DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023

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