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DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024

Stilly River Sage 11 Apr 24 - 04:33 PM
Charmion 11 Apr 24 - 03:35 PM
Mrrzy 11 Apr 24 - 09:30 AM
Stilly River Sage 10 Apr 24 - 11:53 PM
Bat Goddess 10 Apr 24 - 08:02 PM
Bat Goddess 10 Apr 24 - 06:47 PM
Bat Goddess 10 Apr 24 - 09:54 AM
Stilly River Sage 09 Apr 24 - 10:37 PM
Bat Goddess 09 Apr 24 - 08:02 PM
Stilly River Sage 09 Apr 24 - 07:13 PM
pattyClink 09 Apr 24 - 07:06 PM
Bat Goddess 09 Apr 24 - 02:36 PM
Charmion 09 Apr 24 - 10:31 AM
Stilly River Sage 08 Apr 24 - 10:05 PM
Sandra in Sydney 08 Apr 24 - 07:24 PM
Charmion 08 Apr 24 - 01:27 PM
Dorothy Parshall 07 Apr 24 - 08:40 PM
Stilly River Sage 07 Apr 24 - 10:38 AM
Stilly River Sage 06 Apr 24 - 05:07 PM
Charmion 05 Apr 24 - 01:20 PM
Stilly River Sage 05 Apr 24 - 11:18 AM
Stilly River Sage 04 Apr 24 - 09:45 PM
Stilly River Sage 03 Apr 24 - 10:30 PM
Mrrzy 03 Apr 24 - 03:09 PM
Stilly River Sage 03 Apr 24 - 12:57 PM
Stilly River Sage 03 Apr 24 - 12:01 AM
Charmion 01 Apr 24 - 04:46 PM
Stilly River Sage 01 Apr 24 - 04:04 PM
Charmion 01 Apr 24 - 10:16 AM
Stilly River Sage 31 Mar 24 - 08:09 PM
keberoxu 31 Mar 24 - 06:48 PM
keberoxu 30 Mar 24 - 08:10 PM
Stilly River Sage 30 Mar 24 - 01:07 PM
Charmion 30 Mar 24 - 12:25 PM
Dorothy Parshall 30 Mar 24 - 11:50 AM
Stilly River Sage 29 Mar 24 - 12:31 PM
Charmion 29 Mar 24 - 11:13 AM
Stilly River Sage 29 Mar 24 - 10:20 AM
Charmion 29 Mar 24 - 09:30 AM
Stilly River Sage 28 Mar 24 - 08:20 PM
Charmion 28 Mar 24 - 07:29 PM
Stilly River Sage 28 Mar 24 - 05:17 PM
Stilly River Sage 28 Mar 24 - 12:29 PM
Stilly River Sage 27 Mar 24 - 11:11 PM
keberoxu 27 Mar 24 - 04:28 PM
Charmion 27 Mar 24 - 03:02 PM
Stilly River Sage 27 Mar 24 - 11:35 AM
Charmion 27 Mar 24 - 09:46 AM
Stilly River Sage 26 Mar 24 - 11:44 PM
pattyClink 26 Mar 24 - 09:53 PM
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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Apr 24 - 04:33 PM

Don't lose sight of ample sources of good fiber. When the Atkins diet (akin to Keto) became all the rage the discussion of acute constipation arose.

I buy several avocados at a time and make guacamole then mound it into ice cube trays to freeze for portions. It's best to let defrost at room temperature or for ~ 20 seconds at a time in the microwave (so you don't cook it.)

Gorgeous day today. So much to do, but will I get anything done at all?


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Apr 24 - 03:35 PM

I put away my laundry today, too.

Today I had lunch at the only restaurant I ever go to any more, where I shocked the cook by not ordering her (delicious) huevos rancheros. Instead, I had three scrambled eggs, four rashers, half an avocado, and black coffee. The world continues to revolve on its axis.

So far, going keto seems to be mostly about finding ways to add fat to the menu without resorting to ice cream.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Apr 24 - 09:30 AM

Keto for 4+ years.

Finally put away my clean laundry. Found that one garment I'd forgotten I was looking for...


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Apr 24 - 11:53 PM

My cat-sitting gig will end earlier than planned, and has gone remarkably free of complications because the cat that needs the most attention has been at the vet this week. I suspect the next gig will be one for the record books with new steps for the sickest one and changes in food for all feline family members.

Canine drama here at 4am; I woke to frantic barking and sounds of a struggle in the yard. I pulled on clothes and shoes and headed out with a flashlight (after covering the dog door in case someone got skunked - they get treated outside before they are allowed indoors) but it had concluded. I found no bodies, no injured dogs or wild animals, but there were whiffs of skunk. Odd, but no one is talking about what happened.

Allergies are hitting hard with the layers of antihistamines (daily tablet, nasal spray, overnight Benadryl) fully deployed.

The Dremel tool I ordered would have been too small for the task I have in mind (the tiny wire brushes are cute) so I picked up an inexpensive pack of wire brushes to use with my regular drill. Tomorrow I'll put on safety glasses, drape a heavy plastic bag over pants and shoes and test the cleaning ability on the BBQ grill. This setup is also what I need to clean surfaces before I paint all of the decorative security bars on the house windows, though that requires a softer abrasive kind of brush to scour the bars. I can see a number of long-envisioned projects getting done this spring. And it will make the house look brighter (right now the bars are painted with the original ugly dark gray that used to be on other parts of the house).

Patty, are you still on the road or have you found a place to settle?

Dorothy, I'm so pleased to read about R's attention and help and being able to make a drive.

How is everyone else doing this spring?


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Apr 24 - 08:02 PM

Forgot to mention my real score at Goodwill today — an Apple wireless keyboard for five bucks. Mine has been acting flakey lately, so tomorrow when I have more energy, I’ll put batteries in the new one and try it out.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Apr 24 - 06:47 PM

Just finished making the sauce for peanut butter-sesame noodles. I'm knackered, but I figured I could get that mixed up, the pasta cooked, and the scallions chopped.

After my postponed from Sunday weekly phone call with a musician/ librarian/ teacher friend who winters near Pensacola, I got the box I forgot yesterday into the car, and packaged up those DVDs and books so I could stop at the post office on my way to Goodwill.

Stopped, too, at RiteAid to get multi vitamins. I don't go into many stores other than the grocery store because concrete floors are very painful for me. (At the grocery store I use the cart as a "walker" of sorts.) When I came out of the drugstore, I figured it would be one thing too many to go to Market Basket to get a couple more six-packs of one of Polar's limited edition seltzers — Jalapeño Citrus Margarita. I seldom drink sodas because they're too sweet. I avoid ones with HFCS, but even the craft sodas with cane sugar are too sweet, but I occasionally like a flavored seltzer. This flavor is really nice so I better stock up.

Took the box to Goodwill, then went inside to see if there was anything I couldn't live without. Spent $32, but also got a rally nice pashmina or oversize scarf that will go smashingly with several outfits I've got.

This morning started out sunny, but it clouded over before noon and spit annoyance rain (turn the wipers on, turn the wipers off, ad nauseum).


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Apr 24 - 09:54 AM

So many customers couldn't understand why, if they used their insurance, the insurance company didn't get the sale price. I got into trouble, though, when I suggested to customers that, if their insurance was less than optimal, use the sale rather than their insurance.

I bought my RGP hard contact lenses online for DECADES. Better price than even the annual sale prices at the shops I worked at. Half the price of what an independent optometrist would charge me.

I'm still doing the daily version of intermittent fasting — I can eat from noon-1:00ish until 8:00 p.m. Then it's only water, black coffee or tea until noon-ish the next day. But, since the start of the pandemic, I cheat. Back in 2020-2021 it was compensation for so much else being taken away. Alas, I got into the habit of cheating and, while I've been trying to get back on track, it's still a struggle. If I get really pecking, though, late ate night while reading, I can "legally cheat" by snacking on something that is very very low on the glycemic scale, such as lettuce or greens, or (as I prefer) kimchee.

My use of intermittent fasting isn't so much to lose weight (although that's a nice benefit — I lost 40 pounds painlessly in seven months) — it's to avoid the diabetes that runs on my mother's side of the family.

My snack cravings go towards the salty and crunchy side rather than sweet. My favorite daytime snack is almonds — I mix "roasted with salt" and "roasted/no salt" to keep the sodium level down. I haven't eaten potato chips since 1992 when a friend and I had a consultation with "The Mad Russian" (Yefim G. Shubentsov) in Boston. (Tom had seen him for smoking cessation, but the Mad Russian also dealt in food issues.) I saw him to get rid of my urge to find the perfect food that would solve whatever problem or mood I was beset with. After explaining to me that my body shape is the preferred standard of beauty almost everywhere in the world, he asked that I give up one food. I chose potato chips because they weren't my favorite snack; I saw them mostly as a vehicle for dip.

Coffee's ready and I hope to have a postponed weekly phone conversation with a friend who winters in Florida.

Linn


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 10:37 PM

You're right, I completely forgot about your working at the optical place. And please don't read my criticism of the optical store at my (last) optometrist's office as my view of the entire world of opticians. You're also right about the progressive lenses - those are different. I wore them for a little while and switched back to regular lenses with bifocals because I was tired of bobbing my head around to find the focal part I needed in the lenses at any given time. I typically ended up spending about $400 on a new pair of glasses because the insurance didn't pay for polycarbonate lenses and the frames that had nicer features (titanium, springy hinges, etc.) always cost more than the budget plastic pairs to choose from to stay under the plan allowance. We're creatures of habit, so I bought glasses at the doctor's office long before the online sites came along and it took a while to get comfortable with the idea of ordering online and switching.

I made the optical tech work out what my glasses would cost if I walked in without insurance. I would have been offered a "50% off" rate, and they came out (for sake of illustration) around $400. She then worked it out with my insurance: with insurance you're not offered the discount discount on any of the frames, lenses, etc., and it came out $395. Which told me they were getting a lot more out of me because I paid as much as the uninsured and the insurance company also gave them something. The last pair I bought from Zenni with a titanium frame, polycarbonate lenses (with the option I never paid for at the optometrist's - photo responsive lenses) cost $88. I learned about this place from our group participant LilyFestre. She said her agency used them when they had families needing glasses but with no budget. For lower-end plastic frames and lenses you can probably get a good pair of glasses for under $40.

Patty nailed it as far as our high-carbohydrate diets. I aim to have fruits and vegetables as much of my diet, so eating protein instead of wheat-based carbs or sugar is a good choice. I have a combination of commercial raisin bran cereal and a homemade granola (low sugar, high in nuts) that makes my gut happy, but eating that for breakfast can set me up for wanting more carbs during the day. I've started thawing a piece of fish overnight and having a piece of sauteed tilapia or sockeye salmon and a side of pan fried potatoes or a vegetable, and having the granola for lunch or even part of dinner. Mostly I have to get off of sugar snacks.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 08:02 PM

Maggie, you forget that I worked as an optical technician at Sears Optical and JCPenney Optical for five years (we were licensed businesses within the stores). I stopped wearing my RGP hard contacts about a year ago. I just didn't wear them often enough. I'm currently wearing a pair of progressives that are about 20 or more years old. I just found out that I actually have vision insurance for the first time in my life. It paid for my exam and substantially towards a new pair of progressives. If I hadn't had insurance, I would have gone directly to JCPenney Optical when they had one of the sales that worked best for me. I ordered the pair of progressives through my optometrist because I wanted a better lens (the three different progressive lenses sold by US Vision are adequate, but not the best available) than would be available at JCP Optical. I would order single vision glasses online, but would never consider ordering progressives. For correct placement of the lens in front of the eye, it takes someone actually measuring segment height. (I know my PD — pupillary distance.) And an online optician couldn't phyiscally fit the glasses — progressives usually need a little tweaking. (And I know of no optometrist's office that would fit a person with the glasses they bought online.)

I'm going to take my Rx, though, when the sale is right and buy a second pair (for fashion reasons as much as to have a good spare pair; my old prescription is just enough out of whack that I have a headache after driving for any length of time) at JCPenney Optical.

And I have multiple pairs of single vision glasses for back ups as well.

Back when I got that 20+ year old pair of progressives (which my then optometrist was insisting on), I could never get used to them because I wore my contacts 99% of the time. (I'm nearsighted, so the contacts were for distance; I used cheap readers for closeup.) But a few months ago the pair of single vision distance glasses I was wearing to drive got misplaced. I rummaged in my nightstand drawer and for some reason the only pair I could find was the progressives. I needed to go somewhere, so put them on not expecting much, but, voila! I could see both distance and closeup and everywhere in between with absolutely no problem whatsoever.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 07:13 PM

Charmion, the champ of the Keto lifestyle is our fellow member LilyFestre. She posts mostly on FB these days. She walks most mornings along with the Keto diet for the family, and has worked off lot of weight. Right now her mother is ill and she hasn't walked as much (I saw a post about walking yesterday) but I suspect they're sticking to the diet as a matter of habit.

I'm shifting my diet to more protein in the morning and the carbs later and it does seem to curb the sugar cravings. Snacks lately are savory: I made another batch of the smoky gouda and pecans spread I discovered recently. I pick from a couple of recipes - mine ends up with shredded gouda, sour cream, finely chopped pecans, a little Worcestershire sauce and some powdered onion. I use tortilla and flax seed chips to pile a spoonful of the spread on. Meat in my diet is usually an ingredient in dishes, but I'm changing that. I eat more fish and chicken than beef, and lately have added back lamb; I cut up a leg of lamb and freeze portions. The MyFitnessPal is set to track carbs, protein and fat.

The alternate day fasting worked for me to lose weight two years ago and is what I'm doing to lose a few pounds now. I recently listened to a lecture about the problem of some of the forms of fasting - those in which the calories are eaten within an 8 hour period seem to be flagged as possibly associated with some health risk factors. I keep to 500 calories on the "fasting" days but I've never restricted it to within a few hours. It's unscientific but I find on the days when I eat 1200 calories I get enough of the foods that are treats that I don't feel deprived for a day when I eat less.

Linn, I stopped going to the optometrist's office for making glasses because they were always so expensive. Having insurance only let them gouge both me and the insurance company. I use Zenni, and have been happy with the quality and price, and I daresay if you entered your details into an order at Zenni you'd have new glasses in a couple of weeks. There's a learning curve to fill in the information from the printout Rx from the optometrist (you should ask for a copy), but once you figure it out, returning for new updated orders is easy.

Heavy rain forecast overnight and tomorrow. I worked in the garage today to scour off some baked-on grease at the front of the grill hood. I used a tool (no idea the original intent - it was from my Dad's stash) with a razor blade at an angle and slowly peeled back some of the grease (baked on like enamel) and scrubbed the rest with steel wool. This work has me eyeing the huge lump of the older grill under it's nylon cover (held in place with a bungee cord) - can hardly wait to downsize if the new one works well.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 07:06 PM

Real keto diets are hard to pursue, but can be just the thing if you need to break away hard from sugar and carbohydrates. I have found it more do-able to pursue a looser low-carb plan and gotten good results. Our modern diet, and particularly the tasty, comforting, and cheaper foods can leave us taking in SO many more carbohydrates than the body can deal with.

The modern commercial slice of bread is so large and has added sugar, gives us a ridiculous amount of carbs in just a plain sandwich, never mind other baked goods. And the 'healthier' breads seem to be the worst. Checking labels for net carb grams on whatever breads you use can help you find one that is more modest; or some people just get bread and all baked goods out of their life while on their program.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 02:36 PM

I haven't had much time to post here in the past couple weeks. Been juggling more stuff than I care to think about, and being without power for four days and unconnected with the rest of the world except when I was using wifi at McDonald's hasn't helped.

Now I'm dancing as fast as I can to catch up on the things I couldn't do Thursday through Sunday because I had no electricity and no water. (And no wifi and very iffy cell service.) Couldn't get out of the driveway until Saturday. (Coffee! Hot meals! Wifi!)

But today I'm taking a box of glassware to Goodwill (every little bit helps) and getting some grocery shopping done. Prepping a package and taking it to the post office will have to wait until tomorrow. It's just one thing too many today. (Sending some books and "Designing Women" DVDs to a friend who was also my late sister's best friend.)

Got most of the laundry and most of the dishes taken care of yesterday.

Seems as if everything else is just taking a lot longer than anticipated. Called my optometrist's office this morning to find out when I can expect my new glasses (stopped wearing hard contacts about a year ago) and, because of computer problems and the power failure over most of New Hampshire, she said 5-6 weeks. I just hope I've got them before Mother's Day weekend when I've got an out of town commitment.

Later!
Linn


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Apr 24 - 10:31 AM

The eclipse was a non-event on Glendon Road, Stratford. It was dusky for a while, then it wasn't, and the caravan moved on.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, I have decided to adopt a very low-carbohydrate diet, at least for a while. I believe I am sliding toward Type II diabetes, which would be zero surprise as both my brothers have it, and I am lugging around 12 kilos of excess weight that just won't shift. I have booked an appointment with my doctor to be tested in all the traditional invasive ways, but I see no reason not to change dietary gears now, while I'm thinking about it.

This morning, I went through the pantry and extracted everything that isn't on the "good for keto" list I found on the Internet. There's not much left.

According to Gary Taubes, author of "Rethinking Diabetes", "The Case for Keto", and a whole host of other books on managing diabetes, this diet will compel me to cook again -- but I can eat cheese with near abandon. This week I bought avocados for the first time in my life. Not very interesting as a foodstuff, but remarkably satisfying.

Does any of my fellow declutterers have experience with "keto" diets?


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Apr 24 - 10:05 PM

Dorothy and Charmion, keep getting better!

I mowed about 25% of the back yard this evening, just to get started and to clear around the regular paths for the dogs but thunder tells me it might be too wet to mow the rest until later in the week.

The eclipse was wonderful, we saw the totality at the moment the moon moved completely over the sun - what a blast, seeing the rays radiating out from the edges! A cloud moved over for about a minute, then cleared again near the very end. My neighbors came over when I realized they didn't have any glasses. I had one pair and we passed them around. No one in their right mind needed to stand out there the whole time staring at the changing crescent. It was a nice visit, and though we hoped the neighbor's chickens might confirm that the light had disappeared, they didn't make a peep.

I wasted time this afternoon trying to retrieve some canning jars, but when I arrived at the place realized she was just piling trash at the curb and telling our Buy Nothing group that we could get what was left without making any provision for us to pick up what we asked for. She had no intention of isolating items and letting people speak for them, she just wanted people to come haul off her trash (clearing a parent's estate). She and her snotty sister are no longer in our Buy Nothing group (when I politely complained that this isn't how the group works, the woman who posted the listing was rude and was blocked, then her sister piled on and I blocked her.)

I often list things that I could sell on eBay, but due to the work involved, have decided instead to donate it via this group. When I list one of the BBQ grills once I've decided for sure the one to keep I'll clean the other, package the parts for transport, and understand that while this is an older model it works, and for someone on a budget, all they need to do for it to work is get the canister of LP gas. I wouldn't consider putting it at the curb and telling the group about it to see if they can beat a neighbor who might grab it first.

I do sometimes put things at the curb a day ahead of the trash, but not the way she did. I had a basketball backstop out there one time, the folks who got it were thrilled because they had kids, they were in the neighborhood, and they would do the work to put it back in the ground and set it up. They actually knocked to ask if it was ok to take it. That was a better item for someone to drive past, get a look at, and decide they could use. I don't know if the distinctions I'm attempting to make are clear, but I'm trying to be philosophical about the whole Reuse/Reuse part of recycling. If I have something at the curb for the trash that I know would be a rude surprise if someone carted it off to their house, I put a note on the front saying why it is in the trash. Like the rug that I tossed after Poppy died - "no, you don't want this rug - it's full of dog pee." The woman who set off my rant wasn't playing fair in our group according to the various informal ways that things are redistributed in this part of town.

The rain has started so Pepper will be underfoot. This is the edge of a bigger storm, I expect it to end in a few minutes, but it is enough rain that I won't mow tomorrow or worry about watering my friend's pots after I feed her cats. Time to wrap up the computer work and get a book to read.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 08 Apr 24 - 07:24 PM

YAH!!!


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Apr 24 - 01:27 PM

The last dose of Prednisone is now history, and I went to the Y for aquafit class this morning.

And that's my limit. I'm still weak and groggy, but a bit more capable every day.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 07 Apr 24 - 08:40 PM

Dupont:

Trip to hospital - much walking! wore me out and "you will get a call in five days" re findings was a bummer. I want to know the prognosis! R may get to the clinic tomorrow for info.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Apr 24 - 10:38 AM

Work on the free grill has progressed; with a few stainless steel screws I was able to re-attach the side shelf, returning full work surface functionality. A retired baking sheet is now filled with soapy water soaking one of the grates. It appears to have a major encrustation of cooked meat and sauce that might be improved upon. Either the crust is cleared off of these grates or replacements will be purchased, but to test it once I'll use the old ones after they're cleaned. This is the current equivalent grill with the same features as the five-year-old one. The question always is how much time am I willing to dedicate to a project once it looks like it will pan out, versus buying a new one. The grate cleaning is the last part, so not too much work so far. (I had points with one of my credit cards so looked around and found a Dremel tool; I've needed one for ages so ordered it along with a wire brush attachment to clobber the grill.)

If I adopt this I'll have to clean the old one and offer it up, so I still have grill cleaning in the near future.

The kitchen got a cleaning last night and laundry goes in today. Still using the dryer because one clothesline support post is standing at a drunken angle after last fall's branch collapse from next door. I have to dig at the side of the concrete footer and reposition the post (adding more concrete for stability.) No need to dig an entirely new hole. There is still a large tree next door, but most of the threat from branches has gone now that the side came down.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Apr 24 - 05:07 PM

Typo earlier, meant to say "lower." That 25 is still higher than any I took during PMR. I don't know how that higher amount feels, and hope never to experience it!

It's a windy day today, and I'm not feeling terribly motivated to do much. That said, I'll head into the back and at least scoop and see if I can move myself to pull a few of the copious weeds and prepare another bed for planting. Or go pick up free mulch. Or walk the dogs. I am feeding cats tonight to start a week-long run, though this week may involve transporting one of them from the vet (where he is now) home during the week, once they're ready to release him. I hope this isn't the one who howls the whole way or evacuates his bowels on the trip. I'll have a large box handy to put the carrier into just in case.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Apr 24 - 01:20 PM

Still at 25 mg of Prednisone per day — not a low dose, but not outré either. The most popular side effect — irritability — is fully engaged, so it’s good I don’t have any deadlines or responsibilities beyond keeping the cats fed. I’m very weak, however; able to do one thing at a time for a few minutes, and that’s it. I can drive to church or the supermarket but no farther, and my singing voice is accurate but wobbly.

I’ve finished the antibiotic and the last dose of Prednisone goes down the hatch on Monday.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Apr 24 - 11:18 AM

Hopefully as we approach the weekend the (either one) carbs or no-carbs diet question will soon be answered by Mrrzy, and Charmion will step lightly off of the low-dose Prednisone and have her voice back; whether she has the will to do all of the choir paperwork is another matter. Here, a home sleep study has concluded and the gear is ready to be returned.

My museum scanning is pushed to next week after a skylight in the building broke overnight Thursday and I imagine the amount of the glass that rained down was substantial (they're very large pieces over the atrium). Closed to the public for several days as they continue cleaning and replace the now missing piece of glass. This frees up time for garden work before I run several errands.

My Mom would have turned 102 this week; she didn't make it past 76 after an adulthood spent smoking. By my age she had already had several major health crises, so here's hoping that 19 years of her second-hand smoke didn't have similar effects on me and the other sibs. She'd have loved seeing how my kids turned out, and since my son now lives in her area she would have enjoyed a growing relationship, as does my sister now.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Apr 24 - 09:45 PM

As is sometimes the case with grills left to languish in yards, the rehomed one is in need of parts and TLC. I can buy steel screws and secure the loose side table, but the cast iron grates are deplorable. The diffusers are adequate. A comparable grill new would cost four times the price of replacing emitters and grates. The smaller size is in its favor. I'll start with putting it together (screws are cheap) and then test it with my LP tank and decide from there if I want to do more. For now, it's on the list of things to work on with no special trips.

The lawn is growing crazy fast and I'll attack the front tomorrow.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 24 - 10:30 PM

Mrrzy, I just got a copy of the latest Dr. Amen book that goes with the lecture running these days on PBS. He's talking about food and brain types; this isn't new, but now that I am aware of the ADHD I'm learning that some changes might help. More protein, and earlier in the day, for example. I have a bookmark ready and a pencil and postit notes to use while reading. I don't often buy self-help books, but this one might confirm some things I've wondered about and may offer dietary guidance. My GP has told me a couple of times that I need to get more protein in my diet.

The day was spent running errands; after my haircut I took a friend to lunch and after, picked up a BBQ grill that he needed to rehome. It's about half the size of the one I use now and more advanced (steel plates instead of lava rocks radiating heat). When he told me he had baked bread in it I made a mental note to clean it up and look at the footprint; this is smaller and for one person, I might actually use it more. The older big one heats up so much more area that goes unused. And baking bread in it? In the summers here, any cooking in the house heats the kitchen; the more you can do outside, the better. The old one would then go on one of the Freecycle or Buy Nothing pages.

But wait! Picking up the grill wasn't the end of the running; my friend with the brain injury often needs help setting up electronic devices, and he needed to return a TV to other friends and buy his own. So I stopped by there to look at how the old one was set up then we headed to Target (after shopping online at various places). I need to return tomorrow with a plank that he can put across the top of the small cabinet where the old TV sat. That had a pedestal base, the new one is larger with two spread out legs wider than the cabinet. For now, the new TV is set up and gets the cable signal. It's on the floor and the door won't hit it. I loved that the first channel that came on was MSNBC - I told him he was a man after my own heart. :)

Here at home the grill is unloaded and tomorrow I'll clean it up. Sitting beside my old grill in the garage it is a lot more compact, but my friend assures me it is plenty large to grill a spatchcocked chicken. That's a good sign! My instinct to recycle and reuse is such that if I can't use this grill I'll find a good home for it.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Mrrzy
Date: 03 Apr 24 - 03:09 PM

It's like the opposite of oh, dear, the kid has learned to locomote!

I can't decide if eating some carbs for a while helps my OCD or makes my messiness worse...


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 24 - 12:57 PM

I have a growing mental list of things that I can possibly return to their default states now that I don't have a Labrador retriever in the house.

  • In the shower the other day it dawned on me that the soap is in the rack hanging from the shower because if soap was left anywhere low he would eat it. I lost quite a few bars of good olive oil soap that way.

  • The trash in the kitchen is on top of the dryer. It may stay there, as too tempting with food waste.

  • All other rooms' trash containers are on counters or shelves. Why? He ate used facial tissues when he could find them.

  • The dog food is stored inside an antique trunk because he could nudge the top off of the canister.

  • The toilet seat lid is left down, because he would drink from it. That will stay down; even the lid doesn't stop Pepper, she can nudge it up if she really wants. (I sometimes leave a tissue box on top of the closed lid just to see if it is moved or knocked off. That is enough to dissuade her.)

  • The large brass "toy bin" that I set up when Zeke came to live here. A friend with a long history with Labs said they thrive when they have routines like a place to find the toys when they want to chew or fetch, etc. And it meant I could pick up toys around the house and he still knew where they were.

  • Changing the dog leash setup. I use a woven nylon webbing type, and had knots tied in them at the positions where I held them walking the dogs positioned directly beside me, not out in front. Cookie now has the longer leash and I have to retie the knots since she is shorter than Zeke by several inches.


Other changes will occur to me as I continue to unwind our version of Dog World 3.0; the 2.0 environment is simpler, smaller, and much tidier.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Apr 24 - 12:01 AM

Today's trip to the new repair shop was an eye-opener. I expected to wait a few hours and leave with new brakes, paying about $600, and with a diagnosis for the next repair (the noisy fan.)

These folks are smart - before they take the wheels off they examine the vehicle (with a flashlight and a mirror) and determined that I have about 10,000 miles left on the front brakes, and even more on the rear. So, no brake job needed. They took a look at the blower on the fan to see if they could tell what was wrong, and couldn't reproduce the noise, so I drove around the neighborhood while Edgar rode and we listened. I pushed the buttons that usually caused it, turned corners in the way that set it off - nothing. It seems that by simply examining the blower, when it was put back it was secured and it had been loose, so that was the problem. No more rattling. Again, no repair. But I heard someone say something about an inspection - "do you do inspections here? Mine is due." So after two checks and the inspection, I left 2.5 hours later after paying $25.50 for the state inspection.

Nissan and Jewell (the shop near my house) both said the brakes needed new pads, but the mechanics who actually do the work said they didn't. It's about "two oil changes from now" they said (5,000 per oil change). If they'd been able to identify a repair that needed to be made on the fan, the charge is $78, but if they do the repair, they just charge for the repair. Jewell was going to charge $189 to diagnose before any repair, and it isn't reduced if you do the repair there. You can guess where I'll be going for any future work. And perhaps all I'll need to do is pull up and have Edgar lay his hands on the vehicle. :-)


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Apr 24 - 04:46 PM

The blue-eyed grass and Lenten roses (hellebores) are blooming in my garden, and the daffodils that survived the last snowstorm are making the big effort to get their petals out. It's a really beautiful day in Perth County.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Apr 24 - 04:04 PM

I like your analogy to a spa day for the car! Armor-All - that's the name I couldn't think of. Ok on the tires, not in the vehicle itself. Someone pointed out that there are folks who will travel to you to do detailing so I'll make inquiries.

I blew off a meeting today - one of the self-care things you can do if the preparations and travel to the activity are liable to not be worth the social reward of the event itself.

There is heavy weather headed this way tonight so I'll get a walk with the dogs in early and do some garden work (spread the dry fertilizer) so it can get watered in with this round of rain. I don't put it where it will wash away, I want it to soak in (this is an organic dry granular product) that generally goes around trees, shrubs, the garden and flower beds.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Apr 24 - 10:16 AM

I love having my car detailed. As some folks adore the spa experience, with varnish on their toes and fingers and expensive stuff slathered on their faces, I enjoy handing my car over for the full scrub from bumper to bumper and roof to wheels. Not being particularly sensitive to chemical whiffs -- Mother Nature is more of a problem -- I am not distressed by the aroma of Armor-All. The slickness of freshly washed Gorilla Mats under my feet, the gleam of buffed body-work ... Of course, it only lasts until the next time I drive on a dirt road or past a ploughed field, but how long is a hair-do good for?

I made it to church on Easter Sunday, but not to the choir stalls -- too weak. This lung thing has kicked my ass to the extent that I wonder if it was/is more pneumonia than bronchitis (no word from the doc on the chest x-ray). I slept through the night and did not cough convulsively on rising today, which is huge progress. But cooking a simple meat-and-two-veg dinner for two (Alden came to help me eat it) was almost more than I could manage yesterday, and today I'm saving all my energy for choir practice. I probably won't be able to sing much, but I have to recover the Haydn scores that we borrowed from a choir in Regina.

Today I take the last 50-mg dose of Prednisone; starting tomorrow, the dose drops to 25 mg for another week. It really is a miracle drug -- and cheap! -- but I feel weird all the time when I'm on it. No benefits without costs in this life ... !


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Mar 24 - 08:09 PM

I am reminded to thaw a piece of the frozen leg of lamb for dinner, which will be served with hummus and pita on the side. I hope everyone is breathing well and can smell the delicious dinners they are cooking or being served, if you're doing something special.

Today was part two of cleaning the SUV (I washed it yesterday), in which I used the brush on the end of the vacuum hose on carpets and seats, then washed windows inside and out. This after I looked up detailing businesses. The costs aren't bad but these services seem to involve stay-on treatments on the hard surfaces, rug detergents with fragrances, and who knows what else that I don't want to read all of the labels of or smell for the next six months. Telling someone not to do a regular part of the job almost guarantees they'll do it anyway, and the last time someone cleaned my vehicle the steering wheel was greasy from a vinyl-cleaning product.

The blue bearded iris are starting to open; I feared none would show up this year. I still haven't seen a hint of the white ones. There is a blue plant that always comes up in the midst of a bunch of dusky yellow, and even if I try to dig it out, a blue one still comes back there. Of course that is the first one that bloomed.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Mar 24 - 06:48 PM

Happy Eastertide, everyone.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Mar 24 - 08:10 PM

Good to hear from Dorothy and especially happy to know that her significant other is so solicitous and caring. That's good news.

Charmion, I hope Easter Sunday goes well for you, especially in church.

Eliza/Senoufou, Don't let that gall bladder get you down!


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Mar 24 - 01:07 PM

Dorothy I'm glad to read that you're getting good attention and help at the house. It was obvious in earlier posts that you were progressively feeling worse. We're all getting older, but staying healthy and active relative to our age is the goal. Fingers crossed for the upcoming scan.

When I got up today I resolved to start spring cleaning in ernest. Bed linens changed, all towels and bathmats into the laundry, vacuuming rugs and then mopping floors. Work in the garden soon. I should flatten some of the cardboard boxes that have recently arrived for recycling. I can't use every single one for eBay shipping, some have to go, but they also can be placed under mulch in the garden, so they won't go to recycling until I've mulched paths around the raised beds. FedEx just texted about two large boxes of dog food delivered to the porch—except I checked and Tractor Supply shrink wrapped the dog food bags in plastic for shipping. The cardboard at least has other uses, the plastic goes into the trash.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Mar 24 - 12:25 PM

Hi, Dorothy! I'm glad to see you back on the board, though sorry that you're in the wars.

Having someone in to clean is such a good idea.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Mar 24 - 11:50 AM

Dupont:

TIRED but I shall add a bit to what SRS posted. That was on a Friday, and on Sunday, I brought in the groceries, fell into a stuffed chair, and kept on doing the chores. On Monday it hurt to sit, on Weds, I got a call about - I'm not sure what; I was screaming in pain, told to go to ER. Fractured vertebrae. Morphine is not great! Finally went home with morphine pills and have had the worst March of my life. R has been taking good care of me. As of yesterday, I have been almost comfortable walking and almost no pain as long as I move carefully.

When is washing your hair a major success? YAY!

R has been taking good care of me and enjoying cooking, cleaning up K and more! Stuff I have not had the energy for in weeks or months. Realizing that I have been in increasingly poor health long before the preliminary diagnosis last month. several trips to the hospital in various departments for various tests; R understands but my brain has been fried. Petscan on 6th may give some answers.

Having someone come to clean house before my #2 son arrives around 18th April. (Happy 61 Birthday to my dear son on 1 April! And he first found out on FB! I am, indeed a crappy mother! On the 31 March 1963, as I paced the floor (in labour) of my beloved house we had designed and built, I seemed to think the worst thing that could happen would be for this wee mite to have April Fools Day as a birthday.

R and I took a break yesterday and he drove us along the edge of the St.Lawrence, a sunny, windy day with two wind surfers enjoying it. This residential road, about 50 feet away from the river and totally parallel for a fair distance, a great view across to the north shore.

This situation is exhausting.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 12:31 PM

This is where I'm learning about the ADHD brain and why, if the FoodSaver is not in view, when I need to use it I'll be pulling out other things and typically do three other chores before I ever get back to sealing the steaks or chicken or whatever - often times not actually getting to that first task until much later. Since the storing of meat is meant to save money and preserve quality I leave it out to be extremely convenient to use. Several years ago when I cleared and organized the kitchen cupboards I left them loosely packed (versus stuffed) so I can easily see what is there. I also built a tiny pantry in the hall for the big things like the roaster oven, baking sheets, muffin pans, canning jars, and large storage pieces. A few tools on the counters removes some of the circular aspect of tasks - moving from one to another to another and finally back to the first.

Lawns are being mowed in the neighborhood this morning. I feel the pull to go into the yard and start digging and planting. I can go in circles in the yard also, but it adds up to progress.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 11:13 AM

Ah, I get it. I have a dining room and a pantry, and therefore have places to put large things out of the way but still handy. Also, my compulsive mind doesn't let go of details like the existence of the Food-Saver and the lemon reamer. The blender and the kettle live in a cabinet, the food processor and the stand mixer have spots in the pantry, and if I could find a niche to accommodate the toaster oven, it too would get off the counter.

Over the last three years, I emptied the kitchen and dining room of a great deal of stuff that had accumulated over the previous four decades. Once all the duplicates were gone, and the gadgets that never worked out, along with Edmund's extensive collection of baking tackle that I never used and never will, suddenly I had acres of space in the cabinets and drawers and everything had a place to be. Relative serenity ensued.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 10:20 AM

That makes sense - I was on a low dose (10mg) but for a few months as the PMR retreated, and then had to taper by a mg a month. That was as much to keep the PMR from returning as to taper. Total I was on that very low dose for about 18 months. That's why all of the bone density follow-up now.

My kitchen has things out that 1) I use all of the time (the toaster oven, the electric kettle, the cutting boards, the kitchen waste bin) and 2) things I would forget I had and never use (the FoodSaver) and big things that don't really store well anywhere else (the bowls for things like potatoes and fresh fruit that don't belong in the fridge, and the Kitchenaid stand mixer). The gadgets in cupboards are out of sight so I forget to use them in meal prep (and forget to fix the kinds of meals they are meant for). I suspect I have more counter space to start with. But it was the table and the Hoosier Kitchen that needed clearing for that area to look better. They're both in great shape today, and I do need to boot the old mail off of the peninsula.

A sad note this morning; LilyFestre's mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer. They have a Caring Bridge account set up for more information.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Mar 24 - 09:30 AM

Apparently, tapering off Prednisone is not the doctrinal thing it used to be, Stilly, at least not for problems like my wheezy lungs. The course I’m on now is 50 mg per day for a week, followed by 25 mg per day for another week. Then done, and shift to an inhaled steroid — fluticasone, in my case.

I like my kitchen counters clear of everything but the toaster oven, the cats’ water fountain, and a pump bottle of hand soap beside the faucet. No “décor” or abandoned mail, no dirty dishes or food sculling about. It’s a small galley, so clutter makes it non-functional as a work space. I don’t do much complex cooking these days, but I like to believe that I could launch a four-course meal without experiencing a crisis.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Mar 24 - 08:20 PM

How long it is going to take to taper off of that dose?

While eating dinner I realized I should spend the evening putting away all of the stuff sitting on various surfaces in that part of the kitchen, then work outward from there.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Mar 24 - 07:29 PM

Fifty milligrams of Prednisone is enough to make me wobbly and stupid, but my cough is improving.

Hurrah.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Mar 24 - 05:17 PM

And the answer is: it was under a piece of furniture, a library table with a shelf between the legs so it was out of sight.

Dog food is on the porch, awaiting pickup. Current cat gig is done, nothing more until 10 days from now when another trip is scheduled. My local special projects fund is very happy these days.

The home sleep study is scheduled for next week; the folks at this place are a bit difficult. They won't proceed with making an appointment until they have your credit card on file, despite insurance covering everything. Expensive equipment is the reason. I will pick it up, but it seems if they charge me $20 and mail it I can keep it. I asked if it is useful for anything else once the study is finished, and the answer is that it is good for 10 more sleep studies. So, a gadget I'd probably never use again. If I require another sleep study after this, then is the time to consider keeping the device. I suppose they would want to do a follow-up if a treatment is recommended, but I'll cross the pillow when I come to it.

Out to mow the rest of the lawn.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Mar 24 - 12:29 PM

There is a mystery to solve in the den; the largest of Zeke's dog beds usually has a couple of thick bathmats on top of it (the bed has a waterproof cover that is kind of slick). I used to keep the bed on top of a 4x6 wall-to-wall carpet scrap, but tossed that (too much pee and hair). The big bed slides around now so I stabilized it on a rubber-based doormat and the two bathmats back on top. Yesterday morning one of those mats had vanished. Not in the yard, not in any other room of the house, and not in the garage where there are a couple of dog houses in the stall. I am pretty sure Cookie dragged it somewhere. The search continues. It may well be in plain sight masquerading as something else.

Must set a timer for myself to put the spare senior dog food on the porch this afternoon in time for pickup. That'll clear three bulky bags from the kitchen table.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Mar 24 - 11:11 PM

Friend Alden is a keeper!

Flower frogs come in all sorts of types and sizes. I have antiques from my great aunts and a few I bought in shops. Most are glass (some clear, some green) with holes throughout so they can hold the stems. Growing up my mother had brass spiky frogs that the flowers are impaled upon. Either one has to fit in the bottom of the vase, which makes me wonder about the large ones I inherited. Perhaps they are for bowls and flowers with really short stems? Here's a page with information and photos. The photo right under the header "What are Flower Frogs?" shows two glass ones in the middle and I have several like those, both green and flat and green and more of a lump, along with the clear glass, similarly formed. Also the little brass one to the lower left of the glass. Under the heading "Why Should You Consider Collecting Vintage Flower Frogs?" is another photo and I also have at least one ceramic frog. I didn't realize I was collecting them until I put most of them in one place. I have some around the house that I use for putting pens and pencils in (those with holes large enough.)

I mowed in back today but it was late and I didn't finish. Tomorrow morning I'll get to the last swath of tall grass between the pine tree and the compost bins. I bagged a bit more grass to drop over the kitchen waste in the new compost pile. The bucket was light because I didn't wait until it was full to empty it. The next contributions to the compost will be weeds dug out of the beds beside the driveway. They're actually quite beautiful now in variety and sizes, but they need to move aside for potatoes.

I forgot to share a wonderful little mood booster yesterday: there are a gazillion taquerias on the drive between the cat gig and my house, quite a few of them gas stations with convenience stores and food, and I stop at one every so often to buy my favorite dark Mexican beer (not everyone carries it.) Yesterday when I walked in I caught a whiff of some really well-seasoned meat and it was much more appealing than past visits when it smelled more like grease or who knows what. I picked up my beer, and as I walked past the food counter I leaned in and told her that it smelled really wonderful in there this evening. A bright smile and a thank you, and I stepped over to the register to buy my beer. A moment later a tap on the arm and she said "for you! A taco!" I was so surprised, but ate it at home and it was wonderful. I'll go by there again and pick up a couple for dinner. Good sales move, but also such a nice gesture.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Mar 24 - 04:28 PM

THis is the first I have ever heard of "flower frogs";
I had to Google it to find out what these are.

A friend like Alden is a friend in need, indeed.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Mar 24 - 03:02 PM

My friend Alden arrived with a care package: two kinds of soup, a loaf of sourdough bread, a small cheese, some fruit-flavoured yoghourt, two lemons (for toddy), and a large bunch of yellow tulips.

The main difference (so far) between this illness and COVID is that my olfactory senses have not failed — oh, and of course I tested negative.

For 40 years I have had two Victorian flower frogs sculling around in the china cabinet. With so many tulips and only one vase of suitable size, I put a frog in the bottom of an old Doulton bowl and made a faux-Japanese arrangement for the dining-room table. I could easily have decluttered the frogs at any time, and I really wonder why I haven’t — probably because they came from my paternal grandparents’ house, and they are small enough to fit neatly in a back corner behind the cassoulet pot.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Mar 24 - 11:35 AM

Charmion, modern medicine is a thing of beauty when it works for us (which is most of the time, except I stand by Dorothy in her current sense of frustration)! How is your sense of smell and taste with the bronchitis? Do you have chicken soup or chicken and rice or something else that serves as comfort food when you're not feeling well? Cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich? I really love the decaf teas like Throat Coat and Bronchial Blues.

The dog food is spoken for and she'll pick it up late tomorrow afternoon; I asked for a specific time so it won't be on the porch long enough to attract ants. The new batch of regular food for the girls is ordered and I'll be able to tip the full bag into the big bin that until recently held Zeke's food. (Dog food containers and toys and meds are stored in an antique trunk it the den; it didn't have room for two large restaurant storage containers so one held half as much. At one time all of the dogs ate the same food and this wasn't an issue, having to tape up a half-full bag until the smaller bin was drawn down.) The use of space in the den and kitchen is still shifting as the accouterments of the third dog are gradually recognized and dispatched. I hadn't realized how much more time he needed at the end; he was a good boy and got the love and attention he needed, but the girls are a lot less fussy and they come to me when they want something while he would lie there and bark until I went to check on him. Hopefully winding down on the dog stories. I hadn't intended to post much, but the declutter effect of losing him has been remarkable.

Today is chilly with a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon. If the dew dries enough I'll be able to mow the back before the storms. I'm paying more attention to the new compost pile now and emptying kitchen waste into it more frequently (Cookie can't get into this one - so far) so I'll probably empty a bucket there and bag enough grass to drop over the top of it. I usually let the bucket contents break down a lot more so it's less interesting to the dogs, but that means moving a much heavier and more full bucket. Just like now putting down smaller water bowls, I can now move the kitchen waste when it isn't as bulky.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Mar 24 - 09:46 AM

Yesterday’s visit to the doc in Kitchener led to a chest x-ray and two more drugs: Prednisone and a heavy-duty antibiotic. The x-ray and prescriptions required two hours of driving around Stratford after the round trip to Kitchener. I was done for the day at noon.

It’s the same old asthma-related bronchitis I’ve had so often over the last 50 years, but only twice since 2013, when I started on the new drug Xolair. Even COVID didn’t trigger it. I have no idea what set it off this time.

I am bored, so I’m getting better. Always look on the bright side of life!


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Mar 24 - 11:44 PM

Patty, you've discovered what my mom always suggested to friends and family who were moving - liquor boxes are heavy duty, made to protect glass, but in order to be something people can lift they can't be too large. That pretty much assures that even if you pack them full you can still lift them. (Back in the day, the Washington State liquor store employees always used box cutters to slice open the tops of boxes on three sides, letting the fourth side be the hinge. It made them easy to pack and to close.) Like all members of our family, Mom had lots of books, and her interest in those boxes was that when filled with books they could still be carried easily. I could say the same thing for my brother and my rocks picked up in the field. You could still carry one of those boxes full of rocks (assuming they had some packaging, etc.)

I have a couple of friends with stories of literally living in their storage units for at least weeks. It usually had to do with the poverty of graduate school and having units where they would pull in their cars, but then sleeping in the car (and this was years ago - who knows how many of them have people in them now?) Good luck with sorting your stuff and contracting back down to one unit.

Two more days left on my cat-sitting gig. The cash is nice, but it's also nice to finish and have more time to myself.


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Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Mar 24 - 09:53 PM

Thanks, SRS. Nothing earth-shaking to post, but let's try it again and see what happens.

Spent a rare weekend working hard on clutter, endeavoring to get my stored stuff organized for transport. Miraculously, there was a vacant storage unit 2 doors away from mine, so for a couple of months and not much money, I have obtained elbow room to work in the main unit. Mental room too, I can see what I'm up against and what I'm doing, can start to see solutions. Literally sit in my one remaining chair, stare at the stuff, and start to see what to do. A lot to be said for just sitting and pondering.

Then, began purging and shredding some old paper files. Haven't wiped them all out, some are going to need more thoughtful treatment and scanning before purging. But still, condensed 3 R-Kive boxes to 2, and the empty one will be handy to donate books in. A good start on wrestling the monster to the ground.

Melancholy, yep, hard to look at the paper debris of a life and not get yanked down memory lanes too much.

Today, stocked up at a local wine shop, and requested a box or two. Was shown where the hidden stash of boxes were. Got some and was told to slip back in whenever I need to. Yay! Nothing like the smaller liquor boxes for books, rocks, etc.


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