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DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023
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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. |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. |
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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 . . . |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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.) |
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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. |
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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). |
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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. |
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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.) |
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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! |
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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? |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 11 Apr 23 - 11:13 AM And though I mentioned earlier about putting a box of rocks into my brother's truck, I have been known to mail rocks to people. Not such a heavy batch as that, but still, rocks. And I'm about to mail something almost as heavy, antique beach glass and potsherds picked up on the east coast. Weighs. A. Ton. Relatively speaking for the size it takes up. Good thing Priority Mail boxes are flat rate. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 11 Apr 23 - 10:24 PM Dupont: The stuff at the mill MY stuff - is only there because the place is so impossibly disorganized that I have not been able to find the good stuff since it was moved there. I organized my section of the move perfectly, only to have it turned totally backwards and then all manner of stuff placed a round it so I could not find anything or even get near to where I thought things were. R is responsible - but not responsible IMO! "Someone else did it." His employees or tenants: "You are responsible for what they do!" Then. of course, there was the break-in when things were vandalized, tossed about... So Sunday, we actually found those few precious boxes - books and albums. I needed his help moving stuff and still ached fiercely after the 3 hour search. Exhausted by happy to find treasures. R knows he has too much stuff... Right now there is a stack of boxes of books sitting in the back yard with a tarp over them! Some are moldy and he does not want to put them in the basement library. He pondered using the oxonater, if he had a container - "What about the old frig out there?" This may happen before rain comes. Today, I went to the mill to get a bucket of glaze I could have brought back last trip... And dug up some dwarf purple iris and a couple other unknown perennials I planted several years ago. They will find new homes here. Then I went to buy a couple items at an organic store - but their electric was off and they, reasonably, were not opening the freezer. So I started back but decided to check the bakery in St. Antoine - closed! but took Rita (very close by) some tall iris from here and a soap dish to sell with her beautiful soaps. Need to make her more. Sent customer a video of current bowls; He declared them beautiful and will come by "later in the week" to choose. I spent some time on line looking at other CA potters pricing so I do not charge too little. Keeping in mind this is a bulk order but may lead to more, apparently snd I may be "retired" but do want to be fair to me! Also researched innards to make the corner K cabinet more efficient. R brought a nice set of SS pots and I need storage space. As in one of those twirly things. Found one and will consult with he who must install. I know SRS could but my body no longer endures ... Oh, I cleaned the first floor - much improved! And scrubbed the yucky dish drainer - Any water that sits becomes brownish. Ans sometimes stinks of chlorine - a major enemy! |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: pattyClink Date: 12 Apr 23 - 10:36 AM SRS, you deserve the pretty chert/opal as a storage fee over the years! Nice of you to not chuck them, they may be unusual/irreplaceable to him. There are a few I've had to leave along the way I wish I had back. Visited the storage unit yesterday, swapped out a few summer and winter clothes and shoes, transferred the several flats of rocks to an empty shelf on an old microwave cart, they fit perfectly and I won't need them this summer, til I find a home base. With my luck, I'll find the perfect home base next month and regret not having them onboard, but, who knows what the summer will bring? |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Donuel Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:10 AM 19 million people in the US suffer from hoarding disorders. Spring cleaning began with the dining room and carport. I'm using clever tapestries of bookcases etc. to enhance clutter-free areas with the look of real clutter :^/ On to the walk-in closet that I turned into an office I never used. Back to a closet it goes. I get to use a sledgehammer, yaaa I did hedging today but Lawn mowing tomorrow. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Charmion Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:16 AM Four pairs of new-to-me trousers went to the tailor to be shortened yesterday. Straight-legged jeans with the waistband in the right place are finally back in fashion, so I bought some on eBay for about half the price I would pay at the mall. No driving, either. I put on about five pounds over the winter -- due, I'm sure, to walking far less than I do when the air doesn't hurt my face and the sidewalk isn't a slip-and-fall hazard. But now the ice has gone, the sun is shining and the daffs are on the brink of bloom, so the time has come to let the cats have the comfy chair. Neil and Jane across the street put out their birdhouse this morning. Ready or not, it's Spring. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 Apr 23 - 11:19 AM Patty, my brother was a geology major, and I spent two years working as a Geology professor's lab assistant. We were both mountain climbers, and we picked up rocks along the way. If you find it on the way up you can't leave it hoping you'll find it on the way back down because you'll never see it again, so several rocks went up and back. While seated on the summit of Glacier Peak (in the North Cascades) I randomly picked up a smallish piece of pumice and it rattled around in the top flap pocket of my day pack for ages before I set it aside at home. Maybe an inch across, it was quite airy and had some tiny black crystals - I think a hornblend. Later I happened to be talking to a climbing friend who described a display of the rocks he'd picked up on each climb, but he'd neglected to get one on Glacier Peak. He was considering climbing it again to get a rock so was thrilled when I offered the little piece I had (we were both in the climb that day.) I later saw the display and it was lovely. Dorothy, good luck with getting Robin to organize his stuff. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 12 Apr 23 - 08:16 PM Dupont: I am not responsible for R's stuff! Except to have a hemorage (sp) when it starts to creep out of control. The LR/DR - The west half of the 1st floor, it fairly sacred - the "Parlor"! IT is lovely - except for the cunningly stuck out of the way (mostly!) ceiling fixtures which may eventually find homes. There is hope for the Kitchen cabinet... Maybe. He approved my idea ... NOW! the ice is - mostly- off the back deck and there is serious need for new decking... On my mind - how to get this done when he has already asserted "No time this year". And finding someone to do it - Even our friend who runs a superb reno business cannot hire competent workers. R has several major tasks needing immediate attention in his commercial buildings - And one of his two competent staff got tired of waiting and took work elsewhere. R offered to pay him just to keep him around but he needs to be doing! Desperately hoping he will come back soon! Tenants need to move in! (and pay rent)!! So, back porch... I replanted some of the iris and the "whatever" in the front gardens here. And did some clean up in the small veggie bed out back. Crocuses blooming in front garden and in the "pasture" on the side yard - planted long ago. Coltsfoot also in bloom! And daffies getting there. I shall be delighted when it gets warm enough to put the canna out - after their winter in the hallway with minimal water which seems to have kept them small enough to handle. I could soon (as my energy arrives) put them in large pots in prep for their return to outdoors. A whole bunch of them! Bright yellow! Looking on Marketplace for a bookshelf for my books - I have a spot in the corner of the den. There is one not too far off - if I can get approval from R for it before it is gone. Spring!!! A great time for organizing!! |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 13 Apr 23 - 12:17 PM Periodically I've sold jeans on eBay, usually something I randomly discover at the thrift store that is in perfect condition and is a name brand, like 501 jeans. You can make a nice profit and still undersell the retail stores. It takes careful measuring to add to the listing or you're peppered with questions from prospective buyers. The crutches were delivered yesterday and pronounced perfect. We struggled to take the heavy-duty rubber ferrules off of the pair she had been using and put them on the new-to-her crutches; I think that's how I ended up with a kink in my back last night. The microwave heat pad was deployed to good effect at bedtime. Sounds like a cute little office Don. I know of lots of radio people who during COVID at home work recorded their pieces in closets so the garments could prevent the echo of a larger room sound. Two friends handed me bags with canning jars yesterday so there are six pints and a jelly jar in the dishwasher that will go back into the empties later today. I give away a lot of glass each year and rely on people to occasionally stumble across a bunch of jars and think of me. A friend in New York who sells lots of things online has found another source of income - he dug out his smut collection. Not the fungal disease on ears of corn smut, this is the Tom Lehrer usage of the word. I'll be curious to learn how he manages to sell it (when a scan to use for an ad can be just about as good as having the original). Next month will be another no-spend month after March pretty much blew me out of the water with subscription renewals and human and pet medications and such all landing around the same time. I am still drawing down the 3/4 full freezer and I'm cooking more from scratch to reduce salt levels. My salt-free canned tomatoes will go for pasta sauce for a while. For regular activities, the gym is free to me (Silver Sneakers) and I have a good supply of self-care products and clothes that fit. Seeds for the garden instead of buying bedding plants, etc., they need to be deployed this year. I've started changing addresses so one necessary purchase is the new mailbox. I set my post office box renewal down to six months. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Charmion Date: 13 Apr 23 - 08:06 PM Eight more boxes of books went down the road to the Goodwill bookstore in London today, and tomorrow one 80-cm bookcase will go to live with Serena the Fiddle, who has music all over her studio floor. With any luck, a second bookcase will soon leave with Mary-Anne the Guitar, whose teenaged son is piling books on his bedroom floor. Fortunately, the typical Mennonite family van — always black — is great for moving furniture or pretty well anything bigger than a breadbox and smaller than a Buick. I hope Serena is bringing at least her husband and, if I’m really lucky, another strong male person. Then I plan to wheedle them into moving all three bookcases to the garage. But I’m done hauling boxes for quite a while. My back has had quite enough. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Apr 23 - 12:19 AM In her teen years my daughter's bedroom reached a point where there wasn't a square foot of exposed floor with all of the paper, books, clothes, and junk. I went to work building a set of cubbies six tall, five across, 15 inches deep and they are each about 13" square. Made of plywood uprights and pegged holes to hold up the shelves, we managed to get her floor completely exposed. Many years later I packed up the contents of the shelves and use it now for my sewing stuff. I had to take one bedroom door off of its hinges to angle it into this room, so it isn't moving again soon. Yesterday in the Halal grocery I was in the checkout line behind a couple who had loaded up on good ingredients for Ramadan dinners (jug of EV olive oil, lots of veggies, chick peas, lentils, etc.) including a large box of Medjool dates. I have a bunch of dates from one of those boxes now in jars in the fridge. He told me about a favorite snack of theirs - take a date and slice one side to remove the pit, then stuff in a couple of pecan halves. You can reshape the date around the nuts and it's like a nutty candy. I tried it, after warming the date in the microwave for a few seconds. What a wonderful sweet and crunchy snack! If you used salted pecans it would be even better, but I'm going low salt these days. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Apr 23 - 10:43 AM My calendar shows several days without volunteer shifts scheduled, temperatures forecast in the 70s, so it looks like in addition to mowing and digging garden beds I'll be putting up the next fence panel, and once the current pickets are up off of the garage floor, shopping for the next set of pickets (and a gallon of wood preservative). I have to move this along because there are a few old pickets almost falling down off the existing fence. (I put that up in 2005, so it has had a good long run. I fixed the fences when my first dog, the charming and whip-smart pitbull Cinnamon, arrived and decided to stay. There is no such thing as a "free dog.") The old fence was Douglas fir or pine pickets, attached with nails. The next iteration of yard fence is treated cedar attached with screws. Hopefully to have an equally long life. The garage can use more cleaning, and I have 20+ year old pump still in the box that takes up space and I should consider selling, because I don't think I'll ever get around to running a line into the creek to water the yard with it (though that was what the previous homeowners did - I bought a new model of the old rusted pump that was in the yard when I moved in.) |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Charmion Date: 14 Apr 23 - 07:43 PM The bookcase move is done. One to a new family, two in the garage awaiting disposition. Now I can clean that side of the library and start shifting stuff around into a more … shall we say … aesthetically pleasing arrangement. Also easier to clean — a non-negligible virtue. Before too much more time passes, I want that room painted. At present, it is decorated in contrasting shades of aubergine and pale puce. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 15 Apr 23 - 12:12 PM I've enjoyed having the hall bathroom a bright yellow, but probably should tone it down with a new paint color one of these days. I think it startles people when they walk into it. A pair of jeans is back in circulation after a patch was applied below a back pocket where a spot was too thin to wear in polite company. I know the trend is to wear holey pants, but I feel no need to advertise the color of my underwear. Yesterday's run to the post office resulted in quite a haul of stuff that needs address changes, so today's big projects - after I put up the next fence panel I'll buy more pickets and pick up the new mailbox. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Steve Shaw Date: 15 Apr 23 - 03:07 PM Your jeans tale reminds me of an issue I have that I find completely inexplicable. I have two identical pairs of shorts that I bought from Mountain Warehouse at the same time several years ago. They're the only pants* I wear routinely, in rotation every washing interval. One pair is completely fine, but the zip on the other pair simply will not stay up. I've been caught out once in polite company and twice in public in the last week. As they refuse to wear out they have now been relegated to gardening use only (we have no neighbours). *Pandering there to American usage of the word. I do not refer to my underwear on Mudcat... :-) |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Charmion Date: 15 Apr 23 - 07:09 PM Steve, a safety pin will keep a non-compliant zipper in place for as long as you need to pop out to the shops and buy a replacement zipper. After next washday, take the shorts and the new zipper to your local clothing fixer-upper, who may be calling herself a tailor or an alterations specialist. Bob may not be your uncle, but you have options. I have spent the entire day cleaning and moving books — that is, the books I intend to keep. The bathroom project left plaster dust throughout the house so it had to be done, but holy moly! According to my Fitbit, I logged 7,364 steps without even leaving the house, just back and forth across the library and up and down the stairs. I am now bushed, and drinking beer. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Steve Shaw Date: 15 Apr 23 - 08:17 PM Well, as the shorts cost me twelve quid (special offer), on top of the fact that I bought a job lot at the time, I think I might forgo the expense of a zip repair! The safety pin notion appeals slightly more... |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 15 Apr 23 - 10:41 PM I had a pair split completely down the back seam and was clueless until someone tapped my shoulder in Home Depot. :-( I grabbed one of the nail aprons they sell and wrapped it around behind me. Another fence panel is up and looks good. It was too late today to make a run for more pickets because there are two places I want to visit in the area but one will be closed soon. A trip tomorrow will be soon enough. Start to finish the panel took probably 90 minutes. I need to finish a job in the attic but that's tied to a larger rewiring of my home network in the closet. This needs to be finished before hot weather turns the attic into an oven. I have stuff from the garage loaded in the SUV for Goodwill, so tomorrow I'll take out the donation bin in the laundry room and make a thrift store run. It's time to give the floors a good cleaning—sweep, vacuum, and mop. And the dogs will be shedding more soon, so I need to get ahead of it. If I were to hire a housecleaner, it would be to do the floors every couple of weeks. I had a housecleaner years ago who did a great job, mostly floors, but she died and I didn't have the heart to find someone else. Maybe it's time. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Charmion Date: 16 Apr 23 - 07:20 AM In Canada, we have yet another of our famous compromises for the pants issue. “Pants”, as such, are the outer garment, paraded before the world. “Underpants” are the private, personal, intimate garment that no one but the wearer needs to know about. Likewise, we wear “shirts” and “undershirts”. Try it. You’ll like it. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Steve Shaw Date: 16 Apr 23 - 09:24 AM I'm a boxer-shorts man and all my boxers are multicoloured. If I ever have to change my trousers in a car park, after a wedding or funeral, say, then paradoxically my cheery boxers would attract far less disapproval from the observing masses than tight-fitting pure white budgie-smugglers, I suspect. One does still try to be discreet, of course. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 16 Apr 23 - 10:46 AM Martha Stewart Living has lots of ideas out there, not all of them aimed at my income category, but here's one that probably applies to anyone with a house. How to Deep Clean Your Home in a Single Day—Plus, the Hourly Schedule You Need to Get the Job Done. It does miss the office and the front room, but then, both of those rooms are dust repositories that are beyond even Martha. If deep cleaning is something you need to motivate yourself to do, then getting this done in a day every few months is a good approach. (The cupboards can stay how they are - time saved there. That's one area I organized several years ago and keep tidy.) For today's running I printed out the two prices for the mailbox and will see if Lowe's will meet the Home Depot price ($5 less). The tarp and gloves are ready for loading pickets, and a trip to the gym is on the list of things to do. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 16 Apr 23 - 02:11 PM Never mind on the running. I compared boxes and narrowed down the "anti-fishing" boxes that prevent people pulling mail out of the slot—it really comes down to one manufacturer. Then to find the best price and size. SO, eBay has one that is $25 less, is new, is the style and color I want to buy, and fingers crossed there can't be much wrong with a steel box they ship. eBay has a money back policy even if the seller doesn't (I am also cautious about a generous return policy - I don't need to pay someone else's shipping so they can try on something and send it back.) Mailboxes are less problematic than vintage electronic items. And a cost-saving note: that CapitalOne Shopping app (a Chrome browser extension) pointed me to the eBay site and gave another $12 in a coupon they shared. So, it's a good deal. Earworm alert: As I was scrolling through YouTube review and unpacking videos to get a better look at mailboxes, music videos were suggested alongside. Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" is looping through my head now. I love it, but now to shake it loose. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 16 Apr 23 - 09:05 PM Dupont: Because life threw a curve. I had meant to go to BEaver on Friday. Had it all organized to pick up clay and keep on going... But the fellow who wants to pick up bowls has not yet appeared. Then the trip to get clay and come back took two harrowing hours. Had I gone straight on, it would have been less trafficky. I was exhausted still yesterday. The clay was meant for Beaver but I had ordered and paid and arranged pick up so the clay will sit in car, along with the unchanged summer tires! Need to get serious about getting that DONE! While Charmion gets rid of book cases 5 hours away, I am looking for said on Marketplace, hopefully one to be picked up on Tuesday. A beautiful one with doors was deemed too far away... R et al went down to NYS yesterday am and I got a text from... the locale of said cupboard! It had not been arranged and they did not have a truck! Oh well. Hopefully, I can get my books onto shelves on Weds! Got R to bring the small pottery wheel down to porch and finally got around to using it this afternoon - a few soap dishes and a few small bowls... And rain pending early tomorrow... Currently covered with tarp but if I get up before the rain, I may be able to finish them and get them to safety. The wheel is well covered. A work in progress - in more ways ... But it was nice to sit out on the porch with the birds and the rabbits and squirrels. Shady area. As for "Deep Cleaning..." I suppose that could include the !@#$%^&* radiators. I have dreams of hiring someone. I look at those things and ... Hire someone! FB page "Chateauguay Chit Chat" might be an asking place. Some people seem to manage it. An "interesting" mix of people - from quite nice to off the wall foolish/silly/idiotic... Like most places. Now, R's birthday is in 9 days do I am here until then. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 17 Apr 23 - 12:38 AM Here are some talented folks and this video is engrossing. Building a small house - somewhere in Europe? This "short version" is 25 minutes (scroll down in the notes to find a link to a longer video). Be mesmerized. |
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER * Health/Home Ecologic-Innovation *2023 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 17 Apr 23 - 11:28 AM I just walked my jar of vanilla-flavored artificial sweetener out to the curb and dropped it in the trash—the first ingredient is a bad one. Darn! I only use it in my smoothies to give a little vanilla and sweetness because the yogurt is pretty tart and cancels out the sweet bananas. Strawberries can use a little sugar also (to my taste, mind you.) I don't use Aspartame (makes me sick) or other big-name artificial sweeteners like Splenda, but a story on NPR this morning talked about a new report regarding an additive called Erythritol, made from corn, that bulks up artificial sweeteners (used in conjunction with several I don't use and with stevia, that I do use. Saccharine seems to be unaffected by this - I use those pink packets in restaurant iced tea.) Used a lot in weight loss or Keto situations, it can cause heart problems. Great. And here's the problem: Here’s where it gets really tricky. You could be eating foods that contain erythritol and not even know it. I use straight powdered stevia, that's all that is supposedly in the jar. But I need to look into it, learn if they use anything they don't name. In other news, my little camera sold on eBay. That goes a long way to recouping the cost of the new lens for the big camera. It's not a very big item leaving the house, and it's a wash since a new lens entered, but every little bit helps. There are a few items from the garage cleanup in the trash this morning and it is a delightful space to work in now, so that was the big winner in the last few days. I still have to clear along the side of the garage and look for a misplaced watering tool since this morning I've realized that a pine in the front yard is dying. The "sick tree treatment" from my organic gardening guru has been known to help them, but I need the water auger to drill holes to aerate out there. It's around here somewhere. |
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