FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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 - 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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.