FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 10:46 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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.