DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 04:14 PM

My house dates from about 1974, but I swear half the spiders in Stratford hang out here -- especially in the ground floor loo. I suspect some kind of chink in the foundation directly underneath it. The garage, of course, is a cobweb festival. I just let it be.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 01:30 PM

Dupont:

No snow here yet but in the forecast... My phone is warning - soon... Drismal day!

Holidays: Get little attention from me. So do unsolicited phone calls! - just got one - hung up.

Oh yeah - holidays - I think we may have had CA thanksgiving at cousin Doug's (R's) A tolerable event; Ann is a good basic cook. And very nice. The upcoming: The house will be clean by the time the family arrives (thanks to Mylene)- week of 15th for unstipulated time. Vegan family for the most part so no turkey! And not much celebrating. Just being in the same place will be a gift!

Trying to get the left hearing aid in place. It roars if not exactly correct - getting there is sometime easy sometimes difficult... OK! And going to the office for help - I dread the trip and am avoiding it! I manage most of the time.

So big news today was taking that "looks life a comforter out of its bag and finding it is one I treasured - found it at the Sally Ann and did not think twice! When we were still inhabiting the dreadful place in the city. I am delighted; I remember worrying about it and requesting its rescue! the fellow doing some work in that BR actually put his tools on it! The backing is a beige cottonish of no interest at all but the top is beautiful! It could be machine embroidered silk or a silk-like material. A soft green. Yes, the doofus did make a small tear in it. The second or third event that rated - never again! But R kept having him do things. Enough comforters! R happy to have his weighted blanket (too much in warm weather).

Thankfully! that guy is no longer a part of our lives! Put that on my Thankful list! And the family coming! And Mylene cleaning with a lovely spirit and competence. I think I shall ask her to just get it as clean as she would like her home. I need to walk around with a dust cloth attached to my wrist! Mini cobwebs everywhere! AND, most mornings, I walk into a bit of cobweb in the upstairs powder room. Old house (1902) - old spiders!

Getting organized for the winter. And the family...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 11:36 AM

First snow of the season this morning, but it won't last. More to come (obvs).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Nov 24 - 10:37 AM

Congratulations on the working oven, Patty! Another Sunday celebration in the works here - I need to move the turkey from the freezer to the fridge today.

Since today is the official day my ex is coming over and we're having brunch. I've already been out once to feed the cats (and I extended my stay by doing one of my Essentrics workouts so I could dispense one medication that needs to be an hour out from any other medications, otherwise it would be an extra trip). Almost had a case of cat yoga, the littlest guy thought I needed company on the floor on my mat. I need to get back to regular exercising so this is a good way to use the time.

The next door neighbors are away for a week so I expect my dogs to be a bit needy; they always get a morning treat at the back fence. He probably gave them one before they left before dawn, but for the rest of the week I'll be distracting them (or they'd spend all day out there watching for movement in the yard.)

Still a great deal to do before Sunday. It's finally cold in the mornings which is kind of energizing, so I'll take advantage of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 27 Nov 24 - 11:59 PM

Happy Thanksgiving Day to all who celebrate it, we've all got some things to be grateful for! Personally I am thankful the lumberyard folks were polite and contrite and replaced my 8 foot boards with the 10-footers.

I will mostly miss one RV-folk dinner in favor of a Gaelic class that has so many non-US folk they didn't cancel it. Which is fine, because I'm not looking for opportunities to overeat. I've asked if I can just drop in at the end for a slice of pie and catch up with some friends.   

The 'neighborhood' gathering will be on Sunday and that's the one where I have to bring a few things. But no, I did not trek out to get einkorn flour, just no time for such fussiness. Got some regular flour, had a heart attack at the butter aisle from the prices, and remembered to get a tall straight wine bottle to use as a rolling pin. And tested the oven by cooking an oven dinner today for the first time in 7 years! It worked, thank heaven.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 24 - 10:58 AM

Executive decision in the black plastic purge (or at least, diminishment): the Hamilton Beach electric kettle I use is all glass with a black plastic lid. I wore one out a few years ago and replaced it with the same model. But they now make a model with a white plastic lid so I ordered one that landed on the porch this morning. Tested already and it works fine. Of all of the manufacturers out there I like this because it's an old established company with a good reputation and I've been using a number of their products for years. The lid's still plastic, but maybe it's just a little safer type? There will be replacement kettles under the tree this year for close family members.

I made my annual cancellation call and got Sirius to give me the introductory offer again this year. The automated answerer tries to speed things up by offering you a discount from the full price but not as good as the intro price, so you wait to talk to a human. My next door neighbor does this every year and she said she got an annual price even lower when she inquired about an annual payment so I asked if an annual price would bring it down. He quoted the one time cost that would be exactly the same as monthly and I hemmed and hawed but he didn't give me anything lower. Mission accomplished at $8.45 a month instead of $24.50. I make a point of streaming through my Echo Dot (it goes through a bluetooth device plugged into the receiver) to get use out of it, though I don't listen to their high-dollar talk shows or sports. They're still making money on me.

Lots to do today, including testing a couple of recipes (to start - a small batch of Brussels sprouts). Patty, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Dorothy, do you do the US date (I guess so if family is arriving soon?) Charmion, I think you took a load of hand-me-downs to family for your Thanksgiving last month? Excellent deployment of excess goods on a family occasion! I'll work on my stack of "to go" things for my small gathering on Sunday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 06:35 PM

I think my house is much smaller than yours, Dorothy, and only one story, but I also manage to misplace things that get stored for part of the year (or longer.) There are closets in bedrooms I rarely enter these days, trunks I've moved around, zippered under-bed bags. I have a down comforter I don't use often, and it's in an ugly duvet I made (of two top sheets) that makes it difficult to move around (but does keep it cleaner and less dust).

Patty, I feel your pain as far as an after dark delivery. Yesterday just having those bags of iris picked up was a challenge in the dark. She texted that her husband was going to help and they'd be here at 6:30. Pitch black out there, so I got my side door motion-activated LED light to stay on for the few minutes it took to stuff the bags into their SUV.

I picked up a few higher-end BPA-free plastic storage containers at Goodwill today (they probably came from the Container Store at quadruple the price) and after they run through the dishwasher I'm going to move some of my new non-gluten flours in to them. I have some elderly plastic containers that need to be retired (because: decades-old plastic that gradually flakes and who knows what it was made of). I'm also using glass containers more (canning jars; the containers that have wire bale attached lids and gaskets are ok but the gaskets can get weird if they're rubber. Finding the right size silicone gaskets isn't always easy.)

For some reason everything on eBay is at a standstill. I'm ready to revise each listing with a photo of a Xmas ribbon bow to suggest they should buy these as gifts.

There are still glitchy things in the office, but mostly it's working pretty well. The bookshelves need better arranging.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 02:03 PM

Dupont:

Went on line to look for thrift shops - nothing I don't know about. Looked at duvets/comforters on line - prices! Got to work and checked all the places in the house, pulled out the "monster", found a sort of duvet on a top shelf, in a plastic bag, and tossed it downstairs for a whirl in the dryer, found R's weighted blanket in an under bed bin. That will be sufficient. No idea where that odd duvet is from; will see if it survives the dryer! Yep! If it has feathers! That could be a dreadful mess!! I'll consult with R. Someone once said to me, "tell them anything that has ever happened to anyone, has happened to you." But R has his own set of such!

Mylene is arranged for cleaning! I am close to civilizing the TV room! And the family still may choose BnB.

Grislich Day! Atmospheric pressure is low! Flurries in our future and wind tomorrow...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 12:11 PM

Dupont:

"Old Cheddar on sourdough bread with apple butter … mmmmm." Totally! But "my" apple butter has no sugar! That sandwich I had in Penn Dutch country - grilled - was SO scrumptious!

The futon frame is repaired and mattress in place. I can start sorting paper! and fabrics and... And making the TV room into a guest room.

Need more quilts. I thought I had a surfeit but not so. I do have a surfeit of flannel sheets - matching!! There were no quilts at the thrift shop. And R asserted firmly this morning that he is cold! I thought I had more quilts but ... There is one more really big one - big as in so thick and heavy that I have to plan how to turn over in bed! R loves it but I rather dread it... Also need to find his weighted quilt. ? make a trip to the big, upscale thrift shop... Looking on line for alternative - Ouch! Not up to this task today! Take another look through the closet!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 11:53 AM

Thanks for the moral support throughout all this, it has been helpful! After clearing the day, now I find my delivery is scheduled for after sunset for heaven's sake. So, load all the lumber back in, and off to the lumberyard (a different one than the wacky-delivery-time one) where I will try to remain calm.

Good idea to make spontaneous soups from what's available. I am so used to making a Big Recipe of soup where it's a big deal and all-afternoon event, I need more 'throw a few things together' ones.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Nov 24 - 11:45 AM

Patty, I hope you get the lumber sorted out without too much grief. Charmion, is your cough much improved, and Dorothy, is your appetite returning? Both of you up to better energy levels?

This morning I sautéed a chicken breast briefly then let it simmer in broth until it was cooked. I don't have time this morning to finish the soup (and I'm short a couple of ingredients) but I'm planning to make myself some hot and sour soup, with both chicken and tofu. I have ingredients to make regular chicken soup now, but since I have to go out today and will be near the Asian market, I'll pick up bamboo shoots. My complaint about the local Chinese restaurant I go to is that they don't do the "sour" part of their soup any more.

Still working on the office, where I swapped out a tattered three-ring binder for one that has been in the eBay stuff for ages (they gave away the binders when my library got rid of the government document repository.) The old one has been dismantled and tossed, though the rings themselves are in the donation box for the teacher art supply place - Pinterest shows all sorts of uses so that's good enough for me. I'll probably be giving them binders also since library ones are much tougher than those sold at the start of the school year.

Cat sitting starts tomorrow and is more complicated with each trip because of old sick cats. She has plants and butterfly enclosures (with a couple of varieties of pupating swallowtails) and a gazillion crafts going around the house. I'm careful not to disturb the crafts, and have to check in case any pupas fledge and need to be released as butterflies. And water plants.

Working on the list of when to do what for Sunday's dinner. Getting the bird out to defrost will be easier as small as it is this year. Still picking up and putting away in the den. Big job, that.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 25 Nov 24 - 09:10 PM

Sad but true, I found organizing paperwork yesterday more satisfying than these other things that need doing. Got my Gaelic class notes and resources in order. Because the workbench was driving me mad.

After a buck-up chat with carpenter brother, made lots of progress, the 3 drawers went together nicely. Attached top to base, many many turns of the allen wrench, but done. Slept the sleep of the innocent. On rising, discovered ALL the drawer sides were in backwards and thus could not be placed on the slides. Because I put the pieces together exactly like the directions and pictures said to do. Turns out both instructions and pictures were dead wrong. So, 24 screws out, swaps, 24 back in. The upper drawers slide nicely, the big lower one won't go in all the way.

But, took it out and set it aside for help later. Started to set up the saw, which took forever and is a screamingly difficult and dangerous design and process to put a blade in. Cut the first 1x4. Went to cut the second, discovered my manifest for 12 1x4x10s was instead filled by the yard helpers with 8 footers. I was not only given the wrong thing but overcharged.

Can't go deal with it tomorrow, have to wait around all day missing time with friends and needed errands, because Home Depot insists on delivering lumber for the veranda roof on Tuesdays.

Which puts me running errands and grocery shopping on the day before T-Day! With big crowds and rank amateurs clogging the aisles phoning mom to ask where the shortening is.

Glad I took time out for Mudcat singaround, definitely the highlight of the day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Nov 24 - 12:18 PM

Paper paper paper. It's everywhere, so this morning I have focused exclusively on recycling, shredding, filing, or finding a place where (a few) things can be kept to read before recycling. Thanksgiving preparations fully underway.

There is also a growing stack of small items that can be claimed by folks who are here for the meal, otherwise they go to Goodwill. I've been testing various reader glasses and have settled on a couple of good varieties; the extras need to go away. Hot drink mugs (gifts from places I volunteer), etc. There are also a few packaged food items that are in the "I'm not eating these any more" category that can go to other kitchen cabinets. I've done this successfully in the past.

My next door neighbors had their grandson over to dig up the back gardens to thin the iris. There are several large bags of the excess rhizomes and I asked them if I could offer them on my Buy Nothing group (they were going to put the bags at the curb for trash). We're all glad the flowers won't go to waste. This evening a woman whose garden club can redistribute them will pick up all of the bags (that are now beside my driveway).

This is the first really cool and overcast morning that feels like autumn. It's about time! I hear my handyman friend working across the street, removing a large mulberry bole (he had to bring a longer saw to take down the last eight feet or so of semi-rotten wood in the tree he took down last week.) No one would use that for firewood (and it would have to dry for a while first) - this time of year people do crank up their fireplaces for commercial fire logs or pellets and we end up with a lot of smoke in the air in still weather.

Back to clearing up around here. I have an appointment (online) midday but have decided the rest of today is to pickup, put away, and make the house presentable.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Nov 24 - 01:10 PM

Old Cheddar on sourdough bread with apple butter … mmmmm.

I miss bread, and apple butter. Fortunately, I can still eat all the Cheddar cheese I can afford!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Nov 24 - 12:35 PM

I hope you get your apple butter, Dorothy. I overdosed on it as a teen when my divorced mother was buying the least expensive things she could find for our lunches. I made sandwiches every morning (peanut butter and jelly or apple butter) and I'm sure most of them were thrown away.

The office floor was mopped and shelf items are still being moved and arranged. I worked in the laundry room and thinned the old cleaning rags I rarely used to make room for my caddy of adhesive items on the same shelf. Glue sticks, epoxy cans, shoe goo, E6000, Elmer's, all sorts of products in one place. (This was displaced by the now-organized Ryobi battery tools).

Clearing out small food containers in the fridge (I'll be eating odd combinations at meals) to make room for the holiday preparations for our big meal on Sunday. The first of three (one each month) trips for my cat-owning friend begins soon, forcing me to be more organized with my time, especially on the day of the big meal. Last year was the first time I was on the ADHD meds and it makes preparing Thanksgiving dinner a lot more organized, a lot easier.

I have a lot of picking up to do around the house still. That new Ryobi spinning brush is going to be put to use in the den early this week when washing the floor to get it looking better.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 09:09 PM

MaJoC: I have a little tags taped on all sorts of cables to the devices to keep track of them. Usually written on little pieces of note cards cut small enough to be surrounded by a doubled flap of Scotch tape. Sometimes taped a couple of times if it gets old and flimsy.

I use a simple acidophilus probiotic daily, but yes, after an antibiotic, they help. I sometimes have to use a diflucan if the problem hits further south.

The Pollan book is finished; it was written in 2008 so I'll go look and see what he has that is more recent if he continues to write on the topic of food (versus food-like substances). Rather poetical in the end and makes me proud to be a gardener. Dinner tonight was a beef steak (I try to keep it to once a week for those) and a few small potatoes that were boiled to tender then squashed a bit before sauteed in butter. Three ounces of potatoes is a modest amount of carbs/starch and gives some of those nutrients that Pollan insists are best from plants, not supplements. I agree. Dinner is rarely early here, but I usually don't eat next till midday, so 12 - 14 hours between meals is what the new guy (Hyman) was talking about. I've already set aside one of his recommendations as nutty - he suggests bioidentical thyroid instead of synthetic, but the bio stuff is dried ground up pig thyroid that is unreliable in several ways. I'll stick with the synthetic in a reliable dose.

As the office continues to take shape, two of three cables arrived, one was still a little short but was swappable with one in the den that is way too long. Good save.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 09:03 PM

Dupont:

Pulled all extra sheets out of the linen closet - there are four laundry loads! Having been stored for a few years, they needed it! Now I will enlist help to fold them and find a better manner of storage! THEN, my son messages that they will get a AirBnB - there might be five! And they will need to spend a part of the time - unstipulated as yet - working remotely.

I spent time looking for a way for Taun to obtain Bauman's unsweetened Apple Butter - which lasts forever in the cupboard- even after opening! SO, looked on line for shops where it is available - a wonderful map complete with addresses. Ah! Linvilla Orchards- that's where I obtained the one I finished! It is also a place I have been acquainted with since the 40's when Dad and I would go there each Sunday, in season, for fresh cider and some apples - Macs of course. And my driving lessons entailed trips there as well.

It is very different now - Not the beat up old building with a huge stone fireplace and roaring fire and conveyer belts sorting the apples by size! (It started in 1914.) SO I messaged by son all this family history; "Steve Linville was in my HS class; he inherited the orchard." (That was his upscale Quaker HS.) Just maybe he will have time to pick up apple butter for me being as it is close to the house his GF built! The first 20 years of my life was spent in that vicinity.

Yesterday, I wore myself out fetching stuff from the bakery and trying to find enough French to help the nice man (I usually get the young woman) understand what I wanted. We managed and I managed to tell him how wonderful the chicken pie was - with a now forgotten French word! He actually expressed delight at my compliment. The excursion had a couple more stops for minor things and the delivery of the two printers to Bureau en Gros!

Not eating a lot of cheese, just nice to have some different choices. Chicken broth is my fall back with a piece of bread - when I don't feel like eating anything.

R went and fetched two cord of firewood this morning with a dump trailer; the fellow loaded it for him and he backed it up to the porch and dumped it. Minimal damage to lawn and a couple shrubs but that is enough for the winter. We just use it in the den where we sit in the evening.

I am not getting any chemo. Just the pills.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 03:31 PM

I just realized that I bought the wrong kind of Gator-Ade — not the zero-carbs version. No wonder it tasted so good. So I must go hunting and gathering again, despite the rain.

The lungs are not quite clear yet, Stilly, but improving steadily — thanks for asking. The antibiotic is not gut-friendly, so I’m glad to have only two more doses to go. Yes, I have pro-biotic capsules and I follow the directions on the label.

Time to unseat the cats again … !

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 02:03 PM

Pro tip (which I wish I'd remembered to pass on earlier): Make sure every network cable has a label at both ends, as you *will* forget which connects what to what by the time you need to remember it. The same goes for USB cables, and even power cables if there's more than two or three involved. I used to use small luggage labels tied onto the cable with string, but use whatever's least likely to fall off. (NB: don't use sticky labels, unless you wish to be confronted in a year's time with a pile of unhinged labels on the floor beneath a rackful of anonymous cables. Learn from my unhappiness.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 11:43 AM

Have the drugs finally cleared out the lungs completely, Charmion? And Dorothy, I want to remind you that too much cheese can have a deleterious effect on your regularity, so pace yourself. Don't forget to eat your broccoli (wait - if you were on chemo, can you eat broccoli?)

Patty, the idea of replacing something as cumbersome as that bench sounds daunting. Hopefully you can sand down an uneven surface or reshape it with a plane (or if it's thin enough, get it moist then put it down with something heavy on it for a while to see if it straightens?)

I ordered three cables because a couple I had been using were cobbled together using pieces of others. Time for big girl one piece cables. Still looking at open shelf space to decide where to put things I use most often. And I always have a few things on a small table beside the desk that right now doesn't have a place that isn't in the way. It may slide it under the desk.

I've also been mopping the office floor in stages. The replacement mop for my old classic ringer sponge mop (after they discontinued the refills) is a lightweight bit of nonsense that I have to carefully apply (it leaves behind what it picked up on the first pass if you make a second pass).

Finally, I've pulled out the cushioned mat that goes in front of the desk that for a long time I've treated as a standard table but it is in fact a standing desk with a manual crank. Things are set up cable-wise so nothing threatens to pitch off of the edge if I raise or lower it.

Almost finished with the latest Pollan book and have added another PBS lecturer to the stack, Dr. Mark Hyman, who does the Young Forever lectures. I'm not so interested in all of his supplements and "aging backward" hype as I am about his discussion of the science behind eating intervals (I did a lot of that with the alternate-day fasting, and picked up tips from Dr. Michael Mosley on a TV show featuring several types of fasting for weight loss. I didn't buy any of Mosley's books at the time). Hyman also has opinions about times to exercise and the use of saunas. Saunas were very popular in the Pacific NW when I was growing up but I don't see them around here much except at the gym. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy them. So looking into how I can make those gym visits more effective and maybe there's an optimum time of day for it. Without going down another keto diet path with him he does remind me about wanting to look into where one can buy grass-finished beef without breaking the bank.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Nov 24 - 10:40 AM

Hope the new computer setup works perfectly for you. Yes, I wish they would put about 8 connectors on the front. My new unit has 6 USBs, but 4 are on the back squeezed tightly together, and one is sucked up by some WiFi device that isn't in the box. (Maybe it stays cooler that way or would be easier to modernize). Still only 2 in front. It's almost as if they didn't consider ease of use, or the designers never used a computer or various peripherals.

Rushing to get the yard ready for lumber and steel deliveries, ran the magnetic yard thingy around, not easy on uneven surface, and harvested a pint of nails and screws and metal stuff. Still have half an acre to do, I guess I'll tackle it this morning while waiting for lumber delivery. Wishing I had bought a string trimmer, the little bits of grass are looking very scruffy now that winter is here.

The bench is standing fine in the right place after much teeth-gnashing and crawling around on the ground making things go together, but was dismayed to see one center piece that supports drawer glides was a little warped. So we'll see if the drawers will work once assembled. If not, I'll either ask the carpenter to remove and adjust it or demand a replacement part from the manufacturer. On the upside, the shelf is solid wood, only the drawer bottoms are composite.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 06:34 PM

This is the dry run to see if everything that was unplugged, dusted, and repositioned is plugged in. I need a longer USB cable from this new location of the old printer to reach the new computer, and shopping in my closet of gadgets didn't come up with one. (I've twice this week been in there and realized I had the thing that I just bought a new one of, so of course when I remember to look I don't have the thing.)

This is a better setup - one chair and I can turn around to use the old computer with the better Adobe software. The old quad core HP was better designed as far as ports front and back so less scrambling to connect to that (the back half of it is under a shelf above that workspace making it harder to reach). I have a heavy black steel two-shelf small table that I picked up at the curb years ago (think 1970s government office GSA furniture) - I adjusted the legs to their top position (after getting some smaller screws in the garage; for some reason the original screws wouldn't fit in that top position). I've moved a couple of other small wooden shelves and tables around and may evict at least one of them. Still figuring the best way to plug in some of the non-computer things around the room that had to move for access with this desk reorientation.

Since all of this has been the result of a catastrophic equipment failure I've taken the inelegant approach of using the old plastic label maker and noted that this is NEW 2024-11-21 on the new UPS. Stuck it on the side near the back. I'll add a note if I replace the batteries and not wait so many years to replace them in the future.

This is the setup I was envisioning the last time I moved things around in here, but I always had to sit at the corner of the other desk where the old computer is. Now I'm right smack in the middle of that desk by turning around, so I'm sitting with my legs at the kneehole for comfort.

And on an evening relaxation note - this week I found a single malt Scotch with the amount of peat followup that I like. I'm not so much into the fruity spicy mild ones, I like a bit of a bite. It's a lovely reward for finishing the the job.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 12:13 PM

I know what that spot on the rug looks like after decades of cat ownership. Now I struggle with drifts of dog hair. I'm doing a lot of dusting and vacuuming (both dust and hair) in the office now.

Last night I made myself stop what I was doing in the office and go to bed. I've unplugged just about everything and am looking at how to set up equipment so each piece can be reached or opened or buttons reached if needed. All of this work swirls around the new UPS; if there's a time to do this work it's when you're already forced to unplug a lot of stuff. (I'm typing this on the little Sony Vaio on the library table in the den. Drinking a cup of tea.)

The worst part of computer setup is being about to see all of the plugs on the back of the tower during setup and later if you need to make changes. And making sure the cables reach their devices without being pulled so taut they will work loose or prevent other moves. A minor inconvenience is moving art off of the wall above bulky tall things and moving the TV so I can see it from wherever my chair ends up. There's also a small clock radio (whose AM antenna committed harakiri with the most recent shift) that lives near the TV. The computer desks and small folding bookshelves can be moved; the large cabinet bookshelves might as well be built in and are staying put.

I gave up on the search for a different electric kettle; too many of them have plastic in other parts that are no better and the steel ones have reports of leaks or rust. I won't go back to a kettle on the stove top; I've boiled kettles dry forgetting them. Even whistling ones. Years ago Cuisinart made an all-steel kettle with a steel lid on a separate base and the heating unit finally burned out. They don't make them any more but it was the perfect kettle. Need to know how much water is inside? Pick it up. These inserted plastic view windows in steel kettles are part of planned obsolescence.

I switched the programming on the heat pump in the bedroom side of the house to heat last night, and just now it turned itself on. A sign of autumn.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Nov 24 - 11:11 AM

My kettle is a blue Le Creuset stove-top model made of enamelled steel. Not giving it up, not no-how for nobody.

Under assault by the new antibiotic, the Cough From Hell is retreating, and I have done pool class two days in a row. I'm less shaky, too, since laying off the Symbicort inhaler that the allergist prescribed for flare-ups. If there's one thing you definitely don't want to be at 70, it's wobbly in the knees.

The house is neat but not clean, since I haven't had the energy for so much as a duster, let alone the vacuum cleaner, since well before Hallowe'en. Cat hair abounds, especially in the carpets. The spot at the edge of the sitting-room rug where Watson likes to recline is particularly notable. But today is not the day I tackle that problem. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe.

Incidentally, Keb, a coat that glows in the dark is a good idea if you go out after sundown. Even in daylight, a bright colour is an effective safety feature in winter.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 07:12 PM

Dorothy, if you decide to go into storytelling to expand on the details of some of the things you discussed in your last post that will keep you plenty busy!

Keb, I did the work of looking up models that included the features I recommended because I know not everyone is wanting to take a Computer 101 class before they buy at backup power supply. The bottom line is it's a good idea to protect your computer and printer and any external drives or connected devices by plugging them into a UPS that keeps the power from fluctuating and lets you shut down safely (not losing what you were working on) if there is an outage.

I'm still learning about Keto and how to keep the protein and fat in good balance and the carbs low. Today I picked up some hard tofu to cut into strips to add to chicken soup I'm planning to make as a test. It will include chicken broth, onion, celery, chicken, tofu, and a little bit of carrot and potato for color and their nutrient value, but it's not like eating a plate of mashed potatoes or a bowl of carrot salad. (I'm doing low-carb, not no-carb; that makes a difference in my choices.) I can add a little vinegar and hot pepper flakes to make a hot and sour soup. (Note to self: Look up a recipe for that soup.)

We spoke a while back about black plastic (Charmion is lucky enough to have really old utensils that probably aren't part of the problem) - I heard this NPR program today. Forum from KQED talked about plastic in depth. I'm now looking at the options for electric water kettles because the one I've been using for years is glass but has a black plastic lid and a mesh filter housed in black plastic. The problem is heat and black plastic together. It's even worse where there is heat and oil (hence the black plastic spatula being a problem). There are some good choices now and I'll test one for myself before I send them to family members for xmas (a few years ago I gave them the same model of Hamilton Beach kettle I'm using now and everyone loves the convenience.) Steam in contact with the lid drips back into the kettle as it cools, so the lid needs to be glass, steel, or ceramic.

It's always something.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 06:51 PM

I'm with Dorothy: the computerspeak is not one of the languages I understand.

I'm supposed to be decluttering.
Instead this week I acquired a windbreaker and a winter coat,
and a new pair of denim trousers.
All "essentials" , and replacing worn-out items that I have been wearing constantly for four years or more.
But I may send the winter coat back in exchange for a different color;
the one I purchased looks like it would glow in the dark.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 05:57 PM

Dupont:
OK!!! SRS and her explosive stuff! All of which I am so clueless about she might be speaking a foreign tongue----actually she is!!! Poor Patty and her bed and workbench!!! And then.... Somewhere in there - veggies? Oh yeah, I have left the groceries sitting in the hall!! Oh, well!

But I did not buy anymore bread, though tempted. And I did manage to get more cough lozenges though my cough is greatly reduced this last while - since I decided/discovered it was mainly allergies. And I found the batteries for the hearing aids "over near the dvds"; I, literally, had to stop and wonder what a DVD was and really did not see any, but eventually I saw the batteries on the back side of a panel... There was a 3 pack of terrifically cheap Halloween earrings ($3) which I purchased without remembering that H is over!! They really are cute!!

Better luck at Staples/Bureau en Gros (I think). "Where do dead printers go?" "Over there! We recycle!" SO I shall get R to put the two in my car and clear that space in the hall. YAY!

Feeling some better most days now! Going to 3 dif stores was a sign. There have been days when I could not abide going anywhere or would drive to a store and not feel like getting out of the car.   

On our minds now is finding a sleeping apace for Grandson and partner, in addition to son who might even bring his partner. I had 3 designated guest rooms - R has filled two with STUFF! The TV/sewing room has a futon which was very comfortable but, I am informed, it is not in great shape! Guests arriving in 3 weeks...The TV room also needs considerable sorting/tidying... If all else fails, the very comfortable futon mattress could lie on the floor; these guys are still in their 20's!

But the groceries are put away. Now, what else have you reminded me... Music: I have not noticed any in the stores; my hearing aids are wonderful, esp since Taun showed me how to use the phone to regulate sound level! I have avoided canned music all my life. It could be that - like I don't see visual advertising, I have trained my brain not to hear most music - unless I choose it!

Bought more cheeses yesterday. Got a frequent flier card (!) I do find that having a choice is encouraging.

Music? Xmas? The neighbourhood is fraught with lights. Directly across the street overkill of white lighting array up and down the eaves. We have a good drape on that side. Good heavy drapes on most windows, in fact, left by previous owner! YAY! Xmas decor may last into Feb!

Bibles: friends who had a big one on a stand in the bathroom so they could read their way through it - again and again...

They became hoarders and the last time I tried to visit we could not go in the house! Gene, an R.N., became quite ill over those last years and the Drs told them she could not come home from the hospital until they cleared the house completely. I think she had a couple days at home - in the cleaned house - before she died. It was insidious; I saw it happening but didn't!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 01:47 PM

That's a good-looking bench! Very sturdy. Good luck getting it assembled!

The one I built used an old redwood picnic table that the former renter's dogs had chewed on and it was wobbly as a table. But the 2x6 planks were great material to reuse and I had a large piece of furniture-grade plywood to use for the top. Since the garage was built new in 2002 and the house in 1976 I decided to put in a bench that looked weathered enough that it had been around a long time, giving more continuity between the new garage and the older house.

The house is at that point where I'm ready to turn on the heat. Maybe this evening. I've pulled out the strings of holiday lights that I wrap around a juniper at the bottom of the driveway so I can put them up while the daytime temperatures are still warm. I won't turn them on until December.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 12:49 PM

Thanks, I'll investigate those UPS's.

This is the workbench, I saw it in passing and it just looked outstanding, and perfect for my narrow room. It's wood, made in US, fingerboarded butcherblock style, just seems quite well designed and precision manufactured and finished. The only corner they cut was the drawer bottoms and shelf are dense 1/4" masonite, and they'll do fine if I don't park a chainsaw on that shelf. I just wish it were shipped a bit more assembled and had a 'if you're by yourself' method. And the bolts could be driven with a square driver bit instead of a stupid hex allen wrench.

workbench

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 12:23 PM

Aw, Patty! That sounds like a rude surprise. What kind of workbench is it? The Black and Decker Workmate portable bench comes folded in a box, and I see there is one out there with a step extension on the front if you want to put a foot on it for more stability. I've used one for years. It stands on the floor in front of the garage workbench (I built that from scrap lumber and a dismantled cedar picnic table's slats. It is fastened to studs in the wall and all held together with carriage bolts.)

Having a UPS makes a big difference in how devices work and last. I would recommend one that finding one that has a few features (to make the purchase most effective): look at the number of outlets and see if some are spaced out if you have those fat plugs that come on some devices. True sine wave is a better power management for the device, and AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulation) means the device corrects minor power fluctuations without switching over to the battery so it saves the battery for longer use. Fluctuations in power is often referred to as "dirty power" - inconsistent enough that it burns out devices faster.

You can get away with one of the smaller ones. In my office I have two desktop computers (older quad-core one dedicated for use with Adobe products and the newer Dell). Plugged into the UPS tower are both desktops, two scanners, printer, four monitors, and four external hard drives. The computers and the main monitor on the newer Dell are in the power on plugs so I can turn off the computer in an orderly way if the power goes out.

CyberPower CP850PFCLCD PFC Sinewave UPS System, 860VA/510W, 10 outlets, AVR is one that has 10 plugs (all close together) for $154.

APC UPS 1000VA Sine Wave UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector has 10 outlets but two are separated for larger plugs, and has two USB charger ports (to plug in other devices) for $139.

For the less technical battery backup surge protectors, a company I looked at called Liebert has a number of battery backup surge protection devices (ranging from 350V up to 850VA0) that have shutdown software (so you tell what to do if the power goes out; while on backup it basically reaches out and tells the computer to turn off.)

CyberPower has a similar one that comes in different output levels. If you click around they have various form factors (blocky versus slim). Starts at $53.

I always avoid the Amazon basics.

The new UPS has arrived and is plugged in for eight hours before I start setting it up. If there was ever a time to decide to rearrange the office, this is it. But will I?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 21 Nov 24 - 10:57 AM

Holy moley, an exploding UPS! Glad you were able to deal with the situation without a house fire breaking out.

I'm starting to really wonder about quality control in these devices. I've had one for the RV start failing a few years, in. The replacement looked and was more expensive, but a couple years in, started shorting out and shutting down any power post it was plugged in to. Tech repaired the bad connection inside, and it happened again, no doubt another connection is bad. It had become safer to 'go bare', at least at a trusted park. Not sure I care to waste another $130 on such questionable devices.

When I got the house, scooped up a couple new power strips, and one began sparking whenever used. Sheesh. I think maybe these devices should be enclosed in clear plastic so you can SEE what's going on in there before melting down a receptacle.

Meanwhile, fitting out the new bed has turned into a tar baby with chain-reaction problems and delays.   Got the lumber, got a little chop saw, got home, saw "blade not included". Another 'gotcha'.

'S okay, started assembling the workbench I bought, because I had been intending to find or build one, and there was a nice one for sale. Well, unpacked its 100 pound flat-pack self and hauled it inside one piece at a time. To discover it is actually a kit where you even build the drawers. It has miserable instructions, 30 parts and 85 fasteners, comes out and says it is designed to be assembled by two people, and the order of assembly requires doing most work upside down and then flipping its weight once big and heavy. Really? Put that crap on the box so the hapless solo can avoid buying it.   So, I'll adjust the order of assembly, and prop things up on this or that to get things together.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 11:37 PM

The Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) wasn't finished with the drama reported in the last post. I decided to take a look at how the device was functioning via the software in the computer, and it looked normal. I moved over a tab and told it to perform the self test. Two seconds later there is a modest explosion in the corner of the room and flames erupted inside the UPS. I pulled off all of the device plugs on the back (as the flames went out) and lugged it out into the yard. This was on its second battery, replaced probably 18 months ago.

I've read reviews and ordered a new UPS to arrive overnight and for now the computer and everything are running while plugged into a surge protector. There's another one of these things in the hall closet, also on a replacement battery, and I'm thinking perhaps I'll replace that next (my modem and router are plugged in there). Soon. That will get a more modest battery backup and surge protection - I don't address that one through the network, though it's designed for that use. I could pay $20 less and get the same UPS delivered next week from Costco, but it isn't worth leaving all of this equipment unprotected that long.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 06:21 PM

Allegorical stories are a great story form meant to teach or set examples (and they can be considered a form of literature) - I read a lot of Trickster stories when I was working on my MA in English (American Indian Literature). No one in their right mind would read one of those and assume Coyote actually ate his own asshole, but the stories go to places like that to use humor as they teach. (Also, the size of the world known to the people who told those Bible stories was tiny - not much more than around the Mediterranean and into old Persia.)

Today after lunch we stopped at the thrift store that is our favorite (they relocated last year). The ex hadn't been to this new location so he poked around while I found a dozen and after trying on kept four pairs of jeans. It used to be I could leave there with a large bag of good clothes for $20, they have gone up, but four pair of like-new jeans (three blue, one black for more formal occasions because I hate to wear slacks) for $50 isn't bad. Bought new they'd have been more than that for one pair. And to my surprise, though I was mostly looking at the size 12s out of habit, when I came across 10s I liked I put them in the cart, I ended up with all of the size 10s. When these finish in the laundry they'll go to the closet and go on the hangers of the pants I'm going to discard into the donation bin. (An aside: I remember selling a really premium pair of Levi's on eBay several years ago, but I think they were size 8 and I doubt I'll reach that size, or I'd be sad I ever let those go.)

Yesterday I did something I've been tempted to try for a while; I have a long handle dust mop thing I use for the ceiling fan blades, but I brushed it across the popcorn ceiling in my bedroom, where strands of dust have accumulated over time. The fan running seems to contribute to dust moving sideways to those spots. Most of the dust stayed on the mop head enough fell to the floor that I need to vacuum. This afternoon I'll finish going over that popcorn before I vacuum (I hate that texture stuff, but taking it down is a huge amount of work, then painting the ceiling again).

Thank you Chrome, I am in your debt. The computer UPS just interrupted things by turning off suddenly, but Chrome saved all of the above text. It's annoying to have to try to recreate what you just wrote. Time, I think, for a new UPS. This one is several years old.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 02:32 PM

The Bible is important reading for Christians who make the effort to live their professed faith. The hard part is understanding what the Bible actually is: a collection of ancient writings, much of it not very helpful as a guide to ethical living in the 21st century. It’s literally not all to be taken literally.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 12:43 PM

I use "xmas" because it is actually an acceptable shortening of the holiday (looking in style manuals) and I lowercase it because I'm not a believer in anything to do with the biblical part of it. At my doctor's office yesterday there was a Bible (the English major in me has that book capitalized and italicized, to distinguish from the catholic use of the word to describe compendiums on various subjects) sitting on the end table in the waiting area. I casually turned it face down and moved it off to the side. Following the scan the book was in the same place but turned face up. I was tempted to lift it and dump it in the trash outside the office, but I didn't. It's my opinion vs theirs. You saw what I did there.

The SUV is tidied this morning and three of us will go out to lunch today then leave our daughter-unit with pumpkins, olive oil, and the machete she had her father dig out of his garage for her. The only way she could easily move all of this on her own is if she had Hermione Granger's fancy handbag. We've worked out where we'll all park so the transit of pumpkins will be easy. They're all quite large.

Last night I struggled with making a master photo of beer glasses to use in each eBay ad. They're more difficult than shots of the angular Duratuff glasses (where it's possible to avoid the odd reflections). If I want them to be perfect it will involve a tripod and daylight only (no flash or side lighting.)

I'm building up BlueSky (adding accounts I follow and who follow me) to resemble the old Twitter and next will set up one of the docking sites for organizing those I follow into subject lists (TweetDeck was the app that worked well with Twitter in the past. Musk killed it off.) I need to organize all of the brain-droppings in blogs and micro-blogs and such out there. Use or get rid of, primarily.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 11:49 AM

Well distinguisned, Sir: Xmas != Christmas. I tend to wish people "a merry Christmas and a tolerable Xmas". And I too am allergic to muzak, but that's a rant for another thread.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 11:40 AM

Yes, Andrew, I was whining. But be fair — I can’t choke the radio in the doctor’s office, much as I would like to. I’m pretty sure they won’t believe that I’m allergic to trite schmaltz. As for “Christmas in Killarney”, a stab of the finger brought me Jimmy Buffet before ol’ Bing could get to “with all the folks at home.”

Second day of antibiotic, and I slept through the night, even over-slept. This stuff really works, even with its downright unsettling list of warnings.

I must acquire a dressy pair of black trousers with belt loops for concerts. These days, I need a belt to keep my shirt tucked in, and I don’t want to feel my shirt-tail flapping half-way through the “Hallelujah” chorus.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 20 Nov 24 - 08:28 AM

Charmion, you have the technology; you spent good money on it. There's no need for you to suffer in Xmas noise.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Nov 24 - 05:35 PM

I notice that one channel in the SUV Sirius lineup changes periodically, and it says "Holiday Favorites" now. I won't be touching that one (I can program these, and part of the year it plays things I like).

This morning I went in for my annual mammogram (the appointment at 10:40 but they kept sending reminders that I should be there at 10:20—if the appointment is actually at 10:20 then say so. I split the difference and arrived at 10:30.) From there I did some running and finally got to my favorite Halal market and bought a new supply of olive oil then picked up three pumpkins at a friend's house. We had a good visit; I haven't picked up a baby in ages but after taking off my dangly earrings I got to pick up a little 10-month-old guy named Bennett (her grandson) and was good until the bottle arrived and that person was suddenly who he wanted to be with. Excellent visit and now I'm back home. Olive oil and pumpkins for my ex and daughter are in the SUV until tomorrow when they get dropped off.

The heat still isn't turned on in the house but the bathroom was chilly enough this morning that I did turn on the overhead coil heater fan contraption. (Old fashioned and it strikes me as a fire hazard, but it seems to work ok; after I moved in I rewired it so the switch is a timer so it isn't accidentally left on.) Wearing a sweater around the house most days.

So much to do in preparation for the holidays. Clearing up stuff around the house. eBay seems to be at a standstill at the moment (nothing selling - there are just watchers right now.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: JennieG
Date: 19 Nov 24 - 03:11 PM

Back in World War II my father was stationed in New Guinea, and of course Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' was very popular in those days. My mother told me (my father never spoke of his war experiences, never ever, but he must have told her this) that the Ozzie soldiers would sing "I'm dreaming of a white mistress".....being as how the New Guinea lasses were what used to be called 'dusky'.

It was regarded as being very risqué and naughty, apparently!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 19 Nov 24 - 02:52 PM

One thing I wish I could declutter is the White Christmas earworm. It's dry rot for the mind.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Nov 24 - 01:06 PM

Off to the allergy doc as usual this morning, home again with a big, bad antibiotic to take once a day for a week. Let’s see the cough stand up to that!

In other news, November is doing what November does in Ontario: raining coldly and feeling dismal. The stretch from now to Christmas is the toughest part of the year: short, dark, dirty days followed by increasingly frigid nights, and all of it fraught with the fake glitz of intense holiday-oriented merchandising.

When I arrived at the doctor’s office, the radio was playing “White Christmas”, the Bing Crosby version. On the way home, the country music station on the car radio interrupted its usual programming of banjos and pedal-steel guitar to play “Christmas in Killarney”, again by Bing Crosby. I’m not at all sure I can take this for five more weeks!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Nov 24 - 11:03 AM

Back to Michael Pollan this morning - nearing the end of the book - his short treatise on Vitamin C and micronutrients and antioxidants is interesting. I've heard about them for ages but didn't know what they were doing that is so important.

Humanoids apparently at one time made their own Vitamin C because it is an antioxidant we rely on to catch free radicals released into our systems by things like inflammation (a defense mechanism).

—atoms of oxygen with an extra unpaired electron that make them particularly eager to react with other molecules in ways that can create all sorts of trouble. Free radicals have been implicated in a great many health problems, including cancer and the various problems associated with aging. (Free-radical production rises as you get older.) Antioxidants like vitamin C harmlessly absorb and stabilize these radicals before they can do their mischief.[163]

We can synthesize some of our own antioxidants, but apparently we've been eating leaves of green things for so long we stopped making our own vitamin C.

He follows up on the next page about "scores of studies" that show people who eat a pound or more of fruits and vegetables a day have half the cancer rate of what we have in the US.

There are some calculations to be made; I don't know that I'll get a pound a day, but I'll get a good mix in small doses. Working on it along with the healthy fats and protein. Eliminating as many of the "seed oils" and sticking with olive, avocado, butter, etc. Aiming to get the nutrients through food, not supplements.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 24 - 10:46 PM

The updated collar is on the dog. I'll find a few more and drill them ahead to have them ready. I typically need to change out the collars about every 12-18 months. Sometimes they wear out, others (like last spring) due to skunk. Hoping to have no more of those.

Six jars of my Nacho mix are now in the freezer after having a couple of meals from the batch. My future self will thank me.

The front yard looks a bit naked on the south side, but it's better than having a dead tree there. I have some work to do (remove tires from the berm) and then I'll put in a new tree a few feet further over. (I can spread a lot of zeolite in the area to absorb toxins leached from the tires to help the area recover.)

I was in the yard during much of the work today and I think I still have some sawdust in my hair. Heading for the shower.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 24 - 12:20 PM

Still coughing? Is this the beginning of the end or the time to get the drugs?

The box was handed to the mail carrier after I raced over to his truck and caught his attention and wait for me to retrieve the box from the house - I was out in the yard conferring with the handyman friend Antonio about taking down the dead pine. Today was was too wet to leave the box on the porch awaiting postal pickup.

I had no plans to take down the pine today but one of those little powerful thunderstorms passed through this morning that hit the yard across the street, dropping two large limbs in the road. I went over with my reciprocating saw to cut up the part that was over pavement and the rest Antonio is going to haul away (the homeowner friend is 90, so he's not working with us, but we all have wet feet from standing in his yard consulting.) As we all talked about which of his trees to take today (the downed branches are from a red oak but there's a huge rotten mulberry that is going to split his house in half if he doesn't do something soon) versus later and I pointed out my ailing pine (much smaller, but almost completely dead now). And some of the deadwood in the vitex I was going to saw out myself. Since Antonio has another tree to take in the next block he'll work his way down to our houses. I asked him what his Monday had looked like before the storm - it was absolutely quiet.

Before the tree activity I had stuffed the next to the last batch of sunflowers into the trash can for today's pickup, and stacked the rest in preparation to cut on Thursday. But since Antonio will be hauling off a tree I'll drop the sunflowers on top of that load and save myself a little work.

I've changed wet shoes twice today and see at least one more pair destined for a soak this morning.

Meanwhile in Dog World Cookie's Invisible Fence collar keeps falling off. It's one from Tractor Supply that has a couple of flimsy hinges on the clasp. I have a nylon collar to put new holes in and attach the collar - not easy, but it must be done. The job is a combination of drilling and melting the frayed edges to create durable holes that the prongs go through at exactly the right width.

The truck and trailer for hauling dead wood has arrived.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Nov 24 - 10:09 AM

The cough continues. Last night was really quite unpleasant, and I'm not at the Y this morning for fear of bringing down the roof. Also, the cats are fighting, and only God knows why.

It must be Monday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 06:41 PM

Many of the stores with lumber also have a saw area set up so you can cut the pieces to size. I've used them at Homes Depot and Lowes.

Can you use the bed without the footboard? Sounds like you bought a fancy Victorian thing that probably originally used a different kind of wire spring format. I know what you're describing with the slats - I have beds here that have those slats (only one is set up but not in use at the moment).

There's something to be said for the ubiquitous adjustable steel frame that can go from twin out to queen and has sturdy castors. I have my box spring and mattress on one of those and the headboard of the Victorian bed leans against the wall and the bed is in front of it (not so close that I bang the headboard into the wall when I move around). I don't use the footboard, it is stacked in front of the headboard between it and the bed to keep it out of my way.

Box is ready to go. I had to get out a new roll of tape and was disappointed to find that my sturdy Uline tape has a cheaper thinner packing tape and that's what Amazon had for sale. Bait and switch, too late to return it. There will be a review posted making note of this.

Picked up the yarn - a tiny bag when it comes to it, but the offering party was there and came out to apologize (she forgot to put it on the porch this morning so it was two trips). Seems she taught art for years and is planning to move in the new year and will have a lot of other stuff to list. I told her about the place for donations to local art teachers and she's going to check them out next time they're open.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: pattyClink
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 04:03 PM

Well the field trip and night out were great fun, but Friday's furniture debacle was not.

Spent the morning totally emptying and cleaning the bedroom.

The shop staff cheerfully packed the bedroom suite into my cargo trailer, with many pads and blankets. They failed to remove a heavy trifold mirror from the vanity, instead loading it in topheavy and impossible for me to unload. Blessedly realized it was only 4 screws, easily removed.

The dresser had treble-clef-like mirror brackets which made the piece too tall to wheel out of the trailer. Only two nuts to remove these, theoretically, but alas, square ones impossible to unscrew through the cutouts available---only the exact size of slim standard wrench would have had even a chance. Needlenose pliers, useless, ratchets nope, channellocks forget it. But, maneuvered the thing out with a couple of scary moves dropping it onto dollies.

All safely in the house, discovered every bit of it had not been cleaned in decades. By this time the sun has gone down, and I decide to just clean and set up the bed, a bit tricky two-handed.

Finally it's assembled, the moment of truth. Drop my new standard-double box spring into the standard-double bed. Will not fit. The curvy wood on head and footboard would not allow passage of a rigid box. Tried every possible way, but no go.   By this time I'm exhausted and panicky because I've taken down the old bed frame, and have to get up at 4 a.m. for a field trip. So, drop the mattress on the 5 inadequate slats (it is flexible enough to slide in), and hope for the best. It sleeps okay but not a permanent solution, especially because you can't sit on the bed, you wind up across the siderail.

Now apparently I have to either order a custom box spring (and I am fresh out of willingness to pay up for weird unexpected costs), or I have to construct a low plywood platform to substitute for the box spring. And no, I don't have a workbench set up yet, and I'm not a good carpenter, but, looks like I am now in the sawing and screwing business. Perhaps the lumberyard will whack some plywood sheets in half for me so I can load them in the RV and begin work. I refuse to run helpless to the carpenter.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 24 - 12:58 PM

I have several quarts of frozen mustang grape juice that I hate to waste; I'm not eating much sugar these days but lots of friends still use jelly so I'm going to thaw a couple of jars and make a batch for gifts this year. I'll look for some 12oz jelly jars (they have an embossed jewel pattern that is lovely with the jelly color) for more robust gifts.

The ice cube dispenser again was clogged and I dismantled things and realize that the rim of insulation around the edge of the flapper that covers the cube channel has nicks in it. It appears that moisture gets in through there and builds up on the metal part of the mechanism. I have two choices - it may be that the flapper part is replaceable (it looks like it can be snapped off) or I could use something to give extra insulation around that point. Research will tell me which is the better bet (if the flapper is a universally-sized replaceable item or not).

My olive oil supply is running low so I tried calling the Halal grocery to learn if they have the new year's batch of olive oil in yet but when I select "English" as my language it goes to a recording. No English speakers there this morning it seems. Most of the employees are immigrants who don't speak a lot of English yet. I'll drive over tomorrow and look for myself.

Working on the box for my son; I had to hunt around to find some of the stuff that has been sitting here for a while waiting to be sent. It will go in the morning, clearing up a couple of cubic feet of stuff (but there's so much more to move before the holidays). I flattened a bunch of boxes in the front room and the sun room is looking good now, though I do want to move one more piece of furniture out of there. Where to is the question I need to answer first. I had the swing on the front porch for a while and while it gets so faded out there I did like having it to sit on. Maybe I'll move it back out and find another tarp to cover to prevent fading.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER *hoards *bad habits *toxic stuff - 2024
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Nov 24 - 10:04 PM

Packing a box to go out to my son on Monday.

The local freecycle group had an offer of yarn and needles that I'll pick up tomorrow for my daughter. The donor also had fabric scraps that I could have used but someone beat me to those. I'll pick up yarn tomorrow and next week will deliver those plus a machete her dad brought over (was in his garage). No idea when she bought it or why it was at his house but we're both clearing out kid stuff however we can.

Pulled a couple of more shirts out of the closet; they don't fit well so will join a pair of trousers in the donate bin.

This evening I made a big batch of what I call my "nacho mix" that can be used in burritos, for tacos, tostadas, or for making nachos. I freeze it in pint jars. Right now the batch is in the fridge cooling and tomorrow will go into the freezer.