DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jun 25 - 12:00 PM

This morning when I woke with sore muscles I concluded that the PMR is back at an early stage. There has been enough time to get over sore muscles from digging in the yard, but it's still here. Hand strength, shoulder muscle pain as the main symptoms and I'll call for an Rx tomorrow. I just looked back in this thread to April 28 remarks about how the trackball mouse works - not as well - it's because my hands have been stiff, not because the device isn't working. The earliest symptom report. Hyperfocus on the injustice of the current administration is a stress trigger. When I first realized this might be back I stepped away from a lot of the news. Yesterday I went through the list of places that were sending me political emails (many substack accounts found through doomscrolling activity) and unsubscribed 3/4 them to start pacing myself better. Then I went to work in the garden.

This week I have to do some sewing. I need to get back to working the jigsaw puzzles and listening to audiobooks. Resume activities that were put on hold on January 20. I suspect I'm the last to see this as the logical answer; you're all very patient with my ramblings. :-/

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 May 25 - 05:08 PM

Charmion, I'm sorry that cough is lingering for so long.

Stilly, the apartment will see me again before the movers arrive, doing some packing and sorting;
I still have more books to go through.
But the movers are going to do some packing as well when they come.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 31 May 25 - 02:28 PM

The Cough From Hell has eased up exactly one notch — enough to delude me into thinking I can run around town doing errands, but not enough to let me actually do what I planned without a nasty fit in the drug store parking lot.

Speaking of the drug store, the pharmacy staff now know my dope list better than I do. Small town.

The cats have lived with my cough all their lives, and they simply decamp when it gets too convulsive. It hasn’t killed me yet, so it doesn’t worry them. Failing to get up before seven o’clock, however — that’s a sign of approaching End Times!

It’s unusually cold for the end of May, with a forecast high today of just 13°C and a brisk wind. I had to restart the furnace.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 May 25 - 11:30 AM

Patty, good luck with all of those ducks you have lined up! I have to think about a wedding in the fall, so this is a good heads up. When my niece got married ~ 10 years ago I wore black velvet pants, a black/gray sparkly lacy top with similar color lacy jacket over it. All separates that went together well. After that I gained a lot of weight, but kept them; now I'm lighter than I was when I wore them but they'd probably work.

About worrying. MaJoC, hindsight is one way to see what was happening, and with the inauguration of 47 and the high level of worry I realized I was doing the same thing I did in 2013 when a new dean reorganized library staff into new jobs, and in particular the older staff into jobs they didn't want hoping we'd leave or retire. Many of us simply got angry and stayed that way, and I'm sure it's why I developed PMR; this spring the high level of worry about 47 may have brought it back.

Gardening today. This morning I found another large tobacco hornworm on the tomato plants; it has been relocated to "over there" where I threw it. In past years I've had datura plants they can move to, but none have popped up so far. The garden was sprayed with Bt to knock off any others too small to see yet.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 31 May 25 - 07:08 AM

> There should be a law against raising people's
> anxiety level at 6 pm on a Friday.

*Sympathy*, Patty. I resented that happening to me with monotonous regularity in one job. Eventually I twigged that my immediate boss had reached 4:30pm on a Friday, and was clearing his own mental desk before the weekend by dumping everything I hadn't done on mine; I'm a worrier, so it trashed my weekend summat rotten, every single weekend.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 May 25 - 01:01 AM

sending a BIG & gentle hug to you, patty

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 30 May 25 - 11:38 PM

Really on edge this evening, insurance adjusters have waited til too much else going on to pester me for a contract the rental company never gave me, over and over. Now I'm supposed to make calls about it while on a train Monday. There should be a law against raising people's anxiety level at 6 pm on a Friday.

Went out to drop off a plant for sitting, thought I would catch a meal at the social club, nope not serving tonight. And forget relaxing, I am then informed the neighbor will tear up my side yard at dawn, tomorrow of all days while I am trying to pack, sew the last seam, water plants (while they work on the pumphouse), close up the house, and get out. Sewing a lining in a poorly-lined dress to wear at a wedding. Seriously regretting making the trip at this point, not just because of these aggravations but others too.

I really wanted to not travel this summer but one does not control when or where relatives get married. I'm going to get some sleep and get up early, maybe things will look better in the morning.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 May 25 - 10:31 PM

The night is clear and the yard is filled with fireflies darting in all directions. It's possible to spend a brief time on the patio to enjoy them and scoot back into the house before the mosquitoes realize you're out there.

The bench beside the back door and the area alongside where I park in the garage are free of bags of craft items. The guest room is in good shape. Everything else still needs attention.

Keb, are you going to be back at the apartment sorting and packing before the movers arrive, or will they simply move everything that is there now?

Patty, what are you sewing?

Charmion, how are you sleeping? Do the cats stick around when you're coughing or do they find a less active place to sleep?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 May 25 - 12:03 PM

Another storm overnight, a bit of rain, and an overcast day today. After the drive to donate art supplies and a side trip to Costco (with a list in my pocket because the things I need there are scattered all over the store) I'll work on the plantings.

Daughter-in-law reported last night on a drive she wants to make today while my daughter is at a conference; they are in the Pacific NW for that conference and vacation. It dawned on me this morning that the town she wants to visit is east of the next mountain pass north from where they're staying, and it's a long way around when you have a very large mountain range in between. (Draw a rectangle that is wider than it is tall. Put an X on the lower left corner and one on the upper right corner. That is what her drive will look like, one of those routes.) Luddite me, I always carry a map, but she'll be out in the boonies away from cell towers if she's traveling via GPS. Fingers crossed it goes well.

Evenings this weekend need to be used for some computer stuff, because I must finally get the new external hard drive connected and get a full backup. It's about time to upgrade the computer to Win11 and the backup is for just-in-case. That will kill a weekend when it happens.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 30 May 25 - 09:20 AM

I feel marginally better today, despite the continuing presence of the Cough From Hell. The sun is shining and Stratford looks positively Edenic, so I will shove myself through the shower and into clean clothes for a jaunt to the grocery store. Of course, as the veg supply is down to a box of spinach, I have to go anyway, but today I might actually benefit from exposure to the great outdoors.

Besides, I’m bored. This is my seventh day of house arrest.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 29 May 25 - 10:02 PM

Household matters are on hold, had to deal with some legal stuff, and getting ready for a 12 day trip north. I really wanted to relax and stay put this summer, but it was not meant to be. Tomorrow is maximum stress-sew-and-pack day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 May 25 - 06:18 PM

A week from this coming Monday,
the movers will de-clutter the two-bedroom apartment and
shoe-horn everything left into the one-bedroom apartment
on the other side of the state.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 25 - 05:44 PM

After rain this week to soften the soil I decided today was the day to dig up the large almond verbena at Sara's house. I rooted around the base with a Korean digging tool and realized it had some thick roots (up to 1.5" diameter) extending out in all directions. I worked around the plant pruning them off a couple of feet out from the center (maybe 8 of them) and when I was ready I put the shovel down the side of the plant and tipped it and the whole thing came up beautifully. For a shrub planted 10 years ago this was amazing, maybe 20 minutes of work. And it wasn't all work because the dogs were there wanting kisses and attention. And apparently Sara was watching and came out, totally impressed that I'd gotten this out of the garden so quickly. What a fluke. Now it's sitting beside my potting bench on a big bucket of soil and I'll decide where to plant it later this evening. I'd put this off for ages, figuring it was going to be really difficult. Silly me.

How are you feeling, Charmion? How is the water line work, Patty, and did your patio cover get finished and look the way you wanted? Keb, where are you in the moving process now that the junk guys hauled off all of the big stuff from the apartment?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 25 - 12:14 AM

I looked up the new water meter; that triangle is a symbol that will display for the first 30 days the device is set up, and assuming there is no problem it will go away. So - no leak that I know of.

Errands run today, some paper dropped off with my daughter, and when I rolled into the garage I took a look at all of the parcels sitting along one side for Friday's donation. Tomorrow I'll organize and pack everything to go but leave it in the garage because I have a gardening expedition to dig out one last shrub at the house where my friend is moving. Since it's being listed for sale soon I'll take a bag of mulch so once it is dug the hole can be refilled and the spot landscaped with a covering of wood chips. Unload the shrub, sweep out the back, and load in the craft stuff. Perhaps you can see why I still miss having a pickup truck.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 May 25 - 12:56 PM

Two small potted trees (dug up from my garden) were offered on Freecycle and claimed within minutes. The couple live nearby, he works for an irrigation company and when I commented that the city put in a new meter he took a look, and pointed at the small triangle shape on the screen. "That may mean it detects a leak." Good to know, the bill was a bit higher last month with no extra watering. I turned off one device that regularly has pressure to it (and might be leaking) and will go look at the meter. It's electronic so apparently addressable. I think they put a battery pack in the meter vault with it, we'll see how well that holds up. Better if I can find a leak and have a plumber fix it than call a plumber and ask him to find the leak and then fix it.

And - yesterday I talked to Dorothy! We were on Facebook/Messenger at the same time so I sent her a note using Messenger, telling her I was going to use the call feature and see if she heard it. She answered promptly. I wasn't sure what kind of accent to expect, but mostly she sounds like my great aunts from Pennsylvania, where she spent her early years. It was computer silence here and on FB for nearly two weeks because she forgot the laptop at Beaver and a friend mailed it to her. When I called she'd been busy deleted hundreds of emails. :) Whew! The wedding trip is on, so probably not a lot of chatter for a while, she said taking the computer across the border would show her politics if she had to show it so it stays home. She doesn't do social media on the phone, that I'm aware of, so hopefully no problem there.

A new rubber garden hose is being delivered today. I'm avoiding the PVC and vinyl hoses on general principles, noting that nothing is perfect.

That replacement/warranty phone case finally arrived. I paid for shipping but it took two weeks in which they could have hand-carried it from Colorado. And it's a one-piece plastic bit of junk. No more Otterbox.

What weird days we live in.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 27 May 25 - 02:39 PM

I checked up on Lucas the foundation guy and — sure enough — trenching won’t begin until next week, if then. The weather does not permit.

After a prolonged “For fuck’s sake” session, I am back in the comfy chair with the cat. Thank God I didn’t let the landscapers tear up the patio last week …

Bronchitis is still a major presence. I feel kinda wretched and very tired after a bad night, and there’s a knot of discomfort in my short ribs where a coughing fit produced pulled a muscle. The doc wrote me a scrip for a big antibiotic yesterday, but it hasn’t made much of a difference yet.

I hate this phase of convalescence — too sick to do much, but well enough to be bored.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 25 - 11:18 AM

You know how one weird day feels like it's going to take down others around it? This morning I was setting up to take a shower, and I heard a gurgling noise. I looked out the front and back doors to see if a faucet was somehow on, and none were. I called my neighbor to ask if our street's water had been turned off. She asked "Did they put in a new water meter at your house yet?" I stepped out the side door (not dressed for going outside) and could see the public works guy headfirst in the meter vault. "Some warning would have been nice, guys! I was just headed to the shower!" Barking I heard and ignored was apparently the dogs responding to their knock. This after my phone updated its software, installed the stupid Google assistant, and took me off of the network. A restart has the phone connected again and first thing I did was disable the Google Assistant. These were all temporary setbacks, but after yesterday they seem more significant.

On the other hand, the kitchen looks so much better after filing and recycling yesterday and I had an eggplant to use so set it up to roast for the first batch of babaghanouj of the almost-summer. It smells wonderful! A couple of parcels await the mail carrier on the front porch and after yesterday's rain I'll be able to do the digging/tilling to put in the plants that have been growing from seed in the last couple of beds. Cucumbers and okra. Sweet potato slips were planted yesterday evening in amongst tomatoes. And I seem to have a new water meter.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 25 - 12:37 AM

Patty, good work on discovering the problems with the water line - you'll save water in the future!

Power back on after 6pm, and what a long day. But I made a point of going through stuff that was easy to work on with just the daylight from windows resulting in boxes of paper for the village recycle bins. I didn't get to a point when the table was ready to sew on. Gas can and electrical cord are stowed back in the garage.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 May 25 - 09:39 PM

Sorry the outage is dragging on, but great that you are able to use your backup systems, well done!

Big news at mi casa is the water system no longer has air in it. My fantastic neighbor pulled off the raggedly little tank shack and started excavating the pipe from well to tank. I then watered, and noticed a slow leak from a ring-type hose clamp while the hose was on. Aha! The smoking gun at last! Well, by the time the whole shallowly buried run was dug out, there were eight clamps visible, all mineralized from leaking.

One new flexible pipe now stands in for all that junk, temporarily, and in July we will redo the top of the well and repipe properly.

The drought drags on here, but one prickly pear has put out a new ear in response to a couple of waterings.

I'm losing days to nonsense, trying to get kitted out for a family wedding in June. One very long day devoted to serious search-and-destroy-mission shopping. Yuck. And let's just say what's on offer in the borderland is more suited to a sparkly fiesta than a Minnesota wedding!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 May 25 - 04:55 PM

The usual prompt repairs for power outages aren't evident this time. We've had to again "report" our outage via the phone app to keep it active. It looked solved, but in fact it was just tree folks who finished removing the wood that fell on the lines. We still need the Oncor folks to hook up the juice. Trouble is, there are more storms passing through and we seem to be getting a series of them this afternoon. No lineman is going up a pole during lightning. #Smart

The Samsung tablet is doing a robust job; it is connected to the phone (mobile hotspot), the Bluetooth keyboard (Anker), and the Bluetooth mouse (Logitech). Back when I was trying to use an Amazon Fire tablet it was a clunky dinosaur in comparison and this wouldn't have worked.

This kind of power outage is a test of the preparedness I've worked on. I haven't set up the propane stove because I was able to plug the microwave into the power strip to heat some baked chicken out of the fridge that is now running. I have a small television I set up to plug in to watch a sewing program I like at 2pm, though now the radio is on. I could use headphones connected to the phone and listen to all sorts of stuff. That's for later. Candles? Maybe later. The Ott light set up near the TV and microwave gives the kitchen enough light for the moment. I have a fan to run if it gets too stuffy (humidity is 100%).

All of this said, I could disconnect the garage door opener and lift the door and drive out and go somewhere else. It is only ~40 houses along the creek without power. Considering how difficult February 2021 was, since then I've worked on upgrading my backup systems, so this is a good test. I'm thinking about moving my sewing machine into the kitchen to sew at the table this evening. 1 lamp and 1 sewing machine and I'm set. It's pouring rain right now, and is heavily overcast but there will be daylight until after 8pm. If the power isn't back, I'll work on the setup.

Dorothy, where are you? I tried looking for mutual connections on FB but wasn't able to make any contact. Some of us are active on FB, we probably need to share our email and phone numbers so we can check up on each other backchannel. (Katlaughing used to call people, and I need to pick up on that. It's so easy to talk, not just type.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 May 25 - 11:07 AM

I had a post to share last night but the 'cat was down so I saved it to put up today. But a storm passed through overnight and the power is out. That post is saved in the computer and I'm checking in on the world via mobile Hotspot and Bluetooth devices at my kitchen table. Next door has their generator up so I can charge stuff, and most importantly, I had a cuppa tea. There was wind in the storm, evidenced by stuff strewn around the yard. It no doubt took out a tree along the creek where they unwisely decided to run the electric wires.

I'm glad the doctor is seeing you; good thing this isn't a holiday in Canada.

I've spent this morning doing more clearing of horizontal surfaces. The radio is on classical; there are flashlights around the house so when I dressed I could see in the closet or when I take papers into the office closet I can see to file them. I plugged a power strip into the kitchen to set up several things on my power line; perhaps it is time to get a dedicated kitchen table one because we seem to go through this routine a couple of times a year.

When I finish filing I have a book to read. I haven't seen the power company truck up and down the street yet so this may take a while. I have a can of gas for the mower in the garage that I'll contribute to the generator this afternoon.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 26 May 25 - 09:44 AM

MaJoC, I have tried literally every sleeping position that doesn't cause a rush of blood to the head. Propped up in a La-Z-Boy recliner works best during the acute phase, but that’s not saying much; I wake up with a stiff neck after about three hours, and then experience a big, fat coughing fit. Foetal position on my right side on my memory foam mattress is best for the long haul, especially with the memory foam pillow that now seems essential to my existence.

Once upon a time, I could sleep soundly in the front seat of an army truck with a radio earpiece strapped to my head. My husband used to say I could sleep on a bed of nails. Alas, those days are gone.

Cerberus didn’t try to argue with the rasp currently passing for my voice. I’m in with the doc at 1500 hr today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 26 May 25 - 03:54 AM

> Bronchitis is an ailment that lets up in daytime
> and worsens again at night.

Have you tried propping yourself up in bed with a pillow, Charmion? That helps with asthma, so it might with bronchitis. It's to do with the weight of your gastrointestinal tract pulling the diaphram down when you're stood up, buit not when you're lying down.

> Wish me luck getting past Cerberus the receptionist.

We've got a pack of those at our doctors': we call them the Rotweilers. They've been trained to attack. Best of luck.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 May 25 - 05:49 PM

coughing on Cerebus might be the modern way to defeat the monster? or perhaps croaking out a chorus ...

good luck!


Jobsworth

video

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 25 May 25 - 04:43 PM

I feel like hammered crap, Stilly — thank you for asking — but I managed a little bit of actual work today, breaking down the cardboard boxes accumulated in the garage for recycling.

Bronchitis is an ailment that lets up in daytime and worsens again at night. I feel weak and inefficient but generally functional from about ten in the morning till about suppertime, then progressively worse. Nights are miserable — coughing and tossing and turning. So. I do useful things while I can, then sit down with the cat.

The doctor’s office opens at nine tomorrow. Wish me luck getting past Cerberus the receptionist.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 May 25 - 01:04 PM

Rain seems to be holding off until tomorrow and today is quite warm. I trimmed around the back yard and pulled more of the weeds I got last week that I don't want going to seed. A bunch of potted plants were watered and one that I was sure was dead has a new tree sprouting from the roots, so I'll nurse that along and plant it when it's large enough to not get lost in the tall grass. Maybe next year. I have a couple of trees I have to give away before they dry up in the pots. I'll mow tomorrow but I'm going to put out some ant bait today and see if it will reduce the large number of fire ants in one spot they've inhabited for way too long. Over the years I've gotten lots of ant bites, but these are particularly painful and bring up a large blister.

Cucumbers and okra are coming along on the potting bench and there are sweet potato slips I'll plant once I've finished this and my cup of tea (this is a cool-down session). I dug out a photo of the flower on a plant given me, dropped it into Google lens to ID, and will get it planted now that I know how large and how much attention and such.

The kitchen is now more inviting with the tall table and the peninsula cleared of a lot of stuff that needed recycling or filing. More things are going into the bags for art teachers.

How are you feeling today, Charmion? Dorothy hasn't been on FB since May 15. Must check up on her.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 May 25 - 05:35 PM

Charmion, it sounds like moving to a larger city will help as far as health care access, though I hope the air quality there is as good as the smaller town.

A holiday weekend wouldn't normally make a difference to a retiree, but with a part-time job I have the weekend off (the gardener's radio show tomorrow will be a repeat so I don't need to do any setup for it.) I'm doing some self-care stuff this weekend. Today has been to clear the surfaces in the kitchen to stop scolding myself about the clutter. Changing bed linens, laundry, sweeping and vacuuming. Tomorrow I am going to a friend's house to help as she prepares to move out of state. I'll be painting the baseboards and trim in the room she's working on right now, and she has some more stuff to donate to the place that collects art supplies for teachers. I made an appointment to take donations to them next week on Friday with the plan to collect stuff from friends to take along. She apparently has some nice paper that didn't sell (I should ask my daughter if she's interested in buying it from Sara before donating it. My daughter is into binding books and her spouse does calligraphy - paper is a big deal for them.)

Part of the clearing was packing up stuff I've saved for people. I have a couple of boxes ready to ship; they'll go on the porch on Tuesday morning since the mail carrier has already been through the neighborhood today.

Monday is Memorial Day and is wide open, but is liable to be about gardening or spending some time sewing (one or the other, depending on if the predicted rain arrives or not).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 24 May 25 - 09:01 AM

Once again I have come down with bronchitis, just in time to miss the last concert of the choir season. Yesterday, I had no voice at all for dress rehearsal; today I can talk, but am frequently interrupted by loud, uncontrollable bouts of coughing that would add nothing good to the performance. Of course, my singing voice is reduced to a breathy squeak and a range of about eight notes.

Stratford has no walk-in clinic or urgent-care centre, so I must wait until Monday to call the doctor’s office and try to get seen before this lurgy decides to become pneumonia.

All week, the weather has been a throwback to mid-April: cold and wet. I had the furnace off for about three days, and had to turn it on again.

The trench operation on the north-side foundation of the house begins on Wednesday “weather permitting”, so the whole place will be in massive disorder for several days. I am so ready to move on to the next phase of my life, but also not in the mood for noise and mess.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 May 25 - 08:20 PM

Having a welcoming space to move into is important. And whoever moves into your old apartment will experience the same comfort. You could tuck a note into a kitchen drawer - "I hope you have a great life here." Win/win.

Busy day today, some catching up on family after my brother called. The ex and I went shopping, brought stuff back to my house, then our daughter texted that she could do lunch. We were off again and met her and her spouse for lunch at her museum. I also handed over the canning jars and she gave me a couple of bags of fleece to donate to the teachers' art group next week.

The weather has been lovely, I'll mow and trim this weekend and put in more of the garden. I need to till the area where the cucumbers will be planted and go through the area where okra will grow into a small thicket. And when I'm not in the yard, I'll be picking up around the house.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 May 25 - 07:30 PM

The manager of my old apartment building and I have been in contact about my eventual move out, and all is going smoothly. We reached an agreement: I'm almost never there, and he will want to find a new tenant as soon as is practical. Therefore, I agreed that the manager could go ahead and start renovating the apartment while I am organizing the move out. In particular, the kitchen, which has gone unused for years in my absence.

I was there this morning, and the kitchen has experienced a major de-clutter: all the appliances and cabinets were gone. There were only the walls where you could see where the cabinets had been attached. And already, in the living room on the carpet, the new refrigerator and stove (range plus oven) were sitting and waiting while the new kitchen cabinets were to be installed.

There was only so much work I was able to do, as the cabinet contractors showed up with their truckful of cabinets while I was in the apartment sorting and discarding more stuff. And that is all right, time is on my side even if the management is in a hurry. I spoke cordially with the manager who was running around installing cabinets and appliances not only in my old apartment but in the apartment across the hall as well.

My next apartment, although it is so much smaller, looks much more welcoming with all its renovation done and everything spotless.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 May 25 - 12:25 AM

Good job! Though, technically, at the moment you have *three* places to live. ;-) It will feel good to pull all of the strands together into one home.

A friend is coming to visit around June 1 so I have until then to tidy the house. Last year she was here during the Mother's Day Skunk Assault; we all hope for a mellow visit this time.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 22 May 25 - 08:41 PM

Congratulations on the new home! Hope you take your time and get it set up just the way you want it. We know how much thought and work it took to make this happen.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 May 25 - 06:14 PM

Well, I'm officially a resident of the retirement community.
My bank account was decluttered of a substantial sum,
but it's done -- papers signed, keys handed over.

I'm still staying at the treatment center at this point,
and there's my old apartment that needs packing up and moving.
But I've secured my destination at last,
and I can make the moves in my own good time.

Tomorrow I drive back to my old apartment to sort and throw out some more/donate some more stuff.
It should be very different now that the major de-clutter
of furniture was done, one week ago.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 May 25 - 12:08 PM

Over a dozen years ago when the big reorganization of offices at my library started, a co-worker who had a lovely bank of windows gave his plants to people because he was being moved to the basement. He's still in the basement, and I visited with him and a couple of other friends yesterday. I reminded him about a cactus he gave me. It came home to live and has been here since. Repotted a couple of times, occasionally fertilized. I'm not particularly fond of it, but kept it going. I told him I'd bring it back. Since I'll be on campus again today I've boxed it to travel. He can take it to his house.

Yesterday when I arrived at the library the e-waste bin wasn't on the first floor (I thought it might have been moved up a floor because the basement access was blocked for construction this summer.) But after asking and looking, a former co-worker on the second floor and I found it - in the same place it always was, the basement stairwell outside the construction area. The building has one of those open stairs so we could look straight down to see it. It's just a silly story of spending time looking for something that was always in its original place.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 May 25 - 11:42 AM

Bad night's sleep, probably my own fault, I forgot to take my little collection of vitamins and supplements until later in the evening and one of them has green tea as the base. I did a couple of small 3am chores. Looking at the use-by dates on some old Rx bottles resulted in a half-dozen to drop off at the safe disposal bin at my pharmacy. This after I went into the sewing room to get out materials for a project I want to do this week, and realized I had stacks of stuff for three other projects. Have an idea, decide I'll do it, pick up some materials, they make it to the sewing studio then are forgotten. I have to spend more time in there again.

Today I'm thinning out the political email subscriptions; there are way too many. I need to spend less time fuming about events and move to other, healthier thoughts. Follow through on a few items (the 5 calls site can help with that - they're trustworthy and done the research so I don't need to read as much.) I'll still write and march, but whether the PMR has come back or I'm achy from gardening, it's time to pay attention to stress levels.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 May 25 - 06:16 PM

A couple of retired friends I worked with have the same interesting setup for personal services; we went to doctors and hair stylists and shopped near work, though we lived in the next town or the next county. Now as retirees we go back to those doctors or stylists or stores as part of our routines. Tomorrow is part of that, when I have a haircut, then I wend my way through town for a couple of other stops, including my old library, where there is a large e-waste bin. I put a bag of e-waste in the car for that stop.

I've loaded two cases of canning jars in the car for my daughter's friend who can use them. Quarts and half-pints will be exchanged the next time we have lunch together later in the week. It makes enough room in the pantry to stash a couple of small Igloo coolers that were sitting on the floor in the hall.

Today's trash pickup carried away a whole bunch of seedy weeds that I don't want spreading through the yard (they don't belong in the compost). Next pickup is on Thursday, so between now and then I'll pull more of the bad vines and stuff them into the can. This particular vine can spread by seed or by the roots so I don't want it taking over my compost. Spring yard cleanup continues between thunderstorms.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 May 25 - 12:42 PM

I agree with Charmion, that sounds like a problematic design on that hand vac. But it reminds me that I didn't buy the extra kit with my Ryobi hand vac (there is one that comes with all of the extras but it was out of stock, so I got the bare-bones one instead).

This morning I looked out to see what kind of trimmer the next door neighbor was using and I think it's the same as I just bought. He's a careful shopper so it feels like I made a good choice (I did compare reviews, but I didn't go outside of Home Depot to read them.)

In my files I keep receipts and warranties, and in my office closet I keep the boxes of various things. This weekend I decided I was tired of the saggy side on my phone's protective case and was all set to order another one when I got out the boxes from a couple of other cases I tried when I first bought the phone. The sturdy case it's in for the time being doesn't allow for wireless charging. The defunct one did, and when I looked at the box and the miles of folded warranty paper enclosed I was able to make out the tiny print English language section and realized I was about a week under the 2-year-warranty limit on the old one. And the application process wasn't particularly onerous, so a newer design Otterbox is on the way for the cost of postage. It's so rare that warranties actually work in my favor.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 19 May 25 - 11:41 AM

I'm still very, very tired, despite going to bed at nine-thirty last night and not getting up until eight -- very late for me. Maybe I should be more punctilious about taking the iron supplement that can't combine with any medication so I consistently forget it.

Patty, I feel your pain with the deliberately bad design of your hand vacuum -- especially the part about paying extra for a crevice tool. That's just mean and low-down.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 18 May 25 - 07:53 PM

More dust blowing around today and yesterday. Working in the rock room with its leaky windows, had to run the dustbuster on the windowsills and nearby objects. Speaking of which, the new one is awful, spewing exhaust out both sides so it's impossible to keep your face out of the exhaust. And they don't supply a crevice tool, you're supposed to buy one for $10, when it probably still costs 50 cents to extrude one, and no there were none at my usual thrift, perhaps everyone is scooping them up after getting rid of all the extra ones from the 90s. AND the wide mouth on the dust buster is just curved enough that it can't clean up corners. Can you say deliberately bad design? Make the product look sleek but not do the job people buy it for?

So at first I was distressed about sand in the door lock, but it basically worked its way down the first day and the lock has been working, but things are not sliding perfectly. I guess a shot of wd-40 is in order?

Made great headway today on getting set up to mount micro and thumbnail minerals in perky and micro boxes. Much organizing got done, and one mini-dresser that used to hold small articles of clothing in storage is now sheltering mounting equipment.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 18 May 25 - 04:10 PM

Pro tip, Stilly: When you empty a container, get rid of the container along with its contents. Don't give yourself permission to load it up again.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 May 25 - 11:25 AM

I have a cabinet Victrola and a bunch of lacquer records. Haven't played with it all in years, but they still play. Another thing the kids won't want.

I just noticed more of a post from Patty about returning home to dust on the porch and in the door lock. That's a new one! What did you do to clear the lock?

Yesterday I did some clearing in the closet; I realized I had more than a dozen pants hangers (the type that clamp on the legs and there is a hook that pulls them closed when placed on the rod). These are left from the last pass through to take out pairs of pants I was never going to wear. There is a small wire "Closet Maid" cabinet with three track drawers and a basket top, and I suspect I won't miss anything that is in it now. So - empty it and reassign the drawers to other stuff? Or take it out completely. It has several small backpacks I never use. Boots I don't wear. (Because I don't need them or because I never see them to remember to wear?)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 18 May 25 - 04:52 AM

Re records surviving, where books don't: Shellac 78s tend not to. Whenever the Sunday School in London broke an attendance record, they'd celebrate by having one of the children break a 78 over the head of the Church Warden; I never did think to ask whether him being bald was cause or effect.

When our family moved from there, my father left behind our stack of 78s, much to my distress. (They may still be in the loft.) Mind you, I'd long since broken the second half of the William Tell overture by sitting on it, so I could no longer confuse my younger brother into running in from the garden, thinking the Lone Ranger was on the telly.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 May 25 - 02:22 AM

the trouble with stuff going in & out of fashion is some items survive (LPs have been back again for a few years) but some get pulped (books)

When I was rehoming most of my 600+ CDs many went to community radio stations & many others went in small parcels (6 or so) to charity shops, spreading them around was better than overwhelming one shop!

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 May 25 - 10:21 PM

Sandra, I kept family antiques for years, lugging them around, storing them at times, and at this point I don't think the kids want any of them. Maybe in the next decade or two they'll come back into fashion.

The new trimmer arrived. It has an automatic feed (instead of a button you tap on the ground) and I think one battery will be enough to trim the front or the back. I need to figure out how often to start and stop it to keep enough string advancing so there's enough to do much of a job. I have several batteries already and this is a lot easier than staging 100' of electrical cord before getting started.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 May 25 - 07:13 PM

years after I moved & had to leave my cat with neighbours (who probably loved her to death cos they overfed her - poor starving pussy cat, meow, meow give me food - I told them not to listen to her!) I discovered some long-haired tabby fur when I pulled the cushions out of my old dining chairs ...

I wonder if the set still exists, I gave it to charity when I moved sometime later. We are going thru a period of yukky-brown-furniture-give-us-beautiful-modern-Ikea-stuff! Young tenants just toss everything on the street, the considerate ones? book a council pick-up - but a lot of good stuff goes into trucks that crush everything, or gets smashed by passing yahoos. Friends with vintage/antique pieces know their son-in-law doesn't like it, & anyway they are well set up after 12+ years of marriage, but their niece does like the family dresser!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 May 25 - 12:15 PM

Having that book (my Mom had a double boxed set of some version of the OED, it came with a little drawer and a magnifying glass) meant your household took books and reading seriously. I find I'm buying more books on paper than digital books, though it depends on the category. Nonfiction are on paper so I can mark them up, others are digital books to go through more quickly, and I get fiction audiobooks from the library.

Today was meant to be running around to a couple of events, but we are under a thunderstorm warning that includes the threat of beefy-sized hailstones. For those people who live near any of the points along the freeway where a street runs under all of the lanes, there are gently sloping sides to those underpasses and many people with vehicles parked on nearby streets drive to and park under the highway. There are sometimes 50-100 cars carefully valeted to the safe spot (there must be unspoken rules about where and how close to park, I'm always impressed with how many are tucked under there.) Today would be a day to find those parking skills on display. Since I own a garage and have always made a point to keep it clear enough so I can park in it, I'll leave the SUV inside. "Dimpled darling" is the term for a car hit by hail and it reduces the resale value. (We had a storm in 1995 with hailstones that broke size records. The Mayfest Storm hit during the week of the Fort Worth fundraiser and literally smashed a few cars with hail so the roof was lowered close to the level of the hood and trunk.)

The storm also struck the Fort Worth Mayfest – a local outdoor festival – pelting the roughly 10,000 people in attendance with softball-sized hail and resulting in over 60 hospitalizations.

So when the weather folks tell North Texans there is large hail forecast, we take it seriously. I was on the city park board at the time, and heard the report from the parks director about what that hail did to the huge glass greenhouse in the Botanic Gardens.

Moving on, and on a FYI note: I saw an ad yesterday and made note of the URL because they mentioned low-sulfite wines (none added, there is some that comes from the grapes themselves.) https://drinkavaline.com/. Considering they're organic and you can have it shipped to you, they seem quite reasonably priced. Actor Cameron Diaz is one of the owners. I also see a selection of them at a local organic grocery.

So, the day is dark and humid. This morning I took the rubber floor squeegee and got dog hair out of the kitchen and laundry room. It's a day for laundry, cleaning, and eBay listing.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 17 May 25 - 11:05 AM

BECAUSE!

it's the reason for many things in life

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 17 May 25 - 08:16 AM

Tuckered out today, and planning to do very little — a grocery run this morning, but otherwise zilch. This evening I’m going to a concert in London, but crucially not driving — I’m an invited passenger, oh bliss!

I put away all the books yesterday, a job that took hours because I’m such a neatnik. The library is so much reduced that the five remaining full-height IKEA Billy bookcases are only two-thirds full. This was deliberate, as there’s a good chance that, in my next abode, the big Victorian glass-fronted bookcase in the sitting room will have to become a china cabinet.

I am now a high-volume user of e-books and audiobooks. As I reloaded the shelves yesterday, I had a long think about the real books I have kept, and why they made the cut: in most cases, it’s entirely emotional. I can’t part with “Archie and Mehitabel” by Don Marquis, or the tattered collections of poetry that our Dad used to read aloud from when we were very small. “The Golden Trashery of Ogden Nashery” has almost disintegrated, but where else could I find “The Tale of Custard the Dragon”? And then there’s the art books — they don’t work at all in digital format, and I still have a lot of them.

But why do I still have jeezly great dictionaries when the OED is on line? Riddle me that!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 May 25 - 06:43 PM

This afternoon I pulled weeds for over an hour, stuffing them into the trash can and a large trash bag. They await being taken to the curb and hauled to the dump on Monday. The weeds are invasive and the seeds might not break down in the compost bin.

While working I visited the far back yard creek; it's lovely and full of life, even if I wouldn't eat any fish caught in it. (Unlike Rock Creek where RFK jr took a dip, this simply has street and yard runoff, no sewage discharged into it. It's also much larger than Rock Creek.) Over the years I've tossed lots of plants and bulbs onto the property so there are stands of iris, agave, prickly pear cactus, and some trees that squirrels or birds planted and I've trimmed around them so they can grow through the undergrowth. It's an urban version of a "secret garden" (did anyone else fall in love with that book as a child? When I moved into this house I had no idea that part of the property was like this because the fence in front of it was overgrown with vines and weeds.)

This spring I'm doing so much better than last, my work sessions are such that I plan to pace myself and come in after a few minutes if I need, but an hour or more passes and I haven't noticed and I'm fine continuing what I'm doing. The main requirement is having enough water to drink while I work. This is what a clear brain looks like, those statins were really awful. (And Trump is on them now - what does that tell you?)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 May 25 - 03:18 PM

The front yard is mowed, but as usual, I didn't then drag out the long cord and the electric trimmer to do the edges. That's usually saved for a separate day. But as I looked at the spot by the house where I have a soaker hose that a couple of times I've cut to pieces with the mower (mowing as close as I could - oops!) I've decided to try one of the battery trimmers available from Ryobi, since I have so many other of their devices now. I ordered the lightest one and am sorry it has only a single line, but I will compensate by ordering the refills with heavier line (I'll get a larger roll and refill these refills; they hope you'll use it once and throw it away but I never toss the spools, they're easy to reuse.) The easier I can make the job the more likely I am to do it. I have a gas trimmer to use on brush and beyond the back fence by the creek. If the battery one works out I'll rehome the electric trimmer.

A friend sent a link to an estate sale near her home. When I look through the dozens of photos of these sales at first I see things that might be useful, but then viewing more photos they have one of everything, or duplicates, and the accretion of tons of stuff that needs to be redistributed. All good stuff, but way too much of it. We are such packrats. (I am in awe of how Charmion and keberoxu and Patty can do the downsizing they have so far.)