DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023

Subject: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 22 - 11:01 AM

2022 Declutter thread, Pandemic edition year 3

Our habits shift over time, tilting more toward environmentally sound practices. Organic gardening, recycling, buying products in containers that are recyclable (glass and metal and corrugated cardboard are most likely to be recycled; plastic and mixed paper less so), and looking at our closets and thrift stores for slow fashion. Gardening because it's good for us and good for the planet; when the carbon footprint of your meal is nil because you carried that eggplant or tomato 25 feet from the garden. Growing from seed. Driving prudently and making several stops in one trip instead of single task trips. Walking more, driving less, or even moving to a place where everything is nearby and transit is efficient so a car is unnecessary – that's more difficult, but might be a goal we need to shoot for in our lifetimes.

It has been many years since Katlaughing started these declutter and fitness threads, and now it is quite a few years since we lost Kat La France who went by that moniker. Other members have drifted away and drop in occasionally with updates (we love those!) We lost Alice Flynn in early December; at one time she was quite active on these threads (and in the Facebook cognate). They were interested in all of these things we're still talking about, an aspect of these threads unlikely to change, and chances are these conversations will lure in a few new participants.

COVID is still here, with its recent companions RSV and the Plague Influenza. Planetary scientists are looking at the super storms racing around the planet (we just finished a horrible long freeze that hit the lower 48 US states, when on Christmas day they were all simultaneously frozen at least somewhere.)
We need to continue using our spaces as efficiently as possible including the making of compost to fertilize the garden, buying clothes to last, mending clothing, remaking existing clothing, learning food preservation, learning to trade or barter, etc. I've been reducing the amount of turf that needs mowing every year, though I still have gas-powered equipment along with the electric tools. I don't know if I'd ever use a push mower on this half-acre, but that is a possibility at some point. I have planted and will continue to plant various sized trees, while leaving myself a sunny area to garden.

I don't make resolutions – though late in 2022 I decided a few things that I have already started on, like weeding out the email I never read (unsubscribe) and make a bigger effort to sell things in the house now that I know the kids aren't interested in. Redistribution of resources to declutter and avoid the need to manufacture new is a task to refine. If you use the Japanese or the Swedish approaches to household inventory, or other trends that come along, please share.

National Wildlife Federation: Gardening for Climate Change

Subject: RE: Declutter * Health * Climate Change * 2023
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Dec 22 - 02:23 PM

Thanks for the new thread, Stilly.

I joined this group-within-a-group comparatively late, in 2020, after my husband died and I found myself neck deep in clothing, books, papers, furniture, housewares and other assets -- even an extra car -- that I did not need and either could not or would not use. Over two years, I have shed most of the excess and reorganized the house to suit myself on my own. Only the library remains to be reduced to manageable size, and I have actually started work on it with the transfer of all remaining children's books to the youngest cohort of the family. That's the declutter part.

Health? I'm still here, and functioning remarkably well for an aging asthmatic recovering from COVID-19. I have an ugly cough and at present I sing better than I talk -- don't know why. I can still drive on high-speed autoroutes, even at night, although these days I need a break every 150 km or so. I'm a frequent flyer at the YM/YWCA swimming pool and I still walk well. The doctor doesn't see much of me; in fact, I doubt if she could pick me out of a police line-up.

As for climate change, I've probably lightened my carbon footprint about as much as I can without selling the house. Thanks to the inadequacy of Stratford's public transit, I will need a car as long as I live here, and I'm nowhere near ready to move. I travel very little these days and not at all by air; in future, I will probably take the train to destinations more than two hours away by road. But Canadians have good reasons to be heavy consumers of energy, and that won't change as long as we have cold winters and high housing costs leading to long commutes to work. Of course, I don't have to commute any more (hurrah!), so at least I don't contribute to that problem.

I find myself returning to the abstemious habits I learned from my parents, who lived through the depression and the war, and raised three children on not nearly enough money. It's oddly comforting to decide that entire classes of consumption are simply off the menu, out of the question, not for me. Avoiding advertising is a big help; what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't yearn for.

By the way, the foot and a half of snow that fell over Christmas is now gone. I woke this morning to rain on the roof and today's forecast high is 8 degrees Celsius; yesterday it went up to 12C, and we won't see freezing temperatures again until sometime next Wednesday.

New Year's Eve is a good time to settle debts and count blessings. In that spirit, I shall clear my MasterCard bill, vacuum the upstairs (I'm so lucky to have an upstairs!), and phone my sister-in-law to thank her for hosting the family hordes. Then I shall make myself a toddy (three people gave me whisky for Christmas!) and settle down with the cats for a nice evening of reading and television.

Life is good.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health * Climate Change * 2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Dec 22 - 07:44 PM

Charmion - singing & talking come from different centres of the brain, which is why a past colleague of mine could barely be understood with a severe stutter, but sang like an angel. I've also read something somewhere about people recovering from strokes who can barely speak, but if they use a sing-song voice are understandable.

Declutter - hmmmm

Thoughtful distribution of unwanted stuff. Before covid I used to visit a huge community centre (ex-WW1 & 2 Army base) weekly. One of the community groups there was a composting organisation with huge bins so I used to take all kitchen scraps. During covid I couldn't go that far so took selected scraps to a friend's worm farm (worms are fussy!) & have been throwing out unwanted stuff. I know there's a local facebook group for contacting individuals with compost heaps who welcome contributions, so JUST need to ask friends on facebook to check it out for me. A few months back our small soft plastic recycling industry collapsed - one company lost their premises to fire, another had stockpiled plastic cos they couldn't use it fast enough! Not good, & stockpiles are a fire risk, so we all need to toss it out at the moment ... more waste.

I recently took several long term bags of unwanted (& very much in the way) stuff to charity shops! small YAH! but there is more to go.

A friend's teenage granddaughter is visiting & they have been going thru small family treasures & other ornaments etc. The charity shop pile is slowly growing. I suggested several anonymous family treasures (eg. small unmarked painting by an ancestor) be marked so her sons & granddaughters know what they are looking at if she suddenly pops off the twig. My cousin who has 2 daughters is looking forward to my smallish collection of family treasures so they can continue to be passed down in the female line.

But I have so much other stuff that needs sorting, including some that is already supported & was forgotten ...

Charity shops re-open next week, but many are overwhelmed by donations at this time of the year.

sandra (ignoring floor that needs vacuuming cos various craft projects & books are filed on the floor

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health * Climate Change * 2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 23 - 12:52 AM

A friend left today after visiting for most of the week, during which time she visited with her grandchildren and their child and seems to have caught a nasty cold from them. So I'm hoping it doesn't land on me in a day or two. I was going to go out to the gym but decided to keep my germs to myself for a few days, just in case. I don't need to offload a cold (or who knows, RSV?) onto other people.

It's warm here and in the next couple of days I'll finally finish some of the garden work - the tough, woody okra plants need to come down and get tossed into my woods over the back fence. The old sweet potato vines break down easily and can go on the compost, and I'll even dig to see if there are potatoes in there. I'm going to visit one of the big box stores and see if they have any leftover rosemary xmas trees - I have to replace at least one plant that died last week when it got down to 9^o. I'll keep them in the greenhouse for a few weeks until the last freeze date has passed.

I'm recycling old t-shirts of mine by putting them on my blue heeler, to keep her for scratching at her surgical spot on her stomach. It takes more than just a cone to protect the area; she can lift her back foot and scratch, not just lick. It has been suggested in other venues (Facebook pages, I think) that really old towels and such can be donated to animal shelters, and I have some that I think it's time to send in that direction. Even then I'll have plenty here left for me to use. I should ask if they also use general clothing rags or just old towels.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health * Climate Change * 2023
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jan 23 - 08:35 AM

When I had to buy a car last year, I had a hell of a time convincing the sales staff at the Volkswagen dealership that I really did want the smallest, fuel-stingiest vehicle they could find. Wasn’t I afraid of being crushed in a collision? Didn’t I want to impress people with a brawny ride? Well, yes, in fact I am kinda scared of being crushed in an accident, but I know that’s actually more likely in a boxy, top-heavy truck-type vehicle with stiff steering and awkward sight-lines. The Golf I bought impresses with its ease of extraction from snowbanks.

In re: dog licences — Whaddaya mean, “reimpose” the dog licence? You don’t have to tag your dog in Britain? Since when?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 23 - 11:49 AM

This thread isn't about Greta and that kind of political topic. I transferred those two off-topic posts to the Good news re: . . . environment thread, where they fit perfectly. Climate change may be too broad a subject in the title, I will adjust it to keep it pretty tightly on topic here; we touch on lots of things, for example, some recipes, in passing, but not multiple-post discourse; we generally stick to local references to aspects of national topics that impact the participants in the thread.

The dog reference that was transferred leaves Charmion's remark hanging; sorry about that. We still have ongoing pet discussions here (and licenses are required). My dog has a new rabies tag after her surgery, when they caught her up on her immunizations, but because she is now wearing a reinforced cone (I literally put a new cone on behind the vet's harder plastic and now cracked cone) I won't expose either of us to the possible ridicule a walk could initiate.

Now that I'm thinking about donating towels I've starting a box in the laundry room (where my regular donation bin also lives) and will add towels and some of the really old bedding (I imagine washable old blankets are also used at the Humane Society, but I'll ask before I drop them off). I have some really old bed pillows that need to come out of the closet; it looks like if I run them through the washer and dryer, I could then upcycle them into other uses, by taking the fiber out of the covers and stuffing new cases. One site has several new case suggestions, but there is also an image of a long narrow device to block the cold air from coming under the door. That would be helpful in a couple of areas and they could be made of some really sturdy corduroy or sail cloth. Would they survive dog attention? They'd be washable.

I unsubscribed a half-dozen email sources so far, and many more ahead.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 23 - 11:07 AM

One more dive into the closet rack to pull out some really big t-shirts that were favorites but that I've passed by for many weeks now when choosing a t-shirt for the day. They are too big to use for the dogs also (Pepper is wearing size medium or large that aren't humongous.) And a few of my long-sleeved shirts that are too baggy or worn out to look good, though I still have several larger blouses that I will typically wear over the top of a contrasting color shirt and roll up the sleeves when I want another layer. For the last several years the loose outer blouse was worn to hide the "love handles" from where my snug t-shirt under it revealed the muffin top above my jeans waist.

My organizing system is to put the shirts with a messages or art on hangers along the upper rod in the closet; there are shelves in a narrow cabinet built in the back and I keep a large wire basket in there to stack my folded (I used to roll them) shirts on, arranged by color. No art - they're the tops I wore to work or to dressier events when I'm not a walking billboard for a philosophical statement or cause or some silliness. Ever since I worked on my Dad's estate and realized he hung his t-shirts arranged by color I started that - it's easier to find what I'm looking for. I have a few blouses and slacks, but they are a thing of my distant working past for the most part, with one or two nicer fabric/higher cost to mix and match for occasions like weddings or funerals.

As days pass my fingers are crossed that what my houseguest last week experienced was a bad allergy attack and not a cold. She coughed and sneezed all over the house on Friday and Saturday so I'm three days out and still ok. I really don't want to catch a cold or RSV or whatever it is going around now. I keep my allergies tamped down to avoid getting sinus infections - until I admitted that I had allergies I used to end up with horrible sinus stuff. A head cold isn't going to respond to the allergy medication and not so well to the decongestant.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jan 23 - 01:28 PM

Today is the statutory holiday for New Year’s Day, so the town is quiet. The Y was open, however, so I went to pool class, where I saw several unfamiliar people. The long-term frequent fliers call these folks “Resolutionists”, and expect them to vanish by February.

I weighed myself yesterday and found that I had gained half a pound over the month since I came down with COVID, including Christmas. I ate whatever was handy and palatable when I was sick and accepted every delicacy that came my way during the festivities, so I expected to be considerably fatter. I wonder if my body has right-sized itself and I should focus less on calories and more on eating what I need and what I like.

Tomorrow, I intend to visit the LCBO and get as many boxes as will fit in the car. It’s time to start packing up novels that I know I won’t read again. Goodwill Industries has a bookstore in London, so that’s where I’ll take them, one carload at a time.

I still feel compelled to continue shedding stuff, and I’m not quite sure why. No one is pushing me to sell the house and move, and I know lots of people who just let their families’ accumulated possessions pile up around them without so much as a second thought. I’ll have to think about it …

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Jan 23 - 01:54 PM

When I remember what a job it was to go through the separate houses of both parents (divorced many years earlier) and how rough it was on the rest of the family, I would like to avoid that in this generation. It's a lot better than it used to be, but I have a lot left to do, though I *think* it isn't as bad as my parents' homes.

LCBO? Liquor boxes, maybe? Trying to figure out that acronym. In Washington State they had way-expensive state liquor stores (until Costco sued and got the right for itself and other retailers to also sell hard liquor) and we used to go get boxes for moving. The theory was they were strong for bottles and not too heavy to lift when they were packed.

This afternoon I pulled out six long-dead okra plants to be hauled out back, and I dug around and found a few small sweet potatoes. The trouble with growing those is the vines sprawl all over and you have no way of knowing where the potatoes end up under all of the vines. I got a few small ones and broke a piece off of a larger potato but couldn't find the rest of that potato. Odd. It'll sprout next year and we'll have more sweet potatoes in that area. I still need to finish tightening the gate hinge, something I'll head out to do in a few minutes. It's warm and very humid right now, getting ready to rain.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Jan 23 - 05:13 PM

Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Stilly.

Boozetería.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Jan 23 - 10:34 PM

From which one can buy (and has indeed bought) Sortilege Maple Whisky.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 23 - 08:30 AM

Sortilège is one of those things that, if liked at all, are typically liked a lot, a class of article that also includes poutine, butter tarts, and ketchup. It’s all yuck to me, and sometimes I wonder if my Canadian birth certificate would be revoked if the government ever found out.

It’s still grey, wet, and too warm for January in Stratford; I continue to feel washed-out and wobbly, presumably from COVID after-effects; and the cats are fighting again for no apparent reason. Things really have to improve.

What if I were to wash the kitchen floor? Or would that be too drastic?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 23 - 09:23 AM

That might do it. Or look around that bathroom you want updated and decide to start a project on your own without beefy craftsmen to do the heavy lifting. That lets you view everything else from a new perspective.

Yesterday was dreadful here; I thought about posting or sharing via email to a friend and finally posted a jeremiad to a small private group - this morning [most of] the things I complained about had reversed themselves and were fine. Whew.

The SUV gets an oil change and tire rotation today. I have an overdue library book that I'll read while I wait then return it on the way home. I've just ironed a handful of my 3-layer 3D COVID face masks to wear as we enter the fourth year of COVID. Knock wood the threat of a head cold seems to have passed, but the mask would help keep my germs to myself if it was still a question of coming down with something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 03 Jan 23 - 10:37 AM

Stilly, the LCBO was and may still be the largest single purchaser of alcoholic beverages on the planet. It maintained (and may yet maintain) a leading quality-assurance laboratory from which many other booze vendors have benefited; in the early 1980s, it (along with the West Germans) detected ethylene glycol in Austrian wines. The scandal nearly ruined the Austrians' export market. The history section of the LCBO's Wikipedia article is worth reading, if only for a reminder of what things were like in a nanny state with no laws to protect one's privacy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 23 - 06:19 PM

Andrew, that's quite a rabbit hole to descend.

The blue laws in Texas and Kentucky and Louisiana that I have experienced over the years impacted Sunday purchases of alcohol along with odd things. Clothing, automobiles, personal things like pantyhose, no rhyme or reason to a lot of it. Most of those have been removed (though in Texas auto dealers have the choice of which weekend day they are closed, they can only be open six days a week.) I just looked up my home state of Washington's liquor control board and find they seem to be largely about cannabis now.

The holidays have an impact on diet - so much sugar. I'm off of the various breads and cookies, along with the wine and Scotch that were here over the last month, now just to finish off the last of the dark chocolate caramels and go cold turkey. I'm hoping that if the dog cone and stitches are resolved tomorrow that I can finally go back to using the dog door and spend more time away from the house. I know people go to work and leave their dogs indoors for nine or 10 hours at a time, but these guys aren't used to it and the Lab can't handle it. I'll go to the gym tomorrow afternoon and make more progress on my audio book. I've missed that. (I typically don't just go to the gym, as far away as it is I combine that activity with volunteer activities and am usually away from the house 4 to 6 hours.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 03 Jan 23 - 07:59 PM

Charmion, I'm also quite partial to butter tarts and Nanaimo bars - my friend in B.C. makes delicious bars - but we don't have them here in Oz, they have been treats on visits to Canada. Ditto poutine. Your ketchup is different to our tomato sauce, it's much sweeter, something our Canaussian son remarked on when he was first in Canada. According to Doug a meat pie was not a meat pie without lashings of tomato sauce....or dead horse, as oldies sometimes still call it. He has learned to use ketchup but still hankers for Ozzie tomato sauce.

The Chrissy decorations, such as they are this year, will be put away soon. They are being gathered in one spot to make for easier putting-away-of. It has turned quite hot here but the next few days are set to be cooler, so better weather for doing household Stuff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Jan 23 - 01:58 PM

I have had my moments of art by pen, clay, oil, digital, wood, stone and now will begin my acrylic age. In the meantime I have one mixed media space portrait to finish composed of translucent silk layers and LCD-illuminated stone stars, planets and UV glowing nebulas. Sadly its depth is impervious to photography and its final effectiveness is as of yet unknown.
Ecologic innovations? I wish I had some. Minimal Jeff Goldblum Xmas decorations on the second floor basement will stay until the super bowl.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 23 - 08:56 PM

I have a bag of towels and an old blanket to donate to the Humane Society, but they were closed by the time I got there today. I picked up Pepper, still a bit loopy after sedation, but no more in a cone or t-shirt. The Humane Society is across the street from my vet, so in a couple of weeks for a recheck I'll take the towels over. And by then I may have rounded up a few more bedding pieces that can go to them.

The dogs cornered a cat in the back yard this evening; their Invisible Fence collars prevented them from reaching it, but that wild thing wasn't interested in my help (I got scratched) so I dropped my hoodie over the top of it and tossed the cat over onto the creek side of the fence. I expect coyotes will find that guy just like my dogs did; feral cats don't last long out there.

What a day. Today's exam showed that Pepper's scar tissue is unusual and so we went ahead and sent in the tissue for pathology. Should this be treatable in a reasonable way, ok, but I suspect it's going to be a rough year for losing pets.

At least I got my overdue library book turned in this evening. They don't charge fines now, but they were emailing me about it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Jan 23 - 11:08 AM

It still feels good that the holidays are over - they were rough this year. And after a couple of days back using the dog door it still feels luxurious to have my time to myself now that they come and go as they wish. I have to puff a dry medication onto Pepper's tummy daily, where one wound is still healing, but that's it.

A few days ago I took pliers and level and a pry bar and a couple of bricks to the side gate installed last summer and I raised the height (it was dragging) and tapped the hinge into place then tightened it completely. A determined burglar could bring a pliers and dismantle the gate latch and come through; these kinds of gates keep the dogs in and honest people out. Now that the gate is working well I need to take the wheelbarrow through it and finish moving the last of the dead garden vines and plants to the backyard compost.

The knee surgery six-month follow-up shows good progress. I went from there to the gym, but it was late afternoon and the place had more people than usual (with their resolutions to get in shape). I spent only 30 minutes this time, getting back to the routine, but left before the after-work crowd arrived for the fitness classes. I wear a mask and make a point to use machines that are fairly isolated in the rooms. They finally finished the work in the wet area so it's time to get a suit and add laps to my routine. We'll see if Charmion's description of "bingo flaps" or such (the upper arm wattle) in the pool is very noticable. I expect to just swim, not wave my arms around in the air. ;-)

I hope Dorothy locates this new thread pretty soon. She had a lot of moving around planned and keeping up with it is always interesting.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jan 23 - 12:52 PM

Bingo wings, Stilly.

I've been to pool class and I'm tired and a bit wobbly; apparently, this is the new normal, at least for now.

The mouldy bathroom really is urgent, and well beyond my limited skill with tools, so I contacted one of Stratford's main building firms for a quote. Their website said I would have to wait for an estimator, but within a few hours an email rolled in proposing a visit next Thursday. I accepted with enthusiasm.

If I tried to tackle that job on my own, I would make a mess and probably hurt myself. Even the destruction phase requires tools I don't have and don't know how to use, not to speak of the mould itself, a major threat to asthmatic ol' me. Classic example of a task for a properly equipped master carpenter.

Damp spots have been appearing on the bedroom rug lately, and I suspect Watson (who spends his days on the bed) although I have not noticed so much as a whiff of cat pee. This cannot continue, however, so I rolled up the rug and told the cat, "This is why we can't have nice things." He just showed me his belly and purred.

Today is Epiphany, or Little Christmas, and neighbour Neil across the street is taking the tastefully restrained festive lights off his roof. I bet the people on the corner will leave the gigantic inflatable (but only half-inflated) Santa on their lawn until at least half-way through Lent.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 06 Jan 23 - 01:13 PM

Dupont:
Here am I! Back, on Monday, from a week at Beaver. R's mid-winter break but not nearly long enough. I wish we could have sent him far away for a month. He drove the whole way there but I was still exhausted as tho I had done it myself. I believe I was not well for a long time before we went and, finally, felt better after a few days there. I sent him off in my car to enjoy as much as there was - thrift shops mostly closed but he explored what he could and finally went off on Sunday to play chess with our 90 year old Estonian friend. This made R remember how much he enjoys playing chess. Arne Roosman is a highly regarded artist (you can google), a highly intelligent person, and much loved locally. So it was a good break for R. Maybe someday I can acquire one of his paintings.

I just mainly hung out at Beaver and considered doing something... The snow was rather overwhelming. When we arrived on the Monday, R had to plow through thigh-high drifts to get to the house - and the shovel! He cleared a path for me and I texted our snow-clearance guy, knowing he had been up to his eyeballs! He came early on Tues. We could park on the road as there are only 4 or 5 neighours beyond us.

The most interesting aspect was that the wind had come from a different direction and put snow into the front of the wood shed. The back deck was also thigh-deep! R did lots of shoveling! I was too tired - unusually.

The trip back was ... I had hoped to meet a friend in Tweed, thinking his driveway would be impassable but... He did not understand my texts and invited us for tea (the drive was clear) but by then, R had gone off to consult re business so I thanked my friend. Rather than go back 15 minutes to his place, we headed south to the 401 ... The dentist phoned with an opening for my tooth cleaning... So we went back 30 minutes and got a bite to eat and R had fun exploring Madoc while I got clean teeth. Now it was getting late and R's driving was driving me crazy so I ended up driving the remaining 3 hours, as it got dark - home to Dupont at 7:15 pm. And felt OK the next day, unusual.

We did de-clutter stuff in ON. Now I look at what is here and... I need to sort through piles of fabrics and see what more I can easily part with then invite a friend, who sews, to choose whatever she wants. The rest will go back to Beaver for the Thrift shops there.

I have slightly de-cluttered bank accounts with donations re animal rehabs and a burned down house. Deciding how much I can give to local group that is dedicated to helping people in need - housing, food, drug rehab... This group is making a BIG difference for a lot of people and encouraging political action/complaining/pushing re the severe lack of affordable housing. I consider them worthy of whatever I believe I can afford, with some left for ...

Hoping we make it to the monthly old time music event tonight; our social event here. We managed to attend an open mike event when we were at Beaver.

And a new cord for the computer arrived by Fed-ex this am; I ordered it a couple days ago in desperation; the old one died completely late last night! And, as I was watching R leave this am, a neighbour walked over and said he would clear our drive - no charge! We have not needed it as we just push though it! But it was nice to meet him - from New Zealand and now I realize the older couple who offered help a while back are his parents - a Canadian and a Belgian. They all speak English! I look forward to seeing them again. I only know one other Anglophone neighbour and he is so busy- teaching classical music (choir I think) that we rarely get a chance to chat. My only social life is going to the grocery store and the library (did that on Tuesday).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 11:04 AM

A significant declutter that over a hundred people in this area are thrilled about is the departure of a Really Really bad boss. She arrived at our institution in 2012 and proceeded to break it so badly that about 75% of the people working there at the time found new jobs, quit outright, or retired. (I was in the latter group). She's moving on to break another institution's library in the far north, but the odds favor her being fired there within the six month probationary period. When we learned of this job consideration we kept her incompetence quiet, so the other institution wouldn't learn of it—because this local one needs her to move out so it can heal. (Honestly, we think this is how our institution ended up with her - someone here didn't do their due diligence on the projects she did at her last university - where they undid her big changes as soon as she left.) So - once she leaves, the new employer will be given the information they need to be on their guard for her evil personnel management techniques and general level of incompetence. There is new top management at our institution, president and provost, who, we think, don't suffer fools gladly and told her to find a new job and leave on her own or she's out. And now that she's announced that she is leaving and has given an end date, there are no do-overs if she finds the next place changes their mind. So much interesting information has come in through the back channels lately regarding these personnel matters.

Here on the home front eBay stuff is beginning to move again. One box delivered to the post office yesterday and a couple of more listings nearly ready to put up. This is good work for chilly evenings. Since today's high temperature will be in the mid-60s I can go out for a little while and finish cleaning out the freeze-damaged contents of the pots out front and at the side of the house. It's a day for puttering inside and out.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 12:41 PM

Puttering indeed.

I'm procrasti-cleaning, putting off writing the minutes of the latest choir board meeting. While I'm at it, I moved a small bookcase from the study to the bedroom and dusted all the baseboards (how to tell you're not just cleaning, but actively avoiding another task).

With no rug in the bedroom, thanks to Watson, I have to be even more punctilious about keeping the floor dusted in there. That task is easier with more room around the bed for bending over and swashing the dustmop or the vacuum cleaner underneath. To that end, the enormous chest of drawers moved across the room and the considerably less enormous bookcase took its place.

And now I want to move the pictures, and put up the new one my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. But I really have to write those minutes, and the choir newsletter -- the deadline is coming at me like the noon freight.

One final note: I envy Dorothy her outings to old-time music and open-mike events. I finally got to play a few tunes on Thursday with my fiddler friend, who has finally quit her draining classroom teaching job, but that's about the sum and total of my non-family social life that isn't choir practice.

Grocery shopping doesn't count, Dorothy!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Jan 23 - 01:54 PM

Dupont:

Charmion would get more out of the "Brysonville School revisited" than I.It is a bilingual group and only a couple that I talk with. A few songs last night in French sounded delightful. Of course, even when they are in English, I usually have no idea of the words due to my Auditory Processing problem, unless "You are my Sunshine" and the like! It is a rare voice that is comprehensible to me. Enunciation is not taught in school.

R's is getting worse - or my problem is - or both! My current comment is, "Just make sure if the house is on fire, I understand you." There are people I understand with ease. "Grocery shopping" - I usually understand staff. So, twice a month I have something akin to social time.

Yesterday, a cross-the-street neighbour caught me outside - as I watched to make sure R put on his safety belt, which I do every morning. This short visit was an event: Jay is from NZ, offered to plow our drive free of charge. I found out his parents (also over there) are Canadian and Belgian. SO! 3 possible social connections. The dog walker down the street has become a friend but with very little time; he did come in for a bit a couple weeks ago.

Now, I shall brave the frosty weather and go socialize at the vitamin shop! And the produce store. Then try to see if I can re-configure the kitchen - like that pic circulating on FB - sans chat!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 11:14 AM

At xmas my kids gave me a specialty bidet commode seat. The Cadillac of bidets with a warmed seat and warm water, etc. I set the box to the side for a couple of weeks because I had company and frankly didn't want advice or to have to fuss with someone else wanting to try it before I figure it out myself. (This last holiday season got on my last nerve something fierce - it started with the dog in a cone for three weeks, add to it an elderly visitor who coughed and hacked and blew her nose much of the time she was here over five long days . . . ) I've had time to calm down and read the installation instructions.

Today Amazon should be delivering an indoor/outdoor power strip that will be plugged into the GFCI plug on the far end of the sink counter. The extra water protection may not be necessary because of the GFCI plug, but whatever. With an 8' cord it will reach along the wall and be attached to the wall next to the mirror so the bidet power cord can be plugged in. I have checked with the stud finder and should be able to make this power strip pretty stable where I want to place it.

2023 may turn out to be a perfectly fine year, but the start to it has had a number of puzzles and annoyances that have me on edge. I still have a really old dog and the middle dog may have cancer but on the plus side my ex retired so my income will increase one of these days.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 02:13 PM

Been trying hard to get-things-done at the start of the year, and making headway, after some goof-off time at Camp Harmony. But honestly it seems I get 2 things off the list and 2 new ones crop up.

One thing was a large ordering binge while I am stationary for a few weeks. Ebay turned out to be wonderful for ordering odd-size clothes, bless the people who gather these things up and make them available. Land's End, on the other hand, still hasn't actually shipped anything but has sent 3 promotional emails. They are moving at the speed of Sears Roebuck in 1962. Minimizing my Amazon buys, and will send back the mis-sized item they speedily sent.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 03:10 PM

Charmion asked, ”In re: dog licences — Whaddaya mean, “reimpose” the dog licence? You don’t have to tag your dog in Britain? Since when?”

In the UK, Dog Licences were abolished in 1987. The old dog licence was a bit of a joke costing, as it did, the princely sum of 37 pence (slightly less than one US dollar). A promise by the then government to introduce a formal dog registration scheme never came to fruition, although it is a requirement that dogs must have a collar with owners’ details when in public this rule is widely ignored.

Personally, I would change the law to require a licence costing at least £50 p.a. for every dog, but I suspect that such a move would result in huge numbers of abandoned dogs in our streets, and rescue centres would be totally overcome.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 03:58 PM

When my kids were growing fast and I discovered eBay I used to pack together like-sized clothes in good condition for kids and sell them as a "lot." Pants and shirts, generally aimed at school-age kids. I sell estate sale handbags and shoes there, and specific types of garments like vintage things from my mom's closet or really old things out of the trunks from my great aunt's house. And thrift store finds like types of jeans that sell well.

I had a couple of lemons I peeled the rind from to use in baking last month but never squeezed the juice; they were stored in the fridge in sealed containers. I finally decided to squeeze them and today have been looking for a recipe or two for lemon juice. There's a nice yogurt lemon pound cake that I'm going to try (I love lemon meringue pie, but if I'm here by myself I'll eat the whole thing.) The cake sounds like something that would freeze.

Yesterday I used things from the fridge and freezer and made what I will call an unusual batch of kidney beans; I added several of my roasted Hatch chilis and a smoked chicken breast that had been in the freezer for a while. It's odd but edible. Like Hatch chili stew with beans added. It used some frozen garden tomatoes and used up a small container of sofrito from a batch of Puerto Rican arroz con gandules we made last week. The goal was to empty several containers, and I did that.

My power strip has arrived, but I ordered an 8' cord and this is 6'. Damn. Either change plans or return it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 04:37 PM

”I love lemon meringue pie, but if I'm here by myself I'll eat the whole thing”

And the problem there is….what, precisely? ;-) :-)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 05:57 PM

10 steps to reduce extinctions https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/12/19/cop15-biodiversity-wildlife-extinction/



Texas could do alot more to protect the ocelot population as well

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 06:05 PM

If you have spare bits of lemon, just stick them in your freezer. Next time you're peeling apples, carrots or parsnips, put them in a pan of not too much water with your piece of lemon. It stops them from going brown and means you can peel them in advance. Voila!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 07:31 PM

This week has been one in which things feel like they're flying in all directions. One of the few areas where I have maintained some control is keeping to the weight I'm at after working for 6 months to get here, and a lemon meringue pie is hard to resist. I have figured out how to make some of these things in smaller versions, and that is one possibility. I'll throw out the lemon juice before I make the whole pie and do that to myself.

The really terrible boss who impacted a lot of people and most of my friends, since most of my friends here were co-workers, has announced she's leaving, after 11 years of misery and the diaspora of those friends. I retired before she could fire me ("we're not extending your contract" they told many of the others); the writing was on the wall. A lot of old memories have churned up. Add to this the recent family diagnosis of ADHD and the realization that there is a direct line from my father, through me, to that child, and I'm hit with the realization that my scattered way of doing everything was possibly treatable decades ago. There is great potential in view - I think the best way to look at all of this - but great change is part of it.

I have rescinded the intention to do a dry January, though I'm keeping it to most days of the week. Self-medication with a glass of wine and streaming a video is a socially acceptable and non-destructive way of coping. Now that the dog is out of the cone I can get back to the world for hours at a time and stop by the gym. That is a huge help but I just wish it wasn't so full of people starting out their new year's resolutions right now - I try to go when the place is sparsely in use. I went out in the sun this afternoon to let it shine on my forehead; I always find that improves my mood. I've also been doing some sewing; it seems that multitasking has been my standard operating system and sewing and watching TV at the same time works. That, or sewing and listening to an audiobook.

This is more than I usually share, but it has needed to come out.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 06:08 AM

Husband is moving back in with me in two weeks, and he's having a sort-out of all his surplus clothes which are clogging up his flat in a nearby town. We've been to the supermarket where they have large containers for unwanted clothing (Salvation Army etc) and popped lots of stuff in there. Also took some small pieces of his furniture to our local tip, where they have a big shed for 'still useful' items.
I've lost tons of weight (from size 20 to size 10!!) so all my fat lady's clothes have gone too.
But he wants to keep his 20 pairs of sporty trainers and dozens of football shirts. (Why not eh? If it keeps him happy!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 06:39 AM

I'm terrible with clothes. All my shirts are cheap and cheerful short-sleeve ones, generally from Asda George and Mountain Warehouse, and half of them are falling to bits. I wear cheap sandals only and have just a single pair of shoes, in black, for weddings and funerals only, that I've had for over thirty years. I don't wear socks. I have one pair of half-decent trousers, one white short-sleeve shirt and an ancient sports jacket for emergencies and I wear cheap nylon shorts all year round. I will put on a tie only at gunpoint. I never wear wool or anything with long sleeves. I've just bought a cheap winter coat for twenty quid (I haven't had one for years, but that December cold snap and my advancing years gave me a wake-up call), of the Rab type that everyone seems to wear, but their genuine Rabs cost upward of £150. I can buy seven or eight of mine for that money. I don't get it. I hate paying full price for anything but I really have to do some shopping. My size is XL, the first size of everything to sell out in the sales. I'm the kind of bloke that could put on a sharp £300 suit and immediately make it look like I've picked it up for a fiver in the Scouts' jumble sale.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 09:43 AM

Now almost ten years past leaving my last government job, I have pared my wardrobe to seasonal variations on shirt + trousers + sweater. (Canadian weather ranges from tropical heat to polar cold, so we need those variations.) I can't remember when I last wore pantyhose, but the hassle of keeping them hauled up is fresh in my mind. Make-up makes my skin crawl, and then break out in a rash. Giving up dressing up is probably my most important decluttering decision ever.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 11:03 AM

Steve, this might be a good time to stroll through some local thrift shops (not jumble sales) and see what turns up. You might find better-looking and better-made things for a fraction of what you've been investing. You're right, the XL sizes can be hard to find, but, you might find great things on the hunt. I understand you're not a fashion plate, but, a couple of nice new things can give one a lift of spirit, especially if the results of a successful bargain hunt.

Stilly, the upside to finding out ADHD is a thing in the family is, you didn't blindly get put on strong/wrong drugs for years.You have the advantage of perspective and the results of society's large scale experiment with them, and other methods of coping.

We join with you to toast the departure of the wicked witch of the workplace, glad she won't be able to do your coworkers or the institution further harm.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 11:21 AM

Thanks, Patty!

Cosmetics make my eyes water and don't do my skin any good. I think it's the coconut products in it, same is in many soaps, shampoos, and lotions. On rare occasion I've used a waxy wand thing like a mascara tube to force my eyebrows to appear on my face, though I think wearing a pair of half-rim glasses with a dark upper rim tends to achieve the same effect. I mail order glasses through Zenni.com these days.

My wardrobe for volunteering is usually good jeans, attractive walking shoes and a knit shirt with no message (unless we're asked to wear one identifying us as volunteers). The closet also holds black slacks and a couple of mid-calf skirts, a couple of suit jackets, and for special occasions a long cashmere kilt I bought about 50 years ago. There was a lovely sweater to pair with it but moths devoured that; the kilt is packed in an air-tight bin.

It is astonishing the quality of clothing that turns up in thrift stores, especially things from the last 30 years or so—there are some things that are truly out of style, but garments like mid-rise or high-waist jeans (the latter I prefer) and simple strait sweaters or knit tops are fairly timeless. The current lightweight "fast fashion" also turns up there to be left on the rack.

I buy new shoes starting in the clearance rack at DSW. I grew up going to Nordstrom's in Seattle with my mother, starting at their clearance rack. That's when Nordstrom's was JUST shoes and just one store in downtown Seattle. Decades ago they merged with Best's Apparel and for a few years were called Nordstrom Best's until they went back to the single name, keeping the nice clothes.

When my father died I filled a large U-Haul box (the next size down from the wardrobe box) with shoes, mostly running or walking sneakers (called "trainers" in the UK). I think I estimated the value at $50 a pair (most of them barely if ever worn) and with donations like that to the local Saint Vincent DePaul was able to wipe out the estate's income tax bill (and they were THRILLED with the shoes that mostly went to homeless men.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 12:34 PM

My decision to join an amateur vocal chorus means I have had
to add to my wardrobe, what are called "concert blacks".
Black blouse, full-length black skirt, black shoes.

My big de-clutter is high heels: no more, never again.
Sure, I have some shoes/boots with one-inch heels, but that's not high.
And the black shoes have to be decorous-looking onstage,
so they have to be nice shoes;
but they can still have lower heels and be acceptable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 12:56 PM

I haven't used deodorant for over thirty years (I do shower twice a day!) and I never use body sprays or any soap or cream that contains perfume. I've had to give in when it comes to shampoo because I need something that keeps dandruff at bay, though a small bottle will last me a year. I have far less hair these days. Our washing machine does not rinse my clothes and towels anywhere near well enough and I react badly to any residues thereon, so I do a huge amount of rinsing, typically in cold water in the sink. Gosh, what a delicate thing I am.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 01:24 PM

I haven't used deodorant since high school; it isn't good for you. That said, I have gotten to where my hair needs to be washed usually about once a week in the shower and I take baths every couple of days. It takes a while to adjust to this, and washing spots is perfectly acceptable in the interim. I rarely use soap on my face. The soap I do use is usually Mediterranean or African, made with olive oil or shea butter. I use that on my hair also.

When I finally learned that I was allergic to coconut about 15 years ago that answered a nagging question about skin breaking out. It's internal - eat coconut (the shredded product, the juice, the oil, etc.) and external (soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc.). https://www.livingbeyondallergies.com/coconut-allergy/

Jump to the "Hidden names of coconut" that I've learned most of through researching any products I buy new (and revisiting what is in regular products in case the formula changes). Some of the most common lathering agents in soap and shampoo are Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, just about anything with "Lauryl" or "Cocoate" in the label, and a lot more.

Keb, after having bunion surgery on my right foot I stopped wearing heels, and that has kept me from needing any further foot surgery. I have a couple of pair of boots with 1" heels, for special events.

I have to empty the donation bin contents into a bag and take them to Goodwill, and make a pass by the city forestry department where they have free mulch. Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 82^o and I can get some work done in the yard in the afternoon after running errands.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 03:34 PM

I, too, have "concert blacks", Keb. That's my last skirt, a Christmas present from Edmund in 1998, and I wear it with a long-sleeved black tee shirt, black silk long-johns from LL Bean, black socks, and a pair of black sneakers. My spot in the choir is the back of the Alto section, so nobody sees my feet!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Jan 23 - 11:55 PM

Finally! I finished the jigsaw puzzle I started early last year. It languished in the sun room for many months of heat when there was no AC in that part of the house. I'm ready to box it up and move on, and offer it (via Facebook, or here) to anyone interested (first come, first served). Not all of these puzzles interest people, though I'm mailed a couple of them to collectors. This was so tough it seems someone drawn to the challenge might want it. I thought a piece was missing, but there it was, right on top of the rest of the puzzle when I had everything else in place.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 23 - 07:47 PM

My volunteer gig this morning went long so I didn't have time for the gym, but had time to kill before a doctor's appointment, so stopped in The Container Store for inspiration. They didn't fail me: in the drawer organizer section there was a two-level junk drawer organizer (think silverware organizers for drawers, but with an upper sliding layer and lots of odd little compartments). I have a bunch of round restaurant take-out plastic containers in my junk drawer and over time they all get mashed toward the back of the drawer. For $12 this may be a more reasonable and transparent way to sort the stuff that doesn't have anywhere else to live but is deemed necessary to keep. And there's still room for the other Rubbermaid silverware holder that actually houses screw drivers, pliers, kitchen scissors, pencils, can openers, etc. And room at the front of that for my rubber kitchen mallet, because doesn't everyone need a mallet in the kitchen?

I'm going to break down and pack up the completed puzzle and choose something completely different in look and complexity for my next outing. I took up jigsaws during COVID and it's something I want to continue, but that last one was nearly the end of me.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Jan 23 - 10:22 PM

I've been doing jigsaws for many decades. Before my grandmother died she gave me two 1950s puzzles which will go to my cousin along with other family treasures. I sent all my jigsaws to charity shops a few year ago (many of them came from charity shops!) Unlike my jigsawing friends, I only have one table in my apartment so it needed to be cleared to puzzle, & bending over did my back no good.
So now-a-days I do oonline jigsaws I only kept 2 puzzles, one is a cheaply made war time puzzle of General Macarthur & Battle of the Coral Sea (probably a fundraiser), the other is a good quality puzzle from 1954 of Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Jan 23 - 10:38 PM

ecologic innovation trends feature composting cadavers.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 12:11 AM

New York State recently authorized human composting. I'll stick to kitchen waste and garden refuse for now.

The new drawer organizer worked well and I was inspired to toss some of the redundant stuff that doesn't merit donating. Old paper clips and safety pins, zip ties and whatnot. The plastic containers are in the sink but will probably head for the recycle bin; they've been in the drawer long enough chances are they're too brittle to put back into use storing food.

There are tons of keys in there, some of them I know what they're for, others I should have tossed when the locks they went to went away. Lots of key rings, holders, and more. They've never all been in one place like this before. I'll take time to sort and thin those out later.

Thanks for the puzzle suggestion, though I have to say that I do too many things online already; the idea of online puzzles is interesting but I'll stick to the analog boxes of pieces I have here for now. You've mentioned it before and that may be a link that someone else (one of our lurkers?) can deploy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 04:00 AM

I'm very cautious about composting kitchen waste (in my case, I have so much garden refuse that kitchen waste wouldn't add much in any case). There's the risk of attracting rodents via the shells of raw eggs, and I've bought onions in the past that were infected with the dreaded white rot. Then there's the issue of pesticide residues from bought produce getting into my compost. I go to some lengths to avoid virus diseases of potatoes and club root of brassicas and I'm not about to risk introducing them via shop-bought potato and brassica peelings. My own home-grown stuff is fine.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 10:20 AM

Senoufou, tu lui donnera un grand coup de pied de ma part.

Funny how things work out.

Since becoming an ex-hoarder I have to keep my clothing amount down, so I have rules, like no more tshirts than fit in my actual dresser drawers. I have a heavy tallboy.

When I got back from my back surgery, the drawers in that tallboy were too heavy to move, so I had a friend pull them out stepping-stone-wise, so I could get to their contents. Which meant things were spilling out of the drawers but at least I could get to my clothes.

Now I can open the drawers myself and have discovered that somehow I don't fit in them any more. I can't *close* them again.

So time to declutter... But do I?

Well...

Yesterday I locked my keys in my car, which isn't supposed to be possible but anyway, I called my kid, who has a key to my house, to fetch my extra key from my top drawer...

An he couldn't find it. I had put it somewhere else. But I came home to the contents of that top drawer dumped out on my bed! Perfect first step! Thank you, kid! [It was my request not to put anything back.]

So I now have in that drawer neat piles of socks in pairs, long-sleeved shirts with and without hoods separately, got rid of the big shirts from the sleep pile that I don't like to sleep in [old hoarder habit, moving the too-big shirts to the sleep pile] because of their material...

Only 3 more drawers to go!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 11:51 AM

Mrrzy, tu as raison, je vais le faire s'il ne se comporte bien une fois réinstallé ici. Comment va ton dos mon ami? J'espere tu vas tres bien. Bonne Année!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 12:07 PM

Steve, you are perpetuating old wives' tales as far as the reluctance to put stuff in the compost. If the compost is breaking down as it should (it does so faster if you turn it occasionally and water it if you don't get much rainfall) then the microorganisms in the compost itself will do that work for you - including destroying any residue from pesticides on the onions, etc. You can also drop in, contrary to those same old wives' or more likely old bachelor farmers, dog or cat droppings. It breaks down. That whole "no predator poop" nonsense is just that - nonsense. Things like cow or horse manure must be composted before using, and should probably be composted separately before adding to the household compost. Same with chicken. Rabbit droppings can go directly on the garden. (Literally - I do this gardening advice for a living - I know what I'm talking about.)

Over here in the US there are products like Milorganite that are the composted highly processed solids from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin sewage treatment plants.

Good job on starting the dresser reorganization, Mrrzy. I still occasionally find some drawer or rack with clothes I've forgotten about. Last week in my closet I realized the hanging plastic bag with strings at each corner to support shelves of sweaters had been overlooked as I shopped my closet for things to wear this year now that I'm lighter. There were sweaters I haven't worn because they were too snug but now they're perfect, and I donated a couple of them that were a) too big and b) a mistake to buy in the first place, I never wore them.

The jigsaw puzzle is put away and I have several now to choose from. The boxes are on the table I use for puzzles and I'll wait until the impulse hits, which one appeals. Right now I'm kind of puzzled out. :-/

Don, please stop dropping in random statements with no context or participation. That may work on some of the other threads, but we prefer that you share more information about what you're actually doing, not random brain droppings.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 01:08 PM

I compost all types of animal manure when I can get it, Maggie. That's not what I was saying. It's the potential for spreading plant diseases that bugs me. When I started my veg garden here 35 years ago I had no onion white rot. Somehow it got into my soil and I haven't been able to grow onions, shallots, leeks or garlic without losing a half to two-thirds of my crop. The black spores can lie dormant for 20 years. Unlike most UK gardeners I've managed to keep brassica clubroot at bay. I had that when I had an allotment just outside London and it devastated my crops every year. So nothing from any bought cauliflower, cabbage, kale, sprouts or broccoli goes into my heaps. The counsel of perfection is to put suspect material into the middle of fresh heaps where the heat will kill any spores, but in practice that in unachievable for most of the heap, especially the stuff nearer to the outsides. I generate so much compost from my home-grown crops, weeds and grass clippings that I should think that shop-bought trimmings would contribute less that one per cent of the bulk. My blighted potato tops go in the heaps as the spores can't survive the winter unless they're in "volunteer" potatoes, and I never worry about weeds that have seeded. As for pesticide residues, to register as an organic farmer in the UK you mustn't have used the chemicals banned for organic for at least two years. That rule is there for a reason. Many shop-bought products, including oranges, tangerines, lemons and peppers are dusted with fungicide before sale. There no definitive evidence that mere rinsing gets rid of it all.

My view on fresh chicken and rabbit droppings is that they should go on the compost heap, not straight into the soil. Small amounts of rabbit won't do any harm, but chicken is a "hot" manure which will do wonders for your heaps but not a lot for crops, and in large amounts it will do damage. The only fertiliser I ever buy is chicken manure pellets, which have already been composted. Not saying you're wrong, but I've been gardening organically for 45 years...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 03:58 PM

Black onion rot is a fungal disease - you have a couple of options. If you're starting with onion sets, then I'd give a good sprinkle of corn gluten meal on the ground where you're going to plant them, stir it into the surface a bit, then put in the sets. You can't use the corn gluten meal when planting seeds because it tends to prevent germination. That's why it's a good one to apply to prevent winter weeds, and to put down when putting on the soil around bedding plants to slow weed growth around them as the season starts.

Hydrogen peroxide (the store strength 3% variety) is a good fungicide, but even at that strength it will burn the plants. You might want to spray it on the soil the day before you plant onion sets and see if that helps, then add a little to a mix so it's dilute if you ever do foliar feeding in the garden. And you could continue to sprinkle corn meal (cheaper) or corn gluten meal around your onion bed every so often as they grow. Or put corn meal in water to soak for a while then spray the "tea" directly on the plants. You might even want to try spritzing the seeds with a mix of compost tea and hydrogen peroxide before you plant (place them in the ground still moist).

Another anti-fungal treatment is potassium bicarbonate or even baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), a couple of tablespoons dissolved in a gallon of water with whatever else you're putting on the garden - compost tea, liquid organic fertilizer, etc.

It sounds like you could treat the soil ahead, treat the soil at planting and during the growth season.

The only things I don't put in my compost are plants with seeds that I absolutely don't want sprouting as volunteers around the edge. So I get rid of the datura from the front yard flower bed into the trash, the seeds can scatter everywhere and if the dogs eat them it will make them sick.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 04:01 PM

I really, really should compost.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 04:28 PM

It's mid-January, when Ontario is usually very cold and knee-deep in snow, but Perth County has temperatures hovering above freezing, consistent rain, and no snow at all. This has been going on since New Year's Day. I think we got the winter that should have been delivered to southern Germany.

On the other hand, I'm not eager to wear the big coat and heavy boots that are normal January kit, or to put up with chilblained fingers.

Tomorrow I have a date with a builder's estimator to talk about my bathroom. I've had a lot of asthma this winter, probably initiated by the bout of COVID I had but surely made worse by the presence of a major mould infestation to which I am very allergic. Pumping myself full of steroids and bronchodilators keeps the worst of it under control, but the drugs make me feel wobbly and tired.

I'm not doing anything interesting with compost, and the house remains full of books that need new homes. The box-seeking visit to the LCBO (liquor store) hasn't happened yet. I must admit, however, that I'm looking forward to getting shot of the works of Sir Winston Churchill -- not only his history of the Great War (four volumes) and the Second World War (six volumes), but also his biography of the Duke of Marlborough (four volumes) and his memoir about youthful adventures in South Africa. That's a lot of shelf space to devote to an ... um ... "unreliable" narrator, as they say in literary circles.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 04:53 PM

What you're calling black rot is what we call neck rot, I think, which is caused by a Botrytis. White rot is completely different. It attacks the base of the plant with a soft-rot white fungal growth which soon produces the typical black spores that can persist for many years in the soil. Check out Stromatinia cepivora (syn. Sclerotium cepivorum).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 05:28 PM

Hmm. Having just checked, I think that our neck rot is not your black rot! Neck rot is a botrytis infection whereas black rot is an Aspergillus infection. Neither of them is connected to the white rot I mentioned.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 06:04 PM

I pulled up my browser history to find the fungus I was discussing: Black rot of onions (Aspergillus niger).

Here is a starting place about corn gluten meal and you can use the Library Topics link to bring up the alphabetical list for things like Hydrogen Peroxide and Compost Tea.

I've just returned from several trips to the back of the back yard with a tarp filled with the pruned Salvia greggii from around the front yard. I took it down completely in three places and left it standing in two others, where it is a good barrier. The cut branches are dropped over an area that was becoming a path along the back - it's private property so we don't need it looking like a path into the woods along the creek. It's 84^o right now, but supposed to cool considerably overnight, so this was a good time to do the job.

I had a call from the vet while I was working–it is good news for Pepper. That mass was a mastitis tumor that flared badly but it wasn't cancerous. If I'd gone in to have her teeth cleaned last year in the spring (they knock them out and do any other small things or trim nails at the same time) and had it removed, this wouldn't have happened, so this is on me. At the time he thought it was just a fatty tumor, but either way, it wouldn't have become this big messy expensive surgery had I acted promptly.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 06:21 PM

I could be wrong but I'm not aware that the aspergillus infection is a serious issue here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Jan 23 - 06:53 PM

Thank goodness for good news about Pepper, Stilly.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 23 - 11:20 AM

Trash is picked up twice a week here and my contribution is usually small because I keep recyclables in a separate bin and take it down to the collection dumpsters at city hall every week or so.

My donation bin is next to the recycle bin and it's filling up, so I think over the weekend I'll be emptying both.

My methods to get more stuff out of here are to sell it, donate it, or throw it away. The eBay activity is started up again and it will feed itself once a few things start selling. Success breeds success.

I've managed to follow-up on some ideas and appointments that were written on bright yellow post-it notes stuck on my computer monitor. I'm leaving in a few minutes for one of those appointments and have only one note left to tend to. It's a new year that had a rocky beginning but I think I can turn it around. Now, to get a mask, put on my earrings (with closing hooks so I don't fling them off accidentally with my mask) and grab my shopping list.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Jan 23 - 07:17 PM

The builder’s estimator came, and this time I just might get my bathroom squared away.

It won’t be cheap … but good service rarely is.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jan 23 - 10:30 PM

Charmion, will they have to build a plastic barrier between the bathroom and the rest of the house, to keep the mold out of the general air circulation? Will it involve connecting with the framework of the house, not just pulling out tile and sheet rock and redoing it? What will be the extent of that remodel?

This weekend a friend is coming over with some aluminum crutches, needing help trimming them down. She has Osteoporosis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease) and needs her crutches to be adult strength (versus lightweight child size) but very short. Her husband is deep into a form of dementia and is no longer able to help her, as he used to do. I'm glad she knows I'm here to help; I have my coping saw and my drill handy. She has remarked several times that it astonishes her that at this point in her life that she is considered the "able-bodied" of the two of them.

This is a friend who retired from the university, though she wasn't a victim of the awful dean as were many of us (she worked in the next building over from me). When I look at the array of friends both inside and outside my old workplace, clearly most of my friends now were met at work. I throw up my hands when the subject of where your friends should be made comes up (work or outside work); ages ago I understood that those people you met outside of work were organically the best friends (why?), but it has been my experience in an educational institution with thousands of employees that you meet people with whom you "click" because of your fields or because of similar interests. I see packs of librarians traveling and partying together; they met at work. If I return to the part of the country where I grew up, the people I know there are adults who were kids I went to high school with. Very few adults from my working life. Does this make sense? I'm questioning the validity of suggesting our friends should come from a particular part of our lives. I'm curious where each of us situates our friends in relation to our jobs or workplaces.

By way of explanation, I know why this has come up. It's in the front of my thoughts because of the departure of the almost-former dean. A psychologist friend today stated adamantly that I (all of us) need to leave the anger at her behavior behind. "Burn her in effigy. Buy a piñata in her shape and destroy it!" Good advice!

Lunch with my daughter and a trip to the gym tomorrow. Pleasant company and then a workout listening to an interesting book. That sounds like a good day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 11:43 AM

Rounding up dishes and running the dishwasher today after the messy process of making a loaf of lemon poppyseed pound cake last night. So much work and splatter to beat all of that butter with everything slowly added. I like it, though I think next time leave out the poppyseeds. They go straight for the gumline, don't they? I followed the instructions in the cookbook the first time and nearly burned out the motor of my ancient handheld egg beater. Another time, use the Kitchenaid stand mixer.

I think I have that out of my system - it was something I wanted to make over the holidays that kept getting postponed. After sampling a slice the rest is in the freezer and will be a lovely dessert when friends come over for lunch.

Also trying to get coconut out of my system. I think something came into the house with the term "natural flavorings" that was actually coconut, I can't figure out where else, but I've had my classic skin breakout after coconut this week. I've gone through the packages of things here and tossed a couple where contents were vague.

Rereading my riff on where we manage to make friends, at work or outside work, I want to add that what I'm always pleased to read here are all of the people over the countryside in two provinces who Dorothy seems to know when she describes her travels. She sets an example of how to be friendly and a good friend and (most importantly) enrich both herself and those people in the process of their conversations, however long, short, or involved it might be. Taking note of the people we meet and the in-person conversations, those are so good for us.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 12:07 PM

Friendships seem to develop with people you spend a lot of time with, work being a big one of those, or have common interests/pursuits which bring you into regular contact. Of course these situations vary throughout life; you don't stay in the PTA group for your entire lifespan, though you might keep in touch with a few of them.

All I really know is it is easier to pursue friendships in retirement because people have more time for it. The modern middle-ager is locked into work, housework, yardwork, child care, extended family, maybe religion, and usually youth sports. Who can be surprised if their only new friends in adulthood are work friends?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 12:32 PM

Well... We moved from London to Cornwall 36 years ago when we had two small children. I had a teaching job in a nearby small town and our children went to the local primary school. Those were our two fast routes into making a new circle of friends. On the other hand, there are lots of stories of retirees buying up cheap homes or chalets in the south of Spain where they'd go for a few months every year (or even to live permanently) to escape the British winter. Many of them find themselves mixing with similar ageing Brit expats only and can feel lonely. There's the language barrier for many and the fact that many locals don't take kindly to incomers who are not Spanish. What's more, many of the lovely summer holiday honeypots almost completely shut down in winter. I always felt that moving to a different area to work may go down a lot better. Careful choices to be made, eh?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jan 23 - 10:51 PM

I weeded a bunch of old calendars out of a shelf in the office closet - I mentioned them to my ex - that it was time to let these go. He suggests taking photos of the pages before recycling. It's all of the appointments the kids had, guitar lessons, field trips, doctor's appointments. I suppose that will work and they won't take up any more space. There are other papers around here to scan or photograph, I could spend a fair amount of time working on all of that.

Papers are coming out of that closet also, and I probably don't need as many file folders as are up there. After the next rain I'll set out the burn barrel to burn old bills and receipts. I bundle them a year at a time; it's time to set up this year's accordion folder and start putting the January printouts and bills in it. They're piling up on top of the printer right now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Jan 23 - 06:55 PM

Made it through the rest of the drawers but moved things amongst piles and did not get rid of anything.

But they close, now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 07:58 AM

Drawers that close! And open again without jamming!

The true basis of household order.

I have decided to rehome the large cooking gear that I never use any more. The giant Instant Pot, the roasting pan big enough for a young emu, the cast-iron skillet that I can barely lift — it’s time to let them go. Must canvass the family …

In other news, we have snow again, but not even enough to sweep off the porch let alone bring out the town plows. If this goes on, we’ll have a drought come spring.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 10:15 AM

innovation
While Dal-le AI software can create art of every painting description and 3D printer cad cam can carve marble sculptures similar to Bellini it Michaelangelo, I am still creating art that AI can not create.
It is because I am combining sculpture and painting using unusual materials.
The AI database is over 800 million images and is headed way past a billion.
Today we can type a brief description and create a Van Gogh or Rembrandt painting or even animation. Easy come easy go. It may make true handmade art more valuable but diminish the need for graphic artists when good enough is all that is needed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 11:01 AM

Don, how much art do you make, and is this for your personal use or for sale? My art these days still is largely the sewing of masks (I gave two new ones to a friend who was here yesterday - she still wears them religiously in public buildings, as do I.) The art in this case was choosing a new fabric color and pattern and combining the t-shirt yarn ties and a couple of colored hard acrylic beads for the adjustable ear loops.

Yesterday my mask friend from above came over with a stack of old aluminum crutches picked up at Goodwill; she has Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), is 4'3", and children's crutches aren't robust enough. Her husband used to cut down adult crutches for her, but he has a form of dementia making that work impossible, so she explained her requirements and we attacked the spare crutches (one of the current ones has a broken plastic underarm piece). We got one cobbled together by shortening an adjustable part and it involved the reciprocating saw, but that isn't easy and doesn't cut completely straight. Also that tube was molded in an oblong shape, but she had a couple of other crutches that have round adjustable tubes and it dawned on my last night to get out the little pipe cutter I've used on copper pipes. I'll be making another pair of crutches for her this week for backup and replacement crutches will become a feature of my Goodwill shopping. #ItTakesAVillage

At Goodwill last week I examined a Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) battery backup unit that was probably donated because the batteries inside need replacing. For $15 and $50 in batteries I would have a working unit and I considered buying it to use as a backup in the main part of the house for power outages (for phones and tablets and a small light). But until I replace the batteries in the hall UPS that keeps the router and modem running during a power outage there is no point in buying another. Fix what I already have first.

Time to make a list of house and garden goals for this year; I noticed the last list on the fridge didn't have things crossed off during the year but I'd managed quite a few.

Today is a fasting day and will feature a trip to the gym. The sugar from the holidays kicked in the addictive sugar-craving that adds weight, and I've about got it out of my routine again. I wonder if I could think of a few bacon-based gifts to give out next year? Or beef jerky treats with a holiday bow in a bright red gift bag? And keep that kind of snack at the house. Trouble is, I enjoy the holiday baking. :-/

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 12:24 PM

Oh, I didn't say they opened again...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 12:49 PM

I've lost a key. Wish I could declutter it. Looked everywhere for it.
My room has a lockbox for prescription medications.
That's the key that has gone missing, an old-fashioned metal key.
The nurses' station managed to get my locked meds box opened,
and now I have to leave it unlocked.
And I will probably have to pay to have a new key cut,
as I really don't know where that key went to.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 01:02 PM

Keb, the easiest way to solve that mystery is to have the new key made. When you go to put it in a safe place, that's where the other one will be. It works *every* time - buy the replacement and the absentee item turns up.

So Mrrzy's drawers don't close? Then the job isn't finished. Did you consider hanging any of the drawer items in the closet? If you're not going to thin them out (do you really wear every one of those garments? Aren't there a few you pass by every time you look in the drawer?)

My hall closet is better these days; it used to be that I could open the door, stuff something straight into the dense collection of jackets, and it would stay there without a hanger, not falling to the floor. Try to remove something and the garments on either side also exited the closet. A while back I cleared out a few things that I wanted to keep but I don't personally wear. They're the extra jackets and sweaters kept in case a visitor to the house needs one. That has happened enough times that I keep these spares, but they are now in the guest room closet.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 01:51 PM

I started as a kid making landscapes that changed color every 5 degrees of motorized rotation. It was Paintings and sculptures until 20 years ago I prolifically decorated violins and cellos. Since then I went digital, ink cartoons and now stone. I have only kept about a dozen odds and ends and have never had any support or marketing since its a personal hobby. If its different its worth doing for me. My ancestors were probably cave painters.

Took down the tree and decorations today. This marks no more carbs till May. Also marks the start of Spring cleaning.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 06:04 PM

I used a long orange heavy duty extension cord in the master bath to calculate the length of a needed extension cord, routing it along the path from the wall plug to near the new bidet. I'll get a 15' black one to run down the wall, along under the sink cabinet, and back up the other side next to the commode. I settled on a simple black extension 3-prong cord that will be plugged into the plug on the far wall and won't need a surge protector because of the GFCI wall plug. When I get to the point of having the electrician in for my growing list of electrical projects, I'll have him run a line to put a plug in beside the commode.

I could stand to have both bathrooms updated with new cabinets and flooring, but they work as they are so will stay this way for now. I look forward to hearing about the work on Charmion's bathroom.

Dorothy, did you and R sell that house you had for years in Montreal? It sounded like it was in a great neighborhood (I think you posted a link to the Zillow page for it once) but it had floors that were ready to fall through and needed a lot of work and cleanup.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jan 23 - 11:42 AM

My list of seasonal chores is growing. One regular thing I didn't do today is put out the trash because there simply wasn't enough to bother with, but I hope by Thursday to have a bag full of items discarded from the greenhouse workbench. One of the signs of spring is when local people share on Instagram their pots of soil for planting from seed; it's too early to plant outside for at least two months, but I can start a seeds-in-pots planting station. There is a garden cart in the sunroom, right now heaped with plastic containers and oddball things I should have sorted or discarded. To have space to work on the bench I first need to finish wrapping up the holiday lights . . . this is the "work backwards until you can do what you set out to do" method.

Before planting bedding plants it will be time to plant potatoes (late January) so I'll finish hauling away the pile of dead stuff from last year's garden. Okra makes quite a large pile if dry thick stems and potatoes tend to do well in the corner where I've stacked that stuff. I'm glad I finally fixed the gate next to the garden making the moving of it all easier.

Today is a bank and post office holiday in the US, but most businesses will operate normal hours. I ended up not going to the gym yesterday because I didn't have any other places I needed to go; today I have a short list that will satisfy my eco-goal to make each trip efficient. Go early enough and it might not be full with the new January members.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Jan 23 - 01:44 PM

Definitely not finished, agreed!

My closet is limited to its hangers. I got rid of all the extra hangers so now I can't hang anything up without culling. This was on purpose.

There are a lot more clothes in the closet that I never wear than are in my dresser. I got rid of most of the dresser never-wear clothes the last time I decluttered.

So good idea. I could go through the closet, cull, then move some drawer-contents to the closet...

However several piles of things I moved from shelves I was decluttering to my desk area for later decluttering, now that I have decluttered my desk, have moved back to the shelves... but in nice neat piles, sorted.

So um, maybe moving things around is not a long-term solution...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jan 23 - 09:55 PM

I solved my clothing storage problem some years ago. I'm lucky enough to have my grandparents 1920's dressing table & wardrobe (this style - note comment about modern coathangers) & 20-odd modern padded coathangers took up too much room, so I bought five 4-tier padded metal hangers meant for shirts, which are also good for dresses. My 3 summer skirts & 2 winter skirts take up the rest of the rail in the wardrobe.

My grandparents managed with the wardrobe plus the dressing table with 5 drawers, but I also have off season clothes in an old suitcase. I have one summer 1970s midi-flared skirt I can no longer wear (shrunk in the wardrobe as a friend said when she gave me 2 winter velvet hippie skirts some years back!) which I can almost wear again. I won't get rid of it as I made what was supposed to be a 6-10" braid when I was learning bobbin lace back in the early 80s, but kept going for several metres & put it around the hem!

Of course there are a lot of other stuff I have, especially embroideries & craft items I've made over the years. I've given away bits & pieces but there re still too many items, as well as too much craft material & lots of other stuff that needs new homes. Stuff has slowly dripped out, but that doesn't really empty the dam, good thing I live in a 4-room apartment, & not a 4 bedroom house!

My cousin has 2 daughters & is taking family stuff, including items made by our Great Grandmother & Great Aunt, but I can't give her all my embroideries & other craft, unless one of her daughters turns out to be a crafty maid! fingers crossed

sandra (who has been very slowly downsizing for at least 5 years without visible effect)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jan 23 - 10:38 PM

Sandra, we should all compare notes and do a summertime "secret santa" and send garments that might be worn but other Mudcatters. It would involve measurements since sizes don't mean much these days. I have a couple of skirts like the one you mention, lovely, and it would be nice if someone could wear them.

I have a covered bin in the laundry room that I drop things into as I decide they need to go. Last year there was a long gap in donations and in late 2022 I realized that a couple of the things in the donation for the last six months bin now fit. Everything else left the house.

The gym was getting crowded today so I stayed only 45 minutes; I'm switching from just recumbent bike to half bike, half treadmill. I also let the treadmill run on a slight incline and I can feel it in my hips this evening. I was able to make the trip efficient by picking up free mulch at the city park mulch bunker before the gym and on the way home stopped to pick up the 15' extension cord I need.

The dogs have created a forest floor again in the den, with lots of chewed up tree branches; fortunately, that mess is confined to that room. Now that Pepper is past the oozing part of her surgery recovery I can put my nice Persian rug down in my bedroom. I've missed it now that it's winter with cold tile floors.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Mrrzy
Date: 17 Jan 23 - 07:39 AM

I have what I impolitely call my Ethnic pile.

It has all the things that should go back to where they came from.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 12:07 AM

My mother had a Mobile Muddle. It was the heap of homeless stuff that migrated from room to room, waxing and waning but never quite getting tidied away. I would come home on leave and make a move to deal with it, and Mum would shut me down as soon as she realized what I was up to. Much as she complained about it, she liked the muddle or perhaps just preferred not to live without it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 02:26 AM

Husband is moving back in with me in three days' time (whoopee!) and he's been coming round with stacks of stuff. Yesterday it was two large bags of washing. I had no idea he owned so many sets of underwear, socks, shirts etc. but I set to work after he left and it's now all washed, dried and neatly folded on his bed.
Personally, I hate 'stuff' and like a simple, uncluttered environment. But everyone is different, and I'm determined to 'grit my teeth' and let him fill our bungalow to the ceilings if that's what he wants.
He's bringing his absolutely massive TV over on Saturday when he moves in. It's like a cinema screen (I hate it) but he's going to mount it on the wall of his study, so I can watch my little TV in the sitting room.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 11:00 AM

Senoufou, my ex lives in a house that I never liked but was the only one he would accept when we moved to town years ago (he was the one with the income - who said "any house you want" except it wasn't). Upon divorce I moved out and let him keep the house (versus selling and splitting the income) because I wanted my kids to have their neighborhood network in place when they stayed with him. The house is spotless and almost empty, but you should see the garage: that's the Dorian Gray portrait that shows the accumulation and clutter, stacked and piled in boxes. A few years ago he cleared it enough down the middle so he could park his car in there, but other than that, it still needs a lot of work.

It seems to be a season for changing out batteries. My outside thermometer was blinking red desperately, the television remotes are unhappy, and (shhhh!) I should have changed out the smoke detectors with the most recent time change (here they suggest doing it annually on one of those changes to or from Standard Time, but I lose track of which one I used as my reminder. Must leave a note on one of the detectors.) I also ordered a couple of boxes basic batteries from Amazon. I also have some rechargeable ones that I put in devices where I'm sure I'll notice it's rechargeable and not accidentally throw them away. The next battery to tackle is ordering replacement insides for the hall UPS that supports the router and modem.

I've unfurled the new long extension cord to let it relax before I take hammer and nails into the bathroom to tack it into position under the built-in cabinet along the kick board area.

Today is another unusually overcast day with a slight drizzle that should clear within the hour. I'll step out into the yard to do some more cleanup (dead plants in pots, moving plastic containers into the greenhouse, etc.). This morning I listened to a news story about a man in Canada who has to use his personal snowplow 4 times in a season to get a return on his investment (I'm guessing to make the payments equal to what he paid someone else for snow cleanup). That will never be the case down here with equipment like lawn mowers; they get used about 11 months of the year - my next mow will be to mulch leaves that I'll rake onto the turf from the curb.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 12:12 PM

Two dozen bottles from Edmund’s accumulation of wine have gone to become prizes at a choir fund-raiser. I don’t drink nearly enough — and neither do my friends — to work my way through it before some of the white varietals get too old to be fully palatable, and I was pleased to wave bye-bye to it.

Unfortunately, my lower back is punishing me for picking up a box of a dozen bottles, and the toothache has returned to my right sacro-iliac joint.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 01:47 PM

I've always found that wine can last a lot longer than the back labels sometimes suggest. I found a four-year-old bottle of Prosecco (i.e., I bought it four years ago) last weekend that had accidentally been overlooked and it was lovely. At only 11% it should have been well off, and the label said to drink it within a year of purchase. Never give up!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 04:28 PM

Six dozen bottles are still collecting spiderwebs down below, Steve. Plenty for everyone. Come to think of it …

One of those bottles is a 2018 Moscati at only 7 percent abv. I’ll pop that in the fridge.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 05:33 PM

I'm impressed that you two 1) read the labels (beyond the basics of brand, variety, and % alcohol) and 2) keep them long enough to worry about their going bad. The only one here that I think might be old is the marsala I bought for cooking because I forget it's there and usually put in a dollop of whatever is handy when I'm cooking (I do pay attention to red or white before adding, but otherwise, it all works pretty well for cooking).

This afternoon I've finished dragging the last summer's okra plants from next to the driveway back to toss over the back fence. This is to make the back look less inviting—it isn't a public path even if it looked like it.

I've also started on a project for the front yard, the disassembly of a really old rusty wheelbarrow. I'll put the barrow part on a stack of concrete blocks, fill it with potting soil, and plant something in it. This afternoon I assessed what else needs to be done. With a couple of wrenches I'll be able to hold the bolts in place and screw off the rusted nuts. The carriage underneath needs to be removed before it will sit properly in place. Two nuts and bolts down today.

I hauled out my Dad's old crock pot and set it up with a batch of beets; ever since I burned a batch in the pressure cooker I've been gun shy about cooking that way again, as fast as it is. It took ages to clean out the pressure cooker, but the crock pot bowl is removable and easily washed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jan 23 - 08:59 PM

I have unsubscribed a regional newspaper that I used to get because it was tied into some contract work I do; since they severed that tie last year I've left it in place, but I don't read it often. The unsubscribe routine is typical: if you want to cancel a subscription you have to call and they connect you to the sales department who talk you into a lower rate, etc. I wasn't interested so cut to the chase: "I know this is the sales department and I don't want to negotiate a price, I want to unsubscribe." So he set it up to conclude after this month's payment ends - but he did give me a helpful tip: Subscribe to various email newsletters now and I'll be able to read this stuff after the subscription ends. I did that today and built in a filter in my email to send it all to one folder. I need to now subscribe to the newspaper in the city where I live. (I used to get a physical paper every day, who knows, maybe I'll be back to that for a while.)

Each year when I call to unsubscribe from SiriusXM I know the routine - it's the sales folks, and they'll offer me an extension of the introductory offer. I listen to SiriusXM a lot more than I read this local newspaper, so I go with that $7 a month offer. I offer this up only as a tip for everyone else - there is usually a less expensive price to be found if you are willing to beard the sales staff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jan 23 - 03:14 PM

With the weather relatively warm these days I'm going to make a run to the lumber store and get pickets and supports for another fence panel, and bring home a couple of 2" thick boards in treated lumber to continue the work of reinforcing the sides of raised beds. While the weeds and grass are dead I might have a good shot at digging up those areas and putting down a thick layer of mulch beside the beds.

The replacement UPS battery was delivered quickly and this afternoon I'll work on that battery backup and, in the same closet, run a CAT-5 cable that is already wired to my office and change out the ends to use for data instead of a phone line. The newest lines to support blazing fast Internet are CAT-6 that go up to 1000 whatever, but I don't have that service. Though my service is faster than 100 that the line is rated for now. Hmmm. Maybe I should think about pulling some new cable one of these days.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Jan 23 - 04:52 PM

If it wasn't for visiting friends or family we wouldn't see museumland the same as new Yorkers don't go to the Statue of Liberty on their own.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Jan 23 - 05:54 PM

When I worked out at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty we heard that a lot from people - they had never been to the islands but they had out of town company who wanted to visit.

I have had an "a-ha!" moment - I'm paying for all of this fancy speed from Spectrum but running Cat5 cable in the house. It's time to update the line to the computer, to start with, and it happens Spectrum wanted an appointment next week to address some service issue. I'll ask if it's CAT7 from the point on the house to the modem, and if not, have them replace it. And I'll then use the existing cable to pull some Cat7 to serve the computer. And replace the cable from the wall to the computer. I can always think of complicated or expensive renovations to do. Good thing most of the lines are in already, I can use the existing ones to pull the new ones through and not have to spend a lot of time in the attic. It requires new jacks also.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 23 - 03:20 PM

The speed test available from various sites shows that the speed is considerably higher than the 100mbs rated on the existing line, but changing out the line to the computer to the higher grade may make some small difference. And if it does, I may run new line to a couple of other rooms as well. If I ever plan to sell the house the odd mix of wiring in my hall closet now might be daunting. If I cleaned it up and speeded it up, that would be helpful to all. The new battery is in the UPS and is charging for a while before I plug anything into it again.

Two boxes ready to ship later today, and one other I'd like to send, but probably not till tomorrow. This is a bonafide declutter, ceramic pieces I kept from my Dad's house that are going to another family member who has a little and would like some more.

Harking back to earlier in the week's wine topics, I found a nice inexpensive Spanish Grenache at Costco, it even has a twist top. Bottlers are finally catching on that screw tops aren't repulsive to wine drinkers. At least, not to this wine drinker. Is the cork industry suffering? Are cork oaks prospering more now that they might be left in peace?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jan 23 - 05:23 PM

What cork they don’t put in the necks of wine bottles ends up in Birkenstocks and kitchen flooring, Stilly. I’m drinking my over-age 7% Moscato right now, and it’s delicious. It has a screw cap, a technology whose time has come.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Jan 23 - 06:25 PM

Dupont:

Have gone back to read the last couple weeks. Wonder where I have been! I had to find where I left off and see what folks have been thinking/doing.

Charmion: PLEASE be sure your builder uses non-toxic materials and keeps you safe!!!

SRS: Dogs are great but… Well do you know it! Just one notch down from our children - or half a notch! I have had a bunch in my life. Each one a member of the family; each loss a heartache. But worth it in any case. Now I have two stuffies - no walking, no fur to clean up, no sweet kisses… I gave the last two away to good homes when I left Whidbey. I miss having one but the mere thought of walking a dog on icy Quebec/Ontario roads…! Also, the thought of leaving one behind; I had been adopting Senior dogs for about 15 years so they would not outlive me.

Friends: Mine are scattered across NA, many so scattered I have no idea where. Going through the archives, I found a postcard from 1984! Found him on line and on FB and PMed him. Delighted to find he is still writing, taken up art and involved in Plowshares! My first playmate just turned 90, in Hanover, NH, where my father and I took him for his first year at Dartmouth - all those years ago! He helped develop the Appalachian Trail. My newest dear friend - songwriter/poet/musician - has me thinking, contemplating, a uniquely spiritual connectedness. A gift.

That darned house! R says he is selling it; it is "for sale”. So are a number of other buildings he and bro own. Nothing ever seems to move forward. Once in a while I ask… At least I don’t have to go there and see the mess made of the yard I planted with care: Clematis. Hardy hibiscus, day Lillies… GONE! And I have started over again - with less energy. HE says he moved everything out (not all the furniture) but I feel some things are missing - but cannot bear to go there.

Just got to Mrzzy’s “Ethnic pile”!!! That sounds interesting! But prob not what I would think - like the folk dance skirt which our leader once referred to as a bedspread -“How many of you had a bedspread like that?!!” I love it! One of the things I rehomed last spring in PA was a dress we bought from an Indian booth in Old Montreal in 1970. The friend we stayed with in PA loved it!

Senoufou’s massive TV reminds me of a wonderful article my DIL wrote, “When the Black Satan Came to Our House”. She had never had a TV until my son moved in to her life!

UH OH! I am dangerously … Just smelled something …??? OH yeah!! I put ribs in oven for a long slow heat. Not sure how long or what. Using fresh ones instead of frozen ready to heat and eat… I hope this works. At least it smells enough that I shan’t forget them…. Hopefully!… They look good but I have no idea when I put them in or how much longer they need. Guess I could have sought advice… They are not burning.!! yet! ...

Caught up! Busy folks! I found enough energy to throw some pots a week or so ago. YAY!!! 8 bowls from 10 kilos of clay!!! The next morning, I barely made it out of bed. A hot bath helped but it still was a few days before I could trim 3; the other 5 are still on hold.

My goal had been to go back to Beaver this past Monday. HO!!! HO!!! I was still walking with difficulty and the pots were not ready! And now it is snowing and snowing.... Beautiful all day today! The bridge from Montreal was SLOW at 10 pm last night! Not sure if R will make it home tonight! I am thinking the trip will wait until February - after the First Friday music.

We visited friends!!!!! Last Sat we celebrated my BD (86), which R had totally forgotten! When I pointed this out to him, "What would You like to do!" The roads were not too bad so we drove down to southern QC to Chez Alain, a small neighbourhood restaurant with good food and a great staff; the kind of place you can chat with the folks at the next table, which we did! I hoped some friend might be there, but not.

Then we went to see Joe and Jessie and Theo (10). My ginger plants?? "Oh, they need LOTS of heat and light. Just keep them damp until warm weather." So I've moved them to the upstairs South window above a rad. Spring will be here ....

Theo played Ragtime on the keyboard, between playing with a neighbour and eating fresh chicken soup. They raise the chickens, grow the ginger for the tea, and the nuts - "here, try these." Theo, "home" schooled, is fluent in French and English (parents are one of each), a friend is teaching him Russian and he has picked up some Spanish from the Latins in the area. Joe and Theo are going to Colombia this summer to work on a building project. Last year they helped build something for an Inuit group north of the Arctic Circle, and learned some Inuit. This is home schooling! And he beat R at chess!

Both parents near died of Lyme disease a few years ago, due to lack of knowledgeable healthcare. Joe passed out in the ER waiting for care. (He was dying.) Jess (about 40) had a stroke, and a pocket of blood in her brain was giving her seizures - amongst others she would hear recorded music when there was NO music playing. She is still recovering from a 6 hour brain operation. I mention this to underline the need to pay heed to the ticks and to insisting on adequate health care. I had no idea the effects could be this dreadful.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Jan 23 - 10:18 PM

Wow, Dorothy. That last paragraph describes a tough time. And there are ticks in the woods here; I put the expensive tick collars on the dogs for that reason, and I don't walk in the woods when the trees are in leaf.

I hope R is able to sell those properties one of these days. Lowering the price is not the favorite approach but usually works. Just to get rid of them, at this point. Think of the relief at having them off of his hands.

I've also tracked down a few friends over Facebook and Googling names in communities. I have mentally planned a "dream dinner" going back decades, that would be to have all of these people come in from different corners of the US and even the World, to meet and see if there is more in common than just being my friend. I would hope so. And all of you would be there - I'd love to meet this group in person.

On another subject, I've just sent a friend information about how to get access to the Word files she has created via her previous work software but apparently can't reach since she retired late last month. Clearly she hasn't figured out the system. I still use the software from the university where I retired four years ago, but since last year I also pay for Microsoft storage space, and it has the perk of MS Office on the side. $70 a year isn't bad for a Terabyte of storage for all of my photos from my phone. It's cheaper than paying for Dropbox ($120 a year). Dropbox offers 3T for their price, but I don't need that much space. I don't know if anyone else in our group uses their phones for work and other photos, but it is nice to have a backup.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Jan 23 - 03:12 AM

We have Lyme disease here in Norfolk UK, due to the large population of deer which carry the ticks. Many of our village dog-owners have had to remove ticks from their pooches. Rather worrying, because Lyme disease can have lasting symptoms which are difficult to treat.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jan 23 - 10:00 AM

I concur with Dorothy about the building materials in Charmion's soon-to-be-updated bathroom. Use healthier materials where possible, even simple stuff like paint, where the off-gas as it dries can be strong for a while. The low-smell paint should become standard. And for everything else, just collecting dust as they work is a help.

Another healthy week ahead, when cat sitting trips will mean I get to the gym more often because I'll already be half-way there. I hope also for a good gardening opportunity in this upcoming week, when we have a day with a 100% chance of rain. If it rains on Tuesday then Friday when it warms will still be moist enough to dig out weeds along the edge of the garden and put down a thick layer of mulch. I happened to see and track down today a photo of a garden that shows this - it happens to be Meghan Markle's garden in California, but don't worry about that - just look at the planks around the raised beds and the heavy mulch path between. Over the years I've wanted to have something like that here. Why do I think I can finally achieve that now? It took digging out the whole side bed last fall in time for the heat pump installation to realize I could actually achieve that (the bed beside the house now is all mulch.) It means digging things out deeply and keeping new weeds down with a strong vinegar spray. Putting in the work to dig it out then walking on the mulch so it weaves together and helps keep out the weeds.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Jan 23 - 06:29 PM

Monsieur Senoufou must have returned by now.
Is he still out of a job, Senoufou?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jan 23 - 09:06 PM

Keb, when you use the entire name it can turn up in an Internet search. We've had a couple of Mudcatters essentially doxing other participants lately. If people don't use their own full names, please don't add it here. (WYSIWYG thought she was being clever by picking up a really unusual name from an obit and dropping the middle initial then using it as a character in the Mudcat Tavern adventures, or something along those lines. Imagine our chagrin when the family of that late professor did a search and found her prancing around Mudcat as a make-believe character.)

Yesterday I finished a handmade gift for a friend; it has taken a while to complete because it involved finding a pattern, printing it the right size, transferring to fabric, then doing a lot of close work to turn under the edges and finally stitch it onto a larger piece. A one-of-a-kind apron for a friend who originally sent some aprons that he wasn't able to use for printing. I sew on them then send them on. Into the mail tomorrow.

I'm still making masks, because I have friends who (like me) are still wearing them, and their collections need refreshing. I have three cut out this evening to work on later.

I have a busy week coming up, with volunteer activities and feeding a friend's cats. Just because one is retired doesn't mean life slows down.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Jan 23 - 10:05 PM

The unscented laundry detergent I used for years disappeared from the supermarket, so I bought another brand.

Alas, it stinks, and apparently has the persistence of skunk juice.

I laundered all my singing masks yesterday. Today I sang way too much — regular eucharist in the morning and the installation of our new rector in the afternoon — and the whole time I had my nose covered with a nice, clean mask that reeks of Persil.

I would ditch the damnable detergent, but that stuff costs the earth these days.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Jan 23 - 10:58 PM

In 2021 I made the switch to buying envelopes with sheets of laundry detergent that come in modestly-sized paper envelopes in brown wrapper shipping envelopes and every speck of it is recyclable.

Earth Breeze

The scented variety is so subtle that's what I use most of the time but I also got some unscented that is truly no scent at all. I bought a multi-pack of it in early 2021 and I'm still using them (it was a number of packages sent at once). I just looked, and see I have one envelope of unscented (60 loads) left. I'll be ordering the scented next time because it is incredibly mild but enough that I can tell the laundry has been washed with something. I have a couple of partial bottles of the old regular detergent that I am using up, and these days only use when washing things like rugs or dog beds. Because they're dog beds and can use some scent masking. Except for the fact that I use these for dog beds and rugs I'd donate what is left to the Humane Society.

The Earth Breeze folks are very helpful - if you want to tweak your order you can email or call and they'll take care of it for you. I wanted to compare the two types of detergent but the original order was just one or the other. They swapped out some so I got to try both. (I just placed an order, 1 envelope every three months for $12 plus .99 tax.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 10:12 AM

Earth Breeze is apparently unavailable in Canada, Stilly.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 10:26 AM

I didn’t look far enough — Earth Breeze is available on Amazon.ca, but only in massive quantity. Three packets of 60 loads’-worth each can be had for a variety of prices ranging from Cdn$114.71 to Cdn$120.00, which is a lot to sink into laundry all at once.

My underwear drawer contains a miasma of Persil whiff. This cannot go on!

If I keep the packets dry, it won’t go bad …

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 11:15 AM

I ended up ordering it for a lot less than the price you found - we could discuss this via back channel - I ended up getting them for about $9.25 each (60 loads). I could mail a couple to you a lot cheaper than they can, apparently. (Since my ex is using this now also I figured I'd let him have a couple of them rather than his also going through the hoop jumping - I normally wouldn't buy this much just all for me.)

This week will be more working off of a checklist of things that have come up or that annually occur. Like putting my file box in order and updating for this year (this is where the most active accounts live - if I had to grab one box of records and flee the house, this would be that large box.) There are several aspects to that. Along with diddly stuff like changing out the battery in my SUV key fob before I get locked out. It seems those batteries go pretty quickly, so I finally put a spare in my handbag and I'll put a couple of spare in the center console as well. (I recently spoke to a poor guy who had locked his running car outside a Burger King restaurant on a quick lunch stop. His fob died and he was overdue returning to work and was trying to pry open a window.)

Decluttering is on that checklist; I have boxes spread all over the place lately so they need to be flattened to recycle or set aside for eBay shipping. And I'm getting close to the stage after various sewing projects in which I can offer a robust bag of "crumbs" - those small pieces of fabric that can be assembled into blocks for crazy quilts - to whatever lucky quilt-maker happens to be a member of our local Freecycle or FB Buy Nothing group.

The den again looks like a forest floor, and I notice a buildup of dog hair around the house in general. Same ol' same ol'.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 10:21 PM

Dupont:

There may be "scents" that are non-toxic. I only use Tide Free and Clear. It may not be the best environmentally but I do not have to deal with a stench - in fact, I would give anything that smelled at all to someone capable and willing to accept it.

R cooked himself a BF Saturday that stank so that we had to open the doors - at below freezing temps. He did not smell it - NOW I find out he has had almost sense of smell for years! (I've known him for 55!) And mine is hyper-sensitive! It may have had to do with adding the left over tzaziki (?) to his eggs in the frying pan. It was puke-quality stench for me!

Here, the ticks are in the grass. I picked up a couple from walking through tall grass a few years ago. The only ones I have encountered here. But our friends are outdoors much of the time; Jess runs a coop farm/CLSC.

On the homefront: bare essentials - minimal cleaning, plant care, keeping the woodstove going, sometimes even clearing some snow, finally getting some energy back; my back has only just stopped hurting from my pot throwing. I will not do THAT again! We have a fair amount of snow. A neighbour cleared the drive a week or so ago, though we generally manage to get in and out OK. And some has melted and then more arrived and freezing a thawing...! Yesterday, R got stuck and the cross the street neighbour cleared us out very well with his snow blower. There was a conversation about the fact that R has one... He has not succeeded in getting it working! And we may have 10 inches more in the next couple days...

No thoughts of traveling!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Jan 23 - 11:13 PM

Dorothy, we may also get snow tomorrow, but no accumulation. I hope R gets the blower operating - otherwise it's just a paperweight. Mostly just rain tomorrow, predicting an accumulation a bit over an inch. It will be helpful.

I go through some days planning to finish projects or fix things, and seem to have entered that kind phase. I've worked on several projects around the house lately. On Wednesday I'll have some answers about work I may end up doing here (speeding up the Internet reception to the computer). I have to redo some garden areas, and in the process work on several things that are in the garage and the greenhouse.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Jan 23 - 02:16 AM

Our village hall is now asking for jigsaws and bookshelves, to add to their collection of unwanted books people have donated. I think this is a very good idea, as they offer a 'warm spot' for villagers to sit and chat while keeping warm. I might sort out some more unwanted books to take down there.
Husband has settled in once more, and our bungalow is rather full of 'stuff', but I'm very happy and can't complain. He's filled all our kitchen cupboards with bowls, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans which he's brought over from his flat. His bedroom is crammed with mountains of clothes and trainers. However, he got a ladder and put all his suitcases in the loft. He brought over a super little vacuum cleaner which is very easy to handle, so I hoovered every inch of our home yesterday while he was at work.
He's also made a collection of many of his unwanted clothes to take over to Ivory Coast next summer for all his family to have. They'll be fighting over them all!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Jan 23 - 02:14 PM

My Mennonite friends came by this morning for some tunes. It snowed last night, at last. The world is all tattered and torn, but the sun is shining in Stratford and I feel fine.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Jan 23 - 06:32 PM

Dupont:

I doubt the snow blower will get repaired in the near future. We shall just keep muddling along. R manages to hae too much on his plate ALL the time and when I think/hope he is staying home to "get something done" - what gets done is another book read or hours - literally - spent looking at news on his phone. Sometimes there are even work-related emails or texts.... His library downstairs is "fine" and I hear he is getting a workshop together... I don't go to the cellar(workshop) or the basement (library) due to air quality. The snow blower is too large to bring in the house and he does not do well with the cold. He has had at least 3 summers ... There is also a brand new generator that needs ???? and ... Oh Well. If I can only help him maintain a semblance of getting the absolute essentials done. Time goes by and Well, the taxes got paid a few days before they sold the house for unpaid taxes... Yeah, all this is hard to deal with so I just keep reading books and, come to think of it, he just keeps reading books... But I am not letting anyone down. Some days, it is scary.

But I have an out: Beaver and enough money to live there alone if it comes to that. I would have failed to be the support person I had hoped to be. The job seems to be beyond my ability. There! I have said it. We will just keep muddling... I will keep my nose above water and hope he does also.

A storm is coming; I need more green tea!

Also, I want Charmion to know that Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) has considerable info on healthy houses, building supplies, etc. Our friend Oliver Drerup built the first low-cost healthy house complex, near Ottawa and then lectured on the subject internationally. It all started when a family convinced him (a tough job!) that their brand new dream home was making them sick. He built them a healthy house... and went on from there. He should be retired now (maybe) but there are books on the subject and the website was comprehensive last time I looked.

This morning was spent writing an email to a friend re the traumas that can mess up our lives, starting in utero. I have spent a good chunk of every day for several weeks, contemplating this and considering how to approach a subject that is clearly unresolved for him. For most of my life I have wished for a way to send my thoughts through the ether, so to speak. We do hear of people having this kind of connection at times. Anyway, the primary message has been sent. I would be more comfortable face to face in a peaceful environment.

That, I hope, is the most important thing I have done in these weeks. Never mind the particulars of everyday life. Now to continue to trying to figure out how to get a stubborn Scot to recognize how he is shooting himself in the foot - daily. This could be one of the most important things I do with my life - or the biggest failure.

My #2 son has still not called re my birthday - almost two weeks ago. And my bro's cancer is turning nasty. But there is food cooked and teh sink is not full of soiled dishes, the sheets are clean and the house is looking good enough if anyone should happen to visit....

Visit??? What's that? Phoned a friend today and got her dear husband and we talked about visiting in the summer! And I have a great idea for warmer weather - to put a few chairs under the trees in the front yard and sit out there to read so I can talk to people out walking their dogs or just walking by. No front porch! But I will fake one. I suppose I shall have to tack the chairs down but that is possible. I will watch for folding chairs at the thrift shops.

Lots of snow on its way. I need to go back to the library in the am! We spent Sunday aft there but 3 of 5 of the books I brought home were already read! I will re-read the James Lee Burke just for his beautiful way of writing.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jan 23 - 03:43 PM

Spectrum (Internet/cable) messaged me that there was something that needed fixing on my line and needed to come check it out so I went ahead and set up the appointment; I'm not playing blazing-fast online games so I would never have noticed. What I did notice was that the appointment for 10am stretched out and out and out and at 1pm I had to tell him that I had things to do and they needed to wrap it up and if something else needed working on, we'll do it on a day when I don't have errands and a deadline looming. And it took another hour to get it over with. Four hours pretty much blew my plans for the day out of the water.

I'm onto plan B, no gym today but a shorter trip to the discount grocery, and since I couldn't be online during that time I picked up around here, puttered, and made a batch of dinner rolls. A friend will be over shortly to go along.

Dorothy, your observations about R and his methods of operating aren't a surprise; I'm gaining new insight as I move closer to getting tested and a possible diagnosis that has been a long time coming. The level of disorganization you describe is worse than here or what I've seen in most instances, but now that a family member is getting treatment for ADHD and is feeling relieved, a die has been cast, and think a couple more of us need to follow that example. It's time for me to attend to the level of distraction and impulsiveness that make it more work to get anything done (at work or hobby-wise.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Jan 23 - 08:58 PM

The one change that didn’t work: I decluttered my house – then began buying back my belongings

I've always been suspicious of Marie Kondo even tho I love Japanese design & art & crafts. One collection I've successfully downsized was my Japanese dolls collection (approx. 6 shelves) - I helped a younger collector stagger out with 10 Green bags full of dolls & decorative items. All I kept were 2 modern Japanese teenage dolls I dressed in kimono - Jenny in white religious ceremony kimono ($205 for the used book, OMG!!!! maybe I should sell my copy, or did I give it away?) she also has a gold with red lining wedding kimono displayed on a hanger. Traditional Japanese brides wear their (family) red/gold kimono for the rest of the festivities.

Green bags? they are reusable grocery bags made from recycled plastics & themselves are recyclable when no longer needed or useful, for those who don't know them under that name. Not all of them are dyed green, but most are!

One collection down, a zillion others to go ...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jan 23 - 11:59 AM

My endeavor to continue eating down the over-stocked supplies in the pantry and freezer has progressed. When shopping yesterday I picked up fresh produce and some dairy but managed to stay away from prepared foods (I don't buy too many of those anyway) and frozen meat, etc. There are plenty of protein sources around here to last for ages.

I'm eating more protein for breakfast, on the recommendation of a counselor who advises "brain food" in the morning. Not that it is just protein, but that there is a good portion along with whatever fruit or vegetable I'm also having. Unless it was something like ham and eggs, I never usually ate protein for breakfast. Now I'm trying to avoid breads at breakfast, though I'll include oatmeal or raisin bran as long as it's on the side. It isn't easy, developing new habits, and right now I'm in the evaluation stage, to see if it is worth the trouble.

It's sunny and cold here, no need for a blower to move the errant sunbeams off of the driveway before leaving the house. I hope everyone else is comfortable and has good access to places they need to go.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Jan 23 - 01:58 PM

Dupont:

A lot of snow blankets us this am. R went out to clear the car- at least his - and found that noise I heard in the wee hours was the neighbour's snow blower - his large parking area and our very small one!

R cleared part of the front steps - including totally unnecessary places. I wonder if ADHD includes this - to me - highly annoying bit. I am all for efficiency, doing what is needed. From the bottom of the steps, one must, then, wallow through about a foot of snow to the cars - but the edges of the steps - where no one ever need walk - are clear!

As a result of this and something SRS said, I went googling and found Frank and Lillian Gilbreth - oft cited by my father when things needed to be done efficiently - as did everything!

"What is Lillian Moller Gilbreth most known for?
"Gilbreth became a pioneer in what is now known as industrial and organizational psychology. She helped industrial engineers recognize the importance of the psychological dimensions of work. In addition, she became the first American engineer ever to create a synthesis of psychology and scientific management."

Time and motion studies amongst others.

She is worth a look see. It was their theories that impressed my dad and their dedication to efficiency which makes me hard to live with! "A place for everything and everything in its place" was oft heard. Father never acquired more than could fit that motto. I have, and, hence...

Every once in a while, largely thanks to this thread, I remember to attempt to clear more of the decks, organize a bit better - though my organized kitchen is sacrosanct; easy for anyone to find things ... if THEY put it back in its place!

I add almond flour (2gm protein per tablespoon) to my porridge (one cup oat flakes) as well as a handful of dried cranberries (organic, sweetened with apple or orange juice - I forget), a diced apple and a couple T of ground flax seed. This has been very helpful; leftover is good for BF or lunch or snacks for me. I also add almond flour and flax to my buckwheat pancakes. One batch is good for BF for both of us and planned-overs for me whenever. They also include a couple cups of frozen fruit (could be fresh in season) per batch (1 c flour...).

I got so into looking at odds and sods on line, I forgot this post!

Maybe today I will make beet/black bean "burgers" from a simple recipe I found. The beets and beans are ready, just process and cook in oven - think I'll use the toaster oven. But it is cold enough out to justify the large one - if I add in a couple squash!

Did grocery run yesterday "before the storm". The snowflakes were just arriving as I was getting into car from last stop!

Recognizing that I might be spending more time here, I knuckle under to the need to make it more palatable. Now that Covid is less of a monster, though still needing attention, I am looking at finding people to invite -- when the weather is conducive!! Talked with a friend a couple days ago and he is game to come out from Montreal in good weather - with family. We could have a pot luck out back; I have chairs and tables...

A post on FB about the paucity of front porches triggered: No front porch on this 1902 house but I could put some chairs out under the trees in the front yard - from thrift shops! and read out there. People walk dogs and just themselves even in this weather, of course. But if I were handy, someone might stop to chat.

In addition, our trip a couple weeks ago to southern Quebec taught me that our friends down there are actually delighted to have us drop in! And they are a total delight to visit. We are grandparent age for them! And there are a few others down there whom we met through music that I can connect with, even if R is "too busy". We even risked our lives attending a CD launch at Jim's - a terrific, and unique, venue. There will be more... I may be a hermit but total isolation does not work! I shall be watching the weather for a trip to Beaver in mid Feb.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Jan 23 - 02:53 PM

Dorothy, I am just learning about how focus, hyperfocus, distraction, and impulsive behavior dove-tail together. Everyone has these things, it's just that for some people it's an everyday minefield of trying to stay on task, etc. (I tend to climb one side or the other of the stairs and use a rail, maybe that was a factor on the snow-blowing?)

I think the best way to describe this process is the analogy of the fish that doesn't see the water it swims in. Once you can see the water (the behaviors and the coping mechanisms) then you can't unsee it and it's time to look into how to address the issues present.

You'll have to let us know about your beets and black beans dish results. I can't say it sounds like an appealing combination, but I like both of them on their own.

There are a lot of music venues over in Dallas, but I hate driving in Dallas so I never go to music over there. I fear pretty much everything else around here is rock or country. I'm glad you're able to get out to music events in the provincial areas you visit.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jan 23 - 02:36 PM

When I don't recognize calls coming in I don't answer them. Today after waiting for a return call for an appointment and instead getting a woman huckster asking me to sell her the house at my ex-husband's address, I changed my message. It usually just gives my number and says to leave a message but I changed it slightly. Now I state that if I don't recognize their number I don't answer so they have to leave a message. So even the calls I'm waiting for will have to go through my voicemail and we'll play phone tag. So. Much. Spam.

A friend had a particularly bad COPD attack this week, and though he literally lives next door to a hospital ER, when he asked the doorman to help him walk the half-block, the doorman wisely declined and called an ambulance. It might seem silly for such a short distance, but it wasn't worth his job, considering the liability issues with that request. That said, the story of the stay in the ER and then overnight at the hospital was priceless. I bet he spent his whole time there taking notes in order to write the report he emailed to friends today. My knee surgeries have never been particularly interesting (can you hype an account of a really dry grilled cheese sandwich into a comedy routine? I think not.)

Even for retired people the looming weekend is welcome. For some reason, the days feel different. Have a good one, everyone!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Jan 23 - 09:37 PM

Some weeks ago I described helping my ex move an incredibly heavy latex queen-sized mattress out of his guest room and into the SUV, in order to drive it to the dump. He had three of these, and one of them ended up here. It is so heavy that in order to move the mattress position I have to rotate the entire bed frame (the classic and inexpensive angle-iron frame on wheels that holds the box spring and mattress.) It took some doing, but this evening before changing the sheets I moved stuff out of the way and turned the bed so the foot is now at the top and I'll sleep on the side that doesn't have a depression. This maneuver also gave access to some dust puppies under the bed. I'll wait till I have help before I try to flip it over months from now when another change is due.

Tomorrow I have plans to do some digging of gardens in the front yard, more of a full-body workout than I've been getting lately. And celebrating having finished the 3x a day cat-sitting. I've been to the gym several times this week because I was so close when I was at her house; there will be one more trip tomorrow or Monday since she forgot to leave the usual cash; I'll pick that up then head over for a workout. (Because of the knees, for ages I just used the recumbent bike, but I've started using the treadmill also - walking is a weight bearing exercise good for your bones. The digging will give the upper body more exercise.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 09:53 AM

Well, darn! After a warm day yesterday then next six days are forecast to be a lot colder, freezing overnight, and rain much of the week. The yard needs it but I won't be out in it digging new garden beds. Instead, the weeds will grow, unmolested.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 11:27 AM

Having always been impulsive I see the timeless zone of hyperfocus as the joy of creating and distraction as a rest from it all. Getting set up for hyperfocus has more procrastination than I like but I don't have work or the ambition to work at great sacrifice of money. I'm like a playful otter compared to the hard working ant. Coping with migrain pain sapped most of my time in the past but now its just non stop time with the typical age pain de jours before the great grand pause. Yep I enjoy being lazy. Its good that I can reach deep sleep in a short time. Many small sleeps keeps me in touch with my unconscious self and dream states.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 12:42 PM

Dupont:

SRS: our steps only have a rail on one side and rubber mats start at that side, the end of each a clear line - "stop here!" But cleaning around the log that keeps the door from swinging too far, the pot of plants that are just sitting there until I get around to deciding where to move them... 3 feet of clear steps with rubber mats is quite sufficient... I am concerned.

The "burger" concoction was declared "no taste at all"; I could have improved them with onions, herbs, something! My heart was not in it. I think "burgers" are not necessary to our diet! The texture is fine.

WE spent yesterday aft at the local library again, a pleasant place and I watched the sun go down, a treat - there was sun! And I got to see it set. That library has no more books by the author I was seeking. The super nice staff person offered to order something for me but I prefer not to put them to the trouble. I just checked the times for the library in southern QC that I used a lot when we were down there. It had an amazing collection of books. Strictly volunteer run and with the municipalities paying all their other expenses, they must focus on books! And I do go that way at times - Plan! Planning to make life in QC more palatable. Maybe if I have some fun, I can get a few projects moved on out of the sewing room. Nothing beats an improved state of mind?

So pots trimmed from the 8 bowls that wrecked my back. And then I threw 2 more - just 2! Maybe I can get some strength into my back if I don't overdo it! Just a little bit at a time.

SRS: ADHD never occurred to me. Now I am wondering where are the excellent books I had on the subject when I was working... Daniel Amen did incredible work on ADHD. Did I give them away? Quite possibly! Oops!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 01:50 PM

Dorothy, ILL (Interlibrary Loan) is a standard offering from libraries, they probably subscribe to a system in order to do it. I think you should accept the offer to get your books locally, and support that service.

I've read some of Dr. Amen's stuff; he's very popular and I don't know how reliable on all subjects. I'll look at the book I have here to see what he says.

There are online tests - very sketchy - that probably catch the most pronounced cases. They don't necessarily snag the three main features of inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive, or any combination of the three. As one would expect, there are different aspects of this to consider. Time management, interruptions, unfinished projects, wasted workdays, distractions, and more fuel the kinds of questions that might get to the heart of the matter more quickly. But everyone does those things, so it's a matter of intensity. And it seems that the medications give the brain the stimulation that it is seeking with all of the revolving search for stimuli.

Heading out for a while, and one thing I plan to do today is stop by one of the little restaurants along the busy street that runs into my part of town. It had lines around the block to their drive-thru during COVID and is still popular. I've looked up the menu. It's a Mexican taco place, more takeout than inside seating (because it's small) and I'll pick it up on my way back home. I live near all of these really interesting little places but there's only one I go to with any regularity. I suppose you could call this a New Year's resolution, to try some of these places. I've planned it for ages, now I need to do it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 08:22 PM

I’ve been hunkered down at home since noon Friday, avoiding people and frowsting. I should have gone to church this morning but didn’t; instead, I read the New York Times and dealt with the aftermath of a major cat-fight.

I have no idea what set them off this time. The first bout erupted around 0400 hours with lots of screeching, swatting and slamming about, and they kept it up episodically all day. One of them — can’t tell yet which — suffered an injury and bled on the parlour floor, and by the time I came downstairs there were bloody smears and paw-prints all over the place.

Hmmm. Come to think if it, of course I didn’t go to church. When the rest of the choir was getting stuck into the introit hymn, I was down on my marrowbones wiping drops of gore off the dining room wall to the accompaniment of feline growls. The kitchen, hall, dining room and sitting room all needed floors scrubbed,

After a day of Mexican stand-offs, I’m watching telly with Isobel curled up on my lap and Watson has retreated to the bedroom. With any luck, tomorrow they will have forgotten their tiff and I’ll come home from pool class to find them intertwined in the comfy chair.

Silver lining in the cloud? The kitchen floor is cleaner than it’s been in weeks, and I even raked the crud out from under the stove.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Jan 23 - 11:12 PM

The two younger dogs here do that periodic power struggle or fighting also, usually the bigger one drawing blood and the smaller one usually starting it. It illustrates the adage of they can't live with each other and can't live without each other.

Fort Worth is famous for its nearly month-long stock show and rodeo that starts mid-January. And it's also famous for "stock show weather." This week we're entering that phase of cold wet and possibly icy weather to make the folks walking between the livestock barns at the convention center miserable. (I have been the the stock show exactly one time, when my kids were small, in over 30 years of living here.) The weather means I have a harder time motivating myself to go to the gym to dress in lighter workout clothes to exercise, but I did it today and survived. Between their keeping the gym warm enough and my starting a new activity (using the incline on the treadmill) I worked up a sweat. I still haven't gotten out a swimsuit to start swimming laps yet. The pool is usually around 82^o, I should be able to manage that. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Jan 23 - 03:51 PM

Not just "Stock Show" weather, but a full-fledged winter storm coming over the top of us. Fingers crossed the power stays on—I am better prepared than in February 2021 after those 4 sub-zero days with no power, but I wouldn't look forward to it.

This is "Soup stock" weather. Turkey stock is defrosting, carrots are roasting. Looking for healthy foods for this next few days when I don't plan to go out to volunteer or for other appointments. There are too many tall freeway bridges between here and most places I drive and the surface route would take three times as long.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Feb 23 - 01:46 PM

I've just taken the coaxial cable faceplate off of the bedroom wall only to find that there is no junction box there, just a nickel-sized hole for the cable to pass through. I happen to have one of the J-boxes they make for this situation - I must cut the precise hole for the box, slide it in, and there are small wings on the top and the bottom that swing out from the box and tighten against the sheet rock. An electrical engineer friend taught me how to run cables and do the J-box.

This will be a data port, and there is a similar cover on the other side of the room for an ancient phone line. On either or both I could also run coaxial for a TV antenna or future cable account (this is the "after I sell the house" kind of account). All of this has me thinking about if it is time to rearrange the room, since I do that every so often. Whatever new arrangement, it will still include the fitness space. Meanwhile, as cold as it is right now, I'm not going to climb into the attic to pull the lines, I'll just update the outlets in the room.

I have devices charging, including the backup battery I keep in my purse for the phone or tablet. There is more ice coming this way and the fear seems to be it will take down branches and power lines.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Feb 23 - 04:56 PM

Cold and sunny in Stratford.

I'm sorting the library, and it's taking longer than I expected -- not because I can't decide what to let go, but because my first cut hardly filled a single six-shelf Billy bookcase. I know I would regret it if I were to dump the lot, so I have to resist the nihilistic urge and go through the process more thoughtfully.

There's a lot of specialized military history on those shelves, and that I definitely don't want to keep. But what about the books about Victorian tourism, the development of rugby, the spread of Calvinism in France, and the foreign policy decisions that got Britain into the Seven Years' War? Right now, I still have the attention span of a cat and congratulate myself when I finish one of the New Yorker's longer articles, but surely that won't last. In another year, or maybe two, things will be different and I'll be ready for a biography of William the Marshall or "The Age of Scandal" by T.H. White.

Nobody's pushing me to sell up and move so down-sizing isn't a priority, but I confess that I'll be relieved to have fewer books to dust.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 10:55 AM

There has been some virtual decluttering this week; the expansion drive inside the new Dell was in the red zone, and I realized I had a duplicate set of video files there that was also on an external drive, so removed that. Those take a lot of space. And the same on the old HP where I have the newer software but not connected to the Internet - lots of duplicates to remove. Meanwhile, I took some not-so-great photos of the silver thaw around here today - documenting it. I didn't spend long out there and I should have used the flash more, but what I have now is fine.

The yard is a slick icy crust and it requires very slow walking. I am hoping this melts quickly today, though the resulting mud will be intense. (What is it about the viscosity of the mud after a freeze? There must be a scientific term, it isn't just anecdotal.) That mud will be tracked through the den and into the far corners of the house in the next few days. My hypothesis is that the particles align to become stickier.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 08:37 PM

I’m making progress on the library project.

What really strikes me is how much my interests have changed over the ten years since I quit my civil service job. Nowadays, I’m not willing to give houseroom to detailed official military histories of the first and second world wars. Neither do I wish to keep shelf-feet of military memoirs and accounts of derring-do.

Edmund accumulated books to an extraordinary degree. What strikes me now is how important it was to him to collect and keep books about the official British view of, especially, the Second World War, but also the expansion and eventual collapse of the British empire. Okay, I’m good with shedding those volumes.

I guess I’m still engaged in the painful business of extracting myself from my 25-year relationship with Edmund. Sorting the books is like having an extended debate with him about everything we were both brought up to hold dear.

It’s a good thing I’m not doing this on deadline.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 08:46 PM

Dupont:

Hunkered down for the cold snap; fire in the wood stove; thankful for the heater working! Turned up the baseboard heat in the hallway between den and Bath so the den stays warmer. The rest of the house is comfortable -so far; I don't need it too warm.R likes the den warm when he gets home and I had let it go out for a few days as we are running out of wood. Hard to replenish the supply when the available wood to purchase is under a foot of snow! and we can no longer get to the back yard and shall have to pile it in front and ... I did find a FB group for this area where people ask who does this or that and a fellow who does snow removal put his phone number - maybe if we can get some wood, he can help move it for me; that has been a concern.

I brought in most of what is left today enough for a few days. I have the idea that the brick chimney and fireplace collect a great deal of heat and radiate it. The BR above the den has a warm wall as a result. A bit like a Kachelofen.

R is busy trying to freeze proof buildings - could have been done in September? ... We might not make the music tomorrow night but I can still go the the Farmer's Market on Sunday - without him if need be! If the roads are OK. Tonight is predicted to go to -25C (about -6F?) And windy! White outs reported in Central Ontario and wind predicted for here tonight.

There is a possibility!!!! that the son of one of R's best friends may want to buy the city house!!!!! And the son of my friend Hannah may want some bowls so I photographed what I have and sent pics to her. Also suggested she could give him some of the zillion she has - a 40 year collection! So I have thrown more - only two a day, and not every day, to be sure I stay mobile!

Charmion: R would love some of those books; too bad you are far away. And I think of our friend who owns The Word bookstore in Montreal... An article in the McGill news about Adrian recently. But you seem to have pretty good handle on how to dispose of them.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Feb 23 - 09:40 PM

Canada Post works, Dorothy. Or you and R could make a road trip and come visit — with a car boot full of boxes.

No kidding. PM me.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Feb 23 - 08:55 AM

Colder today than we’ve seen all winter — forecast high of -14°C and we’ve a ways to go to reach that. So the ensemble du jour must include earmuffs, lined jeans and woollen socks as well as the sheepskin coat and the serious mittens.

The builder’s quote on the mouldy bathroom came in yesterday. When I regained consciousness, I realized that, yes, I can afford it. What’s more, I must afford it — the house would not sell well with a mould infestation. Not that I’m at all eager to sell! But the house is my most important asset, and youse all know the rest of that thought.

I’m such a bourgeoise.

And I think I’ve finished sorting the books. When they’re gone, I will be able to unload five — count ‘em, five! — six-shelf bookcases.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Feb 23 - 10:19 AM

I want to read about that visit, and the drive to get there! Dorothy had better wait until the mold in the loo has been dispatched, so you both can breathe easier while you're disturbing the dust on those books.

According to Weather.com some of you in Canada and the US NE are going to be about 40^o below average tonight and tomorrow. Stay warm! Down here will rise above freezing finally, but I've cancelled lunch with friends tomorrow because everyone will be playing catch-up after a week stuck in the house. My street is still a crunchy sheet of ice. (This weather is one reason I built the stone wall in front of the berm I piled in my front yard - to keep cars from slithering through the stop sign, jumping the curb and hitting the house.)

Tonight I'll make my recipe for Hirino Me Melitzanes (pork with eggplant) using a thawed pork loin, canned homegrown tomatoes, and eggplant from the garden that I sauteed before freezing to use in this particular recipe. It's served with mashed potatoes—good thing, since I bought a 10-pound bag of potatoes recently. Buying potatoes cheap only stays cheap if you can use them all. Leftovers for me for a couple of days and I'll take plates to a couple of neighbors.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Feb 23 - 11:41 AM

The builder's contract arrived by email about an hour ago. I shall sign it forthwith, and write the somewhat gag-inducing cheque for the deposit. Then they will book the work.

Cold weather and what it means in everyday life is top of mind for most Canadians at least four months of the year -- so important that, instead of "Have a nice day", some people say "Keep warm!"

The gas bill came in yesterday at twice what I paid in December. It ain't the weather; January was weirdly mild. I don't track fuel prices; natural gas isn't something I can shop around for, and it's not exactly discretionary spending in the dead of an Ontario winter. Lowering the temperature in the house, currently set at 20 degrees Celsius, would just result in protracted misery and numb fingers. So I embrace the suck, as the soldiers say, and thank my lucky stars for woollen socks and a decent pension.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 04 Feb 23 - 07:52 PM

Dupont:

Where I have barely moved in two days. R has not come home, only partly because the bridge is unsafe - black ice! I keep the fire going, hunker in my chair with a mohair throw, make another cup of tea and a bite to eat - not very healthy bites - Sheer inertia as I feel the cold trying to get in. I am sure it would not feel so terrible if I were at Beaver - where it may be colder but the wood stove is bigger and the house much smaller. The good news is the furnace keeps working! The bad "news" is that the water will probably be frozen - under the house - when I get back to Beaver. That only means fetching buckets of snow from the back deck to melt on the wood stove. And waiting for spring to thaw the pipes under the house. I do remember it being close to minus 40 for stretches when I lived at the farm - I was 15 years younger. Tomorrow will be about freezing or one degree above. It will feel like summer!

I doubt we shall ever be able to make a trip to Stratford! I am afraid my bro may not be with us much longer (cancer) and that will require a trip to PA, not because it would matter to him but my SIL would be devastated if I did not. And a trip to Whidbey, in May?, to see Troy and Julie's new home is essential-- and exhausting. I am finding 86 very difficult and hope spring will renew my energy...

I am keeping the plants alive, mostly, and take delight in a vigorous sweet potato plant rescued from outdoors, and a lovely yellow bloom on the Canna which ended up in a plastic bag and saucer in the hallway - full sun through glass door when it deigns to shine.

This 1902 house seriously needs new windows... The breezes!!!

I am enduring...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Feb 23 - 09:14 PM

My ex was over for lunch today and I sent him home with some of my ripe bananas and a loaf of whole wheat bread from the freezer. It seems that during our icy spell none of the delivery trucks made it to the grocery stores, and they haven't caught up yet. When he stopped at Aldi today they were out of many perishable items. The Highway Dept. ran advice over the news to not head out today if you could avoid it because there is still ice (shaded spots on highway bridges, roads, and overpasses). I poured boiling water on the slip-and-slide shaded path yesterday while it was above freezing to clear out that ice.

I'd like to get to the gym again tomorrow, my knees are stiff when I don't do the extended walking or pedaling several times a week. I've started using the treadmill longer and at more of an incline. There was a thing on the news about a popular Tik Tok video about a "5-3-30 workout," interesting that it seems to be what I've worked out for myself. It means setting the incline at 5.0, walking at the rate of 3 miles per hour, and doing it for 30 minutes. This has been my practice because I tend to like to walk that fast and I split my gym time between the treadmill and the recumbent bike, adding up to at least an hour.

I know what you mean about the cold, Dorothy. Even though the temperature is set at about 70, there are cold patches all through the house and near the windows, so you're always reminded of the cold. Plus after the 4 days with no power in 2021, we're still aware of how vulnerable people can be when the lights go out. I've had a lot of green tea during the cold weather since it doesn't seem to have the same caffeine impact on me like black tea.

There isn't a gas line to this house, only electric, and I'm sure my eyes will water at the bill that arrives after this cold spell. As they will when I get the water bill, because not only did I leave water dripping in two sinks over four days, I stepped away from a slow job of filling the dogs' water bucket and accidentally left the water running in the kitchen. It ran over the edge and down the drain for at least an hour. The equivalent of what - a bath or shower every day for a week?

It hasn't been a particularly productive week, mostly small tasks. I am continuing the wiring of data ports and did some sewing. Many other "must do" chores languish.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Feb 23 - 11:19 AM

Yesterday I worked around a neglected 15-year-old Italian Stone Pine at the back of the yard. With the moist soil I pulled about 4" of dirt off of the base to expose a couple of girdling roots from when it was originally in a black nursery pot. The root flare is now properly exposed. Circling roots were trimmed, and I sprinkled some fertilizer. There are several other trees that need this attention. The extra soil pulled back (making a depression around the tree about 3' across) gets moved to a garden raised bed rather than left to create a moat around the tree.

I checked my cat-sitting financed fence fund and I am situated to go ahead and purchase more cedar pickets and treated lumber cross-members for the next panel. Hopefully that purchase is later today (I haven't driven in a week so fingers crossed the SUV battery is fine after the cold.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Feb 23 - 08:07 PM

Dupont:

So I was on Weds, car loaded, on my way out of town, happily heading to Beaver! The in car phone rang and, I finally managed to figure out that is was my niece - telling me my brother was no longer going to be treated for his cancer but was coming home to die in hospice care. WELL! ... If I wanted to see him in decent condition... So having parked for the phone call, I turned around and came back in a bit of shock. Called R to tell him I was not leaving for Beaver and spent the day looking on line for a reasonable way to get to PA; no train right now - covid - and crying, or trying to... Phoned my former babysitter, blubbering, "I don't know why I'm calling you, but you are there!" She has known my bro for 60 years; he has done electrical work for her and he has served most of those years on the volunteer fire dept... Everybody knows him! And she is now a twnshp supervisor... She messaged me this am offering hospitality and I responded today with our plan of staying here. The best of all possible babysitters (at about 12) is now a dear friend back living on her home turf - on daffodil lane. (Davis Lane)   

R came home about 8 pm last night and we batted around the situation. He was not comfortable leaving work for even a few days. I finally decided the best choice was for me to drive down myself. and went to bed. Phoned SIL this am and she assured me that I did not need to come down, that it was a long trip for me, and I could talk to him on the phone and Face time. She has a son and daughter with her and another son nearby... Sometimes it is excellent to be unneeded!

R went off to work, then, having forgotten his phone returned just in time for our first phone call. Bro sounded good - for 10 minutes and then he was wore out; the guy who has talked the ears off many brass monkeys.. No question- I will stay here. But, also will not go to Beaver due to the poor signal there. So, my current plan is to remain here until bro reaches point where he can no longer communicate - which may not be long. Niece was concerned that I be in touch while he still could; Jen is a nurse of high standard; she has been very helpful.

R stayed home all day to give me support. I finally suggested ordering in - We NEVER do. R suggested he cook something... I remembered the freezer and dug out a lasagna from the bakery - an excellent comforting meal and heated it in the toaster oven. Maybe I will feel like doing something tomorrow.

The greenware I was hoping to fire will not get fired - yet. It was loaded into car and now it is back in the hall. If it were not winter, I could do it at the mill but too much snow to plow through. The twists of life...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 23 - 10:54 AM

Aw, Dorothy. Here's hoping the care is palliative and he's comfortable and will go on his own terms. It's sad you can't get there but I'm glad you're staying home safe, when faced with a possible lone drive and iffy weather. More worry for the family would compound things right now.

When was the last time you saw him and his family? I remember you describing a trip to PA a couple of years ago. And thank goodness for the friend who was once a babysitter!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Feb 23 - 05:59 PM

Dupont:

I am OK - mostly! Glad not to make that trip, esp at this time of year. We were there in May for the Celebration ... of my friend.

The overflow of dishes is cleared. Supper will be the rest of the lasagna; I may make salads as I got the the store today for lettuce and some other stuff. Above freezing day but rain seemed cold.

I see I will shed a few tears at times. #1 son emailed briefly - "Pa (his GF who died at 58 when T was not quite 3 - a huge loss) would be glad that both his children lasted until 2023!" A wonderful thought! I encouraged him to phone; his uncle might have some stories of his childhood to share with him. Last chance! I hope it will not be long. Pain management is all bro will have. I hope they ensure it is adequate. And very glad he has come to terms with it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Feb 23 - 08:16 PM

Somewhere around the house is a hand tool for cutting the sheaths off of cables but can't find it. So I started looking above the dryer where some of the small hand tools live and ended up sorting the basket with tools then moving to sort the basket next to it that holds old lightbulbs and various small electric socket extenders, dim/bright adjusters, switches, etc. I've set aside some bulbs to list on the Freecycle page (incandescent, curly fluorescent, and halogen - I use LED now).

In the cupboard and shelf over the washer I organized all of the paint brushes, small saw blades & the Ryobi reciprocating saw, rolls of tape, hammers, and several analog timers. I should donate a couple of the timers.

I need to sort the garage workbench area where more tools live. It's easy to pile stuff on the workbench, hiding small tools. And it wouldn't hurt to go through the cables and computer peripherals in the office closet. So many tools in so many places.

Yesterday I did a similar purge of the tea cart, dumping ancient boxes of flavored teas and discarding some old containers that looked nice but aren't air tight. I can see all of the various boxes and cans now that they're arranged in a single layer. I have some duplicate types of black tea so I won't be shopping for a while.

The result is a lot of stuff going to the recycle bins, a full donation bin for Goodwill, and a large bag of trash. I'm sure there was something else I was supposed to be doing instead, but this job came along and got done.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 23 - 11:08 AM

From the Washington Post about Buy Nothing groups. "There’s a lid for every pot, as the saying goes."

Last night I tackled the little 40-drawer small parts storage organizer thing in the cupboard over the dryer. Surprising all of the stuff in those drawers that I'd forgotten about. Now they have more stuff, though a few pieces were moved to newly-curated locations for speciality items.

I believe I have all of the parts required for installing the Japanese bidet with warm seat and warm water. An electric cord is anchored in place and I picked up a new flexible water line (the existing setup has a solid pipe and gives no room to insert the new commode seat line). See you on the other side.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Feb 23 - 11:31 AM

I now have a plan for re-homing the military history books I am not keeping.

The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa has a support group that operates a popular bookshop specializing in -- guess what? -- military history. So now, all I have to do (my least favourite phrase in English) is pack up the books and haul them to Ottawa.

My elder brother turns 70 on the first of March and I really must make the (frankly major) effort to go to Ottawa for the festivities. Consequently, the car will be stuffed with books about wars, rumours of wars and preparation for wars, with maybe a bit of room left for my AWOL bag. An ex-colleague (old soldier) has agreed to coordinate the deposit. And thus I have a deadline to collect boxes and get packing.

The slimmed-down library is much more appealing. There's a lot of stuff I did not read when it came into the house and forgot in the tumult of the last few years and, now that I have made a deliberate decision in favour of every remaining book, I remember why we wanted them in the first place. Some of them even spark joy.

After one day of normal cold ten days ago, the weather has returned to the weird bracket. Thursday was particularly nasty, with strong winds, temperatures just above freezing, and hours and hours of torrential rain. At supper time, I ventured into the cellar for a bottle of pinot noir and found a large puddle beside the furnace -- the humidifier had pissed itself. Very disconcerting. After some quality time with a bucket and sponge mop, I closed the valve on the water line. I guess the house is quite humid enough.

Of course, the furnace and the cellar drain are on opposite sides of the house. Sigh.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Feb 23 - 02:35 PM

Dupont:

Grieving today; weepy. Called good old friends and was able to talk about it... That helped. And messaging with a FB friend, retired nurse, very pragmatic and caring. Texted SIL to phone when she felt like. She phoned- a blubbering mass of protoplasm, that made two of us. Bro is beyond Face Time. That 10 minute call is all there shall be. His suffering is almost over. Maybe I shall go back to bed and pull the covers up, and cry. I think my sons missed the boat. We did not have much warning.

Beautiful sunny day. Just below freezing. ...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Feb 23 - 05:50 PM

It sounds like they've made wise decisions and going quickly is desirable. My father dropped dead suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. The coroner told us he probably never knew what hit him. My mother died the death she always feared, we all fear, slow and painful from cancer. She was still angry after the divorce, but on one of the last times I saw her she told me that he got it right as far as dying. Big hugs to you, Dorothy.

There are two tasks in the master bedroom area, the bidet installation and finishing the data line and antenna. The attic part of the work is easier during daylight when light filters in through louvered vents. I've been up there making a path for pulling cable, and picked up some old original cedar shakes that were dropped into the attic when the new roof was installed. They'll be stashed in the greenhouse as kindling source for any outdoors fires (like today, for lighting the burning barrel for old file papers that are too many to shred).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Feb 23 - 01:05 PM

I always put the burning barrel away on the day I use it because overnight it would rust from the dew. Ashes were dumped into the compost and the bucket of water I keep nearby for just-in-case poured over them to extinguish embers.

The Attic Dek plastic planks are designed to fit either 16" or 24" spaced framed floors, but in a few places in the attic the builders were sloppy and the space is a *little* wider than 24" so the decking won't screw into wood on both sides of the gap. I'll use pieces of 1" thick wood cut to 26" in their place to extend the path. All wood forming a whole deck up there would make it very heavy, but a few here and there is ok. I'm doing this one route across the attic (above the bedroom hall and over the closet and dressing room to the back of the house) because it reaches the point where anything enters the house from the pole at the back. Telephone or cable and the current outdoor TV antenna connect there, and to reach it involves dexterity. I want to add a little support for a clear route across the insulated surface and past all of the heat and cooling ducts.

I found a long piece of TV aerial 300 ohm twin-lead coiled up near the den ceiling; I don't know where it originally was routed into the den, but I can use this to add an antenna port just about anywhere in the house (next to a data port). I'll take a large trash bag with me next trip because there really is a lot of old roofers' and builders' crap that got left up there over the years, making work more difficult and it just looks messy. Yes, you read it here, I'd like my attic to look presentable (that also means I have to organize all of the non-electrical data, telephone, and coaxial wires that run in every direction and constitute a tripping hazard.) And organize the stored large boxes (for speaker and stereo equipment, etc.)

Dorothy's various sheds and the Mill, Charmion's basement, and my attic - places where necessary equipment is housed and sources of occasional amusement and organization. This cleaning in the attic is kind of a treasure hunt - so far I found a hammer, screw-heads for the drill, a couple of boxes of nails, loose cable and spare wire, lots of intact shakes (maybe for a future art project?), metal objects like a solid galvanized ring that went to the now-removed attic vent fan.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Feb 23 - 10:46 PM

Dorothy, did you spend the day close to the phone, or instead bury yourself in a book or binge a program? Figuring out how to cope is different for everyone, so we will wait until you tell us what worked for you. I hope you have a supply of tea and chocolate.

Today the circular saw come out for a few passes to cut planks to size for the attic. There's nothing like power tools to make you feel like you're moving along. I've figured out how to move into the next area - getting safely over a duct will involve putting in a step over the top of it. Tomorrow. Once I can get to the right areas to pull the cable to the bedroom and the sewing studio this job will shift to the hall closet outside the office, where the existing ports will be updated in a bigger box and faceplate. Something I've meant to do for years.

Meanwhile, the Internet is running faster after unplugging or turning off everything then rebooting. Things were running in the dial-up speed range for a few days there.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Feb 23 - 06:54 PM

Dupont:

Yep, spent most of the time between the computer and an interesting novel. Until Sunday, when I stayed in bed and slept until the phone rang about noon and Hannah instructed me to get out of bed; we talked for over an hour, then I got up and opened the computer to see if there were any messages from sons, or anyone. SIL phoned about 4:30 to inform me Geo died at 6:20 Sat eve with everyone there - but me. So glad it was quick.

I went back to the computer and there was a condolence from a friend down there. The whole community knew before I did... After the call from SIL, I started thinking it would help to go to the funeral and asked R about paying Eph to drive me down; he had offered.

R said he could do it because now there is a set time - not being there waiting for the end which could be a long time. He was relieved that I chose to do it; he has been concerned. As soon as we made this clear decision, my clouds lifted! So we are driving down on Thurs for the Friday Funeral.

A friend is leaving us key to her home! She is going to Mississippi. R can pick up the two books he left there in May. And we can rest up and enjoy the trip back, taking two days. Son Taun is coming. Troy may be able to get it on line. In connecting with him, I got a Face Time tour of their very modest new home on Whidbey, with its stellar view - across Puget Sound to the Olympics! The only cluttered room was the music room with guitars everywhere!

Life is looking better. I even managed to find semi-suitable clothes that FIT. I thought I had gained weight ... I could, just, get into the size 16, never worn, suitable, and very nice, dress - looked like an old fashioned pot belly stove. It would look great with a minimum of 20 pounds less. I'll take it; maybe Tenley would like it. But I have an alternative that will suffice, and fit.

I had gone upstairs to throw a couple pots but decided something to wear took precedence. Good thing. Guess I need to stop eating - as I go to have something to eat!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 23 - 11:49 AM

Dorothy, grieving affects people differently, and eating or not eating is one of the factors. I've been imagining you as fairly slim since that last time you wrote about your weight; winter months do make it harder to not nibble, when your brain is telling you calories help fight off the cold weather outside. I'm glad you kept an outfit that fits for the funeral; I have a part of the closet where those few things hang that are there to be used for somber occasions, and they are also in about three different sizes. They cost enough or involved careful matching that even though some of them are a bit large, I kept them.

A neighbor offered up wood chips from her yard on the FB Buy Nothing page, and I'll be running by there to load some and drop them on top of the garden area until I'm ready to till it. I figure the chips will shade out any weeds that want an early start. The wood chip compost I get from the city is a five minute drive from here, the offer this week is a 5 block drive.

I put up a listing concurrently on FB's Buy Nothing local page and on the Freecycle listserv as a test instead of taking a bag of various types of lightbulbs to Goodwill. This is a lot less-odd than some of the things I see posted.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Feb 23 - 02:09 PM

Important declutter achievement alert!

Four pairs of much-loved, immaculately maintained and frankly expensive shoes by John Fluevog (Google him if …) have gone to a friend from church who can and will wear them. Since my right foot is now quite twisted, I can’t any more. (O woe! No more cute shoes for me!)

Tomorrow I have to go to Kitchener for my monthly needle at the allergist’s office. Before I return to Stratford, I shall hit the U-Haul moving supplies store for boxes suitable for moving books, and stout sealing tape. The liquor store staff were not willing to let me clean them out of booze boxes so I’ll have to buy some, at least for this first Ottawa load.

I have now emptied the first of the six bookcases I intend to re-home. The military history books bound for Ottawa have been segregated from the rest slated to leave the building. Packing will begin on Friday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 15 Feb 23 - 04:57 PM

my new podiatrist was very interested in my weird gait (unlike my previous long-term podiatrist, both have doctorates, they are not just toe-nail clippers!) & sent me off for x-rays which I haven't had for years. He also frowned at my pretty (sensible) sandals - I've worn orthotic since 1983 - & suggested fancy walking shoes.

Gloom, desolation, I hate socks & walking/running shoes, tho the new styles might look colourful & cool (or is that an eye-rollingly Olde Pharte word?) they don't compare with purple floral sandals

I've never been able to wear fashion shoes, having pigeon-toes, flat feet, knock knees with foot, leg & back pain - gloom, desolation ...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 23 - 07:36 PM

A podiatrist who surgically repaired a bunion ~20 years ago told me I had "functionally flat feet." I walk fine, no pain, etc. When I look at this diagram I have a slim print like I always have so I set aside that information as possibly incorrect. (He wanted to sell me some custom orthotics.)

That said, since the surgery I wear flat shoes, with only a couple of pair that have a 1" heel for special occasions. And a few years ago I found an orthopedic brand called Propét that has a lot of attractive walking shoe styles. Much less expensive than the ones Sandra linked to and these are incredibly comfortable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 15 Feb 23 - 07:47 PM

I have noticed of late that the current fashion is for white sneakers/lace up walking shoes/whatever you call them, and while I applaud that on one hand....comfort, etc....in Oz's hot summers all I can think of is "sweaty feet, erk!"

Following a twice-fractured foot (a Jones fracture, yes, it is a thing) I need to be careful what my feet are clad in. None of those mesh fabric type sneakers/runners for me, no; my shoes need to be proper supportive leather. I can wear sandals in summer (thank goodness for that) so long as they are not high or flimsy.

So I look at pretty sparkly strappy sandals, and sigh......

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 06:04 AM

speaking of flat feet, one of Australia's best source singers, Duke Tritton, applied to join the army in 1914. He was told his flat feet ruled him out. He was astounded as he'd spent years carrying his swag (possessions wrapped in a blanket) walking around the state looking for work, & probably spent most of his time in any job on his feet! He must have had the same condition as Stilly.

I look at pretty floral sandals & sigh.

solid shoes & socks in hot (or any) weather - nah! The last 2 winters have been very mild & I've worn my sandals all year long, but than I live near Sydney's harbour & spend much of my time in the inner suburbs, which are much warmer that Sydney's western suburbs, some of which get frost.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 06:10 AM

Stilly, Propét shoes are available here, but of course they cost more in $AUD
I can check them out

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 04:30 PM

Sandra, I was looking at the listings on Amazon and eBay for the Propét styles. My first pair was on clearance at DSW (a big US shoe store chain). It's unusual that I wear narrow sizes any more (they're not out there that often). I first tried a 9 narrow and it fit like a glove and was so comfortable to walk in. They are like most shoe companies and retire designs regularly, but if you're looking for comfort and not worried about the current color of the year, you can find them discontinued at a savings. And Walmart sells them in the store. I rarely buy shoes without trying them on first and I don't by from Zappos online, etc. But when there is a documented style that works and I can reproduce that purchase online, I'm good. They're true to the size—you don't need to go larger or smaller than your normal size for a better fit.

Damn but it's cold here today. I led a tour at the museum where I volunteer, then scanned slides, and when it came time to leave and head for the gym, that wind hit me and I was ready to head for home.

I'm researching how to make my own soap and my own tincture of green soap with olive oil. It involves lye. A friend once told me that it's worth the risk of second degree burns to make a good bar of soap. I will report back later.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 05:51 PM

I'll get the results of my x-rays on Monday & find out what I need. One thing he mentioned was that I probably need extra support for my right ankle -OMG! worse case options - eek -

I shall get on with heading to the train & ignore doom scrolling.

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Feb 23 - 09:21 PM

Sandra, good luck with your x-ray results. I do specialized exercises to keep my hips strong, and do the Essentrics stretching for a full-body level of fitness. Foot surgery can make a big difference (I got the bunion fixed before it became too pronounced, so they didn't need to break the bone) but feet take a longer time to heal, if it comes to that.

Initial soap-making research shows that it is best done in warm-weather (for good ventilation) and there are lots of types of soap to consider. How to Make Green Soap: An Excursion Through Time
This Ancient Soap Making Recipe Hasn’t Changed Much. Many of the soaps use "vegetable glycerin" that contains coconut oil, and though it can be substituted for others, the process involves candy thermometers and careful measuring. I buy olive oil soap at the Halal market and it's much cheaper than the soap you can see on the link. I often get the Aleppo soap (you'll see hand-cut bars through the linked listings - it's brown or green, often embossed with the company information on the top of the bar) and the Nablus variety (usually light colored in white wrappers). I'm not sure where the green bars come from. The Halal market offerings vary from one month to the next but sticking with this is probably my best bet. So, nothing much changes, but this summer I may try making some soap.

At Goodwill today I dropped off a light-weight wood unit for DVDs or books and a couple of bags of hardware and clothes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 07:37 AM

OMG indeed, Sandra.

Whenever I lace up my sensible walking shoes, I can hear my mother tsking “ I told you so.”

I can still wear Mephisto cork-soled sandals in summer, but I can’t walk much in them. For any jaunt farther than the mailbox, it’s socks and shoes such as I would not have been caught dead in when I was in high school.

Pain is a great manager of expectations.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 12:31 PM

In 2021 while on vacation in Italy my daughter completely ruptured her Achille's tendon, and after a surgical repair is really picky about her footgear and ankle support. And because she wears a larger shoe size than average for women, "One size fits all" doesn't work so well and finding socks that aren't just men's socks sometimes requires hunting around. Socks for xmas means she can toss the worn out ones. We discussed this very subject earlier this week before she left for Japan where they will walk up paths on forested hillsides to view ancient temples. Gotta have good shoes.

Today is starting out calmer but cool, and the rest of the week is supposed to have more of the off-putting windchill that makes outdoor excursions unpleasant. It's not like Canadian windchill of minus 0 proportions, but it's that it looks like it should be good walking around weather and when you step out the door the wind whips your body heat away from your head and neck and any exposed parts of your torso and you need to go back inside for the hat and scarf and gloves.

I need to do a return trip to the attic where there is enough airflow that I hope the sun shining on the roof compensates for the movement of air through the space. I need to finish some of the projects I've started and my next batch of Attic Dek panels arrived yesterday (purchased from NewEgg but drop shipped from Walmart - which, when I search, lists a price way higher than I paid, so I am truly puzzled.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 03:28 PM

Whoa, Nelly!
Western Massachusetts has had a week of weather
with daytime temps in the 50's and 50's Fahrenheit.
Today actually started out in that range.

I don't know what the temperature is now, but . . .
it's SNOWING.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 04:19 PM

Here, too, Keb. And we had sleet last night.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 05:10 PM

The first load of books — five boxes, each 1.5 cubic feet — is packed up and stacked by the garage door.

I applied literally every body mechanics technique I know, but carrying those boxes downstairs was still a serious challenge to my poor ol’ back. Nothing went *spungggg* in my sacro-iliac region, however, so I have reason to hope.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 05:39 PM

... five boxes, each 1.5 cubic feet ... an excellent piece of downsizing while taking care of your back!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 23 - 07:18 PM

Next time carry the books in small batches to the box and fill it near the garage door. The extra steps will be good if you use a tracker. Alternately you could stack them near the door and wait to fill the boxes once they're in your car. Over time there are tricks one learns when there isn't an extra person or a guy around to help lift stuff. These include using lot loaders to put heavy stuff in the car and then the part at home: while the heavy box is still in the car open it and carry the parts in piecemeal. Reverse that operation with the books.

Someone who lives nearby claimed the bag of light bulbs offered via the Buy Nothing Facebook page. It hasn't been a good week for gardening so I haven't gone to retrieve any wood chips yet through the offer I responded to, but I'll see about getting some tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 18 Feb 23 - 12:28 PM

Is a "guy" not a "person," Stilly? ;)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Feb 23 - 02:26 PM

I tried to fix that but Mudcat is giving out error messages today. It is trimmed down from a remark about losing her guy who helped load and unload stuff and I thought perhaps that was too much information. This might not go through either.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 23 - 11:52 AM

I have started one of those monthly bone-building medications that is taken on an empty stomach and for an hour you have to stay upright, not lie down or even recline, until it is out of your stomach. I used to go walking with a friend who was taking a weekly version of this and we would walk for that hour after she took her pill. I worked out a few chores to do (while the kitchen timer was set). I have finally reprogramed both thermostats in the house closer to the actual temperature I'd like; it was set as if I was leaving five days a week for an 8-hour work day, but it meant I pushed it up every morning because the house was cold. I've set it at 68 for the daytime, we'll see if that works (I have tended to push it to 70 when the morning is cool, but that 2^o can add up to a few dollars more on the monthly bill). I also started working on some of the eBay stuff that has been around for ages needing listing. (Mudcat is broken right now so try to post single paragraphs and they should go through.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 10:07 AM

Re: comfortable shoes
Ecco is, like Propét, a manufacturer of shoes
that are both sensible and stylish.
They run a little expensive, though.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 10:50 AM

Stilly, I'm very, very careful.

That said, my packing method has benefits that outweigh the risk. First, I need to keep the garage door free of clutter -- it's dark, cramped, and in the kitchen -- and the library has both plenty of space and lots of natural light. Done right and within limits, carrying heavy things is good exercise; I have worked with personal trainers who used a wide variety of expensive fitness equipment to mimic the precise tasks involved in packing and moving boxes of books. Form is critical.

Also, I stop before I get tired.

Lent begins this week, and each day is brighter and longer than its predecessor, except when it's pitching down rain. I heard a robin (of all things) the other day, and the cardinals resident in the hedge are already whistling their "Hey, ladies!" song. It's just the mid-winter thaw -- plenty of foul-weather potential left in the season -- but very enjoyable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 12:18 PM

Dorothy, I've had questions to answer in this ADHD research, and one had to do with Daniel Amen's materials that you remarked on. This morning I searched Daniel Amen and came across the linked Daily Beast article. There are a number of the popular medical folks who have lectured on PBS who have later turned up to have flawed data or a business model that does more selling than curing. I'm looking into exercises that might be useful in staying focused. (The WebMD blurb about Amen sounds like it was written by Amen's PR staff). I think his work with Pastor Rick Warren and Mark Hyman, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, is the scariest part to warn me away. People lost weight, but I suspect they also lost their souls, or their pocketbooks came out a lot lighter around the four of them. Amen has a 30-day program and when looking for reviews of it went down that rabbit hole. He identifies "seven types" that he justifies with his expensive brain scans. All said, I suspect we're looking at a modern form of Phrenology from the inside out. I'm still working on this and will try to avoid over-sharing.

Today is a modestly popular federal holiday, so the trash was picked up and except for the post office and banks pretty much everything else is open for business. Mattress sales abound. While some of you are due for Winter Storm Olive it's overcast and humid 80s for the first half of the week, so time for some yard work. The weeds and winter grass need to be mowed in the front. Amazon knows no holidays and will be delivering an 8 ounce jar of my favorite seasoning salt (there are a few dishes where it is a great shortcut) and I've tossed the ancient contents of the 2+ pound jar that I bought in 2017. I can use that shaker jar in the garden, so there is still some good that comes from that huge purchase (putting diatomaceous earth in it to dispense on ant hills and such).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 04:12 PM

I now have coordinating instructions from the Canadian War Museum bookshop, so the transfer of my fifty-year accumulation of books about military matters will happen on Friday morning at 1100 hours.

Eight boxes are packed, stacked by the back door, and ready to go. I’m pretty sure the car’s load limit is ten to a dozen; I have to be able to see out the back windows. If I ask him nicely, Neil across the street will probably help me load up on Wednesday.

My fuel bill for the outbound trip will be a stinker.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 04:38 PM

congratulations for finding the perfect home for your specialised collection.

Extra congratulations for the sensible movement of heavy stuff.

Inspired by you, I've finally just now emailed a friend for advice about finding a good home for s specialised collection I have.

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 07:11 PM

Dupont:

Back from PA in good shape. I did most of the driving and am fine. We are glad we went. The Amish Mennonite funeral was interesting. I was surprised by attendance of soon-to-be-former DIL and their #2 son, on their own. SIL was glad we came. The only other members of her plentiful family who spoke to me were her two sons who gave wonderful presentations about my bro as their father. One other very dear friend of SIL surprised me by coming and giving me a hug and a nice chat. Political differences...

Time with #2 son was good; he took us to lunch and we went back to our "home" and he spent about 8 hours with R and I, telling me a bunch of stuff I did/did not that upset him. R did a wonderful job of mediating; he has known my son for 50 years and explained very clearly that son's "engineer mind" thought it was explaining things to me but only another engineer might have understood - more or less! I am exonerated but missed out on spending a great deal more time with the grands because of the lack of clear communication. Water over the dam/spilt milk...   

On Sat, we, with son and his partner, had a last visit with SIL to give her more support before we left. Son did some computer help for her. We did not, however, manage to find the Parshall history book or the older family photos. Son has designated himself our family archivist.

Then we headed north until time to sleep. On Sunday, we had brunch near Albany with friends, went to see a building somewhere in upper NYS that had interest to R, then booted it on home, arriving at 7 pm and I went to bed!! Spent today deleting emails as I never opened computer for four days!

Laundry caught up today, folded and ready to go upstairs.

Surprised by what SRS found on Amen. I only saw his excellent ADHD materials, and Change your Brain Change Your Life.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 23 - 08:57 PM

Dorothy, I think there are some areas where Amen's work is more sound. The advice about healthy foods and exercises and deep breathing are helpful. The brain scan, not as much. And frankly, he's judged by the company he keeps.

It sounds like a good trip to PA, and I hope the discussion with your son wasn't too troubling. I think something like that with my mother would have fallen on deaf ears for some of the issues we had when we were kids. The number one thing we hated and she ignored was her lifetime of heavy smoking. I suspect most reasonable parents wonder about the things their children harbor about their childhood, and I'm sure I'll hear about that one of these days. I know there are things I wish I'd done differently, or that I had done right at first and didn't have to learn from mistakes. I suspect that some of what we're learning now about ADHD might skew how we view past events.

Charmion, the reason I bought an SUV is because I couldn't afford a truck - even used pickups down here in Texas are expensive, they're so popular. So with three rows of seats and the third row always down I have a pretty good cargo area and when I'm moving a lot of stuff I lower the middle seats and sometimes push the front passenger seat forward and down. If I didn't feel like I had a lot of bulky stuff to move around fairly regularly having a smaller vehicle would be more practical. If I lived someplace that had really good and reliable transit I'd be tempted to not have a vehicle at all, to rent when needed and otherwise ride bus or train or cab. When I lived in New York City it was so easy to take trains instead of driving anywhere. I left my little pickup parked in Connecticut at my great aunt's house and if I needed it for a longer trip I took the train or bus up to her house.

Did I mention earlier that I have a daffodil blooming in the yard? And suddenly the weed grass is growing so I'll need to mow it this week while it's still warm out there. Spring comes quickly here, though we still might have some hard freezes, so to paraphrase Aesop, one daffodil does not spring make.

Good luck with your research, Sandra! Keep us posted on the progress.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 09:10 AM

Stilly, in my opinion an SUV is a better buy than a pick-up truck simply because its cargo area has a roof! It’s also more stable on the road and safer in a collision.

But that’s not enough to tempt me to own one — I’m just too stingy to buy the fuel required to run it.

Preparing for my trip to Ottawa makes me wonder how my life got so complicated. I have a long list of people to be told I’m going away, and chores to do in order to ensure that I don’t return to domestic unpleasantness.

Once upon a time, I could just toss some clean underpants in a haversack and lock the door on my way out. Those were the days!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 12:15 PM

Yes - I am anchored here by the dogs, so when I do have to go anywhere overnight I make arrangements with my ex to feed them. For a very long trip and I'd have to double up and pay someone to come over to give him a break, and ask him to spend the night here occasionally so they have more attention. I'm cat sitting for a friend this week and her cats protest her absence by inappropriate urination - she has a shower curtain (!) she is going to spread out over the top of her bed after the last trip. When I had cats I left out a lot of food and extra water and made sure the boxes were clean and that was it.

I had a camper shell over the back of the truck, so anything I hauled had to fit in the back. I wasn't interested in removing the shell to transport really large stuff. I do miss it, but the last truck had only 2 airbags and the cab didn't have extra reinforcement (the small back door and the main doors on each side met in the middle, there was no steel support beam for them to close against, so the top could have crumpled in a roll-over.) It would have easily held all of your boxes of books in a single layer on the bed of the pickup, and that vehicle was a gas hog. The SUV is better, partly because there is so much plastic in the skin of it. I always try to make trips efficient with planning a route that lets me make a loop of stops instead of heading out for single tasks. I'm due to buy gas after a loop that takes me to the gym, the store, the pharmacy, and my friend's house to feed her cats. The local run for wood chips is under a mile and probably will be separate.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 09:22 PM

Dupont:

If nothing changes, I am off to Beaver tomorrow with a bunch of pots to fire and glaze and fire again. Thought about holding off for warmer weather but impending storm - Thurs - could affect the electric and the studio freezing would mean a bunch of lost pots (frozen greenware is not good!) and clay - worse yet! If I am there, I can bring these things into the house where the wood stove keeps me warm.

Leaving R with a pot of cauliflower soup and fresh batch of apple sauce. ARGHH! Excuse me While I put black beans on to cook ... There are none! Too bad! There are a number of prepared meals in glass in the freezer. He can make an effort! lots of bread and cheese, peanut butter...

Feeling that I weathered this trip pretty well. Good feeling! Tomorrow is only 5 hours.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 23 - 11:55 PM

People who want to collect parts of this shattered Koons sculpture probably have a clutter problem.

I was interested to see that the managing of clutter was in a question on an Executive Function survey I took earlier this week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 01:37 PM

There was a heavy thunderstorm at dawn today so the garden I've started digging will be muddy, and the mulch I've started picking up at a neighbor's house is heavier for now. I'm putting down a deep layer of wood chips around the raised beds and when that's finished then I'll dig the beds themselves. It's better to do now while it's cooler and the soil has moisture. Once it's hot the soil outside the garden is like digging concrete but the weeds continue to grow if they're there.

I spoke with the handyman friend who does lots work in my neighborhood; I think soon he'll be taking down a large hackberry in the backyard. My aim is to remove it before it falls and breaks things. This morning Antonio was actually next door talking with them about work they need doing and I walked over to say hello. Since he'll be taking out two trees there I should do this other one at the same time. It can keep the cost down if he's already set up for the job.

This week I finally turned my attention to eBay again. I was sorry to see that they now have to report even fairly modest earnings to the IRS - it used to be you could make as much as $40,000 before that happened, now it's down to $600. Sales don't take into account what things cost, just what you sell them for, so it looks like more paperwork will be needed to keep that all in order.

I turned on one of the Hoarder programs this morning - oy. Those serve as confirmation that it isn't what is going on here (as I continue to thin out stuff from family estates) but there is one room that on its own wafts of over-collecting—my eBay room.

Better get moving.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 02:47 PM

Twelve boxes packed and ready at the door from the kitchen into the garage. Neil-across-the-street is coming at five o'clock to help me load the car.

My back is fine, if a bit tired.

It's snowing today in Stratford, and there will be more tomorrow in the Ottawa Valley. Traction won't be an issue with 18 cubic feet of books in the car, but I wonder: can a VW Golf GTI waddle? If so, that's how I'll make my progress across the province.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 03:12 PM

If your car waddles like a duck, then . . . ?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 09:02 AM

If the car waddles like a duck, then the other motorists will laugh and the Ontario Provincial Police highway patrol will be like tsk, tsk, tsk.

I'm good with that. A chat with the cops could be a nice break in the day. It gets lonely out there on the Seven.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 12:30 PM

I had a short pallet of porcelain floor tile in the back of my pickup and was entering a green light intersection when a city vehicle ran the light from my left. I simultaneously leaned on the horn and stood on the brake - I couldn't stop but I at least slowed enough that I missed hitting the pickup. Both driver and passenger looked startled but they probably didn't know how close they came to being killed. Don't overlook the start and stop times when you're transporting a heavy load, books included.

Finally, after years of not finding a satisfactory battery, I have ordered a replacement for my 10-year-old Vaio. It's the backup computer here, it lives in the kitchen, and is always plugged in because of the old dead battery. With a new one it will either be more useful here or will be eligible to be sold (though removing the content from a hard drive in a laptop is a big fuss - maybe keep the drive and tell the buyer they must install their own HD and OS?)

We're back to cool weather - and the temperature wouldn't be a problem except it's the wind that makes it not good for continuing the outdoor work I started this week. This isn't your snow and ice, this is just inconvenience to a fair-weather gardener, who has daffodils in the garden and henbit in the lawn.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 23 - 09:49 PM

I've had to switch a medication I've taken for years. A compounded bioidentical HRT that was taken by mouth will via a lotion. This is so it doesn't mess up a bone-building medication taken for a while.

After a trial use I've figured out that the lotion base has a coconut ingredient (the pharmacist abbreviates a group of coconut ingredients to "SLS") resulting in scalp & hands breaking out. It sounds like it won't be possible to completely eliminate that coconut, so I'm removing it everywhere else to lessen the impact. My kitchen handsoap is a mix of Tincture of Greensoap and Dawn dish soap, where greensoap has vegetable glycerin from coconut. Instead, I'll be using a Middle Eastern bar soap from Laurel (a relative of bay laurel) grated into boiling water to dissolve it. I've grated half a bar into about 4 ounces of water to test, dispensing from a squirt bottle.

Today my handyman friend was here and we talked about the tree removal. Expen$ive, but it does need to be done before the tree falls and breaks something. That will happen soon. I might be able to tackle one of the trees and a couple of limbs before all of this happens to reduce the quote; I'll look at that over the weekend.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 07:29 AM

Architecture that automatically eliminates clutter is Frank Loyd Wright's homes that I have seen. I kinda like some Victorian clutter. There are no Wrights or wrongs when it comes to some clutter.
Roman clutter was quite grand.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 11:05 AM

Clutter that is hoarded and collapses to crush the homeowner is onerous.

A couple of aha! moments this morning: when I work in the attic I have a few lights up there but it's not easy. These days they make strings of bright LED lights that can be put along the length of the house and turned on with a single switch yet use very little power. I've measured the distances down the middle of the house to set that in motion.

I've also concluded that the way to remove the smaller tree in the back yard is by dragging the extension cord and using the electric reciprocating saw with one if its long wood-cutting blades. The DBH (except it's DAH - diameter ankle high, not breast high) is only about 8 inches. Doable by taking out a wedge in 1/3 of the tree then cutting through from the back.

It's cold and overcast today, so after placing a couple of online orders I'll head into the sewing studio and consider how to assemble a project for a friend.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 01:02 PM

Beaver:

Darn! Missed out on suggesting I meet Charmion in Madoc for lunch!

Made it here on Weds. Have not done much. Still recovering from too much driving! Did go through a cabinet and took all the warm clothes I could part with over to the warming centre, along with some cash. Stayed home yesterday expecting freezing rain which happened as I thought about going the the horticulture meeting; stayed home.

Back deck is daunting- frozen snow again! A foot to two feet. I cleared a path on top so I can bring in stove wood without injury. To get to the studio will take more effort. Waiting for a bit warmer weather - tomorrow? And may go to warming centre to see if anyone wants to make a few dollars!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 01:14 PM

Beaver:

SIGH! checked emails; a very dear friend died this am. I am bereft allover again. In 1968, this sweet 18 year old took this newcomer to Montreal under his wing and helped me find a place to live and took me to the Yellow Door to interview for "office assistant". He set my whole life on a special track. I knew this was coming and am glad he is out of pain. I wanted more chances to talk with this beautiful person whom I saw through 3 marriages and many changes until he reached his goal of becoming a rabbi. His retirement was short. DARN!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: leeneia
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 02:20 PM

My condolences, Dorothy. It's so hard to lose a good friend.
======
Back on Feb 4th, you wrote "This 1902 house seriously needs new windows... The breezes!!!"

Years ago, my father went to a government seminar on the maintenance of church buildings, and he learned that you should caulk windows, but most of the cold comes right through the glass. The best thing to do about that is to put up heavy drapes.

This doesn't have to be a major project. Get the spring-loaded rods that pop into the window frame (no screws or nails.) Do you have fabric stores? Look for heavy fabric on sale. Or go to the thrift store and buy drapes or bedspreads. Sew a header at the top and fold the bottom edge so it rests on the windowsill and makes a pocket for cold air to flow into and stop. Think of the cold air as cold water, flowing down the glass and onto the floor.

When the bitter cold is over, take them down and store for next time.
======
Stilly, I learned something about cutting down a tree from a man who did it for a living. When a tree is being cut down, it will fall on its heaviest side, so matter where you cut the wedge. Examine your tree and see if it has bigger branches on one side. That's where it will go. Makes sense to me.

Fortunately 8 inches isn't very big.

I like your idea about LED lights. I have them in my kitchen now, and I'm so glad.
======
Donuel, I like your comment about some clutter. I've seen anti-clutter videos where the house ends up looking as sterile and pragmatic as an operating room. I would find that hard to take.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 02:29 PM

I like a bit of clutter — but only a bit. What’s a coffee table for, if not holding the stacks of books that one is half-finished reading?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 03:58 PM

Speaking of books, the Friends of the Canadian War Museum are now the proud owners of 18 cubic feet of books that no longer belong to me.

My poor little car needed its tires reinflated — no lie! And, with the load aboard, its fuel efficiency was awful: 7 litres per 100 kilometres, when usually it manages about 4.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 06:34 PM

leenia, I spent a few years cutting down trees as a summer seasonal forester and fire fighter. I have that well under control.

I'm looking forward to the lights - I bought a string of 5 approx. 75watt (1000LM) bulbs on a 50' string. And the line itself works like an extension cord so I could plug something else into the end of it if needed. They will serve to light the central corridor/highest point through the unfinished attic. Sunday will warm up for better attic work again. I have a string of sparkling LED lights on my front porch that are festive but not very bright; this attic set is a construction-type of light string. When I moved in here we were still using incandescent and portable fluorescent were a thing. Halogen would be too risky, they get too hot. The lights up there haven't been updated in a really long time, and they're all plugged into portable sockets.

Good work on redistributing the books! You're lucky the tires were just low and none went flat! And I agree about the interesting objects that sit around a room - to have all of them gone would be unnatural in my world. I just hope to have a few clear surfaces to work on at the end of the day, and not have to turn sideways to enter a room.

Dorothy, I'm sorry to read about your friend. I lost one like that about 20 years ago, and it took a lot of processing to sort my reaction to his suicide. But he made a huge impact on the directions I have traveled. Still does today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 07:59 PM

Charmion, some people use emojis (not me!) I like drawings, so picture
a GOLD STAR + A PAT ON THE BACK (hand patting smiling person) + HAPPY DANCING (Snoopy & Woodstock)

well done, & the only costs were your time (not your back), a bit of air & some extra fuel!

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 23 - 08:13 AM

Awww, gee thanks, Sandra!

But this was only the library project’s first tactical bound, as they say at HQ. I have emptied three bookcases, but still have three more to clear and their contents to dispose of, and then the six bookcases themselves to re-home.

I will have to hire a couple of large guys to move the six bookcases downstairs and out to the garage, where they can be more easily loaded up and hauled away. But that will be a job for the summer.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Feb 23 - 09:13 AM

it's a good start

I've started an email to someone who might like some of my craft stuff - 3 large boxes which were taken from the top of my wardrobes, all that's left is a shoebox with birthday cards in it! The empty boxes are on a chair & the contents are all over my bed - bummer cos it's time to go to bed ...

Next email to go will hopefully find a home for 2 shelves of more craft stuff.

Both collections are things I no longer make, & I have lots more crafty stuff I'm working on.

sandra - shutting down & heading for the mess

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 23 - 11:27 AM

Sandra, a friend of mine in NY City used the bed surface when he started sorting the contents of his large bedroom closet, and I think he has slept on the sofa in the living room for a quite a while since he hasn't finished that job.

Charmion, I would have a difficult time letting bookshelves leave the house. There are so many things (that clutter we speak of daily) that can live on shelves when books aren't present. (Of course at my house, both happens - books at the back of the shelf and small interesting objects positioned on the front edge - a great way to insure that you will rarely dust for having to move all of the small objects.) I did manage to donate a DVD/book case recently, but no small objects could rest on that and it wasn't terribly stable for larger things.

I haven't made pancakes in ages but last week I found buttermilk on sale so this morning made a full-sized batch (enough to feed me and both kids when they were big). The cakes I ate were probably half of the day's calorie allowance, but they were good! I'll wrap the rest in plastic two at a time and freeze them for future meals. These are very thin and flexible, Scandinavian style like I grew up with, much like crepes, so sometimes a smear of jelly or sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and rolled they make a great lunch or dessert. (I am not fond of restaurant pancakes because they're stiff and thick and dry.)

Another cold overcast day here. I hear the postal carrier on the porch (confirmed by the barking blue heeler, who has him on her radar six days a week) so I may make a trip to the attic with the new lights even though it'll be cold up there. Gotta love how fast Amazon is - you can have an impulse and act on it soon enough with their next day delivery that there is follow-through on some of these ideas.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 23 - 12:24 PM

Stilly, I am not letting myself accumulate either books or small interesting objects any more. Those days and those habits are over for me.

Disposing of the excess bookcases makes it official.

It also makes more room for a person playing the digital piano to push back her chair, and for the instrument cases currently stacked under the window to stand out of the way, but handy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 23 - 10:30 PM

Interesting small objects are still arriving here. There is a lovely wooden bowl with a lid that was turned by Mudcatter Bill D; I sent him a chunk of the vitex wood from my yard and some months later this delicate bowl arrived in the mail. It was made from a portion of that block, and sits in a place of honor on one of the bookshelves behind me in my office. Along with interesting small frames with photos of the kids and any number of objects I was given by them over the years. Having children does add to the stuff you keep.

Today I set out small-ended screwdrivers and a bowl and carefully opened the laptop and replaced the dead battery with a new one with a two year warranty (300-500 recharges). The process involved only one trip to YouTube to see how to open the Sony computer, and opening it was easier than closing it, but it is now finished and fully charged. I'll have to use it enough this week to draw down then recharge the battery several times to get it conditioned properly.

An Amazon box was deposited on the porch with the new lights for the attic - but too late in the day to head up to do that job. It was dark by the time I got home from the gym and shopping, so this is for Sunday.

I've started a project for the NY friend who sleeps on his sofa - sewing specialized masks. A visit to Joann Crafts/Fabric today has me good to go on that for an extra layer of fabric in addition to some the friend had delivered here. (Joann's always get me with the "buy 3 get 2 free" thread offerings). While there I noticed an expensive plastic multi-tier storage "system" that they charge $82.99/$42 for (I found it at Goodwill for $5). I'm thinking my daughter will find a good use for this.

It's always something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Feb 23 - 10:23 AM

It’s snowing heavily in Ottawa today, and the temperature is rising steadily to -4°C. Sunny in eastern Ontario tomorrow, but sleety west of Toronto. So it goes.

If the stars align correctly and the traffic and weather cooperate, Dorothy and I will hook up for an early lunch at Tim Horton’s in Madoc, where Highway 7 crosses the 62 to Bancroft.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Feb 23 - 11:07 AM

Beaver:

Feeling uplifted by friends of all sorts and by my successful trip to PA, accomplishing something I seriously doubted I was capable has renewed me amazingly. And then to be able to do the 5 hour trip here, where I have continued the R&R until today when the snow took a break, and the cold also, while I carried pots from house and studio to the kiln room, having warmed the kiln. Bisque firing under way. Have a bunch of bisqued ware I can glaze during my next burst of energy so they can be fired tomorrow. May need a couple more glaze firings then take stuff back to Dupont to fill two requests for bowls.

Of course, little by little, I first made paths through the 15 inches of frozen snow - to the wood shed, then to the studio, then the kiln room. For most of it, I just took off the top layer of loose snow and had a firm base of 10-12 inches of frozen snow. Around the door to kiln room, I had to use the iron wedge to break a couple inches of ice so I could even open the door.   

leeneia: I know you are correct about the heavy drapes and I have tons of very heavy fabric on hand and rods. Maybe your suggestion will motivate me to do the job. I am careful to catch as much solar gain as possible.

SRS: My weight never went below 160, not adequate to fit this elegant size 16 dress. However, I would have been terrible overdressed at the Amish Mennonite church in Lancaster Co! And since I could only find one pair of slacks - no skirts fit- and one really decent blouse which could have been viewed as "hippy" AND no other woman had on slacks! Other than the family (baptists) every woman wore a tidy white blouse, black skirt and a white cappa. Oh well, I was that woman from Ontario!

A moment ago the sun was out big time, now more flurries! BUT only one degree below freezing!!!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 23 - 04:45 PM

I found that spot on Google Earth - I hope you are able to cross paths for lunch!

The laptop battery is replaced, but I haven't figured out how to get the screen to power up when the computer doesn't have a power cord plugged in when the machine is on. What's the point of the battery otherwise? I know it's on because the keyboard lights are on, but that's not much use by itself.

Stew is slowly coming together this afternoon after I browned meat and set it to simmer in the crock pot. I'll add ingredients as the afternoon progresses. The house smells great.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Feb 23 - 05:16 PM

Our seasonal snowfall this winter has been 6 millimeters.
One day Canada will grow warmer too.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 26 Feb 23 - 05:18 PM

This Ozzie has been to Tim Horton's at Madoc! How 'bout that!

Have a dark roast for me.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 01:24 AM

The stew was amazing, with a lot of broth to give it a thick soup-like quality. I had mushrooms and chicken broth in the freezer to add to it and I poured in a lot of red wine, so it was almost like a stroganoff but without the sour cream. (You can add chicken or turkey broth to a beef dish and it still tastes like beef, but don't try to add beef broth to poultry dishes.)

I've found information about resetting the laptop power management for the screen, I'll do that in the morning. I spent time sewing this evening but stopped to clean lint out of the machine and since it has been a while it took me longer than usual to remember how to reassemble the bobbin housing. It's good to go now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 05:58 AM

I've found that, in the absence of chicken broth (which we tend to call "stock"), a home-made veg stock works with almost everything. A couple of chopped-up carrots, celery sticks and shallots, boiled up for an hour with a bay leaf, a few peppercorns and a handful of fresh herbs... I have organic cubes but they are a last resort and often lead to a noticeably inferior dish.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 10:05 AM

Dorothy, if you do meet up for lunch, please wish Charmion "bonne route" from me. I did not rise early enough to give her a call before her departure.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 10:55 AM

The wind last night nearly took my tarp cover off of the frame over the patio, so I must take myself over to Lowe's and purchase another package of bungee cords and replace a few that wore out over the last year. Two tarps overlap, one has screws holding it in place, the other is the cords. My goal for this spring will be to screw down parts of the longer top tarp at the grommets so it is more stable.

I've decided to have only one tree cut down in the back, not two. I can do the second one myself and it should keep the price a bit lower. It wouldn't have taken my friend long to do it and it won't take me that long either, but it's for another day. That way I can go forward on the main job sooner. This week I'll take down the nearby clothes line so the cross member doesn't get hit and broken during the dropping of branches.

Last year on HGTV I started watching a program in its sixth season so have plenty of episodes to catch up on. It's called Home Town and in addition to talented builders/designers, it has the town of Laurel, Mississippi, going for it. Lots of historic houses on various types of lots to work with. A couple of weeks ago an episode addressed my question "what if something really big happens when they start the work?" A house with an awful concrete basement that needed chiselling out and re-pouring. They confided then that they require each applicant to the show to have a contingency fund that is pretty big. It gives everyone a buffer that lets them go forward. One day I may redo my kitchen, but having a plan and the cash plus the contingency - that's the thing that keeps me puttering around the edges and working on fences and trees, not interior redesign.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 05:24 PM

I am back at home after a successfully simple drive from Ottawa. Dorothy is just as I imagined her, complete with the remnants of an American accent. The weather was perfect — for February — until about three in the afternoon, when I stopped for coffee at the Cambridge service centre. All was grey but okay when I went in, but fifteen minutes later, on opening the door to leave, I found myself in a maelstrom of snow.

From Cambridge to Stratford, highway 401 to 8 to 7, I drove slowly and very prudently, with four-way flashers on and every nerve-end firing. Visibility was terrible, ranging from about 30 metres to white-out, and the road was quickly covered. The snow fell so thickly that the SATNAV stopped receiving signals and the car’s collision-warning system kept beeping. I would have been happier in my old 1986 Golf with automatic nothing.

However, here I am in my comfy chair with the cat, so it was just another Canadian travel experience.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 11:03 PM

"Home Town", what an unlikely story that has been! I have kinfolk in Laurel, and you would hardly believe the rebirth and transformation that downtown, and the whole town, has undergone. All because a talented couple pursued their quirky little plans, and one of them did a good blog about it, a sharp producer took a chance, and over a period of several years, thousands of lives have been transformed.   

It is now a delightful place to visit, where once it was a depressed town, only a sad fading shadow of past timber and oil prosperity. The power of a few people doing good work, and others believing in them. I haven't seen a ton of episodes since I am mostly catching broadcast, but, always amazed at her design ideas, and his reworking of old wood into innovative furniture.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 23 - 11:38 PM

Drives like you describe can be quite memorable - I must have been about 21 when I made a snowy night drive down the freeway in Washington State - low visibility and I was at the front of a line of cars - any of them could have passed me on the left, that lane was open - but they all chose to stay in the line following along. I would have appreciated being able to follow someone but no one moved forward. That was a long ~ 10 miles for me in my VW Beetle. I pulled up the Google map of the route you described - I'm glad you didn't find yourself up to your axles in a ploughed field along the way.

I don't suppose either you or Dorothy thought to take a selfie to share of your meeting? I'm glad you were able to meet!

The new string of lights is now hanging from robust cup hooks in the attic. The string comes with a sturdy cord, lightweight bright plastic LED lights, and at each light there is a little carabiner to use for hanging. The old fluorescent in a reflective work light shield is still clamped to a 2x4 near the opening, plugged into the porcelain socket on the ceiling above the steps. I've added a socket extension (like this) into the old socket. That's where the new string of lights is plugged into a grounded switch. I wish I'd done this ages ago.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 02:01 AM

Patty, that's nice to know about the Laurel connection! I never paid much attention to the earlier Fixer Upper series done by couple Joanna and Chip Gaines out of Waco, Texas, but it seems to be along the same lines. I never thought of Waco as charming when I lived nearby in Temple, but it is a tourist destination now. And agreed, I love it when Ben and his friends head into an old family barn and come back with some beautiful piece of wood with local history to turn into furniture or other features in the houses they work on. (I've also watched a dozen episodes or so of a Mother and Daughter team out of the Indianapolis area do these kinds of things, but they are house flippers and sometimes their schtick is more like an architectural high-wire act. At times it mades me wince to watch them and their crew.)

When I moved in here I found various things around that had been left behind in the attic or laundry room or forgotten in a cupboard that were incorporated into projects because it felt like a nice homage to past tenants of the house. The original couple lived here for several years but rented it out for many more years. At this point, I've lived in it longest of anyone and have made changes, though it is still a work in progress.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 08:45 AM

I’m no good at selfies, Stilly, so I don’t do them. Dorothy’s phone has limitations. Besides, we were too busy talking.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 10:13 AM

Beaver:

I, too, am not fond of selfies; never occurred to me. Glad to hear C is safely home. No surprises there; she, too, was who I was expecting.

I now avoid "Canadian driving experiences" like the plague. Enough have been survived. However, the last hour of our trip to PA was a fair equivalent - dark and rainy night on a two lane road full of Thurs night shoppers in myriad small towns, headlights magnified by rain... One of the most stressful hours of my life.

Bisque firing unloaded and bottoms waxed, all on shelves in studio waiting for me to feel like glazing and re-loading kiln. Snowy morning so no hurry as I cannot carry pots from a-Z without snow landing on them - not a good idea. Maybe that is a good excuse? I'll get there soon. Studio is warm, glazes are stirred... Motivation still catching up!

JennieG: Madoc is a long way from Oz! I hope the adventure was a good one!

Well, it was nice watching the snow fall, now to gather myself to forge ahead!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 11:01 AM

*Note for those who don't take selfies: ask the well-tipped wait person if they will take a photo and hand them your phone. Chances are they'll do a great job!

A friend is coming over in a few minutes with 8 ounces of Market Spice Tea - this is the excellent variety available from the Specialty Spice Shop in Pike Place Market in Seattle - he placed an order for both of us to save on the high shipping cost they charge. I drink their decaff, which is the ONLY decaff tea I'll drink, it actually does taste as good as the original full-octane variety (I have some of that also, but only for morning consumption).

A day of running ahead, starting with a tree-planting event at a friend's house. Spring is just around the corner when the gangly delicate-but-large crane flies are bopping all over the place (in the Puget Sound area I grew up calling them "gallinippers," though a search on that generic term shows it applies to several types of insects.)

It sounds like the potting/glazing energy will come with longer days and snow melt, Dorothy. Be patient walking around on ice loaded down with heavy trays!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 12:29 PM

Tim Horton’s is a fast-food joint with over-worked staff who come near the tables only occasionally, to wipe crumbs off them.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 03:04 PM

And even more often with a dust pan and broom to put you off your food.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 05:32 PM

It was a fun adventure, Dorothy! We live in Tamworth, Oz, so when visiting our Canaussian son in 2015 we included Tamworth, Ontario, in our itinerary.

It's much smaller than our town but was interesting, just the same; our population is mid 50,000 while Ontario Tamworth is about 500. We both have Peel Street but ours is the busy main drag, while the Canadian one is a quiet lane near the river. Both towns were in areas first settled in the 1820s.

Madoc was a pit stop on the way back to Toronto. After driving on it once on a previous trip, we avoided the 401 like the plague on subsequent trips.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 23 - 09:34 PM

Those memorable town names can make a drive interesting. I have driven across the US a number of times, and when the trip takes me the length of Tennessee, I stop at Bucksnort, just because. At the bottom of a valley in the middle of nowhere. There is a little gas station, and I don't remember if there is a post office, but I've been known to mail postcards from interesting little towns during my travels. Chunky, Mississippi, didn't have a post office (and the name was derived from a Choctaw word, it wasn't a physical description of an individual, apparently.) Utopia, Texas, etc.

This week I will be exchanging plant material between friends. I was at a home today where the cannas were being thinned and I brought home those that were dug up (purple stalks and orange flowers). I'll trade some of those to a different friend who is going to give me some schoolhouse lilies (they don't bloom long, but they're wonderful right at the beginning of September when school is starting, hence the name.) And I have some crinum lilies to contribute to the collections of two other friends. Bright pink when they bloom. I am sorry that my discussion of blooming plants and gardening lands right when some of you are snow-bound!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 12:44 AM

not here!

summer is winding down, tho we still have very hot days coming next week. My fuchsia is also winding down, with one almost-open flower, 5 dead blooms & 5 teeny-tiny buds.

There have been times since I bought it in October from the supermarket when I had 12 buds & 7 flowers.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 10:54 AM

Point well taken about taking selfies. It's hard for a normal, discreet sort of person to force themselves to take group or pair photos at a reunion or meet-up.   Seems the sort of thing one's obnoxious Aunt Griselda would insist on doing.

But, after my first year of traveling, I discovered I had way too many lovely landscape and sunset shots, not enough of the people who had made the journey so memorable. So now I'm that obnoxious Aunt Griselda, although I do forget sometimes, when swept up in the experience. But I try, even if they are ragged candid shots of the campfire, or one of a friend alone if necessary. Often in tourist spots, a desperate glance will result in a fellow traveler volunteering to take the shot.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 11:00 AM

Been to Chunky! Lived nearby. Back then the highlight of the summer was a trip down to Dunn's Falls for a float on the Chunky River below the falls. Maybe the original Choctaw name was Bogue Chun-qui or something.

Other great M'sippi towns are Hot Coffee and D'Lo. And I am always tempted to get off the Louisiana exit for Tickfaw.   

Managed to snap a photo in Utah of the exit sign for Pumpernickel Valley.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 11:03 AM

When I worked at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis, tourists in New York City were all very cautious about their cameras being stolen. But on an island when there is an official in uniform right there - I was frequently asked to take photos so got to use a lot of cameras taking photos for those groups. And I still do it in places like museums, parks, etc. It will sometimes be the only shot in the whole trip that they are all in.

Heavy rain early this morning has postponed the yard work I was hoping to start today. I have a bit of running to do but will wait until the puddles have drained from the roads before leaving. Until then, the house looks like the inside of a goat's stomach, so I can start picking up.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 08:08 PM

Beaver:

Pottery firing -another lot today. Leaving tomorrow after the kiln is cool enough to unload. I will open it a bit as early as I feel like trekking outside. And, yes, I was very careful on the frozen snow with those trays of precious pots! Only three or four to a tray, so not very heavy. Oh, the first firing was just fine, happily!

Car is partly loaded so morning will be packing pots when they are cool enough, changing the bed, batten down the hatches, and get the remainder into car; trip to library (5 min away) and back down route 62 to the 401. Others hate it but I do not find it odious, except near Toronto. Love my cruise control. 5 hours to other home, stocked up with stuffs from Local store.

Never been to Tamworth, that I noticed. I will keep an eye out. Sometimes we explore.

Took note, just now, of a music event in Belleville at noon on 18 March! A friend is involved. I could manage that on a trip either direction with some planning - in my calendar.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 23 - 10:39 PM

Dorothy, it sounds like you've got that mischief managed as far as transporting your pots to the kiln. Have a good drive back to Dupont!

Patty, I do envy you the mobility you have right now, to explore the places you pass through if you wish. The parts of towns that speak to me are those places where I can see that people have made a space their own and have a garden or workplace that suits them. They aren't usually in the neighborhoods on the beautiful homes tours, but they're interesting. I remember Chunky as being small and utilitarian, and we didn't have much time to drive through, but spending more time would have been welcome.

Back here in North Texas, after the thunderstorms passed the ex and I made a trip to the discount gourmet warehouse store for the Wednesday Market and we were not disappointed: I came away with lots of fruits and veggies (and to make the purchases worthwhile I need to manage to eat all of it!). Pineapple, mango, apples, cucumbers, and four bags of Romaine hearts. One of those Romaine hearts is gone with dinner tonight. Cauliflower for me or (more likely) for the dogs. I buy a lot of produce to add to their dried dog food so they get moisture and fiber every day. I cook veggies for the dogs (you often get more nutrition from cooked stuff) and they really love it because when it's cooked it tells them "people food." I watch when they eat - they always scarf down the veggies before the dry food.

Today I picked up two of a fruit I have never tried before - Dragonfruit - and I have a page of results on YouTube telling me how to cut and eat it. Trying new fruit is akin to the trying of new taco stands and restaurants - getting a bit out of my comfort zone to find new and interesting foods. Out of curiosity I asked a Mexican friend yesterday about these taquerias that are near our neighborhood - turns out the one I liked best is owned by the in-laws of the guy who works with him (who will be here to cut down a large tree in the yard on Friday). It's a small world.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 02 Mar 23 - 10:55 AM

I passed a small stainless steel food truck as I drove thru Tularosa, New Mexico on Tuesday.   Something told me to turn around and try it. It was "Tularosa Tacos", where the food offered was in an aluminum cake tin with lid, a set of 3 tacos. Of course I tried the variety combo. These were small, steamed, corn tortillas, doubled, I guess for strength. One soft taco was stuffed with freshly grilled carne asada, another sauteed chicken chunks, another was pork with a hint of pineapple. Fresh salsa, pico de gallo including fresh Hatch chilis, and a bit of sort of creamy sauce apparently involving farm cheese.

Oh my goodness, made you want to slap your mama!

You take a chance on stopping for random food trucks, but, seems like 3 out of 4 times it's worth it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 23 - 04:18 PM

Good for you, Patty! Once I started looking for them, those food trucks are all around here. The neighborhood has enough vacant parking lots that they stagger themselves up and down this part of town - so the pecking order is to go to full-service sit-down restaurants with a wide menu ($$), to go to a taqueria with a limited but very good small menu ($), or to stop by one of the food trucks that has a really tiny menu ($). I noticed one with camarón (shrimp) that I'm tempted to try if I can find it again. They're set up most often in the evenings and have little neon signs on them and strings of lights to catch your eye.

My day's activities were cut short due to weather - not the ice and snow of the nothernmost members, but the springtime churn of moisture on warm days that can lead to tornadoes and hail and all manner of damage. I left my volunteering early (the museum is also closing early) and didn't follow-up with my usual session at the gym. I have plenty of picking up to do around here. This morning I got up on a ladder and reattached my patio cover tarp or I'd be bound to lose it in this storm.

Time to put the thundershirt on Pepper and get out ahead of this to see if it helps her.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Mar 23 - 05:33 PM

Hang in there, Pepper. And Stilly, and Cookie. And Zeke who is deaf ... but I suppose Zeke can feel vibrations or something when it's stormy.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Mar 23 - 08:13 AM

Snowpocalypse is heading my way, again. “Winter Storm Warning!” shrieks the Environment Canada website in a red banner across the top of the screen. Sure, of course we’re facing another storm — it’s freakin’ March, and we live within spitting distance of four Great Lakes. It’s Canada, in late winter. It snows. Relax.

In other news, I’m waiting on two people to come and pick up large items that I don't need or want. If all goes well, I will soon be rid of three full-height bookcases and Edmund’s rolling composter. Cross your fingers!

Also, now that I have a stock of sturdy boxes, items bound for Goodwill are heading out the door. First up: Edmund’s accumulation of hats, size way too large for most people. They’re packed and ready to go.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 23 - 09:41 AM

The weather that passed through down here last night seems to be the tail end of what is approaching to clobber everyone in the north as well. Will your visitors be carrying bookcases out in a blizzard? That composter would have had a welcome home here, but the trip to pick it up would be a hefty one!

The big backyard hackberry that is in danger of falling on (take your pick) the garage, the greenhouse, the dog kennel (or all three simultaneously) or the fence or the tree next door or even smashing into the yard next door and taking the fence with it is coming out today. Conditions are sodden out there, my handiman friend offered to do the job yesterday but wind was threatening and I had appointments. Now it looks like yesterday might have been easier because the winds didn't really start till about 5:30 and it was still dry. Hindsight is 20:20.

We have a couple of more days of dry weather before the next rain passes through so I suspect this weekend will be one for digging in the yard. It needs at least today to dry out a bit before I try it.

The dogs bark periodically when something thumps out back - I'll take photos of the tree removal progress, partly based on when they make a fuss so I can go out to look. They're in the house today, for obvious reasons - mostly they'd be underfoot, but also the gate will be open and Zeke doesn't have a collar to keep him in the yard.

It goes pretty fast, though this tree is much taller and a larger volume of wood to haul to the dump than the last tree he took out, a pine in the front yard. Too bad we don't have a chipper, I'd have a lifetime supply of mulch. As it is, I'm still getting mulch a few blocks away where that neighbor had a regular tree company come in to do work with the chipper truck they bring along. They left the chips for her but she has way more than she can use. My guy may be taking this to the recycling company nearby - they have a big chipper. That would be better than the dump.

Another paroxysm of barking - time to head out to see what's up (or down).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 23 - 12:39 PM

I will keep a few rounds from the thickest part of the tree to use as either seats or (more likely) perches for Cookie. The nearby wood waste recycling plant will grind up the rest. Antonio laughs that they'll give him back his trees when he goes to buy mulch. But the size of equipment needed to grind all of this landscape material is such that charging to receive the raw stuff as well as selling finished mulch is the only way to keep the equipment paid for. I'm good with that. They undercut the cost of taking it to the dump so they keep raw material coming their way.

It's cool and muddy in the yard but the sky is a glorious clear blue. It's beautiful to be working out there right now. We took a break - closed the gate and let the dogs out to investigate and take care of business.

I've set up to do some sewing today, to finish a project for a friend, and I have a new one to start. Later there's a gathering of friends and I'm thinking of making a dessert to take along. I made cranapple juice this week (put frozen berries through the steam juicer) so I have fruit pulp for those rich cranberry bars. I'll keep a few here and take the rest to the party.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Mar 23 - 06:40 PM

The composter has left the property.

Huzzah!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 23 - 10:31 AM

Yesterday I swept enough sawdust into a 10-gallon bucket to super-charge my compost pile. The yard is a new place with that huge tree gone, it really opens up the space and there will be grass growing on that side of the yard again.

This weekend is forecast to be perfect gardening weather so I plan to make use of it.

I shared some plants yesterday with a friend and will digging more to take over (I gave him a big bag of canna roots and he gave me three lily bulbs. At the next place she was interested in the cannas also so I told the first friend (probably terribly ungraciously) that if I'd given him too many cannas that this second friend (who lives near him) would like some. But I realized I'll be in town early next week and will take over more of those if they want plus some crinum lily bulbs. Friends who are gardeners here trade plants from yard to yard. :)

I need to put in some cucumbers this year along with other stuff I usually plant. I want to make more pickles; I almost bought some cucumbers the other day but prefer to use the really fresh homegrown organic ones. Other than those, it will be the usual tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, okra, but it's too early to put any of those out yet.

The sewing project for a friend is at the halfway point. I've finally cut out enough pieces of everything to simply assemble them now. I have several other projects to work on also. I listened to the current audio book while sewing and may manage to finish it before renewing (it's a very long book, renewed 3 or 4 times now!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Mar 23 - 03:59 PM

Yesterday Stilly mentioned the storm headed for the East.
In my part of the east,
we are merely cluttered with an additional four inches of white slush.
Not the big mess we were told to expect.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 23 - 05:14 PM

eBay quandry today. I sent out a perfectly working used device and today received a refund request (purchase and original shipping cost). The return shipping (the buyer doesn't get that back) is ~ $15. I have my doubts as to what happened (impatient people can break these things), but I don't do repairs. I decided to see if I could split the shipping difference - offer the purchase refund and original split the shipping cost, but he keeps the parcel so doesn't have to pay $15 before he gets the refund. I don't do repairs, I have no use for it if he broke it. I'm not Zappos, I don't absorb all of those costs. We will see if the purchaser has a cool head and can do the math. That way I'm only out $7 instead of $15 and he is also out only $7 instead of $15.

Higher math.

I mowed the back yard today and will do the front tomorrow. I need to do some digging in the garden before it gets much later.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 23 - 09:10 PM

Aaaand … the bookcases have left the building!

It’s really quite amazing how many spiderwebs and dust bunnies can hide behind three six-foot bookcases.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 23 - 10:28 PM

Did they leave during a snowstorm? I have a visual image of people sliding down your icy front path seated on top of the bookcases.

I've cut and pinned and sewn this evening to finish a project for a friend. He asked for six masks, I think he's going to end up with about a dozen. I had a pattern from Joann's for a reversible mask to which I've added a third layer to make it more robust. I still prefer my 3D pattern, they're far more comfortable, but it's what the client wants that matters. Elastic ear loops and no nose-wires for glasses wearers. It's the fabric that matters.

I'm getting close to the end of a novel I've listened to for ages. Silly me, I have a print copy of it but still prefer the audiobook; I move a bookmark through the paper copy so I can sometimes look at the words on the page. Next month I have to renew my public library card so I want to finish this before I have to jump through those hoops (I use the water bill from my ex to show that I'm still in the city limits and can use the library.)

More gardening tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Mar 23 - 11:30 AM

My gardening hand tools were spread all over the house and out buildings, with the lion's share propped against a wall in the garage. A few were behind the door to the sunroom. They are now back where they started in a dedicated spot in the corner of the greenhouse.

Another pass through the pantry has revealed a way-old big canister of powdered Gatorade that I mix up to drink in gardening season, especially during the summer (the salt content helps avoid cramps overnight). It's mostly sugar, though, and I'm going to set this can aside and once the garden is going I'll mix it up in water and pour as a fertilizer—it would be a missed opportunity to send it to the landfill. This also works with soft drinks, old milk, etc. (Milk helps fight fungal diseases like powdery mildew).

In a drawer I found a couple of the small bungee cords I've been needing, and in my mind's eye I can see the container I've been looking for, but either I put it away so safely it will never turn up or I used them all and recycled the container. I'll pick up some more (Lowe's had a good price).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Mar 23 - 01:33 PM

In southwestern Ontario, a late-winter storm is likely to be violent and dangerous, but they don’t last long. Friday’s weather bomb lasted until sometime after midnight, but stopped abruptly when the system rolled past Toronto and headed down the St. Laurence River. When the sun came up, the temperature was already above freezing. The cloud cover thinned and vanished by noon, and by suppertime the sky was a clear blue.

Nick’s Snow Removal keeps my driveway clear all winter for the princely sum of $650.00 Canadian — a screaming deal. I shovel the footpath myself, just to keep up the skill. By the time the new owners of the bookcases showed up, the strong sun of the afternoon had made away with the last vestiges of snow on the footpath and the third of the driveway closest to the house.

So, no quaint Cornelius Krieghoff scene of “Canadians Moving Bookcases in Blizzard Conditions”.

(If you don’t know about Krieghoff, he did Currier & Ives-type paintings of country life in Quebec, where it was apparently always winter.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 05 Mar 23 - 04:08 PM

I looked up Cornelius Krieghoff, Charmion.....I bet life in wintery Quebec wasn't always as jolly as he makes it look!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Mar 23 - 05:52 PM

You got that right, Jennie. Imagine the outback of Oz during the 19th century, but sub-Arctic.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 23 - 10:01 AM

The goal for the garden is to have a thick layer of mulch on the path around raised beds, keeping weeds at bay, so yesterday I started that digging around the upper end of the garden plot. I've tried putting down cardboard and mulch over existing weeds, but they break through, so the weeds are coming out. The first bed will be planted with potatoes this week, and I'll work my way down the hill past three more raised beds. I have lots of places around the yard to dig and things to plant. In addition to a vegetable garden there are canna lilies, schoolhouse lilies, and asparagus (it needs its own bed so it can come back every year).

The house is the inside of a goat's stomach with everything in a state of flux. So many projects underway. My attempt to turn bar soap into liquid is at the testing stage - I had a second foaming dispenser jar under the sink that is now holding the slurry. Not sure this will work, I'll probably have to find a pump bottle to use. I'm sure I kept one, I always do. "I might be able to use this for something else" and it gets tucked under the sink or into the laundry room somewhere.

I've ordered a hose guard cable protector thing to run across the driveway in front of the garage door. This will eliminate the need for a very long hose to run around the garage (to avoid driving across it). These guards aren't cheap, but I will be able to do more with the hose with it in place.

Last summer I bought a large bag of corn and flax chips that I've just tossed because they're several months out of date. The size of the bag is off-putting; I was thinking I should wait to open it when I have people over to go through it quickly and there it stays forgotten on the shelf. Aldi's offerings are more practical, small bags of similar products that I'm more likely to open (and if I don't less expensive when it's tossed later.) For months I've been working to draw down the large surplus here, in particular in the pantry and the large freezer. This means sticking mostly to fresh fruit and veggies when I shop, or things I'll consume fairly quickly. I am making progress.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 23 - 12:06 AM

The ADHD tests today were essentially a form of audible and visual drip-drip-drip water torture, really meant for children, not adults. At this point they prove that one aspect of the condition is the ability to hyperfocus to complete tasks. Since I'm not hyperactive but have the "executive function" problem of distraction, we'll discuss this further. Meanwhile, my house is full of unfinished projects. I need to make a list.

Tomorrow, more work in the yard. But also work in the sewing studio, plus one trip out. My bank seems to have crashed as far as online stuff so I may also have to drive over there since online deposit is kaput. We live in a world when all it takes is one employee clicking on the wrong PDF file in an email to crash an entire bank. I hope there isn't a ransom involved.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 23 - 11:11 AM

So many small projects are underway here, but I've sorted some of them to prioritize. To name just one, two boxes of Attic Dek panels need to be moved from the hall up into the attic, and there was an old box of long screws that came with a special (misplaced) drill bit that I'd like to use up there. My Ryobi bit set had one that fits, so no need to buy more screws or a new bit. Up they go.

I have the last few chapters of an audiobook that I'd really like to finish so my choices of projects today will depend on what can I do that won't distract me from the story. Not attic work (wearing headphones up there too precarious) but I can sew, and I can clean out some of the pots for this spring's planting—there is so much standing water in them now it will be mosquito central soon if I don't clear them out.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Mar 23 - 12:46 PM

Two more boxes of household clag have departed: most of Edmund’s accumulation of broad-brimmed hats, off to Goodwill.

Now, suddenly, I actually have room in the closet for all of my own hats.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 12:00 AM

I must start a list of multiple projects and small tasks I need to do. They seem to occur to me at times when it isn't convenient to do them, so they are forgotten again. It's time to start addressing and crossing off some of this stuff.

Today I picked up the packages of hose-protector things that will lie across the driveway like a speed bump to keep the hose from getting smashed as I come and go to the garage. When ordering I tried to calculate how long the things would be and concluded it would take two to span the width of the area I drive over with a large SUV; I think now that one will be enough and one can be returned. They're in the back of the SUV right now (two young women worked together to load the cart at Lowes and I rolled them out and just tipped the things onto the tailgate and shoved.) I'll open one box in the car and if all of the parts that come out add up to long enough, I'll leave the other to in place to return later.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 08:55 AM

On Monday, the builders will start work in my mouldy bathroom. Things will be chaotic and expensive for a while.

Next week is the midterm school holiday (“March break”), so half the town will be focussed on finding ways to occupy the time and attention of their children. Late-winter trips to sub-tropical places are popular with folks who can afford them. I am always amazed at the ever-increasing number of people who seem to believe that international vacation travel is anything but an insane luxury … Oopsy, I seem to be slipping into rant mode.

Gotta take my vitamins and go to the gym. It’s snowing again. Sigh.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 11:40 AM

After a 2020 pause, spring break/superspreader events seem to have grown in size. Boggles the mind. I doubt many of them even glance at the CDC advice about how to travel safely.

Good luck with the bathroom work. Will this also involve cats locked in other rooms of the house during the day? Will they pout or misbehave? Any idea how long it will take, and are there new things installed (tub or shower or commode or sink)?

I've started a list - it's a long one. I have to just pick something and do it. Easier said than done.

My daughter and I had lunch yesterday and I described an old-fashioned project I'm working on, one that the grandmother of my middle school best friend used to do. In the 1960s we'd often walk to her house after school (she lived with the grandparents). And if her grandmother wasn't cooking she was doing needlework. I asked her about the projects and she had a technique of joining two pieces of fabric, the top with a printed design (picture). Stitch around the elements of the picture she wanted to feature, then make a slit carefully through the backing and stuff the space with batting before closing that gap to create a raised relief. She framed these. As I described them my daughter's eyes widened and she grabbed her phone to pull up the Wikipedia listing for Trapunto Quilting. Well who knew? It isn't exactly the same, because this is using a print instead of a plain piece of fabric, but I'm impressed that she recognized it and gave it a name. And I'm impressed that what was old is new again for us.

It rained gently yesterday so today is a bit soggy for the yard work. Also cool, and the weekend should be nicer, so I'll look at the list and see what I can tackle in the house.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 03:39 PM

Oh, yes, Stilly, there will be ripping out and replacement of all fixtures and cabinetry. Also removal of an entire tub-surround of small ceramic tiles with their mouldy grout. And remediation of the mould in the wall behind the small ceramic tiles.

The cats will spend their days in the basement with their water fountain, kibble dish and litter box. I will shut the doors of all the other upstairs rooms and remove everything hanging on the walls between the front door and the top of the stairs, and in the upstairs hall. The garage will probably be used for staging and carpentry space, so the shelving has to be draped with tarps and the car will go outside.

Not my first rodeo.

This project won’t take long, as renovations go, but it will be messy and stressful while it lasts.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 04:00 PM

Ah, yes - the thing I realized when I had the heat pump replaced - all of the stuff I had to move from the door to the workspace included art on the walls. The art was coming down as they started walking into the house.

I've gotten over the "hump" so to speak in the attic decking project - a raised platform to protect the heat pump lines and over the center spine of the house. I'm not to the point to pull the data line yet, but I am to the point where I've realized that the large duct on the SW side of the house is an important air intake and I should treat it with more respect. I'll move the dresser that stands in front of the bedroom grate. Drill batteries are now charging and I'm done for the afternoon since the attic has warmed considerably.

No snow, just drifts of white petals of Mexican plum blossoms and the dogs are still tracking in sawdust from the tree removal last week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 10:18 PM

I waited until the attic cooled and spent a few more productive minutes up there. More Attic Dek in place and I found the coaxial cable that I want to use to pull a new data line and use as a defacto tv aerial (it won't be attached to an external antenna, the cable itself will be the antenna up in the attic.) There is a really long chunk of the coax cable inside the wall and with duct tape and string and CAT5 I can accomplish what I want easily.

I have to follow the wall header for two of the bedrooms in the attic and find the right place to drill through and run a piece of CAT5 for data in the sewing studio. The room at the front was my son's (it's now the guest room) and I wired that years ago when he was the only kid at home by then and it didn't matter if he was on the computer in the living room or his bedroom.

I might as well wire all of the rooms - I have the materials, I have the time, and when the time comes these will be obsolete because everything will be all WiFi all of the time. But for now, faster streaming and better pictures in any room where someone takes a device that can use the connection.

This afternoon I cleaned up some of the plant saucers by the side door then took a bucket of leaves to the compost area where I relocated the black compost bin and dumped in some recent weeds and poured in the 10 gallon bucket of sawdust from the forestry work last week. It's a great way to kick start the pile. That bin was put in the last spot two years ago and now there is a beautiful pile of compost ready to use.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Mar 23 - 10:33 PM

I recently cleaned the shower grout with CLR, magic erasers, and Scocth green scrubbies. The floor required extra soft scrub.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Mar 23 - 11:53 AM

Beaver:

Focusing on throwing bowls; texted customer tonight to check on colours. AOK. Hoping to get fair number completed before trip back on 18th. Remember to order a couple dozen of our fav muffins (carrot/raisin) from our fav bakery, to pick up en route. Stop for music event in Belleville and home before dark...??? Time change Sunday...

In the meantime: have to park on road due to plow having made a mess. That's OK since only about a dozen vehicles go by in a day re the few homes up the dead end road. Still about 8-10 inches of frozen snow on deck but my paths are still OK. Today it was dicey so I sprinkled sand on the paths. I suppose some will come indoors... Someday I will vacuum! In April.

There was an event at Community Trust today, attended by our local member of provincial parliament. Talked with his nice young assistant about our health care problems and the desperate need for affordable housing; they get calls about these issues frequently - GOOD! The Trust is geared to helping low income folks and those with drug problems, and managed to get permission from the Town to have a warming centre - Finally! Still trying to get permits for apartments on second floor of the donated building.

Well, that was my event for the week! I could not stay long as I suddenly got so hungry I had to go home. I did my pottery work before I went and hoped to do more after lunch but went to bed instead. Realized the weather had come down on me and a cup of green tea helped but the day was too far gone by then. I put plastic over the un-trimmed pots to hold them 'til tomorrow.

Then spent way too long on internet (it costs when I am overtime). Lost a carefully written email and will have to start it again tomorrow. But managed one to a friend on Cape Breton. We worked together 50 years ago on a new project at the Yellow Door - finding ways to be supportive of the older people in the neighbourhood. The folks running the program now are asking us for memories of the beginnings so I need to dredge mine up and compare notes. I can try to use my early morning thinking time...

(This, written on Friday, will go out next time I connect to internet - Sometime Saturday)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 23 - 12:59 AM

Dorothy, I am always impressed and entertained by the places you've been and the people you've met.

More attic work this afternoon/evening. I'm not able to get the cable to pull through on the side of the bedroom that I thought would work (the drilled hole is too small and the wall header is too deep for any of my drills to expand the opening), but after removing extraneous old phone lines and leaving the one from the far side of the master bedroom, that may be the one I can to use to pull through new lines for data and antenna. I will have to rearrange some furniture. Decluttering: this afternoon in the attic I pulled out two old phone lines, a long double line of coaxial cable (I originally used it to haul my newer antenna lines through the attic - I see my signature wraps of blue painter tape on the end) and two strands of 300 ohm twin lead antenna wire. The attic is its own little archaeological "dig" - I find signs of people who came before (the antenna leads from the previous tenants) and my earliest days in this house (in 2003). I've also pulled out more old cedar shingles to add to my kindling bin (it's hard to believe that they put cedar shingles on all of these houses in ~1976). The previous owners who bought the house new with a cedar shake roof put on standard asphalt shingles in the late 1990s.

My front yard got mowed this evening as a gazillion flying insects rose from the turf. Not mosquitoes, yet, but very soon.

I hate Daylight Savings Time. It starts tomorrow, which isn't such a big deal, but I have places to be on Monday and that's when the time shift will kick in for me.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Mar 23 - 01:00 PM

Beaver:

I look out the window at about two feet of snow!! And SRS is mowing the lawn!!!

I, too, detest DST but fear it may be here to stay. Complaint read about kids walking to school/bus in the dark! CHANGE THE FLIPPING SCHOOL SCHEDULE! At this point I don't much care which time we get as long as the #@$%^&* change STOPS! NOT having a great morning! All my energy left home!

Pots drying, and hoping I will find energy to trim the last few small pieces. Fire wood is not optional! 0F this am but going up to a couple degrees above, they say! Sun is shining!!! Deck is re-appearing a few inches at a time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 23 - 06:09 PM

Dorothy, do you have to keep your new pots in the warmth - would freezing damage or break them? It's ironic that here where it's warm I'm building up a supply of cedar kindling and I don't even have a usable fireplace. I only use it in the burning barrel or I can use some starting the charcoal grill (right now I have more kindling than newspaper, the usual starter of choice).

I am alternating activities this afternoon, with an hour of reading for the volunteer museum work with an hour of hauling more wires out of the attic. In addition to more shakes (I filled a 15 gallon black nursery pot) I've pulled the old DSL line through the hole and into the attic (it still terminates in the hall closet, and I'm going to reposition it to wire the master bedroom) and got the coaxial cable that was stuck yesterday free at the outside end and now the whole things moves inside as well.

So - one more attempt at Plan A before considering how to manage plan B (the one that involves moving furniture).

Also noted while up the ladder outside, the soffit near all of this wire activity is slightly sagging in a couple of spots and needs snugging into position now. There was a feather stuck to the line at one point - a past avian death in the attic, I fear, and if this isn't fixed now birds and squirrels will be able to get in. The soffit material is some kind of fiberboard and earlier repairs worked best with wide washers around screws attached at the edges.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Mar 23 - 12:05 AM

My fitness tracker doesn't reflect all of the times I was up and down the attic stairs, but the lines are finally in place and I was able to wire the antenna and the CAT5 data ports and finish with a plug wall plate. The data line isn't live yet, but this was the biggest part of the job. The most satisfying part is that if I decide to switch Internet providers it won't be a puzzle as to what lines run where and how to get to the point where lines enter the house. I left an old phone line that can pull a new fibre optic cable if need be.

In the bedroom on the wall opposite most of the work I took off the obsolete phone jack cover and put a simple data faceplate with a blank filling in the port. If I ever decide to put something there, that old line is inside for pulling a new data line.

This weekend I broke only one drill bit and dropped another down inside the wall cable enclosure, but got my trusty sewing pin magnet that's on a cord to fish the bit out through the junction box opening.

Several items crossed off of the list.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Mar 23 - 08:55 AM

The builders have arrived, and the bathroom project is officially under way.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, the water heater is ailing. I popped into the furnace room-cum-wine cellar yesterday and found that its drip pipe had dumped some four gallons of water into the bucket that lives under it just in case. Well, I'm so glad that the bucket was (and still is) there; four gallons of water on that floor would be no damn' fun at all.

And it's snowing again in southwestern Ontario, because of course it is.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Mar 23 - 03:16 PM

The wall damage was indeed deep and bad, to the extent that the sheathing board under the tile surrounding the bath tap was soft enough to push a finger through. Fortunately the mould was confined to the wallboard, grout and caulk, and the studs underneath are healthy.

The mustard-yellow bathtub, the crappy painted ceramic tile and the Canadian Tire cabinetry have all left the building, and the bathroom has that unmistakable look of a bombed-out bordello.

Mr Google tells me that my water heater is almost certainly suffering from a surfeit of lime scale, no surprise there. So a visit to the cellar to empty the bucket is now a daily event, until the bathroom project has reached the point where there's room in the house for a gas-fitter down below.

The cats are so not impressed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Mar 23 - 05:42 PM

Today I am stiff and sore from weekend contortions in the attic and from pounding stakes with a two-pound hammer to reposition the compost bin. After museum training (this morning) I usually head to the gym after but decided to skip it today, so by turning the other direction out of the parking lot I spotted my daughter walking toward me headed to shop and eat lunch. She hopped in the car and we did both things. What a nice surprise for Monday! (It took the full the five minutes that she was in the pharmacy for me to find the correct button to change the SUV clock to Daylight Savings Time.)

Charmion, when both showers in this house were redone (I moved here in early 2003) they used a type of green sheetrock behind the tile that is supposed to prevent that kind of damage. By now there's probably something even more innovative available. All of the cabinets throughout the house match, bathrooms, kitchen, and hall linen cupboard, to say nothing of the fully-paneled den. Painting and refacing the kitchen cabinets might be an improvement.

Every time I cross something off that that to-do list I add more to it, so it never seems to shrink, though crossed off items show I'm doing something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 13 Mar 23 - 10:03 PM

Beaver:

Bills paid and not much else on this grey, snowy day. Snow was melting as fast as it fell but there may be a bit in the am.

Did consult with neighbour re the hole in my armpit - result of totally unnecessary op 18 years ago. The hole got worse and the consult was -where to find health care. We finally agreed I would go first to my fav pharmacist: epsom salt poultice followed by Polysporin. Done! Took this to MD a year or so ago and received NO advice at all. REAlly needed Sue's encouragement. Health care is an oxymoron in Ontario - most places from what I am hearing.

Greenware Must keep from freezing! Currently wishing I had thrown more but best I could do. A few more small pieces to trim, then vigorous drying so I can fire on Tuesday. And would like to mix a black glaze. Much to do but not much energy; barometric pressure NG! But I want to push on so I finish in time to go to music on Saturday, on way back to Dupont.

Above freezing weather ahead - a little, for a couple days...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Mar 23 - 12:19 PM

Stilly, the building code here requires what the builders call MR (for moisture-resistant) drywall (sheetrock to you) in bathrooms. It can be green, blue or purple, depending on the maker -- anything but just like all the other drywall.

The new bathtub is in, but the plumber is AWOL. The carpenter is not pleased. The house is a mess of plaster dust and drop-cloths on the stairs. The front door is forever opening and closing, so I'm chilly. Boo, hiss.

And the weather is not great. We're getting all the snow that should have fallen in January, and we're getting it all at once.

I checked the weather radar (and my privilege) this morning and thanked my lucky stars that Perth County does not get nor'easters. While south-central Ontario lay under a scrim of pale blue, indicating the slightest of sprinkles, a vast green and purple swirl over the Maritime provinces and New England showed that our neighbours down east are having a most unpleasant day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Mar 23 - 01:20 PM

In view of Charmion and Dorothy's winter weather it seems churlish of me to complain that the temperature here is cool enough that work outside is less than comfortable. A light jacket would suffice except for the breeze that sucks body heat from exposed skin. To say nothing of the pollen that is a yellow dust on any dark vehicles that are parked outside overnight. I'm back to using Flonase every day to combat the allergy sinus stuff.

Health care is a moving target down here also. The shortage of some medications is putting stress on the availability of others as substitutes. (Too bad the FDA wasn't keeping such a watch on the far more dangerous oxycodone; they would have saved lives.) The pandemic let a lot of people who started working at home realize that the noise they thought was the workplace was actually inside their own heads.

A discovery this year, even though I missed my high school reunion, was a couple of people I enjoy reconnecting with via Facebook. One is a quilter and has someone do the quilting on the tops she pieces together. Amazing work. I realize how much more that stitching can add to a pattern - and it has me thinking that if I do pick up the quilting habit I'd better start small and learn topstitching as part of it. I'll pull out my Georgia Bonesteel Lap Quilting books and see what she advises.

Good luck locating the plumber!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 14 Mar 23 - 05:47 PM

Beaver:

Sorry about the weather, Charmion! Bancroft is having a mostly sunny day with a bit of melt. Still waiting for the huge chunk hanging off the east roof to THUNK! It has moved almost another foot downward. Tomorrow for sure! It is meant to go above freezing - a few degrees!

Still drying pots- put them all in the kiln with the dampish ones to themselves. Plan to turn it up about 7 tonight so it can be cool by morning - with hopes that the small ones that were last in will not explode!

Spent a length of time on phone with former neighbour who had a cancer - complete removal of female innards in Dec and some radiation. Hoping for the best; she is only 75. Great attitude!

And another lengthy phone call, with friend Hannah re the history of programs at the Yellow Door. Mind like a steel trap, just like her Dad who got it all going, or allowed and encouraged it. The two of us who were supposed to start the "Elderly project" have been asked by current admin to provide history. Be careful what you ask for! I am gathering a small committee of those who were there. And Hannah is searching out a newspaper articles from the time.

Also made a list of available glaze materials, deciding what I can do with this batch of pots and what materials - and glazes - will have to wait for an infusion of missing ingredients - may be at the mill. If it warms a bit next week I can get stuff from there and bring it back. Or think about option of setting up at Dupont if R has time to make me a civilized space.

Indoor woodpile replenished. I am still parking on the road... Waiting for enough warmth to clear the mess the town plow made. Smelling spring in the air, in any case!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Mar 23 - 11:00 AM

We might have achieved peak chaos this morning: the carpenter and the plumber plus two electricians (journeyman and apprentice) in the house, plus a frequently visiting site supervisor. That bathroom and the wee, tiny corridor space between it and the top of the stairs are not designed to accommodate more than one full-sized adult human at a time, and right now there’s four of them all trying to work in there.

The electric receptacle in the study, where I plug in the computer, is on the same circuit as the bathroom, so I’m not getting any work done today.

Bugger.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Mar 23 - 02:05 PM

Keeping an eye on the news today, lots of Trump trash is coming home to roost. (The world seems also to be watching as lot of banks are starting to wobble. Thanks loads, Donald.) Later in the week I may need to do a news blackout, too much of this isn't good for me.

Spring cleaning today, when I pulled a half-dozen light jackets from the hall closet (fleece and jeans) and ran them through the wash. I tend to wear the fleece jackets around the house in the winter instead of turning up the heat, but now they're the right weight for going out so they can all stand some freshening. Next up: dog rugs.

I think the day is about as warm as it will get, so I'll head out and do the soffit repairs before rain that is forecast later today and tomorrow. And the back yard needs mowing, so I can put on my ankle band for my fitness tracker and see how many steps. (They're meant for wearing on a wrist that moves as you walk but the wrist is stationary during mowing, hence my regular default to an ankle strap to track activity.)

This afternoon I may complete the first attic di-pole antenna using an old coaxial cable that's no longer connected to a cable company point outside the house. It's a test. Something for R to play with if he's ever in the mood, Dorothy. :)

I picked up Cara Cara oranges and Ruby Red grapefruit at Costco yesterday - and I'm back to at least one citrus fruit a day while they're in season. This is one food group that has a well-defined season if you want really good fruit.

It looks like our New England and Down East lurkers are getting pretty nasty weather today. I hope some of them will check in. In the far West, another atmospheric river is headed toward California. Keep your heads above water and let us know how you're doing.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 15 Mar 23 - 06:18 PM

Beaver: pushing myself through a total lack of energy, I managed to get pots waxed, glazed and into the kiln. And returned to total lack of energy.
On this totally gorgeous spring-like day. Not quite warm enough to sit outside.
Dragged myself out to fetch a lunch special from The Curry House - butter chicken. Did not help much. So I am plowing through The Children of the Holocaust (1979) and going out for breathes of spring air.

Another firing tomorrow. Hope I am more energetic. My goal was to mix small batches of a couple new glazes and test them in this firing cycle. A green and a black - to satisfy curiosity!

Friday: start organizing and loading to leave on Saturday, picking up 2 dozen raisin/carrot muffins in Madoc and stopping off for a music event in Belleville.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Mar 23 - 07:36 PM

It sounds like good progress with the pots, Dorothy, and I remember you talking about those favorite muffins in the past. I'm assuming you'll stash them in the freezer - but wait - didn't you end up with cases and cases of some kind of whole wheat bread a while back? Did you use all of that, or is it forgotten in the freezer somewhere?

I hope the bathroom work is moving swiftly. And a question - if the circuit your computer is on is the same as the bathroom, is it impacted by a GFCI switch? I have a kind of weirdly wired switch in the circuit breaker box that impacts my office. Before this area was a room it was part of the garage and there was a GFCI switch in the breaker box for that area. If we get a heavy rain something about the humidity sometimes flips that outside switch - and there goes the computer equipment operating on the circuit. I finally realized that they didn't put this in on purpose when they remodeled the room, they never changed out the breaker. So, next time the electrician has to come over, I'm getting that upgraded and for more amps.

I postponed the soffit work for ages, but it is finished. I used a combination of wide steel washers and wood screws to push the soffit under the back eaves up into place then screw them with this hardware combination so the screws would hold. The wood is some kind of fiberboard and the screws by themselves just push through it. The washers are for stability. And it is finished for now, after pushing and disturbing dust and what I suspect is mouse or squirrel hair from years past. They live lightly along the inside edges of these planks, probably ingress at cracks near the chimney.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 06:52 AM

Grapefruit interferes with quite a few medications. Just sayin'...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 12:46 PM

Another rainy day in North Texas, and apropos of nothing, I started making myself a list of essential garden hand tools. It's amazing how many are out there, and because they basically evolved over time without patents there are tons of styles and names (when you start looking online for photo examples). Garden tools are a physical manifestation of the folk process. I've bought a lot over time and many others I inherited. And I've found uses for all of them. (I was organizing tools in the greenhouse last week and I have another batch of them my neighbor gave me in a corner of the garage that need to move to the greenhouse.)

As my focus shifts to the out-of-doors, yesterday's work on the soffits revealed a couple of new tiny wasps nests starting along the edge of the house. Wasps are beneficial - but best kept at a distance. Any time they build around doorways or well-traveled routes, someone (me) gets stung. So time to knock those down and have them move along.

I ordered the next batch of dog heartworm vials from the Australian pharmacy I started using during COVID. I used to buy from one in the UK but COVID shutdown air travel, taking out the airmail delivery mechanism for that business. The last time I tried to check out the site I got a logon screen with no information and it makes me think maybe that site is in the wind and someone has scooped up the domain and is trying to get logon credentials. The latest issue of the AARP newspaper arrived yesterday and the heading is "What we learned from COVID." A lot, and so many things are done differently now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 01:45 PM

GFCI switch? There is one in the bathroom, but so far it has never affected the study or anything plugged in there — possibly because no one in the bathroom has ever plugged in an appliance more demanding than a night light.

The messiest phase of the bathroom project is complete, and half the house is veiled in a light coat of plaster dust as a result. Today I’m in hiatus as the mud dries on the fresh drywall (yes, it’s the green mould-resistant kind) and the patches on the old plasterboard.

The concert choir I sing with has reached the panic stage of preparing a program of French romantic music for performance next Saturday. Three of our tenors have fallen by the wayside and the sopranos were no more likely to make their entries last night than they were a month ago. Two extra rehearsals have been laid on. There went my weekend.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 06:43 PM

Beaver:

Well, I wonder what my life might have been like if I were sensible.

The fuses blew last night but I did not notice until 10 pm. Then I replaced fuses and restarted kiln on high - with a gasp of OH WELL! I hoped for the best... In the am, I found it too hot to open ...for quite a while. Finally peeked and stuff looked good - but VERy glossy - as in overfired but just fine anyway... Except I really don't like them that shiny but someone else will.

Glazed pots the remainder of pots while waiting for stuff to cool enough to unload. Unloaded and reloaded and started kiln...Almost...! No dice. upper elements did not connect. What to do -- Call my fav electrician who will be over in the morning. The cost will be another donation to Community Trust. (He does not realize I do that but he also volunteers there... )

This is going to be very tight scheduling for getting out of here on Saturday with pots cool enough to pack. Years ago, in a big hurry, I realized there was smoke coming out of the newspaper... We learn by these things, sort of.

I did realize that the fuses blew about 7 pm - about the time I used the toaster oven. SO, the clue is that with my pitiful 100 A entrance, there is no extra when the kiln is firing - I will avoid doing other than lights - no water - the pump!, no cooking except gas stove... I will consult with Mike tomorrow; he really is an experienced, retired electrician as well as an absolute sweetheart.

Took all the used fuses into Home Hardware and they checked them for me. Most were OK. I Still did not get a lesson in using the meter! But I bought a couple buckets and mixed a new glaze to test - black, I hope. I had a really good black but most of my recipes were lost in the Whidbey fiasco.   

So I brought all the heavy duty books back to the library and looked for something frivolous, picking out 3 hopefuls to get me through. Now I am going to find some comfort food; I need it!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 08:29 PM

Beaver:

The BREAD! There are still a few loaves that will be around for a while. In my enthusiasm - I really do not like these varieties much so need to do creative things - which Will take a cold day in July! They are all rather heavy rye types but not than the heavy rye types I totally enjoy.

The muffins are treasures that we dole out. Last week when I bought the only six available on my way to QC, I immediately ate one - Ambrosia!! This time I have ordered ahead so there will be enough for awhile.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Mar 23 - 09:49 PM

We're all having electrical issues, sounds like. I have the little wall-mounted push-button pop-out switches in the kitchen and bathrooms, and in the kitchen (like Dorothy discovered with her oven and her kiln) if I have the toaster oven going I can't also turn on the electric kettle or they'll pop that little wall breaker. But there are also a couple of 15 amp GFCI breakers actually in the circuit box that's on the outside wall in the backyard. The place where the master breaker and the various room breakers live. When you have a GFCI breaker and a GFCI switch, it's really easy for one or the other to pop to the off position.

I love your story about the "smoking newspaper" - you must have asbestos fingers to handle those pots (I'm assuming you use tools and mitts, etc.)

I did my volunteer work today but when I headed out after to go to the gym the alarming clouds and the wailing weather sirens dissuaded me from my usual workout. I got home and parked in the garage just before it hit to the north of us. So far we've just had rain but there was golf-ball-sized hail in the warning that has just now expired.

Today I heard about 20 minutes of an hour discussion about memory - types of - and how to improve it. It's on a local NPR talk show that has gone national to I don't know how many stations, so others could have heard it. It will replay again this evening here locally and anyone can listen to the podcast. Think: The mysteries of memory and how to improve it. I've linked both the program and the book they discuss.

Memory is key to who we are and, yet forgetting is so common. Boston University School of Medicine neurology professor Andrew E. Budson joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his work studying memory, how to control what you remember and how diet plays into this ability. His book, with co-author Elizabeth A. Kensinger, is Why We Forget and How to Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Mar 23 - 10:54 AM

Several blustery days ahead and I see a freeze warning for next week - I knew it was too early to plant tomatoes. Since the yard isn't inviting me out to play I'll make a push to pick up indoors and in solidarity with Charmion's construction chaos, I need to dust everything. COVID masks come in handy for dusting and for the work I've been doing in the attic.

And like Dorothy, I have some loaves of whole wheat bread in the freezer (though I think I like these loaves better than she likes her crusty rye) and I've started making croutons again. They're cheap at the store but those seem to last forever, telling me there are probably preservatives. I'm back to eating salads several times a week and I do love the crunch of seasoned croutons.

I've done some rearranging in the master bedroom, a trunk under the window is now in the closet, and a box of stuff from my Mom's house is ready to be examined and used or tossed. I really don't think there is a demand for her high school yearbook. Should I scan it for Ancestry or Classmates, or do they already have a 1940 annual in the collection? Our family is slowly offloading family items, one postal box at a time; my sister sent this to me. I sent some of my Dad's ceramics to my son this week. At least the post office is making some money out of us.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Mar 23 - 01:42 PM

University yearbooks! I have three generations of them, dating back more than a century, and they take up the whole bottom shelf of an 80-cm bookcase.

At present, I’m not pushed to do anything in particular with them, but I think mine and Edmund’s won’t be missed — to the recycle box with them! My parents’ (1947-1951) and my grandfather’s (1905-1907) copies of Old McGill might find a home with a cousin, or even with McGill University itself, in Montreal.

If I can find the energy and initiative to make any of that happen. Not soon, at any rate.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Mar 23 - 03:59 PM

I think the compromise is to scan them if I'm not going to keep the physical volumes, and stash the files where the family can grab them if they want. I always check eBay to see if someone is in search of this stuff.

Every year on March 17 there are "sales" in the genealogy marketplace, and this year I took advantage of one with a two weeks free trial followed by low monthly fees until I cancel. This is to upload some stuff and make it available—and my goodness, but this is quite a rabbit hole to descend! I've loaded the DNA results from one site into another (less expensive than Ancestry and more prominent in Europe, where most if not all of the family came from anyway). I did also pay $20 extra to the original place where I did the test to find out about an "Archaic" human ancestry.

I've done some of the dusting, with more to do. In the process I stumbled across the wire strippers I misplaced (near the speaker wires I was working on in the den ages ago - must finish that project.)

The bread machine is set up to make a batch of dinner rolls as comfort food - these next few days are breezy and cool and there's nothing like carbs to make you feel warmer. I mostly use them to make small slider-like sandwiches. (My favorite being breakfast sausage patties in a roll.) I'll share a few with the neighbors so I don't eat them all myself.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 11:12 AM

Charmion, before you dispose of Edmund's and your university yearbooks, might you scan any content involving yourself or Edmund, and preserve it digitally?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 01:50 PM

Okay, okay. But not now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 01:58 PM

Note to self: Only buy calendars that will fit on the scanner bed. This photographing of the pages means some aren't quite as clear as others. I suppose I should set up a tripod or put the calendars under glass to keep them perfectly perpendicular to the camera. I'm noticing some interesting stuff as I wander down memory lane, it is worthwhile to preserve this information.

Online shopping and pricing of things today. The prescriptions through the domestic mail order pharmacy are moving at a glacial pace, meanwhile two days ago I placed an order for dog prescriptions from Australia that are already on the way and may beat the local orders. I have to shop around for a brick and mortar pharmacy big enough to have my meds in stock. This may be what finally gets me into Walmart more than once a year.

I swept and vacuumed and dusted in the den yesterday, so of course this morning one of the dogs brought in a stick and chewed it to pieces.

There is a freeze warning for overnight, but not cold enough for long enough that I need take the hose off of the faucet, and I don't have anything tender in the ground yet. I will kick myself if instead of dropping to 32^o it drops to 22^o and breaks my pipes, but that's not likely to happen.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 07:25 PM

Statin drugs reduce cholesterol but can cause muscle weakness. After some years I noticed a weakness and by stopping the drug for a week full strength has returned.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 10:24 PM

Dupont:

MAde it back today, in good time with no bad weather! Stopped for muffins in Madoc and brief catch up with fav staff persons. Of course had to eat one on way to Belleville! Ambrosia! Also picked up container of quinoa/sweet potato, etc salad for Robin. Slept for about 3 hours after arriving. I had stayed up late last night to finish a novel to return to library.

Major glitch in potting life when kiln refused to turn on top elements on Thurs. Phoned Mike who came at 10 am on Friday and spent an hour dismantling the control panel... Came in with the offending object... I came to terms with - this firing is on hold for awhile. Oh,well! The first firing was lovely and I brought the pots here; I can stash them under the DR table until I have enough for a showing.

Had a nice very visit with Mike about ageing and dying - doesn't sound so nice but it was helpful for me to hear about how he and Lyn had dealt with 3 very aged parents - in their 90s to close to 100. Helpful for me at 86 to get a better idea of what I might be facing... Small thing: throw rugs; Lyn pointed out this hazard a couple years ago. I changed to more stable slippers but this week I note that I have been rumpling the rugs - not picking my feet up enough. Took note and will be wary. I really hate to give up the colourful little rugs... I would hate a fall even more. That could greatly clutter my life in a most unpleasant fashion!

Just after I got here, text from Mike that he had found part on line and should he order it? No... Then as brain cleared - Yes! He may have it fixed when I return in 10 days!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Mar 23 - 10:31 PM

I've read a little bit about statin drugs, but mostly in passing. There are issues, but there are also issues when every year your doctor tells you your cholesterol is too high. My brother became essentially a vegetarian to get off of the meds.

Today I made a big push on the calendar project. The rest of the years of large-format calendars photographed, and 2 smaller calendars to scan. It has been interesting to stroll down memory lane. Guitar lessons, dentist appointments, graduate school classes, conferences attended, field trips, college visits. Divorce lawyer appointments. The calendars became less busy when my daughter graduated and went to college, and almost empty when my son went away to college. Remaining are dog heartworm medications and cat sitting for a friend. Occasional appointments and volunteer activity.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Mar 23 - 09:08 AM

Snow again in Perth County.

It’s shaping up to be a very wet spring. I found yet more water on the cellar floor the other day, this time clearly ground water rising through a crack in the concrete. Of course, the puddle was on the side of the house farthest from the floor drain, between the furnace and the wine.

Thirty years and two houses ago I had the same problem, caused by lack of drainage around the house in a spectacularly wet season. There the problem was bedrock less than two inches below the cellar floor; here, it’s a famously dense layer of clay that lies about eighteen inches under the topsoil. The cellar floor was laid right in the middle of that clay stratum.

Previous owners of this house did up most of the cellar as a rec room with broadloom carpet on the floor. Edmund and I replaced that broadloom with laminate underlaid with Dri-Core, a material designed to mitigate the effects of rising damp. Well, now that decision is paying off, but jeez Louise! Can’t I get a break here? First the humidifier drools, then the water heater drips, and now this! Colour me fed up.

It’s Sunday. Shower, church, lunch, laundry. Whee.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Mar 23 - 11:39 AM

Charmion, I hope your performance at church goes well - it sounded like you were short-handed when you reported earlier in the week.

My calendar project resulted in 20 years' worth of PDF files, from the mid-1980s to 2008. I may have more old ones tucked away and I'll do this same routine if I find them. For any lurkers thinking about doing this same kind of information preservation project, I used my big Canon EOS camera to take the photos (lit from the side by a bright LED 5000K daylight light, no flash), then loaded them into a computer file using Adobe Bridge, that in turn opened them in Lightroom to straighten and crop off edges. I didn't fool around adjusting lighting, they're all readable and that's all I needed. I saved them with the year's name and type of calendar (Wilderness, generic wall calendar, etc.), then from Bridge, opened Photoshop's batch tool to size each month image all the same. If you make a PDF with various widths files it looks odd, so I moused over the list of photos to determine the smallest and used that smallest width to adjust all files down to that size. It takes very little time to do this. Open Adobe Acrobat and click to Combine files into a single PDF. Drag and drop the files from their folder into that Adobe form, be sure they're the correct order, and then name it after you create that PDF.

All but one of those calendars are in the recycle bin.

I have to do garden work but I also have to do my income taxes. Today is another cool one so I'd be better off finishing the taxes so I can take advantage of warmer weather mid-week.

Good luck getting the kiln fixed during your absence, Dorothy! Up and ready to go when you return gives you something to look forward to.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Mar 23 - 12:35 PM

"My brother became essentially a vegetarian to get off the meds."

I have heard of this:
the magic word seems to be "anti-inflammatory" to describe the diet/eating lifestyle.
Some advocate starches rather than proteins as being less inflammatory.
I'm reading some books by a Dr. Michael Greger on the subject,
one of them is titled "How Not To Die."

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Mar 23 - 09:45 PM

A light jacket was enough to make working outside comfortable. Though it is the worst time of year to prune a tree, now that it's mowing season I decided I wasn't going to go another year of walking into the thorns on the Mexican plum. I took off two branches and some are in the trash while some are in a bin waiting to go through the electric chipper.

I was looking at the soffit out front and found a hole with a huge squirrel nest inside—there were strands of plastic and a lot of grass sagging through the hole. I used tongs to pull out a bunch of stuff (in the past there was a baby squirrel that fell out of the soffit, and silly me, I put it back up in my attic.) This time I sealed off the holes and put a piece of wood over the chewed hole. I'll check back later to see if they chewed around my piece of wood. I did this during the day so hope everyone was outside, not inside the attic. While I was doing all of my work last week they must have been quietly watching from their corner.

Interesting note - there was a large old paper wasp nest literally 3 inches away from the squirrel hole - they seem to have lived in harmony.

I mowed part of the back yard today (stopping at dusk), bagging the clippings so I could drop them into the compost. That will get things cooking in a hurry in the new bin.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 12:03 PM

A new week, and intentions to get a few things on my "to-do" list accomplished. One of them is to shop local large pharmacies because almost two weeks later I still don't have the new medication that had the prescription sent to the mail order pharmacy, and this is simply unacceptable.

Weather will be improving and I have several bags of things that need planting. Some of them need new beds to go into, so I'll be working on that. The yard needs work and I need exercise: win/win.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 07:52 PM

The local pharmacists are united in their unhappiness at the games the mail order pharmacy plays. Apparently it is a common complaint that they put a large shipping charge on them to get them promptly. Consensus is to call 2 - 3 days prior to the next prescribing appointment and find out the status of their supplies.

Revisiting the hall closet reveals a very tattered Eddie Bauer parka purchased in ~ 1979. Time to retire that to the sewing room for parts; the zipper and a few other parts can be reused, but the lining is shredded and the cuffs are incredibly frayed. I saw an ad for a nice parka on Instagram today, meaning I'll ignore that and look at my usual places first. And possibly even the thrift store, because they sometimes surprise me with the great stuff they have. That was a men's medium jacket and it's roomy, and it looks like a large women's will fit about the same. I like to have a layer or two under the parka in cooler weather.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 11:27 AM

I wasn't getting enough delta/theta sleep so I take 3 melatonin 10 mg gummies and they did the trick.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 11:57 AM

Dupont:

Still in recovery from trip but getting a few things done: took shop vac out to clean the car - embarrassing mess - before today's servicing. R was to put summer tires in car but not! So later for that and somewhere else, but soon. Which is worse: feeling you are wearing out the snow tires on bare roads or OOPS! it snowed??? None in forecast - very unusual. A clear sign of warming climate.

Several pairs of pants (for R) from thrift shops need hemming - maybe today! A few plants could be potted soon. Includes separating the huge Canna clump... They won't be able to go out until mid or late April, or even May, but can stay in the bright hallway. One actually bloomed there for awhile. Christmas Cactus is liking new spot in cool bright window - even has a couple buds! The orchid just keeps living - gets a new leaf, loses and old one, but NO flowers!

And, of course, I can find the energy to make more pots...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 12:25 PM

Dorothy, I have several types of bulbs that need planting. One friend gave me cannas and some liriope (an ornamental grass) and another gave me some schoolhouse lilies, and yet another has two types of crinum lily bulbs for me to pick up. And my daughter rescued some tulips dug up at her museum - the flowers were still lovely (so why dig them now?) and she's saving the bulbs for me. They'll go in the ground and come up next spring.

My goal is to put in beds that are easy to mow around, easy to weed, and so attractive that they stay in place for a long long time; these are new beds because the ones around the house foundation are in harm's way if I have the foundation worked on. I'm planning to make it mostly mulch or let the lawn grow there. (If have the foundation fixed I'll probably have to put in a sprinkler system to maintain it.) My xmas cactus blooms on and off during the winter months, and I was surprised this week to see that the poinsettia from 2021 that is still in a pot in the window has put out red flower/leaves. Not in time for the holidays, but no matter! I've never had one put out the red again after it was pushed and sold in a store. Nice! (These are actually bracts, not flowers.)

Today is supposed to warm up, but not so far, and it's a heavy overcast. So much of that this year! The next couple of days should be around 80 - very nice for getting out in the yard.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 02:29 PM

Suddenly, in spite of everything, the daffs are sprouting in front of my house.

We have absolutely no reason to believe that the snow is over until next winter, but there they are. Ain't nature grand?

Today I am writing a grant application for the concert choir (not the church choir), and editing applications for two other music outfits. Of course I plan to steal ideas from the documents I am editing; that's why I agreed to do them.

The provincial government is the new Prince Archbishop of Salzburg. The Stratford Concert Choir is no new Mozart, but let's hope some arts administrator thinks we're worthy of patronage anyway.

The concert choir's show is on Saturday night -- French Romantic music with organ. We're still struggling to round up an audience that's bigger than the choir. The sopranos sound a little less desperate than they did last week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 04:00 PM

Charmion, it won't work for your concert choir, but
this is my chorus's secret for attracting audiences that are SRO.

Perform with groups that have young children in them.
All their families and friends will buy tickets and show up.

Our chorus performed in a show with:
a troupe of Irish step-dancing students
a children's chorus

and the hall was absolutely packed with people.
This was a big deal for the children's chorus,
which had been inactive from the time of the pandemic,
so no children's chorus for some three years.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Mar 23 - 10:56 PM

Keb is right - with the kids performing their parents and families will follow!

My backyard was mowed today and I only stopped twice to turn the mower on it's side and scrape out all of the wet grass clinging to the underside that slowed operation. (I keep a putty knife in the pocket of gardening apron I use for yard work.) It happens every spring. Years ago I used to uncover bunny nests. With dogs in the back now there are no bunnies in that part of the lot.

I linked a ceramics online course over to Dorothy's Facebook page - it may be too small and fussy to fool with, but it might be interesting to watch.

Good luck with the grants - and of course learn from the wording you're looking at. Very likely none of it is truly original. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Mar 23 - 02:47 PM

Bouncing moppets won’t solve the concert choir’s issues, I’m afraid. Little kids can’t sing oratorios and cantatas, which is what we do.

Back to work.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Mar 23 - 02:19 PM

Aaaand ... we're back.

The bathroom project was ticking along perfectly until yesterday, when the inevitable happened: the people who were supposed to supply the sink failed to convey some critical information from Point A to Point B and it therefore will not be ready until next Wednesday. That's a two-day interruption in the schedule.

Just as well. On Monday and Tuesday morning, I will be focussed entirely on submitting the grant application, which has to be uploaded through a frankly wonky web interface. Not having builders in the house while I do that will be a relief.

Dress rehearsal tonight, concert tomorrow. Our conductor has recruited a ringer for the soprano section, a professional who knows the work cold. What a relief. Now, let's hope none of the few remaining tenors comes down with the collywobbles, and the weather tomorrow isn't too terribly awful. Rain is forecast, but just an ordinary downpour -- nothing dramatic.

Dramatic was yesterday's trip to Kitchener for my monthly date with the allergist's needle. Perth County lay under a fog thick enough to qualify for November in Halifax, with visibility at less than 30 metres. Like an idiot, I took the county road instead of the highway, and found myself in the middle of a convoy tiptoeing along at 20 kph below the speed limit. Except for the fool about two vehicles behind me, who nourished the delusion that he could maybe beat the system and pass all the rest of us without getting creamed by a livestock truck coming the other way. Nothing bad happened, but not for lack of trying.

The water heater is dripping consistently now, about half a liter per day. Fortunately, I have a couple of large, deep boot trays that we brought from Ottawa; now one is under the water heater, and the other is under the humidifier. A morning visit to the cellar takes care of the previous day's drippings ... Gotta deal with that water heater before the next time I want to leave town for more than 24 hours.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Mar 23 - 08:02 PM

Good luck with both the sink and the concert, Charmion! You can say you've thrown everything into these projects, including the bathroom sink. (And the kids wouldn't be doing anything you're doing, they'd be doing some artsy kid thing and attracting eyeballs, is all.)

Middle of the night trip to the bathroom last night and I realized I could hear water dribbling in the tank, nonstop. It's slowly getting worse, and the little faucet handle to turn off the tank line doesn't work. Today I picked up a full-replacement kit for inside the tank (why make three trips for parts when you can buy everything in one box for $30?) That's for this evening. I have to turn off water at the street to do the repair. I'll first see if I can change the washer in that tap handle because if I can't I might have to call a plumber and let him replace that handle and then fix the insides. This is where the bidet is to be installed, so it might as well be up to snuff. I have a home warranty now - this is what they might be covering (replacing the handle plus fixing the insides that need replacing.) It depends on how much my share is. Or maybe they just cover clogged sewer lines. I'll refer to the policy.

I did my income taxes yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to have a refund due. It took several tries to get the e-file documents to stick; they fussed about how I entered an address on one form and they didn't like that my self-selected PIN was the same one I used last year. So? I've used it several times. Now they care. So I have a new one. And a couple of other bookkeeping bits, but it was finally accepted by the IRS this morning. In the process of comparing how I did last year's taxes with this year's forms I noticed an odd difference on one worksheet, and realized that last year I made a math error that the IRS didn't catch. It's in my favor so I'll have to submit a revised return to get the rest of that cash. But I'll wait until after this year's forms go through. No point in confusing them.

Last year it took forever to get my refund, it was part of the whole COVID slowdown. Here's hoping Biden has hired all of the IRS folks he intended and it goes more quickly. (Congress has the purse strings, so even though this money was approved last year, there's no saying what programs and departments the current lunatic crop in charge will try to hold hostage.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 24 Mar 23 - 09:16 PM

Dupont:

You guys do remind me of things! Like the toilet problem at Beaver! When it would not flush but just kept spewing water, I just turned off the water valve to it and used a bucket. Easy - and I had forgotten. Mike is fixing the kiln while I am away; I did not have the audacity to ask for the toilet! I am sure he would not complain. I made a nice donation to Community Trust for their warming centre. (He refuses payment so this is our arrangement.)

SRS: garden plan is sounding good! I checked the front bed today and, on the sunniest part, the daffies are up a few inches! The rest is still covered with a few inches of snow. Hope!

Have twisted R's arm a bit for neighbour who needs a temporary home for his family DR set (trying to keep it for his daughter); Wife has refused to give it house space so far. The eternal optimist thinks she may yet let him put it in his office, or the college will finally provide an office... In the meantime it can stay in a spare room on 1st floor until he can put it in our cellar - after the snow melts on the north side of the house. I just had to move a few movable things. Sweet man teaches music at a college in Montreal - classical...choir... Maybe we will have time to talk sometime!

Managing to maintain the household at minimal standard. Hope to go back to Beaver in a few days and re-find some energy. Every day, I think I will throw some pots... I did go fetch some needed glaze materials to take back. It took half a day to go north and come back, including missing the correct exit... Ordered ahead and very well organized shop had it all ready, and a nice fellow to put it in car.

Replenished groceries and did a small roast pork in toaster oven - worked well! Did ribs a few days ago and almost wrecked them - tried to pay a bill while they were cooking - a five minute task??? Called HELP and got help, while telling them that their IT people do not understand the brains of normal folks - in no uncertain terms. "Choose a profile": 1. What is a profile? 2. Why am I asked to choose when there is only one??? And WHERE is the correct place to put the PW... after I find it! OH, timed out!! Burned the ribs - the sauce but the meat was WELL cooked!

Accepting that R is NOT a veggie... At least not 7 days a week. Maybe 4?   

Beautiful day today. Just above freezing. Back porch is totally shaded and icy! A couple more days above freezing MIGHT do the job.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Mar 23 - 10:30 PM

Dorothy, I divided the toilet repair into two parts. This evening I went out and uncovered the water shutoff (this one is mine, a foot over is the box for the city shutoff). Lifted out some extra dirt then sprayed WD-40 to loosen the gate valve. Only three trips to be sure the water was off (you really have to push it all the way to turn if off). Then the toilet water tap - emptied the tank, used a wrench to remove the valve, and it was a simple matter of a broken washer. Replace it, use some Teflon tape on the threads, and screw it back into place. When the outside water was on no more running into the toilet tank - that is still off.

The kit is all-encompassing, it replaces everything in and on the tank, and I have decided to take the prudent move of doing the rest during daylight and when plumbers are on call easily. I've done this before, it shouldn't be a problem, but doing it at night just seems to court disaster. So tomorrow the rest happens, but the worst is done - just getting started and fixing one leak!

I noticed a blooming iris in the yard today, and there are several daffodils scattered around. In a few weeks the yard will be full of blooming iris - this is when it looks best in the whole year.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Mar 23 - 01:54 PM

Day Two of the Toilet Tank gear replacement:
I've remembered what the difficulty is with this setup: when they plumbed the toilet they didn't use a standard size water outlet on the pipe that comes through the wall that has the on-off handle. The flexible replacement toilet water line is too small to screw on. I'm heading out to Lowe's with the old nut and the new line and will either exchange the line for a regular sink water line (I suspect that's the size they used) or see if I can get an adaptor. The goal is to not have a plumber come $weat off the old valve and put on a new one.

Otherwise, that job is going fine. The instructions are clear and once I get past this it's only a couple of more steps to finish.

This morning a friend came by for a few minutes to drop off plants thinned from her garden, so while I waited for her I planted a new small rosemary near where the last big one was that died. I suspect that old one was unusual in how large and long-lived it was.

I hear lawnmowers running in the neighborhood, the March Canadian cognate would be snow blowers. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Mar 23 - 05:13 PM

Older houses like mine have the "flare" style fitting for the toilet tank line, but the modern system uses compression lines. They don't interchange. I'll have to go to a plumbing supply store on Monday, because that will still be cheaper than having a plumber come in to change the tap.

It was a bonanza at the gourmet discount warehouse today, mostly fruits and veggies, but also some nice smoked wild caught sockeye salmon packages that we basically cleaned out. They were in the freezer section and now they're in our freezers. I need to stick to eating all of the fruit and produce and avoid the bread-like carbs, but have to eat the stuff in order of durability.

I put two packages of asparagus in the lower fridge door shelf, (with water in the bottom of the tall open container) and when I opened the fridge, Cookie who is at that exact height gave my asparagus a kiss. Good thing I was the veggies before I cook them. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Mar 23 - 10:04 PM

After some research about adapters and an evening trip to Home Depot I ended up talking to a guy in the plumbing aisle who suggested cutting off the old valve and putting on a compression fitting. The store plumbing guy said that will work just fine. I've finally got all of the necessary parts but will again wait until daylight to turn of the water at the curb and begin this next stage. I didn't have to make any extra trips for the guts of the tank, it's this old valve that has caused all of the chaos in the project.

Not much else got done today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Mar 23 - 10:15 PM

Dupont:

Total nothing day while waiting for the rain to start... Make that snow!!! And SRS has an iris in bloom! And I am perfectly happy to use a bucket to flush the toilet and spend my time on other things - including nothing at all... Never have gotten use to civilized living after years off the grid with an outhouse!

R dealt with our neighbour who needed a place to put some furniture - temporarily! Alan and Michel, and R moved the two pieces into the cellar, then - reciprocity! - they helped him get a defunct frig out - now sitting in the snow! I was really tired of Alan's problem and twisted R's arm. Well, I really cared about his problem and wanted a solution. We have a big cellar. R says it is really ugly furniture but no disputandum... and Alan is trying to keep it until his daughter can afford a home. I wonder if his daughter wants it???

R also managed to get most of the remaining firewood in from the back deck which has as much as two feet of snow in places - depending on the amount of sun that hits - or none at all. And I put a fire in the stove - using the dry wood that has been inside a while. Cosy on a snowy day!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Mar 23 - 10:17 PM

PS: No word from Mike re kiln. No notice re power outage at Beaver!! Hoping to go back on Tuesday, in any case.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 09:02 AM

Yes, it snowed again last night. Fortunately not much, but enough to show the sprouting daffodils who’s still in charge. Having lived some forty years in the Ottawa Valley, I’ve seen snow on apple blossom more times than enough.

The concert choir survived last night’s performance without inappropriate drama, thank God. We all sang our heads off and nailed most, if not all, the entries in the frankly challenging Requiem by Maurice Duruflé; then whipped off the rousing final number, a late-Latin hymn with all the organ stops out. The audience looked a bit stunned when it was over, and then clapped and clapped and clapped.

I went home to a stiff whisky and an hour of cats-on-lap time before bed.

The house is not at its best, in the shank of that “enduring construction” phase of ubiquitous plaster dust, pictures off the wall, and random extension cords snaking around corners. The library-cum-music room is in disorder, with three half-empty bookcases and boxes of books stacked on the floor awaiting the trip down the highway to the Goodwill bookstore in London. But I’m not doing anything about it until I finish the grant application. The deadline on that is noon Tuesday.

I have almost all the supporting documents I need — pdf versions of posters, programs and cvs — but I’m waiting on the operating budget and an audio clip from our last Messiah performance. Must pester the Maestro …

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 11:00 AM

At the big box stores if I go through the gardening entrance I frequently find myself answering questions. People are usually talking outloud to others, asking questions, so it's easy to offer unobtrusive help. How durable are the various plants, what spacing, how big they'll grow, etc. Recommending organic methods for pest control issues means one less toxic yard on the planet. On Friday I passed a woman with an interesting array of herbs and woody edible plants in her cart and remarked "your yard must be delicious!" That was enough for an interesting conversation about how we cook and the flavors we have in our gardens. I think this is like what Dorothy does so well - social interactions with strangers are good for all of us.

It seems only fair that in the same store another customer offered me advice that I could use when shopping plumbing parts. He said "you can bring it up on YouTube, there are lots of videos." My response - "I'm good with taking plumbing advice from a total stranger in the plumbing aisle." You can usually tell who is at sea working on their home project and who is there for a specific piece they know they need. He knew what he was looking for. Today should be the final day of my plumbing project.

Dorothy, I'm still researching and eliminating any coconut products, and I was saddened to learn that the "vegetable glycerin" in my Tincture of Green Soap is coconut based. I'm giving these away, and my ex yesterday took home the 1/2 gallon of green soap. He'll use it as a soap, but remarked that back in the day when he was doing ceramics he used green soap to brush into the molds so the pots would release. Do you do this? This was using a slip instead of hand shaping harder clay, maybe a totally different process.

What are our lurkers up to now that Spring is officially here? Jon with his cameras and safety alerts for the parents, Patty in her RV somewhere in the American West, and many others who work quietly on their decluttering projects. Any eBay sellers? There are so many marketplaces now, Facebook offers local competition, but eBay with all of it's rules still tries to stay the gold standard for online selling.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Mar 23 - 10:43 PM

Mission accomplished, toilet tank has all new apparatus and the bidet I received at xmas has been installed. Now to read the directions. All of this extra work isn't the bidet's fault, it's because the old apparatus in the tank was leaking and the old flare valve on the water line - its time had come.

Busy week ahead, and cat sitting for a friend again starting next weekend. She was over here yesterday and I pointed out the new fence and gate on the side of the garage - told her that her cat sitting payments were set aside for these kinds of projects. It's a way to pace myself and be sure that those projects DO get done, even if it's over considerable time. It's not something I really plan to turn into a business, it's more a small word of mouth side gig.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Mar 23 - 09:38 AM

It may seem tacky to some but if you have a cinder block wall or an unsightly wall you don't want to paint for hours; on Amazon they have what they call tapestries that come in bookcase, landscape or unique scenes made of printed polyester that hangs nicely with carpet tacks or miracle tape.
No fuss or adhesive from 11 to 23 dollars.
Just search Amazon for tapestries and a desired scene be it interior or exterior.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Mar 23 - 09:41 AM

They also make nice backgrounds for zoom.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Mar 23 - 10:13 AM

Good idea about Zoom. I have a well-curated bookshelf behind me for my Zoom meetings. You've reminded me that I needed to reposition a frame with a typed signed poem by Calvin Trillin, a gift from a friend. (It appeared in The New Yorker, you can probably Google it - from the Bush/Cheney era, it's called "I Can't Appear Without My Nanny Dick."

Don, there are lots of large fabric prints out there now. A few years ago I discovered Amazon's photo print shower curtains and have two of them, deployed over a standard clear vinyl waterproof liner. One is a lovely Douglas fir forest, the other is a Greek beach and ocean scene.

With this weekend's haul at the discount grocery I've decided to up the veggies on top of dry dog food; I usually do it for dinner but I'm also adding it on their breakfast. I'm convinced that the fresh food moisture is what keeps them all healthier than dry food alone. The same goes for me, though in my case I'm trying to lower the percentage of carbs that come from wheat flour.

If any of you are considering knee or hip replacement, I have to say that this spring is the first in many years when I felt like my old self - able to move around the house or garden comfortably, and having lost the weight gained over time (combination of stress at work cortisol and slowing down from knee pain), back to a level of dexterity that is a gift. My mother (and one of my aunts) at this age were truly acting elderly. I don't see myself that way - my plan has always been to take after the other aunt who took good care of herself (she lived until about 94). We're talking another 25 years.

Charmion, now that the success of the weekend chorus has buoyed you, I hope the work crew is able to contribute to your well-being by working neatly, quickly, and without dust or chaos.

Dorothy, that furniture stored in your basement sounds interesting. Post a photo on FB if you think of it. I'd love to see what it looks like. :)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Mar 23 - 02:29 PM

Construction resumes on Thursday.

The concert stress has been replaced by grant application stress. I effing well hate the Ontario Arts Council.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Mar 23 - 10:21 AM

The grant application has been submitted. Cue the second-guessing, speculation and criticism.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, I might do a little light housekeeping today -- perhaps even vacuum the plaster dust out of the carpets and damp-mop the human and feline footy-prints off the hardwood floors.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Mar 23 - 11:10 AM

Charmion, good luck with the dust. Here at the house the dust comes with a large dog-hair component, making dust puppies the size of fluffy slippers. We're not out of the wet season yet so the muddy footprints would instantly reappear if I tried to mop them now.

Out in the yard there is a bizarre kind of clutter - a wind storm we had a couple of weeks ago loosened the contents of some old squirrel nests in one of the back yard trees. They drag an array of fluffy things scavenged from the yard (lots of old dacron filling from when I had dog beds in the garage) and pieces of the cover and filling from outdoor cushions that used to be on a back porch bench. I blamed the dogs for tearing it up, but I think the squirrels started it. And now it's all slow-motion raining down out of the trees. There are lot of shreds of plastic shopping bags, and where they got them I can't say. Perhaps they blew into the yard and I didn't see them before the squirrels did?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 07:07 AM

I have now packed five 1.5-cubic-foot boxes of books and hauled two of them to the Goodwill bookstore in London.

But now I’m down to the heavy stuff: reference books, music, and sundry big fat tomes. That means another trip to the U-Haul store in Kitchener for one-cubic-foot book boxes.

I’ll have this job done by the end of next week.

The builders are due back today with the cabinets and the sink, so I’ll leave them to it and take my mandolin to Serena the Fiddle’s house for a dose of tunes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Mar 23 - 08:59 PM

All of the fruit and veggies picked up earlier in the week are being drawn down; one pineapple cored and in the fridge, the second one still ripening. Zucchini and squash are for both the dogs and me; other fruit eaten fresh or, with some of the apples, I'll make applesauce to bottle and process because I use it in baking (usually to reduce the amount of oil used in some soda breads like the pumpkin or zucchini breads I love). It's always a race to use these while they're still in good shape.

Tomorrow I have the whole day at home so will make a short list and see if I can knock off a few of a few chores in the house before I get out in the garden to start digging and planting. The garden is always more appealing than housework.

I have plenty of boxes here, what I need to do with them is pack eBay items and have them ready to ship once they're listed and sold.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 09:38 AM

A powerful new sci-fi feminist movie is on Prime Video called The Power.
It's a three-parter right now but part 3 is good enough in a pinch.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 09:47 AM

Beaver:

Arrived on Tuesday. Just about feeling recovered. Took myself to BF yesterday and again today - today because I left my hat there yesterday... and one more treat -a BF I did not need to cook. A neighbour was there with a friend so nice chat. And he introduced me to the waitress; I had a nice chat with her as the place cleared for a few minutes before I left.

Now, check a couple things on Internet then, mix a couple glazes to test before I reload the kiln that Michael so kindly fixed. Then off to The Trust to pay him for the parts - hoping he will be there since his wife is doing a group thingy this aft.

Mostly I have read and brought in fire wood, went to chiropractor who might be OK. Not much else. Driveway is clear but snow is still deep everywhere. We are to have a few days above freezing - HOPE! I just looked up to see snow flakes coming down...!!!! JUST A FEW>>>

I have never used molds. No use for green soap...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 10:39 AM

My siblings and I are very close in age, so when one has a medical development, we all perk up. This week I learned that my brother is watching his blood pressure and is pretty sure it was the salty snacks that pushed it up in a recent episode. Out of curiosity I started reading the labels on the various snack foods around here, and it appears to be time to change some snack choices. I always read the ingredient lists looking for coconut derivatives, but it's time to pay more attention to the sodium part of the labels. He also tells me that now he has cut out most of the salt, the little bit he does use is really noticeable. In addition to eliminating smokehouse almonds, it appears the days of dark chocolate with sea salt are over. Must investigate the other dark chocolate offerings. (I'm making this adjustment now because I'm 10 months older than he is ("Irish twins"), putting me in the cross-hairs also.)

Today a trip to the recycle bin (if people flattened their boxes there would be more room for everyone; nowadays I have to go the day after the bins are emptied in order to find room for my flat boxes.) Time to put away some of the materials used in recent projects, and it wouldn't hurt to organize the shelves in the garage where a lot of these boxes of screws and hand tools live.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 01:15 PM

Looking at labels for sodium opens a very large can of worms. I anticipate a clearing out of some of the short-cut ingredients in the cupboard - in particular, my favorite flavor-enhancing things like bouillon. Also reading the labels on salad dressing, cheese, and so much more. Soy sauce. Good thing wine is very low sodium. [sigh]

A quart of applesauce has been processed. Houseplants watered - and I had a thought yesterday about setting up a shelf in front of the bedroom window and moving some in there. Now that the trunk that used to sit there is in the closet, there's a spot opened up. Cardboard loaded and ready to drop off soon.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Mar 23 - 11:05 PM

Executive decision: I have a good older Canon EOS camera, and I have a little Canon Powershot that I won in a raffle. The little one takes a decent video but it is hard to focus for photos (no viewfinder). I worked on eBay stuff today and compared the two. My conclusion - it's time to list the Powershot on eBay with all of the bits and pieces and use the cash to buy a new lens for the EOS. My current favorite lens needs a repair (they are complex machines in their own right and repairs take time and are expensive). A less-robust lens will do for my eBay work and I need to see if the guy I know who fixes camera lenses is still in business. I might get the other one up and running again. (I've read that film cameras are coming back into vogue, like vinyl records—what's old is new again. I should pull out the old Olympus film camera and see if anyone is interested in buying it.)

There's a Sony full-frame mirrorless camera I have my eye on, but it's out of reach for now. When looking at photos from the Powershot, I can take better photos with my phone camera, but I have to jump through hoops to get the photos out of the phone into the computer. Someone who wants a dedicated pocket-sized camera will get a good little camera with the Powershot, but I like the bigger camera better.

It was good to get started on eBay stuff again.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 08:30 AM

Today I must visit Canadian Tire to buy a wet-dry vacuum cleaner. I must do it before the puddle on the basement floor laps up against the furnace and inundates the bottom row of wine.

It’s a very wet spring in Perth County — March went out like a beaver.

Apart from that, nothing new on the home-improvement front.

Uninvited water in the basement just makes me feel tired.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 10:17 AM

There aren't many houses in Texas with basements, and those that have them usually have a sump pump in place because they do get wet. I have no basement but the setup for my air conditioning means the drain line runs up to the attic before out the side wall and down to the garden near the dryer vent. (We didn't want to break the foundation to put in a drain for this new unit.) The sump is small and very quiet; in a basement it would need a recess (put the pump in the lowest wet spot) and a power supply. I'd think one could be rigged up (you would have to chip away concrete for a more pronounced low spot than you have now). Oh look - I found a plumber in Toronto. I just searched on "sump pump setup in basement" without a location so it appears you're in good company. Their diagram is also helpful to see how they are set up.

A cursory look through the office closet finds the box for the EOS camera body (the one I'm keeping) but so far not the smaller Canon box. I typically keep them flattened and I probably organized them to someplace I'll have to find later. Maybe even the attic. I've always had in mind the little camera could be sold on eBay so I'm sure I kept the box.

Cat sitting begins today and it means I try to figure what other chores can be run while I'm out. There's a mutual aid food donation pantry near her house, so unopened food items can be donated there. (Later in the year that's where I'll donate extra garden produce.) Her house is half-way to my gym, so I'll work out more often (my titanium knees always feel better with more trips to the gym.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 12:34 PM

To help limit salt intake I found simply reminding myself what salt does really helps.
What salt does is make your entire cardiovascular system become less pliant and elastic and literally hardens and stiffens every artery and vein.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 02:25 PM

Installing a sump pump in the wet part of my basement would require a much more aggressive approach than mere chipping, Stilly. A jack-hammer might work.

And I’m not sure I want to get that tough on a problem that appears only once in five years (so far). Shop-vac first.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 03:16 PM

Yeah, "chipping" was an understatement. Years ago I was watching the old ABC Home Show, based in Los Angeles, and during water shortages they talked about these little transfer pumps people could set in the street at the curb to capture shallow water running down the street if someone else ran enough water for it to go into the street. I don't know what they're called, but something like that could round up your wet spot also.

Don, your description of the cardiovascular system is certainly clear. Something to look into.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 04:34 PM

Hi SRS, I did see your call for lurkers to report, and was on my way across Texas, and had to reroute from my usual paths. So, I thought, great, I'll get close to Fort Worth, and try to find a place to meet up with SRS!

Which last-minute, half-baked plan promptly blew up. I booked in at Kimball Bend Park, immediately started to look up meet up spots and connect with SRS, and found absolutely no Verizon service whatsoever, though in the shadow of an enormous megalopolis. What the heck? And I was sick to my stomach for most of the time, so did not hit the road trying to find a place where I could get a signal, til I had to leave for a reservation at San Angelo, where I got to hook up in an electrical storm in order to try to catch the Mudcat zoom. I think karma was telling me I will have to plan ahead much better. I would like 1 brownie point for trying and will accept 2 demerits for failing.

It has been a weird couple of months, for every great experience there was a letdown. Meanwhile another 'it's not usually this cold' freezing month in New Mexico wore on my patience. Worse wind and dust storms than usual, too many 25 degree nights.

In pursuing mineral-hunting, I acquired several flats worth of rough, and a rock splitter, etc. So clutter is mounting, and I cannot wait to get to my storage unit to get winter things out of the coach. Cannot wait to go find a home base to give collection-and-hobby clutter a home, and stop rolling for a while.

Meanwhile, I can catch a meeting of the N.O. Quarter Shanty Krewe this week, sing some shanties with them, if I can get to New Orleans tomorrow, so that's the immediate plan. Today I am filling the fresh water tank, washing lots of stuff, oiling the splitter, and enjoying a spring day in Louisiana, green trees as far as the eye can see. Was a little startled to wake to a chorus of many different birds this morning.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 04:37 PM

Whoops the San Angelo disaster was the previous day, had to leave Kimball Bend for Toledo Bend, 300 mile jump. Just made it in time to register, too. They now have it where if you show up in time you can get a senior discount, but if you have to pay your balance online it's full fare. Another 'gotcha' the camping 'system' seems to be filling up with.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 08:21 PM

"What salt does is make your entire cardiovascular system become less pliant and elastic and literally hardens and stiffens every artery and vein."

I'd like to see the evidence for this. The big deal on salt in the diet is as follows, and I'm fully aware that this is not quite in the spirit of the thread, though I do think that broad-brush and potentially misleading statements deserve to be addressed:

Lots of foods contain added salt. Stuff such as bacon, sausages, burgers and cheese, even bread, can be high in salt. Processed foods and ready meals are prime culprits, as salt is used to mask the fact that low-quality, cheap ingredients are used.

I'm a big fan of Italian cookery, and that means using high-quality ingredients that have plenty of intrinsic flavour. There's a world of difference, for example, between cheap hothouse tomatoes and the very best that the best growers can produce, and the price difference can be quite small. You just have to be savvy about what you're looking for, that's all. If you use good ingredients, you need use far less salt. Most of my cooking is very simple with fresh, unprocessed ingredients. I know what salt I'm adding but I don't delude myself. I made a risotto last night that contained about 50g pancetta (for three people) and a good dose of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. Two salty ingredients. The vegetables therein, nil salt. The extra salt added, nil. No-one was complaining!

One other thing, with regard to the broad-brush statement I started this post with: the evidence for harm caused by salt intake above the recommended level (it's 6g per day in the UK) is very conflicting. It's possible that you as an individual might be aware of specific adverse effects on you, apropos of high blood pressure, for example. Two things there: other factors may be contributing to that, and salt may not be the worst of them and you wouldn't know. Second, lots of people tolerate inadvisably high salt levels very well. I read a study many years ago (don't ask me where, because I can't remember) that concluded that four out of five people handle excess salt very well. Of course, who knows whether you're one of them, and Russian Roulette could be not necessarily the best way forward.

I'm not arguing against the precautionary principle here. In fact, I'm extremely vigilant about my own salt intake as my blood pressure tends to the high side of normal. But, as ever, broad-brush doesn't cut it with me. I tend always to look for the real science.

I bought a blood pressure machine a year ago that came highly recommended for its accuracy. I'm not exactly over the moon about my readings but I won't worry as long as they don't skyrocket.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 09:12 PM

I won't be doing much lurking for a few weeks, but will pop in if I can.

Tomorrow morning we are off in our little caravan - travel trailer - for three weeks to Canberra, about 700 kms south. I don't know what that is in miles, you will have to look it up. Lots, anyway. Our older son lives there as does The One And Only Grandkid so we will spend some time with them, but the main reason for a trip at this time of year is to attend the National Folk Festival. There are other musical happenings to take in during our trip - it will be a lot of fun!

Once I finish the coffee currently being slurped I will start thinking about packing important Stuff. Ukulele.....knitting for in the car (Himself will be driving).....hand sewing for the TV-less evenings, no TV in our van.....tablet with lots of books.....and some clothes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 09:46 PM

Hi, Steve! Nice to see you in these parts again.

As we age, our olfactory senses change and foods we liked when we were younger lose their appeal. Many people try to fix this problem with salt and sugar, but primarily salt. Hence, salt consumption tends to increase with age, along with all kinds of health problems that may or may not be related to sodium intake. It’s notoriously difficult to tease out the various lifestyle factors that give rise to particular ailments, so salt gets the blame for lots of highly complex ailments. Sure, it may well contribute to high blood pressure, but how much? And what about all the other contributing factors? In any circulatory or cardiac issue, there are lots and lots, and more than a few are still mysterious.

Me, I like to eat different things now I’m officially old. Hot sauce, for example. I never liked it when I was younger, but I do now. A touch (or more) of vinegar in a stew or a soup lifts the flavour much more effectively than yet more salt. Likewise, a squeeze of lemon juice livens up a chicken cutlet or a pork chop.

The basement puddle is less bad, but not yet conquered — the rain continues and the ground water is still rising. I have now vacuumed up about four filthy litres.

I drove to London today with another load of books for Goodwill (6.5 cubic feet this time), and made a point of checking out the state of the countryside on the way. Soggy, in a word. Downright water-logged, in fact. Acres and acres with great expanses of last year’s stubble poking up through the water looked more like rice paddies than cornfields.

Ah, well, it’s only the beginning of April. No point in worrying until it still looks like that on Victoria Day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Apr 23 - 09:51 PM

Darn, Patty! You were nearby. I have a couple of close friends in San Angelo, but haven't been there in years. I'm sorry to read that the weather has not cooperated with your setup. Where did you do your mineral hunting? Is this rockhound activity at places like Rockhound State Park, or is it purchasing at the gem and mineral shows in Arizona - is it in Yuma? Quartzite? Tucson?

Steve, I'm anticipating being told that I need to watch my salt intake. Time passes and the blood pressure seems to be more vulnerable to the excess sodium. Medication choices can be made if you're willing to follow guidelines that make choice possible. My brother encountered this already so I'm not surprised. I also realized recently that I had an array of particularly salty snacks around here that were adding up to a pretty hefty dose each week.

Charmion, I agree about the vinegar and lemon. More often than not when making soup or bean dishes I'll add a little vinegar. Hot sauce - I love it on so many things, in particular omelettes and scrambled eggs, and many types of Mexican food. Foods I really like now that I tended to avoid as a kid and young adult are things like bell peppers and hot peppers. I can't get enough of them now.

Garden work tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 04:29 AM

I dislike an overtly salty taste in food. I made some of Marcella's winter meatballs for last night (though we didn't have it with her roasted cabbage, just some tangy tomato sauce and home-made bread). The meatballs contain a small amount of pancetta and some Parmesan, both salty ingredients. She adds salt, but I was very judicious about that. With good minced (ground?) steak you hardly need to add extra salt as there's plenty of good beefy flavour in there. If I make home-made burgers for the barbie I just make the patties out of pure beef, nothing at all added. My bread contains 5g salt in a 500g loaf. There was a piece in a consumer magazine here last week which informed us that some bread, even from reputable sources, contains as much as a gram of salt per slice. The equivalent in my home-made loaf to that would be around three times as much as I use. A hearty ham sandwich with mayo made with shop bread would easily reach or even exceed that daily 6g limit, and that's just lunch...

I have a weakness for strong mints when I'm driving any distance, so I buy those little tins of tiny extra-strong ones, perky enough to make you sneeze. That way the sugar-calorie damage is limited. We don't eat desserts unless we have people staying. Unlike some people round here I don't have a chocolate fetish, though a binge three or four times a year isn't impossible...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 04:40 AM

...And artificial sweeteners can play havoc with my guts, especially Stevia, which converts my stomach into a cement mixer, so no sugar-free sweeties for me!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 07:50 AM

I love those “curiously strong” mints, too. My husband introduced me to them; easily sedated by long-haul driving, he used them to shock himself back to awareness, and we always had a couple of tins in the glove box.

I don’t doze on the road like Edmund, but the mints are still a fixture.

Sunshine in Stratford this morning, but the puddle around the furnace is reaching for pond-like proportions. I know what I’m doing after church.

More rain in the forecast all the way to Thursday. My back gets tired just thinking about it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 08:28 AM

Did lots of low-sodium cooking during hubby's illness.   Bread definitely is a culprit, and classic foods which rely on salt for flavor. Had to start making our own bread, and focus on flavorful things which don't rely on salt so much. It also helped to get plenty of potassium in the diet.

But, if you're 'normal' I can't see making a big deal out of it, except the usual need to be careful around over-processed, over-salted foods. Seems to me that an attempt to 'eat clean' will often take care of the excess sodium problem in itself.

SRS, this year I did some field collecting in the Chocolate Mountains near Yuma, and some near Deming but not at Rockhound Park; one can almost never get a site there any more since online reservations are a thing. But also acquired quite a few pieces at meetings and conferences of micro-mineral collectors. There is a lot of free and $1 stuff to be had by simply showing up and participating.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 09:59 AM

I like homemade bread, but mostly these days I buy loaves of multi-grain bread at Aldi and Trader Joe's that go into the freezer so I can use a slice or two at a time. I'll put my homemade bread recipe through the MyFitnessPal app and compare sodium. I agree with those who caution about processed foods - by eliminating the salty processed foods and snacks I'll probably be at a good level without jumping through any more hoops. This is about weighing my options - reduce sodium to keep blood pressure normal so I can take the ADHD meds. I like the quieter world the new Rx brings - and am willing to work to keep it. In the process, it's healthier in the long run.

Patty, what do you do with the minerals? Do you have a type you collect? (And you know that for someone with limited space in the RV, rocks are one the heavier hobby items to pick accumulate. Have you ever read Steinbeck's Travels With Charley? He had way too many books in that pickup camper.) I worked for a geologist in college who had an impressive collection of selenite (related to gypsum). I spent a couple of years in that geology lab with a big part of the job to organize the student sample trays. Drawers contained 3 trays - igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic. I kept extra samples on top of the cabinet because the more pretty pieces tended to go walkabout - I found I could sit at the drawer level and reach to the top and simply feel the minerals and know I had the right one by shape and weight. Pop it into the tray and move on. I have a lot of beads here to eventually get back to making jewelry.

Cat sitting this week has me out early in the morning. I like the idea of being a morning person but I rarely achieve it without work-type responsibilities making me get up earlier.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Apr 23 - 10:29 AM

I can devour mounds of cheese in a sitting. Not great for salt avoidance... I mitigate the issue by devouring cheese with Matzo crackers. They are a blank canvas for cheese, they contain no salt or added fat and each cracker is 18 calories. And, most importantly, they are my favourite thing to go with any cheese.

We use only unsalted butter these days too. Normal salted butter can contain 2g of salt in 100 g. Wow. I suppose that those butter-substitute spreads are similar. I wouldn't know. They are strictly banned from our house, as is anything that says low-fat or reduced fat.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 12:18 AM

I pulled up some of my favorite cheeses on MyFitnessPal - there will be days when I exceed my planned sodium level. I hope that removing the snacks is enough, and the occasional sausage or cheese won't send me into a tailspin.

Another item listed on eBay. It seems my little 10-year-old digital camera has held its value pretty well, and I'm including extra stuff (batteries, a memory card, a cable and case). eBay has over the years stopped forcing people to relist things and simply automates the process, so it's possible to list and forget. Sometimes it's a surprise when something sells after ages of being overlooked. I hope this goes much faster than that.

I won't lie - while there are important things I'm waiting for (such as if my tax return is accepted), what I really am waiting for is Tuesday afternoon, like everyone else who despises Trump. I'll be working on things around here, but when it gets close to his arrest, I'm gonna watch, hoping news cameras are close-by to catch all of the details. It will be an exciting week this week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 05:42 AM

I seem to be using my iPhone to take most photos these days (I recently upgraded - rare for me! - to an iPhone 13 mini) but I also have a little Canon Ixus 285HS (in lurid purple!) which I can use for anything that needs me to optically zoom in and and out, including videos, and it's very good (for me anyway - I'm not up for lugging heavy gear around with me). It has wifi and I can transfer photos easily and losslessly to my iPad, thence Cloud, via Canon's Camera Connect app. The app is a bit clunky but it does the trick.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 08:42 AM

The little Canon uses a cable (or the card itself inserted into the card reader slot on the computer). There are reasons why using an actual camera instead of a phone for photos and video is much easier. The lens, to start with. It actually has one that moves.

Hoping the wet weather has passed for a few days because the lawn is again tall and moist and must be mowed this afternoon. And more garden work. And . . . so much. Must make a list to prioritize.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 03:27 PM

I did a little decluttering over to the MOAB thread - really off topic stuff here always fits in perfectly there. :)

The SUV annual inspection was this morning, it passed, but soon I'm going to need new tires. Gone are the days when you can have the car reshod for $100 a tire. As I wait for the tax refund it feels like the devices and appliances are beginning to stir - which one is going to need to be replaced once the refund hits the bank? The SUV appears to be the front-runner.

An unusual mix of stuff went to the curb for trash pickup today, including the ancient phone connectors pulled off of the back of the house last month. Now I need to burn some trash in the backyard - more papers I don't want to fool with shredding.

At the gym this morning I was listening to Gaiman & Pratchett's Good Omens for what must be the third or fourth time, and I always hear new things each time I go through it. I think good books are what keep me on the recumbent bike or the treadmill for a full hour. There are TVs all over the place but it's too much trouble to try to find a channel you can watch and then get the sound into headphones. Though I'm not really a morning person, it is clear that there are more women my age at the gym mid-morning, so for a more social experience I should plan to start going in at this earlier time. Talking to people while I'm there shouldn't be a novelty; older women tend to be invisible to much of the world, but we see each other.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 08:01 PM

I filled and started the hot tub and replaced our street light bulb today. I did a car full delivery of bolts of cloth for the Linus Project. ho hum

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 23 - 09:19 PM

That's on topic. A car full of bolts of fabric? What brought them all to your house? Sounds like there is a story of a hobby or business there.

Today was warm enough (up to 92^o) that the ceiling fans can start running; must get out the long duster thing and go over the blades of all of them (there are seven fans throughout the house).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 05:40 AM

I had to dismantle the metal skeleton of an old garden gazebo yesterday. Dozens of little bolts to undo, and every bolt removed risked a heap of scrap metal collapsing on to me. I managed it unscathed, so now I have to take the stack of scrap metal to the tip. I'm sitting here wondering whether it'll fit in my car. Have faith...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 09:13 AM

Sounds like a good project. Did you originally install the gazebo? Was this a chance to revisit your earlier self?

I took the weed wacker to the edges of the raised bed garden yesterday and today will do more work to dig around the perimeter (and reposition the corner bricks so the boards stay in place). And I still have to work on the potted plants - some will come back automatically, others need assistance.

Not as warm today, only into the low 80s. I pulled a couple of blankets off of the bed last night so it's time to give them a run through the laundry then put them away for the season. And as a recent New Yorker cartoon showed, spring cleaning means moving the heavier garments off of the chair in the bedroom and piling on a few lighter garments instead. :)

I am so looking forward to the new lens - today or tomorrow - it is feeling like getting a new camera to have the big one back in full operation.

There are several small sets of tools and gear sitting out on the kitchen counter. Perhaps today I'll finish the tasks they're associated with and put the tools back where they belong.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 09:30 AM

Torrential rain in Stratford last night = an hour’s work with the Shop Vac this morning, and again tonight before bed.

Anecdote from coffee hour at church: A middle-aged couple from Toronto are house-hunting in Perth County. “Is this a dry basement?” asks the husband as he explores the furnace room. “Oh, yes, very dry. Never a problem,” replies the selling agent. Husband shines his flashlight on the access to the furnace filter. “Soooo … Why is the furnace up on legs?” Selling agent has no idea, none at all.

The young lad in the hardware section at Canadian Tire told me that they’ve sold out of wet-dry vacuums twice already this spring.

It’s Holy Week, which means lots of work for the Catholic and Anglican church musicians. I’m already tired, and we haven’t even started the drive from foot-washing on Maundy Thursday through Good Friday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday to the blast of allelulias on Sunday. I can hold pitch while chanting psalms and I’m a fast learner who doesn’t fuss, so I’m the cantor. Here’s hoping I don’t cough at exactly the wrong moment, as is my wont.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 09:30 AM

It was one of those that we were supposed to put up only when needed, but in practice we just put it up at the start of each summer and left it there until maybe late September. I made sure it couldn't blow away in a gale by improvising all manner of hefty metal pegging-down at the corners. That worked well, but when we started to take it down last autumn we found that most of the fabric was getting past its best. I took all the fabric to the tip but have only just got round to shifting the frame. It was lovely to sit in there of a summer's evening after the barbie with a glass or two, listening to Joanie or Carly on my UE Boom 2 speakers (we have no neighbours), so we've replaced it with what should be a much easier beast to handle, a Berghaus air shelter that has four corner "posts" that you blow up with a single pumping point (pump provided) and which can be let down in a trice. We haven't tried it yet. I'm filled with trepidation.

Somebody told me that Joanie has ditched Spotify...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 06:31 PM

The front lawn has been mowed and I used the weed popper to remove a bunch of tough thistles, dandelions, dandelion-type plants (all in the Aster/Compositae family), and some Queen Anne's Lace. I have a sprayer on order to test with my new stronger vinegar mix on the rest of the tender weeds in the dormant lawn.

Apparently Tatume squash (aka calabasa/calabash, or gray squash) is less impacted by squash bugs, so I picked up a seed pack of that one today. I'll plant several varieties and see how they do. I've set up soil-filled pots the potting table and need to get several things started now.

The backyard will get mowed tomorrow; it is tall again and quite moist, so it's a struggle to push the mower through it. Before I mow again I'll clean out the mower air filter, carburetor, etc. because it's running a little rough.

I've restocked a few containers with unsalted nuts and dried fruits. There are still things to weed out and give away or just use sparingly. Most of the butter has salt but it can stay in the freezer for baking uses and I'll get some unsalted. It takes some getting used to, but I don't want to give up butter.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 06:44 PM

Enjoying the lovely cordiality of people in Louisiana, you can't beat it, even when it's not carnival season. Had a great chantey sing with the Krewe.

However, was petrified not only of driving and parking near the Quarter, but of coming out unscathed. Took quite a while to find a long stretch of curb to park the motorhome on narrow one-way streets, then hiked over to the great music shop, stopped back to drop off CDs and go to the sing. In that time, someone had smashed out the window in the high-end jeep right across the street. Yikes. Glad I had the steering wheel lock to use, and hoping my window was just too high to fool with. It's a shame when you have to risk life and property to go to a sing.

Yes, I do realize rocks are heavy! That's why I collect micromounts, tiny mounted samples which let you see the crystal structure under the    microscope. There's another category "thumbnails" which are fine to see with the naked eye, slightly larger, have a few of those.

I think my favorites are the copper minerals, so many of them and so beautiful; dioptase, brochantite, etc. But, they're all good! Snagged a little gypsum from a roadcut near Roswell, but haven't 'scoped it out' yet. Usually if there are no vugs, there are no micros.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Apr 23 - 10:08 PM

Interesting! I have a friend here who collects something similar, micro slices of meteorites, and within that category there is a specific type that he goes for. He also has some very tiny pieces; all of it would fit in a shoe box, but he keeps it in a pretty antique glass-front cabinet. I'm aware about the shape of crystals being unaffected by size; years ago I led tours in the Mammoth Cave area in one of the formation caves just outside the park boundary. In particular I learned a lot about crystals when I was researching helictites, but there were lots of other shapes and mineral variations.

Regarding the proportional shapes of minerals, it was apparent in the cave, and every so often I'd have someone with vision problems on the tour.

One boy I remember in particular, he had a form of near-sightedness that apparently wasn't corrected by glasses and he brought a dim flashlight and was trying to look at the big formations; once I knew his situation I handed him my little bright spare flashlight and told him I'd point out some of my favorite tiny formations on the walls close by our path, that they are proportionately identical to the big ones 30 feet up on the ceiling. I was a trained NPS Interpretive Naturalist working in a commercial cave, so my tours were entertaining but also factual, and with each group it could change according to their interests. When you work in a private cave like that, you earn tips. The college-age kids who worked there would give a story at the end about working their way through college to get tips. My approach was to be conspicuously good at my job, and frankly, any tour that had someone with special needs was great for me. Without being obvious, but still the group knew, I would keep them beside me so I could seamlessly build in extra stops for those people, or use some trick or other to get them past any difficult spots (fear of heights, etc.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Apr 23 - 12:36 PM

Back to the mundane:

My plan to go out for groceries has collided with reality: a massive thunderstorm just rolled into town. No, I wouldn’t melt if rained on in the supermarket parking lot, but on the whole — since I can — I think I’ll just wait it out here at home. The freezer offers a fine array of comestibles and I can get along till tomorrow without milk, eggs and oranges.

The carpenter will soon arrive to install the new shower curtain rod. If he also brings those little peg things cupboard shelves sit on, I can put the refurbished bathroom back into commission today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 05 Apr 23 - 05:28 PM

Beaver:

WELL! Where have I been? Avoiding using too much internet... I empathize with Charmion's need to use the shop vac for her flooding - I once had to do that after the fools in our municipality (in PA) allowed a development up the hill - All the trees and shrubs and anything else useful GONE! also the owl I loved to hear! And, the next big rain I was in the cellar desperately using the shop vac to suck up water, then lifting it over the laundry tub to empty.... Gave up and phoned my bro who was 30 minutes away - HELP!! HE went to a plumber he knew, obtained a sump pump and installed it - at 10:30 pm! He was a GOOD brother. And had Great neighbours! Thinking of you Charmion! Hope it will soon be remedied!

Here at Beaver, I have managed to find some energy and throw about half as many bowls as I was hoping. But the Kiln is repaired and the firing was good. AND, I will inform the guy who wants more, more, more bowls - I will only do what I can! It was becoming too stressful and not fun anymore! So, find energy = while I have electric - It has been off and on today - our version of Charmion's storm. But up here, every twig is covered with ice -still at 5 pm! Even though the temp is above freezing.

The water in the babbling brook is about 30 feet wide! My big thing has been watching the front - that water did not get close to front door - well - I had about 18 inches leeway! Did NOT want to have to replace the K floor again! Esp since the wonderful Dan seems to have more work than he can manage!

So, need to trim a few more bowls while I have electric. and, in the am, go to chiropractor I was supposed to see this am; Phoned and said "Do I dare come out?" He said NO. I would not even try to walk to the car. Then back to QC.

Read several books.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Apr 23 - 06:54 PM

I hauled the six-foot folding table up two flights of stairs (basement to kitchen to library-cum-music room) this afternoon to provide a work surface for sorting choir music and packing Goodwill-bound books. I must be stronger than I thought because I did it easily, without straining my back in the slightest. The damn thing is awkward more than it is heavy. Useful, though. I might just leave it upstairs and get another one — they run about $100 at Canadian Tire — for patio dinners.

Hmmm, barbecue. I can actually imagine myself inviting half a dozen people over for barbecue on the patio. I guess I’m finally settling into the new normal.

Easter weekend is supposed to be sunny and dry, so maybe my personal basement fountain will cease operations and let me off Shop Vac duty. Lord, but that thing is loud.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Apr 23 - 11:24 PM

Those folding tables are incredibly handy. I have one here from my Dad's house - a friend had asked if she could keep it, but I knew I had uses, and in fact, it has constantly been set up for some use or other over the past 20+ years. Now it's the cutting surface in my sewing studio.

I dropped my phone today and cracked the glass protective cover. I have a couple of extra covers (you can never buy just one), but before I replace it I'm getting a more robust case. I used to use the heavy duty Ballistic cases but they haven't made them for my last couple of phones. I don't intend to declutter myself of this phone for a long time. (How can people stand the fuss of setting up a new phone every time the next model comes out? Pain in the backside!)

The new camera lens arrived, and will work perfectly. It's lightweight compared to lenses from 10-15 years ago, but it will do the job so I can get back to my eBay listings.

This week has seen a lot of trips for cat sitting - it ends tomorrow evening. I have another week coming up late in April and again in June.

Snow and ice and rain are things of the recent past. Rain and tornadoes are what we watch for now. Stay safe everyone, whatever your weather!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Apr 23 - 12:20 PM

The USPS is pricing itself out of business as far as my post office box, now up to $248 a year. For less than half of that I can buy a sturdy locking mailbox to mount on the wall where my current old house mailbox is. And since it has been ages since I used my card and was asked to punch in my zip code at a gas pump, I think the days of the separate zip code from the house address are over. I'll pay this year then spend the next 12 months making sure that everything important that arrives at the PO box is notified of the change. I've lost a number of things over the years when people didn't notice and sent parcels to previous addresses. The box holders don't feel obligated to return to sender (I do, but I'm in the minority). It'll need enough room to put magazines in through the top but so someone can't open the top and reach in to extract mail. I get enough small parcels in the mail that I'd like them to go into the box most of the time.

Dorothy, I hope the water stays below the level of the house! And I saw a photo you posted on FB of the roadways near your Dupont house. Was that taken from a plane or a drone? Good story about the quick install of the sump. I kept the old sump from my last heat pump; they installed a new one. I've been meaning to list it on one of the freecycle sites.

I made a batch of falafel yesterday, it came out great, and I'll put the leftover balls in the toaster oven to crisp up before eating. There's a batch of tahini sauce as well. I have pita bread in the freezer and all of the fixings for sandwiches. This is part of my effort to get more protein in the diet and not just through more meat consumption. I regularly have red kidney beans, but go in spurts cooking with chick peas and lentils.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Apr 23 - 01:42 PM

Red beans:

Louis Armstrong used to sign with the inscription
"Red Beans And Rice-ly Yours."

Of course, his red beans and rice
was probably loaded with ham hocks and the like . . .

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 12:33 AM

I have my fingers crossed that my "normal" cooking routine can continue if I just cut out the salty snacks. Ham hocks are important to good bean recipes. And I need my occasional BLT sandwiches. But for now, I'm tracking the amount of sodium.

My dogs will be ecstatic tomorrow morning because the next door neighbors returned today from their 10 day cruise (plus 2 days of travel to and from Galveston). Every morning before dawn my now 80-year-old neighbor gets up, turns on his kitchen light, puts in his hearing aids, and then hears my dogs barking. They are out in the yard way-early and have seen that light and know Cecil is up. Bark bark bark (an intermittent bark, but still, noticeable). So Cecil heads out to the fence between our yards and gives each dog a treat. Just once a day, they know not to bark for treats the rest of the day.

He asked years ago if he could do this with the first two dogs I had, Cinnamon and Poppy. They love dogs, but travel a lot so have never had any of their own. Prior to my buying this house the renters had a couple of dalmations, and he had that routine in place then, so continued it with these guys. Now five dogs later, they live and breathe for that pre-dawn treat. When the weather is bad, his wife and I communicate to make sure he doesn't go out in ice, etc. And sometimes I cover the dog door until it seems safe and then text him that the dogs are out. But we know that he and the dogs have this food-over-the-back-fence bond that is very strong, so do what we can to make it work. Stopping to think about this - I've had dogs for 18 years, so he was much younger when all of this started. Who knows - maybe this tradition is keeping him young. :)

The next few days will be cool but trending warmer, so I will be mowing and doing some garden work in the afternoons. Mornings would be well-spent picking up around the house. And I still need to set out the live trap for the anole who is chirping from my stone fireplace. He's kinda getting on my nerves (this is his second year in there - I think he returns every spring). I say "anole who" instead of "anole that is" because it feels like a personality and we have a relationship. He's a "who," not an "it," if you make that distinction.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 05:17 AM

Trivia time: we don't have anole lizards in the UK but millions of telly-watchers are unknowingly familiar with one, namely Harry the lizard in Death In Paradise, who's a leopard anole. Sadly, he's merely a digital reconstruction of one, as that way he can be made to behave just as the director wants him to!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 08:58 AM

The rain has finally stopped in Perth County, but my furnace room floor is flooded again.

Hmmmm.

It’s a forced-air furnace, so it has a pump that sends water that condenses out of the air through a plastic tube to the washtub. What if the water on the floor is condensate?

I plugged the washtub yesterday, and this morning the furnace room floor is wet but the washtub is dry as a bone.

So, after church today I shall head to the basement with a large bucket and a screwdriver. The outlet from the furnace can go into the bucket until I can get the HVAC technicians in. Which will be as soon as possible next week.

This sort of thing never happens in an ordinary week. Holy Week, or Passover, or Eid-al-Fitr — bet on it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 11:28 AM

Charmion, did this occur to you as you were going to sleep, puzzling over the water? The old plugged drain line problem! Air conditioners/heat pumps have them and sometimes algae builds up and then they do the same thing as your furnace (I've seen it here over the years). Any way you can simply blow out the line on your own? Once the plumber showed me how I could clear it myself (and I had him build a little access piece into the drain so I could pour in bleach periodically to prevent it.)

Sometimes I have to do the old "start in the corner and work outward" trick to get myself going, and this morning that's how I approached the kitchen clutter. Around the sink now looks good and through the day I'll proceed to clear off the rest of the stuff that doesn't belong there. I also need to find a space for healthy snacks that has them in view. That may require repositioning things on the two side-by-side wooden baker's racks that sit behind the small kitchen table. Right now they're blocked by the tea cart that was moved to accommodate the old Labrador retriever (that concession to the dog has made travel through the kitchen much safer).

I ordered a new phone case but forgot to look into the wireless charging through it before placing the order - just now pulled it up online - nope. That may be a deal-breaker. It all depends on how much work to pop it out of the case for charging (or returning to using a cable).

The morning air smells of new mown grass, now that the neighbors are back. Catching up also means the trip to the fence to see the dogs this morning. All is right in the world, here at our end of the street.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 03:24 PM

The lines are okay but the pump is dead, Stilly, singing with the choir invisible. It’s not merely kipping on its back.

I had plans to visit Edmund’s sisters and the niblings this weekend, but that’s not possible — I have a five-gallon bucket to dump every 12 hours.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 06:06 PM

It probably wouldn't be practical to send you my old sump pump, mentioned earlier. We've gone full circle here!

Headed to an evening garden party with several jars of pickled okra (I have a lot to give away still). The liquid boiled off more than usual during processing, something unusual, but I think they're fine even if there is 2" of headroom instead of 1/2 inch. It might impact how much "pickle" is in the top half of the jar. (I Googled it - they should be fine.)

The next few days should be lovely, a little warmer, and a low chance of rain.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 08:46 PM

To be honest, I’m hugely grateful that my water problem is a furnace peripheral and not seepage of ground water. A new condensate pump will run me a coupla hundred bucks plus a service call, maybe two. Correcting drainage problems causing a wet basement? Thousands — no, tens of thousands. On a good day.

Primroses are blooming in my garden today. I feel better already.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 23 - 10:44 PM

The appliances and motor vehicle can stand down: the IRS detected a math error (the Social Security tax form is a bugger - damn Ronald Reagan for deciding that retirees should pay any taxes on SS. The calculation of what percentage is an opaque formula). The recalculation wipes out a refund and will instead cost me $14.02. So, no windfall to replace anything. If you breakdown, you're on your own.

The evening gathering was nice, several friends were there, and we stopped to see another friend who lives a few blocks away on the way home. We could have meandered through that neighborhood and seen several past colleagues, but that is for another day when they all know we're stopping by.

A pleasant spring weekend is ahead, and unencumbered by any religious beliefs, it will be a weekend like any other. My across-the-street neighbor always says that you shouldn't plant your tomatoes until after Easter, so I should be getting the beds ready for all of my planting in the next week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 08 Apr 23 - 12:03 AM

Dupont:

Nothing blooming here yet. I was looking through old photos on phone and see the crocuses in the south yard were in bloom this date two other years - maybe tomorrow! The snow is mostly gone in that area.

The bridge photo was provided by the man who admins the FB page to keep us aware of traffic/problems/closures/detours... Chateauguay is a BR community for Montreal- lots of traffic!

Our home is about ten minutes from the south-west branch in the pic. We are high enough from the VERY full river not to worry.

Recovering from yesterday's trip but we went to the music tonight - mainly 3 fiddles! Otherwise a mostly do nothing day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 23 - 04:42 PM

I've left a few postit notes for myself for things to fix (in lieu of a list) and a couple have been solved. Finally I got the laptop computer to operate on the battery (I probably had a dozen browser windows open on the desktop before settling on the advice to follow). The old battery was replaced and the new one had the same problem. I'm not worried that I discarded a good battery for the new one - the original battery was 10 years old.

Motivating myself to start the next fence panel - there are pickets ready to fall off of the existing fence so I have to do it this year. I'll start painting on the wood preservative and be ready to go soon.

Digging garden beds - there are so many I have to choose a spot and just get started. There was some inspiration in the yards I visited yesterday, they were gorgeous.

Cleaning the fridge. Something I should do regularly.

These are for this afternoon. I won't necessarily get more than a portion of the gardening done, but it will be a start.

My disappointment today is deciding to cut back on tea and limit myself to a cup in the morning. Last week it was salt. Doing things that are good for me one step at a time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Apr 23 - 07:00 PM

Charmion talks on this thread about her choral concert outfit.
My chorus has a concert coming up June 4, and we have to wear concert blacks.
This is the opposite of declutter, I think, because I'm acquiring stuff.
Anyway, I found a black dress with a peasant style, tiered skirt, fairly flattering.
The new shoes are going to work.
They are a half size larger than I normally wear.
But this way they will be more comfortable for standing;
the Brahms German Requiem goes on for about seventy minutes,
and the chorus is standing for much of that time.
Now I just have to take care of legwear.
I'm going to see about a pair of black leggings,
and I can wear knee-high hose with those.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 23 - 07:38 PM

That's quite a long time to be there, Keb! Do be as comfortable as possible! How many of you are there? Will it be in German or a translation? In YouTube I see the searches people have done on it that have them going to different movements and things like "soprano part" and "alto part." Looks like more people are studying it than simply listening to the most popular movements, these searches don't telegraph anything else to me. And skipping through - it isn't like the chorus comes in for the final movement - singing almost the entire time is a workout for all of you.

Garage workbench cleared out, I found the missing measuring tape on it. Fence pickets have had the first application of wood preservative. By Monday I may be putting up this next panel. Laundry is in. Part of cleaning the fridge is preparing stuff in there, so beets are finished cooking, diced, and put away, and baby carrots are cooking (to cut up for the dogs on their dry food.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 09:27 AM

I have sung the German Requiem, keb, so I know the challenge. Take a nap, or at least an extended feet-up rest, in the afternoon before the performance. Also, drink lots of water — at least two litres — between getting up in the morning and late afternoon.

My concert blacks consist of an ankle-length A-line skirt and a vee-necked shirt with three-quarter sleeves; black sneakers and black Thor-lo socks; and black footless tights or LL Bean silk longjohns, depending on the season. I’m never in the front row, so the audience doesn’t get to know about the sneakers, which have orthotic insoles.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 09:52 AM

The concert is a Sunday afternoon concert,
so there's that -- we get to recover in the evening.
There are between 80 and 95 of us -- that's a wide variation,
it's just that we have got people missing rehearsals,
which vexes the director, we need everybody learning this music.
We're singing in the original German.

What the YouTube search probably implies is
how many chorus members are faithfully studying the piece
in between rehearsals, in order to learn their parts faster.
SOME of us will know our music on the day.
It's an amateur chorus out in the boondocks,
so it's no wonder we have some slackers
(especially in the bass section for some reason).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 12:58 PM

Basses know they’re scarce and hard to fire, keb, so they tend to lack humility. Tenors are even scarcer but oddly not quite as arrogant, possibly because they are more exposed in even the densest work and they fear being obviously bad. (Fear of being bad in public is a good thing in a musician, by the way.)

The sun is shining in Stratford and my furnace is dripping its condensate into a wide, flattish mixing bowl — the largest vessel I own that the furnace technician could wedge under the outlet. I’m not going anywhere until a new pump is installed as the bowl can hold only about eight hours’ output. Of course, the HVAC firm did not have a pump in stock; that would have been WAY too convenient.

Yes, I called in a furnace technician on Saturday — damn the expense! He had real trouble removing the dead condensate pump because some idiot had super-glued it to the outlet. Likewise, the mare’s nest of wiring connecting it to the furnace panel drew an extended critique on DIY efforts. Promising to bump me to the top of Monday’s priority list, the tech left me with the impression that he had seen worse messes, but not many.

The Easter choral marathon is over for another year, and I’m so tired that I’m a bit wobbly. The congregation loved it all, so we did a good job, but it sure takes a toll. My voice is in good shape and I don’t sound old (for a singer), but the rest of the body is feeling past its use-by date.

So I’ll be studiously idle for the rest of the day. No cleaning, despite the dust cougars under the dining table, no packing of books or moving of furniture. Perhaps a stroll down to the river to see the swans, but that’s it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 09:05 PM

I ran out of wood preservative as I completed the 19th picket, with number 20 being set aside for another time. I think I only need 17 for the panel, but I always have extra for just in case. The garage door is up a couple of inches to let the area air out as it dries.

The back lawn was mowed, with the grass catcher employed to catch enough grass to pile into the compost piles that need to be boosted into action. It always helps them heat up (to break down). Once I had enough for the compost I switched over to the mulch setting. Next I have to hunt around for the hose-end borer that I want to use to aerate around a couple of trees in the back. A quick tour of the greenhouse and garage didn't turn up anything, but I know I used it here when I was trying to save a redbud that got damaged in a windstorm. (This is the "how long ago did I use it and was it in this house" query one has to do sometimes.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 10:03 PM

Dupont:

Exciting day! R and I went down to the Mill to try to sort out some stuff - What to do about the remaining - important and not so important - pottery stuff... Discussion was useful and lowered the importance level - no need to hurry - other than gathering anything I actually need elsewhere.

Then re-visiting the mess resulting from the break in last fall (?). Voices were raised as we misunderstood priorities but finally knuckled down to seeing what is actually there - somewhere in the morass. We found - OH JOY! - my box of Marie Corelli books and 4 more boxes of books, unseen these last 8 or so years PLUS - SUPER YAY!! - my albums! Only have about 40 or so but each is important to me. AND instead of taking them to Broome to "digitize" - or lose, as he has the ones I took him in May! I can try to figure out how to use the machine we bought to change them to CDs or maybe even to computer... So, A VERY GOOD DAY! It was beautifully sunny and warm enough that the building was not uncomfortably dank.

This morning R cleaned out the corner cabinet in the K as something had gotten into popcorn and lentils in plastic bags - not glass jars. It happened while I was away so we believe R left the door open. And a cabinet in the pantry has a hole in the floor allowing egress and the door does not stay closed - Hopefully these two situations are remedied. Thankfully, he can still get down on his knees to jobs like this - I cannot... and get up again!

Yesterday, I cleaned up the surfeit of dust on the second floor. And laundered the bedding and some throw rugs. The rugs were able to dry outside. Hoping to do the first floor dust tomorrow and photograph latest batch of bowls for anxious customer.

Yesterday I also drove down to the bakery (55 minutes each way) for a supply of some of their frozen meals; also added 3 scrumptious looking pastries - total frivol! Not feeling like cooking, or even thinking about what to cook, I thawed a "Turkey in gravy" meal to which I was able to add veggies and cranberry sauce from frozen cranberries, and frozen sweet potato fries cooked in the toaster oven. We split each pastry. one a day.

Will get a third meal from the turkey tomorrow but need to get to produce store for more veggies. Hoping I can still manage after the 3 hours moving stuff at the Mill today. I ache!

Was not willing to brave the stores on this holiday weekend ---Also Chateauguay was in a state of emergency as the storm put the entire town in the dark for at least two days.

Text from 2nd son a short time ago asking if I am OK. ... "Troy Jr is worried" So I phoned #1 son and he had been trying to call and not getting me. Phone never rang and no record... He was concerned about the electric outage. Assured him that 15 years of living off the grid, I was well-prepared - the wood stove, candles, flashlights... And never opened frig or freezer. All is well.

Hope I can move tomorrow!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 23 - 11:34 AM

The effect of reading about all of the stuff at the mill has me wanting to toss all of the extra stuff around the house. It sounds like Beaver has the essentials and works well, and all of the rest of the locations are for the management of the overflow. I think you've inspired me to get moving aggressively on the eBay stuff.

I hope they're able to fix the furnace pump soon, Charmion. That kind of leak would kill my day, making frequent trips to check on it.

Trash pickup today is getting some of the rusty chicken wire from the compost area. I'm planning to streamline some of the operations around my yard by moving out objects in the way of the mower. The next question is - what about my "yard art" - I have a few totally rusty antique gardening implements, old push mowers and wheelbarrows, that intentionally sit under trees as interesting items on display. There are a couple more in the garage I've meant to move to the front yard (an old wheelbarrow would hold soil and flowers). If I define the beds well and remove obstacles I'm thinking I could have my friend who does lawns periodically mow for me. It isn't cheap, but if I did it a couple of times in the spring it would save me a lot of work (yes, I like the exercise, but there is so much exercise in the spring I must pace myself!)

I need a box of the deck screws to put up the next fence panel and after that I'll get another batch of pickets. Rinse and repeat - there are about five panels needing replacement on that side to finish this project.

The irony of the tax refund reversal struck me as I filled out the debit form to let them collect the tiny payment. Am I really glad that I had to spend $11,000 on a new heat pump last year in order to get a $300 credit on my tax bill so that I only had to pay $14 instead of $314 this year?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Apr 23 - 01:59 PM

The furnace technician just left, and the new condensate pump is chugging away as if nothing was ever amiss in that corner of Gloccamorra. Only the damp patches on the concrete and the lime deposits indicating high water remain to tell the story. Oh, and my tired back.

Dorothy's accounts of accumulated stuff at both the mill and the Dupont house make me want to chuck stuff, too. I have the great advantage of an imminent church variety sale, for which I have a good selection of unneeded, unwanted items that have been lurking in the basement. When I have finished packing and hauling books, that's my next challenge.

The book project will be finished this week, and I hope I can soon get help to shift the bookcases to the garage, whence they will be more easily carted away. Then I can move everything that's left in the library around to more convenient spots, such as sections of the floor where shims are not required to ensure that a bookcase stands straight against the wall.

I just heard a cat vomiting downstairs. Ah, nature.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 23 - 04:30 PM

My path toward finishing a couple of projects has been interesting. I have a pair of crutches that need cutting down for a friend who has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone) - children's crutches aren't sturdy enough and no one makes strong crutches for short adults. Her husband as a neurological degenerative disorder and is no longer able to cut-down crutches for her, so I'm making an effort to cobble a working pair. This involves the used crutches from Goodwill and the garage workbench, but it is piled with stuff that needs to be put away. So I've gone through some of the junk on nearby shelves to organize or toss or donate. I'm reducing the number of painting materials, tiling materials, hardware leftover from when I put fans in the house. And how on earth did I end up with so many wood chips for the smoker? Several things from the bench have moved to those shelves.

I also found the box I accidentally moved down here from Seattle, the collection of rocks my brother assembled in college working on his geology degree. One of these days if he drives down for a visit I'm going to slip them into the truck. I might keep the beautiful swirly piece of chert with opal he picked up in Eastern Washington.

The air conditioner I bought last summer has window parts and a large rolling part. They have to go somewhere better than "in the way." Since I still have a very old heat pump in the house I need to keep the backup AC for a while longer.

Once I get some of the trash out and other things moved I'll get back to work. Why am I in the house on the computer? Because out in the garage I found the flat storage box with a woman's name on it. It once held a lovely leather wall-hanging of American Indian design and it was going to be tossed when they were clearing a closet at my husband's office. Decades ago. Now I might be able to return it, though I have enjoyed it for all of these years on my own wall in the hall.

I do have stuff going in the trash today, and going onto the shelves. And into the donation box. And I will finish those crutches because I'll be near my friend's house on Wednesday and I want to deliver them to her.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 23 - 10:42 PM

The garage isn't finished but the work area is tolerable. I finished the first crutch, it involved a small pipe cutter and using the drill and the vise part of the small Black & Decker workbench. Following the garage cleaning I have several small plastic bags with a few pieces of floor tile in each. The corner with all of the castoff bits of tile needs clearing but that stuff is too heavy to put in the trash at once. I'll do it piecemeal, a small bag at a time. A bag of trash is sitting in front of the workbench where I am carefully sweeping the slivers of aluminum that drilling produced. Those can be awful as splinters if they aren't discarded right away.

Several huge cardboard boxes are flattened to recycle but they won't go in the SUV until the village bins have been emptied mid-week. There was a box full of the old bedspread and sheet bedding I used to put in the dog houses in the corner of the garage, but they live in the house now and sleep on dog beds so it's all stuffed into a pillowcase to drop off at the Humane Society.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Apr 23 - 11:13 AM

And though I mentioned earlier about putting a box of rocks into my brother's truck, I have been known to mail rocks to people. Not such a heavy batch as that, but still, rocks. And I'm about to mail something almost as heavy, antique beach glass and potsherds picked up on the east coast. Weighs. A. Ton. Relatively speaking for the size it takes up. Good thing Priority Mail boxes are flat rate.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Apr 23 - 10:24 PM

Dupont:

The stuff at the mill MY stuff - is only there because the place is so impossibly disorganized that I have not been able to find the good stuff since it was moved there. I organized my section of the move perfectly, only to have it turned totally backwards and then all manner of stuff placed a round it so I could not find anything or even get near to where I thought things were. R is responsible - but not responsible IMO! "Someone else did it." His employees or tenants: "You are responsible for what they do!" Then. of course, there was the break-in when things were vandalized, tossed about... So Sunday, we actually found those few precious boxes - books and albums. I needed his help moving stuff and still ached fiercely after the 3 hour search. Exhausted by happy to find treasures.

R knows he has too much stuff... Right now there is a stack of boxes of books sitting in the back yard with a tarp over them! Some are moldy and he does not want to put them in the basement library. He pondered using the oxonater, if he had a container - "What about the old frig out there?" This may happen before rain comes.

Today, I went to the mill to get a bucket of glaze I could have brought back last trip... And dug up some dwarf purple iris and a couple other unknown perennials I planted several years ago. They will find new homes here. Then I went to buy a couple items at an organic store - but their electric was off and they, reasonably, were not opening the freezer.

So I started back but decided to check the bakery in St. Antoine - closed! but took Rita (very close by) some tall iris from here and a soap dish to sell with her beautiful soaps. Need to make her more.

Sent customer a video of current bowls; He declared them beautiful and will come by "later in the week" to choose. I spent some time on line looking at other CA potters pricing so I do not charge too little. Keeping in mind this is a bulk order but may lead to more, apparently snd I may be "retired" but do want to be fair to me!

Also researched innards to make the corner K cabinet more efficient. R brought a nice set of SS pots and I need storage space. As in one of those twirly things. Found one and will consult with he who must install. I know SRS could but my body no longer endures ...

Oh, I cleaned the first floor - much improved! And scrubbed the yucky dish drainer - Any water that sits becomes brownish. Ans sometimes stinks of chlorine - a major enemy!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: pattyClink
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 10:36 AM

SRS, you deserve the pretty chert/opal as a storage fee over the years! Nice of you to not chuck them, they may be unusual/irreplaceable to him. There are a few I've had to leave along the way I wish I had back.

Visited the storage unit yesterday, swapped out a few summer and winter clothes and shoes, transferred the several flats of rocks to an empty shelf on an old microwave cart, they fit perfectly and I won't need them this summer, til I find a home base.   With my luck, I'll find the perfect home base next month and regret not having them onboard, but, who knows what the summer will bring?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:10 AM

19 million people in the US suffer from hoarding disorders.
Spring cleaning began with the dining room and carport.
I'm using clever tapestries of bookcases etc. to enhance clutter-free areas with the look of real clutter :^/

On to the walk-in closet that I turned into an office I never used.
Back to a closet it goes. I get to use a sledgehammer, yaaa

I did hedging today but Lawn mowing tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:16 AM

Four pairs of new-to-me trousers went to the tailor to be shortened yesterday. Straight-legged jeans with the waistband in the right place are finally back in fashion, so I bought some on eBay for about half the price I would pay at the mall. No driving, either.

I put on about five pounds over the winter -- due, I'm sure, to walking far less than I do when the air doesn't hurt my face and the sidewalk isn't a slip-and-fall hazard. But now the ice has gone, the sun is shining and the daffs are on the brink of bloom, so the time has come to let the cats have the comfy chair.

Neil and Jane across the street put out their birdhouse this morning. Ready or not, it's Spring.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:19 AM

Patty, my brother was a geology major, and I spent two years working as a Geology professor's lab assistant. We were both mountain climbers, and we picked up rocks along the way. If you find it on the way up you can't leave it hoping you'll find it on the way back down because you'll never see it again, so several rocks went up and back.

While seated on the summit of Glacier Peak (in the North Cascades) I randomly picked up a smallish piece of pumice and it rattled around in the top flap pocket of my day pack for ages before I set it aside at home. Maybe an inch across, it was quite airy and had some tiny black crystals - I think a hornblend. Later I happened to be talking to a climbing friend who described a display of the rocks he'd picked up on each climb, but he'd neglected to get one on Glacier Peak. He was considering climbing it again to get a rock so was thrilled when I offered the little piece I had (we were both in the climb that day.) I later saw the display and it was lovely.

Dorothy, good luck with getting Robin to organize his stuff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Apr 23 - 08:16 PM

Dupont:

I am not responsible for R's stuff! Except to have a hemorage
(sp) when it starts to creep out of control. The LR/DR - The west half of the 1st floor, it fairly sacred - the "Parlor"! IT is lovely - except for the cunningly stuck out of the way (mostly!) ceiling fixtures which may eventually find homes. There is hope for the Kitchen cabinet... Maybe. He approved my idea ...

NOW! the ice is - mostly- off the back deck and there is serious need for new decking... On my mind - how to get this done when he has already asserted "No time this year". And finding someone to do it - Even our friend who runs a superb reno business cannot hire competent workers. R has several major tasks needing immediate attention in his commercial buildings - And one of his two competent staff got tired of waiting and took work elsewhere. R offered to pay him just to keep him around but he needs to be doing! Desperately hoping he will come back soon! Tenants need to move in! (and pay rent)!! So, back porch...

I replanted some of the iris and the "whatever" in the front gardens here. And did some clean up in the small veggie bed out back. Crocuses blooming in front garden and in the "pasture" on the side yard - planted long ago. Coltsfoot also in bloom! And daffies getting there. I shall be delighted when it gets warm enough to put the canna out - after their winter in the hallway with minimal water which seems to have kept t