DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 23 - 07:52 PM

Dorothy, down here in the states now you can buy hearing aids without going through a doctor or getting a prescription. They cost a lot less than the ones the doctors push as well. My mom had certain frequencies she couldn't hear (she is convinced it was due to some flying during WWII in very noisy troop transport airplanes). It wasn't the volume of what she was hearing, it was the ability to distinguish what it means.

The noise of a nearby thunderstorm has upset one of the dogs, but no rain so far and it has moved east into the next county. I did a little yard work, trimming small limbs into the trash can and lopping the Mexican plum branch that was tangled with the Internet line from the pole behind the house. When this house was built the only line back there was the phone, but that is long gone. Same wooden pole though.

More sorting in the sewing studio, and I can see that some of the fabric in there was grabbed at work during an office purge but I'll never use it. I think one rayon piece might have served as a tree skirt one year. I have a half-dozen large lidded bins empty right now, but they'll be given a task soon enough. The dresser in there is also empty.

I washed all of the bedding today, down to the stretchy sided mattress pad, the light blanket, and the pillows. The dog hair is accumulating in the den so I'll sweep and vacuum this evening before sending it out in tomorrow's trash. And tomorrow I must take the mower to the front yard before the code enforcement guy comes by complaining about a few tall weeds (most of the lawn is still brown.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Sep 23 - 10:15 AM

I'm getting ready to be away from home for a week and a bit. Very twitchy -- clearly tense about the prospect of crossing the border and travelling so far alone for the first time since (holy Dinah!) the mid-1980s.

The itinerary is very relaxed, with lots of time to rest, find a loo, get lost, and otherwise make retrograde progress. I have only one deadline: arrive at the West River Retreat Center (sic) by supper-time on Friday. The cats will be fine, with an experienced cat-visitor coming in every day. I have plenty of money. What in blazes is my problem?

My last major task before leaving is finishing the minutes from the last choir board meeting. Surely I'll settle down when that's done.

Dorothy, the hearing loss you describe is common in my family, and I fully expect to develop it myself over the next fifteen years if I live that long. The only coping method we have found is to avoid large groups and noisy places -- even church if the organ will be played -- and get a one-on-one briefing after public meetings and other gatherings for information. Yes, it's limiting, but my elders managed it by organizing the younger generation to provide those briefings and by writing a hell of a lot of letters. Without children and grandchildren to depend on, I'll have to find other means when it happens to me.

My elder brother -- an ex-artillery officer -- also suffers from the kind of deafness that comes from exposure to loud noise and explosions. His hearing aids meet about half his needs, and I'm impressed by his efforts to hide his frustration. One of my brothers-in-law is a retired plumber who worked in a Chrysler assembly plant for decades. He manages his hearing loss, now nearly total, with hearing aids (again, only partially effective) and by using headphones to listen to radio, podcasts and audiobooks.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Sep 23 - 03:14 PM

Allergies are kicking my backside today, and it has me thinking of trying the pill splitter to take a small dose of Sudafed (I'm avoiding it in general because of the BP rise from it).

Another item, this time a phone from the ex's house, offered in the buy-nothing group. Someone is picking it up soon.

I took a quick survey of the front yard this afternoon; there's a lot of yard work to be done out there, and several modest repairs. Another week in the mid-90s then I should be able to get out there and do the jobs without heat stroke.

My mom had hearing aids, and when she was in the hospital near the end didn't wear them because she was afraid they'd both be broken. One fell on the floor and was crushed under a nurse's shoe and after that she never used the other one. They can be a nuisance because they are so small and so expensive.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Sep 23 - 08:35 PM

I've had hearing aids for eleven years. I didn't know I had hearing loss though I had struggled in noisy places to hear anyone talking to me. I'd gone to the audiologist to discuss my tinnitus, which is when I found out about the loss of my high frequencies. Fair to say, they're not perfect and they limit my ability to zone in on what I want to listen to and sideline the other stuff. I had to give up playing music in sessions because I lost the ability to latch on and focus on other musicians and often found myself all at sea. My hearing aids are free on the NHS, as are the batteries for them and replacements when things go wrong, as they do. You can elect to pay for hearing aids and that gives you choices. The received wisdom is that the free NHS aids are "last year's models" but they work a treat for me.

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

It's finally cool enough to start walking the dogs in the mornings (I am not an early riser, so we're talking about mid-morning). Walking is considered a weight-bearing exercise and my poor fitness tracker is feeling neglected this summer; these walks will help with bone density and tracker steps.

I started raking pine needles at the curb today and need to keep it up—I want to leave an area around the base of at least one tree that is bare except for needles. And elsewhere I'll mow the tallest weeds to tidy the front. The weeds in the garden will come out via hand tools and newly-cleared areas covered with some of the bagged mulch I picked up a while back. In the house it is still a broom and vacuum operation to control the dog hair.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Sep 23 - 04:21 PM

The yard is overgrown where the lawn isn't dead, and I was going to start some work this morning—that is, I was until I found the code enforcement tag on my door saying I needed to mow the lawn. These guys try my patience. He gave me until Oct. 6 to mow, so I'm not going to mow for a while, I'm going to let him stew. And when I do work out there, it will be evenings and weekends so he doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing me do the work. #FirstWorldAggravation

I've pulled two large vintage fabric items out of the sewing studio that will never be used. A futon cover and something that might have been used as a tree skirt around a xmas tree are headed to Goodwill. Pieces usable by me are being organized by type, and some need attention first (one in the laundry now).

Finally getting a few eBay listings up.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 23 - 12:03 PM

I did some shopping for friends yesterday and brought home relatively little for myself (fresh veggies). Yesterday when I went through the sewing studio to for yardage I found a blouse tossed in there when I couldn't fit into it. Now it fits, so it's in the laundry awaiting freshening up.

Going through shelves in the bathroom I pulled a bottle of Tyrolean pine oil that smells wonderful but makes a deadly slippery bath if used that way so I haven't finished the very old bottle. The smell is still strong so I looked up uses. It seems setting it in a room (how?) works as an air freshener. I take the lids off of jar candles and use them that way (they don't need to burn to smell good), but an oil? I suppose there are small bottles I can use to mix it with some water? Any ideas? I also have some really concentrated mint my neighbor gave me that might be used that way. She puts it on her neck to help with headaches, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy that.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Sep 23 - 01:47 PM

Dupont:

Robin read the comprehensive treatise I found on APD and was impressed by it - very professional with about 15 pages of references. And no solutions for the loss of comprehension due to exposure to toxins. Yes, people have trouble when there is background noise. I accept that problem. But to fail to comprehend 6 or 8 people, speaking one at a time, whom I know I can understand usually, with no background noise at all and an excellent sound system ??? The only other time this sort of thing happened, I totally understood one speaker and only understood "the" as spoken by the second one. This is not a hearing loss! This might be to do with distortion of sound waves in my brain? I shall continue to check it out with musician/sound engineer friends. I am only gradually recovering from the shock and certainly am not going to pay for a hearing aid on the off chance that this might happen again. !!!! Maybe if I had moved to a different part of the room I would have received the sound waves differently. ???

In the meantime, I am trying to recover a semblance of order in the house and yard. The Mohawk team will be along to rescue the yard!! YAY! The house is inch by inch. R has been kind about coming home earlier in the eve (before 9 pm!) so we have time to talk before sleep.

The ficus tree in the den has reached the top of the window so a lower cabinet will be moved to that window and the table it is on can go to that emptied spot. A few cobwebs may be disturbed! More plant movement will be taking place as those on the back porch need to come indoors and a few that did not survive neglect will be removed to the place of dead plants/empty pots...

Bring in the pumpkin, see if there are any sweet potatoes in the garden. And look at improving gardening methods for next year. R prefers the yellow cherry tomatoes to those tomatoes that produced prolifically (black/red which our friends loved). The two large plants I bought did little and died early on: Lots of rain but I believe it hit the profuse leaves and went on the porch rather than into the pot so the plants suffered from lack of water! And I guess the critters ate all the squash flowers - they were beautiful but were gone before having a chance to produce!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 23 - 08:13 PM

Good luck with the ficus, Dorothy. In their native environment they grow quite large.

This afternoon I sat down at the sewing machine to cobble together more kitchen scrub rags (a sandwich of one part old terry cloth washcloth and two layers of old t-shirt). It is stitched around the outer edge, turned right-side out, then zigzagged around the outside edge and stitched across to turn it into a more solid absorbent rag for cleaning. I also mended the armpit of a favorite t-shirt and did some machine darning on holes in dish towels that Cookie tore up in her puppy days. All is now in the laundry waiting to be put back into service.

Finally getting to bake my autumnal loaves of pumpkin bread. I've rounded up the ingredients and will have it ready for lunch for friends here this weekend. It's still pretty warm for baking, but I'm tired of not doing much for so long.

I haven't been to the gym in ages, not feeling motivated. I have several things to do tomorrow that take me in that direction so I will make a point to stop in. I have started looking around for other smaller gyms that are close to the house, and I'll save the distant one for when I want to swim.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 23 - 11:41 AM

This morning I took apart a clunky pin cushion, the Mother's Day gift I remember making in 1st or 2nd grade. Mom sent the can (standard tuna-sized) from home, and I don't remember if she had to supply anything else. It was filled with sand topped with some kind of spongy padding fiber (to catch pins) topped with red acetate and "MOM" written in black marker. A can-height band of wide masking tape anchored the red edges, itself carefully hidden by fat yarn wrapped around the can over a layer of paste. (Elementary school paste was delicious and not like the Elmer's milk glue). A blue protective felt base went last (my teacher really did think of everything!) The can has a permanent painted label for Pacific Pearl Fancy Dungeness crab, packed by a company belonging to Ivar Haglund. How appropriate. I thought it would be a tuna can, but this is even better. All other materials tossed, the can is a postcard from my mother in 1960. It is possible to waste a lot of time looking into how that label is painted on the can, but I think they printed the flat steel then assembled the cans.

With this small token from the Eisenhower or Kennedy-era stowed on view beside other kitchen antiques, I have moved on to deaccessioned craft items and assembled three sets of glitter to list on the Buy Nothing page. A little glitter goes a long way and with duplicates of several colors it's my prerogative to parcel it into smaller sets.

It's muggy today and there is ragweed in the air. With no rain in sight I'm struggling with the allergies and the heat. Bleh. Will we get a fall, or go straight to cold? Fall here is usually only about a week at the most; in my youth I was spoiled in the Pacific Northwest with autumn lasting most of September and October. And fancy crab in a can that cost 33 cents.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Sep 23 - 05:00 PM

I hope you took a photo of the pincushion beforehand! What a little treasure.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: JennieG
Date: 28 Sep 23 - 05:59 PM

I have read that glitter is the herpes of the craft world.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 23 - 08:08 PM

Yes and yes. I took a photo of the pincushion and glitter gets everywhere. That's why I confined it to a few projects and worked over a rimmed baking sheet and haven't done anything with it for years.

Two of the glitter vials were so old they don't even have zip codes on the addresses, they're pre-1963 and my mom must have picked them up for 29 cents each at Woolworth, "America's Christmas Store." Those kinds of things sell on eBay, so those were set aside. The others will be offered soon on the buy nothing page.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 23 - 11:49 PM

That was interesting. I listed the two vials of glitter and they sold within hours. I asked $12 for the two, because another sale of Woolworth glitter (last summer) had four containers for $20. eBay changed some forms and the post office changed some pricing, so I had to go in and double check my shipping form (eBay had added an extra zero to a measurement, making a 4" dimension 40", and a different price bracket). Fixed that. I asked her what she does with them - that won't change the sale, but I'm interested if there is a Woolworth ephemera collecting thing out there. I loved Woolworth when I was a kid, and I walked past one on my way to and from high school. (Kress was very similar - both of them had interesting basements and they always smelled like fresh popped popcorn.)

In the meantime, on the Buy Nothing page someone offered two large boxes of sewing patterns. Sizes are way too big for me, but not for my daughter and all of the costumes she makes (and she can adjust patterns up or down with tailoring skills, so a size 20 skirt can be adjusted to size 12 if you know what you're doing.) I got my dibs in and will pick up the hoard of commercial patterns (many apparently never used) that I'll hand off to her. Two office file drawer sized boxes. In this world of oddball sales and donation, it has been a good day. A plus - her dad will go with me because the pattern lady lives near our favorite discount grocery. So we'll pick up the boxes, go shop for produce, then see our daughter when the boxes are dropped off. For these these two retirees, that describes a pretty good day! (And maybe I should put all of the glitter together in one offer because someone else like me will have a use for all of it.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Sep 23 - 12:40 PM

Glitter sold loose, e.g. In small plastic vials, is banned in the EU from next month. Much of it is a mixture of plastic and aluminium and it takes over a thousand years to degrade in the environment. It comes under the category of microplastics once it gets into waterways, which it frequently does.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Sep 23 - 08:56 PM

I picked up the patterns, some really nice styles in there, all filed neatly in two boxes. She had blouses, skirts, pants, dresses, jackets, coats, and outfit sets; there must have been 50 patterns in there. When we met my daughter we transferred them to a bag for her to carry with her back into her museum after we all had lunch. I'll use the boxes to organize the craft donations I'll hand over next week. Nothing going to waste.

We discussed the scraps my daughter generates in her sewing; she has been tossing them but will now box them and give them to me. I know - sounds like more clutter - but I intend to pick out what I want and make the rest available to quilters. I'm a go-between on that.

This weekend I have to do yard work to get ahead of the tall grass and weeds in gardens. I have guests coming for lunch on Sunday so I'll spend the next couple of evenings cleaning and dusting.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Sep 23 - 11:30 AM

We have an ozone action day today so they want less driving, no gas powered mowers, etc. I'll get out the electric weed whacker and get started, wearing a cloth mask while I work.

Another eBay parcel has sold, picked up this morning on the porch by the mail carrier. This one served as a cautionary listing - buying something on deep discount to sell on eBay doesn't always work. I will break even after fees are collected, so I didn't lose money. Meanwhile, the rest of the glitter will be collected via "porch pickup" by someone in the Buy Nothing group. Heaven help her with that much glitter in her house.

A note about my homemade granola: I decided this morning that I'm tired of having to floss sesame seeds out from between my teeth, but I like a robust mix of seeds and nuts, so I did some searching of other recipes and I'll switch to unsalted pepitas (small pumpkin seeds). They're small but still, 10x larger than sesame seed.

Cleaning day along with yard day. I'll pace myself since it's still high 90s out there. When I come in to cool off I'll pickup around here, sweep, etc.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 Sep 23 - 06:47 PM

I’ve taken a break from the plays with the laptop and don’t know what I want to do to pass some time next. My last attempt was a go at Breakout.

I suppose I could take a longer look at the iPad mini. It is a nice device but I’ve yet to work out what I want to use it for.. That said, I got a pen for it today. I’d gone onto Amazon to look for a slimmer stylus for my phone when I stumbled on a Staetdler pencil that interested me. I also noted it said it wasn’t compatible with Apple pencils which used their own system and became curious about that. I found a genuine one at about £100 but also cheaper clones in the £10-£20 range and I got one to try. I like in. It, with the Apple OCR, seems to do a pretty good job interpretation my handwritten scrawl and although it needs charging, this is done magnetically so no cables to mess with.

Another Amazon item received today was a remote for the Yamaha soundbase under the living room tv. The power button on the tv remote switches both units on/off but occasionally, things go out of sync. It just needs the power button on the Yamaha remote pressing to restore the sync but dad lost the Yamaha remote and had been without sound for a week. Bloody parents, I wish they would be more careful. Another thing dad lost recently was his bank card which was supposed to be   kept in his wallet. I ordered him a new card and asked a carer to ensure he signed it and put it in his wallet. Of course, dad has lost his wallet now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Sep 23 - 07:22 PM

I do absolutely everything on my iPad mini. I'm no techie and I don't need to do complex things on computers. My massive and ancient Sony Vaio laptop sits in the other room, lonely and redundant.

For years we've had a Canton soundbase for our telly. The telly sits on top and it's completely unobtrusive, unlike those long sound bars. The sound quality is impeccable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Oct 23 - 10:44 AM

Progress yesterday: the front was mowed and part of it was trimmed. I'm not good at taking out a broom to sweep grass off of the driveway at the same time (I hate blowers and it's a waste of water to hose it off). If it sits there for a day it dries and is much easier to sweep away. I'll go out this afternoon and take care of that. The glitter left the porch in the evening and I'm next looking at antique table cloths, runners, pillow covers, etc. The double damask tablecloths can sell on eBay but the rest is small linen and cotton pieces are fussy and there is a nominal return for the work to list them.

The kitchen is clean and the table is set for lunch. I'm working on cooking/baking several things this morning to be ready by noon. One of the friends coming over is involved in a slow-motion declutter of his old electronic equipment. So far I've helped him move out towers, a CRT monitor, large TV, printers, hard drives, and other gadgets. Today he is bringing another batch that my ex (who resides in FW) will take over to the Fort Worth recycle station (it is on FW property adjacent to our village and named for our village, but we can't use it - go figure!). I cleaned the ancient stainless steel dutch oven that sits on the patio with dog water and will send them into the yard once company arrives (they love company but they could knock over one disabled friend). That pot washed up in the creek one day and while I haven't used it for cooking it works for the dogs.

This reminds me I haven't gone down to walk the creek for a long time; I usually go to find fossils.

This weekend I moved furniture in the sewing studio and am trying a new arrangement of the small table that has served to hold some of the regularly used small tools between the two sewing machines. Being able to find what I need when I need it is the key to this working.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 01 Oct 23 - 01:38 PM

Dupont:

Still having mental problems due to APD crisis. Brain is not happy. Composing, in my head, missives to the DR. and to the misguided woman who told me repeatedly that I needed a hearing aid and that hearing loss is a precursor of Alzheimers - just the right thing to tell someone who is already terrifically upset. Found another article on APD - NOT a hearing problem - but R has not yet read it and my brain loses the thread after a few minutes. The bottom line seems to be - no help for what happened to me. I still think about sound engineers - the way the sound waves affect my brain...? I still feel fragile with no idea how it could happen. Of course, the only "solution" is to accept ... Would it be worth a PET Scan to find out what is wrong in the brain?

Went to "the music" last night and really enjoyed it. Sound system worked fine. Just the usual APD issue of not understanding due to mixture of words and instruments. Nice to see people, after a while...

Making an effort to clear some of the first floor of books, etc. Mostly R's and he started off well this morning... The omelet is not yet made and he has disappeared. The day is ... still light!

I got tired of fighting with the sheet/quilt/weighted blanket so I left the sheet off last night. Spent the night fighting for a piece of the quilt - cold feet. ...???

R is back at it and things are going to the basement/cellar - somewhere else!! Out of sight!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Oct 23 - 10:26 PM

and to the misguided woman who told me repeatedly that I needed a hearing aid and that hearing loss is a precursor of Alzheimers - she's nuts, she's out of line, and she's practicing medicine without a license. You are fully entitled to ignore her bullshit.

Lunch with friends today with an eclectic menu. My autumnal pumpkin bread was baked this morning for dessert. With it we had lentil soup (Egyptian - very simple with water, onion, lentils, and a couple of spices) and the main course was macaroni and cheese. Comfort food. Acting like it's autumn even if it was in the 90s today. Good conversation - our lunch usually lasts for about three hours. I cleaned the kitchen, swept a couple of rooms, cleaned in the bathroom, so when everyone leaves the house looks good.

With the arrival of October I need to set aside my lazy September ways and get back to the gym and to more consistent volunteering. It simply has to cool off now, and let normal activities resume.

One of the channels that plays lots of older detective mystery shows has restarted Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I turned it on today, and it dawns on me that I never realized what a depressed thread runs through that particular program. I suspect my viewing of police procedurals won't include this one as much this autumn.

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

Looking at the calendar, we're a month out from Daylight Savings Time to switch over to Standard Time. We're four weeks from Halloween, and US Thanksgiving is on November 24th, pretty early (on the fourth Thursday each year the date can range from the 22nd to 28th). Those who make holiday fruit cake, or who sew or otherwise manufacture gifts will be getting started. (The craft supplies stores have xmas stuff in stock at least by July for the very organized customers.) eBay listings of gift-type items need to be put up from now on.

It's too soon (at least it is this far south) to move pots for the winter, and those I do move will be things I can live with in the house, since winters in the greenhouse haven't been successful lately. That hard long freeze in 2021 killed off several favorite plants; had they been in the house they'd have been cold, but not dead. In the garden it is time to start tidying for next year, mulching some beds for winter crops, strewing seeds for wildflowers.

This is the calendar telling me these things; the 94^o day says nothing of this.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Oct 23 - 03:41 PM

Heading home from the Getaway. For tonight, I’m in an over-priced, hyper-decorated bed-and-breakfast in Gettysburg PA. The owners have so crammed every room with Victorian doo-dads that there’s nowhere to sit and the guitar has to share the bed.

Speaking of the bed, it’s much better than what I encountered at the Super 8 in Manassas, which was like concrete. With the constant slamming of car doors outside, I might as well have been sleeping in the parking lot.

When they invent the Star Trek transporter, I’ll be one of the first in line. Getting there (anywhere) is definitely NOT half the fun.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Oct 23 - 07:21 PM

I've let my fingers do the walking through the Lowe's website to track down the manufactured cedar siding that I need to replace a rotten piece (after I remove the rain barrel that has created a splash zone causing the damage.) They also have a box of mortar mix to use to fill the gaps in the brickwork under the soffit. I'll pick up materials tomorrow and get going on this work before critters decide to move indoors.

As the old Lab continues to slow down, after breakfast I started him on the combination of pain pills recommended by the vet to help with his hip discomfort. So far he's slept even more of the day than usual. I think the recommended dose of Tramadol is too much, so I'll try halving it tomorrow (and won't give him the second dose tonight.) The non-steroidal osteoarthritis one he gets just in the morning. This decline adds a somber note to the season.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 10:49 AM

Last night I reversed myself and gave the dog just 1 Tramadol for his second dose of the day, and he was much happier, up and around, not in a sleepy stupor. So reduce the hard stuff and keep him on the same amount of the non-loopy stuff.

I have an appointment this week to take donated items over to the project that collects them for teachers, so I need to tidy the containers and boxes and resend the email asking what they want and don't want. I've already deaccessioned the glitter, but there is still a matter of small beads that they may or may not want. And a file cabinet that counts as furniture so I should probably file the form they have for furniture. Getting that file out of the hall will make walking that space easier. I don't always turn on the light in the evenings and it's hard enough avoiding tripping on a dark dog, let alone a dark dog lying next to the bulk of a file cabinet.

I've been reading more books on my 10.1" Samsung tablet and note that it is using more power than before the whole syncing photos to OneDrive process started, so have tried to figure out what setting in causing the power drain. These things check in with the mothership way more often than they need to. I hope Jon has figured out the device he mentioned recently.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 03:17 PM

Diving into the sewing studio this afternoon has resulted in a growing stack of school project stuff that was tucked away between the bed and the wall. This includes lots of sheets of heavy duty poster board, some pieces of matte board brought home from the university library (rescued from the recycle bin following the end of exhibits when it was all tossed). Also, my shelves are now clear of some yardage purchased years ago for projects that were never made and that will never be made. I can't imagine using that fabric for anything else now.

My ex came by and picked up an old computer tower and monitor to take to the recycle center (a friend brought them when he was here Sunday). Already in the trunk of the car was an old Packard Bell tower—so old that he didn't bother to remove the hard drive. I asked why - turns out it was a DOS machine, didn't even use Windows. Really really old and really heavy. (Probably should have asked if a computer museum wanted it.) Will we make enough progress with this decluttering that our children will thank us? It's certainly more than either of my parents ever did in their retirement years.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 03:43 PM

The only recent device I can think of, SRS, is the very unexpected birthday present of the iPad mini from brother in oz. I’ve yet to do much with that yet except having it sit happily on my network and setting up the email accounts so its sort of ready as and when I want to play more with it. I think it will end up replacing my Samsung Galaxy Tab A8. It’s smaller size feels better suited to my current needs and it is the better machine. It’s display seems crisper to me and it feels a touch more responsive.

It is the first Apple product I’ve owned. I’ve avoided them partly because of price (and even now, don’t think I’d invest more than double say the cost of my Samsung for an iPad) and possible hardware ties as well as software ones.

Tim apparently got himself one about a month ago. He had used a Microsoft Surface Pro for a few years but he became frustrated with its handling of midi and with high end VST plugins. I gather that the iPad just did all he’d wanted straight off with no hassles. I also gather that him being so impressed with his and wanting to get me something he knew I wouldn’t normally consider buying were reasons for him getting me one.

Oh, and I did get a clone of the Apple pen for it the other day and quite like it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 06:14 PM

It's perfectly possible to hate Apple yet love your iPhone and iPad. In fact, that's me to a tee.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Oct 23 - 11:21 PM

I have resisted Apple products for years. At work there were some Apple workstations but it was always a matter of learning where to click to make things work. They were contrary to the Windows setup. It didn't seem to be worth the trouble.

As far as tablets go, stepping up from the Amazon Fire tablet to the Samsung tablet has been a huge improvement in my ability to load the kind of content I want to see. And now that I have Samsung equipment in place with the accompanying Samsung accounts, any future new equipment should be easier to deploy.

In the sewing studio furniture has been moved enough to create a space to move easily from either sewing machine to the ironing board. Endorphins have been generated. :-) The shelves in the 5x6 cubby are reachable, as are the drawers in the two dressers in the room. It may not get much better.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 11:53 AM

The former setup in the sewing studio allowed me to reach a small table equidistant from both machines. The new setup still needs a small table between them to hold tools. I have books filling one of the cubbies that I can move into a little antique side table where the weight would stabilize it some. Until this week it stood under the window with a radio and potted plant (and it looks like the "before" version). On top a black rectangular heavy duty disposable tray will corral presser feet, seam ripper, bodkin, bobbins, etc.

I'll note here that every time there were receptions in the university library the caterers dumped all of the heavy duty black plastic trays into a large trash can in our little service kitchen. We'd rescue those platters to use some to use for our own in-house department events and the rest were taken home. I have several under potted plants on the sunroom plant stands. A couple are stored for use during larger family meals and at least this one is in use in the sewing studio. It has always bothered me that the way to keep university events more affordable was to throw away so much plastic instead of using durable materials they would wash and reuse.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Oct 23 - 11:39 PM

The next door neighbor's tree dropped branches tonight in a huge thunderstorm. So much rain that when looking out the front door I couldn't see past the curb about 25' away. The limbs took down my clothesline and on one end pulled the newly installed galvanized fence post crooked. Fixable, no insurance needed, but it was a lot of wood that blew over the fence. It's a big box elder that has lived much longer than they normally do around here.

It's a busy day tomorrow and it looks like I'll be starting early - the neighbors will be here to collect the branches.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Oct 23 - 11:25 AM

The huge box elder next door is smaller by several good sized upper limbs after last night's heavy rain, hail, and wind gusts. The one hitting the clothesline also put a deep bend in a top rail of the dog kennel. They feel bad about the mess, but my old hackberry nearly took out their garden shed one year, so these things happen. I've stuffed the trash can at the curb full of a few of the big old sunflowers that all toppled last night. The wood will probably wait until December to go to bulky waste, though Abby ZurSchmiede on Facebook (Harpgirl on Mudcat) has been experimenting with hugulkulture beds and now would be a good time to try it with all of this extra around. The premise is to construct a raised bed over a bottom layer of cut up limbs and rotting wood. She has a galvanized frame around hers, but you could also simply bevel the sides. Keep it to a size so you can reach into it without having to step in it.

Temperatures are cooler, humidity is close to 100%. After 3-4" of rain the yard is gumbo. My plans for the day have changed somewhat.

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

I am so happy to be back at home.

The Getaway is objectively wonderful, and I love the people I see there. But getting there, and getting home again, is most definitely not even half the fun. Or any of the fun, come to think of it.

When I made the trip with Edmund, I had the pleasure of his company, of course, but I also benefited from his efforts to read maps and road signs, watch for over-caffeinated Porsches, enter data in the SATNAV, keep me supplied with Altoids, and find eating establishments that would do better than provide mere calories. He would also carry the guitar despite the military rule of “one man, one kit”. On my own, I was bossed around by the SATNAV and seemed unable to locate a McDonald’s with an operational milkshake machine.

Next year, I’ll fly.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Oct 23 - 12:00 AM

It is eight or nine years since I made a long drive anywhere, and when I roadtrip I am a user of paper maps. Google maps is in my phone and I consult it for traffic in town, but I'm not a fan of bossy navigation devices. That said, it's good that you made the trip however you chose to navigate; the synergy of trips to events like the Getaway end up being greater than the sum of their parts. Cliche, yes, but there is a lot to think about after a trip, and that is the value of it.

This evening a friend and I went to hear a talk by LeVar Burton, actor/writer/host/podcaster/activist who fortuitously happens to be here during Banned Books Week. That led to some interesting parts of his remarks. Dinner before the lecture was at a New Jersey style deli and probably two days worth of sodium, but so good! My friend took the most beautiful photo of his half of the sandwich (we shared the full-size hoagy) and the light was perfect when he took photographed his sandwich. I'll put it on Instagram later. :)

Late tomorrow afternoon is my appointment to drop off craft stuff at the donation place, so before I head out I have time to add to the boxes. As it is I'm offloading the filing cabinet, clearing several cubic feet of space in my hall. This was a busy week with a few unexpected twists, but in general very productive.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Oct 23 - 11:12 AM

After several of us picked up pieces of the next door exploded box elder, it seems that just a (long) block away there was much more drama. We can count ourselves lucky that messed up tree crown was the worst of it. A line of tree service trucks were lined up on the other side of the creek to shred downed trees as they were removed, and in the block beyond that the sagging power lines were fortunately intact at the intersection where they were boring to install a new wooden telephone pole after the previous one snapped.

The UPSP's Informed Delivery tells me that the long-awaited letter regarding the retirement pension has finally landed at the post office. Once I have that in hand I'll file the official change of address and declutter myself of that $250 a year expense. They misspelled my name on the address, so I'm hoping I don't have to jump through hoops to fix that.

In a less pleasant decluttering, my gastroenterologist's office sent a text saying five years is up. Enough about that (but if you're of an age, do it. It can save your life - my cousin's husband put it off way too long and ended up with an involved surgery that did save his life.)

Now to load the SUV with craft donations then into the sewing studio to see if there is anything more to evict before this afternoon's appointment.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Oct 23 - 11:06 AM

Craft donations dropped, and calf muscle pulled in the process. Hoping it isn't a tear. My heel was wedged against the parking bumper behind my SUV when I leaned into the compartment and Zing! went something in my calf. Now I'm limping and hoping it will heal. I still need to exercise, but will be very cautious about what moves I do.

59^o this morning when I walked into the back with the dogs before their breakfast (I find this short trip before meals saves me some of the droppings cleanup behind the old Labrador retriever.) Highs in the low-70s today, low-80's tomorrow, before next week heats up to mid-80s. It still doesn't feel very fall-like.

Before heading to the donation appointment yesterday I did one more dive into my mother's craft stuff in a couple of drawers and pulled out a handful of items I will never use (or didn't know what they are for). In a couple of instances I split the difference, keeping one or two items I might use and sending the rest to their next jobs. I had a specialized sewing measurement curved ruler that I hadn't used in 50 years, I'm not likely to now. If I need help adjusting a pattern, I can ask my daughter to do it. :)

Today I need to spend time in the garden.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 23 - 10:32 AM

While clearing in the sewing studio I found Mom's favorite tablecloth used for special meals during my childhood. It has a white field with a red rose print and spent several days soaking in non-chlorine bleach but a few stains had set over the years. My next move is to carefully treat the spots.

The pulled muscle is still tender but much improved. I must resist the impulse to overdo for the time being so I don't aggravate it before it heals completely.

The forest floor is on full display in my den. The proliferation of tree limbs knocked down through the yard contributed a lot of chew material for the dogs and I've evicted several branches dragged in through the dog door. Tomorrow is trash day so I'll sweep and vacuum to send a lot of it out (for the time being.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 11:05 AM

Dupont:

house guest from BC for a few days as he visits with QC friends. Then hs is off to NC - near Raleigh for a longer visit to his "home turf" A war resistor, he has lived in Canada for 45 years but likes to go back to the known weather and accents of his childhood. A quiet guest but needy re how to get places. R took him to the city today and we can only hope he will find his way, via the bus system, back this aft. Or I can fetch him from a bus stop not to far away. Surely he will make it across the River! Tomorrow he goes away for a couple days; back to attend at Yellow Door Friday eve. He has heard about - through me - for 45 years but never been there. I alerted Marc, who now keeps it open on Friday eves. Hope a few people show up! His FB page is not very helpful, starting out with something about August!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 11:55 AM

Dupont:

Brain fog!!

Thinking of Charmion and her stop in Gettysburg! (blech!) Paul will be stopping in Harrisburg on way to NC. He may find a couch; he is connected with at least one of those sorts of sites for traveling from home to home/ couch to couch? - I guess it is. He drove here from BC, stopping to visit on the way. I suspect he has developed a network of possibles over the years. R and I have used airbnb a few times with good results.

Books are mostly in the basement Library now. Hallway still has a surfeit of objects that need to be re-homed. BUT R spent the weekend closing holes in the attic to, hopefully, keep out bats and squirrels, and closed the hatch to keep in our heat! Not turning on furnace yet but keeping minimal heat in the areas we use - Den, BR and the Kitchen- use helps provide part of that.

Made a huge Thanksgiving dinner (on Sunday) for the 3 of us. And we enjoyed it - for two days so far! 16 pound turkey was overkill but a big chunk will go into freezer after Paul leaves; he puts away a great deal of food!! - Long, lean and only 71. In the meantime - every day is Thanksgiving!

We have had lovely pastries from the bakery in southern QC. I boo-booed and went down on Weds - "only Thurs, Fri, Sat" declared the lovely young clerk! So I went back on Friday, bought lots of yummies, had lunch with Geri, and took photos of the kiln I am selling - she says "yes" and we need to arrange a pick up time. SOON! With the weather in mind.

And yesterday!!!!! R spent most of the day removing offensive floor boards in den - they had buckled and were a hazard. Removed and all crud removed, tediously!, from each one, they now lay flat - only need to be battened down. I will suggest glue. These are 100 years old - maple, I think. R seemed to go into a meditative state doing this - to most people - tedious task! A terrific sense of accomplishment. And I can cross the room (the buckle was right in the middle!) without fearing a fall.

NOW, I would like a load of firewood! Before heavy winter!!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 12:00 PM

Since Saturday I have had symptoms of a head cold; COVID tests on successive days are negative, and in hindsight I caught it from the friend I met last Thursday. I assumed the cough was because he quit smoking recently, and I don't think he'd had many other symptoms himself at that point.

I pulled a box of herbal tea bags out of the tea cart; it's a "throat coat" variety with slippery elm and it does feel good. Celestial Seasonings used to make one, but this is from Traditional Medicinals. Years ago I gave some of this to a friend whose husband was a music producer and they loved it enough to keep it in stock in the house for when performers came through the studio. I can claim responsibility for Dionne Warwick falling for this stuff. (He worked with Burt Bacharach and his ilk for years.) Turning this into a musical thread.

The sewing room clear out has progressed well. To test the storage system for starting this quilting project I spent 30 minutes last night sorting the big bin of scraps from the last couple of years of mask making. They were three layer masks, a colorful front, a light color liner and a flannel inside, so a bin for each. I also cut up a lot of t-shirts to make the stretchy non-raveling yarn for the ties, and I dropped all of the seam edges and such in the bin. They're beautiful colors but I think I'll see if there are fiber artists who can use them.

Handling the scraps from masks has been like visiting old friends because I chose a lot of patterns to reflect interests and ideas. In the early days of COVID before we could go out I dug into my stash and even took apart some garments I never wore to make into masks. Small patterns so a number of them would be recognizable on the face of each mask will also be effective in crumb quilts.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 01:45 PM

Having almost rested up from my American odyssey of last week, on Sunday I took off to Windsor for Thanksgiving dinner with SIL 2 and her family, including three grandsons who are still in the feral cat phase of childhood. Windsor is three hours’ drive from Stratford, so today I’m resting up from the road trip encore.

Autumnal weather has finally arrived. It took long enough; last Wednesday, when I crossed the border at Queenston Heights, southwestern Ontario was sweltering under a heat wave that had hovered around 30°C for a week. Conditions like that after the equinox are very unusual. We should have had our first frost by now, but the dreary rain phase — normal in mid-September — has only just begun.

Two weeks ago I fell in a poorly-lit restaurant, acquiring a couple of huge bruises that are just beginning to heal. At the allergist’s office this morning, I revealed one of them when I pulled up my sleeve for the needle and then had to spend ten minutes reassuring the nurse that I’m okay etc, etc, etc. Good thing she didn’t see the saucer-sized purple blotch on my thigh, where I hit the floor first! The damage would have been a lot worse if I hadn’t done a paratrooper’s tuck-and-roll landing to avoid the furniture.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 02:39 PM

I'm sorry you fell - though I'd have paid money to see that roll, Charmion! It sounds impressive. I'm glad someone saw the bruise just to be sure it isn't anything more.

My haircut tomorrow has been postponed so my quiet week at home continues. I missed a docent training today, but I can get caught up next week. The neti pot is deployed a couple of times a day to sooth the sinuses. It sometimes used to smart to use table salt in the water; I switched to using pickling salt and it feels great (Pickling salt doesn't have additives to keep it from clumping and no iodine, etc.)

This afternoon I'll poke around in the garden to work the soil for planting my zucchini and cucumbers started from seed. It won't be too vigorous because this soil was worked once in the spring and will be pliable after the big rain last week. I hate to miss taking advantage of good weather, but the fence will wait another week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Oct 23 - 05:02 PM

I don't bounce as i did in my youth, that's for sure, and my lack of depth perception (only one eye that works) can get me into trouble in dim light. The restaurant was one of those burger places with booths that you step up into, and -- not seeing the difference in floor level -- I forgot to step down when scrambling out. Then my heel caught the edge of the invisible step, and over I went. Not fun; the bruises hurt for days.

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

I'm to the point when this cold could manifest a sinus infection or bronchitis, so will see my GP's nurse practitioner today. Call from your car when you arrive, they send someone out to swab for COVID and flu tests and when they're sure it isn't one of those you can go in. Efficiencies like this might have seemed rude before COVID. In addition to possible antibiotics, I'll ask for a cough syrup Rx. Last night when I dug around the pantry looking for a bottle I decluttered two - one was 9 years old, the other, 11. I don't catch colds often.

Meanwhile I finished the first sort of a bin of scrap fabric, but there are more containers and bags with scraps so I'll round them up to see what's inside. To offload what I don't need I looked at the scraps offered on eBay—I bypassed the ones selling individual fat quarters or by X number of pieces, I'll mimic the sellers who list by the pound. Keywords in the title will be something along the lines of "Quilt fabric lot scraps, squares, strips, string, crumb." It's time for another eBay adventure.

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

Like Charmion's bruises have bloomed since she fell - this cold has continued to grow since I caught it. I may have to sleep in the recliner tonight to stay upright enough to breathe.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 12 Oct 23 - 05:18 PM

Dupont:

With some help from friends, I am over the shock phase and re-joining life. I felt like getting up this am and cooked BF for R and self then went off to cross the bridge to the city! An email to the grocer from which I have been purchasing a particular choc bar/with almonds, elicited info that they were de-listing it! So I went to the nearest of their shops (no one else carries it) and found 4 bars.

Then went to customer Service to find if there were any more. The candy person came out and told me "no but they would get more tomorrow!" I, then, wandered around this large, well, arranged store to see if there was anything else I wanted - yep! real oat flakes! Bought one each of two brands! Looked for pumpernickel bread but none better than what I order... BUT - over there, on a shelf with non-related foods, were five more of the choc bars! So a few weeks supply came home. I shall keep foraging; Go back. on Friday for more. AND maybe they will keep stocking them!

It was fun exploring a well-stocked - kind of - store. So I went to a dept store (Hudson Bay) and looked at sale clothes. The only thing at a kind of reasonable price, still cost more than the total cost of my attire. (All from thrift shops.) I left without bags. thought: If you buy stuff do you need your own bag? I would, of course, refuse a bag and just roll it up and throw it in the car.

That was enough exploring so I came home for lunch and emails and mudcat and exploring sites re APD and the brain. MIT is doing some interesting work.

A musician friend responded to my concern with one of his own: "the entire process of music and hearing is a scary mystery. when I have my headphones on (to help me cocoon and sleep) and I play guitar (to learn the feel of the instrument and of the vibrations in my chest) I am aware that my pitch awareness is radically diminished. everything sounds higher (or is it lower) than it actually is. certain frequency ranges affected more than others. the brain is a fragile and magnificent thing. get your hearing checked!"

I am not concerned about my hearing; I am concerned about the brain waves - where they go or don't go; how they work or do not work. The work at MIT ... Lots of people have these problems and the neuro-scientists seem to be starting to get a handle on them. I look at how shut out I have felt for 20 years and - How many other people? And what this does to our social fabric? How much of the violence is by people who feel isolated???

Robin took our guest to the Laurentiens yesterday thinking he would check on a property up there but he did not have the right key so he had a great day visiting Paul's friend who lives off the grid in a very impressive manner. All that fresh air brought him home early and asleep early!

Tomorrow we are going to the Yellow Door. I did not realize that Paul has been hearing about it 45 years but never been. Hope there are enough people in attendance...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Oct 23 - 06:46 PM

Dorothy, it sounds like time to let some professionals start the hearing exams, and if you can schedule a specialist, get their input. Guessing and diagnosing it yourself can only go so far. And you can scare yourself.

Explosive coughs today, the kind that jolt you out of sleep. Drinking lots of fluids. A friend stopped by today and left me with a fresh box of Puff's super soft super strong tissues. They'll get put to use!

Still finding and removing interesting stuff in the sewing studio, and today I added one thing - a small electric bobbin winder. The winder on my oldest machine stops winding thread at about half-full on the bobbin so I have to change them more often than I like. I haven't been able to trick it into filling more without messing up the tension. This one should give me more thread while at the same time not overfilling because then they can jam. (For any lurkers who sew, the device is called a Sidewinder by Simplicity. There is a DeLuxe version that has a more involved setup, but the basic original does the job for me.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Oct 23 - 08:14 AM

Stilly, that cough, and the need to sit up to get any sleep at all, mean you have bronchitis. Have you seen any kind of medic about it?

Check the colour of the stuff that comes up when you cough; if it’s yellow to green, there’s a bacterial infection cooking in your lungs, and an antibiotic drug is called for.

I’ve been there way too often.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Oct 23 - 12:17 PM

Agreed - bronchitis is horrible. Wednesday's appointment with the PA got the strong decongestant and so far there is mostly clear in the cough and sneeze; if by this afternoon things have gone pear-shaped she'll prescribe the antibiotic before the weekend. I've had bronchitis a time or two, it's terrible, but taking a course of antibiotics invariably results in a yeast infection, so I wait until it is really necessary to take them, they're not my early go-to treatment. The knee surgeries resulted in my system being awash with antibiotics and for the second one I had several doses of Fluconazole at the ready. Meanwhile, the neti pot has helped soothe and clear sinuses.

Errands have piled up this week; I have to go out today because the dog food is running low and I have to do laundry because I'm down to the last pair of underwear. The weather has been gorgeous and I really resent this cold for taking me out of commission for work I could have been doing outside. I know how I caught it, and I won't make that mistake again.