decide that several bits from his plate plus a yoghurt pot all going on the floor is well beyond the “normal”. Working out whether someone who sometimes can get confused under stress/anxiety and tiredness makes it hard to decide out whether a bout of confusion is something to worry about, etc,

I suppose the carers do have the advantage of only seeing him at certain times of day and for specific tasks. Plus, of course they will have had (or should have had) training and experience I don’ have.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 10:52 AM

And I've just had a call from the hospital. Nothing has shown on scans. They think it may have been mini stroke events that apparently don't always show up but he has been given the all clear to come home and he should be back this evening.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 11:33 AM

Small strokes are sometimes nothing and sometimes something, as I've seen in family members. Good he can come home this evening.

Today is the last day of various pills enumerated on my après-surgery instructions. I'm so tired of keeping the checklist to be sure things were taken on time. Everything will be put away or tossed and the bread pan that corralled the bottles will be washed and put away. The only remnant of the surgery experience will be the ice packs and the case they fit in that still get used around bedtime.

Other than filling bird baths and watering plants I'm staying inside, so there will be more eBay listings today. We're under an Excessive Heat Warning:

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO
9 PM CDT MONDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures between 105
and 110 degrees and heat index values up to 112 degrees.

That damned warning is going to be issued every day this week. Tomorrow and Tuesday are predicted up to 109^o.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Jul 22 - 07:09 PM

Beaver:

Pottery outside under roof, drying. Rain predicted almost daily but not enough to help much. Larry stopped by today and suggested, firmly, using the rain barrel to water the veggies. Even the rhubarb, not in raised bed, needs help. I thought we had gotten lots, but not enough... I did remember to ask for his help to get the umbrella clothes line out of the way so I could access the extension cord designed for the kiln. I will bisque fire it under the roof of the walkway. If that works OK and there is still a need, I will do glaze firing there... until the floor is replaced!


Beating the heat by staying indoors reading. Not so hot here as some places, only up to 30C today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jul 22 - 11:32 AM

I reclaimed the corner of my kitchen peninsula when I packed up the two folders of paperwork from the surgery and have them ready to file in the office. The last of the required medications is finished, now my main focus is two-fold: work on the PT for the knee and get the gut back to normal operations. Too many of those medications bound up the insides and using other medications (Magnesium stuff like Milk of Magnesia) have their own problems when they "fix" the situation. Continuing a healthy diet and getting lots of liquid is the main remedy.

It's a quiet and hot July here as I continue to recuperate. There isn't lawn to be mowed because it is toast, except where I water and mow for the dogs. I sat down and wrote up some of my tips for dealing with the heat and will start a thread - it seems there will be others who want to contribute or learn or ask questions. The whole world is ablaze right now as our nations continue to subsidize fossil fuels.

I learned yesterday that my public library is retiring one of the two audiobook apps they use; I thought about immediately putting the new one into use, but I'm halfway through a book and it won't know where I stopped when I renew that title. So I'll phase in the new app (use it after this book). The old app goes until the new year. #FirstWorldProblems

Last night I spent an hour or more chatting with a woman in Maine who was trying to reach a local acquaintance of mine who is in the middle of some kind of psychological manic phase of untreated mental illness. It's there for the world to see on Facebook, but I recognized the voice of a professional, who wrote "XXXXX, all of this is very big. I hope you will call a friend. You sound like you are dealing with a lot, and must be tired and scared." She wasn't challenging the delusion, she was sliding in along underneath it, hoping to get our friend to reach out. I contacted her via Messenger and it turns out she's a PhD candidate in psychology. In Maine. I took time to call a local MSW friend and asked about agencies here that weren't the police as far as a welfare check, services, etc. and got a good answer that I conveyed back to the friend in Maine. She has been contacting other friends and some family and I hope they can all help our friend get some help. I will call those services if it will help, but it's a matter of who can convince the service agencies of her need - her old friend who knew her 20 years ago, or me as the person who had lunch with her four years ago when we shared office space. It takes a village.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Jul 22 - 08:36 PM

Beaver:

Today it RAINED! At least an inch. Before it started, I re-weeded the strawberry beds and, in between deluges, The blueberry bed. Larry visited yesterday and talked about feeding the beds, and found them very dry! No way I can do a gray water system (R could but no time)so I will use a basin in the sink and carry water out to the beds. I did not realize the soil was so dry. And, of course, the weeds were taking up some of the available water.

Still no repair of floor in kiln room and it is feeling essential as I would like to get back to visit with R. The pots are dry; time to get firing. Tried plan B (with extension cord R made) and may have blown a fuse and cannot get the box open. Will try again tomorrow. Looking for a solution!

Couple hot days ahead. Will open house in a bit to cool night air; get it as cool as possible then close it up in the morning before it starts to warm. Realize that I can do that - leave the doors open - out here on this dead end road with no traffic. Just hook the screen doors. No worries! Wish I could in QC.

Our very healthy resident wood chuck was just outside nibbling away. Got up on raised bed with no problem, not to nibble but to get a better view of who was watching him(?)!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 22 - 09:58 AM

I'd like to get photos of wildlife in the bird baths and plant saucers I've put out with water, but it would mean baking my brains outside to do it. I need to change the water this morning in various pools and troughs to prevent mosquitoes, so I'll go out soon before it's 90^o. It was down to 82 last night, but it gets hot again pretty quickly.

I waited a full 24 hours after the last Celebrex before taking any of the Rx Motrin, but last night is the first night in over a month I didn't need to ice my knee to get to sleep.

Has your cellulitis completely cleared up, Charmion?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Jul 22 - 10:07 AM

My face is back to what passes for normal, Stilly. The big, bad antibiotic did its job.

It’s hot and sticky in Stratford. We had a nice rainstorm on Sunday night and Environment Canada promised more through the week, but the sky is clear and stubbornly blue today. Out on the land, I see fields of brown, stunted corn. Not good.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 22 - 08:06 PM

I'm off of the last of the medications for 30 days after the surgery, but the gut is at a standstill. Drinking lots of water and taking softeners helps, but it's time for drastic action - ice cream. I find that a big bowl has the capacity to shove everything along (good thing I don't have to go anywhere tonight or tomorrow is all I'll say about that, and probably TMI).

PT today stepped up to the massage stage after the exercises. Prodding, digging, pinching, and even old-fashioned "cupping" with a flexible acrylic cup that slides over the oiled surface of the knee and pulls the skin up and helps separate it from scar tissue. There are some painful moments in this, but she ends with a soothing menthol lotion and I stopped to pick some up on my way home.

Later in the week it's supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler. I've stayed in except to go out to water plants and pots and this evening after dark I'll drain the larger pool and stock tank in the back yard and refill them. And shower on my patio. I should keep a couple of kettles filled with water; when it gets this hot pipes sometimes break under ground and we go without until the street repair is finished. Maybe fill the tub in the hall bathroom to use for bathing and flushing, just in case. Or I suppose I could go soak in the kiddie pool in the back yard after dark. :)

The sewing studio has a good air flow from the AC and I'll be doing some sewing in there tomorrow. It is getting easier to sit still for a while to work on things like the computer or the sewing machine.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 19 Jul 22 - 09:22 PM

Beaver:

Too hot for me but still managed to load the kiln, placed close to the door of the room where the floor is stable. Awkward but... Managed to open the box and change fuses. Looked the the extension cord as I got it out of the way - a large cut in it clearly caused the problem; how it got there may remain a mystery. Bisque firing completed. Will try for a glaze firing early tomorrow.

Went to visit a couple local gardens with horticulture group. Each unique and wonderful in totally dif ways. I have restricted my flower use here, focusing on food. "Astri's garden, with mock orange and some daffies and columbine is confined to a five foot D. wooden octagon that Dan built.

Strawberries look much happier after the rain; before the rain I put a bunch of chicken manure on it to start building up for next year.   

I have lost 5 pounds and kept it off for a month! The ground flaxseed suggested by the dietician has improved my gut but still a ways to go. I seem to be eating less and more carefully, ending most days with popcorn; starting with berry laden buckwheat pancakes, with almond flour and flaxseed, eggs or porridge with same additives, dried cranberries and a whole (cut up) apple. Mid day varies with veggies/black beans/chick peas, some chicken. Less coughing = less unsweetened choc. And I have gained a bit more mobility.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jul 22 - 10:07 PM

Dorothy, thanks for the reminder! I have some whole grain crackers with flax seed and that is a great one for the gut. (Straight flax can overwhelm). Those crackers scooping up my homemade hummus would be a wonderful evening snack. (And congratulations on the weight loss!)

It's Tuesday evening, regular training night, so the volunteer fire department is outside in the street using the hydrant at the corner between my yard and next door to practice filling the various vehicles with tanks. They're training for off-road driving (to deal with grass fires) and the difficulty of driving with the weight of 500 gallons or more of water. They use this hydrant because we have the highest water pressure in town here at the bottom of the hill, and it speeds up filling the trucks. I loaded a dishpan with all of the cold cans of sparkling water from the fridge and walked out and handed them out and talked with folks for a few minutes. I fought fires years ago (in the 1970s) and one of the things that was always great was if someone came along where we were working and handed out cold drinks. I can finally return the favor. At 9pm it's still 98^o.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jul 22 - 11:08 AM

Stilly, do you take probiotic capsules? Recurring bouts of diverticulitis made me occasionally miserable for years, but all that ended when I started using them on the advice of the gut doctor who did my last colonoscopy. The best ones require refrigeration and, alas, cost a bomb. I read the labels obsessively to find the kind with the most organisms in the widest range of species.

As for the opiate-induced stasis, I can heartily recommend a potion of polyethylene glycol 3350 made by Bayer and sold in Ontario under the trade name RestoraLAX. "No taste, no grit" it says on the label, truthfully, and it does its job without drama.

My car shed its front licence plate the other day, possibly as a result of an interrupted attempt to steal it (the plate). I bought new plate-holders at Canadian Tire and confidently set out to switch them, only to discover that a "universal" plate-holder will not fit on the front bumper of a 2021 VW Golf GTI. Heigh-ho, that'll be another half-day trip to the dealer in Kitchener ... next week. Until then, the front plate sits on the dashboard and I hope not to attract any more official attention than necessary.

On the housekeeping front, I took part in Stratford's semi-annual Household Hazardous Waste Day (dead batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, elderly paint and Edmund's 30-year accumulation of partly-used tins of shoe polish), and swept the garage floor clean of winter grit and dead leaves. Then I washed the car. That's quite enough virtue to be going on with for now.

It's still steamy in Stratford, but we had a bit of rain yesterday and may get more today -- the sky is overcast and a slight, suggestive wind is blowing through the trees.

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

My daily routine includes vitamins the doctors request (B12, D3) and the gastroenterologist suggests daily fiber. I also have simple probiotic. And fruit and vegetables during the day. That mix is ample for normal circumstances, but is put to the test with narcotic painkillers and various other things that all seem to have side effects. Their effect should be dissipating.

The hall bathroom tub is partially filled now because with this heat comes broken water mains; the streets are hot and somehow the pipes shift and break. I have one full kettle, bottles of water, etc. and will fill another kettle next time I pass through the kitchen. It just makes sense to be ready this time of year.

The ex came over and we commiserated on the lack of activities with the heat - after retirement he is sorting and shredding papers but also wants to retrieve things in the uncooled or heated garage, and it's an oven right now. So no work in the garage, slowing the plans for work in the house.

We made it into The Guardian today with the heat and growing populations.

I have an unused pump in the garage, meant for pulling water from the creek at the back of the yard. Perhaps I should take it out of the box and run a hose into the pond back there; trouble is, it's an urban creek and has street runoff that isn't healthy so it can't go on the garden. Maybe parts of the yard around the house to keep the foundation from crumbling. There was a needed pressure gauge (in a cardboard blister pack) to attach to the pump that Cookie chewed up that I have to replace before I could use it. Gotta love that dog and her targeted destruction (particularly odious when she was a puppy).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jul 22 - 10:18 PM

I decided to upgrade the power strip/surge protector that my TV and audio equipment are all plugged into, but one look back there and it was a sudden dust storm. I used one of those microfiber dusters (lots of strands) and took it out several times to shake in the yard, then went bigger and brought in the vacuum cleaner and a brush attachment. My sinuses are now aching because I didn't wear a mask when I disturbed all of that dust. While I was at it I put a few DVDs away and a handful of CDs (yes, I still use that kind of media.) Maybe stuff in the cloud doesn't collect dust, but some of these titles are kind of obscure and I haven't seen them on streaming services. Anyway, tomorrow I'll wiggle around the cabinet enough to plug in the new strip then plug in the devices. This also has five ports for charging devices (for 4 USB regular types cables and one type-C cable.)

I landed on this device by using the "Fakespot Fake Amazon Reviews and eBay Sellers" browser extension on Chrome. I found a brand I wasn't familiar with that had a good rating and reviews according to the app, so I'm trying it out. I usually get various named types and I'd have been okay, but this was an exercise in getting past the fake reviews and opening up the possibility of using vendors that don't usually drift to the top.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 07:53 AM

I will celebrate with chocolate a fundamental victory of being right
For reasons quite different from mine I have been right about there being no such thing as inflation in the cosmological explanation of the big bang. Also there is no current multiverse inobservation of our flat smooth universe. I am very pleased to have been essentially correct all along. It is a lonely celebration since no one either listened or understood what I have been on about regarding inflation theory being bogus.

Inflation theory is ONLY a bandaid, a patch to try to explain the big bang (which DID NOT HAPPEN). Inflation has now been shown to be a fraud by many different explanations in math and by the greatest Nobel Prize winners like Penrose and others.

So Hooray. Its nice to be right about something so fundamental.

What is more likely in reality? It is a gentle bounce universe after a period of slow CONTRACTION into our now reexpanding phase of the universe.

I offer as proof this lecture which can be understood by anyone despite the math barriers. why there is no big bang and how observations prove it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 08:18 AM

decluttering a lecture? Enjoy the chocolate, before it melts in this heat . . .

we got the household garbage thoroughly cluttered up last night
when a bear overturned the garbage can in the dark
and strewed the contents all around the parking spaces and lawn.
Then the crows arrived to strew it around even further.
It's a sorry sight in bright sunshine this morning.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 08:42 AM

opps I forgot the
E pluribus Unum proof https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7-HNi2ne44

Keb its mentally healthy to feel a victory even about being right about something that was wrong. Ego? Perhaps. Feel free to demand removal of the post if your sensibility to 'decluttering purism' is offended.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 03:03 PM

Sorry keb I didn't mean for that to sound so sharp.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 03:23 PM

I have to be careful putting out trash because dogs, coyotes, raccoons and even foxes will sometimes attack if it is just in a bag at the curb. I either put the bag in the large Rubbermaid can (I don't bother with a lid) or put the bag on the curb the morning of pickup. But when it's hot they start really early so I miss them if I try that move.

I've realized that while I did a lot of good exercise before the surgery, I've been almost sedentary after it and I can feel it now in my hips. The physical therapist confirmed that last week. I've started up my Hinge Health program to get more healthy movement and I think I'll visit my gym and walk on the treadmill. I could do the recumbent bicycle again, but simply walking is what I need. It has been so hot since before this started that I'm not tempted to walk around outside, so the gym it must be. The scar is slowly receding, but not as fast as I'd like. Not as fast as last time, I think.

The Puma slip-on shoes I picked up for mowing are now put to use for PT - my other shoes were a kind of ballet slipper with a flat sole and I slip around in them. I've had to dust off the grass and such to make the Pumas look respectable (they are still quite new, but I did mow a couple of times before the yard became the Sahara-in-Texas).

Yesterday I started loading the dishwasher then realized I'd added a fair number of things to some already clean stuff; I ended up washing all of it again. Lazy me. Must pay better attention. Around the house I've been sweeping and vacuuming; the hair coming off of the Lab is intense; the blue heeler stops to scratch and flings off gobs of black hair. You'd think they'd have finished shedding by now. I brush both and it seems to loosen up what is left. So much for my housekeeping skills.

I need to get back to sewing.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Jul 22 - 10:38 PM

I exercised today as I walked very intentionally upright and placing each foot properly heel-first to remind myself that's how I'm supposed to walk, not forget and shuffle around. That's part of the reason for hip pain. I think I already feel a bit better.

Shopping this evening in the BIG store (where I did some of this walking) to get fresh fruit. The last bag of oranges from Costco was just dreadful and I couldn't pretend any more that one of them was eventually going to be sweet or that every other one wasn't just a dry pulpy thing. Three for the compost. I checked the box in the store this evening - these say "Spanish" so who knows where in Europe they came from? But those South African ones - bleh - picked way too green and don't manage to ripen. For an additional treat I picked up pears and mangoes and white peaches. I know - oranges have a season and here it is in the winter. I'm just trying to motivate myself to keep eating an orange a day as part of my healthy daily diet.

Tomorrow I have museum stuff, and it's a good thing they have folding seats to carry around with you for tours. I'll need it. Maybe I'll put on regular tie-up shoes, my most comfortable pair would be a help. Why is it that museums seem to have the hardest floors around?

I did some sewing this afternoon, a nice start back to working on some of the projects that await.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jul 22 - 11:00 AM

I'm still struggling to find pants that don't irritate the scar on my left knee. The curbside pickup of Bermuda shorts three weeks ago helped for dressing for PT, but to wear to the museum I want something long enough to cover the knee but that is so loose to not rub and irritate. This time I've searched Kohl's online offerings and found one I think will work for now. (Before you ask - skirts and dresses aren't part of my wardrobe.)

Life after COVID offers such perks as curbside pickup at just about any store you can think of. Actually, the only place that still doesn't do it at the brick and mortar location is the post office. US post offices aren't like the Canadian ones scattered around the landscape in different businesses (as it appeared to be last time I was in one, which was a very long time ago). They're a standard-issue government building with a service desk and a lobby with lots and lots of post office boxes. Having someone retrieve the contents of the box (once it is considered "delivered") is a head scratcher. I wait and go in after hours so the building is empty and I still wear a mask while inside.

We're in the Sargasso Sea of becalmed hot weather; every day this week is forecast to be in the 102-104 range; our "cooler" Friday has been pushed back to Saturday, a trend that isn't reassuring. The "dog days" of August loom; I always associate that term with the last hottest month of summer, but a friend has argued that dog days have been here for all of July. I don't know; I am assuming August will find its own unique way of making us particularly miserable. Like adding humidity back into the formula, as the ragweed bursts into bloom and hits our poor sinuses with its obnoxious pollen.

Pardon my raving.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Jul 22 - 12:06 PM

Rain yesterday in Stratford, and blissfully cool today with a forecast high of 20C. The hydrangeas look perky for the first time in days, and the grass is not quite as crunchy as it was on Friday.

I’m expecting visitors today — eldest SIL and her grand-daughter — so I vacuumed the parlour rug yesterday and cleaned all three bathrooms. I feel positively virtuous now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Jul 22 - 01:14 PM

The dog days are the 40 days between July 3 and August 11. They begin when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises with the sun. The ancients believed that Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, combined with the sun to produce the greatest heat of the summer. Nothing to do with hounds lying about, tongues lolling out, panting in the heat, though they may well coincidentally be doing that during the dog days...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jul 22 - 01:24 PM

Good to know, and it rings a bell. I may have known and lost that piece of information decades ago.

Color me disappointed with Kohl's; I selected a pair of pants supposedly IN their store and ordered, then when I looked at the reply email - delivery to store between July 28 and August 3? Not gonna work for today's outing. I called and they weren't helpful, even when I pointed out that my selection was from their store's stock. I was trying to save myself having to trek around and try on stuff. Now I'll go revisit my closet and see if there is anything helpful but overlooked in there. I could probably sew something faster than that delivery.

And also, I give up on oranges for the rest of the year. The few I bought yesterday are also awful and also not navel oranges. They looked like it from the outside, but that's a clever trick, having the dimple but no wad of small sections. And full of seeds. It's almost apple season, and a good thing, too!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jul 22 - 10:39 AM

PT yesterday was milder, mostly taking measurements before I see the doctor later this week. And some tips on returning to the gym, what exercises performed in different ways will help the knee specifically.

On my way home I stopped at Goodwill (a small store, good for my amount of walking) and found an older and much sturdier-based version of the Oster blender I have. My current one is making odd noises and is a really cheap plastic (also purchased at a Goodwill a number of years ago after my previous old Oster finally kicked the bucket). This newer one will go into service and I can set aside the last base and one of the jars and probably donate those back to Goodwill. If I stick with the same brand the glass and plastic container tops are interchangeable.

The heat misery continues. The 10-day forecast has a high every day in the 101-104^o range. We're in an Exceptional Drought range and there is an Extreme Fire risk. I have my hoses in position front and back if I have to put out a burning fence or yard, or even spray up on the roof to deal with embers. The volunteer fire department was training here last week and there is a hydrant in my yard so that's also a good omen.

I bought barbecue (meat) yesterday on my way home and my ex came over for dinner. There's enough brisket left over for a couple of sandwiches and a plate of sausage and beans. With this heat it is a personal goal to keep eating chilly or simply microwaved foods. No real cooking for now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Jul 22 - 08:27 AM

Fortunately we have mornings in the seventies. I am evolved for Nordic climes and wilt a bit in afternoon heat. Yesterday I fell on some government steps and hit my hip so I may have a hitch in my step for a couple weeks. I missed that last step 'by that much'. A mailman got out of his truck to ask if I was OK in a way as to not poke fun at my tuck and roll concrete uni pedal fall.
I will 'get smart' and rely on yin instead of yang for a while. Translated that means while forcing as much walking as possible, I'll limit it to nuanced low stress activity. At least that's what my body is telling me "you're ok stupid" on this worst day after assessment.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jul 22 - 10:46 AM

It's hard to know which was hurt worse sometimes, your butt or your feelings for having taken a fall in public, eh?

Last session of PT today - Dr says the leg is good to go and just continuing exercising and time will take care of the last few problems (not stretching out completely flat, and not bending at an angle quite as acute as the other knee yet). And that pesky swelling will eventually go down.

As the 10-day forecast advances into August territory there is no relief from the heat in sight; every day is predicted to be over 100^o. I would happily forego some meteorological heat record if it would just drop down into the "average" 90s for this time of year.

A note from this week's Goodwill finds - I also picked up a nice clean little HomeMedic sound machine (normally they cost about $20 on Amazon) for $3 for a friend who expressed an interest in one. It has a feature I've been thinking of adding to mine - a wad of duct tape over the LED light that is a bright green in the dark bedroom when the device is turned on. I usually just prop my phone over the top (because the timer - 15, 30, and 60 minutes) also has a light. But that tape is a better low-tech answer.

We have reached a stage in this drought locally when fires are started from things like wonky lawn mowers and whole neighborhoods are torched before the fire is put out. In the Dallas area 20 homes burned, 9 of them completely destroyed that way. Closer to here a little area was burned, 3 or 4 homes, because a window unit air conditioner caught fire and spread. Vigilance is they key to surviving the rest of this summer. I need to put the dogs' leashes out next to their food trunk and be ready to load food and dogs and a few things of mine if need be.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jul 22 - 11:41 PM

Physical therapy is finished and I have a set of exercises to do at home and at the gym when I get over there to continue my progress. For someone who is just six weeks out from knee replacement they are saying that I'm doing very well and they are sure that once the swelling is down on one area in particular it will be easier to loosen the scar tissue so the knee is more flexible. I'm so far ahead of my cohorts that sometimes they kind of pause and just say "you're doing great, the exercise and work before surgery really paid off."

This afternoon I set up a kiddie pool in the front yard with stones and bricks in it and set up some broken bricks to keep a floating solar-powered fountain thing in the center of the pool. It came with several types of spray spigots, and I may put one of the others on it to get more drama from the spray. Using it in bird baths didn't work because it sprayed water out and soon they were empty. That shouldn't happen with the pool. This is in addition to the saucers and bird baths out there already. The stuff in the water works for birds to land on for getting drinks. The side of the pool is curved and too slick.

After participating in the tips to the UK from Texas thread I was reminded by Leeneia of something I'd planned to do for some time - replace the pillows on the bed. Every so often I've put them in the wash, but I think it's now time to replace. Costco had a package for a reasonable price so while I was in looking for mangoes and nectarines I also got bed pillows. Reading too closely about dust mites and eyelash mites and all of the microscopic stuff that lives on us can really creep you out. Fresh pillows help.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Jul 22 - 10:38 AM

Beaver:

Had a marvellous deluge today! and it is still coming down in bits. The biggest netted at least an inch!! And it was just warm enough for me to get a shower on the back deck! Feels so good!! (Shower in house does not function.) Now have a mini sound and light show; I love it.

We have been taking probiotics for years. Currently, and for a long time: Progressive 60 Billion of a wide range. Expensive, yes. They now say it no longer needs refrigeration - but it is a habit; even R can find it!

Got two amazing "heads" of leaf lettuce at the Farm market on Sat. I shall have to eat lots of salad to use it all while still good! Put each in a bowl of distilled water, in frig, to keep it as fresh as possible!

Pottery is all fired, less the few pieces that did not fit. Time to start throwing again - new batch. BJ may come tomorrow to fix kiln room floor; I am hopeful, like to have it completed.

Need to make trip to Toronto to deliver pottery to my friend and pick up clay and other needful things. 3 hours each way - Bleech! Can have lunch with friend and return! Then rest for a couple days!

The "grass" situation reminds me of working with a PDD 4 year old years ago. Asking him ordinary questions..."What colour is grass? "Yellow!" Yep! It sure was. PDD my foot! I got his mom to send him to regular kindergarten - that had a dynamite teacher. She phoned me when he was in grade 3 to let me know how well he was doing!

Oops, guess I forgot to send this! Have been to Toronto, picked up clay, delivered well received pots to friend and had a great visit with another friend on the way back - sitting on her back deck in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lovely woods and many birds at the feeders and a wee chippy on the deck. A nice break before 2.5 hours more on country roads watching for deer! I have rested for two days and almost normal today! BJ ripped out floor of kiln room yesterday - ROTTEN! He will get to replacing in the not too distant future. In the meantime, I will soon be heading back to QC; no need for kiln until I get busy and make a whole bunch more pots. May start today...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Jul 22 - 11:54 AM

I made 6 necklases (mens, ladies and child size) of crushed black opal in glass heart shaped bottles and a large Coober Peddy vintage cabochon necklace of intense color. Also finished details on the 5 lbs opal seascape. I found that sealing the black opal in clear detergent allows the vivid fire to move in a slower motion. I do the work standing up and it quiets the mind like cartooning.

The good news about the pandemic is were down to only 400 deaths per day over here. Yaay! I have no fears of the monkey pox epidemic. Whatever Hirshall Walker has, I hope it doesn't spread. He said people are worried about gas and high groceries. Why are groceries getting high anyway and what are they taking?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Jul 22 - 12:32 PM

Wednesday was spent in the company of a fellow chorister who had a malignant breast tumour removed at the Stratford General Hospital. She's 80 years old with heart problems and lots of arthritis, but the hospitals are such risky territory these days that the surgeon decided she would be better off as a day patient -- as long as she had someone to ferry her to and from the hospital and stay with her overnight in case Something Went Wrong. That someone was me.

Nothing went wrong, thank God. Mary Lou's house is so cluttered I would have had a hell of a time doing anything effective if I had had to. My need for neatness seems less obsessive-compulsive this morning than it usually does.

Much of what remained of Edmund's accumulated office supplies has gone to his university-bound great-niece, Faith, leaving my six-foot folding table almost clear. (I can't believe he had four paper punches: two three-holers, a two-holer and a one-holer.) Faith was also glad to accept a briefcase, reducing the household strategic reserve to five. Alas, she did not want a stapler, so I still have three.

The next class of items to be rehomed is old spectacles, of which I have about a dozen pairs. In these parts, the Lions Club collects used specs for a charity that takes them to places where opticians prefer not to go. I should be able to unload all the excess by Sunday, keeping only my back-up bifocals and one pair of non-scrip Ray-Ban shades.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jul 22 - 10:49 PM

Charmion, good deed accomplished by helping your friend. Does she have someone to help her around the house for a while? There is a fair amount of recovery one has to go through, as I recall from my mother's surgery.

I also take glasses frames over to an optometrist business I don't use any more but where one of the guys delivers them to the Lion's Club. I've finally weeded out most of them.

Dorothy, you've been busy! I'm glad the floor has been looked at and will be reconstructed. You were lucky it wasn't discovered under more drastic circumstances!

Don, I hope you're feeling better after your fall. Your jewelry work sounds interesting; I Googled Coober Pedy - I knew opals often came from Australia but didn't know any specifics. Astonishing that some of them live underground - something that would be sensible here if it keeps getting hotter. :-/

We almost got rain here this evening; I could smell it in the air, but nothing materialized. I hope anyone who got it went out to dance in it. Until that point it was too hot to spend long hanging laundry today so I put most of the clothes on hangers and hung those on the clothesline (I should put a short line for this kind of thing up under the patio cover). That left just a couple of sheets and a towel and not much else. Dried very quickly in 100^o weather. Up till now I wasn't comfortable hobbling around out there with the knee, but it is getting better every day.

Next week gets a lot easier (fewer appointments) and I'll decide about when to start the new heat pump installation. I wanted to be clear of some of these medical appointments before I started a new project.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jul 22 - 02:57 PM

Today's forecast high is again around 102^o but it's overcast, making it somewhat easier to go outside. I have shopping to do nearby to get myself a long spare hose. The other hoses are in use right now and would need disassembly in an emergency. Well, there's a 50' hose in the front that is for dragging around, but the back yard needs another 100' to add to the 50' one already there to reach the back of the pie-shaped lot.

Out of the blue this afternoon I decided to make a batch of carrot salad—the family recipe is peeled ground carrots, enough mayonnaise to hold it together, and raisins. I had just enough raisins for this batch. They were a bit dry but will moisten in the salad this afternoon. I think I'm visiting this childhood recipe because I crave a variety of cool foods now.

Supposedly a 15% chance of rain today but I think that will work out to none. I'm not going to consider the odds in my favor (that's also why I didn't go buy a MegaMillions lotto ticket yesterday).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Jul 22 - 06:27 PM

I just heard a lonliness researcher Marissa something author of Platonic on npr today.
The imagined rejection from lonliness can compromise the immune system which ties in with Pandemic behavior. The feeling of being isolated from the herd makes for a more stressed vigilance. She seemed quite credible to me.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Jul 22 - 07:07 PM

The author Donuel name-checks is Marisa G. Franco.
The story was recently re-broadcast on NPR;
it came originally from WBUR's Here and Now.

Making Friends As An Adult

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

My neighbor across the street called yesterday to check in - how am I doing, but also how she's doing. She sounded stronger than the last call after a recent hospital trip. I wish she could eat more, I used to take food over to her, but she's careful due to surgery for diverticulitis. Surgery should have fixed it, but still she's very careful. I note this because it isn't just making friends, we need to remember how to keep them.

This morning my legs are achy, telling me I didn't do my exercises yesterday. I took a shower on the patio yesterday, the tap water is very warm now, but I think a soak in a hot tub will be a good start to the day. Must pamper myself along with doing the PT exercises.

I haven't talked to a Canadian cousin for a while but we were both on Instagram messages this weekend comparing notes on knee surgery (she is just 2 weeks out, after flying to Colorado to get the surgery instead of waiting years, an unfortunate characteristic of the Canadian health care system) and I realized there is an Instagram camera and phone icon now, so we turned it into a call. We moved our phones around to compare scars and such and then I turned the phone down to show that Cookie was hanging out with me on the bedroom carpet. "Oh, I know Cookie!" she said - as an Instagram follower she's caught a lot of Cookie's antics. She has a beagle but it has never occurred to her to post the dog on her account—I'm sure a beagle would love to be a minor internet celebrity. :)

I picked up the 100' hose and now I'll take the 50' hose off of the hose reel and see if the reel itself needs work before adding the whole length to it. I think there's a leak that I hope will be fixed with a washer. Otherwise, it might be time for a new reel or a stand that it can be coiled up and hung on.

Yesterday's carrot salad was just what I needed for a cool dinner. Alongside a little piece of chicken the rest of the meal was salad and fruit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 31 Jul 22 - 08:20 PM

Beaver:

Long time recovering from trip to Toronto. Now gearing down for going back to Quebec on Tuesday - 3 pm teeth cleaning appointment an hour along the way, maybe a visit before that, and starting with the library to print out ballot for primary as I finally tried and realized I do not have cord needed for computer/printer connection.

Steve still has not cut the very tall grass; if he does not show up tomorrow I will have to cancel as I want to be there when he is doing it to give direction; do not want flowering "weeds" cut; the bees need them.

Car is half loaded - except food stuffs. May make some small pots tomorrow in the cool of the morning. And another stab at butter dish lids - still trying to get ones to fit the bottoms. And some more bottoms in an effort to fit the tops!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Aug 22 - 11:33 AM

I hope you got to instruct your mower guy on where to take out the grass and leave the flowers! My lawn is mostly straw right now, except weedy grass in the garden. I'll use the string trimmer on it one of these days.

This weekend I read of a friend's (former coworker) injury - returning home from the dentist, a bit light-headed, missed the step and fell backwards smack onto her head on the concrete. Turns out her electrolytes and such were all out of whack; she had to lie on the hot concrete until the ambulance arrived. A head injury like that all by itself can be fatal. If you ever look at the coroner's reports in your area, you'll see any number reported as "a short fall." I'm hoping they pay as much attention to her head as her blood work. I lost a great aunt that way, and with all of my homeowner projects around here, it's something I keep in mind.

The weather forecast for the next 10 days is unwavering; all days are 100 or higher. Very low chance of precipitation in view either. All of August and even the first half of September could stay this hot. [sigh]

Time to get some things ready to put in the mail. Some in anticipation of listing on eBay, other things to mail as soon as the package is complete.

Starting up alternate-day fasting again today, keeping in mind protein for the still-healing knee. My diet during the six weeks recovery period was varied and ended up with sugar in it. That is the hardest thing to get off of - sugary cereal, in this case (granola) - one I thought wasn't going to be as sweet and tasted wonderful (of course it did - it was full of honey) - boosted the sugar cravings. I paced myself (a serving was 1/2 cup) but now it's gone and now I'll get the sweet from fruit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Aug 22 - 06:29 PM

Beaver:

Achieved my goal of more butter dish lids and bottoms and a number of other items to utilize 20kg of clay- one NEW bag! Threw in am and trimmed in late aft. Now I am about ready for bed! Hungry but not feeling like cooking or a salad... Would love to pick up a meal but don't even feel like driving 5 minutes to pick up! Grilled cheese sandwich may suffice - or cheese and chicken grilled sandwich, chick already cooked! With some salsa. Then collapse with a book and a feeling of accomplishment.

Since that ankle broke, 5 years ago, I have been VERY careful about where and how I step. Railings are important. Every step with mindfulness. I detest being incapacitated!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 22 - 11:14 AM

To save myself the bother of going to various stores and looking for loose fitting Capri pants to try on I have ordered another pair, this time from Amazon. Amazon politely hints to me that I should choose the next size up based upon my order history, but I've lost 25 pounds now. Those should arrive tomorrow; the Kohl's pair of pants are still in the wind somewhere. They only charged my credit card over the weekend (I ordered them last week on Monday.)

I dressed this morning in a pair of cotton twill Capri pants hoping they would work to go do volunteer work at the museum, but being seated for two hours in pants that put pressure on the scar isn't going to work. I can pull the hem up over the knee but then it's too snug to be comfortable. I think I'll have to wait till Thursday to do that work, once at lest one of the baggy legged pants arrived. (I wore a pair of lined slacks last week on Monday to a museum training session - they fit ok but were a linen/wool shell over an acetate lining and every time I put much pressure against the lining of the pants I could feel pricks come through from the wool.)

This morning I took a nostalgic tour through three covered plastic bins from the closet top shelf. No short pants in there, and some I saved were from back when I was working so they're more office attire - those will go to Goodwill soon. There are some good blue jeans to put back into service. I wondered why I'm struggling so to find shorts - I had knee surgery two years ago, didn't I solve the loose short pants issue then? But wait - COVID. I didn't go anywhere two years ago so the question never arose. Who knows what I wore, but it didn't matter.

Tomorrow is my first long day out running around since surgery; every other month it starts with my haircut in a town on the north end of the county (following a hair dresser over the years has you sometimes discovering new places) then back down into the town where I used to work for several usual stops. I've asked my ex if he'd like to go on a field trip tomorrow. This tour stops at several stores I usually buy stuff for him, so he can do his own. It also means if I overdo he can drive home. I do need to caution him that an SUV doesn't drive like a Toyota Corolla, and if he takes turns in it the way he does in his car he'll roll the SUV. I also frankly want to keep him engaged; now that he's retired he really doesn't have many outside activities. We're best friends when we're not married to each other. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Aug 22 - 10:58 PM

I nearly missed a day of dragging the hose and several plants were in a desperate wilted state. I got out there just in time.

The Kohl's pants arrived this afternoon; they're not the best fabric but they will do. They're longer than I hoped so I'll probably have to hem them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Aug 22 - 09:18 AM

Field trip today, with shopping list.

This morning I went out to the fence (where the neighbor gives the dogs their morning treats) to find the dogs because they weren't in the house waiting for me to feed them. (I could see that Cecil was out in the yard, so they were watching in case he decided to give them something extra.) Once I caught Zeke's eye (because he's deaf) he perked up and all of them started moving around the greenhouse and to the back door of the house. Cookie started playing with Zeke - she gives a chew on the leg, a chew on the collar, she nudges him, she gets him stirred up and the old Lab lumbers along happily with the little dog keeping to his pace and skill set. It is wonderful to see; I'm sure that a younger dog engaging in this kind of play is just what he needs. (When Cookie and Pepper go at it they're really rough and will at times draw blood. I have a wound care kit I use on those two.)

Pepper doesn't play with Zeke so much as she keeps an eye on him. She has this loud growl bark she does right in his face to get his attention. And she offers him lots of kisses.

I ran out of corn oil over the weekend and at Aldi I picked it up and OMG it was like $1.50 more than the last time I bought it (I had a spare bottle or two, so it has been a while.) These little reminders that manufacturers and all are seeing scarcity but also some are gouging. I read a Jean Chatzky economics column about changing brands to see if sticking with the original way-more-expensive one is really worthwhile (she compared her old brand of coffee with a less expensive brand and found the new one to be quite good). An expensive bottle of oil does not a recession make (and gas has come down at least that much a gallon between the last time I bought it and what I paid a month earlier.) I stuck with the Aldi corn oil; I'm not interested in rape seed (Canola). It isn't good for you. I buy olive oil that gets used for most things at a Halal grocery in 3-litre bottles. There may be sticker shock the next time, but I do switch brands there (I can't help it, they rarely have the same brands from one trip to the next.) As long as it is from one source and is green EV olive oil I'm set.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 10:40 AM

The pants from Amazon were strange and not at all like the photo. They are in the bag to be returned later today (dropped off at Kohls where they maintain a drop-off desk, and how ironic is that?) The pants seem to have been designed for a giant - the crotch hangs down around the knees. No self-belt as promised, and alas, they reach to the floor, so the Capri pant photo cannot be presumed to be part of the description. The fabric is nice, but at this point I think I should probably buy my own fabric and make myself a pair. After I snug up the elastic waist on the Kohl's pair of pants (that are the correct length but a little too big at the waist.)

I kind of overdid it yesterday. I could tell about 2/3 of the way through the shopping expedition that the rest was going to be a struggle. It was a combination of knee stiffness and the heat; without the heat advisory it would have been easier. Other than that we had a good trip, and I think my ex had my knee in mind when I offered a couple of other stops and he said no, he'd had enough, knowing in fact that I had. (I was to the point where I'd wait in the car with the AC on full blast.)

Now isn't really a good time to be buying or making many new clothes, because if/when I manage to lose the last 15 of this goal I'll be in yet again a smaller size. Time, I think, to dive into the closet and look for something pants-wise that is too large that can be modified (cut and hemmed to accommodate the knee). I got rid of a lot a while back, but still have some to work with, dressier loose pants in particular. I can re-do the waist to make them fit correctly then do the length part. And this project should give me enough time to listen to the audio book that is due in four days. (I do some calculations while I'm sewing and miss passages, so I'll be repeating some sections, but that's ok. It's easy now with the phone app.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 11:56 AM

Dupont:

Yep, I made it! the dentist cancelled while I was in the library working with Shirley to print out my Primary ballot - last day! We won; it's sent! Then went home and put the food in the car and left with a planned stop over to visit a fav musician. We had never really talked before but we have friends in common and met at the 50th Yellow Door party. We spent about an hour chatting on his home hill surrounded by TALL grass, lovely breeze, interesting house. Interesting person. By the time I got home, there was a sweet email thanking me and "visit any time". I shall. I see lots of good conversation in our future. He also suggested the phone; I may try it to see if I can understand him on the phone. When I am feeling more recovered. There is another resting aft in my future!

Upon arrival at Dupont, I phoned R and asked him, "Where are you taking me to dinner?" He came home and we went to a middle of the road place five minutes away. Shocked the waitress by asking her to keep a distance due to perfume - a toxic substance for me. The meal was as good as expected. We had eaten there a couple times pre--covid at a dif locale. The new one is very nice, and closer! Without covid, we would only eat out a few times a year. Love the Greek potatoes but gave R most of mine. Still holding at 165... Just!

Back home, we proceeded to get used to sharing a house for the first time in two months. Only a few plants died of neglect. The back garden - tomatoes and veggies - was dry!!! I told him he would have had more tomatoes if he had watered. We watered some in the am, trying to get the system to function correctly. I cannot turn it on or off so could only water when until he went to work. Rain in the night has prob helped some. R is NOT a gardener. He likes to pick the tomatoes...?

So with encouragement from those of you who have ordered clothes on line recently, I spent most of last eve looking at shorts at The Bay, on sale at 4x what I would have paid the last time - 20 years ago! I ordered 3 dif pairs to fill the need for cool and comfie, with hope they will be comfie. Hope I do better than SRS!

Spent yesterday aft in bed, resting but not really sleeping; too tired to do anything - even read! Then did two loads of laundry including sheets and re-made bed. Also have washed the entire collection of cutlery; it was ALL in the sink but unwashed. I explained to R that it is easier to wash right away before things adhere! And I found the source of "smells like a mouse died in here" when I opened the toaster oven and there were 3 extremely moldy, fuzzy pork chops that he had "forgotten" to cook - I would guess at least a week ago. I was so exhausted I just put them out on the back porch and now have to deal with FLIES when I go out to move them to..Where? The garbage I guess. Maybe I shall ask R to do it tonight! "Not my monkies..."!!!! It is too hot to go outside.

SIL phoned a few days ago; her daughter/best friend has Breast cancer. As a top notch nurse she will be getting top notch care. I talked to her yesterday and and testing shows it less horrible than first thought. I gave her permission to phone anytime of the day or night if she needs to talk - after commenting to her recently my annoyance with a friend who phoned after midnight.

The oven seems to be malfunctioning and 3 of the four range top "burners". So I need to take that into consideration when shopping and thinking about what we will eat. Too hot for the oven anyway! But We have to consider a repair - It's a Jennair and has very nice features but I expect a repair will be $$$$$$! But taking it out will not be easy as is has an exhaust fan that has a tube to the outside - under the porch! R believes Dan can look at it and figure it out; maybe he can...WHEN! I have been spoiled by 3 years of this magic stove!

I have not watched TV in two months and have no wish to do so now that one is available again. I did message the chimney sweep for here and did message Steve re the pink flowers - just do the part he did before and some of the tall stuff. I really did not like having the back unmowed all summer;I could not walk out there, could not see my beautiful bridge or any of the wee stream! Next year it all needs to be cut in May!

My dear 90 year old friend for whom I pushed the family to put her into a proper long term care home - a good one - last fall, has not phoned. I connected with her ex-DIL and find: she has good days and bad days - Thankful she is is a good place! - and her dear house is for sale. I suggested the whole family could get together and buy it and rent the cottage and the house and designate one member - the accountant grandson? It is just under $500,000. The son is upset about it but his alcohol problem has seriously affected his quality of life - that leaves the three competent kids. K thought it was a good idea; I hope I did not open a can of worms!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 12:08 PM

Dorothy, if you're buying from a known place like The Bay hopefully their pants will fit as described. I usually head over to the thrift store to shop, but it's so hot I haven't wanted to go out much, and at a thrift store it is a difficult place to find specific things unless they're terribly generic (black t-shirts, blue jeans, etc.)—everything is a moving target depending on what is donated.

I took the back waistband on the Kohl's pants apart this afternoon and cut out 2" of the wide elastic then overlapped 1/2" pieces. The hard part was reshaping the back of the pants, it ended up with a long dart right down the back middle next to the seam (not noticeable) and an odd tuck at an angle between the dart and the waist stitching. Won't be noticeable because I always wear a shirt out over the top of my pants. They fit much better now, up around my waist instead of hanging on my hips.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 08:55 PM

Dupont:

This is the first time I have bought clothing other than at a thrift shop, for several years, but I also could not deal with the heat, even in Ontario where there would have been few customers. I am hoping for something suitable to wear to the grocery! I have "pedal pushers" from thrift shops which are just fine but wanted something even cooler. I can return them not too far away. Maybe also go to the friend who wants to peruse the box of Quaker books I want to pass along. When it is cooler!

Started to recover today; found a spot for the distiller where I can use a small fan to send the heat out the window. Cooked chick peas when could not find black beans. Wonder if I still have some in the car but it is dark now. Or left them all at Beaver. I stock up on those things at the bulk food store there; loyalty to the wonderful woman who finally was able to buy the store she had been managing for years!

Tomorrow groceries.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 09:58 PM

Some much-needed undergarments, an order of new ones, were delivered in the mail to me this month.
Now I must de-clutter the undergarments of ... the brand tags.
Why, o! why attach, to a perfectly good full slip,
a tag on the back collar that is harsh, stiff, jagged, and scratches up your neck and your upper back?
Off it comes!

(No such dilemma with the care-instruction tag,
made of a different material and located on an inside seam.
A mystery.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Aug 22 - 10:23 PM

I did the same recently. A lot of these garments have the information printed inside on the back now; much better than scratchy tags.

Another item listed on eBay. I do all of the preparation ahead of listing so they're packed (but not sealed - sometimes someone wants another photo) and ready to ship.

I should have mentioned earlier that these quiet tasks, sewing and eBay, are my way of accomplishing something today because I took an easy day after overdoing it yesterday. Dorothy sets a good example! Instead of driving to the museum and the gym (my original plan) I just stayed home in the cool house. It's still well over 100 every day this week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 09:58 AM

The famous august humidity is here as well as the peak hurricane season. There is a dewpoint in the area of 79 degrees! I plan to hedge awhile and carve out walkways from the jungle.
Even a small start will encouraging. My morning glory vines are almost 20 feet long.
I got a music/keyboard blanket that adorns the back of the sofa that matches a wavey keyboard piece of small furniture and hanging stained glass music picture in front of the window. The rest of the front room is a moon theme. I also got vinyl tile for the half bath makeover project. It was best rated and half priced compared to others on Amazon. The upstairs bathroom door I tried to hang myself isn't closing. so much for DIY. I better call Saul the contractor or call
'up Chuck' and he'll 'throw it up'.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 01:46 PM

Dupont:

My shorts arrived and one pair is being very comfortably worn. Each of the three is different: one dark blue and almost dressy and comfie; one light denim looking soft cotton very comfie; the ones I am wearing are nicely on the longish side (as are the blue) but the same colour as my skin! I am pleased with my expensive @ at least half price shorts. This should do me for the next 20 years. And each has two good pockets!

Watered garden for a while this am, after BF, did some sorting out, some phone calls, and organizing. Feeling much better but may yet need a nap. Another phone call is next.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Aug 22 - 02:36 PM

I disturbed a mourning dove on the rock in the kiddie pool when I went out to fill the birdbaths just now. It will be back. There are lots of little flurries of feathers around the area so they're making a habit of visiting. In the bird baths I find bits of things left over from food they brought along to eat there; grackles in particular do that. They seem to be eating a lot of caterpillars.

Yesterday I meant to add a note to my already published post and think I dropped in on Don's next message instead (so have trimmed it.) By starting eBay now I'm entering my stuff just before a prime holiday shopping season. I need to choose what I list so it fits this season best. One item a day will add up.

Dorothy, those shorts arrived quickly! I'm glad they're working! I had noted that I might need to hem the Kohl's pants when I first got them, but instead I shortened the waist elastic and had the same effect. I do have another pair that I bought at Costco last year that are shorter but also have good pockets. They have a waist tie (I had to reattach it a while back) that helps against sag as I lose weight. I have a couple of mid-calf-length skirts I'll be able to get into one of these days.

Right now with this high heat I'm not getting a lot of exercise, and that hastens weight loss. I'll get back into the gym somehow - an hour at a time on the recumbent bike really helps. I wear yoga pants and a baggy t-shirt to the gym and I'll try on all of my yoga pants to see how they fit; I had some that were at one time too small that might be perfect now. I have some that might be so loose I shouldn't wear them in public. :)

The dog hair this summer is unbelievable. The dogs with thicker coats (Zeke and Pepper) are still losing it in hunks, way past the normal time for spring shedding.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Aug 22 - 01:49 PM

Please, someone, write to tell us you've had rain lately. Down Texas-way is the summer-from-hell version of Groundhog Day.

Keeping an eye out for Charmion - last we heard she was handing-off Edmund's office supplies and caring for a friend (with a very cluttered house) who just had surgery. There are a lot of possibilities to consider if the clutter is stacked precipitously. I know of people down here who have had the fire department tell them they had to clear it out (if she ends up with anyone calling in a welfare check for her from a city agency, be prepared to start moving stuff.)

Yesterday I took two-days worth of harvested okra to my neighbor next door. I'll save a few of the next ones for me to make some fried, and as the season progresses if there is enough I'll make more pickles. I also picked eggplant and will be making a batch of babaghanouj later today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Aug 22 - 01:58 PM

What we have here in western Massachusetts, Stilly, are teasers.
The heat took time to get as close to Vermont as this, but now it's here.
Suffice to say that it has been almost as green as Vermont here.
That could change, because with the higher heat, for some reason,
we get thunderclouds in the sky,
gusty winds, lightning, and thunder --
and no rain, as it blows rapidly overhead and past us.

Thursday evening a household barbecue grilling was planned outside,
and we went ahead and grilled and ate, with no rain.
We had black thunderclouds, we had lightning, we had gusty winds . . .
but not a drop of rain. So we didn't get rained out.

So at last, in August,
we are discovering how the rest of you all feel every day. (Limp.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 06 Aug 22 - 02:09 PM

We had rain last Sunday or there abouts Mum said it had been tipping it down when she woke up at 6am. It was easing off when I got up at 7:30 and the rest of the day just had bits of drizzle. It seemed like the first rain we'd had in ages and we could do with some more.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Aug 22 - 03:26 PM

Dupont:

We had a bit of rain a couple nights ago and some is predicted for M,T, W - in mm's! as in 3-5mm! Just a tease. The river is down noticeably with lots of algae. We watered the back garden - veggies- as long as R was able to stay this am. Previous waterings were shorter but have definitely made a difference. Then I carried water out to the poor tiny pear tree - soaked its little concave area and then soaked it again. I am sure it will say TY!

It is "only" 32C here - about 90F. Far too hot for me and I keep trying to lower the interior, or keep it as cool as possible - opening windows as the night cools and closing them and drawing drapes in the am. R is totally un-motivated to deal with the air conditioner that has quit - He only comes home to sleep! But tonight the temp is NOT going down much. I will be finding every possible fan to bring in a little "cooler" air tonight. There is another air conditioner at the mill - an hour away! 2 hours there and back. And more energy than I am willing to expend - and too heavy for me to get it in the car! Cooler on Monday. Survival is probable!

Did a major grocery run last eve - both stores were almost empty - and cooked a new stew. Made the chick peas into hummous. Changed next dentist appointment to a bit later; 12:30 means I can leave here at 8 and be on time. Seven was too early for me!

Currently enduring. Hoping it cools enough soon for me to weed wack some of the yard. R has not been motivated - in 2 months- to repair the lawn mower he found somewhere! It is time to start making the place look a bit civilized for my son and Tenley! Only a month to go!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 22 - 12:21 AM

Thanks for the reports of precipitation! It's feeling like we're the epicenter of heat that is spreading and making everyone miserable, though this evening cooled off faster than usual (nice! only 94 at 8pm) and there may be a couple of days under 100 this week.

My stitches are starting to dissolve, meaning the remaining bits poke out through the scar. It doesn't hurt but it is a distraction.

I've selected several more items to list on eBay. I'll keep plugging along, one a day, and this stuff will eventually start selling. Unless it's something scarce and underpriced it usually takes a little while to be discovered.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Aug 22 - 12:39 PM

Dupont:

HOT! but only 39C! And there is a bit of a breeze. Rain is predicted... I watered the back garden with the hose this morning, then R turned off the water and fixed the outlet (outside) so I can use it and it does not leak - just outside the cellar wall! No outlet in the front so I took "gallon" jugs of water out and soaked a few specific plants: pear tree, hibiscus, and canna and pulled as many weeds as I could before coming back inside where it is not sunny! The first floor is tolerable - if I don't move too much! The second floor... But about 11pm last night, R finally got around to fixing a portable AC and sleeping became tolerable. WE had two of these things but one had started complaining vociferously; the other needed cleaning but he hooked it up anyway! It did not cool off much out doors during the night.

I do not like needing to be a squeaky wheel in order to get things done! But now I can water the gardens and have one cool room for escape. I made a serious point of the fact that the garden would be producing considerably better had it been watered.

Squeaky does not approach my threat to cut up the desk in the guest room with a chain saw if it is not removed in the next two weeks. (We do have an electric chain saw.) IT takes up 1/4 of the room and offers no place for guests to put things!

And I am looking to clear the back deck of dirt flower pots et al to make room for chairs and a table. May even spring for a carpet. Just for my son and Tenley! I even have a frame for a "craft show tent" and a cover for it to provide shade. Just need it a bit cooler for a day.

Hoping for the chimney sweep to come soon, so that is done before it suddenly turns cool! And will take the Quaker books into the city this week in hopes of not bring them back! After I give R a look/see.

Sort of "counting down" to arrival and Taun and Tenley, in case you did not notice!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Aug 22 - 03:06 PM

Dorothy, you remind me that there are some pots out front that are kind of a mess; the soil is compacted so it's difficult to pull grass that has established around the plants. Time to repot. It's so unpleasant out that I haven't weeded between the flagstones (gravel) where the pots sit, so it's a bit of a jungle out there. Meanwhile shrubs out there need trimming as the dry branches show the lack of watering all season.

I've shifted my library borrowing of e-audiobooks from Overdrive to its spinoff Libbey. Apparently my library is discontinuing Overdrive at the end of the year. I suppose this is virtual decluttering, or swapping. Gone are the days of running to the library every week or two (though I still enjoy browsing when I get a chance.)

I have located both items that get returned to Amazon via the drop-off desk at Kohls. Do I have enough other errands to do while I'm out there to make the trip today? I think not. Tomorrow is lunch with my daughter and the rest of the errands can come after that. (My priorities are clear! And Dorothy, I fully understand your planning for the guest room.)

I talked myself out of a trip to Costco that could include a slice of pizza for lunch and then finished leftovers of the latest iteration of crustless quiche Lorraine (half-size). It was a little odd in that the cheese cubes didn't all melt. What I've learned from making this size is that I need a better way to mix up the ingredients in the pan (and maybe set the small bundt pan in a shallow pan of hot water in the oven?) I've also proved to myself that there is such a thing as too much bacon.

It's an eBay afternoon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Aug 22 - 07:04 PM

Dupont:

IT'S RAINING! Well - it rained hard for a few minutes and now it is dripping. Better than none!

After hours of seeking on the Web, I finally went off to Home Depot - with directions that I failed to understand or follow so it too me about 15 minutes longer than the 24 stipulated. Never found the roads mentioned but did find HD - rather obscurely situated. Hmmm, staff was not bi-lingual, nor am I! Finally found someone who spoke English and was helpful! They did not know why garden stakes were not in the Garden area but on the other side of the store in the wood dept. On the way, I found the outdoor rugs and, eventually, someone who could, and did, help me with prices; this bunch was clearly the remains! I chose two black/whitish, 5x7s. The only thing there were 2 of but just what I need! The trip back, well known, was quick and easy. Now I know! The directions on line were...!!

Now for a couple moderately cooler days to clean up the porch and, when dry enough, whack some weeds before the heat returns. R is still trying to repair a lawn mower he may have found in someone's trash. Nothing has been cut since I left at beg June.

The rain is at drip stage but more is predicted and a thunder storm.

The river is totally cluttered with boats, and various docks. As it is all summer. I am glad when it de-clutters even though it means winter is near. The river is so much more beautiful un-cluttered.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 02:51 AM

Our village Facebook has numerous posts about arranging another Village Garage Sale one weekend in September. Last time (a few years ago) it was excellent. Unlike a car-boot sale, one merely had to arrange goods for sale in ones garage and/or on the drive. Villagers wandered around on foot, and we all had nice little chats while the selling proceeded.
I have lots of things I'd like to sell, including clothes which no longer fit me after losing weight, so I'm hoping this will take place. I do so love a nice decluttering session!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 08:46 AM

Dupont:

Waking up in the night and realizing it is cooler outside than the A/C is making it inside, I turned it off and opened the window! Oh bliss! Now a lovely cool -wet!- morning with front door wide open to let in max breeze!

More rain predicted but I can work on back porch between rains. What a difference some rain and cooler weather makes! I wish it for everyone!

Maybe a trip to the library is in my near future. Yesterday's trip to Home Depot was only feasible by reminding my self that my car is air conditioned!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 09:41 AM

It’s been computer network here for the past couple of days. A couple of problems: smart switch broke down. ADSL has gone as low as 1Mbps at times and, while I haven’t contacted them, if they wanted to be awkward my minimum guaranteed line speed here is 0.4Mbps. Those plus some long standing Wi-Fi niggles. It’s been quite a bit of a (combined) outlay but I’ve had new switch, AP and router to set up.

The router does both ADSL and, via a SIM card slot, 4G. I (hoping I can find another deal like this when this expires) got an EE data card with 120GB that is supposed to last for 12 months before expiring for £50. EE 4G signal is good here and the router is quite flexible. At the moment I have it set so the guest LAN and some commonly used low bandwidth sites (eg. Mudcat) use ADSL and anything else on 4G but I can tweak that as needed – main one is to keep some of the 120GB allowance for the 4GB software downloads I sometimes want. Both WANs will fall back to the other if it goes down.

The switch triggered some reorganisation in the living room and I’ve now been able to locate the room’s AP, near the door rather than the far corner of the room by the tv. This has greatly improved the signal for eg. the camera in the bed room (the only one not hard wired).

The AP is the same model as the newer one of the 2 I had been using. Now having a matched pair (and both with some roaming settings the older one didn't have) has improved roaming (I’ve one a AP in LR, one in my room, mostly using same IDs and security and mobile devices should change over as they are moved) a lot. Whereas before, there could be long pauses before the changeover and worse, I could sometimes have to disconnect and reconnect my phone and tablet to make the connection to the best/closest AP, things seem pretty seamless now.

I was cursing the set up this morning though after I updated the firmware on both APs. I was ready to congratulate myself on a job well done when I found my phone would no longer connect. Turns out it doesn’t like WPA3 with the new firmware so I had to change all the security settings for the SSIDs on both bands and on 2 AP from “Mixed WPA3/WPA2” to “WPA2 only” to feel sure everything would work. I could have done without that but computers seem to have ways of creating something else to frustrate you...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:08 AM

Jon, the fuss of you tweaking your computer setup sounds equivalent to me fooling with eBay settings. They keep giving me different forms to use for listings and I have to poke around to get the one I want then delete the drafts I didn't use. The company is definitely too big for it's britches. (For Internet I have copper wire coming to the house (coaxial cable) but AT&T is moving fiber optic into the region—the Spectrum guy says it's crap, because he used to work for them, but it's what I would expect the competitor to say. I use a wired signal booster in the den, is that what your "AP" is?)

Senoufu, I always enjoy those larger sales like you describe. It's a chance to visit with a lot of people, and it seems the donations offered for sale are pretty substantial. They save the "good stuff" for there.

Dorothy, what a treat, to find it's so cool outside. We're into the high-90s this week, with a chance of thundershowers sprinkled around the region on Wednesday.

Since I lost weight I listed some name-brand undergarments that still have tags (bought with their good coupon at the semi-annual sale) and that are too big now that I've lost weight. There is a large eBay market for these. A lot of the too-large in-use garments will get tossed. One doesn't sell or donate some sorts of undergarments.

But speaking of losing weight - when I was doing alternate day fasting before the surgery I was at the gym at least a couple of days a week, working long enough to burn substantial calories (and knock off several chapters of a good murder mystery). I'm just on hold right now, maintaining one weight, but this week with trips out I'll include a visit to the gym and resume the recumbent bike routine. It involves some steps suggested by the physical therapist of moving the seat closer to the pedals so my knees bend more - to give the surgery knee some of the special moves that will help loosen scar tissue.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:34 AM

It’s copper wire via phone line here, SRS. They do have fibre in Cromer which is about 2 ½ miles from me but I don’t see it reaching us in the foreseeable future.

My network is a hard wired GB (doubled, mostly for reliability, up via LAG for the main trunk) one with an AP plugged in at either end for wi-fi. This gives excellent Wi-Fi in the LR and my room where it is most wanted but with things poorer (although now much improved with the relocation of LR AP) elsewhere.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:53 AM

(This is the AP I'm using. It does also offer mesh but I don't see that as a solution for our long thin L bungalow layout, router etc. my end, fixed wiring in place, etc. I've not tried that but think "fast roaming" is more suitable.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 01:42 PM

I’ve been up the highway in Goderich for a week of diddly music. Now that I’m back, the cats both need as much lap time as they can get, and I’m kinda tired myself.

But I must buy groceries — there’s not much to eat in the house, and all of it is frozen. Then I have to pay the kid who mows my lawn.

When I have met those obligations, I shall return to the comfy chair and the cats’ agenda.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:24 PM

Good to hear about your trip, Charmion! It sounds therapeutic to get out of town for a few days for musical pursuits.

I was out of much of the produce I've kept in good supply this summer. A trip to Costco loaded up on white nectarines and mangoes. (Nectarines for dinner!)

Today was my first trip back to the gym for time on the recumbent bicycle; I spent only 30 minutes, giving myself time to build up to my usual hour. It was a nice half-hour introduction to my next murder mystery. The new library app is working out well.

I'm tickled pink that it is Archivists that have had a search warrant served at Trump's home in order to retrieve the documents they know are there. I'm not a trained archivist but I've volunteered in an archive for the last three years and I did a lot of special work for one at the university over the last 20+ years. They know their documents and they know the preservation rules (and laws).

Tomorrow's high is supposed to be only 92^o - I know that sounds high to everyone in the north country, but it's a wonderful break of 10 to 15 degrees to those of us living on Hells Front Porch these days.

Dog baths this week. A messy but necessary process. And brushing - lots of it. And more eBay. Moving forward one chore at a time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 06:21 AM

Polio has rudely emerged in a NYC suberb. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62395325

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 08:53 AM

Back to the Y yesterday for pool class, and the supermarket for much-needed groceries, but otherwise yesterday was about resting. I slept poorly all week when I was away — strange bed syndrome — and drove a lot on Sunday, so I was whacked. Also, the cats were in dire need of extended lap time, so the comfy chair got a workout.

As well as my own bed, I was glad to return to my own kitchen and normal diet. A week of restaurant food did not wreak the havoc on my entrails that it used to, thanks to probiotics, but it was a relief to dine on a piece of chicken and rather a lot of green beans.

Today, however, I must get back to work — choir admin, mostly. A new contract for our accompanist, by close of play, and a draft of the first Choir News email … At least, I don’t have to run the show any more.

Tomorrow’s errand is a trot down the highway to London to meet Faith, my great-niece, at the bursar’s office to pay the tuition fees for her first year of study. She won a scholarship of $2,500, which the university cannily applied to her tuition account, so I’ll hang onto that sum (which I had originally intended to fork over now) for the financial crisis that always seems to surface in February or March.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 10:31 AM

Your grand niece is lucky - help with school in this day and age of soaring student loan is a Big Deal. Along with our help (mostly their dad's cash and my transport) we made it clear to both of our kids that they needed to work when they were on campus (work study or non-work study are options down here in the US) because the school will make sure they don't have conflicting hours with their classes. And while some of those jobs keep the student busy actually doing the job, others work out part of the time as paid study hall if they're just monitoring things going on in a lab, etc. Down here in the US the banks wrote the laws regarding student loans, making them bullet-proof—no bankruptcy and few other legal maneuvers will dismiss it. (When Trump's Betsy DeVos was in the Ed Dept she shot down the programs that forgave debt if graduates taught in underserved communities, etc.) When you die it comes out of your estate. It really does need fixing. I hope the Canadian system is rational.

Treating my sore spot beside my surgery knee like tendonitis is working. Last time I had a case of it was in my elbow area and I was told to keep a steady dose of Ibuprofen going for a couple of weeks. Even doing it for just 3-4 days has already helped.

I have the goal of a no-spend August, meaning that if I decide there is something I could use around here at most it goes on the wish list on Amazon, it doesn't automatically get purchased. Groceries are my main expense (I hope) this month though other things will be higher than usual (water, electric). Adding anything to the bank via eBay sales will stay in the bank.

Keeping my head down during the heat, following a small routine of volunteering and going to the gym, watching the yard turn as crisp as I've ever seen it and just watering the foundation (not helping the cracking, but to keep it from getting worse).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 01:20 PM

Dupont:

More wonderful rain last night and cooled enough for a light quilt. A friend in Ottawa complained about the amount of rain! So I walked down to the river and reported back that it could use a great deal more - basically, stop complaining and think Vancouver! The whole world needs more rain - well, most of it does!

So, I went out to the back garden, built on bags of soil bought last year. Only the top couple inches are wet!

Trip to the Library yesterday resulted in finding some books and then not finding my card - GONE from my wallet. The nice staff put the books aside for me; as the card is in R's name, I could not just present ID.

This am R went with me and we found the card had expired so we had to come home and get residential proof and go back and get the precious card! He went to work and I retrieved the five carefully chosen books and came home. It only about 8 minutes each way.

My gut is,finally, about normal - after two difficult years. And R seems to have eaten something in the city that created a maladjustment for a couple days. But it is cool in the house!! And outside too!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 05:49 PM

Dorothy, we have a similar library card dance we do down here. If I lived one block north, I could just walk in and get one. My ex is in the same house so I borrow his water bill, the same one I've used for decades to renew my card.

It rained a little! Not hard, it's mostly thunder and lightning and some drizzle. The buildup of clouds has been wonderfully dark gray and dramatic.

Museum scanning done, and after at the gym I'm building back up with each visit. Yesterday 30 minutes, today almost 40. I usually go for 60 (pre-surgery) so that is again my goal. So far no one has been murdered in my book, but the characters are entering the inn.

An eBay listing sold overnight and the parcel went out today. I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow so will have more time to list others ready to go. Seven a week or one per day is my goal.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 09:18 PM

The price of post-secondary education has gone stratospheric in Canada, Stilly, but it’s still within reach of middle-class families that plan ahead. Unfortunately for Faith, her parents don’t fit that description either way, which is where I come in.

That said, it’s hard to look past the fact that tuition alone has increased from Cdn$800 per year in September 1979, when I entered first year at Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, to Cdn$8,000 today, at King’s College, University of Western Ontario, in London. The cost of living has likewise accelerated beyond mortal ken, and Faith will have to spend her first weeks on the ground in London securing a part-time job. I gather that’s normal these days.

Faith has a younger brother, Logan, who is entering Fanshawe College (a polytechnic, also in London) in a program that will prepare him for a career in law enforcement. Fanshawe is less pricey than Western, but still way beyond the family’s means. Gotta talk to Logan, but he’s working for a roofer and harder to get hold of than his sister.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 06:09 PM

Today is surreal. Overcast, about 95^o, and it rained this morning. So quietly that I didn't hear it, after I'd been out to scrub and refill the bird baths. When I saw puddles on the patio I wondered if I'd accidentally left a hose or the sprinkler on, it has been so long since rain has accumulated out there. The air smells amazing when all of the dried tree branches get the moisture on them, it's like its own incense out in the yard.

Company today, when I handed over a box of fruit to my ex after a trip to Costco and we had a plate of babaghanouj from the batch I made yesterday. So far I'm getting a few stray tomatoes but the okra is in and I'm getting eggplant. I'll take some eggplant next door because she also makes babaghanouj.

Sweeping dog hair, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, it's a day for cleaning and picking up. And I'll go sit on the porch for a while to enjoy the cloudy afternoon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 06:08 AM

Very much an aside, but I noticed that you used the degree symbol in your temperature there. I didn't think it was possible on an iPad, but after a period of intensive research which took me 20 seconds I found out how to do it. So the current temperature here is 29°C.

Weee! Every day's a school day!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 09:34 AM

It's simple html code with ^o being the look of it. (This particular entry isn't the actual string because it wouldn't show up when I hit "submit message." I typed the string into the https://mothereff.in/html-entities site we've been using to drop our Wordle scores into and below pick up the code so the colored boxes appear correctly.)

Slowly warming through the high 90s for the rest of the week and 100s by early next week, but in general it's staying in the high 90s for most of the 10-day forecast. We'll take what we can get.

Fussing with eBay that wants to pre-fill in boxes in it's opaque sales form. You have to force it to open every option and see what is selected or you're screwed. The old selling form worked well but is hard to get to appear very often. All of the settings benefit eBay, not the sellers. Still, it's the main way to sell online, I won't go near Craig's List and some of the other phone app ones are not to be trusted. I have sold on Amazon but mainly books, not household stuff or clothes.

I'm getting closer to being ready to put in a new heat pump, but it does take lining up some pretty important ducks (and building in a buffer for unexpected expenses like new ducts in the attic).

I helped my ex set up the Libby app (libraries use it for streaming content, etc.) in his phone yesterday. He's slowly entering the twenty-first century after giving up his slider phone earlier this year. Next we'll try pairing it to Bluetooth headphones. This morning in my email I was surprised to have an email from OPAC that WorldCat is soon offering a site redesign. I've used it for years but I don't remember setting up an account. This is a surprise. (In my experience, "improvements" generally aren't really improvements, they're changes to a system we know how to use to a new system that is more annoying to use. Like eBay.) As with the ex-spouse with the new-to-him device, there is a learning curve that you're just stuck with.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

On the iPad you just hold the number zero down then rub your finger upward!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 12:40 PM

Producing the special characters and being sure they will display correctly once posted at Mudcat are different things and whether or not they work will not be clear on preview. My guess is that anything within "Latin1 supplement (which your degree sign is) will be OK but it's easy to get caught out.

The method SRS mentions should be "Mudcat safe" but does involve more work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 05:54 PM

Some diacritical and special characters come directly from the font your computer or browser uses, but here at Mudcat there are times you get question marks.

I'm up to 45 minutes on the recumbent bike today; I might have tried for the full hour but have decided that pacing myself and building up to it means I'm less likely to hit that wall of tiredness later in the day.

Back to hot and miserable again today. Yesterday was too good to last. It says 97^o but with humidity it feels hotter. It was a delightful break from the monotony of hot days. The yard is so crispy it has a kind of general scent like that of dried oregano (there is oregano growing in the front, but its off to one side. Everything smells dry.)

I have dinner with a friend tonight to help her with a project, then several days of no appointments. I don't have anything planned, but expect I'll manage to complete some tasks. It is time, after 8 weeks, to get out the weed whacker and trim around the garden. Last time that got done was a day or two before the knee surgery, so it really needs it. The garden is the only place where the weeds are growing happily since it has a scheduled watering set up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 06:43 PM

Once it gets to August, and once some crops are gathered and some flowers are knackered due to heat or drought, and the weeds seem to be the only things doing well, I always feel that it's time to prioritise just keeping things tidy. Hit those weeds (I don't use weedkiller so I either pull them out or burn them off with my weed wand), deadhead the flowers and don't endure stalky stuff on the dead lawn. Just stuff like that makes my garden look much better, even when most stuff is suffering from the heat and drought. We're having the worst year ever for that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Aug 22 - 08:51 AM

Cooler this week after a stonking heat wave followed by rain, and my lawn is almost all green again.

I decluttered my bank account of a year’s worth of tuition fees on Wednesday and learned that the new student needs a mattress cover and a blanket, and would like a rug. Hurrah, I have all these things to spare, and sheets too! The linen closet and blanket box will supply another jaunt down the highway in September, and I look forward to rehoming a nice little hand-knotted Indian wool carpet that doesn’t fit any room in this house.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Aug 22 - 01:24 PM

Tuition payments will leave a lot of air in any account they were withdrawn from!

eBay will be nickel and diming me with payments to my checking account as items I list sell. So far shoes, handbags, undergarments. Over the years I had good coupons from VS and bought extras that now can come out of the bag in the dresser and go on eBay. They still have the tags. It's low-hanging fruit as far as Internet sales when you price undergarments just a little under the competition. I may or may not have paid this much, but it was a long time ago and getting cash now instead of donating to the Goodwill works for me. The same with the DSW coupons for shoes and leather handbags bought at clearance prices. There were some I bought that had second thoughts about, and they do well on eBay.

I had a lovely dinner with a friend last night before I assembled and installed her new portable air conditioner. She is also having household AC system problems so during the day this will boost the cooling capacity in the house and when the new one is installed in a couple of weeks she'll have this set to cool the cats in one room closed off from the workers. And after that she'll use it in her finished garage's studio workspace.

Fridays, even when you're retired, are still about my favorite day of the week, looking forward to nothing scheduled on the weekend. This weekend I'm going to get out a few of my canning supplies and pickle a couple of jars of okra, just so I can say I had something I could process from the garden in this year of drought and high heat. And I need to make another batch of babaghanouj. I've decided it makes just about the perfect lunch on my fasting days - a couple of ounces of that with a half of a small pita bread and you get the complex carbohydrate of the dip (made with sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic, and eggplant) and bread that are a snack-sized lunch under 100 calories.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 12:17 PM

Last year, I did no preserving, being too preoccupied and, frankly, bummed out by the need to bury Edmund’s ashes. Consequently, I ran out of proper chutney in March and Seville orange marmalade in April.

Zero Seville oranges made it to Perth County in 2022 (there weren’t any in 2021, either), but all the ingredients of proper chutney are simultaneously available here in abundance for about two weeks in September. This year, by George, I’m staying home until I have at least two batches boiled, bottled, and stashed in the basement.

Then — and only then — I can pack up and head for Ottawa and the 50th anniversary of my graduation from high school, coincidentally also the school’s centennial. I dimly remember dropping in on the 20th, where I saw all the cool kids who never acknowledged my existence when we were all in our teens but nevertheless seemed glad to see me. I expect another 25 years of aging will have mellowed us all into even nicer people.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 12:40 PM

I forgot — Yesterday, I emptied the last plastic bin of mixed clag from the study closet and found its contents to be obsolete computer-related gear. Habitat for Humanity is the local salvager of e-waste, so off I went with the car boot stuffed, and came home half an hour later to more clear space in the basement and four empty file boxes that will find a new home with the choir library.

Hauling music for issue to the singers has always been a problem for the choir librarians, but my predecessors in the job used large, heavy plastic crates, probably because they couldn’t face more than one trip up the stairs. I intend to forestall the whining through the use of smaller, lighter containers (e.g., stackable cardboard file boxes) and a hand truck to shift it all from the car into the rehearsal space. I’ll do the stairs myself. Stairs are good for the wind and the legs.

The clag that used to be in those file boxes is in the plastic bin from the study closet. I expect that most of it will end up in the trash.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 02:29 PM

Good job on clearing out the old computer stuff. I used to carry that into an eWaste bin at the library where I worked but I haven't been back in a while. There's a large bag full of stuff awaiting my next visit over there.

My patch of okra is a little oasis in the hot yard and I'm seeing lots of interesting butterflies and dragonflies hover nearby. I meant to photograph some but the camera battery needed changing and figure out where I put the charger (with other chargers in the office - it wasn't too deep a mystery). So I'll make another safari to the garden in a few minutes (using this camera means I can get better and more close-up shots with the long lens than trying to use a phone camera). The okra is really tightly packed this year - last year it was tall and gangly. The large leaves layered the way they are is a wonderful environment for lizards and more.

Preserves: I always write about my mustang grape harvest and jelly but this year's grape season coincided with knee surgery; I spoke to the neighbor next door who also picks and makes jelly and told him I'd show him how to use the steam juicer this year instead of the old fashioned steaming grapes in a pan of water, mashing then filtering through cheese cloth a whole bunch of times. I asked about grapes recently and he told me they vanished - one time he looked and they were green, the next time he looked and they were gone. With this heat they must have rapidly ripened and equally quickly turned to raisins. Usually we have a 2 to 3 week window for several pickings.

It's looking like it'll be a productive day: I baked two small eggplants for more babaghanouj and cleaned out the fridge. It's laundry day and I think this evening I'll take out the weed whacker and cut the tall grass around my driveway. I can now carry it around without straining the knee and walking feels closer to normal every day, with the gym workouts being part of that. Before the gym my leg muscles were feeling a bit under-utilized and my stride wasn't it's usual length. I still kind of wobble down the sidewalk, but I'm back parking in the museum's staff garage, not in the close-in visitor parking lot. The signs of recovery are the returning to normal activities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 12:05 PM

We're right around 100^o as the highs these days though there is a few-degree spike early in the week before what looks like the promise of actual rain by next weekend. Yes, please!

I have my asparagus steamer out for processing pickled okra, one pint jar at a time. I have enough for a couple of jars today and I'll be using some of the rest of it to make some fried okra for lunch. It's also time to use yesterday's roasted eggplant to make babaghanouj. I use a lemon press when I make things like guacamole or hummus, babaghanouj, etc.; I saw a short video from Jacques Pepin making a lovely "posset" and he cuts his lemon in different slab shapes to squeeze more efficiently. I don't know that I'll make the posset (it's 1 cup of cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, mixed and heated about 1 minute in the microwave, then add 1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest and 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Chill, garnish and this serves 3) but I'll try the different shapes of lemon through the press or just in my hand.

My kitchen feels so warm and friendly when I have jars of canned goods sitting out and cooling. I like to make bread, muffins, and more, but when I'm trying to lose weight the white flour baked goods work against me. I could make some soup, that would also serve as a nice warm smell. After such a long hot summer this hankering over soup and bread means I'm wanting to move into cooler weather activities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

The aroma of fresh baked bread should be a perfume.
I did the hedging and carved out paths for auto light sensors to see the sunlight again. I'll have a bit more to do Monday.
Mornings in the 60's makes the process a pleasure.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 01:11 PM

Don, you remind me that I started on the grass growing beside and in cracks in the driveway last night - I worked the first segment (maybe 10 feet) then stopped and swept and put the trimmer back in the garage (still plugged in - I'll just drag it out and do another section today). It's still pretty hot but I can stand 20 minutes at a time doing this incrementally.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 05:25 PM

Dupont:

Just got R off to a birthday dinner with his cousin's SO. After a phone call finding that a friend passed away last week! (That's why his motorcycle is listed on FB!)

R went off with brown eyed Susan's and Q Anne's lace for the hostess. We spent most of the day working on the house - weed wacking and tidying up places long in need; R put a shelf/hanging rack in guest room closet and removed the treasures from the desk I want out of there! (I threatened to cut it up with a chain saw to get it out) I sorted out some pictures for the walls. Determined it will be more hospitable than it was the last time Taun was here. My sons keep meticulous homes! And we read during rest periods!

The Jennair range burned the ribs in a few minutes last night! But they were still edible and the fresh corn made up for it! NOW R is convinced it needs attention. I want to arrange for a Jennair tech -but FIRST Dan... I may have to warn son that there will be no baking in this house in Sept.

The woman who was buying a pottery wheel messaged that she needs the room for her abused niece, so she is bringing it to the Mill on Weds aft, when I planned to be in that area for a group walk in a wildlife preserve - on Lac St. Francois, then a visit with Geri. Maybe I can find the fancy microwave my SIL gave me Many years ago! And, maybe I can get it in the car! And maybe it still functions...

A beautiful day - just right temp and sunny. May get rain on Weds in 2-5 mm range. Watered today. Now another weed wack stint.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 07:29 PM

Dorothy, do you think there is anything of value left at the mill? You said it was ransacked by some young men from the area, and they were arrested?

I took donation stuff to Goodwill today; I can see I have been filling that bin for several months because I found things I'd put in there last spring that would fit me now. I only kept one of the items back, the rest are styles I don't wear. My errands also took me to Winco where I needed apple cider vinegar; I'd forgotten the gallons they carry are just white distilled vinegar with flavoring and caramel color. I got a quart of the real stuff (enough for pickles) and will get a gallon when I'm at Kroger later this week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

I think I should get back in the habit of actual solid food at breakfast.

Yesterday, I caused a snit in the choir room before church when I asked a woman to stop her unrelenting griping about wearing a mask. I was polite — I said please! — but my irritation came through loud and clear. She erupted in rage, pulled rank on me (“You’ve only been here a little while!”) and stomped off home.

I had drunk a rather large mug of black tea on arising, and its caffeine content hit me like cocaine, dissolving inhibitions along the way. Carbohydrate tends to dull that effect, so maybe a bagel would be a good idea. At least before church.

A choir board meeting is today’s main agenda item. I have just eaten a large lunch …

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 22 - 11:14 PM

Good girl, Charmion! She was out of line. Sometimes you just have to speak up and that kind of consequence says more about her than you. I challenged a smoker one time and had that response - but she would have totally spoiled a meal if she'd lit up.

More listings up, still low-balling my buy-it-now price to move things along quickly. One item had dog hair on the Velcro surface that was impossible to completely remove. I listed it low accordingly, calling attention to it with a photo so it isn't grounds for return later. (As an aside, I saw a post on Facebook today from a West Coast Mudcatter who, from the photos, lives in a kind of hoarder house. His cat apparently died by getting trapped or squashed in some boxes that collapsed. She used to jump around over the top of stuff. So sad. And a lesson to learn from.)

Gym tomorrow. As gas prices come down (pretty dramatically, almost $2 per gallon lower now) I may make an extra trip when I'm not already in that part of town and up it to three times a week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 02:50 AM

I agree with Stilly, Charmion. That lady was being obstreperous and in my opinion not very Christian in her attitude to your perfectly reasonable request. Good for you - more caffeine next time to power your self-respect!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 09:26 AM

That poor cat!

Memories of my parents’ house at the time of my mother’s death still haunt me. I will never forget the third-floor bedroom that became a no-go area because a tumbled stack of boxes was wedged between the door and the foot of the bed. One of my brothers (probably Andrew) had to put up an extension ladder and climb in the window to clear the blockage.

As for Susan the mask-hater, she’s apparently working on years of resentments covering a wide range of issues, and I’m just one more problem for her. I came swanning in during last winter’s lockdown with lots of range and the confidence to sing solos without fuss. I’m also not very tolerant of people who waste rehearsal time with complaints about things beyond our span of control.

The cats (mine, that is) had a huge fight last evening, and I have no idea why. They have been together their whole lives and they normally snooze all wrapped around each other so it’s hard to tell where one cat ends and the other begins. The home atmosphere is still a bit frosty this morning.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 12:20 PM

There is a canine source of clutter around here that is always interesting. Last night one of the dogs brought in a chunk of wood to chew on that is almost large enough to chock a tire.

The nectarines from Costco have been great, but one I picked up at Winco was a disappointment this morning. It smelled and felt ripe but the consistency was hard and rubbery. No appealing mouth-feel. I may make one more trip later this week (I still have a couple of peaches and a couple of nectarines to use - hopefully in better condition.) I buy too much fruit then have to eat it in a hurry. Must pace myself. That season is going to be over pretty soon.

From Thursday on it appears we have a good chance of rain over the course of the following week and the temperatures will drop. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer if that is the case. I don't know if or how many records we broke this summer, but it will be one for the record books when describing the misery of hot weather.

My across-the-street neighbor goes out in the wee hours to water his lawn with a hose; I think he finds it restful to be up at that time. He told me yesterday he saw a possum drinking from the little pool set up in the yard. Nice!

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

My cats are acting up too. I thought it was a terratorial fight but...
they might be reading Earth signals, for all I know.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have a polio outbreak and NYC suburb waste water tests say it's here too.
Are new vaccines appropriate after being vaccinated 60 years ago?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 04:00 PM

Ask your doctor, Don. But I would get a booster, myself.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 06:36 PM

Adults
Most adults have likely already been vaccinated against poliovirus during childhood, and that is why IPV is not part of routine adult vaccinations.

However, adults who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or are completely vaccinated but are at higher risk for contact with poliovirus should receive polio vaccination. The following situations put adults at higher risk:

You are traveling to a country where the risk of getting polio is greater. Ask your healthcare provider if you need to be vaccinated.
You are working in a laboratory or healthcare setting and handling specimens that might contain polioviruses.
You are a healthcare worker treating patients who could have polio or have close contact with a person who could be infected with poliovirus.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 07:05 PM

When my kids were still getting many of their childhood immunizations I asked the pediatrician when they got the smallpox vaccine. He laughed - maybe didn't catch himself soon enough and it sounded somewhat patronizing - and said they hadn't given those for years. Smallpox is gone. But those with smallpox vaccines may have had some protection from monkeypox. It isn't a lifetime protection, though.

Today's trip to the gym was two months from the date of knee surgery and I did a full hour on the recumbent bike like I used to. My route home meandered through town and stopped at DSW to buy good socks for xmas stocking stuffers. I bought clearance socks and had a $10 off coupon, so feel like I did well there. (My daughter wears a large shoe size and when I can find nice looking men's socks I get them for her.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 08:10 PM

We have a similar issue with poliovirus in sewage here. A few samples crop up most years, but there's been something of a spike recently. The virus found here has been determined to be vaccine-derived from individuals who have been vaccinated with a live form of the virus. We haven't used live virus vaccine here for almost twenty years, so it seems that the virus found has come from someone who had the live virus oral vaccine overseas then came here. That wouldn't be a problem in theory, but a vaccine-derived live virus is theoretically capable of evolving into a pathogen. There have been no recorded cases of polio here in recent years. It seems that the risk is minimal (unless there are undetected cases in the community: none found so far), so the advice has been to make sure that vaccinations are up to date, especially in children. I have a very hazy recollection of having had only three out of the course of four vaccinations, as was in those days, well before I was ten. I won't be worrying too much but I'll check on my grandson with his mum and dad when they arrive here tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 09:14 PM

I have a day at home tomorrow and though it's hot now, it is feeling marginally cooler and I'm finding myself more motivated to start cooking and do fall cleaning. The electric bill last month was through the ceiling compared to what is typical (though it used to be much higher with the old standard electric company that is the default in the area. We have the "power to choose" and lots of little companies offer lower prices. My high price with this company is double what I usually see this time of year.) The cooler it is, the more energy (and I wait for that first fall day that feels and smells just right - months away from now.)

A friend was ordering several copies of a book for himself (he uses them as gifts) and accidentally left my name in the "to" section since he sent me a book via this vendor recently. Three of the four have arrived, when the last one gets here they go in a box and are shipped to New York. At least books are cheap to ship so it isn't too expensive a mistake. That's one of the problems with auto fill or pre-filled forms on sites. Sometimes I think I'm emptying my house via the postal service with side trips to Goodwill.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 22 - 10:11 AM

I'm wearing a pair of size 12 Capri pants I haven't worn in a very long time. They're kind of snug on my tender knee so not the best to wear right now, but it's a pleasure to get into them. In years past I've worn size 8; for now I'll be content to get into the size 10-12 range (it depends on the manufacturer how they fit versus the size they say they are. And this had changed drastically over the decades.)

This is the last day of ice water in the cooler on the porch; it's supposed to cool and possibly rain over the next week. I'll wash the dogs today on the last dry day so they can get all muddy in the week to come. ;-)

The forest floor has returned, so I'll vacuum and sweep in time for trash day tomorrow and let the guys in the big truck tote off a bunch of the dog hair. I could have knit several dogs this summer from all of the hair they've lost.

I have a bunch of old VHS players here that I've picked up on the cheap at Goodwill; it's time to test and list them on eBay. People are wanting to convert their tapes to digital but the players aren't sold much any more. I list them as working if that is the case, or if I think it's a little dicey, for parts or repair. There are people out there who fix these things. I have a testing station set up with a TV and the appropriate cables. I have a couple I use myself with the old computer and a Canopus converter box; sometimes I come across a really good old one then swap it out with one of my already working ones and list it. I suppose I could start doing this on the side but it would go slow compared to some of the companies that advertise they do it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 22 - 07:19 PM

I spent a messy 30 minutes this afternoon and the dogs are all bathed. They don't get many baths, but since it has been so hot I figured this was the time to do it (starting tomorrow we have some rain in the forecast with cooler temperatures). They might get muddy but for now they have clean coats down to their skin. It only takes a few minutes per dog with the hose and a pressure nozzle out in the yard. Lots of treats offered after they all stopped running around the yard like crazy things.

I visited two grocery stores this afternoon and at both I bought a bottle of corn oil. It seems to have almost vanished from the store shelves. Lots of Canola (Canada Oil) and vegetable, but almost no corn unless it was in gallon containers. Another victim of the supply chain. The second store had plenty and oddly, the name brand was less expensive than the store variety. The grocery store trips now have to be in the window between about 8:30am and 2:30pm because there are several schools that I have to avoid because school started this week. A new charter school has managed to tie up the main boulevard in my area (parents picking up kids creep along in lanes on both sides of that street plus on the feeder street closest to it.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 09:40 AM

It rained hard last night for quite a while. That is enough of a report for now!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 11:33 AM

Dupont:

I am one of few wearing a mask in QC but shall persevere. In ON some were still but not many. I definitely did. In PA in May, I chose my times and places - carefully. So, last night, I made a courtesy call to my SIL to see how the two cancer patients are doing. We have learned to avoid the Trump issue and it was going fine until, once more (ARGGH!), the subject evolved to my niece and kids. Then to my GD and her anti-vax attitude and SIL announces that she is anti-vax also!
Could I have just hung up! Rudely, even! Happily, my phone battery died!
is it worth googling to try to find out where she gets it? Anything Ali posted read like lunatic ravings. MY bro is doing well! The niece with breast cancer is undergoing myriad tests at Duke and I am wondering when they are going to DO something! All the news that's fit to print!

Long day on the road yesterday - to the south tip of QC to visit a wildlife sanc with a group and finding that I could not walk far - the heavy weather; I felt like I was carrying an elephant. So went back to car and drove forever (about an hour!) across to visit a friend, stop at an orchard I love, and the bakery that provides the best choc mouse cakes. Bought two frozen meals and a small cake, wrapped a heavy coat around them and turned the A/C as low as it would go!

Then I drove back across to the Mill (dif route and closer - only 20 min) and had lunch with Geri at the only functioning resto in town - the waitress - two years later! - asked if I wanted Green tea!! I did and expressed my amazement that she remembered. And a grilled cheese as I needed something! And a local musician stopped in and we had lunch and a visit. Big event on Sat and, when I told R, he thinks we can go! It will be a first post covid musical event in the "Valley" with many friends we have not seen in the interim!

I waited for a call re the folks delivering that pottery wheel I had lent to Carole a while back. Since R had not brought me a key to the cable across the drive, I went in through the neighbour's drive, THEN--- unlocked the door and pushed. Hmmm,stuck. Asked the robust man to put his shoulder to it. He did! Ripped the boards off that had been nailed on to keep the vandals from getting in again! The wheel is in. The door is blocked with a box of mags. I went out another door - FED UP!

I got one of the four things I was hoping to find in the studio. Did a perfunctory search for a large microwave/plus that SIL gave me many years ago, thinking it might help the dead oven problem. It may have never made it to the mill, or to QC even. I last remember seeing/using it on Whidbey...

Those vandals made a terrible mess and took a few small items, that they could walk away with. No need for a chain across the entrance which inconvenienced our wonderful neighbour to whom R neglected to give a key, or even recall that Merril mows that area in front so his family can come in with RVs/trailers when they have a family gathering - with permission and best wishes. R phoned him and apologized but still no key. HHMMMM! - Phone R and insist that a key be with us next trip down - Saturday!

I got home about 5 with no more stops and tried to find energy to eat something decent. Then the phone call... I spent time, googling "in my sleep!" Remembering the dear father of my SIL telling me, many years ago, that she is like a terrier - never lets go.

Congrats to Mag on being down to size 12!

Now: need green tea. It is cool and overcast. No need to close windows or drapes!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 12:36 PM

Steve is correct. My assumption is that the live form of polio vaccine, that can be excreted in feces, may have come from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The vaccination teams there are subject to being killed by Taliban types. Those anti vaxxers are more extreme than ours.

The Salk polio vaccine can not excrete into public sewerage.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 07:45 PM

Trying to move beyond the unrelated medical stuff - I moved one post over to another thread, but I'll just suggest here we stick to our household projects. (And I'd like to hear more about the work with opal that you've been doing.)

The new Steel HR arrived today and is charging. The test will be if it actually registers the heart rate; the last watch never did or stopped a long time ago. The newer more expensive models do all of this plus have things like a pulse oximeter, but I don't need that. I just want to see the heart rate when I exercise, etc. The older watch has for now been dissociated from the account and soon I'll do a factory reset and consider what to do with it. It's still a fine fitness tracker (for steps).

I did my volunteering then had lunch with my daughter followed by a tour of her new library in this new museum. Very nice - hidden in the newer building on the museum site, and no art on the walls (it's only a few years old). It is a new building and the previous librarian (who had been there for 40 years) didn't put up art when the library was moved to this location. I'll look forward to the transformation, because "art" is pretty much this librarian's middle name.

After the gym I stopped at Costco and I noticed a woman in a surgical boot looking around the parking lot near where I parked. I asked if she'd lost her car and it turned out her almost-son-in-law dropped her off to pick up an Rx and she was supposed to call him when she was ready to be picked up, but had left her phone and home and she didn't know his number to use another phone to call him. When I came out of the store she had gotten a scooter cart to use to look around and I offered her a ride home since it turned out she lived a couple of miles south of me. Very nice conversation, interesting story, nice woman. We weren't wearing masks, but we did determine that we were both vaccinated and boosted (she had COVID in 2020 and lost her husband and mother-in-law to it within 3 days of each other.) As soon as she got home she was going to call the young man and tell him to come back home from wherever he was. This sounds kind of like a Dorothy story!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 07:49 PM

Dupont:

So, I made a cup of green tea; five minutes later I spilled it on my lap!!!!! Spent the afternoon treating myself with Aloe Vera and lavender oil. Watching the bright red area fade and the blisters subside is slightly more interesting than watching paint dry. Progress has been made. Read also. I hope this is a once in a lifetime event!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 09:07 PM

And I was thinking that a cup of green tea sounded good when I read your earlier post. I guess I'd better stick to drinking it iced for the time being! Take care, Dorothy!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 09:52 AM

With the most recent Mudcat weekend of radio silence the post I was saving to share as become obsolete. I see Dorothy is busy posting on FB so I assume she has survived the hot-tea-in-the-lap incident.

Rain arrived overnight last night. Four inches in the informal rain gauge (two galvanized buckets sitting on the back porch) and it looks like 4" so far. Knowing this was coming I sprinkled the garden with some granular organic fertilizer and spritzed the tomatoes with hydrogen peroxide. Their leaves are curled up and it could be a fungus and not just heat, hence the hydrogen peroxide. It's great for treating fungus on plants. Now I watch.

With rain came the thought that after three months I might want to put on a pair of jeans, and there was a discovery: most of my long pants in the closet are now too large. I pulled out a dozen pair at least (trying on to be sure) and then got down the size 12 bin from the closet shelf and now a dozen or so pair are in the dryer with a wet towel added for moisture to reduce some of the folds and wrinkles. Some are misses 12s and are a bit too snug still but the women's 12s fit fine. We'll see how the surgery scar does with long pants. I think I'll be wearing shorts for a while longer once this storm passes.

Yesterday was a fasting day and I made a trip to the gym after a trip to the thrift store looking for smaller shorts. I found one pair that I liked and two t-shirts. With the shirts it's a goal to find regular rather than cap sleeves because losing weight means my upper arms are rather saggy looking. Bummer. With two things to do it was easier to justify a drive that far over to the gym for an hour on the recumbent bike and my murder mystery. I'm to the point now where I'm going to start using some of the rest of the equipment, if I can get there at fairly quiet times. The place is full of beefy fit young men on the weekend, and while as a 60-something gray-haired woman I am totally invisible, I'd still like to see a few more users like myself. Other older women also go during the quiet times. (The pool area is opening next Tuesday after being closed for repairs so I need to try on my swimsuit.)

Otherwise, around here I did some mending and got out eBay stuff to test before listing. I'm switching to obsolete electronics for a while.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 10:41 AM

Mudcat Central seems to be located around Fort Worth, rather than College Station, for lurkers to the declutter threads, I have to say. I was wondering all weekend how Stilly was doing, especially with the change in the weather.

The 'tri-state' area is getting heavy thunderstorms as well, here in the Northeast. I have got to do something about my umbrella. I don't know where umbrellas get fixed. Is there such a thing as an umbrella hospital? If there is, my umbrella ought to be in the ER.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 11:25 AM

You mean College Station in Texas or State College in Pennsylvania? They are worlds apart!

It has been wet, there are reports of lots of water rescues overnight Sunday into Monday. I have no plans to go anywhere and will keep an eye on the creek in my back yard. I suspect it will flow over the bridge a time or two today. It could wash away a car that would float around the bridge guard rail, so people need to "turn around don't drown."

With the shift in weather I am feeling inspired to do some fall cleaning. At the moment, though, there is a whiney little dog at my left elbow right now who insists she needs some attention. I had to close the bedroom door on them last night after Pepper again launched herself up onto my bed during the thunderstorm. I am sympathetic, but the prospect of a nervous drooling dog soaking my sheets just doesn't appeal. I have my office closet rigged up for her with a dog bed and no view of a window as far as flashes of light.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 12:48 PM

Dupont:

Do NOT EVER try to pour just-stopped-boiling-water from one cup to another over your lap! The result is still blistered, still uncomfortable. Only a skirt is comfortable. And more vitamin E oil, and more and more...

Then there is the very dead range(stove) cluttering up the K. R took it all apart yesterday! He found it interesting that all the same type screws were used throughout! Said screws were all over the K counters, table... Lots of screws! He cleared it up a bit and BF was eggs poached in microwave and nuked porridge with toast. And fruit...

We have a surfeit of fruit - raspberries, strawberries, melon, mangoes, apples! Tis the season and... Trip down to mill to give Merril key to gate and barricade the door that we(not R) "put a shoulder to" last week to get the wheel back in - thinking the door was "stuck". Then a Subway on way to Orchard, hoping for more delicious raspberries but we would have had to pick them ourselves and it was getting late. So a larger basket of strawberries - I shall have to freeze some. Also corn and a free can of their maple syrup to replace one I bought last year that was not good. I had emailed them at the time to alert them. Great folks!

The goal of trip was to purchase a larger toaster oven that I had found on Marketplace. We arrived at home and were greeted by ... the lovely (HUGE) Rotie and the family... fiddles on the wall! They remembered us from the wonderful venue that was, very sadly, torched a few years ago. Gave us info re the "Brysonville School Revisited", now on my calendar! (has a FB page)

Of course I bought the oven, nice and clean, only $30. The old one is a give-away. Depending on what happens next in the stove dept, I may want a larger one but that's OK for now. The daughter had had the wit to check my FB page and see that I was in Bancroft; "You are 4 hours away!" I assured her... Then to get there and find we were a community of music lovers!   

With any luck, there will be a functioning stove in a few days - before my son arrives on 3 Sept! I really liked the downdraft function on the Jennair, which pulled heat and odour out of the house. No way to put an ordinary exhaust hood in this K. I believe a toaster oven will generate last heat than the larger one in a 30 inch stove...?


Oh, and it rained!!!! I had put a soaker hose in the back garden and left it dripping for 3 days - it was SO dry. Then yesterday it rained! And may do daily this week, stopping by Saturday for the big Antique Assoc event on the weekend. Will take my pottery down (it is just N of the border) on Friday and get partly set up and cover with heavy plastic, then pick up an order of frozen organic food at a store near the mill, having just discovered their excellent website. Then a good sleep to prepare for this wonderful community event.

R helped me get the back deck in good order and we have four chairs and the carpets. It will look moderately civilized. The rain helped cleanup! The #$%^& desk is still in the guest room - about ten days to go!

Perhaps the most important de-clutter this week was a phone call from a friend of 54 years about whom I was so concerned I was considering going into the city and knocking on the door. (I hate driving into the city, esp to unknown areas.) We had a good talk and a promise of another call - less than two years hence! He has Parkinson's. I was SO happy!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 12:53 PM

I meant Max's territory in State College. Senior moment par excellence, this.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 01:34 PM

My creek is decluttering the neighborhood of rainwater and is flowing inches below the bridge (it is usually about 8' below the bridge). I keep my ears open for the sound of large truck engines, usually meaning a fire truck or city vehicle is parked on either end of the bridge access (usually at the bottom of my driveway) to prevent cars from floating off were they to enter the area. 150 water rescues in these two counties overnight.

Dorothy, I'm on my second oven of the Black and Decker mid-sized convection toaster oven model. I love it; the first one cost about $13 and the last one under $10, both from Goodwill. There is a lot less heat in the house when it is used.

Keb, a lot of the antique furniture I have here came from a family home near State College, PA. I've actually been through the area many times over the years, though there is no longer family out there since the last of them died about 25 years ago. Mudcatter LilyFestre lives north of there in a pretty little town that I visited, not just drove through but spent time walking around in, long before Mudcat existed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 04:15 PM

Talking of pretty little towns, over the weekend
I did a quick drive-through of
North Canaan, Connecticut, which is certainly a pretty little town.
And I managed to do it without de-cluttering my wallet, so it was a VERY quick visit.
I was drawn there by a notice of a tag sale,
which amounted to nothing much, very few vendors, so no money spent.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 22 - 05:42 PM

Today I've moved two COVID posts over to the COVID thread [looking at you, Don] - let's keep posts here related to declutter topics and references to the pandemic dropped mainly in passing.

Reports suggest we got about 8" of rain here, this part of town is soggy but fine. The yard didn't flood though I think there was water over the bridge at some point during the night.

More clothes moved over to the "no longer fit" pile and trying on other stuff at the back of the dresser drawer or in the closet. My older swim suit fits but is a little snug in the shoulder straps, but given a little more work will probably fit ok. I'll hold onto both and when I reach the point when I'm ready to head to the pool I'll try them both again.

Making more pickled okra tonight, and for lunch today I had a plate of fried okra. Measuring it (for MyFitnessPal) shows that five or six 4" pods add up to 1 cup of the nuggets, a nice portion and quick to cook. I have to take some okra next door also.

In other diet news, it has been my habit for a while now to put a scoop (~1 tsp) of gelatin into my banana-strawberry-yogurt smoothie and I'm finding my fingernails are in pretty good shape. Too bad I don't play the guitar. :)

Dorothy, I hope you get your stove fixed before the upcoming family visit.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 09:01 AM

The declutter party line now ignores the pandemic part of social changes- Got It.

Oct and Nov should be the best declutter and joint healing months to look forward to.

I had a planned 35th anniversary dinner but after 2 appetizers neither of us had an appetite for an entre'.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 09:49 AM

I read in today's New York Times that the Dallas-Fort Worth area has wide-spread flooding after a prolonged torrential rainstorm. I'm glad to know that SRS is maintaining her position clear of the water table.

Bathing suits! I badly need one at least a size smaller than what I currently wear to pool class, but this is a terrible time of year to shop for a bathing suit in Ontario -- sizes are limited to teeny-weeny and very enormous, and everything left on the racks is black with fuchsia patches (or worse).

I have two large bags of winter clothes ready to go to Goodwill in October, when I imagine they will actually be wanted, and a large laundry-basketful in the box room waiting to be packed up. The winnowing of the closets has produced a considerable over-supply of hangers for coats and suits (the curved wooden or plastic kind), and I hope Goodwill is interested in those, too. The clothes rails in the box room now have significant bare patches, the study closet is organized so I can see everything stowed in there, and the guest room closet and chest of drawers are empty. Only one plastic bin of variegated junk remains in the basement.

Summer is already hurtling to an end here in Stratford. The two Red Haven peach trees in my friend Alden's garden are producing abundantly, and yesterday she gave me a dozen perfectly ripe peaches that, unlike the fruit sold at the supermarket, have never been refrigerated. What flavour! Absolute bliss! I have already eaten six, and will probably eat the rest before lunchtime tomorrow.

Cat hair is gathering in the corners again, so I really must break out the vacuum cleaner and the mop. I have ten days to get the place squared away before Elder Brother & Wife land on my doorstep. EB likes cats, Wife tolerates them, and they're both too polite to criticize my housekeeping, but my residual bourgeois pride requires me to scrub the kitchen floor and de-fur the niche behind the toilet before they get here.

The dryer has apparently decided that generating heat is no fun anymore, so a technician is coming on Thursday to set it right (I hope). I just sent another large lump of money to Niece No. 1 for her son's college fees, and my bank account is consequently a bit on the slender side if I'm looking at another major appliance failure. Fortunately, next Monday is pensioners' payday.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 11:36 AM

Charmion, the two one-piece suits I have are Speedos and are pretty true to size in their fit. The older suit (size 12) is a standard one-piece suit with "classic" coverage, typical legs (not high legs) and the bodice comes to just above cleavage. The size 14 is a more modest one selected for how the legs fit (so the leg holes didn't come way up my hips, etc.) and the bodice comes closer up to the collar bones. If you poke around and adjust the settings (recreational swimwear, training swimwear, racing swimwear, all one piece swimwear) and go from there you can set other featues (coverage, size, etc.) and come up with something to order and try. I go to Academy Sports and Outdoors here in town to try them on, I have no idea if they're also in Canada. (Speedo has a one-piece suit with a shirred panel up the front that is very attractive, but I wonder how it looks on a real human woman?)

Don, dropping one-off posts to do only with the pandemic don't fit the character of this discussion, they're a jarring diversion from the general topic. I'm sure when the next Pfizer vaccine (developed to address a couple of the current variants) is available we will be noting when we go get our jabs, and possibly discuss side effects. In the general course of our daily decluttering activities.

We didn't have flooding here at my house but the creek was very full for the time of that heavy rainfall. I walked to the back of the yard and saw no signs that it was over it's bank and running across the yard (though there were lots of little "high tide" marks where puddles formed on the lawn and the dry grass drifted to the edge to form a little berm.) I'm hoping this helped the foundation a bit by soaking into the ground around the house. In this part of Texas we have to "water the foundation" to keep it from cracking worse.

Has anyone else noted that any time you go into certain brick-and-mortar stores that after the purchase the emails from that company start up? I have to look the DSW clerk in the eye and tell her "do not turn on email notifications!" because they always do that at their registers. And Tractor Supply was emailing a receipt. I have one in my hand, I don't need another plus all of the ads coming to my email. Decluttering the email may be a small thing, but it's damned annoying to have to unsubscribe any time I go to the actual store.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 12:13 PM

A new heating element part for a dyer $100 or less. Fee for just arriving $100 or less. Its a quick job.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 01:44 PM

Stilly, I followed your link to Speedos which, as well as selling bathing suits, prints customer reviews.
One woman posted that she had purchased, for the first time, the front shirring-panel option, and she was not happy with it. The suit fit well enough, but "next time" she had to buy a suit, she was going back to her tried and true flat smooth one-piece Speedo suit, thank you very much.
Then there was a critique from a customer who remarked on the leg holes. There used to be three options: conservative, moderate, and whatever they call the immoderate leg holes. The conservative cut has been eliminated, and this customer is angry about it!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 04:03 PM

Dupont:

"Dorothy, I hope you get your stove fixed before the upcoming family visit." I hope so also. I find it awkward, at best, trying to cook a meal with the microwave and the "new", improved, toaster oven. I overcooked the chicken in the T-O and is is a mite hard. It took forever to cook a large quantity of veggies in the microw. Corn on the cob does admirably; I shall switch to that mode permanently for corn. Porridge is perfect; poached eggs - getting the hang of it. We are getting fed...

I wonder if anyone has thoughts on the toaster oven large enough to do a chicken - B&D 9 slice one with rotisserie versus a convection/air fry/microwave that would also do a whole chicken???? No, I don't roast a chicken often but would like to be able to. It would be nice not to have two separate items cluttering the K; there is very little counter space. We also have a very nice but separate toaster that R prefers for his toast. Ok for bagels also. I have two web sites up on computer, trying to make a decision. NOT going to any thrift shops. An old house with brick walls that we are loathe to put holes in complicates electric outlet additions.

R's cousin is willing to lend us a spare stove of the ordinary sort which will fill the hole left when the Jennair (SADLY!) leaves. With any luck it could happen this week - the carcass of Jenair with all its magical tech stuff will leave and the white stove arrive AND the @#$%^ UGLY desk leave the guest room! The rest of the house needs mere cleaning!

Is it cluttering or de-cluttering to get a wall cabinet for R's tea pot collection!?? We may get to look at one I found on Marketplace, right here in town, in the next few days.

Green with envy at Charmion's fresh peaches!! No peach orchards nearby!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 05:19 PM

Alas, Stilly, that’s an American website that is not set up for Canadian customers. Even if they ship to Canada, I would have a hell of a time returning a suit that didn’t fit.

I find that the fit of a bathing suit is so complex that I really have to try it on before buying. Most suits designed for fitness activities have no bust support at all, and many are difficult to get into — in particular, I can’t work a clasp that fastens in the mid-back, and anything billed as “control fit” (or words to that effect) is likely to be uncomfortably tight.

The two suits I have now are polyester and, consequently, long-lasting despite pool chemicals. The colour is neither black nor offensive, and they fit perfectly when I bought them. Of course, the maker discontinued the style!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 06:23 PM

Charmion, I learned some time ago that there is a wonderful word - "scurryfunge" - which means rushing around cleaning and tidying when company is expected.

You can have a scurryfunge before your rels arrive.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 08:50 PM

JennieG, we all do that, but I never knew it had a name! When company is coming all of a sudden you can see your house through their eyes and see the shortcomings. :)

Dorothy, I have the Black and Decker toaster convection oven, and I might do a chicken if it was cut up and all wrapped in foil to hold in heat and splatter. A small chicken. I use a glass bowl convection oven that really works best for chicken and I also bake bread in it; the glass variety is literally a bowl in a stand that has the heater in the lid. Google search. The brands available seem to change names but they look about the same. I see these in the thrift store on occasion. This speeds up cooking so it's maybe 2/3 of the regular oven time. I roast eggplants in mine for babaghanouj, I have a bread pan that fits a full-size bread loaf and it takes about 30-35 minutes (usually 40-45 in the regular oven). It stores on a shelf when not in use.

Keb, thanks for the note about the three swimsuit types - the last time I shopped those were still options and I think I went with that modest leg type because it looked more comfortable. I see them for sale on Amazon with international shipping so that might solve the access problem. The Speedo suits there offer (on the left side of check boxes) "High, Low, Mid" rise options. Not sure if that has to do with legs or if it's because the page was constructed for all types of swimsuits, including bikinis that might actually fit those descriptions. The prices are lower on Amazon.

The heat broke and today's high is about 25 degrees cooler than the last month, and very muggy. The heavy rain was in the news yesterday, today's rain was gentle. I need to empty some standing water now (the terracotta saucers and the bird bath water was evaporating before) to avoid mosquitoes. I have a long list of garden chores coming up soon and I'll be putting away some of this stuff for the season.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: JennieG
Date: 23 Aug 22 - 09:21 PM

Indeed, Maggie....as do I! Our house needs its 'end of winter clean' but while we are still burning wood it won't get done. The floor might get swept if it's lucky.

No visitors are expected, so the scurryfunge won't happen.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Aug 22 - 10:46 AM

Dupont:

Up to 22C and rising. But two hours ago, as he was leaving, R suggested it was a nice cool day for yard work. So I have done yard work for almost two hours. Weeding and taking out those left over stems from day lilies and iris, moving very carefully but getting a good deal done. Reached my limit of heat so indoors to look at my other world.

Hoping for a "new" stove today...tomorrow? Soon?

Burn is still healing; a hot bath with epsom salt yesterday helped it along. The healing has definitely taken a toll on my energy level and I still have to be careful how I moved lest I abbraise (?) some part of it. A very light cotton skirt was best attire. Still is! But I wore light weight, wide leg short shorts to garden.

Text from Rita that she phoned about marking our spaces for the weekend event (antique/craft/junk/music/social); the wonderful Judy told her it was done! So check that off list! Nice to be considered part of the gang!

Taking a shower after bath - to clean off salt and residual dirt - I was reminded that the current shower curtain is NOT water proof. Cleaned up floor with large towel and put shower curtain on list for today's foraging. Well! the floor is clean!!

Saving vaccumming(?) for the last minute!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 22 - 03:19 PM

Out of sorts today.

The water bill was paid last week after the bill arrived a week later than usual. I pay with online banking (but since the city is so old-fashioned the payment has to be mailed from the credit union but arrived late), so was surprised to get a shutoff notice. This is a revenue source for the city so they never budge; I think it's time to get city council to address this and use postmark, not arrival date. I don't trust them; they're inept enough to get hacked so I don't have auto pay set up.

After the rain the temperature outside is lower and the AC isn't on nearly as much, leaving the house humid. And there's only one functioning AC. (The portable one can be set to dehumidify but I don't want to fool with draining it.)

Time to start the Essentrics stretching program again. Some of the moves hurt the knee prior to surgery and that should be resolved, even if it is still a little stiff. And maybe exercise will improve my mood.

Jars in the dishwasher to use for making more pickles this evening. I need to clear the counters to do that work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 22 - 11:48 PM

No item is too odd to list on eBay; this evening I sold a pair of the leg pressure cuffs sent home 2.5 years ago after knee surgery. Listed lower than others for sale and the dog hair lint on them was pointed out so it isn't a reason to reject them later. (The entire surface is like Velcro.) They work and they sold. Who knows how much Medicare paid for them? I have another pair I can list soon. If someone else can use them I'm glad it is affordable.

Time to get rid of a lot of paper; after the next rain (later this week is forecast) I'll get out the burning barrel. When filing to day I realized there's a lot of old paper in general files that can go in an annual purge. Too time consuming to shred.

I'm back to Essentrics stretches and it was comfortable doing the knee bends she always incorporates. And after 2 months since surgery I've lost enough weight that other moves are also easier.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 22 - 10:44 AM

The phone doesn't seem to be communicating with the main house WiFi channel. I've set it to a different one for now (so it doesn't use up data on my current plan) but it means I need to see if the router is working properly. Meanwhile I've been consulting with a friend whose ethernet isn't working (so his router or modem may be a problem) and I fear his apartment is a hoarding scene so I don't want to go in to help. (On the other hand, if I do go in to help I might find the half-dozen Toyota car keys he lost in there over the last 10 years.)

Warmer today, but I'll be dismantling the kiddie pool with rocks and a small fountain. The pool can store in the greenhouse, the bricks wherever I find a place for them, and then the lawn will be clear for mowing. It suddenly needs it after all of that rain a few days ago. Whether the turf revived or it's all weeds, it needs mowing.

So far eBay sales have amounted to enough to pay my phone and Internet bills this month. Nice. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Aug 22 - 08:33 PM

DUPONT!

YAY!! "New" (borrowed) stove is in place and plugged in! It was a lengthy procedure due to having to take the Jennair out first; that is now on the back porch covered with a good piece of plywood. R has the fantasy that he will be able to use parts from a cooktop to replace the dysfunctional burners. I am not sure how he thinks the oven can be repaired. The electronic technical aspects look dreadfully daunting to me. I really liked that stove! (It came with the house.)

A great deal of cleaning was involved so this was a few hours of me being on hand and doing what I could. The "new" stove is very ordinary but looks handsome, and clean. I am not enamored of the "child proof" controls that require reaching over burbling pots to adjust them. But the K is back in order and we have a stove! I was dreadfully tired of negotiating around the half-out-in-the-room stove - in pieces! Major de-clutter!!

We have had wonderful rain. Of course need more but plants are much happier and the river looks happier also! Containers on the deck filled with water so I will be decanting heavy ones into buckets I can carry out to the garden.

Hope: that the fall is warm enough for the veggies to produce that which did not occur during the severe water deprivation! We had one melon the size of a tennis ball - the critters enjoyed part of it but R cut off their share and the remainder was delicious, he said! The rest of the veggies looked more dead than alive but are now taking heart and making an effort. IF I had realized this scenario, I could have put the soaker hose in place before I left and texted, "TURN ON THE HOSE!" every few days. (We do not pay for water!)

Car is fully loaded for the weekend event and I have an agenda for tomorrow - places to go and things to do! - which will culminate with a half ready booth covered with plastic,   and a container of frozen organic foods to bring home. As it is also a "flea market, R has also loaded a lovely powder room sink with faucets to sell. YAY! He is parting with something! It is definitely not needed here! Was in the guest room closet.

There are no overhead lights in the LR/DR (one long room) so R brought, finally!, a floor lamp (from the old house in the city. It has a gorgeous stained glass shade and I am hoping it will be sufficient to light the DR table so we can eat some meals in there (with company).

So, the house comes together for the family visit - place mats for the DR, A second shower curtain to prevent flooding! and the back deck continues to be de-cluttered/organized so I can make it look civilized with the new outdoor carpets and the comfy chairs given to us by a friend of R's - "a consumer".

The weekend forecast is terrific - not too hot and no rain! I may de-clutter us of some pottery!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 22 - 09:46 PM

Dorothy, I'm glad to see that your kitchen is becoming so much more usable. (My dad had one of those Jennair stoves at his house and I think a friend took it home before we sold the house. I never figured out how to use the grilling feature.)

At Costco I found good nectarines today. Last time they were a bit over-ripe. I also picked up a couple of ingredients for lunch over Labor Day weekend with friends. I'm thinking that fish taco ingredients will go very nicely wrapped in a butter lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla for the diabetic friend. They sound great anyway!

I also stopped at the nearby Aldi, where I buy my bread - their 12-grain and whole wheat are nice-sized loaves for $2.09 each; the last time I checked a two-pack of Oroweat loaves at Costco costs about $12. I freeze these loaves and pull out slices as needed. I had tried a couple of Aldi's little frozen pizzas but decided to get a larger fresh one today, cut it in quarters, then freeze it. I add a few things to the top but I like this regular crust better.

No trips out until Monday, but plenty to do around here in the meantime. I must mow, for starters, and trim around the garden beds. I made two jars of pickled okra today, and I'll be making them one or two at a time as soon as more okra is ready (I have a jar of prepared brine in the fridge and can do one jar at a time.) I took a bag of some of my accumulated unused okra next door (I try to use the very freshest for pickles) - what I gave her is more like grocery store okra, in that it's a few days after it was picked. She'll fry or boil it soon, and was quite pleased with the gift. I said toss it if it gets too old - she laughed and said it won't have a chance. :)

Our high temperature was 91^o - high compared to what some folks are seeing, but so much better than most of the rest of the summer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 22 - 10:46 AM

Earlier in the week I stopped at the local thrift store with the best clothing selection and prices and found a pair of shorts in my current size. And today I'm wearing them. As I took them off the hanger I wondered if this was the act that was going to bring summer to an end—not the "don't wear white after Labor Day" kind of act, but the "new shorts in August means it cools off so much I won't get to wear them much" act. Maybe I should have bought these in early July. :)

Last night I had the PBS channel "Create" on and watched a couple of episodes of Sewing with Nancy. That little half-hour a week was a tour-de-force for people who love to create through sewing, and last night they replayed two wonderful episodes - one on how to adjust patterns to fit you (shoulders and back measurements in this instance) and one on quilting for garments. Not the homemade garments that make you wince when you see them walking toward you in the mall, but the kind that are artistic masterpieces that suit high fashion. It makes me want to run to the sewing machine and start work on something. There is more than the ability to sew in those, there is an artistic eye to design. Can one learn that?

Time to do some picking up around the house, since I seem to have misplaced my favorite tea cup. No doubt I was moving from one place to another yesterday and stopped somewhere and set it down. Someplace not in my usual route (like from the office to the hall bathroom, with setting things on the table in the den on the way past) that I searched this morning.

Finishing an audio book this weekend in time for a new mystery, released on Aug. 30, to arrive via Amazon. Books on paper—I don't read as many of those these days—but I do like to have a hard copy of some of my favorites.

P.S. Found the mug - left in the microwave with yesterday's cup of cold tea. :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Aug 22 - 07:14 PM

Dupont:

Guest room is de-cluttered of ugly desk!!! Now to decide what to put in there to suit guest mode. Den is full of said desk! But we will be away from home most of weekend - and there is still room to sit and read. R agreed to get rid of a couple more pieces of furniture - take them to the Antique/flea market event tomorrow!

My booth is all set up, covered with plastic - hoping there is no wind storm tonight; not on weather report. Car de-cluttered so I was able to purchase 3 heavy plastic planters on the way home and pick up food order - There will be no more ordering! The nice woman had everything packed up for me- 3 brand new cardboard boxes and a bunch of bubble wrap! My neurosis about being environmental is distraught! However, having visited the actual store, I think I can avoid this in future. I will negotiate with her! The website could use some clarification.

Project for this eve is freezing the two flats of raspberries from the orchard. And R loves raspberries, even pre-froze. End of season! I will leave a few days worth unfrozen.

Broiled sausage this am in the "new", slightly larger toaster oven - much better than frying pan! The size makes more seem possible. Not having a stove for a few days, I learned some new ways of cooking - and like them! Corn on the cob - microwaved in a wet paper towel for 3 minutes. Poached eggs in microw.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 22 - 11:11 AM

Good luck with the pottery sales, Dorothy! And enjoy your shifted approach to cooking. I use my little toaster oven several times a week because it does avoid the power usage of the big oven (and not heating the house). I still have a regular toaster I use, often just for thawing bread before using it for something else (it has a button for "frozen" bread to thaw before toasting). I can do the same thing in the microwave or the toaster oven, it's just which one appeals to me for the task at the time. The toaster is mostly used for bagels (though I haven't eaten many of them as I pursue my weight loss goals).

We're into hot weather for a couple of days; mid-to high-90s this weekend, so I'll save water and mow the lawn before I take my shower today. A portion of the back got mowed yesterday (parts of it are now sprouting small groundcover after it died off during the heat) and the same for the front after I move a few obstacles like the extra bird bath saucers). It has been since mid-June that I last mowed; the lawn tends to go dormant in the heat, this year a fair amount of it died.

Still drawing down stuff in the fridge where I have unintentionally ended up with a lot of foods that need eating now. Some I'm sharing with the dogs who always get some kind of vegetable on top of their dry food for their evening meal. Alternate day fasting (this is a fasting day) means I go through the fridge contents slower than usual.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Aug 22 - 01:44 PM

It's beautiful in Stratford after a couple of days of rain, but the air has that indefinable tang that indicates the imminent end of summer. When I walked home from the theatre last night, the temperature had to be down around 10C and I was really grateful for the light cotton sweater I had brought against the aggressive air conditioning of the auditorium.

I did the week's grocery shopping the other day and came home with five items. Before COVID, when I had a husband and friends who came to dinner, I could fill two folding boxes and a freezer bag on a typical shopping trip. Now, when I buy meat about once every six weeks and venture but rarely into the middle aisles, one box is quite enough for the big loads and a single bag is usually all I need. I haven't been to the farmers' market at all this summer -- what the hell would I do with a dozen ears of corn, or a four-litre basket of peaches? I used to wonder who the hell would buy four oranges and one onion; well, now I know.

This morning I boiled eight extra-large eggs: that's ready-use protein for four lunches. When I buy meat, it's a stack of chicken parts or lamb chops that get individually vacuum-packed and frozen -- ready-use protein for a long series of suppers. Add milk, fruit, veg and whole-grain bread, and I've hit all the macro- and most of the micro-nutrients. Neck a vitamin tablet at breakfast (which is coffee) and call it done.

This is most definitely not the life I imagined for myself back in the day, a mere three years or so ago.

Decumulation continues. I now have far more bed-linen than I need, so I'm moving on three sets of queen-sized sheets to one of my sisters-in-law and two double sets to the niblings -- or Goodwill, if the younger generation aren't keen. Two queen-sized quilts could most definitely find new homes within the extended family.

Now, I wonder who would like a memory-foam pillow ...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 22 - 03:08 PM

Charmion, that is why when I shop at Costco it either goes into the freezer or is fruit shared with the ex. I haven't canned Farmer's Market peaches in a while, I enjoy the task but find I don't use them fast enough before they are way out of date and get composted.

I take a denim long-sleeved shirt with me to the museum for the same reason - aggressive air conditioning makes work conditions uncomfortably cool in the small room where I work. They can't balance the cool around the building perfectly and their main goal is to keep the public galleries comfortable.

I have two sets of sheets that need new elastic, and if I get that replaced, I'll add them back into the sheet rotation and probably give away the set that is in the guest room now. They're showing their age but work ok, so fine to Goodwill.

I mowed about 1/3 of the front yard before it got too hot out there. Part of this was wrestling the mower over the top of a dead spindly-armed salvia greggi shrub (that may come back from the roots but I think I'll dig it out first). Meanwhile I'm thinking about where to plant a few things that have been in pots way too long.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 22 - 10:56 PM

Definitely time to purge papers. I spent 20 minutes hunting down insurance info that was actually right there in front of me in a file so stuffed I couldn't see it. Grrrr. Almost timed out on a computer form twice. And I need to have that company send me a card. We have a couple of rainy days coming up so I'll start tomorrow assembling a stack of pages to put in the burn barrel after the showers.

Weekend chores moving along, and one more jar of okra pickled. That always makes me smile, seeing home-processed jars cooling beside the stove.

The gate beside the garage had a padlock on it but wasn't actually closed, the latch missed the post and was on the yard side of the post. The dogs couldn't push it open from inside, but someone could have gotten a nose in the gap and pulled it back to wiggle out. Who knows how long it has been that way - I'm sure I'm careful and I'm sure the fence didn't expand and contract to leave it in this state. It is a mystery but is now locked correctly.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 22 - 08:09 PM

Went through Costco to pick up a rotisserie chicken for this week, then in the aisle nearby was watching when a bigger boy who was supposed to be pushing a baby carriage leaned all of his weight on the handle and ended up popping a wheelie resulting in the carriage resting on that handle, wheels in the air, and the baby smacking the floor with her head and face. Geez. I froze in place, waiting to see if I needed to be of any help, but adults in the group picked up the baby, and someone asked the big boy if he scared himself, but he in the next minute continued to lean on the bar like that as he moved off. I'd have at the very least given him a quick lesson in physics at that point and told him to walk correctly. Anyway - the baby had a pacifier in her mouth and they never removed it to see if she'd make more noise or how her nose and mouth were doing. She could break her neck in that fall. Particularly incurious adults in the face of an almost disaster. Children die hitting those concrete floors when they fall out of carts.

This chicken will be used for several dishes this week. I'm still doing alternate day fasting but I'm trying to give myself some interesting variety each day to look forward to the modest meals, and I'm zeroing in on 160 (am 162 right now). It has probably been six years since I was that light. The stress at work really packed on the pounds.

The senior-level (double dose) flu shots are in and I'll get mine tomorrow. A sure sign of approaching fall - four weather systems to watch in the mid-Atlantic and flu shots are in.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Aug 22 - 12:26 PM

You showed great restraint, there, Stilly. I would have gone off like a spring-loaded bottle rocket and probably made several enemies for life.

Last week’s visit of the appliance technician led to the discovery of a mother lode of crud behind the dryer. There’s a folded shower curtain that never belonged to us (therefore dating back more than five years), a crumpled sock, a cigarette packet (also not ours), some stray bits of hardware and (of course) two cat toys, all glommed together with spider webs and enough dryer lint to choke a Shop-Vac. So that’s what preceded the first load of wash today.

My friend Alden gave me the name of an excellent handy-man who I hope will be willing to take on the job of making my laundry room a bit less nasty. In particular, there’s a butt-ugly shelving unit made of 1980s-vintage pressboard painted piss yellow; I want it gone in the worst way, but it’s fastened to the concrete wall somehow. I want to be able to see that wall to check for damp where no damp should be, plus did I mention just how very ugly it is? I will pay good money to achieve this objective, and I hope Mr DeVriess is up for the challenge.

Elder Brother and SiL have been in contact with a COVID-positive grandchild, making their visit next weekend very iffy. I am planning a trip to Ottawa in October, so I shall call and suggest that they forget about travelling and just kick back in quarantine.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Aug 22 - 08:40 PM

Dupont:

Weekend was terrific: sold a few pots, had visits with a number of dear people who wandered by and stayed a while. Sold a few pots, gave a few away. Great conversations with Rita and Dan, becoming closer friends, giving R guidance on hand building and sold her a loaf of clay (that was in car), bought some of her soap, gave her a drape panel that somehow was in the car! Listened to country music for two days and enjoyed the ambiance - Best weekend of the year!

Got rid of a Bathroom sink that had been clutter - sold it to Rita and Dan for a cut rate as they helped me pack up and took two of my card tables home because R did not show up with truck. Also gave Rita a drape - only one panel - could I find the other? I don't believe I ever had two.

As soon as I got home, Pat at the store in Ontario was texting - how did I do?; almost out of the $10 stuff; pictures to show what she has. Promised her I would get busy making more when it cools a bit AND my son leaves!

Guest room is ready. Desk replaced with antique love seat, comfortable for sitting or a place to put stuff. Desk is still in Den; R needs help to get it out the front door and onto the truck and around to the back and into his library... Would not fit through other doorways! Before all that, he had to go down and clear all the stuff dragged in recently!

Chimney Sweep due to tomorrow and the area is just clear enough, I hope!

Too hot to function today, 32C. LR and DR are tidy. Putting off final cleaning until Thursday so it lasts! Cooler, too.

New stove works fine but still using small appliances - heat/power-saving. Raspberries are almost all frozen; still a few to eat. Freezer is full of bags of raspberries!! Prob enough 'til spring!

I was tempted by a smaller frying pan at the sale - $20 - but somehow I wondered if R had any. (Only have 10 inch ones here.) So, this am I asked? He went downstairs and came back with about 10 in various sizes!! I chose one and the rest went back down. I do not go down cellar; the stairway is life threatening and I fear the air quality as well.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Aug 22 - 09:44 AM

Dupont:

OOPS! Text from son: we might be driving by this afternoon. Out comes the vacuum!!!!!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Aug 22 - 10:06 AM

Have fun, Dorothy! Good thing you were ready with everything but the vacuuming! (Good thing he texted you!)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Aug 22 - 01:46 PM

Dupont:

Not staying; just a quick visit on the way to Quebec City! The room is ready but the rest of the house could use a lot of right angle principle! This is how it is. Chimney Sweep came; gave advice on what not to burn. Apparently, he was much needed. Maybe he says that to everyone? Anyway, DONE! and no mess! Need short nap!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Aug 22 - 04:28 PM

Dupont:

Short nap helped. They came, gave hugs, brief conversation, used the washroom, filled their water bottles, Tenley toured the house and said nice things, and they left. Next text: Tenley left her phone! So I collected it from the washroom and sat in my car until they returned (in six minutes!). Nice quick visit! Times two!!

The house is clean but desk is still in Den... Lots I could do to make it perfect - That ain't gonna happen! Cooler breeze seems to be happening. Squall alert. Would love it!

Threw a few pots this am; R did not get home last night so I had an hour in sort of cool am to work in "studio".

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 22 - 12:09 PM

Dorothy, naps are incredibly helpful during the day. I find that after I leave my 2 hours of volunteer scanning and eat my small lunch, that I need a power nap before heading into the gym; I was taking a nap at the gym parking lot but have decided that leaning the seat back and napping in the museum parking garage is easier. Naps aren't just because you're tired and need rest, they help the brain unwind or reset.

Lunch with friends twice this week, today at a restaurant, and here at the house on Sunday. I'll need to shop for the Sunday meal and I need to pick up around here. I'm taking the risk of serving one dish I've never cooked or eaten before, but it sounds delicious.

This morning I bit the bullet and tried on pants. Size 12 is not just one uniform size, and some I can't squeeze into while others are roomy. They're arranged on the rack according to whether I can get into them or not. The jeans I'm wearing right now are ok but sitting in them is a little snug so I'll change before I go out. I fully expect to remain in this size when I reach my weight goal, but to have a little more room. And - a couple of years ago I ordered a t-shirt with the message "My favorite librarian calls me mom." It was size large and was way-too-snug for what they advertised, so I asked to return it. They sent the next size and said keep it. I just dug out the too-snug shirt from a stash in my sewing room and it's still a bit more fitted than I usually wear but it fits better than the XL. Being a packrat pays sometimes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 Aug 22 - 12:25 PM

Fun and games here…

Mum put her 3 pairs of pyjama bottoms and some other stuff in the washer/dryer yesterday but didn’t tell me (setting the machine going is always my job) until late evening. That left her with none of her usual night clothes for last night so I turned the machine on hoping to get the clothes washed and dried before bed. The machine broke down with an OE (outlet) error and we were left with a pile of soggy clothes.

Anyway, we searched around and eventually found something for her to wear and I said I’d look at the washer today. I found the cause of the problem. (I think for the second time now,) mum had put a Tena incontinence pad in the machine and the pad had broken down into loads of bits of fluff. Next step was to clean the drain pump filter which would have been clogged. I unscrewed the filter but it wouldn’t come out. I only used hand force but the filter’s in 3 pieces now: The threaded handle part, a spring and the actual filter bit which is stuck.

I considered trying to use pliers to pull the stuck part out but decided against that in case I broke something and opted for a repair call out. It looks like that might be a couple of days before anyone comes which is not ideal with dad creating some washing every day. Anyway, I decided (hoping that we don’t have a disaster with dad’s bed) that I could hand wash the most essential items.

I did that with today’s items, put them on a couple of c/h radiators for drying (too late in the day to dry outside) and turned those radiators on. About ½ hr later I found the radiators were still cold so I spent the next hr bleeding radiators and trying to figure out why the hot water was not circulating to them. I’m still not sure what the problem was but it is resolved now which is a relief. I thought the way things were going, next up would be a heating repair call out.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 22 - 06:02 PM

Jon, I had lunch with my daughter and my ex today while the plumber was using some kind of small earth-moving digger to get down to the lines near the meter box at ex's house. He learned at this month's meter reading that there was a water leak, it turned out to be between the house and the meter and most of the line is under concrete. They had to dig a hole deep enough to then bore under the driveway somehow . . . not sure how the whole operation went, but he got a call as we were leaving a shopping stop that the plumber had finished. There will be dirt piled and a big bill at the end of that. We all live in hopes to avoid that kind of repair. Good luck with the washer!

Daughter is getting married at the courthouse on Friday, just the two of them. She likes the story that her dad and I got married just us at the courthouse where we were living back then, and then went out to lunch at Wendy's. They're going out to lunch at Dairy Queen. :) She's going to invite everyone to a reception this winter. (When Roe V Wade was overturned they decided to do it soon - the underpinnings are the same between that and the marriage equality decision. Get married before it's too late.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Aug 22 - 11:54 PM

So the plumbing story is that they dug the ditch for the new line and the only critical points were the start at the meter (dug down to it) and the point on the house where it goes in. Doesn't matter about the line under the driveway, no concrete bored under, just bypassed the old line. Still messy and expensive, but not what we feared.

I'm wondering if I have to guard my water meter tomorrow; the city has been really late mailing bills lately (usually it goes out in the first 4 days of the month) but the deadline never changes, and they charge a $20 penalty if it arrives after the 17th. I didn't get it till the 12th, I used my bank bill pay, but they mail a check (went out on the 15th, had to travel 4 miles.) IT got there on the 18th so they sent a notice to turn off water Sept. 1 if not paid in full. Since they had the principle payment I didn't do anything, but it occurred to me with all of the water bill stuff we've been discussing lately that they might just be petty enough to turn it off over the $20 late fee. With these folks it's always something. I wrote a letter with a check and dropped it in their deposit box (checked only at noon and 4:30, so there is still peril) and this is the opening paragraph:

For the sake of argument I will note that it is very likely that the $20 fine on late water bills is a steady source of revenue for the City of XXXXXX XXXXXX and one that you're not likely to give up because of citizen complaints. But that stated, this letter is written to ask that you at least give us a sporting chance when using our preferred methods of payment and acknowledge the post mark on envelopes sent with payments enclosed.

I wasn't rude but I was annoyed. If they can't mail them on time we shouldn't have to scramble and run down there with a check at the last minute to be paid up. I hate writing checks. I don't like going down there, and I shouldn't have to. If they piss me off enough, I'll look into making it a ballot measure.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Sep 22 - 08:26 AM

Elder Brother & SIL will arrive around supper-time, and I have a full day of shopping and cleaning to get through first.

I suggested that they might prefer to stay home and not bother with a long hassle-prone drive, but they wanna get outta Dodge (i.e., Ottawa). So yesterday I made up the guest-room bed and ordered a leg of lamb at the butcher’s for Sunday dinner. Today I’ll scrub the toilets and the bath-tub, vacuum the parlour rug, and sweep up the tufts of cat hair from the various corners where they accumulate. Thanks to another of our correspondents on this thread, I now have a word for this procedure — “scurryfunge”.

Apparently, my visitors are looking forward to long walks, access to books they don’t have at home, and sparkling conversation. I can provide all that, plus a thrilling Saturday-morning jaunt to the farmers’ market for fruit ‘n’ veg. The theatre doesn’t appeal; they’ve had enough high culture. Maybe we’ll meet the neighbours’ dog. It’ll be a thrill a minute.

But first — pool class!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 22 - 11:21 AM

I'm also preparing for guests, though "scurryfunge" just touches the surface - I should to do more of that Scandinavian death cleaning. Charmion, your weekend sounds wonderful, the kind of puttering around visiting that refreshes the spirit.

The horizontal surfaces in the kitchen are getting attention today as I clear for Sunday's lunch setup. We always eat in the kitchen, never bother with the den where the big table still has the photo tent set up. Table cleared, surfaces cleaned, and start setting out some of the plates and silverware in advance. Double check the shopping list and finish that today. I'll be scrubbing the bathroom, sweeping the den, mopping the kitchen floor, who knows, if I'm motivated I'll wash windows (though they're all so full of condensation between the layers it will barely show.) In the meantime I also need to plan the old file pages conflagration in the burning barrel out back. It has been raining today, the conditions are perfect. There is no fire danger at the moment, especially if the lid stays on so few if any embers will float away.

I have medium Hatch chiles to roast this afternoon (not over the paper fire), and while most are bound for the freezer I'll hold a few back for Sunday's lunch. I hear the guest whose dietary requirements are dictating this meal (newly diagnosed diabetes) loves them. The rest of the caponata ingredients are here and picking up a good black bean salsa and fresh tortillas will be the last ingredients needed for the fish tacos.

I'm *that* close to adding the pool to my gym routine. Weight loss is one thing, toning muscles is another part of the process I need to start.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Sep 22 - 02:06 PM

Dupont:

Getting the house sorted for this long weekend is ubiquitous! I have reached the end of my rope; ready to settle for "good enough". The DESK ended up in the spare room in the wing; actually looks good there. Maybe it will encourage R to actually make that room into his office... and de-clutter the upstairs room. That would be great!

I see on FB that the two "T"s are enjoying Quebec City greatly. Tenley would like to move there!(With her high school French!) I gave them materials on Montreal to take with, to give her ideas about more than the Bagel Factory when they get here.

Have cleared a bit of space in freezer for "their" food but also sent pic of the veggie burgers I had bought and mentioned the choc cake -- "Yum and Yum" -- so they do not have to duplicate. Son queried about "that bread" and YES there is still a great deal of bread in the freezers, as well as the raspberries! WE may use 4 slices of bread a week so the bread will be with us for a LONG time. Working on clearing frig space... Taun is veggie...

Started going through a huge pile of old letters yesterday (1977...) and find I really have to do an organized sort and save - some cannot be heaved... yet. MOST cannot! Maybe an inch went to fire starter; about 6 inches still unread.

Why we save things? R was interested in the one he sent me in the 70s and one from our mutual friend... "That's what Tom would do..." And a fair amount included positive comments about what I was doing in my life from folks who were important to me. Some still alive. Recognizing I have lost a whole bunch of dear people and need to remind myself again that people do not know we are thinking of them if we do not communicate ... So, this is not "clutter"; it is reminders of how I have spent this life. Some will be passed on to my son. I may send a few to surviving kin. Perhaps even try to recover a few of those lost friends.

Chilly today. Pulled some weeds for a bit. Still hoping for some warmth for the veggies to produce - but that boat may have sailed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Sep 22 - 09:09 PM

Dorothy, great minds do think alike. I'm clearing out the fridge of things I lost track of that are so old that while they might be useable I won't risk it. This is things like home-canned salsa opened a long time ago, fresh pickles made ages ago, and steamed vegetables I lost track of. Other stuff headed back to the compost bin and I'm filling the dishwasher with the containers. I need to make a list of some of these projects adjacent to having company over.

I made a rare trip to the big high-end grocery store and found a couple of time-savers, like toasted little sliced French baguettes (for the caponata) and stuff I need for the fish tacos (salsa toppings). Four days out is too early to buy avocados and newly made corn tortillas; those will mean a Saturday trip to the nearby Mexican grocery. There will be hash brown potatoes for the tacos for the vegetarians in the group. Dessert will be yogurt with blackberries (or I have frozen blueberries).

We have turned a corner on the summer. Days will be warm, but the next week is looking pretty rainy. Before bed tonight I'll get out a thin blanket to top the sheet I've used all summer.

I have active eBay listings but while they're gaining views nothing has moved this week. I should have time to list a couple of new items tomorrow. My goal this autumn is to work my way into and sell the higher-end stuff in the front room.

There is enough okra in the fridge to make a couple of more jars of pickles. That's a quick and satisfying job I can do tonight before I go to bed.

I hope all of the guest visits this weekend go well. Down here in the US anyone foolish enough to travel has a difficult time through airports and being sure their flights are still going. Staying home and having people over is a much better way to enjoy the long weekend. My high school reunion will be virtual on Saturday, much easier than struggling to travel there.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 08:13 AM

The repair man came today. He used a big pair of pliers and got the stuck part of the filter out in a couple of mangled pieces. He went to his van, came back with a replacement filter, fitted that, a couple of tests and machine was fixed very quickly.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 10:37 AM

Jon, nice that the dryer was easy and straightforward to fix. No pronouncing it dead and having to buy a new one.

We need the rain and it looks like we're going to have it on and off all day today. There's a bit of thunder also. I want to grill some peppers so am prepared to set up the charcoal grill when it looks like there will be a gap in the weather. Meanwhile, one county to the north, for now the brides-to-be have a dry path to the courthouse for their little ceremony, the rain is staying along this lower track. When they're grown up you have to let the kids do it the way they want to do it, even if it would be nice to be there. (There will be a party to celebrate this winter after people have time to get the new COVID vaccine, etc.) When my kids were growing up I always told them I thought the marriage-industrial-complex was a total waste of money and they should save the cash to buy a house or go to graduate school, and it seems they're taking me at my word.

I'm nearing the next tier in the diet, and I expect to stay in the 150 range once I get there, in the mid-to-low end. Speaking to my sister last night she asked if I got rid of all of the next size up pants that are now too large. I left a few in the bin and the rest are either going to the sewing room (as a source of denim for projects) or to Goodwill. She thinks I should toss them; I'm practical - I hope to never wear them again but will keep a couple of pair around for now for just in case.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 01:27 PM

I've hung on to four or five pairs of jeans for over ten years in the hope that one day I'll shrink back into them. Same thing but in reverse, Maggie...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 01:51 PM

The pants I'm wearing now were held onto in a bin on my closet shelf over the last nine years or so. I can mark the time when weight started creeping on, with the aid of the stress hormone cortisol. That's when the new dean was hired at my university library and she immediately started doing everything she could to make people unhappy. Those who could left for other jobs after everyone was reorganized into inappropriate positions. Many of us who were older had a lot of disappointments when trying for other jobs, and I was finally able to retire. Getting over that awful situation doesn't happen in a day or even a year. And by then the knees started giving me trouble, and the thyroid. Now over the last three years I've managed to unspool all of those various setbacks; the knees are titanium, I'm taking Synthroid, and retirement four years ago has finally caught up with my brain.

That said, I will go put a few more of the larger slacks into the laundry room donation bin. I'm also realizing that a lot of my "office casual" knit tops are too large. I'll try them on this weekend and set aside those too large to wear. It'll be a trip to the thrift store soon to replace a few. I'd much rather buy there or at a deeply discounted outlet than try shopping online and I never shop in full-price department stores.

This morning I steamed a bunch of small ugly tomatoes from the garden and ran them through the food mill for a slurry of juicy tomato sauce. I went to bed before pickling okra last night so I'll do that this afternoon. It's a lovely rainy day, though the humidity is becoming a bit much.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Sep 22 - 08:36 PM

Finally the conditions were perfect in the yard, after rain overnight and this morning, to set up the burning barrel and dispatch a bunch of old graduate school records, years-old bank statements, medical bills, etc. 30 minutes of prodding burning papers is faster than sending a six inch stack of paper through the shredder 3 pages at a time.

Since I'm smelling smoky now I'll go ahead and set up the charcoal grill on the driveway side of the house and grill the Hatch chiles I picked up this week. Those will go into the freezer. I'll be doing a load of laundry later or the laundry hamper will smell like a barbecue overnight.

Tomorrow is more prep for the Sunday lunch.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 03 Sep 22 - 05:16 PM

Dupont:

The "Ts" loved Quebec City and are now due here about 6 pm. I am hoping to get to Ile St. Bernard for sunset (7:25) over the rivers. Not knowing what to do about supper, I am doing nothing! R spent some time working on his basement library and a lot of time reading. He has done everything I asked of him re clean up. The back deck, with carpet and chairs looks "spiffy". Gorgeous day, a bit on the warm side for me but with a breeze.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 09:37 AM

I came down suddenly with my fourth bout of cellulitis yesterday morning in just over two years. I feel proper poorly today, but at least I've got the antibiotics - after sitting on a hard chair in A&E for six hours yesterday (which hardly helped). Both legs this time, which I think could be slightly unusual.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 10:38 AM

Ugg. Steve, in addition to the antibiotics what do you have to do to help this go away? Lotions or ointment, a special diet? Wash with some or other type of cleanser? I'm guessing since you've had it before you knew what it was - waiting that long to be seen is a pain when you know what the problem is. My physician's office has a two-part operation; if we're going in for a physical or a surgery approval we see the physician, but if it is something like needing the steroid shot for wasp stings, sinus infections, poison ivy - those repeating problems that patients know what it is, then we see the nurse practitioners. They concur with our opinions then prescribe the proper medications. They practice medicine also, but a lot of it is working with repeat customers for the usual stuff.

Last night I made the caponata and any time I woke during the night I could smell it even though the food was in the fridge and the pan soaking in the sink. It is amazing - and I will confess here that I've never been tempted by this before, never tasted it, never cooked it. So making it the first time for guests may seem to be living dangerously, but I am pretty good at following recipes and I did taste it before turning off the stove. It also has all familiar ingredients. The recipe calls it a type of relish and is best served cold or room temperature, and I can see that. I picked the eggplant yesterday, and was pleased to find a large (1.5 pound) eggplant hidden under the okra (the eggplant and okra have merged into a small hedge). I love the way the garden saves these treats as a perfect surprise. (Joe Offer came through town several years ago and was blown away by the garden beside the driveway - I picked an eggplant that I used in Eggplant Parmesan for dinner.)

All this year I've made a big point of eating a lot more fruit and vegetables and I think the reason this appeals to me is because of the shift in my diet; I still eat meat but not as much, and I haven't been eating nearly as much bread. When I'm monitoring calories a large bagel will add so many calories it takes a big chunk out of my 1200 daily calorie count. Yesterday was a fasting day and I went to the grocery to get some limes (marinade for the fish today) and managed to just buy fruit and vegetables. Those are what tempted me.

Jennie et al, this morning is the classic time for "scurryfunge." I did general clearing and picking up this week but now I'll sweep, do some targeted mopping, and in general freshen the house and try to reduce the amount of dog hair. Guests arrive at noon.

Dorothy, your house sounds perfect for guests. They probably spent a lot more time in the kitchen hanging out with you (do you all cook together?) than in the guest room, but it's there for an inviting good night's sleep. Charmion, how did the lamb turn out?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 12:34 PM

Antibiotics, keep the legs raised and moisturise like mad. The idea is to prevent blistering. I have some leftover weak steroid cream that the doc gave me last time. It isn't curative but it seems to cut down the sensitivity and itchiness somewhat.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 04:43 PM

Steve, I feel for you. What a bummer.

The lamb is in the oven as I type and it should turn out okay, especially if I pay more attention to the temperature gauge — I mindlessly used the fan setting.

Very wet and muggy in southwestern Ontario today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 06:46 PM

The only lamb I ever cook in the oven is whole shoulder. Supermarkets cut the fillet out to sell it more expensively. That's the best bit, so I get my lamb from my butcher and I cook it very slowly. A six or seven pound lump goes in the oven at about 10.30 at 120°C and comes out at about 5.30. It gets a blast of heat for the last 25 minutes to crisp up the skin, then rests for at least half an hour. Never fails!

I'm seriously off my food just now, eating only sparrows' portions. The icing on the cake is that I've just had a migraine aura. I haven't had one of those for several years. I don't get the headache but I feel completely washed out. So that's washed out on top of washed out. The only way is up!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Sep 22 - 09:52 PM

I had guests over for lunch today, and as this was a regular eating day I had a bit of everything. And a small chocolate bar from Aldi (sea salt and dark chocolate - mmmm!) as an early birthday present. I don't exactly do a "birthday month" like some folks I know, but I'll let it bleed into a couple of weeks either side for special occasions that come my way. Along those lines I updated my fitness tracker because the old one wasn't tracking everything; the old one has been demoted to just tracking steps in an ankle band at the gym and the new one is for everyday wear.

Another special purchase may be a couple of 3/4 sleeve cotton tops in my new smaller size if I can find any. Lots of too-large clothes are going into the recycle bin, or onto the closet shelf (because unused or thrift store clothing gets used for material when making sewing projects when they're good colors and fabrics.) Anyway, my birthday isn't a fasting day. Good thing because I'm thinking a nice pasta dish for lunch.

I hope your cellulitis clears up quickly. As far as health concerns here, after the knee surgery I'm feeling good and am sleeping without pain through the night now, which is the last hurdle after bone surgery. However, I have an ex who isn't taking his health as seriously as he should - he has never accepted that he has developed seasonal allergies and suffers through horrible stuffy sinuses because he won't take any 24-hour allergy medication. He's needlessly making himself uncomfortable. It's time to convince him to have a heart-to-heart with his physician about this, if he won't listen to me. (I learned 20 years ago that my sinus infections were the result of untreated allergies and once I started treating them I haven't had the huge snot-producing headaches with nose-blowing, drainage, and coughing.) You live in a place long enough, you become allergic to parts of it, or so it seems.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 05:36 AM

I rarely trouble doctors, though the repeated cellulitis bouts have forced that on me over the last couple of years. I changed to a new medical centre a few weeks ago (because my previous doctor is a complete clown). The infection has spread a bit, to be expected as the antibiotics take several days to kick in, so, as advised by the hospital doctor, I rang the new doc this morning and she's seeing me this afternoon. Excellent service!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 07:48 AM

A new doc sounds like a smart move. Obviously an underlying infection never really went away. Non life threatening conditions are like dented fenders that aren't pretty but the car still drives. Bone surgury is like pounding out the dents and takes longer.

npr mentioned how paying keen attention to posture can be restorative like bringing the lower back forward. Its not Yoga but can go a long way to take away muscular skelaton stress. Putting hands on knees when you stand up is multiplying stress on the joint.

A trick to determing ones age can be done by timing how long a person can stand on one leg.
The time goes down rapidly with age.
Happy Autumn and may your dents be few.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 01:01 PM

Don, I saw that piece on NPR's Instagram feed. Those are just part of the stretches that are built into the Essentrics program I've subscribed to, and need to do more often now that the knee has healed. I'm working out remaining stiffness and hope to improve the range of motion the last couple of degrees.

My daughter decided it was time for a new doctor last year when she didn't get an appropriate response to the foot injury that turned out to be the ruptured Achilles tendon. "It'll heal on it's own, but do you want to see a specialist?" she was asked. Yes please! The specialist was astounded the GP didn't get the nature of the injury, and as he left the room he paused and said "I believe you." And that, along with a quick turnaround time for surgery, was enough confirmation that it's time for a new GP.

My brother and I discussed cholesterol this morning. He managed to get off of his medication, but his diet did change a lot, and I am pretty well focused on calcium intake now, meaning dairy has been part of it. I'll explore the higher levels in vegetable sources and read the cartons of milk and yogurt. Cheese - that is always a downfall - something to consider (both of us agree - the fridge is naked without a block of Rugged Coastal Cheddar, the really sharp type they make near Steve's house.) No faux cheese, it's either eat it or don't. Interestingly, we both have taken almost all alcohol out of our diets to help us achieve these dietary goals (I crossed the threshold today into the 150 range - just 10 pounds to go.)

We're into a nicer weather time of year - still hot in the afternoon - but mornings are tolerable and there is more inclination to go outside (meaning less interest in decluttering indoors.) I'll have to make a list and try to accomplish one of my indoor things each day before I head into the yard. This morning I have been virtually decluttering my free Dropbox account - when it fills up they keep messaging me to upgrade. Some things are nice to keep free.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 01:52 PM

It's not an underlying infection. It's a reinfection, made far more likely by a previous infection, probably because of the lymphoedema around my ankles I retained from the first infection. The blood supply which maintains the immune system is reduced in the swollen areas. The infection is caused by normal skin bacteria which get into the lower layers of the skin through little scratches or insect bites (of which I've endured many this summer). And cellulitis that isn't promptly treated can be life-threatening as it can, and sometimes does, lead to sepsis. Not to be played down.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 02:44 PM

A ruptured an Achilles tendon and it took me a year to heal with special shoes.
It was your typical shopping cart accident. Tendons are slow to heal but surgury speeds things up.

Get well soon Steve what ever its called.

I have the same pain that an amputee would call phantom limb pain from a severed deep sensory nerve.
It is exaccerbated by neuropathy. Perhaps it constantly triggers my own endorphins so it comes and goes. It is minor compared to migrain which I outlasted 10 years ago. Lidocaine works in a pinch but...

'Endorphins are forever.
They are all I need to please me
They can stimulate and tease me
They won't leave in the night
I've no fear that they might desert me'

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 05:58 PM

Stilly, did your daughter have a satisfactory wedding?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 06:01 PM

Dupont:

Missing the "Ts" who left at 9:30 am for the 8 hour trip to Philly. Was a good visit. A bit longer would have been nice; there is still talking that could be done as my son seeks more understanding of the family, as in "what was your mother like?". We cove4red a great deal and some touchy areas - gently.

Tenley is a sweetie; I thanked her for making my son happy. Relaxed and open as he has not been in years; a major de-clutter has occurred, allowing him to return to his same old used to be - vibrant, relaxed.

We ate in the K and did minimal food prep, by design. Together, no one got in anyone's way. And sat in the comfy LR for conversation. We only had the 3 evenings as they were in the city during the days - giving Tenley the opportunity of enploring Old Montreal; Taun lived here about 5 school years and 9 summers so it was him showing her around.

They arrived with bagels, having had the priority of stopping at the Bagel Factory, special to Taun for 50 years! He orders them on line and, rather than spend an extra hour going for some this morning, he will order them. And an order to his #1 son in VA for his upcoming B.D. So the veggie burgers were cooked and the Ts had theirs on bagels and R and I on buns. Tenley took it upon herself to find mustard in the frig - good searching! I detest it and thought there was some but did not deign to search! I made it clear we are in this together! We were so comfortable with each other; we are a family already!

Sunday, I made a double batch of buckwheat cakes, enjoyed by all, with this year's QC maple syrup. I had asked my son Sat night if he liked buckwheat cakes: "You're my mother! Of course I do!" It has been a long time since we were family together. Even when we lived in the same house, he soon-to-be-ex was a fly in the ointment; the stress was palpable.

Sunday, a veggie lasagna from the bakery in southern QC served, with salad and, again, choc cake from said bakery. They are also Dark Choc fans. We sat on the spiffy back deck for a short time as the weather was chilly. I am pleased with what I managed to do to shape the house up. The house could still use a serious lot of work - the windows and radiators... I cannot face trying to clean them. Maybe in the spring, a window washing company.

Baking was done in new toaster oven - quite adequately. I love it. Definitely saves heating the house. The "new"/borrowed stove is getting minimal use but is quite nice. Just lacking that wonderful downdraft the Jennair had. No way to put a hood over the stove.

R made some progress on his library. He had to move the thermostat so that was yesterday's chore, then waiting for the plaster to dry. Today, he claims to have started getting the book cases in place. Then went to fetch a de-humidifier from a friend who had one in a closet - never used!

AND measure the windows in the house that he "is selling" - some year. (That dreadful house we lived in.) He thinks new windows will improve the desirability. Probably will! He has a cohort who will supervise the window manufacturer at the Mill, with an eye to making the process more efficient, and finding someone to take over the business. Then, maybe the rent will be paid.

Sheets washed, laundry done. And next Monday back to Ontario for a couple weeks.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Sep 22 - 11:23 PM

Don, I had an injury like that, running in a strappy pair of high-heeled sandals. It took months to heal. Hers was completely severed. After surgery to overlap and reattach the tendon it took four months of PT to be able to walk comfortably.

Keb, it was private, even we weren't there (her request - only the two of them.) They're doing a party in a couple of months as a sort of reception. I did hope the earlier remarks were the whole story, but you do have a way of opening topics again.

Today in a pre-birthday run I headed over to the department store outlet (they used to have incredible savings, extra discounts in various departments each day) where now the discounts are excellent, but the supply chain is such that they don't need to discount the discounts to clear out the merchandise. I found two medium size cotton tops with 3/4 sleeves, just what I wanted, and I used some birthday money from a friend to get a jeans jacket - a well-made sturdy denim one and I've wanted one forever but they're always so expensive or not in my size. The rack was full of size small and a couple of mediums with a goofy fake patch in a contrasting light cotton print; I found one medium of just denim no patch affectations in sight. It cost 1/3 of the original retail price. :)

Some weird stories now.

Last night, around 11pm at least, I was working in my office that is at the front of the house and I heard what sounded like a recording, but it was a male voice over a loud speaker out in the street somewhere telling someone (not me, I hoped!) to come to the front door and stand on the front porch. It seemed to repeat several times by the time I realized it wasn't the radio or a TV on in the other room. 11pm. No identification of who is speaking, and it creeped me out. I turned off my overhead light and went to the side door to look out through the security gate. No one there. I threatened Pepper with dismemberment if she made a peep at the front door (she usually goes into a paroxysm of barking if I look like I'm going out) and peered through the security gate into the dark up the street and around the trees in neighbors' yards. Nothing. Next window on the front of my house, nothing. I usually take my trash down to the curb last thing before bed but no way I was walking down there with the bag from the kitchen. The can was at the curb, but not with everything. They can get the rest of it on Thursday.

Story two. Friends came to lunch, and one of them brought in a large grocery bag filled to the top with dried pasta packages, parcels of rice, and a lot of ramen. "I'm clearing out carbs so I thought I'd share here." One of the lunch guests is often sent home with extra food due to straightened circumstances. After lunch, and after the kind of odd departure of that couple (arguing about whether to drive home in the storm) three of us were left. One said "I want to see what's in the bag" so I brought it over to the kitchen table. As we poked through, I noticed a couple of worms on bags, and then we realized there were weevils in most of the pasta and rice. "I think we should throw this away right now and no one say a word about it." Everyone laughed and I bundled it into a large plastic bag and carried it out to the trash can and I then toted it down to the curb. So that's why there was already some trash in the can last night.

Story three. I was in the bathroom 2 days ago and the strangest thing happened, and when I told a friend about it yesterday he put it together with the weird weather. Two of the dogs came into the room and I saw a black insect drop off of one of them onto the floor beside the tub. When I bent over to look at it, I thought it looked like a mosquito, but it was bigger and very black. I reached my foot over to smash it and the damned thing took off and raced across the floor! Engorged mosquitoes can't do that, but this one took a couple of tries before I caught and smashed it, with quite a lot of blood. I picked it up in a piece of tissue, I should have taken a photo, but I flushed it. I told the friend and he said "that's a floodwater mosquito" and they are like freeze dried pests in the environment, after floods they lay eggs in the soil that don't hatch till there is flooding or so much water that the eggs get wet enough to hatch. Sometimes years later. We had 14 inches of rain on August 29, and a few days later the mosquitoes were everywhere, they're considered a "nuisance" more than a disease carrier, but they're aggressive and huge.

Sorry it's so long, but I wanted to share those odd events.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 07:11 AM

On my fingering hand I cut nerves and nearly cut a tendon in two after I plunged down a whirlpool from a canoe and was cut by something sharp on the bottom of a lake in Maine. The repair involved a microscope for the nerve and overlapping of the tendon and sewing. It took 2 years to stretch the tendon back out. Partial sensitivity to two fingers did return. I recall the silent sound I heard in my head when the nerve was first cut. It went Boeiing

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Sep 22 - 12:44 PM

My daughter stepped backward into a gap between a step and a closed train door and slipped in, so her foot was really jammed heel first and it tore the tendon. She describes moments later sitting on the sidewalk in agony - I can imagine. And limped the rest of the trip through Italy (her friends have some mobility issues so there was a cane and a pair of walking sticks with the group already. She commandeered the cane for much of the rest of the trip.)

Thought for the day. My smart scale (connected to my Withings Steel HR fitness tracker watch and to MyFitnessPal food tracking app) wished me Happy Birthday. This time I knew better than to snap a photo - last time I tried that I realized that from above my distorted naked self showed up on the shiny surface of the scale around the LCD screen. It also tells me the weather forecast and how many steps yesterday. Over the past six months I've made a concerted effort to lose just over 40 pounds. I'm nearing my goal, but as I do I'm reminded of one of the last conversations I had with my mother before she was in the hospital with metastatic breast cancer. At 75, she had lost weight and was where she had been hoping to be for decades. But I realized soon after that she lost it not through hard work but because of the cancer that was killing her. I will be sure to make my annual physical appointment this year and get whatever battery of tests they recommend just to be sure that I'm still healthy. I'm sure I am, but this idea is occupying some real estate in my brain, so I'll follow through.

My brother is preparing to move away from the Pacific NW and is selling not just his house but many of the contents. We've been talking about methods for sale - I won't use Craig's List any more down here, it's full of crackpots, but he's having pretty good luck with it. He asked about using Facebook Marketplace. I've looked at it on occasion but never participated in any of the sales. Do any of you use that? Does FB take a cut? I suggested he could also join NextDoor, but he'd be a very new person to the list and there just for sales so I don't know if he would be easily able to list because of that.

Finally, it has cooled enough that I'm going to start decluttering some of the pots of plants I managed to keep alive all summer into their target destinations around the yard. It means getting out the tiller in a few areas and working over the soil, pulling the grass rhizomes out, planting and mulching. I'm looking forward to changing the appearance of the front (at least one side of it for now). This is a thing I can do that will be fun for me and make the yard look interesting, and doesn't cost anything since the plants were given to me by friends. I also need to get the limb saw and its long wooden handle and start trimming branches that go into the bulky waste pickup next week. I didn't do that 3 months ago because I was swamped with getting ready for the knee surgery.

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

I have no experience except ebay but the top 8 are
Facebook Marketplace.
Craigslist.
Nextdoor.
VarageSale.
OfferUp (formerly Letgo)
Poshmark.
Vinted.
Decluttr.
and of course freecycle

For artists there are Pintrest, Etsy and of course Sotheby's which is potentially as corrupt as its competetors.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 07:25 AM

https://deliverend.com/pros-cons-and-fees-of-facebook-marketplace/

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 08:25 AM

Yesterday, I delivered the Indian rug and a laundry basket full of bed linen to the niblings in London and braved the opening day frenzy at Fanshawe College to pay the last installment of Logan’s residence fees.

Their mother, Niece No. 1, pinged me in despair at 0800 hr asking for an e-transfer of twice as much as one is allowed to send by e-transfer so she could pay the outstanding balance. She had previously told me that this lump wasn’t due until October, but what the hell — it’s hard to get details from a panicked person who communicates by Facebook Messenger. I was going to London anyhow for a choir meeting and the linen delivery to Logan’s sister Faith at Western, so I added Fanshawe to the itinerary and prepared for a trying day.

The Fanshawe campus was just nuts, crowded with wandering packs of students and half the streets blocked for an outdoor rally that had its epicentre less than 100 metres from the bursar’s office. Finding a legal parking spot required a bolt of sheer luck, but I paid for that by having to deal with the B team at the bursar’s office, a sweet young woman with a whispering voice who did not know how to persuade her computer to churn out a receipt. I flatly refused to walk away without a receipt after forking over several thousand dollars, so she had to sit there and damned well figure it out in all the noisy turmoil while I stood at the wicket and glared.

I was 15 minutes late to the meeting after getting stuck in a tailback on Fanshawe Park Road. It was so bad that drivers desperate to turn right resorted to the bike lane, where no cyclist with the brains God gave a goose would be. After looking around for cops, I followed suit. Yet another reason to drive a sub-compact car.

Young Faith met me bang on time at the rendez-vous and we hauled the rug and basket of linen up to her room. The residence was strongly reminiscent of a barrack I lived in forty-five years ago. There was an elevator and each room had its own bathroom and closet, but the way our voices bounced off the blank institutional walls and the whiff of hospital-strength floor cleaner were just the same.

Home again to the cats and a supper of cold chicken and an enormous field tomato, then a couple of hours with Stephen King’s new book before hitting the sack.

Pool class today, and an afternoon of hauling music out of the choir’s storage area in the basement of an architect’s office. Lots of stairs — good for the legs.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Sep 22 - 11:48 AM

That sounds like a rather heroic trip to campus, Charmion. I rarely drove near the epicenter of my university during the fall move-in days. Especially after being rear-ended by a student on the edge of the campus (years ago now).

Don, I will share that link with my brother. The site that I use most consistently these days is Freecycle. Earlier this year I snagged a couple of trashbags full of very nice yarn for my daughter who crochets, and a nice piece of leftover wall-to-wall carpeting to use in my bedroom exercise area. For large pieces of furniture in good condition and clean mattresses, the Salvation Army will send its truck and beefy men to pick up the items. I should tell him about that also.

At bedtime last night I found myself reflecting on the day; this birthday felt a lot different than many in the past decade or two, an unusual sensation. I speculate that it might be because of a lull in the COVID activity, but we still wore masks into the restaurant, spaced ourselves away from others, and only removed masks when food arrived. I gave myself permission to spend a little money this year (fitness tracker and the denim jacket). I think mostly it's because I feel more like I'm back to my old self size-wise. More energy, a little bit less invisible than when being a stout older woman. Now I'm just a gray-haired slim older woman. Perhaps it is time to add a lot of puce clothing to my wardrobe.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Sep 22 - 11:40 PM

Where were we?

The most memorable event in the last few days was when I was leaving to run errands and the garage door wouldn't close. I checked and found the top roller had broken off on one side. I had a spare and had to release the door from the motor and move it around and gradually get the replacement into position. (There was a YouTube thing I saw later when looking for more spare rollers that said to bend the track edge. Gaaaa! No way, not necessary.)

I got my COVID vaccine for the Omicron variant. That slowed me down the next day but not as much as the last couple of boosters. I've been working around the yard and I think the exercise of cutting and hauling brush probably worked some stiffness out of the arm where I got the shot.

Today I decluttered some leftovers and vegetables needing to be used and made a batch of chicken pot pie filling (photographed and posted on Facebook, so some will have seen it.) It came out good.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 05:02 AM

During the Mudcat closure I've been ill in a crisis-ridden way. The infection markers in my blood went alarmingly high in spite of oral antibiotics and my kidney function collapsed to a fifth of normal. But for my very vigilant GP I wouldn't have known what was going on and likely wouldn't have been here to tell the tale! I spent three days on intravenous antibiotics and struggled to persuade the hospital consultant that I was better off coming in every day than taking up a precious hospital bed. By Friday my levels were well on the way to recovery. One more visit tomorrow should give me a cautious all-clear, though I'm still on strong antibiotics, and I've been banned for life from taking NSAIDS for my bad back. One of my legs is still swollen and has blistered like mad. So never take your eye off the ball!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 07:08 AM

Oh Steve, you poor thing! You've really been through the wars. I'm wishing you an excellent recovery very soon, and, as they say here in Norfolk, "Dew yew keep a-throshing bor!"

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 08:18 AM

We had mum in hospital on IV antibiotics too. She had a fall in the bathroom Sun 4th and was found to have a urine tract infection. She was very confused with it. She came home Friday night. The event has thrown her a bit and the weekend wasn't easy but I think we are on track to returning to our "normal" now.

As for birthdays, mine was on the 7th and both parents forgot about it. I haven't wanted to remind them of this.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 09:59 AM

Apart from the cellulitis, my diagnosis was acute kidney injury. It could have been the infection, or the diclofenac, or the severe dehydration I suffered for 24 hours after the initial bout of fever (gallons of water consumed and, er, literally nothing to show for it for a whole day). I suspect the latter. The icing on the cake is that I've now got a stinking cold! Before you ask, I did test negative yesterday...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 10:50 AM

That’s awful, Steve. Thanks for letting us know how you’re doing. Of course you caught a stinking cold; Mother Nature rarely overlooks a chance to kick us when we’re down.

I had another birthday recently, too, and felt little impulse to celebrate. My elder brother and his wife came all the way from Ottawa bearing a handsome gift, but their visit was dampened by SIL’s difficulty adjusting to new diabetes medications and what I suspect is an unhappy effect of colon surgery a few years ago. Long walks were prevented by rain, mugginess, and forgetting to pack suitable shoes. They went home a day earlier than planned.

Since Edmund died, life has been dull at best — “turned down to about four”, I say when asked (and only when asked). Reverberations from the pandemic are still causing enough trouble to make travel chaotic and hassle-prone, so I stay close to home, and I’m only just beginning to attend concerts and the theatre on my own. I pay ridiculously close attention to the neighbours’ walks with their dogs and the progress of their gardens. Without choir singing and the occasional tune session, I would have literally no fun at all.

Edmund’s sister is coming to visit next weekend. She’s an easier guest because she’s very good at conversation (not a monologuist, thank God), and she wants to go to church and the theatre. So I’ll change the bed and wash the towels, make a batch of cockaleekie stew and scrub the kitchen floor. Gotta keep on keeping on.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:21 AM

Bugger :-( Sorry to hear that, Steve. Hope that you get well soon. The 25% off 3 Mossers best wines won't last forever! :-D

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:34 AM

Wow. Look away for a few days and people get sick. Steve and Jon's Mom, I hope everything heals up quickly this week. There isn't an easy fix for what ails Charmion, just keeping on doing what you're doing. FWIW, you haven't posted often about that loneliness after losing a spouse—it feels like you're going about this in the best way (no impulse to hoard his belongings, for example), but we're here when you do need to share.

I've enviously watched the progress in a friend's yard this summer; despite the heat and lately the mosquitoes he has it up to it's best postage stamp of glory look. Back when we were still working at the university he almost gave up the garden entirely; retirement and a renewed attention to health (he has a slow-moving prostate cancer diagnosed this year) have impelled him to work in the yard. He has a small house with a tiny front yard (a nice sized back) that is spectacular with xeriscape plants (well-adapted and native) and a lot of native flowers. I didn't have the ability this summer, but this fall I need to get out and work on the front. I wish there was a permanent and painless way to get rid of Bermuda grass. It's the number one weed in my gardens (and always will be as long as it is the turf grass that grows on the existing patches of lawn).

In the sewing studio I've spent time mending things, such as the a few inches of zipper that separated from the purse in a favorite leather handbag, and this morning I'll patch over a hole in the pocket of a nice weathered (but not holey) pair of jeans. I'm still discarding from the closet and finding other things to put back into service. When shopping I tried on a long sweater coat last week that was very soft but while it hung nicely on the rack, didn't hang so well on me (they didn't take into account that if it wraps, it should overlap at more than just the waist - and a larger size didn't remedy the poor hang of the garment). Instead, I have a wool coat that I bought probably 45 years ago at a now long-gone favorite high end department store (go in for the annual clearance sale right before inventory and you could afford a few of their things) - it may be back in style by now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Sep 22 - 11:40 AM

Have taken advantage this very afternoon, Dave. You never know when you might get snowed in. And it's been Collapso in our house ever since you christened it thus! :-)

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

Good man yerself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vino Collapso! My fave!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Probably even had some Chateau Cardboard tucked away too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s Cardbordeaux in Canada.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indeed, Charmion - the best ever!

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

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

Eyelid hoods are considered a vision problem at some point.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A lid job makes people look younger too.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I vouch for her chutney!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is Dorothy up to?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beaver:

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

What colour is Puce?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The cats are fighting. This is new.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 12:02 PM

The war between the cats continues. Isobel just leapt off my lap to chase Watson upstairs to the library where he has been hunkered down since Tuesday. There’s no food, water or litter box upstairs. I have no idea where this will end.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 12:40 PM

Beaver:

Dealing with lack of energy, some due to heavy weather,- lots of green tea has helped some. Enough energy today to consider how to get this place clean. May or may not follow through.

Steve: Can you tell me more explicitly what a bio or non-bio is! I mainly use Dr. Bronners Tea tree oil soap for everything but laundry. Very careful not to put anything in septic, paper bag to catch tissue. That eventually goes into fire. Wipe out grease and put it out for critters if there is much, or in fire. Tide Free and clear for laundry - the only one I have found so far that is safe for me. By the way, cuts are treated with a drop of pure tea tree oil first. But this week's - vitamin E oil had to suffice, and has.

Still hoping for new floor on Sunday- which I hope will energize me to do more. Need to go back to Dupont in first week of October. Pick up, and thaw, Turkey for CA thanksgiving on 10th - or whenever we decide to do it!

Cold starting today - not going to 70 and going down to a few degrees above freezing. Will start fire in stove this eve, when solar gain quits gaining! Lots more rain last couple days and sound and light shows.

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

From Persil's website (bearing in mind that they sell the stuff...)

Bio? Non-Bio? What’s the Difference?

Whether you’re tossing up the difference between bio and non-bio laundry liquid or choosing between bio or non-bio capsules and washing powders, you need to first know what defines each of them.

What is biological detergent? Biological clothes detergent contains enzymes that help break down the fatty, greasy, and starchy compounds that are found in some of the most common clothing stains such as pasta sauces, bike oil, and hamburger grease. These enzymes work to lift the stains out of fabrics, making them excellent stain removers and a very welcome addition to laundry detergents, turning stain removal into a quick and easy task.
What is non-biological laundry detergent? Non-biological detergents do not contain these enzymes and can be kinder next to sensitive skin which makes them popular with families who have sensitive skin. Good non-bio detergents, like Persil, still contain powerful cleaning agents that will ensure your clothing comes out of the washing machine clean and fresh, you just might need to use a slightly higher temperature when washing with non-bio detergents – especially when tackling particularly tough stains.
As you can see, the main difference between bio and non-bio washing powders, liquids, and capsules is their use of enzymes.

What are the Advantages of Bio Detergent?

The advantages of bio detergents are undoubtedly their powerful stain removal. Biological clothes detergent contains enzymes that enzymes work to lift even the toughest the stains out of your clothes, like grass or chocolate ice cream. They remove stains first time, even in a quick wash at 30 degrees. This can help you to save time and energy but also helps to powerfully clean your clothes and bedding without turning the temperature high, which can damage more delicate fabrics.

If your kids are active (and messy), you can toss their soiled laundry into the machine with any Persil Bio detergent for a quick clean!

What are the Advantages of Non-Bio Detergent?

While the enzymes found in biological detergents are great at stain removal, they could cause mild reactions in those with very sensitive skin. If enzymes remain on clothing after a wash and rubs against the skin, some people may notice a mild reaction – however, this is rare.

The enzymes used in biological detergents are not used in soaps and body cleansers, etc., only in laundry detergents.

Note that Persil forget to mention that biological detergents are bad for septic tanks!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 08:34 PM

I got shot twice in the back of the Safeway grocery store for flu and Covid Omicron today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 08:53 PM

Dorothy, it's like using Biz instead of a non-Chlorine bleach. The enzymes are what make the cleaning happen instead of simply bleaching out stains.

Since this is a regular eating day I let myself have ice cream for dessert in a measured portion. I have to buy it in small containers because it is one of those irresistible foods if I'm not really careful. Part of my "have favorite things on regular eating days so I don't feel deprived on fasting days" plan. But count the calories.

Pickled okra making tomorrow after I bought more vinegar today. I have other pickles I'd like to make also, but okra is most urgent because the plants are really producing right now.

Last weekend I got some fresh ginger hands and am going to start making tea with them. I'll keep them in the fridge for a little while, though they need to go into the freezer soon. I'm thinking of slicing then freezing, and using a slice in with a bag of green tea. The gardening guru I listen to on weekend swears by slices of ginger in his tea. Figuring out how thick of a slice will be the goal before I slice then freeze.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 09:54 PM

Beaver:

No idea what Biz is! Sorry about Steve's treatise which did nothing to clarify; no idea what it is saying. I only want the basic fact of "this" or "that"! I have no idea what is or is not "bio" this or that! Never use bleach - maybe once in a few years if desperate situation. Chlorine makes me sick! Most household cleaners make me sick. Even ones allegedly "green". Ivory snow used to be my choice, with borax added for extra cleaning power. Doubt it exists anymore. Was it safe for the septic?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 11:00 PM

I looked up Borax - as long as it is for simple household cleaning it seems to be ok, but too much can harm the biological activity in the tank. If borax is sprinkled on soil it kills plants and not much will grow back until it eventually washes away. You can buy a big box of Boraxo borax for a couple of dollars. (Twenty Mule Team is still around!)

Biz. It was one of the very first enzyme products I remember being advertised in the US.

This afternoon I visited a couple of stores and wasn't able to find Ball's Pickle Crisp in stock. Maybe everyone in North Texas is making pickles right now and has cleared out the stores. I have an 11-year-old jar that is caked so hard I have to chip at it to get any to use. It's time for a new one and I had to order it on Amazon. It's granules of calcium chloride. I also had to try a couple of places to get a few ounces of dill seed, but did get some. Again for pickles.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 08:22 AM

Forecast high yesterday was 13°C; today it’s 15°C. Last night’s low was 2°C and first frost may hit us tonight. I arose this morning to 17°C in the house and started up the furnace.

Summer is definitely over.

When the neighbour kid who mows my lawn came by to get paid, we talked about the abrupt change in the weather. I mentioned that Thursday was the equinox (so it should be no surprise), and she asked what an equinox is. Likewise she had never heard of a solstice. I explained, in words of one and two syllables, and she went off shaking her head and saying Wow.

Holy cats! What other basic information about life on Earth are the schools ignoring these days? And what do they talk about instead?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 10:38 AM

Dorothy,
you never saw the television commercial adverts for Biz?
I remember seeing them, and I was a child at the time.
Eddie Albert was on camera doing the advertising.

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

Don, Good for you! I spaced them out over a couple of weeks (the time I got both shots on the same day, one in each arm, I realized my mistake at bedtime when I couldn't roll onto either arm comfortably to go to sleep.)

Highs of 97^o (36.1) forecast for the next 3 days, then a bit of cooling.

I've had one of those three-tier wire basket and chain things around forever that I always thought would be so handy in the kitchen but I don't actually have anyplace good to hang it. I came across it in a cupboard recently and for now I think I'll hang it in the greenhouse. Plenty of places to hang it out there. I remember being pleased when I found it, I think at an import store, and it's one of those items I can't use but am not ready to donate. (I wonder how it would hold up if I added three of those coconut fiber liners and put plants in it?)

I found a good sale online for a multi-pack of the best size of underwear after trying others in the last couple of months. I ordered it for in-store pickup because they gave me extra dollars off (versus walking into the store and buying at the register. Go figure.) I then found another bra in the right size and last night I did another deep dive into the dresser. Tossed all of the old Victoria's Secret undies that are too small (and have been at the back of the drawer for years—I'm never going to lose that much weight - that was an aberration at the time of depression and divorce). A nice but too small bra joined more too-big yoga pants in the donation bin. A couple of the shorts purchased at the time of this summer's surgery are also too big now. I'll split the difference, donate one and pack the other in the bin with a few pairs of that larger size. (I can wear the pants with a belt and they look ok with a shirt covering the waist.)

My Amazon order will arrive tomorrow so I've chipped enough of the pickle crisp loose in the jar to make some pickled okra this morning. It will be nice to simply dip the 1/8 teaspoon measure without having to juggle the little balls of calcium chloride and rounding them up on the counter. It doesn't take much but it improves the texture markedly. And here's a pickle pro-tip: if you use tap water in your pickle brine the chlorine will turn the garlic in the pickles "smurf blue." I have been using distilled water but it finally dawned on me that the purified water from Costco doesn't have any chlorine in it so I can tip a bottle of that in with the vinegar and save myself the trouble of finding a gallon bottle of distilled water. (Meanwhile for small amounts of distilled water I make my own for use in the steam iron to prevent lime buildup on the faceplate. I use the steam juicer with ice on the lid.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 03:59 PM

Beaver:

Took off screen doors and stored in back shed; managed to close the two difficult windows, for the winter. Sorted through stuff on back deck (from kiln room) to dry out kiln shelves in the sun! Found the heater for the bathroom. Moved shelves into studio, which is now heated! Today: solar heated! Went to make sure kiln was better covered before rain starts again; found vital piece has gotten seriously bent by someone's carelessness; ordered new piece. NOT happy. So far, this guy who was so gung ho to fix the kiln room floor has cost me two weeks of not being able to work, a warped counter and considerable stress. And the essential piece that I shall have to spend time replacing- after it arrives! Put a better cover over the kiln. Back deck is as good as I can get it without the floor...

Too depressed to work, I tried calling someone cheerful - anyone! One answer elicited both friends have Covid after a trip to Newfoundland. The other told me last month's problems and a very poorly handled attempt to help a friend with bedbugs - repeated 3 times at least....... Gary was more cheerful about the Covid! The bedbug thing has never been a big deal for R - no poison sprays, just DE.

Went to hospital yesterday seeking help to get booster; Very nice woman made the dreaded phone call - I loved seeing her expressions as she listened to the interminable message! But it worked! Today I got a call and an appointment for next Thursday! My call last week elicited naught.

Did laundry and drying it in house as the umbrella thingy is hopelessly tangled; need Robin! My brain quit in total overload.

Never heard of Bix, never saw that TV program - or most others. Will not use borax (ty!). Still have no idea what is the preferred substance. Enzymes are not mentioned on my detergent. I cannot go in the detergent section of the market without a protective mask and, even then, would not stay long enough to read anything. I just grab what I know I am not allergic to and get out! There have been times when I had to ask someone else to do it for me. Is the baking soda/vinegar idea - to clear drain - a bad idea also?

BJ said Sunday but it is going to rain- all week. I will just keep reading novels.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Sep 22 - 05:13 PM

I hope you get all of that sorted out, Dorothy.

Paperwork from summer knee surgery is rolling in - I didn't use the standard spinal block they usually administer, asked for general anesthesia. And like the first surgery, they apparently don't have time to administer a femoral block into that nerve above the affected knee prior to the end of anesthesia (it gives you a few days free of the knee pain before it is removed). However, I find several notations on the bill regarding that procedure. I saw an xray ages ago in relation to a check before doing it, but it went no farther. Part of the bill shows two "self-injectable" drugs Medicare won't pay for—I think those are part of that block. If I get a bill I'm going to give the anesthesiologist one chance to retract all of those charges and remove my participation from it or I'll report it to Medicare. I wonder if my doctors would ever work with me again.

Box delivered to post office, the last of the recyclables dropped at the city hall bins. I have another box I keep forgetting to send, but probably don't have time to finish it today.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 22 - 10:15 PM

That tour that has bugged me forever is now behind me. I ended up being a stand-in for the fellow I work for in my other volunteer work at the museum and was able to answer some questions about that end of the museum. It went well. Truth be told, this is a huge weight lifted after dealing with the gaslighting of the staff member who used to be in charge of this program. I took my mask off for the tour, but we were in a big open space and I hope that worked in all of our favor.

I'm finding ways to get out that allow me to still maintain some distance and wear masks when needed. I went to a guitar concert on Friday (where I sat, masked, in the back away from people) and on Monday have tickets to a speaker's series on my old campus. Dinner with a friend and then well-spaced seats will work.

I pulled down another bin from the upper shelf in the closet this morning, wondering if I had a pair of black dress slacks. Nope. Not in size 12 (two in size 10 - I doubt I'll get there, but I'm not tossing them yet.) I wore black jeans for the tour. Slacks may be something I need to buy for general special occasion use; I'll start at the thrift store before heading to the department store outlet. I found some great stuff there earlier this month. Before I shop I need to poke around in the front room and see if I have any boxes of slacks in there—I remember setting some aside to sell but may not have listed. (They may have been taken to Goodwill.)

The next couple of days are for catching up in the kitchen, emptying the big compost bins into the pile in the back, and getting stuff put out at the curb for trash day. I have some extra limbs again this week but think they can go in the can and be picked up (as opposed to being in the stack last week to go in bulky waste.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Sep 22 - 04:02 PM

Since Charmion mentioned looking for jeans at LL Bean I thought I should see about ordering a pair of their flannel-lined jeans while they're still in stock. So many choices, straight leg, skinny leg, "true shape," and whatever the heck "boyfriend jeans" are. And then there are the lengths. So I headed to my closet with the tape measure. I've disaccessioned one pair that fit but was always short (turns out it wasn't just because I was plump and they'd get longer as I lost weight, they were a thrift store pair that were sized petite) and pulled out a couple more size 12 to measure the inseam. 30" is what I've been wearing. Then I poked into the end of the closet shelf and pulled out the folded pair of LL Bean flannel lined jeans. Women's size 8 tall. Probably my compromise to myself when I was shopping and wore size 10 because they were short on my actual size, I would roll up the cuffs (I probably shopped by measurements). But damned if I didn't manage to pull them on and fasten them. They're a little snug but not uncomfortable; possibly relaxed fit. So word to the wise - your "normal size" may be too big in the LLBean jeans.

I just saved myself $79. But they are really really nice jeans.

Dorothy, "puce" is a type of purple.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Sep 22 - 05:12 PM

Beaver:

The sub-structure for floor is complete and looks solid. Plywood promised for tomorrow. Woke up feeling good today and did a number of small things that improved things. Things my brain fog could not manage are getting done. Cooked a frozen lasagna and a couple squash for the guys, then they decided to go home; we can eat it tomorrow after the floor is done and the counters back in place - hopefully. Then I can replenish the wood supply in house - just in time! The wood pile is blocked by the counters for the kiln room.

Rec'd pics of Son's new under construction home with great view of Puget Sound. They expect to move in for Christmas, 60 years after we moved into the house in PA for Christmas. They have planned it to suit their aging bodies so we can hope they will be there a long time.

Cleaned up the studio, ready to get potting. Cannot fire until I receive (in mail), and figure out how to install the bent rod. I will start with the less critical bisque firing - with lots of hope and stress.

Heavy frost on windshield yesterday am, but milder today and expected for a few days. Raining steadily all afternoon, expected for next few days. House is cosy.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Sep 22 - 05:48 PM

Charmion, is Isobel still waging war on Watson,
or is there peace between the house panthers?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Sep 22 - 04:44 PM

We’re having a domestic Cold War, now, keb. I think Isobel wants to apologize, but Watson won’t let her; when she gets close, he growls and hisses. He spends most of his time on my bed, and I play Berlin Airlift a couple of times a day, carrying him down to the kitchen and feeding him on the counter.

The vet prescribed a tranquillizer for Watson, but the dose is two capsules twice a day. I can get one capsule into him, but not two — even Watson won’t tolerate two. The other option is a pheromone treatment called Feli-Way that had to be ordered from Toronto and has yet to arrive.

Détente can’t come fast enough for me.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 12:43 AM

I realized there were no black slacks in the closet so again pulled down a bin from the shelf to try on pants. There were two pair of dressy slacks and one of them fits so I've saved myself a shopping trip. I also hung up a few more pair of jeans (good brands that I held onto even when they didn't fit). I didn't buy the LL Bean jeans but I have put a comparable Eddy Bauer pair into use.

Today was an eating day and a special event day - a friend and I went to dinner then to an evening lecture. I would swear this guy knows every wonderful little restaurant in town so it was pleased that I could introduce him to a New Jersey submarine sandwich shop (in business since 1980). It was a delight to see him read through the lists of all of the sandwiches they make (they have names and/or numbers) with the usual sandwich meats, but also peppered beef, salami, pastrami, sausage, pepperoni, and other named meats, mostly Italian, that I couldn't tell you what they are except they're found on antipasto trays. Cheeses, marinated red bell peppers, topped with "the works" - onions, tomatoes, spices, oil and vinegar. This is a gift that keeps on giving, because I know in the next few weeks he'll go back to try other sandwiches.

A delivery today of a phantom Amazon order - something I never thought I ordered (I was looking at the category to find the size bottle I've previously ordered), and not a quantity or price I would consider. It must have been a misplaced keystroke, and it seems it can't be returned, so it got a really scathing review. Really odd.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 05:34 AM

Speaking of Amazon, last week I received a box from them containing two backscratchers, each the size of an average tin whistle. The box was easily big enough to have held a large microwave oven and was padded out inside with huge amounts of scrunched-up brown paper.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 07:49 AM

A box that size could well come in handy, Steve, and Amazon boxes this end are usually sturdy. You might end up liking it better than the back-scratchers.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 08:01 AM

I cannot survive without a backscratcher. There are several square inches I can't reach and the law of sod dictates that any and every itch will occur right there. As for that box, it might well have been big enough for a microwave oven but it was a flimsy ould thing that has already gone to the recycling. I agree that you can't beat a good box and I generally hang on to them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 11:05 AM

I hoped by complaining enough in the Amazon review that the company would offer a refund or a deeply-discounted coupon, but they seem to be standing firm that I'm stuck with this little box of expensive probiotics. I have no idea how this came to be ordered.

Dorothy, can you name the location or community where your son is building his house? Whidbey or one of the other islands? Olympic Peninsula or along the I-5 corridor? I'd love to have a house out there, not too close to the beach, paying careful attention to access roads so hoping to avoid flood washouts or landslides. Something that can resist earthquakes. There are several important factors to consider when building in that Ecotopia of ours. (I'm still a Washingtonian, even though I've been away for a long time.)

This has turned out to be a busy week so it's a good thing gas prices have come down some. It has finally turned cool enough here in the mornings to do yard work, but I'm called away. After next week it quiets down so I'll plan to tackle the mowing and planting. I like to have a balance in the week where there are a couple of days with activities and the rest can feel like a long weekend. Even to retired people the concept of "weekend" is a welcome one.

I just noticed a pile of papers in need of filing. After clearing out a lot of bulky older paper in my plastic box of hanging files I now need to start filling it again. And we're almost to the last quarter of the year. Wow. Time flies.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Sep 22 - 03:18 PM

Beaver:

FLOOR is in!!! And most stuff is back in it. Still wrestling with getting the guts to repair the kiln - a simple project with instructions - the brain fog is holding me back. And the rain. But also replenished the in-house wood supply. I am waiting for the spirit to move me to continue!

House: on Whidbey, on hill adjacent to S. Whidbey State Park. High enough not to be washed away and to have an unobstructed view.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 04:17 PM

I have carefully distributed garden produce to friends and neighbors this month, trying not to overwhelm anyone with the volume offered. Two eggplants (aubergine) and about a pound of okra given away to two friends on Monday. Six jars of okra pickled now in my pantry. Today I'm headed to a reception where I know there are a couple of okra eaters so I'll put some in quart zip lock bags and take them along. The anecdote about dragging a wagon full of large zucchini (courgette) down the street after dark and stashing them on people's porches probably isn't an urban legend. ;-)

The ex came over so I made lunch of leftovers. I was running low on lids for my little Rubbermaid storage containers and realized they were all in the fridge. Assembling a small eggplant Parmesan and a small Caprese salad emptied two containers, I emptied one with a single hard boiled egg (a snack for the dogs since it was a bit old), etc. Two more eggplant out of the way after I roasted them and made a batch of babaghanouj that we sampled then I put in the fridge in a larger Rubbermaid container. I still came out ahead.

A friend shared an obituary from National Geographic about Hilaree Nelson, who died this week in Nepal. My friend shared this because what we see here with Nelson's full and vigorous life as a climber and ski mountaineer is the culmination of a struggle that Jane and I struggled to achieve in our late teens and 20s - making mountaineering (climbing, backpacking, rock climbing) a regular sport hobby at a time when mountaineering was still in general considered a sport for men. We had the same technical skills as the guys, but had to adapt it to our size and pace. At the same time I lived an active life as I worked in the woods as the only woman on the crew most times, and took a lot of grief for it. These days there are easily as many women working fires and forestry as there are men, and a lot of competitive climbers. It's a shame that Nelson didn't live a good long life, to retire and reach the time to have her worn out knees replaced like I did recently, because chances are really good that she was really hard on them, as I was.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Sep 22 - 10:24 AM

I am a week into my latest attack of low-back muscle spasms and definitely not having fun yet. The cats are still engaged in low-intensity conflict despite Feli-Way pheromone treatment since Tuesday. But the sun is shining today for a change, so I think it’s time for me to buck up and make an effort to be normal.

Stilly, it occurs to me that you and I had very similar starts in adult life, bashing our way into highly physical work in male-dominated fields, you in forestry and I in the armed forces. I think we both also found our way into work that was not only more woman-friendly (at least ostensibly) but also more intellectually satisfying, in academia and editorial shops respectively, while watching younger women flow into the work cultures we left and change them utterly. When asked “What was it like?” about my military years, I usually say something to the effect that a life on the cutting edge of social change can be painful …

It’s almost time to pack up the stuff stacked in the basement and take the lot — probably three large bags full — to Goodwill. By the time my back is ready for the challenge, we’ll be past Indian Summer and into the chill of autumn sliding toward winter, and the sweaters and lined jeans in those bags will be more attractive.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Sep 22 - 11:01 AM

I think you're right, Charmion, and I know there is a connection to the later work - when I was out on trails lugging a backpack or climbing glaciers doing the rest step in the quiet of the wilderness I'd be thinking in a way that was essentially composing essays, making notes at rest or in the tent. I didn't start carrying a camera as early as I was carrying a note pad (Rite in the Rain, of course) but it's all there in the early days. There are journals also.

Twenty-some years later when I applied to go to graduate school in English the graduate advisor was puzzled that someone with a park and recreation/ranger background would want to go into English and he initially denied the application. But I used as a reference a professor I met - I'd started taking classes post-baccalaureate and that professor told him I'd do fine and let me in. Type casting rears it's ugly head (and hasn't he heard of Edward Abbey or Gary Snyder or Jack Kerouac or Terry Tempest Williams?)

Three month check on the knee today. And I'll ask them to weigh and measure so my height is on the record. Must choose light clothes since I'll be dressed when weighed.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Sep 22 - 11:00 AM

I've tried for a couple of weeks to "reauthorize" one of my banks (credit card) with my Quicken account. This morning the alert came up again so I bit the bullet and briefly changed my default browser. I use secondary browsers for some of my accounts and any time Quicken tried to make the connection it went into a browser that wasn't working with that bank. Even logged in, it didn't connect. This morning it worked, and since they tell me this will happen periodically, I know what the future drill will be. Also got the doctor's office and the pharmacy finally on the same page as far as a compound I get every 90 days. It has been a morning of virtual decluttering.

Lunch with friends today. I've hit a plateau on the weight loss, just a few pounds from my target, which isn't unexpected. Since I'm going to be near the gym I'll make a stop there, giving me an extra workout this week. Maybe that will help, and I'll stick with the 1200 calorie days alternating with 500 calorie days. Yesterday was a bit over 500 because I had fried okra for dinner, so this isn't really a mystery.

Two boxes must go in the mail. One more batch of bulky tree trimmings out to the curb for next week. I need to mow. I need to sweep and mop and dust. I need to list more eBay stuff, and I have to make more pickled okra (and start sharing some of the fresh cucumber pickles I've made). I did order the dog heartworm medicines (from Australia) so I have crossed one thing off of my list.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Oct 22 - 07:28 PM

Five days later and I've accomplished a lot. Lost another pound - seem to be back on track there - and now need to work on stamina. I can do the recumbent bike at the gym and listen to a book but it is a bit more work to push the mower and drag the hose and dig out gardens.

On Sunday I did a slow dance with the heavy glass door as I removed it, replaced the cartridge on either side of the bottom to put in new brass rollers, and then got it back into place. I have bruises that won't fade for a while, but the door works.

On Monday I made my rounds after my haircut (every other month) and found a heavy-duty HON 4-drawer dresser for my ex, who has a lot of papers to hold onto from the old job or life in general, and once those are all filed he can reclaim the sideboard in his dining area after 2.5 years of working from home during COVID. (I walk in and see cooking implements on the hearth in the living room because they were evicted from the sideboard). So - that was delivered, and at the same Goodwill I found a treat for me - a vintage Parson's sewing cabinet. It took a bit of effort but we got both of them into the SUV (the Goodwill helpers and me.)

You can see the hinged leaves on the top so when fully extended it ends up being a large sewing surface. Parsons sold a lot of them configured different ways and the one I found won't actually fit my machine as far as screwing it into place and lowering it out of sight inside then closing the desk. It has a recessed platform for the machine and will still work beautifully for sewing. No longer will I need to worry about knocking stuff off of my tiny work surface. I've swapped out my small sewing table (it was given me by a neighbor about 25 years ago when she was moving). That one will go to Goodwill or on Freecycle soon. It didn't fit my machine either, it just sat on top. This new table has a hint of old furniture smell commingled with a hint of cigarette smoke. I'll finish cleaning it and hope to remove the rest soon.

I finally emptied my kitchen waste compost bins today - which means I turned the big compost pile and after mowed the lawn with the bag catching clippings to pour on top. It has a sprinkler running on it now - all measures to keep the dogs from being too interested in it.

I made a list of fall projects, and on the top of it is finishing a few panels of fence on the north side of the yard. In the next few weeks, if I can manage it. I can fit the materials for one panel at a time into the SUV with a tarp spread out over the seats when the back and middle rows are tucked down.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Oct 22 - 07:48 PM

I’m heading out tomorrow on a trip to Ottawa and the Eastern Townships of Québec. i’ll be gone for almost two weeks.

I haven’t seen my cousins in Québec for years, and my aunt (their mother, my mother’s sister) is now 92 years old. This will probably be my last chance to see her on this side of the grass.

I have packed up a dozen bottles of wine and enough underwear for a fortnight. I don’t need much more than that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Oct 22 - 10:33 AM

Sounds like a wonderful trip, Charmion. I wasn't able to make another trip to see my mother's sister before she died, just a couple of years ago (she was in Calgary).

Care package going in the mail this morning, four pounds of okra from my garden being mailed to a Texan who now lives on the shore of Lake Michigan.

There were two reasons for emptying the kitchen waste compost bins - three, actually - they were full. And they were heavy and blocking the path to get into the area where I have potted plants I want to move to other areas, put in new pots, and in the case of a couple of vines, put them in new beds in the front yard. I couldn't get to my basil and chard past them. And third, while working on the compost pile yesterday at the very back of the yard I noticed a stack of commercial buckets in the next door yard behind her garden shed, and asked her if I could have the smaller (about 4 gallons) one. The lid of my 5 gallon bucket fits on it, so this will become one of the kitchen waste bins (and when it's full it won't be so heavy). I always intend to stop filling them before they're full, but never do.

The now-empty black 5 gallon bucket will become another mosquito trap. Fill it about 3/4 with water, toss in a few handfuls of weeds or grass to help it become a stagnant bucket of glop, then drop in a mosquito dunk. It attracts mosquitos to lay eggs but they don't survive the Bti in the bucket. This will mean a second trap on that side of the house. I do need to add a paint stir stick to the bucket so it reaches from the water to the rim - this will let the occasional lizard escape if any fall in. It happens.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 06:52 AM

Charmion is taking a two-week break from cat hostilities!
We'll see what it's like when she gets home . . .
I spent the Mudcat hiatus waiting with bated breath
for the outcome of the cat conflict.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 11:01 AM

Perhaps there will be détente in the house with a cat sitter coming in to feed the cats. It might have blown over by the time she returns.

My next door neighbors left town this morning for a week on a cruise; this means my dogs won't have anyone to offer their pre-dawn treat over the back fence. I'll put the bark collar on Pepper to nip her barks in the bud, but they'll still all loiter out there wondering where Cecil is. My solution is to set my alarm for 5am, to go out and offer each of them a treat (from my own stash) then everyone come back in the house and I go back to bed.

The box of okra arrived in Michigan within 3 days and were in perfect condition. I think this is the beginning of something that will benefit us both - I can offload the okra surplus and she can have fresh organic Texas okra. The stuff that arrives in the store has been off of the plant for quite a while.

I'm within a pound of my weight loss goal, so once I land on 150 I'll switch over to 1200 calories a day to maintain that level and use intermittent fasting days if I need in order to maintain that weight. I'll probably have a range of three to five pounds in either direction. To celebrate I'm going to buy a bottle of my favorite Scotch. I've stayed mostly away from alcohol for 2022, but I can add back modest amounts, as with other favorite foods. Portion control is important.

There are a lot of things in my closet that I never got rid of because I really liked them (jackets, vests, blouses) that I can now wear; I kept them with the hope that I'd eventually get back to my old weight. Escaping a stressful work situation, repairing the knees, and taking control of my diet are all parts of a process. It isn't like a young woman losing weight and suddenly becoming more noticeable to her peers and the world around; at this age I'm still invisible, and thanks to COVID and 18 months of no hairdresser, I have grown out my own ash/gray hair color. Now it's about how I feel about myself, not about what the world thinks about how I look. Now it's about building up stamina to go along with the slimmer self. And I need to get back to my dancing classes.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Oct 22 - 10:40 AM

Indigenous Peoples Day here in the US, hopefully to eventually completely displace the appropriation by Columbus of the Americas landscape. Banks and the Post Office are closed because of Columbus, though. Must fix that so they're closed instead for Indigenous People.

I have lots of little post-it notes for myself on my computer table, they start out stuck to the bottom of one of the monitors and eventually fall off. I need some kind of a board nearby to attach them to so I won't loose track. I bet there's something around here I can set up, and it must be in easy sight to be noticed, and easy to reach.

I'm reminded by a note from the daily ZDNet email that I can turn the old TV cables through the house into ethernet (use those cables to pull new CAT 5 into place, use the kits to wire the data port.) Good timing on that reminder, because I had put off finishing the last couple of rooms on the bedroom side of the house. I have to go into the attic to do the work and for a long time it was too hot and for a long time I felt too heavy and inflexible, especially with the bum knee. October is here and the knee and the weight in good order so I might finish that today. This would help with using the Amazon Fire Stick in a couple of rooms where the WiFi seems a bit slow; they sell an ethernet adaptor they to connect the Fire stick to the data port. Or I could use a straight data cable and plug the TVs directly into the data ports and bypass the adaptor. I'll look at those two options (the cables are cheaper than the adaptors, but will the attached stick use the data port through the TV?)

What else can I do in the attic? I have some Attic Dek plastic decking that is strong but lightweight that is put down and screwed onto the joists in the attic to create a walkable surface in areas where I want to go to work. Except for a narrow aisle made of plywood through the middle of the attic, you have to step from floor truss to truss to move around up there. Facemask and safety goggles in place, this is another one-day job I could finish. (When the attic is made with trusses you can't just put a wood floor over the whole area, it's too heavy.) I already have the decking and the cables, so these are two projects that don't require any more shopping, unless I'm out of the data port thingies. I can get those at Home Depot same time I go looking for my strong vinegar.

Outside yesterday I continued the work to repot plants, start some new plants from sprigs, and in general give an inviting look to the front patio and clear out the area next to the side door. I'm about 10% into that project now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Oct 22 - 09:12 AM

The cat visitor wrote to report that Watson got himself shut in the box-room and Isobel, of all people, came to the front door to fetch her to the library to release him. I guess they’ve finally mended the rift in their lute.

I spotted the tabby interloper who started this series of fracas. He sauntered up to the patio door, meowed loudly to attract Isobel’s attention, then swatted the glass of the door to set her off in a tirade of hissing, spitting and lashing her bottle-brush tail. Then he walked away with a smirk on his face, the lout.

The visit to the cousins went very well despite many hours on the road with both The Brothers packed into my small car. Dai gets to ride shotgun because his legs are ridiculously long — the man wears a 36-inch inseam. Andrew politely took the back, with his knees under his chin like a passenger flying steerage on RyanAir. I think he could have used a skyhook to extract himself.

Our aunt is quite frail now and deaf enough to avoid situations in which more than one person will talk at any given time, but her eyesight is excellent after cataract surgery and her mind as sharp as ever. She lives with a daughter (she has three, and four sons) in a madly cluttered house in a tiny village on the bushy bank of Lac Brôme, and spends her days sitting beside a huge window knitting, reading, listening to the CBC, and riding herd on Otis the cat. Her hearing aids don’t process music well, which irritates her no end, but she can do without them in the quiet house.

The cousins are repopulating the earth, and the family Thanksgiving dinner was a mob scene of three generations guzzling wine and talking over each other. The youngest — four kids under five — helled around under everyone else’s feet. Many photos were taken, especially to showcase the “family sweaters” — garish Icelandic-style creations by my aunt, who is their mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother. I, too, have a family sweater that is so warm that I can wear it only in deepest winter, so I didn’t bring it and therefore missed out on that photo op.

Back in Ottawa, I am putzing around until the high-school reunion on the weekend. The weather is generally glorious.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Oct 22 - 06:34 PM

Dupont:

Arrived back last Tues. Trip to chiro on that Monday, did a miracle of less pain and more energy. Instead of 3 days of rest, I was able to do stuff and feel good doing it. Cleaning up from R's time alone for starters. Tripped around south, visiting Geri and Rita, picking up turkey, and going to bakery -Nice apple crisp for thanksgiving BUT guests brought a crappy cake, too sweet for me to eat. Still have crisp which will get eaten by R and me! I managed a nice Thanksgiving dinner with everything properly cooked and we used the DR table for the first time! (3 years!) Been so long I forgot cranberry sauce and managed to find cranberries in freezer at 11th hour and nuke them into sauce! Guests a bore; I wondered if there was something wrong with me - what would be interesting?

On Monday, we went to a terrific end of season celebration at Le Jardin de la Resistance. Terrific conversation with our friends there - AH! THAT is interesting to me!

Covered remaining garden veggies with plastic in hopes of prolonging the season another week. Mostly done! House plants in. Boats starting to de-clutter the river, which is beautiful after the fall rains! Fire in wood stove is adequately heating house - for now. Another week of not too bitter weather ahead. 22C for tomorrow!

No pots made yet - maybe tomorrow. De-cluttering cobwebs is a chronic situation! I think I've "got 'em" then the light or sun hits yet another spot! But the house is clean enough!

Order of supplements; had to struggle to obtain 10% Thanksgiving discount - phone calls never answered and three emails ... And the phone waiting noise gave me a headache - I suppose some think of it as "music"!

Waiting for an online order of underwear after R informed his were falling off - from worn out elastic. Hope it is suitable - Jockey cannot go wrong???? Not cheap. That plus supplements - a large de-clutter of wallet! Gee, so dust and money is about all I have managed! And the aching back!!!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Oct 22 - 12:49 AM

Yesterday saw a lot of puttering that resulted in papers filed, new files created where needed, papers shredded (x-cut) and various other small chores. The one large and one medium-sized restaurant-supply plastic dogfood bins were cleaned and refilled. They rarely ever end up empty at the same time, but since they were, I washed out both then swapped the food in each so I could completely empty the bags that come in different sizes. Three dogs and two types of food.

Dorothy, one of the satisfying aspects of going on a diet is an excuse to buy new undergarments. I also tend to wear them till the elastic is shot, but, pun intended, now have drawers of fresh underwear.

No takers so far on the sewing cabinet. It's in the den for now but after the weekend if it isn't taken plan B sees it go to Goodwill. Another obstacle to move soon is the office's portable air conditioner that compelled shifting other furniture. Once it's tucked away in a closet I can see about restoring my workspace, or I may leave it so I can see out the window again. Trouble is, if I can see out the window, the dogs also want to see out the window, and I don't need them racing in and competing for space to bark while front feet scratch up the sill. They're not sedate like cats with soft furry butts sitting at the window looking out.

I have done some of my holiday shopping, but probably have more to do. That said, I'm contemplating what a no-spend November would look like. Maybe I need to take a page from the Hispanic Month folks and run it from mid-October to mid-November. It would accomplish the same thing, but allow me to pick up the turkey and fixings for the US Thanksgiving holiday.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Oct 22 - 05:50 PM

Another bulky item to deal with today - the barbecue grill. My neighbor let me have his solid old grill several years ago and I refurbished the insides. It works well, but last time I used it the fuel barely reached the flame bar. I thought perhaps wasps had fouled up something with their mud packed nests. Today I decided to look at the hoses and see if it is fixable or if I should drag it to the curb and start over (new ones start at about $300, so I'd have to plan for getting a new one). As I prepared to remove the LP gas tank I realized that the puppy had bitten through the rubber hose from the LP tank to the cooker. That was when she was chewing everything a couple of years ago. So I'm out to replace that hose, clean the racks, and start grilling again.

Damned dog. She doesn't do that now, but I should have realized if there was something there she would find it. I was storing the grill under its cover outside at the time. That's how she got to it, crawled under the cover.

Omicron COVID has finally reached the immediate family. My daughter thinks she got it Saturday at work, yesterday she started feeling the sore throat and had a light positive test when she got home (she'd been isolated in her office - good thing). Today she got the PCR test and an Rx for paxlovid. It's helpful that the major pharmacies are still doing the drive through testing, since most of the governmental sites have shut down. She did have to go in the building where most others weren't wearing masks and got too close. She told several to back off, she had COVID.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Oct 22 - 12:26 PM

Dupont:

Sad that so many people are letting go of concern re Covid and putting themselves and others at risk. I used recent stats to encourage a friend who was complaining about being in lockdown: one in 40 people are infectious; be glad you are safe! I am still being careful and using mask in public/indoors.

Wonderful windy morning - lots of neg ions! So I cleared and battened down things on the back deck, moved some things to garage. Just before the rain came. R and I also got a bunch of cardboard into the recycling bin and, rain coming, put a tarp over the rest. The cardboard is a sign he is de-cluttering the library and basement!

I may have mentioned that I have realized the more expensive underwear has outlasted by far any lesser sorts. And I have managed with the same size for 20 years. The new order is for one size larger just so it does not feel tight; hope it is ok. I am no longer concerned about losing weight but am trying to eat moderately and, as usual, healthy food.

Awaiting: order of supplements, order of socks for R and underwear for both of us so he can throw away the ones that fall off! Appointment for car on Monday and snow tires! And phone appointment with Dr on Weds re last week's ultrasound re hernia.

Also awaiting a burst of energy to throw pots! In the meantime: watching the trees dancing frenetically, waving their lovely fall colours.

R initiated making soup out of remains Turkey. I need to put together a whole bunch of turkey meals for freezer --- but need to sort out freezer to make room!!! Still THAT bread! This will be a juggling act! At the rate of one slice/day it may be another year! R does not care for it so there is also the bread he likes!

Fire in stove in den is still keeping house warm enough not to turn up thermostat, even though we had frost one night. The Chimney fills one corner of the room and goes up through a 2nd floor room, appreciably warming that room (the wall is warm to touch) so I keep the door open to let the residual heat permeate the whole second floor. Also have solar gain from large south and west facing windows. Another couple weeks at least.

Then I plan to go back to Beaver for another chiropractor appointment, hopefully firing pots and just Being There! for 2-3 weeks then back here. Lots happening in R's business life and support is needed. Guess I had better see if I can sort out the freezer situation!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Oct 22 - 05:15 PM

Dorothy, I thought about all of the repairs and restoration work that R does around your houses as I worked on my grill. Keeping it in service means I'm not encouraging the BBQ grill makers to build any new ones on my account. It isn't pretty but it is well-designed, is cleaned up and ready to go. I'm doing a couple of upgrades - I'll put new castors on one side because the original ones are old and clunky. They're inexpensive at Lowe's. Meanwhile, I'm thinking that over the weekend I might spatchcock a chicken. I need to draw down the freezer contents also and there are two or three chickens buried in there.

On the COVID masking I've been wearing them in public all along. But lately if I'm talking to a small child I've got the trick of kind of holding my breath, popping my mask down and offering a big smile so they can see who I am before I put it back in place. This done from several feet away, of course, but it makes a world of difference to what a child understands about me.

I'm thinking about buying a leg of lamb (Costco has some nice sized ones). I always disassemble it by muscle pieces and freeze them in portion sizes. I've never thought of what to do with the bone itself, maybe I'll do some research on that. Anyway, the lamb can go into the freezer after a chicken comes out of. I realized I hadn't made some of my favorite lamb recipes for a long time. There is one that is seasoned lamb pieces, spinach, and pine nuts, served over rice with yogurt on top. The pine nuts cost the most of any ingredient, but they do freeze and I can buy them in bulk so get as much or as little as I want.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Oct 22 - 12:24 PM

My morning weigh-in finally landed in the 150.1 to 150.9 range - I am there! No quibbling about tenths of a pound. I am now officially in the maintenance side of things - 1200 calories a day and occasional alternate day fasting for general health purposes. I'm thinking one day a week to start with and see if that's enough. As I recall from before, my ideal weight was about 148, so if I end up there it will happen very gradually. No more steady alternate fasting. This represents about six months of work. I will continue to go to the gym and do exercises (Essentrics and Hinge Health) at home. Essentrics in particular is helpful - I used to feel like I had a stiff neck when I was driving and looked over my right shoulder for any maneuvers and wondered if I was looking far enough. It's not uncomfortable any more. And balance improves with those exercises.

I mentioned before the old swim suit that is the right size but still a little snug on the shoulders. I'm thinking maybe someone's observation about the elastic is correct and it just isn't as stretchy as before. The other suit I have (that still has tags) is too big, so I will be replacing the size 12 with a new size 12.

I moved the sewing cabinet into the sun room, next stop outside into the SUV. That will go as a donation, I'm not trying to sell something so big and heavy. I've worked on new eBay listings for smaller electronic items here at the house and will spend the next month in a no-spend way so that if something sells on eBay I have wiggle room and that can go toward new purchases (I have a couple of fabric pieces I would like and the grill castors mentioned earlier), but try to otherwise restrain spending to essentials like food and gas. Oct. 15 - Nov. 15 target period.

I do miss the weather in the Northwest - getting out the flannel shirts already, lightweight jackets. We're still in t-shirt weather here except for the earliest pre-dawn period when it's a little nippy.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 11:08 AM

Congratulations on reaching your goal, SRS!!! Well done!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 11:37 AM

Thank you, Patty!

I've learned that this week Lilyfestre may be in the vicinity, relatively speaking. Just a few hours away on vacation. Fingers crossed we can work out a time to meet, either where she is or somewhere in the middle. You know those explanations we all have made to friends or family about the person you've known for 20 years on Mudcat but never actually met? I was talking to my ex about maybe feeding the dogs one evening if I know I'll get home really late, and there was that explanation.

This week I gained a new old side job: I will be resuming cat sitting for a friend later this year. For a while she had a former vet tech doing the job because one of the cats has started needing an injection every 3 days. I've done injections and IVs but not very often, but since that other cat sitter finally became too bizarre to work with I have the job again, with a little training from her. Whatever! It means I can put my fence repair back on the calendar (I decided a while back to use the proceeds from this work to replace the fence around the yard and I have about four panels left.)

I found the casters for the barbecue grill and will make the swap this morning. By the time I got home yesterday the mosquitoes were out and there are few jobs that get done outdoors at that time of day.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 01:00 PM

Dupont:

Finished the 7 volumes of the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer; cried, still feeling sad, dysfunctional. Trying to get inclination to go for a few groceries...

New underwear/socks arrived; all fit nicely; R was hard to convince they were really cotton but agreed that they were so labelled and Jockey would not do that erroneously! He is happy and will be throwing out any old ones that are falling off! We agreed that the cotton blend socks are not as nice as the ones in my drawer; I could not find any but will try again. Maybe even try LL BEAN???!!!

Weather is holding above freezing and beautiful! Wood stove and cooking still heating house adequately. New batch of wood arriving next week; hope I can hire someone to stack on Deck. It is the 5 steps that make it too much for me.

This morning a squirrel was treating itself to the ripe kernels on the buckwheat! I will go see if it left me any to try out - see if I can de-hull some. ...Then groceries...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 04:23 PM

Dupont:

Went out and did some garden clearing up, then to groceries: I have not been amused by the meme seen on FB about grocery stores re-arranging things when we figure out where things are. Someone actually took issue with my comment that it is "contemptible." Well, I could not find black pepper. Not in the aisles marked spices, and just try to find an employee! Finally interrupted one putting together a display - where chocolates used to be. "Aisle 4". I went off in search of aisle 4 where the spices were placed from waist to floor level. I cannot easily see floor level labels but a lovely young woman stooped to the occasion - I would have needed a hand up. And found what I wanted. Thanked her profusely and checked out, then told an employee (male and on the upward scale) what I thought of this contemptible foolishness. Getting tired from looking and no place to sit - NONE! ... And came home eating mini muffins which I had put in the cart when I realized it would be a lengthy process and I would NEED something to get me home. Tried to find a way to express my fury to the corporation but none available. So I wrote it out and put it aside for Monday.

NO matches for starting wood stove; grocery store man said they are a "summer" product??? Hardware store tried to sell me a plastic/metal thing... Found it quite peculiar that I wanted matches! instead of the waste of materials that I knew would not serve well, and take up twice the space on the mantle.

After fighting to find a way to communicate -have to wait til monday to phone, I eased my pain by going through emails, even thinking to unsub from a couple. While eating a chunk of cheese and more mini's. Just about ready to make a decent meal! Hoping for a CD launch event in the country tonight -with mask!

It can be really nice to meet these online folks in real life. we have met a few, mudcat and/or FB. I worked hard just to get to say hello to one in PA! That was all I had time for! It was worth it. There are quite a few I would love to meet... I hope you report on how Lily is doing, SRS!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 09:08 PM

I will report in general if we're able to meet. More specifics via messenger. I like those piezo-electric wands for fire starting (the sticks you mentioned) but I get them at the dollar store for next to nothing each. They're supposed to be refillable but I've never managed to do that. I did find matches in the grocery store earlier this year in the seasonal housewares aisle.

Here at the house I finished a few projects. The grill is in good working order, the wheels were easy to install. I had help loading the sewing cabinet into the SUV and one of the guys at Goodwill helped me unload it. Oh, and I found a lovely heavy ceramic pie pan for my ex that I delivered today (along with some of the produce mentioned below) - we have this issue in the family of pie plates disappearing, most of them vanishing into our daughter's house and never returning. He had some nice ceramic pie pans and over time they've been broken or disappeared. I love shopping at Goodwill.

I went to my discount gourmet warehouse store and found lots of good produce - came home with Envy apples (bagged for Costco but at about 1/3 the price), pineapples, sweet potatoes, lots of small avocados, a beautiful cabbage, onions, and I'm probably forgetting stuff.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Oct 22 - 10:33 AM

The gentle scent of wet dog wafts up from the three happy faces awaiting a share of my apple this morning. It rained overnight, something we haven't seen in over two weeks. It won't be enough moisture for parts of the garden the sprinkler doesn't hit adequately, so I'll go out later and drag a hose to water the sweet potatoes and the peppers. It will be a help with a couple of plants I've been watering this week to soften soil so I can transplant them out of the yard into pots.

There will be some cooking today, to use things I've thawed and to create a dish I've run out of. I usually make a batch of beans every few weeks, storing it in single-serving jars that go in the freezer, but I haven't made beans in ages, it was just too hot to cook. I have some tomatoes and sauce and chunks of onion and such in the fridge that will all go into this. And the beef will come from a package of frozen steaks I picked up for my ex that he never ate so he brought back to me. They were too marbled for him, so I'll thaw a couple and grind them for the hamburger I usually add to the recipe. This will clear out enough containers so I can wipe down the refrigerator shelves.

I also need to draw down the okra supply by pickling it. I looked at a box of cucumbers at my favorite grocery warehouse yesterday but they were a little too soft to use for fresh pickles, so it's just okra this weekend. I've eaten a lot of my pickles this fall and am almost out of the first batch. I need to research it, but I think eating fresh pickles, like eating fresh sauerkraut, has a probiotic effect because of the way those pickles work. Not the same as cooked pickles.

It's a day to start a new sewing project, and it's also a day to take a nap at some point.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 17 Oct 22 - 01:28 PM

Dupont:

I generally avoid gadgets; shall keep looking for matches! Seven left! I am doing pretty well at reviving yesterday's fire from mini coals.

Stove wood delivered this am, just as we are down to a few days supply. Big chunk de-cluttered from wallet. Finding someone to stack it on porch will be a further de-clutter.

] R spent all day yesterday in his library - sorted out four boxes for thrift shops and one for cousin! Took a whole bunch of cardboard to re-cycling! And he feels better for having gotten "things done".

Meanwhile, I spent the day, and recovering still, from a call that one of my dearest friends (73) not only has Parkinson's but also a fractured pelvis and stage 4 kidney cancer: watch it on Caring Bridge - not my happy place. I drowned my sorrow computering and reading a lousy novel and finally went to bed and pulled the covers over my head.

Did get up this am and moved car to make way for wood delivery, and finally had a good lunch. Next trick today: car to servicing and tire change-over - further de-cluttering of wallet. Good to have something which must be done or I might continue to wallow in the abyss.

We will then be ready for winter here. Beaver was ready when I left.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Oct 22 - 03:11 PM

Dorothy, I should mail you a box of matches, I had to buy a bundled set of three and that is a lifetime supply here.

The beans came out great and I emptied several fridge containers with things that went into the recipe. It's like making soup when you have veggies in the fridge that need using (see Mrrzy's post in the "long recipe" thread). Five servings are in jars in the freezer and several servings are left in a container in the fridge. I expect I'll be sending a container home with the ex one of these days—the recipe I've been modifying originally came from his mother. I did a much better job on the sofrito seasonings than usual because I prepared it ahead while the beans did the boil for two minutes then soak for an hour gig.

There was a bag of red beets in the fridge forever, but they were still in good shape and have now simmered for an hour to be soft enough to peel and dice. I keep a variety of fruits and vegetables in my diet, for general health but also for the fiber, and find in general that oranges are the best for keeping the gut regular. I've given up on oranges out of season and lately have gone back to a bowl of raisin bran and it does as well. Now, can I find some bran to add to the oatmeal when I make that for breakfast? I don't see why not. Or I could add ground flax, I have some of that here.

Trash goes out on Monday and I emptied the shredding bin contents this morning. I've been doing more shredding lately, not the kind of stuff that needs burning but it can't go to the curb intact. The files are looking better.

A friend made a remark today in an email that I found thought provoking - he said he's going to stop taking the New York Times back to bed to read in the morning, he's going to "follow my mother's dictum - no reading till work is done." I read all day, I start the day with a cuppa tea and email, then into social media and online newspapers. That would completely turn my day on its head but it seems like an interesting experiment at least.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Oct 22 - 05:10 PM

Dupont:

While waiting for car to be serviced, I walked up the street to a major drug store and bought MATCHES! Took 3 people to accomplish it: one I asked, one (customer)to translate and one to wave his arm -"Over here!" I bought 3 boxes! One and a spare for here and one as a spare for Beaver. I HAVE MATCHES!!!!

Spent about 1.5 hour this am looking for R's glasses, without which he cannot drive. Had them to get home last night but, in spite of our best efforts...!!! He used a pair of old ones, missing an arm. This is a prize-winning event - after 13 years of trying to get him to put them in the same safe place... "trying"...! ................

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Oct 22 - 10:31 AM

Good news about the matches, Dorothy! And yet, you are unmatched! (Gotta love the English language!)

The portable air conditioner season is over here in North Texas and I removed it from the window and rolled it to where I can give it a once-over (drain, if needed, dust out, if needed, etc.) before stowing. I'm waiting for a few stars to align before making the next move to install a new heat pump. Today in the yard I will be clearing the space where the tech indicated they would install a new system and get brush and tall grass out of the path of that area. Yesterday I took a hose to a few spots to soften them ahead of digging I want to do today, clearing soil from trees planted too deep, and transplanting a couple of things. I sprayed Bt and Spinosad on the garden yesterday to preserve the tomatoes that are finally gaining some size (green tomato relish this year? Maybe.) And to kill off the stink bugs that are overrunning the okra. If they're here when the first freeze hits then they'll overwinter in the mulch and soil and be pests earlier next year. I'm hoping to reduce their numbers now.

Steadily drawing down the freezer contents to use in meal preparation, after filling one of the door shelves with jars of beans. It would be smart to plan menus for the week; must work on the discipline to plan meals ahead. I have the ingredients for making more granola, but the last batch was way too sweet so I need to modify my recipe. Making a batch of that would be nice for fall breakfasts.

I started walking the dogs again yesterday, and need to keep it up, for their sake as much as mine. It reinforces to them who is in charge (and lately we've had a few discussions about that - looking at you, Pepper.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Oct 22 - 11:17 AM

I'm back from Ottawa.

The high-school reunion was fun, but unexpectedly tiring. Who knew that standing around nattering for hours would wear me out worse than a 10-km walk? Also, the unfamiliar bed took its toll: my Fitbit says I went short on REM sleep and deep sleep for most of the time I was away.

The drive home was tough because of foul weather: rain varying from thorough to vicious all the way from Brother Andrew's front door in the south end of Ottawa to Peterborough in Hastings County on Highway 7. Visibility was so poor that the SATNAV in the car didn't switch to daytime display until about 1100 hr. Fortunately, the other Monday-morning drivers on Highway 7 were as determined as I was to survive the experience. Nobody tail-gated, lane-hopped or otherwise demonstrated the characteristics of an arsehole behind the wheel. Signalling was notable for its frequency.

The 407 was nearly empty, so I set the cruise control and legged it around Toronto at 120 kph. I was back in Stratford by 1430 hr, and home by 1500 hr after visits to the vet's (for cat food) and Sobey's, for milk and fruit.

The foul weather caught up with me again in Stratford on Monday afternoon, and it rained slush hard and steadily all yesterday. Summer is truly gonzo, and autumn is apparently braced for exit, stage out.

Over twelve days of free-range eating, too much booze and no exercise worth mentioning, I put on two pounds that will almost certainly be gone by the weekend. I'm back at the Y for pool class four days this week, and four days next week.

Quite by accident, I have identified a brand of pants that fits better than LL Bean's so-called "favourite fit": Not Your Daughter's Jeans, or NYJD, which are designed for the somewhat hippier form of your typical middle-aged woman. They're expensive when purchased at shops specializing in nifty ladies' wear, but also available at deep discount on EBay.

The cats are delighted to see me again, and the house is okay. The cat visitor did a good job -- what a relief.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Oct 22 - 12:09 AM

Sounds like an eventful week in Ottawa. Did you enjoy meeting up with old friends and were there many there that you've stayed in touch with over the years?

It looks like the meeting in Oklahoma won't be able to happen, the time flew too quickly and I have a commitment tomorrow that doesn't allow a last minute last day visit. BUT - good news today - my son and his partner will be home for Thanksgiving next month, flying in on the day. They have a wedding to attend on the weekend and we'll probably do our big meal on Friday. SO exciting! I have five weeks to clean the house. That ought to be enough time. Get the table set up and the den ready ahead of time so we can concentrate on cooking; have the guest room dusted and ready (it is in pretty good shape now since I resist putting things in there for general storage). Will I manage to get the the yard tidies also? Will there be a new heat pump by then? Ducks to line up.

It is almost three years since I've seen this young man. Hugged him. Damn COVID. Tissue alert at the airport. In the time that has passed these two bought a house and they're doing a lot more adventurous cooking, so I fully expect to have his help in the kitchen this year. We're going to spatchcock the turkey (I did it last year and it was simply the best turkey I've ever cooked.) I'm looking forward to greater kid participation all around and will have to make sure there is enough counter space.

No delicate cat episodes at this house, we're all about dogs. Today I rearranged some pieces of furniture after deciding that the elderly Labrador retriever needs some accommodations. He's a dark chocolate guy who gets tripped over in a couple of narrow areas where the remedy is moving furniture. In addition to his moving around the house, I've decided to change the walk. Last spring I started walking him separately from the other two because he can't easily keep up. Yesterday when I walked him alone the girls wanted to go also, and when I brought him home and got them ready to go, he wanted to go with them. He wants to be with the pack. Today in another accommodation I took them all out on his little walk then came back to the house to let him in and continued on with the girls. They all seemed happier with that. They'll get smart to this move in the next walk or two, so there will probably be treats at the door to get him through it before we continue.

I put a Beto for Texas sign in the yard today after it arrived in the mail.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Oct 22 - 01:49 PM

First true snowfall of the season today in Stratford. It didn't stay down, as we say here, but the next one will, or the one after that. The waterproof boots and down-filled coat are back in the hall closet, and I know where my tuque, ear-muffs and serious mitts are.

A thorough search of the box-room turned up a forgotten pair of flannel-lined jeans that fits -- size 10. I must have loved that style when Eddie Bauer introduced it back in the day, because I also found two pairs in size 8. My winter wardrobe is now complete.

I'm booked in for my bivalent Omicron shot today at supper-time, then off to choir practice -- we're wanted for a funeral on Saturday.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Oct 22 - 07:18 PM

Finding those old favorite jeans is a treasure! When you really like them you end up keeping them even if they don't fit for a decade or more.

Down here I can't match your cold preparations - but last night I did put a wool blanket over the thermal blanket on my bed. This week I'd been using a little lap quilt over my legs but that wasn't going to be enough. And I have a long-sleeved Eddie Bauer chambray shirt in the SUV in case it cools when I'm out. In the house I haven't moved the big heat pump thermostat controller from cool to heat yet.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Oct 22 - 10:46 AM

Now comes a prolonged period of picking up around the house. The goal is to not lose things but put them in the most logical place possible if they don't already have someplace where they truly belong. It would also help to finish a few more projects so I can put away the tools or boxes of materials (such as running the last of the wiring in the attic to the sewing studio and my bedroom.) And papers must be filed or the information noted in the general information spiral notebook in the kitchen and then recycled or shredded.

Dorothy, did R find his glasses? Are you moving potted plants around to stay in over the winter? Is your kitchen all in order or are you still using the temporary stove, and will you be able to replace your beloved Jennair unit?

As we enter deep fall I imagine our wandering Patty Clink may be repositioning for the cold months while southern hemisphere lurkers are preparing for spring and summer pursuits. Don may be winterizing his pool and who knows what Steve does to his stone house in the remote part of the UK to get ready for winter. Here, I start clearing out my PVC greenhouse for a few plants I'll try to over-winter. Two years ago with the big power outage and deep cold that failed dramatically, but usually I can keep things going out there with the help of a heater plugged into a thermal cube (it only lets power through once it's down to 37^o). I'm not sure that I'll put any plants back there this year, I may try covering them in place with floating row cover (a sheet of gossamer fabric that helps insulate a few degrees - sometimes that's all that is needed here.) And I need to get the small heat pump replaced, so I'll work on that part of the yard beside the house to remove tall grass and tripping hazards so once the order is placed it's ready for the installation.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Oct 22 - 05:00 PM

Beautiful day today in Stratford, as if yesterday never happened. I guess this is Indian Summer.

The last carload of donations has gone to Goodwill, and my folding six-foot table is clear. No more accumulated stuff in the basement.

I think that’s about all the decluttering, at least until I start getting ready to sell up and move somewhere much smaller. Then the big issue will be books.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Oct 22 - 10:02 PM

The heat in the sunroom bay window this summer was really hard on houseplants when there was no air conditioning to cool the room. I just spent an hour trimming dead stalks and long strands of succulent leaves and poking them into dirt and/or water to see if they'll root in either place. The inspiration for this work was snagging a little Peperomia at Aldi. I've repotted it in a larger pot (from what it was stuffed into to send to the store with the root bundle about a 1/2 inch taller than the pot). It seems they're sometimes epiphytes so the soil I put it in may be all it ever needs for a long time. It was in a peat moss and now that's mixed in.

In the back yard I dug out and potted two lantanas and if they survive (they always do - they're tough plants) I'll plant them in the front as species (single) plants to grow and provide their natural shape and color (no trimming or putting them in a hedge). I also have a couple of small redbud trees to plant in the back of the back yard (beyond the fence, near the creek.) It's up into the 90s today and tomorrow but with cool mornings I'll be gardening and walking the dogs early. (The lantanas are plants springing up after a bed I had in the back yard years ago was cut down. The roots were still in place and it sends up plants every year. When I decide I want to transplant some I let a few sprigs grow for a while then dig them out with a chunk of the old woody root.) Some of these things I grow in the yard here Dorothy probably puts in pots at her house. My peppers are all in the ground, but I might see about putting one in a pot before the first frost and see if it will survive the winter. Or I could save myself the work and buy one at Home Depot for $4.99 and pot it.

It's Friday and the first time after six months of alternate day fasting when I had a snack splurge. I made guacamole and was doing some cooking that I sampled that wasn't added to MyFitnessPal. I'm slowly learning how to maintain a weight level and enjoy not always counting calories.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Oct 22 - 10:37 AM

We have a substantial rainstorm headed this direction, apparently the disorganized remnants of a Pacific hurricane that is crossing Mexico at the moment. We can use the rain, and this forecast results in my executive decision to not go do the digging I was planning this weekend. The soil is rock hard and needs watering to be workable, so waiting till after the storm becomes the new plan.

Instead of digging I'll take the trimmer out and work around the edge of the garden to remove tall grass around the peppers, and clear out the area where next week's digging will take place. I'll save the attic work for the rainy weather.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Oct 22 - 10:46 AM

Dupont:

Glasses were found! He put them down to empty the bucket of the de-humidifier... Someday he might get around to making the hose portion work and not need to empty the bucket. Someday, there might be another, very needed one, in the cellar. Someday...

The dear old Jennair was trashed and has been replaced with good quality loaner from Cousin Doug and Ann, who were our guests for a Thanksgiving dinner cooked on their stove! If I could do-over, I would call repair person for Jennair but I bowed to the concept of "he owns the house and has the right to decide". It had to be trashed after R took it apart to see if he could fix it... Too computerized for ordinary folks!

The wonderful fan and hose that took out hot air may yet see a new life if we ever get a space for kiln sorted out. Thinking in cellar, near back outside door, the 220 stove outlet, and area where the the air had traveled outside from stove... Is that complex enough?! Looking for convenience in moving pottery from area to area - not terrific but feasible.

On this gorgeous day, I repotted the Ficus benjamin and realized how large it has become. Sitting here in the den, looking at its absence, I realize I need it there because it greatly improves the view but a bit further from the window so it is not crowded. Negotiating for a small, high table for it. There are a couple available but R has to consent to allowing a plant on one. He failed to note that there is already a plant on one.... !!

The well nurtured but unblooming orchid (Phalenopsis) is now in same pot but new medium and in a cooler but sunny space which research indicates might encourage bloom. I don't even remember what colour it was!

While shopping for plant needs, I found a bag of soil especially for palm trees. The not very happy looking palm plant is repotted in this, with hopes that it will gain in health. We only have it because a few years ago I saw it on Kijiji with a heartfelt plea " I cannot take care of it, Someone please..." It was only a few blocks away so I went and fetched it and improved it considerably but not completely. Hope it responds to the new soil.

Also did laundry today and will re-make bed before we run off to music tonight. R is doing mysterious plumbing work in the cellar...

AND telling a friend my pottery space frustrations, she texted that her son, who has been learning building skills at a nearby school, recommended by a very dear mutual friend, could build me a shed in back yard; I asked that he phone me and we had a great chat and he will come and put firewood on deck - a major help! And we will consider the shed problem. The placement is major - not to block anything, not too much snow removal needed, ... Maybe rebuild back porch with shed at one end of it... Not much time left before snow falls...

Surprised Charmion has had snow! I consider her area the "banana belt" of Ontario.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Oct 22 - 05:17 PM

Stratford is a little north of the Banana Belt, Dorothy — we’re in the Peach Belt.

We get Lake Effect weather here: storm cells and squall lines that drift or blow across Lake Huron and Lake Erie. If a system rolls up Tornado Alley from the mid-western states, it can bring almost anything. Last week, Facebook dredged up a post I made in October 2018 with a photo of our deck covered with some five centimetres of hail and more coming down. Temporary snow before Hallowe’en is quite normal, and Remembrance Day is reliably cold and bitter.

Today, we’re having Indian Summer: bright blue sky, high of 22°C, no wind. And here I am in the house with the cats and the ‘Cat!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Oct 22 - 11:41 AM

Rain! It's a heavily overcast day and so far it's beneficial gentle soaking rain. When it starts out this way its more likely that even if it rains hard later more of it will soak in.

I've just found a fly in the Thanksgiving ointment for late November. A friend with three cats has me cat sitting for her again, now requiring three trips a day because of the various medications one cat needs. I think her time away will be Nov 20 to the 26 so I'll put our family Thanksgiving meal on the 27th so I don't have to interrupt our cooking and eating. If necessary, I'll negotiate so she knows why I need that entire Sunday open. We rarely end up doing Thanksgiving ON Thanksgiving, as we accommodate our own family travelers.

Trash pickup included a bunch of shredded files today. I keep finding old bill files that are no longer needed, plus I got rid of some more graduate school notebooks. I know, I know, I'll never use them again, but the ones from favorite classes hung around a while longer than the rest.

My elderly (both in late 80s) across-the-street neighbors apparently quietly went through their own COVID crisis earlier this month. I saw her daughter drive up several times, and one day I met her at the driveway to give her a bunch of okra for her mom, but she didn't mention the COVID. I had a call on Friday explaining that they were about over it now (they'd had the antiviral prescription that helped). I took over some still-hot fried okra and a bag of fresh okra to do whatever else with they might enjoy.

Some months ago Charmion mentioned that she thought the whole fat milk helped squash a desire for more sugar in her diet. I gave that a try and while whole milk tastes good, I have decided to cut the extra calories and go back to 2% for now. For me, I find that simply adding sugar into my diet quickly triggers the sugar habit. This last week has had some desserts (Strawberry cake) and a Scotch in the evening, and those really do work against keeping to 1200 calories a day. My next cooking challenge is to look at my favorite recipes and make smaller versions. Next up - bread pudding half-size so it's only 3 servings, not six. And I think I need to build in a fasting day after I've had desserts on the menu for a few days.

And the heavy rain is here!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Oct 22 - 11:07 PM

Several cat sitting jobs have come up at the end of the year with one this week being sudden, after two deaths in the family with two funerals scheduled. We're sorting out the details and keys and such. I wish I could afford to just do this week's one for free as a favor, but it's a lot of gas to go there and back as often as she needs done. I have instead offered to make a batch of baked goods to send with her when she drives down to her mother's house.

I picked up a replacement switch for the master bathroom light - I've changed out two switches around the house this year. It's easier than changing fixtures and so far this has been the $3 repair that fixed the lights. I was at Lowe's and I also found smaller buckets with fitted lids and I'll swap out the 5-gallon kitchen waste bucket beside the kitchen door for one of these. Last week I set up a 4-gallon bucket and the new one is two gallons. I'll be emptying them more often into the compost pile out back but the job will be much easier.

Job this week: finish scraping the adhesive remnants off of the hall bathroom floor so if I bring in either a large piece of Linoleum or vinyl tiles I can put them down right away. And going a bit blind phone shopping. The old LG is about to give up the ghost.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Oct 22 - 10:03 PM

Gah! Computer stuff today. I decided to backup some of my data to the cloud, but it isn't as easy as it would seem. I thought to use One Drive, but now I have to do research - if the One Drive lives on my C: drive and in the cloud, my C: drive doesn't have room for the Terabyte of stuff I want to move. And I set up the space while I still had a personal 100 Gig thing going and now have both. I'll call Microsoft tomorrow and sort it out.

This is because I've realized that a new phone is going to be without the SD card storage I've always had until this point. The Samsung phone that has the card is in the mid-range design-wise and missing the wireless charging I like and a couple of other things. I've found the last version of the phone I like (that phone's price dropped once this year's version came out.) I'm going to be storing more stuff in the cloud. It's a pain in the backside.

I thought there was a way to completely back up a computer, including the operating system, to the cloud, but I haven't found it yet. Also, I fear this is leading up to eventually upgrading to Windows 11.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Oct 22 - 03:40 AM

I may have to scrap my car (ancient Ford Fiesta) if it fails its MOT in two weeks'time. This will leave my garage blissfully empty, which is how I like it. There are two high shelves in there with plastic crates of small tools, and the gardening tools are hung on nails along one wall. But husband says that if he comes back to live with me, he'll put lots of his stuff (including furniture he bought for his flat!) in there. I'm having to bite my tongue - I just hate clutter!
Could I perhaps hang him up on a nail on the wall when he's not 'in use' :)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Oct 22 - 10:58 AM

"Love me, love my stuff" doesn't ring quite a true as "love me, love my dog." or cat. Why bring stuff if he's moving back to a furnished house? Is this so he can leave again? Point out the problems and see how he responds. Maybe it's easier to have him decide now if he's really coming back to stay?

My to-do list leading up to a big family Thanksgiving has now reached the bottom of the page. I've crossed off a few completed tasks, but I'm going to have to flip the sheet before I am finished with preparations. And something that just occurred to me: I need to empty a spot in the upright freezer so if I find a good turkey ahead of time I can keep it frozen.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Oct 22 - 02:38 AM

Ah that's the thing about large turkeys and keeping them cool/frozen Stilly. Very few people would have such a big, free space in their fridge or freezer to accommodate one.
I agree about getting husband's attachment to his furniture sorted out before he arrives. Actually, when the oilmen come here to deliver heating oil, they have to pass their tanker pipe through my garage and go out through its back door to reach the oil tank. And every single time, one says I have the tidiest garage in Norfolk!
I reckon I'll persuade husband to sell his spare furniture before coming back to live here. His landlord might buy it from him to improve the bedsit flat he'll be leaving. Our bungalow is extremely well-furnished, and needs no 'additions'!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Oct 22 - 01:36 PM

Even though it the process is a lot more automated, changing phones is still a pain in the ass. I used a cable to transfer most apps but I'm comparing new and old phone screens and logging in one at a time or downloading and setting up. And it moved about 2,000 photos I meant to not load into the new camera. I've just removed them, they are backed up in several ways. The old SD card will go into an adapter and can be used in a card reader slot. I have to poke around and see if my audio books make the move. A few photos were moved into a family keepers album. Much of what must be done is to turn off wasteful features and delete the games and stickers and other such bloatware.

I'm cat sitting through the weekend. I'll go give medication at midday then head to the gym, so it isn't a one-off trip. I put off buying a new swimsuit to use at the gym, realizing I'll probably get enough points at Amazon from the phone to pay for a new suit next month. (It cost a lot less than the newest release; this is a 2-year-old model, purchased new and will be supported for quite a while. Samsung this time, since LG stopped making phones 2 years ago.)

Rain today, and prepping for a family visit: I'm working on removing the last of the adhesive on the hall bathroom floor so I can put down vinyl tiles or a sheet of Linoleum. Good work for a stormy day.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 22 - 12:12 AM

The process of setting up a new phone can kill a weekend, or other two-day span of time. I've about reached the end of the apps, but am still moving photos out of the new phone that moved from the old. So many shots of my beloved Cinnamon and Poppy, so a few going into a "keep" album, the rest are backed up in the computer and don't need to be in the phone.

So it seems that the weekend leading up to Halloween has a lot of good non-English concerts on PBS (various approaches to the Day of the Dead). I've had them on this evening, not understanding the words but enjoying the performances. This is something that has come more to the forefront in the last decade or so - non-English concerts on American TV. It's about damned time. We missed so much without it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Oct 22 - 08:53 PM

Dupont:

Starting to recover from two unrelated sudden deaths last weekend.

I was planning to leave for Beaver on Weds and had appointments/visits arranged - now cancelled until further notice due to need to stick around for funeral and, hopefully, a Celebration of the Life of. Still not ready to cope. Grieving loses and also the missed visit with special friend. Had a good visit last Sunday with hospitalized very special friend; hope for another visit soon. I am still reeling.

I did manage to find COTTON turtlenecks for R as his have basically disintegrated and winter is here. Time on internet only netted one company with such and only one of their local chain of stores had them in stock! So, today I had a pleasant trip up the St. Lawrence and managed, with a stop for help, to find the store - wrong street number listed on Internet!! Lovely clerk helped me find the shirts and I bought two. Then with a what else can I do while I am here idea, I saw a bulk food store and found candied ginger and choc to replenish this supply. Got back in car to head north/homeward, I thought: having driven 35 minutes to get here, it is a good idea to get two more shirts. So I did; prob a life time supply! It was a huge spread out mall but nothing else of interest to me.

Returned a pile of books to library and came home with equal pile!

Keeping wood stove going after a couple warmish days. It is catching up after a couple down-to-freezing nights.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 22 - 11:05 PM

Dorothy, the reason I'm cat-sitting this week is because a friend (who contacted me about sitting over the holidays coming up) had two unexpected deaths in her family. Cousins passed away within a day of each other and I was able to step in so she can go support her mother and family for a couple of days.

Malls are strange depressing places these days. I visited a department store in one recently and it was its usual well-stocked self, but I think if I'd moved beyond Dillard's into the mall I'd have found a lunar landscape of empty storefronts.

As to your cotton shirts, I have plenty of outerwear and long-sleeved shirts, but I'm planning to visit a thrift store soon to look for more 3/4 length sleeved cotton knit shirts in my size. The "fast fashion" aspect of the shirts I found recently is depressing; they are made quickly of light-weight fabric, sewed on sergers and won't have long lives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dupont:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dupont:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hear a truck outside.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It never ends!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A mask helps, but not enough.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dupont:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Nov 22 - 12:37 PM

In Ontario, patty, the most reliable way to find a well-maintained swimming pool is to look for a branch of the YW/YMCA. The Y is non-profit and family-oriented, so the facilities tend to be more durable than luxurious, but every Y I’ve ever been in was/is inclusive, welcoming, and all about fitness for everyone, at every age and ability level. Also, comparatively inexpensive, especially for seniors.

I’m an awkward swimmer, although I won’t drown unless hit on the head before immersion, so I prefer water aerobics (aquafit) to swimming lengths. It’s a great way to put all my limbs through their full range of motion with light to moderate resistance, and I usually get out of the pool with my wonky body parts feeling better than they did when I went in.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 22 - 10:10 PM

In the 1990s when I was on the park board (for six years) we fought to keep pools open, especially in the underserved neighborhoods. Today all but one of those pools aren't just closed, they're bulldozed away. Heartbreaking.

I have to look into what classes will be offered. To start, I'll just swim a few laps.

Waiting on the return of my son and his partner from a wedding reception they came down for (a bit of a reunion with high school friends also). I'm headed to bed once the turkey is in the brine, and expect a full day of activity tomorrow. The ex came over today and we made pie crust for the two pies he'll bake tomorrow morning to bring over for our dinner. I made the first one, showing how, then he made the second one, getting his hands on the dough to see how it feels just as it comes together. He took home two waxed paper parcels to roll out.

Cat sitting is finished for now, it was nice to earn the cash. I am usually pretty good at making any particular trip out add up to several stops to make the gas used go farther, but not always this week with coming home to do stuff with family. I was last to the gym on Tuesday. I need to do my exercises at home for now, in the mornings once I'm up and before I'm busy or too tired later on.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 22 - 10:55 AM

I have a jar of a non-name-brand Nutella knockoff that is so good - and addictive. Must do more laps to account to burn off those calories - a spoon and the jar are a dangerous combination.

Today's cooking will be with the intent of making enough but not extra of several things. The turkey is what it is, but I don't need to make so many potatoes (mashed or sweet) that I have leftovers. I prefer to have extra roasted vegetables, and they're what usually disappear quickly. I don't want to have all of these high-calorie things here at the house to eat my way through (though I hope to send some home with people) for the next week. I would like to have extra gravy because I love open face hot turkey sandwiches. The dinner rolls always disappear quickly and they're not the right size or contour for the gravy-covered sandwiches. My son adores those sandwiches so tomorrow I'll make a loaf of bread and we can use it for the sandwiches for the next couple of days until they head home.

We finally have sunshine today. What a relief. I was feeling the SAD effect from the heavy cloud cover all last week. (I wonder how WYSIWYG is doing? Susan used to suffer from SAD and had lights around her house as a remedy.)

A decluttering note: While here, my son is being asked by both parents about things in closets and the garage, etc., that he wants to keep or not. I have some things (from my dad - ceramic mugs) to mail to them; my sister gave them a couple and they'd like more and I ended up with the rest from the estate. Good. Meanwhile, some of his own stuff from living here will also be shipped - books, games, etc.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 22 - 10:21 PM

The very short version: everything else was ready for dinner before the turkey was out, and if I'd turned it around once it would have been ready on time. One side was more done than the other. But the food was good, we had an amazing number of tall adults fit into the kitchen simultaneously, making various dishes.

Dishwasher is running and the whole carcass is in the fridge cooling. Tomorrow is soon enough to slice the meat off; I didn't want it out any longer.

It was great to be putting stuff away and listening to the kids at the table talking and laughing. It's what you hope for - kids who are great adults who all like each other.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 28 Nov 22 - 02:28 AM

Our Village Hall has just started a book-lending service, and are asking for donations of unwanted books. I'm so pleased about this, and today I'll have a bit of a sort-out of unwanted books from my large bookcase. I can stroll down to the hall this morning carrying a big bin-bag of them, and enjoy the space it will create in my sitting room.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 22 - 10:54 AM

Nice, Senoufou! We should all send you books to contribute to the village collection. Happily, after this visit I have a stack of books my son pulled out of his dad's garage and the shelves here that I'll be mailing to him after they return home. I'll also mail a box of the Sam Scott mugs and a couple of his fancy bowls that my father collected. My sister also had some of this wonderful pottery and gave these two a pair they really like. I showed them some of what I have here and they picked the ones they want, allowing me to finally do what I planned, share them in the family. I ended up with most of them from administering the estate and having to pack up everything to clear the house.

It is no surprise that this week has seen me put on a couple of pounds so I'll do a few days of alternate day fasting to keep myself in my five pound range. Easy enough today since the kids are over at their dad's overnight, trading off between houses. (And while he's there, my son has to reset his dad's router because the password was lost. . . it begins.) They'll be back for open face turkey sandwiches, so the fasting will probably have to begin on Thursday, after they leave. I also love those sandwiches. The rest of the day I'll keep it to the fruit and vegetables around here.

In December I can resume my volunteer activities that were largely ignored in the preparation for the heat pump installation (almost finished) and this visit. The heat pump still needs a cosmetic addition, a metal case over the lines running up the wall, and a new heat pump thermostat. My nextdoor neighbor has solved that shopping problem by offering a briefly used thermostat she has on her hands. They had a unit installed that failed after a couple of years and was replaced last year. The thermostat they bought for the first unit was replaced by one that came with the newer unit, and she didn't want to toss it because she paid several hundred for it. She wants to see it used so will send it over here. I will add another panel of my fence between our yards into the "paid" column because she won't let me buy the thermostat. I have about five panels left, two of them I was planning to put up by the end of the year, now I'll finance the third myself above the cat-sitting cash, and put it up also. It has been slow, putting up this fence, but it beats the alternative of never doing it because the total cash output was more than I wanted to afford at once. Once I have all of the lumber and screws here it takes a couple of hours to put up a panel.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Nov 22 - 11:44 AM

A tiny, perfect editorial job landed yesterday, with a tight deadline that will keep my procrastination tendencies in check.

The money will be nice, too. The rehabbed wing-back chair is almost ready at the upholsterer’s shop and it will, indeed, not be cheap.

Other than that, nothing is new in this corner of Gloccamorra.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 22 - 11:21 AM

Today is a fasting day, to start counteracting the four pounds of Thanksgiving weight. Under normal circumstances it would be easier, but with family in town there is less opportunity to visit the gym, so I've had to watch for opportunities. I'm waiting for confirmation that they're headed to museums today before I head out to do my museum volunteering then to the gym.

Yesterday was a trip through various places we shop, so they have an idea of what is available for motivation to see if there are any shops like these near them. We went to the high-end nuts and candy shop, we went to Town Talk (lots of unusual cans of kombucha, yogurt products, restaurant sizes of iced tea bags, etc. for them to consume now or ship home.) The produce warehouse was open and they saw both of us make a bee-line to see what goodies were there; I didn't need much and still have stuff in the freezer, but there were several things that will be on the menu at their dad's house this week. I really need to learn how to use the tropical fruits, they had some beautiful papaya there. The Halal market was also of interest, and when we went to dinner later at a Lebanese restaurant and they were considering the spice levels on their lamb and chicken, I pointed out that the packages of spices I'd been showing them were what were used on the meat or in the rice. An ah ha! moment occurred. While in that market they mostly shopped the for boxes of loose tea. Of course, since they bought their own this year that takes that option off of my gift-giving list for them. :)

I'm going to put up some holiday lights this week and I notice they aren't up yet next door; I'll ask if they need help. He usually puts the same "Merry Christmas, Y'all!" light display up on his fence the day after Thanksgiving.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Nov 22 - 03:32 PM

Question for the group: How long does an opened jar of Hellman's mayonnaise remain trustworthy? It lives in the back corner of the refrigerator, whence it has hardly moved since Edmund died.

The use-by date is ... um ... 10 November 2020. Oh, dear.

However, it shows no sign of degradation: it smells as it should, it's still fully emulsified, and I saw nothing untoward in the jar once I had identified certain dark flecks as thyme leaves, consistent with my only use for mayonnaise, in chicken salad.

As for Christmas lights: phooey. This year I decline to play along; my neighbours have already filled their yards with enough illuminated gimcrackery to drain half the turbine output from Niagara Falls. My house stands out as a black hole in the evening streetscape.

But I'm not a total Scrooge: I've made two batches (three loaves each) of fruitcake and will probably crank out a third -- the oven ran a bit hot for the first batch and it came out a bit dark. Liberal application of rum solves most of that problem, but it's still not what I'd call prezzie quality. I'll eat it myself, slice by slice over months and months. Nothing like fruiitcake with a large cup of tea.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 22 - 08:14 PM

Your fruitcake sounds wonderful!

The lights in my yard are a pop of light in one corner of the yard, I don't put them on the house or windows, etc. I have a wreath on the front door. I grew up in a house that looked like a gingerbread house with a steamed-shingle roof meant to look like a thick thatch, so we always put lights along the roofline to fit the look. That was plenty of holiday lighting for a lifetime (my brother and I took turns up the ladder to install the lights.)

I had to look at the age of the mayo in my fridge to give you an educated guess—my jar sell-by date was during the summer 2022, and I'll keep using it until it's gone. If you're not sure, toss it, mayonnaise won't break the bank if you buy a new jar.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Nov 22 - 10:36 PM

I've located my Julkaka recipe (in a cookbook - pages from a letter held near the front with a paperclip, just not in a logical place in the right category) and though the ingredients are a bit different than the bag of dried fruit I picked up, I'll use this and see how it works out. In the past I've bought small containers of citron and such and used a small amount and the rest got tossed after it was older than Charmion's mayonnaise. (I scanned the recipe to be sure I have a copy now.)

I have cranberry bars in the freezer; I'll make the julkaka in small pans, and then deliver a plate with some bars and a small loaf to the folks I usually share holiday treats with.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Nov 22 - 11:00 AM

I have to go buy a bag of frozen peas because I'm making a batch of turkey pot pie filling for lunch today (and turkey or chicken pot pie must have peas or it isn't the perfect recipe). That store has a good bulk section so I'll see if they have any of the candied fruit to purchase in really small amounts to add to my julekaka.

I have boiled potatoes that were leftover and not mashed at our Thanksgiving dinner so those will be diced and added at the last minute (otherwise they would cook to mush) to the pot pie. And I'll use our good wheat crackers for crumbling on top, not making another pie crust (of which there would be leftovers that I'd just end up eating later by myself.) A side batch of blueberry muffins will travel well, though, so they can take them along.

In addition to a comfort-food lunch, today is the day to pack boxes to ship, so I'll have the tape roller and a number of flat boxes for them to choose from. It's better to mail them from here and have them arrive easily in a few days than to fool with a checked bag at the airport. What I find amazing is that my two travellers arrived with one carryon bag apiece and didn't ask to have any laundry washed while they were here. I did offer.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: pattyClink
Date: 30 Nov 22 - 11:10 AM

Nix on using that mayo! I use the stuff so rarely, my small bottle had gone just a few months out of date. Seemed fine. Messed up my tummy for days, and wasted all the perfectly good food I had mixed it with.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Nov 22 - 02:32 PM

Dupont:

Mayo: bet it depends on the brand and the amount of preservative, and whether or not any already soiled implement was introduced at any time. I hate the stuff but R loves it and I solved problem of soiled implement (a concept beyond his ken) by purchasing the sort that is kept upside down and is squeezed out through the lid - easier if stored appropriately - upside down is right side up so the stuff sinks to the neck for evacuation!

We dashed away to Beaver on Thursday to give R a break from business. Found our little home in good shape, quickly started a good fire in our wonderful wood stove and had left overs from QC for supper. Reading and wandering about; R did all the thrift shops - more books! Open mike Cafe Friday night - terrific squash soup! I shall have to make some. Wandering/reading on Saturday, a large shopping at Harvest Moon, bulk food store where I have shopped since 1981; supper at The Curry House - so good we went back for lunch on Sunday and Monday!

Drove out Monday -way out! to a church that had been sold to check out what was still on offer, then drove a new back road, circumnavigating the vicinity of a large lake with lots of residences - for a very nowhere area. Emailed a nearby musician friend in case he might be interested in the beautiful, in good condition pump organ for his music room. (Just got an email that he is looking at it Thursday; "music plus exercise!")

Coming back on Tuesday we did a back road and found an interesting area with functioning waterpowered mill, a place to revisit in summer. R tended to business, visiting a business to which he had sold a machine and, yes, they would like another one! On this road we rarely travel, came across the factory of the cheese I like and I was able to by a large block and a couple small ones, and a bag of cheddar curds to nibble en route - all without calcium chloride!

Then we continued to the highway (401) and went on it until we saw a notice of a nine minute delay. We got off, found a better gas bar than usual and had mini pirogies, stopped at a thrift shop and then headed east on side roads to avoid the "delay". Two hours later, having toured a marvellous old mill town and wandered north instead of east, we finally returned to the 401; there was no longer a "delay"! And, at the next rest stop, I took over the driving so we would arrive home the same day!

Which we did. Car is unloaded house is mostly back in order, BF was routine, we brought in much needed stove wood to dry and I drove R to the office to get back into the morass. And came home to recover and catch up, with good fire in stove and lots of rain outside! The break did help R some.

Thawing chicken for a nice supper with lots of brussel sprouts, some zukes. onion, green pepper and spaghetti sauce - with rice.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Nov 22 - 03:29 PM

Reading about julekake reminded me of Jansson's Temptation, a supper dish of potatoes, onions, pickled herring and onions baked in cream. It's what you have if you're Norwegian and you're just back from the midnight service on Christmas Eve. You can't sleep anyway, with every church bell in town banging away, so you may as well eat!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 10:00 AM

It’s been two weeks! How are we all?

It’s sleeting in Stratford, and I’m recovering from COVID.

And … go!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 11:00 AM

Aw, Charmion, what rotten luck.
I'm so sorry you are ill with the coronavirus.
Take good care of yourself now.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 11:16 AM

I have another question about stability of preserved foods. Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimento, to be precise.

I found a jar of olives in the refrigerator. It seems to be still vacuum-sealed. The best-before date on the lid is ... May 2016.

We must have brought it with us from Ottawa in 2017. I think it has been in the fridge since the visit of my martini-loving sister-in-law in 2018. Deb is the only martini-fancier among the people for whom I make cocktails, and if it's still sealed she must have chosen another tipple.

Opinions, please. Should I pitch the olives, or might they be safely eaten? When I have regained my olfactory sense, of course.

Or maybe I should eat them now, while everything tastes of nothing?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 11:31 AM

Well, damn! I just searched FB to see you posted COVID test results last week - it doesn't show me posts from everyone, so this didn't scroll through my radar. Sorry for the belated Get Well Soon wishes! These days with RSV and Flu it's easy to imagine that there is something else going on. Did you get a dose of the antiviral medications? I hope you've had good company and therapy from the cats. Food delivered and people running errands for you?

Sinuses have been tender for over a week due to allergies (and it isn't just me, it's the rest of the local family with all of this rain and the resulting mold and fungus from the moist world). Or more likely, cedar fever (pollen from Central Texas drifting this direction).

Today is the "OMG everything has to go in the mail" realization day. But it's also the day before Pepper goes in for rather urgent surgery; a fatty mass on her tummy, first noticed last spring, has suddenly enlarged and become painful. I managed to get her in to the vet yesterday when I realized what had happened, and he agrees this can't wait until a regular dental cleaning procedure I had scheduled for next month. There's nothing like a huge vet bill at Xmas. (She's not eating as much but she is her old self in other ways; she just announced that the postal carrier is in the neighborhood.) She's on pain meds and antibiotics now and I had to convince Cookie that roughhousing isn't a good idea. They were in the back yard with me in the brisk air and Cookie took on that play posture ready to start dashing around with Pepper. We don't need a play injury.

I have a couple of the dog t-shirts (handed down from the kids and me) in the laundry; rather than wear the "Elizabethan collar" (listed on the estimate) I put a t-shirt over their head and front legs and tie a knot at the waist. It's much better for the dog and they seem to know to leave the wound alone. The cone of shame is a last resort. My favorite photo of a dog in a t-shirt is of my old pitbull Cinnamon in an "I Love NY" shirt.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 12:19 PM

Sealed and refrigerated they aren't close to the age of some of the Grecian urns of olives pulled from the bottom of the Adriatic. Are they something you would ordinarily use (if they weren't buried in some dark corner of the fridge)? I have olives in my fridge that only get tossed when the brine seems a little off, but otherwise were used and no harm done, and I'm sure they were well-past the sell-by date.

The general answer is that olives are cheap. Probably best to toss them.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 05:05 PM

Dupont:

Good to find out what I was doing a month ago--- Seems like a month but it really only was 15 days. Same old, same old. Realizing I am no longer enthusiastic about potting. Those I threw 6 weeks ago went to Beaver with us and came back again, still untrimmed. Not going to take them again - next week we are going for The holidays. I did re-wrap them to re-moisturize.... Informed Robin I will not be using the studio at the mill; we need to clear it out; he may have another use for the space. I can advertise the wheels and kilns for sale if I get down there and make note of the particulars. I will keep one each just in case. I just don't seem to care anymore; prefer to read books and connect with people on FB. We no longer watch TV at all.

All the pottery is in the Carriage House and getting sold piece by piece. I had a surprise phone call during our last trip back to QC; I entertained everyone in Tim Hortons's in Tweed,ON - I was so surprised I forgot to take it outside! My big bowl customers (the husband) had found my card in the bottom of a drawer and did I have more bowls?? If he had phoned before we left Beaver... So I will pick up a selection this trip and bring them to QC so they can choose more. "We like your bowls!" Maybe I could will them whatever remains when I am no longer. Maybe I need to make more so they can have more... This is an 8 year relationship - their kids are now 6 and 7. And we have only conversed a very few sentences a year. The phone call was amazing! Somehow they missed my booth at the CVAA event in August. I had been looking forward to seeing them there.

My musician friend did manage to get the lovely old pump organ and is thrilled to have it. The piano was too heavy.

Waiting for the snow! I bought an evergreen wreath and decorated it with blue and yellow fabric, some little white doves, a little red bird, and fabric sunflowers. I bought a wreath of lights for it but no outdoor outlet works, and no place to hang it out of the weather so I need to bring it in when the snow starts. That and six strands of very tiny white lights draped over the 4 foot Ficus in the front window, are my salute to the winter solstice, other folks can think what they will. The returning light, lengthening days is clearly the most important day of the year.

I dug a sweet potato plant in the late fall. It did not look great but I potted it and now it is looking good so I will repot it in a larger pot when the bucket of soil thaws. It will live in the upstairs south window 'til spring pops over the windowsill. And so on...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Dec 22 - 05:09 PM

Another thread was started this afternoon to share the news that Alice Flynn died last Saturday of a heart attack. She didn't participate much at Mudcat lately, she'd had a lot of health issues after falling and hitting her head, then cancer was diagnosed in the process of recovering from the first injury.

She was only 71.

This day just got several degrees chillier. :-(

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Dec 22 - 09:41 AM

Dorothy, you remind me that I have mugs to ship to the kids, they liked a pattern my sister gave them and I have more - these come from a potter in Seattle my father collected. Your discontinued potting and returning the Mill to another use doesn't surprise me, but I also won't be surprised if in warm weather you return to some of the pitting work again in your other locations.

All dog water picked up this morning (I forgot the back porch source, I hope Pepper did also). I'll feed the other two when I get back home in a few minutes. Dropoff for dental cleaning and mass removal this morning.

More baking last night and a batch of cookie dough ready for this morning. Lots needs to go in the mail and I still have to print my holiday letters. I didn't have any real compelling photos this year and that seems to have slowed me some since they're incorporated into the letter.

I was at the gym in the morning on Monday and that seems to be when the most women my age are there. I'm not a morning person, but it is something to consider shifting to get more out of the gym membership. Silver Sneakers pays for it, but I'd like to get a social aspect from the visits in addition to exercise and get more for their money.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Dec 22 - 11:16 AM

Charmion, how are you feeling? Are you able to get out of the house yet? Have you made any resolutions about what you'll do once you're back in circulation? Shopping, dining, or are you going to stay distant from every social environment for a while?

Keberoxu, I read your news about attorney success pending re: cash on one of your threads. (Is that a battle with Social Security disability or with the family, or both?) Anyway, good news! Will that change anything about where or how you're living these days?

Pepper returned from the vet last evening feeling surly and disoriented, I only got bit once trying to get her out of the SUV. A step stool beside the car finally helped and I lured her to eat with some fresh fried rice picked up on the way home. She had surgery (removing a mass between muscles and skin at her abdomen) and her teeth cleaned. Either one could upset a pooch, and the rice was to give her mouth a rest. She's much more her old self this morning.

Though the tornadoes that hit Fort Worth this week didn't touch down here, the house has the look of a whirlwind passing through. I shipped a box yesterday and have a couple more to go on Monday. Part of the mess is cookie-press paraphernalia after I finished the baking. I now have to fill and distribute gift bags. No surprise I've put on a couple of pounds so need to have a day or two dining on fruit and vegetables and take it off. I'm determined to stay put at this weight - I enjoy it too much to let pounds creep back on again.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Dec 22 - 11:46 AM

Thanks for asking, Stilly, but I remain confined to barracks. I'm not deathly ill any more, but I'm still coughing, sneezing and dripping at the nose, still not tasting food properly, and still testing positive. People keep telling me that rapid-reaction tests are not 100-percent reliable, and I have to keep reminding them that, whatever I've got, it's most likely COVID and still highly contagious (see cough, sneeze and drip, above).

What will I do when finally released from durance actually quite comfortable? Buy my own damn groceries. The delivery service is great, but I miss being able to spot the deal of the day (not on the website!) and choose oranges for myself. This week's delivery featured a buckshee package of chocolate chip cookies (I never buy chocolate chip cookies) and a nice note instead of the Bosc pears I ordered, which left me with mixed feelings -- both pitifully grateful and absurdly irritated.

I'm living on eggs, cocoa, oranges, flatbread, frozen veg and tinned fish -- sardines and sprats bought on special some months ago and now come into their own. I can't really taste oranges or chocolate, but sprats come through loud and clear. The freezer also features nigh onto a dozen chicken cutlets, but those have less appeal because they require real cookery.

I had planned to drive a carful of friends to London today for a concert, but that's obviously impossible; I would be a one-woman super-spreader event. (Four people in a VW Golf to London and back to Stratford, plus dinner and the concert -- ya think?) The church choir is soldiering through Advent without me, and I'm not at all sure I'll be fit for prime time, or at least not a hazard to public safety, by Christmas Eve. And then I'm supposed to go to Windsor -- three hours of Highway 401 each way -- for Christmas dinner ... Aw, crap.

On the other hand, I'm not intubated or dead. Gotta look on the bright side.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Dec 22 - 12:43 PM

Stilly, it's the family thing, not Social Security.
The consequence is not having to move, so soon,
from the program I'm in and the residence where I sleep.
It gives me more breathing room while I figure out what's next.

Poor Pepper. I recall you saying that she "snaps" at the vet's,
and to add insult to injury, she gets her snappers cleaned.
Hope that mass turns out to be benign.

Charmion, I noticed you saying that the cats are pleased to have
more time in your lap. You're turning into a cat lady . . .

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Dec 22 - 02:36 PM

I’ve always been a cat lady, Keb. Quite sane, of course.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Dec 22 - 10:00 AM

I just tested negative! So I'm out of house arrest.

Smell and taste are still wonky, but there's hope: I caught a genuine whiff of coffee this morning. And no signs of bronchitis, which is a major win.

When I have eaten the last orange, I'll be off to the supermarket.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Dec 22 - 10:41 AM

Excellent news!

I will begin packing and distributing my holiday goodie bags today, and I must corral the wrapping paper and other materials spread out on the kitchen table. Holiday letters go in the mail late but postmarked well before xmas. Two more boxes need to be closed up and put in the mail (Priority boxes) tomorrow.

It is time to swap out the strings of lights on the ornamental branch I have standing in a large terracotta pot full of gravel. It is a crapemyrtle limb I was going to cut up and put in the trash (a dozen years ago or more it fell over the back fence when next door pruned their plants) but I stopped and realized it was actually a lovely shaped limb. I have strings of lights on it and it stands by the back door and I turn it on every morning as a light source in the house, turning it off at bedtime. I'm sure people new to the house must wonder about it, but I like it. One of the strings has quite a few bulbs burned out over the years so it's time to redo the LED lights. I also have a string of the little incandescent bulbs to put on because those have enough power to run the little motors that turn and you can do three motors per string. Hang an ornament on each motor and they turn slowly in place in a mesmerising way. Of course those were purchased for use on xmas trees, but I haven't had a tree in quite a few years now, so I put ornaments and other decorations on this limb. It looks festive, if odd.

We're still working out what day the family will gather for a meal and gift exchange but it will be Saturday or Sunday. I have a five-day cat sitting gig coming up over the weekend, but for this holiday (unlike Thanksgiving) the main dish of the meal is often made by my ex and our daughter (it's a Puerto Rican rice and peas dish his mother made). So they can cook while I make a cat run and come home to dinner and hope they don't burn the bottom of a good pan (again). We manage to illustrate why the adage of "too many cooks" is based upon real-life conditions.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Dec 22 - 09:56 AM

Pepper gets her bandage off today and I'll have them give her the Cone of Shame after all - the incision is too long and the t-shirt doesn't cover the lower end. I can't keep her from licking, so she gets the unpleasant cone. The couple of attempts have ended up in the laundry because anything that drags or dangles when it comes loose gets peed on in the yard.

We're hitting the deep freeze later this week so I have a couple of days to prepare. Break pipes deep freeze. Today I will start deliveries of gift bags to friends and neighbors, and hope to wrap it up by Wednesday.

The kitchen table is piled with the wrapping materials, they'll go away mostly today. I spent last night re-doing the strings of lights on the crape myrtle branch in a pot I described. I am realizing that I was so consumed by the work on the house this fall I didn't do my usual early shopping for the stocking-stuffer kind of items and think I'll have to do that today or tomorrow also. Practical things, often consumables, that someone might not have bought for themselves.

I'll be getting out that pair of flannel lined LLBean jeans this week. I hope they fit comfortably!

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.

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: 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 - 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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'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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 31 Dec 22 - 11:02 AM

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