FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 02:51 AM

Our village Facebook has numerous posts about arranging another Village Garage Sale one weekend in September. Last time (a few years ago) it was excellent. Unlike a car-boot sale, one merely had to arrange goods for sale in ones garage and/or on the drive. Villagers wandered around on foot, and we all had nice little chats while the selling proceeded.
I have lots of things I'd like to sell, including clothes which no longer fit me after losing weight, so I'm hoping this will take place. I do so love a nice decluttering session!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 08:46 AM

Dupont:

Waking up in the night and realizing it is cooler outside than the A/C is making it inside, I turned it off and opened the window! Oh bliss! Now a lovely cool -wet!- morning with front door wide open to let in max breeze!

More rain predicted but I can work on back porch between rains. What a difference some rain and cooler weather makes! I wish it for everyone!

Maybe a trip to the library is in my near future. Yesterday's trip to Home Depot was only feasible by reminding my self that my car is air conditioned!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 09:41 AM

It’s been computer network here for the past couple of days. A couple of problems: smart switch broke down. ADSL has gone as low as 1Mbps at times and, while I haven’t contacted them, if they wanted to be awkward my minimum guaranteed line speed here is 0.4Mbps. Those plus some long standing Wi-Fi niggles. It’s been quite a bit of a (combined) outlay but I’ve had new switch, AP and router to set up.

The router does both ADSL and, via a SIM card slot, 4G. I (hoping I can find another deal like this when this expires) got an EE data card with 120GB that is supposed to last for 12 months before expiring for £50. EE 4G signal is good here and the router is quite flexible. At the moment I have it set so the guest LAN and some commonly used low bandwidth sites (eg. Mudcat) use ADSL and anything else on 4G but I can tweak that as needed – main one is to keep some of the 120GB allowance for the 4GB software downloads I sometimes want. Both WANs will fall back to the other if it goes down.

The switch triggered some reorganisation in the living room and I’ve now been able to locate the room’s AP, near the door rather than the far corner of the room by the tv. This has greatly improved the signal for eg. the camera in the bed room (the only one not hard wired).

The AP is the same model as the newer one of the 2 I had been using. Now having a matched pair (and both with some roaming settings the older one didn't have) has improved roaming (I’ve one a AP in LR, one in my room, mostly using same IDs and security and mobile devices should change over as they are moved) a lot. Whereas before, there could be long pauses before the changeover and worse, I could sometimes have to disconnect and reconnect my phone and tablet to make the connection to the best/closest AP, things seem pretty seamless now.

I was cursing the set up this morning though after I updated the firmware on both APs. I was ready to congratulate myself on a job well done when I found my phone would no longer connect. Turns out it doesn’t like WPA3 with the new firmware so I had to change all the security settings for the SSIDs on both bands and on 2 AP from “Mixed WPA3/WPA2” to “WPA2 only” to feel sure everything would work. I could have done without that but computers seem to have ways of creating something else to frustrate you...

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:08 AM

Jon, the fuss of you tweaking your computer setup sounds equivalent to me fooling with eBay settings. They keep giving me different forms to use for listings and I have to poke around to get the one I want then delete the drafts I didn't use. The company is definitely too big for it's britches. (For Internet I have copper wire coming to the house (coaxial cable) but AT&T is moving fiber optic into the region—the Spectrum guy says it's crap, because he used to work for them, but it's what I would expect the competitor to say. I use a wired signal booster in the den, is that what your "AP" is?)

Senoufu, I always enjoy those larger sales like you describe. It's a chance to visit with a lot of people, and it seems the donations offered for sale are pretty substantial. They save the "good stuff" for there.

Dorothy, what a treat, to find it's so cool outside. We're into the high-90s this week, with a chance of thundershowers sprinkled around the region on Wednesday.

Since I lost weight I listed some name-brand undergarments that still have tags (bought with their good coupon at the semi-annual sale) and that are too big now that I've lost weight. There is a large eBay market for these. A lot of the too-large in-use garments will get tossed. One doesn't sell or donate some sorts of undergarments.

But speaking of losing weight - when I was doing alternate day fasting before the surgery I was at the gym at least a couple of days a week, working long enough to burn substantial calories (and knock off several chapters of a good murder mystery). I'm just on hold right now, maintaining one weight, but this week with trips out I'll include a visit to the gym and resume the recumbent bike routine. It involves some steps suggested by the physical therapist of moving the seat closer to the pedals so my knees bend more - to give the surgery knee some of the special moves that will help loosen scar tissue.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:34 AM

It’s copper wire via phone line here, SRS. They do have fibre in Cromer which is about 2 ½ miles from me but I don’t see it reaching us in the foreseeable future.

My network is a hard wired GB (doubled, mostly for reliability, up via LAG for the main trunk) one with an AP plugged in at either end for wi-fi. This gives excellent Wi-Fi in the LR and my room where it is most wanted but with things poorer (although now much improved with the relocation of LR AP) elsewhere.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:53 AM

(This is the AP I'm using. It does also offer mesh but I don't see that as a solution for our long thin L bungalow layout, router etc. my end, fixed wiring in place, etc. I've not tried that but think "fast roaming" is more suitable.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 01:42 PM

I’ve been up the highway in Goderich for a week of diddly music. Now that I’m back, the cats both need as much lap time as they can get, and I’m kinda tired myself.

But I must buy groceries — there’s not much to eat in the house, and all of it is frozen. Then I have to pay the kid who mows my lawn.

When I have met those obligations, I shall return to the comfy chair and the cats’ agenda.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Aug 22 - 10:24 PM

Good to hear about your trip, Charmion! It sounds therapeutic to get out of town for a few days for musical pursuits.

I was out of much of the produce I've kept in good supply this summer. A trip to Costco loaded up on white nectarines and mangoes. (Nectarines for dinner!)

Today was my first trip back to the gym for time on the recumbent bicycle; I spent only 30 minutes, giving myself time to build up to my usual hour. It was a nice half-hour introduction to my next murder mystery. The new library app is working out well.

I'm tickled pink that it is Archivists that have had a search warrant served at Trump's home in order to retrieve the documents they know are there. I'm not a trained archivist but I've volunteered in an archive for the last three years and I did a lot of special work for one at the university over the last 20+ years. They know their documents and they know the preservation rules (and laws).

Tomorrow's high is supposed to be only 92^o - I know that sounds high to everyone in the north country, but it's a wonderful break of 10 to 15 degrees to those of us living on Hells Front Porch these days.

Dog baths this week. A messy but necessary process. And brushing - lots of it. And more eBay. Moving forward one chore at a time.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 06:21 AM

Polio has rudely emerged in a NYC suberb. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62395325

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 08:53 AM

Back to the Y yesterday for pool class, and the supermarket for much-needed groceries, but otherwise yesterday was about resting. I slept poorly all week when I was away — strange bed syndrome — and drove a lot on Sunday, so I was whacked. Also, the cats were in dire need of extended lap time, so the comfy chair got a workout.

As well as my own bed, I was glad to return to my own kitchen and normal diet. A week of restaurant food did not wreak the havoc on my entrails that it used to, thanks to probiotics, but it was a relief to dine on a piece of chicken and rather a lot of green beans.

Today, however, I must get back to work — choir admin, mostly. A new contract for our accompanist, by close of play, and a draft of the first Choir News email … At least, I don’t have to run the show any more.

Tomorrow’s errand is a trot down the highway to London to meet Faith, my great-niece, at the bursar’s office to pay the tuition fees for her first year of study. She won a scholarship of $2,500, which the university cannily applied to her tuition account, so I’ll hang onto that sum (which I had originally intended to fork over now) for the financial crisis that always seems to surface in February or March.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 10:31 AM

Your grand niece is lucky - help with school in this day and age of soaring student loan is a Big Deal. Along with our help (mostly their dad's cash and my transport) we made it clear to both of our kids that they needed to work when they were on campus (work study or non-work study are options down here in the US) because the school will make sure they don't have conflicting hours with their classes. And while some of those jobs keep the student busy actually doing the job, others work out part of the time as paid study hall if they're just monitoring things going on in a lab, etc. Down here in the US the banks wrote the laws regarding student loans, making them bullet-proof—no bankruptcy and few other legal maneuvers will dismiss it. (When Trump's Betsy DeVos was in the Ed Dept she shot down the programs that forgave debt if graduates taught in underserved communities, etc.) When you die it comes out of your estate. It really does need fixing. I hope the Canadian system is rational.

Treating my sore spot beside my surgery knee like tendonitis is working. Last time I had a case of it was in my elbow area and I was told to keep a steady dose of Ibuprofen going for a couple of weeks. Even doing it for just 3-4 days has already helped.

I have the goal of a no-spend August, meaning that if I decide there is something I could use around here at most it goes on the wish list on Amazon, it doesn't automatically get purchased. Groceries are my main expense (I hope) this month though other things will be higher than usual (water, electric). Adding anything to the bank via eBay sales will stay in the bank.

Keeping my head down during the heat, following a small routine of volunteering and going to the gym, watching the yard turn as crisp as I've ever seen it and just watering the foundation (not helping the cracking, but to keep it from getting worse).

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 01:20 PM

Dupont:

More wonderful rain last night and cooled enough for a light quilt. A friend in Ottawa complained about the amount of rain! So I walked down to the river and reported back that it could use a great deal more - basically, stop complaining and think Vancouver! The whole world needs more rain - well, most of it does!

So, I went out to the back garden, built on bags of soil bought last year. Only the top couple inches are wet!

Trip to the Library yesterday resulted in finding some books and then not finding my card - GONE from my wallet. The nice staff put the books aside for me; as the card is in R's name, I could not just present ID.

This am R went with me and we found the card had expired so we had to come home and get residential proof and go back and get the precious card! He went to work and I retrieved the five carefully chosen books and came home. It only about 8 minutes each way.

My gut is,finally, about normal - after two difficult years. And R seems to have eaten something in the city that created a maladjustment for a couple days. But it is cool in the house!! And outside too!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 22 - 05:49 PM

Dorothy, we have a similar library card dance we do down here. If I lived one block north, I could just walk in and get one. My ex is in the same house so I borrow his water bill, the same one I've used for decades to renew my card.

It rained a little! Not hard, it's mostly thunder and lightning and some drizzle. The buildup of clouds has been wonderfully dark gray and dramatic.

Museum scanning done, and after at the gym I'm building back up with each visit. Yesterday 30 minutes, today almost 40. I usually go for 60 (pre-surgery) so that is again my goal. So far no one has been murdered in my book, but the characters are entering the inn.

An eBay listing sold overnight and the parcel went out today. I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow so will have more time to list others ready to go. Seven a week or one per day is my goal.

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

The price of post-secondary education has gone stratospheric in Canada, Stilly, but it’s still within reach of middle-class families that plan ahead. Unfortunately for Faith, her parents don’t fit that description either way, which is where I come in.

That said, it’s hard to look past the fact that tuition alone has increased from Cdn$800 per year in September 1979, when I entered first year at Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, to Cdn$8,000 today, at King’s College, University of Western Ontario, in London. The cost of living has likewise accelerated beyond mortal ken, and Faith will have to spend her first weeks on the ground in London securing a part-time job. I gather that’s normal these days.

Faith has a younger brother, Logan, who is entering Fanshawe College (a polytechnic, also in London) in a program that will prepare him for a career in law enforcement. Fanshawe is less pricey than Western, but still way beyond the family’s means. Gotta talk to Logan, but he’s working for a roofer and harder to get hold of than his sister.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 22 - 06:09 PM

Today is surreal. Overcast, about 95^o, and it rained this morning. So quietly that I didn't hear it, after I'd been out to scrub and refill the bird baths. When I saw puddles on the patio I wondered if I'd accidentally left a hose or the sprinkler on, it has been so long since rain has accumulated out there. The air smells amazing when all of the dried tree branches get the moisture on them, it's like its own incense out in the yard.

Company today, when I handed over a box of fruit to my ex after a trip to Costco and we had a plate of babaghanouj from the batch I made yesterday. So far I'm getting a few stray tomatoes but the okra is in and I'm getting eggplant. I'll take some eggplant next door because she also makes babaghanouj.

Sweeping dog hair, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, it's a day for cleaning and picking up. And I'll go sit on the porch for a while to enjoy the cloudy afternoon.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 06:08 AM

Very much an aside, but I noticed that you used the degree symbol in your temperature there. I didn't think it was possible on an iPad, but after a period of intensive research which took me 20 seconds I found out how to do it. So the current temperature here is 29°C.

Weee! Every day's a school day!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 09:34 AM

It's simple html code with ^o being the look of it. (This particular entry isn't the actual string because it wouldn't show up when I hit "submit message." I typed the string into the https://mothereff.in/html-entities site we've been using to drop our Wordle scores into and below pick up the code so the colored boxes appear correctly.)

Slowly warming through the high 90s for the rest of the week and 100s by early next week, but in general it's staying in the high 90s for most of the 10-day forecast. We'll take what we can get.

Fussing with eBay that wants to pre-fill in boxes in it's opaque sales form. You have to force it to open every option and see what is selected or you're screwed. The old selling form worked well but is hard to get to appear very often. All of the settings benefit eBay, not the sellers. Still, it's the main way to sell online, I won't go near Craig's List and some of the other phone app ones are not to be trusted. I have sold on Amazon but mainly books, not household stuff or clothes.

I'm getting closer to being ready to put in a new heat pump, but it does take lining up some pretty important ducks (and building in a buffer for unexpected expenses like new ducts in the attic).

I helped my ex set up the Libby app (libraries use it for streaming content, etc.) in his phone yesterday. He's slowly entering the twenty-first century after giving up his slider phone earlier this year. Next we'll try pairing it to Bluetooth headphones. This morning in my email I was surprised to have an email from OPAC that WorldCat is soon offering a site redesign. I've used it for years but I don't remember setting up an account. This is a surprise. (In my experience, "improvements" generally aren't really improvements, they're changes to a system we know how to use to a new system that is more annoying to use. Like eBay.) As with the ex-spouse with the new-to-him device, there is a learning curve that you're just stuck with.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

On the iPad you just hold the number zero down then rub your finger upward!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 12:40 PM

Producing the special characters and being sure they will display correctly once posted at Mudcat are different things and whether or not they work will not be clear on preview. My guess is that anything within "Latin1 supplement (which your degree sign is) will be OK but it's easy to get caught out.

The method SRS mentions should be "Mudcat safe" but does involve more work.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 05:54 PM

Some diacritical and special characters come directly from the font your computer or browser uses, but here at Mudcat there are times you get question marks.

I'm up to 45 minutes on the recumbent bike today; I might have tried for the full hour but have decided that pacing myself and building up to it means I'm less likely to hit that wall of tiredness later in the day.

Back to hot and miserable again today. Yesterday was too good to last. It says 97^o but with humidity it feels hotter. It was a delightful break from the monotony of hot days. The yard is so crispy it has a kind of general scent like that of dried oregano (there is oregano growing in the front, but its off to one side. Everything smells dry.)

I have dinner with a friend tonight to help her with a project, then several days of no appointments. I don't have anything planned, but expect I'll manage to complete some tasks. It is time, after 8 weeks, to get out the weed whacker and trim around the garden. Last time that got done was a day or two before the knee surgery, so it really needs it. The garden is the only place where the weeds are growing happily since it has a scheduled watering set up.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 22 - 06:43 PM

Once it gets to August, and once some crops are gathered and some flowers are knackered due to heat or drought, and the weeds seem to be the only things doing well, I always feel that it's time to prioritise just keeping things tidy. Hit those weeds (I don't use weedkiller so I either pull them out or burn them off with my weed wand), deadhead the flowers and don't endure stalky stuff on the dead lawn. Just stuff like that makes my garden look much better, even when most stuff is suffering from the heat and drought. We're having the worst year ever for that.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Aug 22 - 08:51 AM

Cooler this week after a stonking heat wave followed by rain, and my lawn is almost all green again.

I decluttered my bank account of a year’s worth of tuition fees on Wednesday and learned that the new student needs a mattress cover and a blanket, and would like a rug. Hurrah, I have all these things to spare, and sheets too! The linen closet and blanket box will supply another jaunt down the highway in September, and I look forward to rehoming a nice little hand-knotted Indian wool carpet that doesn’t fit any room in this house.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Aug 22 - 01:24 PM

Tuition payments will leave a lot of air in any account they were withdrawn from!

eBay will be nickel and diming me with payments to my checking account as items I list sell. So far shoes, handbags, undergarments. Over the years I had good coupons from VS and bought extras that now can come out of the bag in the dresser and go on eBay. They still have the tags. It's low-hanging fruit as far as Internet sales when you price undergarments just a little under the competition. I may or may not have paid this much, but it was a long time ago and getting cash now instead of donating to the Goodwill works for me. The same with the DSW coupons for shoes and leather handbags bought at clearance prices. There were some I bought that had second thoughts about, and they do well on eBay.

I had a lovely dinner with a friend last night before I assembled and installed her new portable air conditioner. She is also having household AC system problems so during the day this will boost the cooling capacity in the house and when the new one is installed in a couple of weeks she'll have this set to cool the cats in one room closed off from the workers. And after that she'll use it in her finished garage's studio workspace.

Fridays, even when you're retired, are still about my favorite day of the week, looking forward to nothing scheduled on the weekend. This weekend I'm going to get out a few of my canning supplies and pickle a couple of jars of okra, just so I can say I had something I could process from the garden in this year of drought and high heat. And I need to make another batch of babaghanouj. I've decided it makes just about the perfect lunch on my fasting days - a couple of ounces of that with a half of a small pita bread and you get the complex carbohydrate of the dip (made with sesame seeds, lemon juice, garlic, and eggplant) and bread that are a snack-sized lunch under 100 calories.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 12:17 PM

Last year, I did no preserving, being too preoccupied and, frankly, bummed out by the need to bury Edmund’s ashes. Consequently, I ran out of proper chutney in March and Seville orange marmalade in April.

Zero Seville oranges made it to Perth County in 2022 (there weren’t any in 2021, either), but all the ingredients of proper chutney are simultaneously available here in abundance for about two weeks in September. This year, by George, I’m staying home until I have at least two batches boiled, bottled, and stashed in the basement.

Then — and only then — I can pack up and head for Ottawa and the 50th anniversary of my graduation from high school, coincidentally also the school’s centennial. I dimly remember dropping in on the 20th, where I saw all the cool kids who never acknowledged my existence when we were all in our teens but nevertheless seemed glad to see me. I expect another 25 years of aging will have mellowed us all into even nicer people.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 12:40 PM

I forgot — Yesterday, I emptied the last plastic bin of mixed clag from the study closet and found its contents to be obsolete computer-related gear. Habitat for Humanity is the local salvager of e-waste, so off I went with the car boot stuffed, and came home half an hour later to more clear space in the basement and four empty file boxes that will find a new home with the choir library.

Hauling music for issue to the singers has always been a problem for the choir librarians, but my predecessors in the job used large, heavy plastic crates, probably because they couldn’t face more than one trip up the stairs. I intend to forestall the whining through the use of smaller, lighter containers (e.g., stackable cardboard file boxes) and a hand truck to shift it all from the car into the rehearsal space. I’ll do the stairs myself. Stairs are good for the wind and the legs.

The clag that used to be in those file boxes is in the plastic bin from the study closet. I expect that most of it will end up in the trash.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Aug 22 - 02:29 PM

Good job on clearing out the old computer stuff. I used to carry that into an eWaste bin at the library where I worked but I haven't been back in a while. There's a large bag full of stuff awaiting my next visit over there.

My patch of okra is a little oasis in the hot yard and I'm seeing lots of interesting butterflies and dragonflies hover nearby. I meant to photograph some but the camera battery needed changing and figure out where I put the charger (with other chargers in the office - it wasn't too deep a mystery). So I'll make another safari to the garden in a few minutes (using this camera means I can get better and more close-up shots with the long lens than trying to use a phone camera). The okra is really tightly packed this year - last year it was tall and gangly. The large leaves layered the way they are is a wonderful environment for lizards and more.

Preserves: I always write about my mustang grape harvest and jelly but this year's grape season coincided with knee surgery; I spoke to the neighbor next door who also picks and makes jelly and told him I'd show him how to use the steam juicer this year instead of the old fashioned steaming grapes in a pan of water, mashing then filtering through cheese cloth a whole bunch of times. I asked about grapes recently and he told me they vanished - one time he looked and they were green, the next time he looked and they were gone. With this heat they must have rapidly ripened and equally quickly turned to raisins. Usually we have a 2 to 3 week window for several pickings.

It's looking like it'll be a productive day: I baked two small eggplants for more babaghanouj and cleaned out the fridge. It's laundry day and I think this evening I'll take out the weed whacker and cut the tall grass around my driveway. I can now carry it around without straining the knee and walking feels closer to normal every day, with the gym workouts being part of that. Before the gym my leg muscles were feeling a bit under-utilized and my stride wasn't it's usual length. I still kind of wobble down the sidewalk, but I'm back parking in the museum's staff garage, not in the close-in visitor parking lot. The signs of recovery are the returning to normal activities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 12:05 PM

We're right around 100^o as the highs these days though there is a few-degree spike early in the week before what looks like the promise of actual rain by next weekend. Yes, please!

I have my asparagus steamer out for processing pickled okra, one pint jar at a time. I have enough for a couple of jars today and I'll be using some of the rest of it to make some fried okra for lunch. It's also time to use yesterday's roasted eggplant to make babaghanouj. I use a lemon press when I make things like guacamole or hummus, babaghanouj, etc.; I saw a short video from Jacques Pepin making a lovely "posset" and he cuts his lemon in different slab shapes to squeeze more efficiently. I don't know that I'll make the posset (it's 1 cup of cream, 1/4 cup of sugar, mixed and heated about 1 minute in the microwave, then add 1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest and 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice. Chill, garnish and this serves 3) but I'll try the different shapes of lemon through the press or just in my hand.

My kitchen feels so warm and friendly when I have jars of canned goods sitting out and cooling. I like to make bread, muffins, and more, but when I'm trying to lose weight the white flour baked goods work against me. I could make some soup, that would also serve as a nice warm smell. After such a long hot summer this hankering over soup and bread means I'm wanting to move into cooler weather activities.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

The aroma of fresh baked bread should be a perfume.
I did the hedging and carved out paths for auto light sensors to see the sunlight again. I'll have a bit more to do Monday.
Mornings in the 60's makes the process a pleasure.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 01:11 PM

Don, you remind me that I started on the grass growing beside and in cracks in the driveway last night - I worked the first segment (maybe 10 feet) then stopped and swept and put the trimmer back in the garage (still plugged in - I'll just drag it out and do another section today). It's still pretty hot but I can stand 20 minutes at a time doing this incrementally.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 05:25 PM

Dupont:

Just got R off to a birthday dinner with his cousin's SO. After a phone call finding that a friend passed away last week! (That's why his motorcycle is listed on FB!)

R went off with brown eyed Susan's and Q Anne's lace for the hostess. We spent most of the day working on the house - weed wacking and tidying up places long in need; R put a shelf/hanging rack in guest room closet and removed the treasures from the desk I want out of there! (I threatened to cut it up with a chain saw to get it out) I sorted out some pictures for the walls. Determined it will be more hospitable than it was the last time Taun was here. My sons keep meticulous homes! And we read during rest periods!

The Jennair range burned the ribs in a few minutes last night! But they were still edible and the fresh corn made up for it! NOW R is convinced it needs attention. I want to arrange for a Jennair tech -but FIRST Dan... I may have to warn son that there will be no baking in this house in Sept.

The woman who was buying a pottery wheel messaged that she needs the room for her abused niece, so she is bringing it to the Mill on Weds aft, when I planned to be in that area for a group walk in a wildlife preserve - on Lac St. Francois, then a visit with Geri. Maybe I can find the fancy microwave my SIL gave me Many years ago! And, maybe I can get it in the car! And maybe it still functions...

A beautiful day - just right temp and sunny. May get rain on Weds in 2-5 mm range. Watered today. Now another weed wack stint.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Aug 22 - 07:29 PM

Dorothy, do you think there is anything of value left at the mill? You said it was ransacked by some young men from the area, and they were arrested?

I took donation stuff to Goodwill today; I can see I have been filling that bin for several months because I found things I'd put in there last spring that would fit me now. I only kept one of the items back, the rest are styles I don't wear. My errands also took me to Winco where I needed apple cider vinegar; I'd forgotten the gallons they carry are just white distilled vinegar with flavoring and caramel color. I got a quart of the real stuff (enough for pickles) and will get a gallon when I'm at Kroger later this week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Aug 22 - 12:18 PM

I think I should get back in the habit of actual solid food at breakfast.

Yesterday, I caused a snit in the choir room before church when I asked a woman to stop her unrelenting griping about wearing a mask. I was polite — I said please! — but my irritation came through loud and clear. She erupted in rage, pulled rank on me (“You’ve only been here a little while!”) and stomped off home.

I had drunk a rather large mug of black tea on arising, and its caffeine content hit me like cocaine, dissolving inhibitions along the way. Carbohydrate tends to dull that effect, so maybe a bagel would be a good idea. At least before church.

A choir board meeting is today’s main agenda item. I have just eaten a large lunch …

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Aug 22 - 11:14 PM

Good girl, Charmion! She was out of line. Sometimes you just have to speak up and that kind of consequence says more about her than you. I challenged a smoker one time and had that response - but she would have totally spoiled a meal if she'd lit up.

More listings up, still low-balling my buy-it-now price to move things along quickly. One item had dog hair on the Velcro surface that was impossible to completely remove. I listed it low accordingly, calling attention to it with a photo so it isn't grounds for return later. (As an aside, I saw a post on Facebook today from a West Coast Mudcatter who, from the photos, lives in a kind of hoarder house. His cat apparently died by getting trapped or squashed in some boxes that collapsed. She used to jump around over the top of stuff. So sad. And a lesson to learn from.)

Gym tomorrow. As gas prices come down (pretty dramatically, almost $2 per gallon lower now) I may make an extra trip when I'm not already in that part of town and up it to three times a week.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Senoufou
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 02:50 AM

I agree with Stilly, Charmion. That lady was being obstreperous and in my opinion not very Christian in her attitude to your perfectly reasonable request. Good for you - more caffeine next time to power your self-respect!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 09:26 AM

That poor cat!

Memories of my parents’ house at the time of my mother’s death still haunt me. I will never forget the third-floor bedroom that became a no-go area because a tumbled stack of boxes was wedged between the door and the foot of the bed. One of my brothers (probably Andrew) had to put up an extension ladder and climb in the window to clear the blockage.

As for Susan the mask-hater, she’s apparently working on years of resentments covering a wide range of issues, and I’m just one more problem for her. I came swanning in during last winter’s lockdown with lots of range and the confidence to sing solos without fuss. I’m also not very tolerant of people who waste rehearsal time with complaints about things beyond our span of control.

The cats (mine, that is) had a huge fight last evening, and I have no idea why. They have been together their whole lives and they normally snooze all wrapped around each other so it’s hard to tell where one cat ends and the other begins. The home atmosphere is still a bit frosty this morning.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 12:20 PM

There is a canine source of clutter around here that is always interesting. Last night one of the dogs brought in a chunk of wood to chew on that is almost large enough to chock a tire.

The nectarines from Costco have been great, but one I picked up at Winco was a disappointment this morning. It smelled and felt ripe but the consistency was hard and rubbery. No appealing mouth-feel. I may make one more trip later this week (I still have a couple of peaches and a couple of nectarines to use - hopefully in better condition.) I buy too much fruit then have to eat it in a hurry. Must pace myself. That season is going to be over pretty soon.

From Thursday on it appears we have a good chance of rain over the course of the following week and the temperatures will drop. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of the summer if that is the case. I don't know if or how many records we broke this summer, but it will be one for the record books when describing the misery of hot weather.

My across-the-street neighbor goes out in the wee hours to water his lawn with a hose; I think he finds it restful to be up at that time. He told me yesterday he saw a possum drinking from the little pool set up in the yard. Nice!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 12:25 PM

My cats are acting up too. I thought it was a terratorial fight but...
they might be reading Earth signals, for all I know.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have a polio outbreak and NYC suburb waste water tests say it's here too.
Are new vaccines appropriate after being vaccinated 60 years ago?

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 04:00 PM

Ask your doctor, Don. But I would get a booster, myself.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 06:36 PM

Adults
Most adults have likely already been vaccinated against poliovirus during childhood, and that is why IPV is not part of routine adult vaccinations.

However, adults who are unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or are completely vaccinated but are at higher risk for contact with poliovirus should receive polio vaccination. The following situations put adults at higher risk:

You are traveling to a country where the risk of getting polio is greater. Ask your healthcare provider if you need to be vaccinated.
You are working in a laboratory or healthcare setting and handling specimens that might contain polioviruses.
You are a healthcare worker treating patients who could have polio or have close contact with a person who could be infected with poliovirus.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 07:05 PM

When my kids were still getting many of their childhood immunizations I asked the pediatrician when they got the smallpox vaccine. He laughed - maybe didn't catch himself soon enough and it sounded somewhat patronizing - and said they hadn't given those for years. Smallpox is gone. But those with smallpox vaccines may have had some protection from monkeypox. It isn't a lifetime protection, though.

Today's trip to the gym was two months from the date of knee surgery and I did a full hour on the recumbent bike like I used to. My route home meandered through town and stopped at DSW to buy good socks for xmas stocking stuffers. I bought clearance socks and had a $10 off coupon, so feel like I did well there. (My daughter wears a large shoe size and when I can find nice looking men's socks I get them for her.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 08:10 PM

We have a similar issue with poliovirus in sewage here. A few samples crop up most years, but there's been something of a spike recently. The virus found here has been determined to be vaccine-derived from individuals who have been vaccinated with a live form of the virus. We haven't used live virus vaccine here for almost twenty years, so it seems that the virus found has come from someone who had the live virus oral vaccine overseas then came here. That wouldn't be a problem in theory, but a vaccine-derived live virus is theoretically capable of evolving into a pathogen. There have been no recorded cases of polio here in recent years. It seems that the risk is minimal (unless there are undetected cases in the community: none found so far), so the advice has been to make sure that vaccinations are up to date, especially in children. I have a very hazy recollection of having had only three out of the course of four vaccinations, as was in those days, well before I was ten. I won't be worrying too much but I'll check on my grandson with his mum and dad when they arrive here tomorrow.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Aug 22 - 09:14 PM

I have a day at home tomorrow and though it's hot now, it is feeling marginally cooler and I'm finding myself more motivated to start cooking and do fall cleaning. The electric bill last month was through the ceiling compared to what is typical (though it used to be much higher with the old standard electric company that is the default in the area. We have the "power to choose" and lots of little companies offer lower prices. My high price with this company is double what I usually see this time of year.) The cooler it is, the more energy (and I wait for that first fall day that feels and smells just right - months away from now.)

A friend was ordering several copies of a book for himself (he uses them as gifts) and accidentally left my name in the "to" section since he sent me a book via this vendor recently. Three of the four have arrived, when the last one gets here they go in a box and are shipped to New York. At least books are cheap to ship so it isn't too expensive a mistake. That's one of the problems with auto fill or pre-filled forms on sites. Sometimes I think I'm emptying my house via the postal service with side trips to Goodwill.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 22 - 10:11 AM

I'm wearing a pair of size 12 Capri pants I haven't worn in a very long time. They're kind of snug on my tender knee so not the best to wear right now, but it's a pleasure to get into them. In years past I've worn size 8; for now I'll be content to get into the size 10-12 range (it depends on the manufacturer how they fit versus the size they say they are. And this had changed drastically over the decades.)

This is the last day of ice water in the cooler on the porch; it's supposed to cool and possibly rain over the next week. I'll wash the dogs today on the last dry day so they can get all muddy in the week to come. ;-)

The forest floor has returned, so I'll vacuum and sweep in time for trash day tomorrow and let the guys in the big truck tote off a bunch of the dog hair. I could have knit several dogs this summer from all of the hair they've lost.

I have a bunch of old VHS players here that I've picked up on the cheap at Goodwill; it's time to test and list them on eBay. People are wanting to convert their tapes to digital but the players aren't sold much any more. I list them as working if that is the case, or if I think it's a little dicey, for parts or repair. There are people out there who fix these things. I have a testing station set up with a TV and the appropriate cables. I have a couple I use myself with the old computer and a Canopus converter box; sometimes I come across a really good old one then swap it out with one of my already working ones and list it. I suppose I could start doing this on the side but it would go slow compared to some of the companies that advertise they do it.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 22 - 07:19 PM

I spent a messy 30 minutes this afternoon and the dogs are all bathed. They don't get many baths, but since it has been so hot I figured this was the time to do it (starting tomorrow we have some rain in the forecast with cooler temperatures). They might get muddy but for now they have clean coats down to their skin. It only takes a few minutes per dog with the hose and a pressure nozzle out in the yard. Lots of treats offered after they all stopped running around the yard like crazy things.

I visited two grocery stores this afternoon and at both I bought a bottle of corn oil. It seems to have almost vanished from the store shelves. Lots of Canola (Canada Oil) and vegetable, but almost no corn unless it was in gallon containers. Another victim of the supply chain. The second store had plenty and oddly, the name brand was less expensive than the store variety. The grocery store trips now have to be in the window between about 8:30am and 2:30pm because there are several schools that I have to avoid because school started this week. A new charter school has managed to tie up the main boulevard in my area (parents picking up kids creep along in lanes on both sides of that street plus on the feeder street closest to it.)

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 09:40 AM

It rained hard last night for quite a while. That is enough of a report for now!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 11:33 AM

Dupont:

I am one of few wearing a mask in QC but shall persevere. In ON some were still but not many. I definitely did. In PA in May, I chose my times and places - carefully. So, last night, I made a courtesy call to my SIL to see how the two cancer patients are doing. We have learned to avoid the Trump issue and it was going fine until, once more (ARGGH!), the subject evolved to my niece and kids. Then to my GD and her anti-vax attitude and SIL announces that she is anti-vax also!
Could I have just hung up! Rudely, even! Happily, my phone battery died!
is it worth googling to try to find out where she gets it? Anything Ali posted read like lunatic ravings. MY bro is doing well! The niece with breast cancer is undergoing myriad tests at Duke and I am wondering when they are going to DO something! All the news that's fit to print!

Long day on the road yesterday - to the south tip of QC to visit a wildlife sanc with a group and finding that I could not walk far - the heavy weather; I felt like I was carrying an elephant. So went back to car and drove forever (about an hour!) across to visit a friend, stop at an orchard I love, and the bakery that provides the best choc mouse cakes. Bought two frozen meals and a small cake, wrapped a heavy coat around them and turned the A/C as low as it would go!

Then I drove back across to the Mill (dif route and closer - only 20 min) and had lunch with Geri at the only functioning resto in town - the waitress - two years later! - asked if I wanted Green tea!! I did and expressed my amazement that she remembered. And a grilled cheese as I needed something! And a local musician stopped in and we had lunch and a visit. Big event on Sat and, when I told R, he thinks we can go! It will be a first post covid musical event in the "Valley" with many friends we have not seen in the interim!

I waited for a call re the folks delivering that pottery wheel I had lent to Carole a while back. Since R had not brought me a key to the cable across the drive, I went in through the neighbour's drive, THEN--- unlocked the door and pushed. Hmmm,stuck. Asked the robust man to put his shoulder to it. He did! Ripped the boards off that had been nailed on to keep the vandals from getting in again! The wheel is in. The door is blocked with a box of mags. I went out another door - FED UP!

I got one of the four things I was hoping to find in the studio. Did a perfunctory search for a large microwave/plus that SIL gave me many years ago, thinking it might help the dead oven problem. It may have never made it to the mill, or to QC even. I last remember seeing/using it on Whidbey...

Those vandals made a terrible mess and took a few small items, that they could walk away with. No need for a chain across the entrance which inconvenienced our wonderful neighbour to whom R neglected to give a key, or even recall that Merril mows that area in front so his family can come in with RVs/trailers when they have a family gathering - with permission and best wishes. R phoned him and apologized but still no key. HHMMMM! - Phone R and insist that a key be with us next trip down - Saturday!

I got home about 5 with no more stops and tried to find energy to eat something decent. Then the phone call... I spent time, googling "in my sleep!" Remembering the dear father of my SIL telling me, many years ago, that she is like a terrier - never lets go.

Congrats to Mag on being down to size 12!

Now: need green tea. It is cool and overcast. No need to close windows or drapes!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 12:36 PM

Steve is correct. My assumption is that the live form of polio vaccine, that can be excreted in feces, may have come from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The vaccination teams there are subject to being killed by Taliban types. Those anti vaxxers are more extreme than ours.

The Salk polio vaccine can not excrete into public sewerage.

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 07:45 PM

Trying to move beyond the unrelated medical stuff - I moved one post over to another thread, but I'll just suggest here we stick to our household projects. (And I'd like to hear more about the work with opal that you've been doing.)

The new Steel HR arrived today and is charging. The test will be if it actually registers the heart rate; the last watch never did or stopped a long time ago. The newer more expensive models do all of this plus have things like a pulse oximeter, but I don't need that. I just want to see the heart rate when I exercise, etc. The older watch has for now been dissociated from the account and soon I'll do a factory reset and consider what to do with it. It's still a fine fitness tracker (for steps).

I did my volunteering then had lunch with my daughter followed by a tour of her new library in this new museum. Very nice - hidden in the newer building on the museum site, and no art on the walls (it's only a few years old). It is a new building and the previous librarian (who had been there for 40 years) didn't put up art when the library was moved to this location. I'll look forward to the transformation, because "art" is pretty much this librarian's middle name.

After the gym I stopped at Costco and I noticed a woman in a surgical boot looking around the parking lot near where I parked. I asked if she'd lost her car and it turned out her almost-son-in-law dropped her off to pick up an Rx and she was supposed to call him when she was ready to be picked up, but had left her phone and home and she didn't know his number to use another phone to call him. When I came out of the store she had gotten a scooter cart to use to look around and I offered her a ride home since it turned out she lived a couple of miles south of me. Very nice conversation, interesting story, nice woman. We weren't wearing masks, but we did determine that we were both vaccinated and boosted (she had COVID in 2020 and lost her husband and mother-in-law to it within 3 days of each other.) As soon as she got home she was going to call the young man and tell him to come back home from wherever he was. This sounds kind of like a Dorothy story!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 07:49 PM

Dupont:

So, I made a cup of green tea; five minutes later I spilled it on my lap!!!!! Spent the afternoon treating myself with Aloe Vera and lavender oil. Watching the bright red area fade and the blisters subside is slightly more interesting than watching paint dry. Progress has been made. Read also. I hope this is a once in a lifetime event!

Subject: RE: FITNESS & Declutter 2022 - Pandemic redux
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 22 - 09:07 PM

And I was thinking that a cup of green tea sounded good when I read your earlier post. I guess I'd better stick to drinking it iced for the time being! Take care, Dorothy!