DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 07:47 PM

The car is packed with yet another load for Goodwill, this time stuff from the boxroom. First thing tomorrow, off it goes.

Half the back wall of the basement is now stripped of drywall, and I have established that the leak is not coming from a crack in the foundation! Instead, it’s pouring in under the sill of one if the basement windows, then trickling along the framing timbers to pool in the furnace room. The exploratory surgery took several hours and cost $100 bucks cash to a jobbing carpenter — lovely guy.

So now I have to get the carpenter who installed that window to rectify the problem and figure out a way to shield that window from snow build-up. And replace the drywall and the sodden insulation the other guy took out.

After all this Sturm und Drang, I’m having an asthma attack. I toked up on Symbicort and decided to take it easy tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 07:08 PM

I hope Stilly wasn't involved in the Texas dust storm fiasco.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 07:02 PM

Another day of disposing of boxes of old stuff at my apartment.
This box contained letters that I have kept for years,
even though I have stopped reading them.
I steeled myself and threw them out along with the rest of the trash.
Where I am going, there isn't room for extraneous stuff,
so the letters had to go.
The boxes that contained these papers have been broken down
and fed to the dumpster.
Little by little, the work is getting done.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 04:36 PM

I looked back at more of Patty's description of her contact adventures - Patty, look at the blog post about contacting them, it offers a lot of options that I found. When you enter your address and phone that is how they verify you are from where you say you are. They don't sell phone numbers or addresses. I use an alternate phone (my old house phone number was ported Google Voice to keep the number because it is still tied to some accounts). I use that number and I use one of my alternate email addresses (not the one for real bills and the doctors' offices and such.) You do have to give a physical address also.

If you call and choose to speak to a member of the staff chances are you end up on voicemail anyway, but leave your message. They keep track of the subjects people call about. (It's hard to speak to a real person, even if it is an intern manning the phones, but that is the gold standard, to read your message to them.)

I picked up a couple of bottles of the whisky I like and the clerk said she's heard that the Canadian sellers have removed the American brands from their shelves. Even without tariffs at the moment, this is one of many areas where people might do well to put in a supply for a couple of months. The northern tier states were going to get clobbered with electricity fees (because power from Canada is sold to the US) and that paused. Gas prices will go up, lumber will go way up. For those of us decluttering via eBay or other sales locations, sales might get weird. I don't have many out of the US sales, but they do happen, usually to Canada or Australia. (I may need to buy my veterinary medications that come from Australia before he slaps a tariff on their stuff.)

Life is enough of an obstacle course in "normal" times. This mess is because of a spoiled churlish despot. 1407 days and some hours and minutes left in his term as of now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 12:16 PM

Patty, I'll email you the link to my blogged list of tools and addresses and such. (I see I need to add these two general links also):

All House Representatives

All US Senators.

Charmion, I'm doing a similar removal of cold weather gear, though it isn't mukluks and heavy jackets, it's the extra blanket off the bed and washing sweaters before stowing them for the summer.

Heading out to shop the discount produce place and stopping by the liquor store nearby to pick up a couple of bottles of the Scotch I like, just in case Trump pulls a really stupid tariff and clobbers the distillery industry. They'll last for quite a while and in the meantime maybe someone will impeach him, dispose of him by other means (will that goofy cabinet do Section 25? I doubt it, but it's there), or he chokes on a hamburger.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 11:32 AM

Another Freudian misreading:

oval office -> offal office

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 14 Mar 25 - 11:29 AM

Busy and stressed here, and waiting for the well people for the third day in a row. In their defense, it's hard to do outdoor work in raging dust storms. They'll either show this morning or let me know if they have to delay to tomorrow.

This morning I learned about the excessive powers ceded to 'the executive' in the crummy Continuing Resolution Bill, basically they will authorize the oval office to tamper with any program they like including Social Security, at will, at whim. And (*^)^! Schumer thinks that's fine, apparently his billionaire owners told him that. Good grief. Yes, let's just alter our government with text hidden in some fine print in a funding bill, they'll never notice.

Left a message at one senator's office, could not do it with the other one. Tried to leave a written message, but you have to fill out a form which is clearly meant to put you on phone and mailing lists til the end of time.

SRS, do you have a real email address for the offices of the New Mexico Senators?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Mar 25 - 08:57 AM

I have one ceramic knife that I use only for cutting cheese. I won’t acquire any more. For decades, my favourite small kitchen knife has been a little Victorinox parer with a plastic handle and about four inches of stainless-steel blade. Edmund was forever trying to get me to use something fancier, but it fits my small hand perfectly, holds its edge, and doesn’t mind the dishwasher.

The carpenter is expected today, so I must move stuff around in the basement to give him room to work. Marco the painter is due at three to discuss the upstairs hall and touch-ups in the bedrooms. Four years of clearance efforts are paying off — clearing the walls doesn’t scare me, and I know precisely what’s in every box and bin!

Taking a chance, I put away my sheepskin coat yesterday. Today, the tall fleece-lined boots get packed in the bin they share with my mukluks. I’m sure we’ll get more snow around the equinox (we usually do), but I doubt very much that I’ll need serious winter gear again this side of Remembrance Day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 25 - 04:05 PM

I'm reading a book about how we use so much stuff and discard so much stuff and yet I spent the morning researching routers because it turns out the one here is an "End of Life" product. Dealing with the planned obsolescence part of being a modern consumer - how much are you going to add to and rely on a product that will no longer be supported by the manufacturer.

Dorothy, I agree, having a social life is a must in taking care of your health. I hope you made a couple of trips over to the river today. I'll get a big dose of that tomorrow with a trip to the museum for training and scanning. In the evening the artist whose installation is situated in a main corridor will speak about her work, and I will attend to hear her talk about all of the garments she dismantles to make her art. The scraps hanging from the ceiling like jersey stalactites are remnants of other work. I have baskets full of that still after all of the mask making. I plan to ask her about where to use or send it.

A note on household implements—for a couple of years I've been experimenting with using ceramic knives. The first one is still around but the tip is chipped and it's a bit dull. They apparently can be sharpened, but it isn't as easy as sharpening a high-carbon steel knife. I also have stainless knives and they just don't seem to need sharpening. When people are here I'm careful about who uses the ceramic ones; a friend was going to pry something open and I had to grab it out of her hand. My daughter was cutting carrots and thumping the knife on the board with each stroke. The last couple of weeks I've returned to using just the steel knives and have decided that the durability of steel is what I'll stick with. It's the same reason I'm no longer using the non-stick pans. They're more trouble than they're worth.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 10:46 PM

Dupont:

Spending most of time on computer re the state of the world. Nice visit from Rita yesterday - I had not even gone shopping for a couple days! Low Atmospheric pressure and the time change threw me for a loop - most of a day in bed. Plus the memoir of Navalny - An amazingly dedicated man.

Today was springlike and I managed to walk down to the river - 340 steps each way I guess, though it is "uphill" (a bit) on the way back. Anyway it felt good to do it. Meant to do a second trip but the computer held me in thrall.

The house is moderately clean, dishes washed and planned-overs still available in frig. My good spell went kaput for those low (2) AP days but seems to be back with higher AP and above freezing weather! Darn! weather may hold through the weekend but rain in Bancroft - which could freeze. Guess I will stay here and hope for April! My son might be able to get there; he sees the route from Philly to Bancroft is only 20 minutes longer than to Chateauguay! So we could meet there and it might even be spring weather!?!

Alt weekend is Bluegrass here in Chat. Some fine musicians and getting acquainted with a few folks. NEED a social life!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 05:08 PM

There is something about the consistency of mud after the freeze and snow that makes it particularly viscus and trackable. I put off scrubbing my den floor until I'm sure we're past any more of that weather.

This week I picked up Junkyard Planet again and his description of rag pickers, "grubbing", and of various levels of recycling that occur in places around the world makes North Americans look like slackers. We can afford to recycle stuff in bins at the curb because we don't need to sell the paper, cardboard, glass jars, scrap metal, and other found items to feed our families. He describes a hierarchy of recyclers in his city in China that is precise and incremental as materials move from an apartment to a scrap buyer to those who buy scraps and take them to larger recycling businesses. So much of our wealth is sent to landfills. I think that for those who are older and the children of parents who lived through the Depression, it is all apparent - we see the packaging that comes with purchases and would like to see it used again, we have all of these items that might be useful one day, so why throw it away to purchase again later? Can someone else use it now if we donate it?

I spent the afternoon researching and writing messages for my representatives. I'm to the point of mailing a letter to each again, in addition to calls and messages on their contact pages. Now to go do something else; the side yard and back need mowing. Moving around will do me some good.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Mar 25 - 04:39 PM

The snow in my back yard was hip-deep only two weeks ago, and today I can see mud and dead-looking grass. Ah, Spring! In Ontario, it’s more like an ambush. Despite today’s bright sun, however, it’s nowhere near time yet to take the snow brush out of the car.

Now that the snow has melted away from the back wall of the house, the wet spot in the basement has dried out. The crack repair must be done anyway — the evidence is all over the wall in the form of great streaks of the mineral salts with which our water is loaded. But it’s not quite so urgent as I had feared.

While the carpenter is here, I shall also ask him to rip out a section of drywall that has a mold stain left over from last year’s furnace condensate pump crisis.

I just finished digging through several bins of doohickeys, from which I sorted two boxes for Goodwill and a large bag of garbage. One bin has been packed with Christmas decorations that were sculling about without permanent stowage. Two others have been repacked with ornaments and photo frames that I may be able to use in my next abode. If not, Ottawa has church bazaars, too. The empty bins will go to Habitat for Humanity. They love bins. The Goodwill boxes will leave the house tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 11:26 PM

The front yard was mowed this afternoon, giving me more steps than I've been getting lately on my fitness tracker. I'll take a Benadryl at bedtime because a lot of pollen from surrounding trees had settled in the weeds, ready to puff up around me as I disturbed the area. Also did some weeding of the large pots waiting to be planted for the season.

Dishwasher running, some stuff cleared from the fridge. Heading in to read for a while. Back yard needs mowing tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 01:26 PM

Patty, busy week! Get up on a step ladder and look at your porch lights - if they're like mine, you can adjust the amount of time they stay on after detecting motion. The wind that hit you hard came through here, not as destructive, perhaps, but definitely wicking any warmth from the days for much of the week.

And your rock collecting gig reminds me of something similar I did at Petrified Forest; I was on a busman's holiday - a park ranger from one park spending my time off visiting another ranger in another park - and we drove to a parking area at Blue Mesa. If you look at the map you see the classic alternate public/private section land grants that were distributed to raise money for the railroads. The NPS never got the landowner to sell, so there is a lot of private land within the park boundaries, so we hiked down the hill from the parking lot and climbed through the barbed wire fence onto private land (yes, we were technically trespassing) and picked up petrified wood pieces there. The trick was walking back up the hill to the car and not looking like we were carrying 50 pounds or more of rock in each of our packs.

Trash went out this morning and I usually use a small plastic grocery bag because I recycle a lot more than I throw in the trash. For use this week the can is lined with regular kitchen-size trash bag and I'll see if I can't fill it with stuff that is sitting around and isn't recyclable or donateable. Shredded paper, plastic stuff not embossed for recycling, etc.

Also clearing out forgotten jar contents from the fridge. Olives so old I can't remember when they were opened (to the compost). Many-years-old gifted jelly (that will get dissolved into water and poured over the garden). Home canned items that have passed their prime to be discarded.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 12:17 PM

More dust storms, went on so long I had to haul in the auction furniture regardless of the high winds. Lots of cleaning done and still to do, sand and dirt everywhere, especially in the desk that had been left outside of the auction house.

It was hard on the vendors at the Deming rock show. They got hit with wind, dust, cold, til the last day which was blessedly perfect. Picked up some good items and met some wise local rock vendors/collectors. Sunday went out with visiting friends to an area adjacent to Baker Ranch agate land, and found delightful little agatey geodes. Brought the splitter, so we didn't haul home lots of duds, but were able to see what was good right then and there. Came home with one berry box full of choice ones and half a backpack full of 'other'; rather than buckets and flats of 'maybes'.

Exhausted, and it's time to start a concerted push to get the house and music system ready for the gathering, buy food etc. Just realized I really need porch lights, and not the 10-second motion ones I have. Perhaps the handy neighbor can be engaged to do a handful of electrical fixes this week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 25 - 11:49 AM

During my weekend break from activism I watched some of the Lord of the Rings and realized there were times in the audio I could barely hear it - and I think it has to do with the Surround Sound settings and the small speaker at the front. The receiver I'm using was purchased at Goodwill for about $15 and I think it was set to speaker levels by the former users that I need to reset. Or that speaker needs replacing.

The house needs dusting and a lot of picking up and scrubbing. The lawn needs mowing. The garage needs organizing and the SUV needs a good cleaning. Where to begin?

Dorothy, how are you doing these days? Have you managed a trip out to Beaver since you last shared with us?

Lynn hasn't been back for a while, but it seemed over the last couple of weeks she was digging her way out from drifts of snow on her patio and blocking her door. Looking forward to an update that you've escaped from the house!

How is everyone else doing? Spring is just around the corner and the packing away of lap quilts and sweaters (unless you're in our Oz contingent, in which case you're looking forward to your part of the world cooling down a bit and are getting those things out.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Mar 25 - 02:42 PM

Last night I had a call from a cousin who now lives in Utah to be near her children. As we wrapped up the visit she asked if I would please call more often because there is no one there she can talk to about politics. (Utah, Texas, they have a lot in common, though with all of the LDS there it might be even worse for her.) And she told me that the kids had discussed end-of-life things amongst themselves and told her that if her husband died first they would work to keep her busy, and if she died first, they agreed they'd have to cook a lot for their father. This cousin is 10 years older than me, so following that trajectory I might not get such a call from my kids for a while, but it's a good thing to think about and discuss sooner rather than later. I think Charmion moving closer to her family must be the result of that same kind of discussion.

I gave myself a weekend off from "doomscrolling" through the emails of blog posts from the political leaders I follow on Substack and a couple of other places. You have to take breaks from the hard stuff if you can, but I'm ready to wade in again tomorrow and do more writing. The muzzleshot from this administration hasn't slowed and it has named more targets that need defending.

It's cold and soggy here today so it looks like indoor work for now. The garden is calling, and the yard was supposed to be mowed yesterday, but it was sodden after a pre-dawn thunderstorm. More rain overnight. Maybe tomorrow will be the day to tune up the mower and give it a run out front.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Mar 25 - 06:55 PM

A trip to the apartment today.
Emptied one carton and threw the contents in the dumpster,
one bagful at a time (small, heavy bagsful).
ALso trashed some more cardboard cartons.
I don't do a lot at a time, but I do what I may.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 02:37 PM

A contractor came today to assess the cellar. He quickly established that the primary leak is the ever-popular window corner crack, in my case running down the foundation behind the framing timbers of the wall between the furnace room and the rest of the cellar.

Boo, hiss.

So, first I must get in a carpenter to rip out the end of the partition and remove enough drywall to expose the entire crack. Then I can get a realistic estimate on repairing the crack, plus the carpenter again to make good the damage to the walls.

I hate finished basements.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 09:08 AM

https://www.artechouse.com/location/dc/

Today, an immersive gallery opened in DC. The walls and floors all move with beauty. Some floors are interactive with surprises like live plants that create unique music from your personal galvanic touch. The website does not do it justice but several international artists are behind the miracle. This is what multi-media art always dreamed it might be one day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 08:43 AM

Charmion, a sump pump is designed to relieve ground water problems such as yours. Its not exactly a do it yourself project.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 07 Mar 25 - 05:48 AM

been there, still doing that!

last year I decluttered 2 big craft collections - jewellery stuff (2 big reusable shopping bags) & mohair for teddies (3 ditto.) I had stopped making bears 10/15 years before & probably had more mohair that full-time bear makers! All I ever made with the beads were earrings & I also had far too many supplies!

But as some clever cross stitch designer said decades ago "She who dies with the most (fill in item) wins!" Same or another designer also said "As ye sew, so shall ye rip" & I'm certainly not downsizing my seam ripper, I was only using it yesterday ...

Last week I decluttered one of my dozen or so (I just counted 17) zipped folders of felt toy patterns. These were cat patterns to a friend who knits cat blankets & goes to a craft group run by a cat protection society. Now all I need is to find homes for dogs/elephants/rabbit/mice/christmas etc patterns. Some folders also contain lovely Japanese craft books. I used to teach craft at a friend's church which had a Japanese congregation & after the tsunami I put ribbon hangers on all my samples for a fund raising fair. Last week I opened the Poodle folder & am finishing off several gorgeous little poodles and cut out 2 more ...

Today at craft I gave away some small stuff eg tape measures etc. to a friend's sister who is teaching kids. Another member brought in a dozen tapestries of Australian birds. Her friend has bought them for her antique dining chairs, but they were too big for the seat backs, so gave them away. Our friend bought all the threads & stored them in the shed ... alas the threads drowned & died. One panel went to a member & I took the others to our local Craft Op shop (Opportunity/ thrift shop) The Sewing Basket & I only bought one small doiley to embroider + 3 balls of wool! Well done, me!

I also have more yarn than one person can use - did I need 3 more balls? YES!! I knit coathanger covers (12 stitches, shoulder width) to cover padded coathangers for a charity chop in a local hospital & I didn't have those colours (I think/I hope/I want!)

sandra

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 09:51 PM

This afternoon I was prepared to ask the apartment management to do a welfare check on the friend who hasn't answered calls or messages for a day, but when I got to the apartment and rang the bell she answered. Whew! Seems her CPAP mask is broken and sleeping is difficult, so she was propped up with the mask and slept through calls. I'll make one of my 3D Covid masks for her to use to help hold the mask in place for now (her appointment is Monday and another week before she gets replacement equipment. This is the life of a person on Medicaid, something Trump is trying to completely remove.)

This evening I've looked around for a couple of portable chores I can take with me tomorrow and complete while I'm at my friend's house during the funeral activities. If I take my laptop I can keep going with my usual stuff, so it's turned on now to sync the browsers. It's only a few hours, but can I make myself complete some chore while I'm over there?

I have a growing stack of stuff to donate to the project that accepts craft donations for local teachers. They just sent a report about what they've accepted so far this year:
- 14 dumpsters of materials were rescued from landfill doom
- $155,019 worth of free supplies was distributed to schools
- 705 educators felt supported by their community

There seem to be a lot of us decluttering our craft supplies.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 11:29 AM

Your purple to duck-egg paint job reminds me I have intended to repaint the bathroom that is now hen's egg yolk yellow to something milder.

Today when I watered plants in the windows I looked out at the yard and realized the time has come to mow. The weeds are growing lush and soon will be tall, and if I start mowing now I won't have the huge jungle to battle that happens some years. Saturday is the day set aside for that. (With this first mow I have to be watchful in the front; there is occasionally a bunny nest out there.)

This week I've updated a couple of eBay listings and am planning to take down one that has attracted little interest. Goodwill time for that item. I've also done a lot of writing and am preparing to send messages to my elected representatives about their lack of participation in the democratic process that includes pushback or impeachment. You know that throw away remark of "it's always something" that one hears when describing complicated times? Now it really is. That "flood the zone" or "muzzleshot" approach is growing very old. A Slovakian friend in grad school introduced me to the saying "Not my monkeys, not my circus." Well, now it is.

Last week I bought two large multi-fish packages of tilapia that were frozen and needed careful softening so the fillets were still frozen but could be separated. I put them back in the freezer on a tray and the original packaging, to be bagged later. It worked. I just heard the trash truck drive by and realized I should have put that original wrapper in the trash today. Now it will wait in the freezer until Sunday night.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Mar 25 - 08:21 AM

Ground water is seeping up into the northwest corner of my basement and I am completely ticked off. The shop vac is deployed and the bucket and mop are handy, but my back is not up for three to four clean-up sessions per day until the wet season passes. And what in hell will I do in April, when the house goes on the market?

Must talk to Real Estate Lady soonest.

In other news, the purple bathroom is no more. It is now the same gentle duck-egg green as much of the rest of the house, and looks a thousand percent better.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 12:32 PM

Patty, I've also thought about solar power here. I would buy them outright, not go with one of the companies that wants to average your current payments and keep that going to them - I think they lease the panels to you - they have too much squishy stuff going in the operation, and the point is that you add power back to the grid and save money in the end, not just keep paying someone else. But that comes on my list after getting the foundation work done, and quite possibly replacing the roof before putting up panels. Research needed in the future.

Funeral and visitation announcements are up for my friend's husband and I have offered to stay at the house on Friday during the funeral (to deter a break-in) and a couple of our little university group could join me for lunch. It's a full-on Catholic funeral and I have trouble sitting through religious ceremonies of any kind. Visitation tomorrow is very near me, so plans are forming, a couple of friends could come to my house and I'll us drive over, saving some space in the parking lot. I'd better go clean out the middle seat in the SUV.

The temperature today isn't bad, mid-50s, but the wind is still brisk so it feels colder. I am glad to see the woven shade cloth tarps over the patio cover are still up but I'll probably have to swap out several of the bungee cords that have been in place for a while and wearing thin. Yesterday I surveyed down branches (not many) but see that a tree that was hanging onto my bank by a few roots and leaning into the creek has completely broken off and is probably now washed up against the bridge (creating a dam and can cause flooding if the village doesn't remove it soon. The tree is anonymous so they don't know it was mine, but if need be I'll report a tree against the bridge to the village staff.) All of us who live along the creek pay an extra fee on our water bill every month to cover this kind of work.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 12:01 PM

.... Well, knock me sideways with a bedding trowel: primroses *are* primulas (primula vulgaris, which I for one find delightfully common). Anyhoo, I noticed the other day that our rather rugged primulae have seeded themselves into the back lawn, which I hereby declare to have been primulated. All from one plant donated by a friend and planted in mid-summer, when I'm reliably informed our clay soil was as friable as concrete.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 10:08 AM

Apparently it was a sure-enough haboob that rolled through Deming, saw video of it on a weather site. Up here, it hit hard and blew all day, but I didn't see it approach. Drifts of dirt on the patio but only one tumbleweed.

Meanwhile the too-big-for-its-britches electric company took 13 hours to restore power to my house and about 1200 others. Sheesh.

The power went out minutes after I awoke at 6:15 a.m. Made the best of it; headed to town and grabbed a friend who loves to breakfast out, caught up on her travels, then loaded the furniture from the auction in the cargo trailer with help from her and another friend, parked the big rig while we picked up two more friends for a little jaunt to Mexico. By days end, power still off, dropped in at the local social club to wait it out with yet another taco and beverage, caught up with an old friend and got to know an acquaintance much better. Don't you love days that turn out completely different than you had planned?

Blessedly, the mini-splits remembered their setting, and the house was warm when I returned. But it does make me think hard about equipping the place with solar panels and not being quite so dependent on the shabby power company.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 06:01 PM

Yes, Stilly, I’m from Ottawa — born & raised and, after 10 years away, I lived there from 1984 to 2017. The Brothers live there, as do Nephew No 1 and his family and Great-nephew No 1. I don’t know yet what I will do with myself most days of the week but I intend to take my time re-integrating myself.

Today turned out unexpectedly expensive: the vacuum cleaner died. Taxes included, its replacement — a humble machine with only one bell or whistle, HEPA filtration — cost a cool thou. I’m kinda stunned but, with two constantly shedding cats in the house, I must have a vacuum cleaner.

The Trump tariffs are now in force and the Prime Minister has said out loud what many people here have suspected: that Trump’s desired end-state is Canada in economic collapse and ripe for annexation. I’m having Munich 1938-ish qualms.

Time for tea, and a sit with the cats.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 04:09 PM

I spoke too soon about Patty's dust storm - it has arrived and was apparently giving a push to the morning tornado watch we had. The air is a weird yellow/brown that isn't the same weird yellow/green that the sky gets when tornadoes are approaching. The outdoor circuit breaker to my office has popped twice today, once in the windy rain, and just now in the wind, and I am going to schedule the electrician to do the work as soon as I know the funeral date to work around.

My next door neighbors are on a 10-day cruise and she is only using email this trip (the phone company gouges on a travel plan and adds extra fees when she travels). We've exchanged remarks about branches down in her yard (not many, and they aren't very big) and the state of the creek (no flooding, but it is always a risk if we get many days of rain in a row). I hate to be the bearer of worrisome news, and so far it is just updates but nothing wrong. And if need be, she'll take her phone off of airplane mode and call, regardless of the extra fees.

Charmion, do you have groups to reconnect with when you move to Ottawa? Is that where you lived before? Good luck with the paint, and keeping the cats out of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 09:17 AM

Heavy rain in the forecast, with the ground still frozen. That means flooding. What fun.

I expect to be okay at home, and I sure don’t want to be out in that. I have a date with the hairdresser this afternoon and I had planned a trip to Habitat for Humanity with the huge Breville toaster oven, so I hope the worst of this latest lake-effect weather system will move through quickly.

As the sale of my house approaches, I find myself gradually detaching from Stratford stuff. I have two more concerts to sing with the concert choir and I don’t really care. The church is having a special vestry meeting to discuss its latest crisis and I won’t go. I’m in a state of emotional suspension that is very new to me.

But today the purple bathroom project begins, and Marco is due any minute. I must turn the cat off my lap and get on with the day.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 25 - 02:44 AM

Made progress on eBay listings today, and revised one that has languished.

Probably later in the week there will be a funeral to attend for the husband of one of my university group that meets here for lunch. We knew it would happen eventually, just not so soon. He had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), that acted like dementia, but not quite.

There's also a pending lunch date with another former co-worker, we'll set the date once the funeral is announced.

The wind gusts are really hitting the neighborhood now, since around sunset. I expect to find a few things out of place, knocked over, or possibly gone by morning.

I found a pocket-sized camera that will do the trick for my carrying around in coming weeks, and a spare battery (rechargeable lithium). I already have several spare SD cards that will go with it. The companies that used to make this size got out of the business because phone cameras have filled that niche, but one company licensed the Kodak brand and they get reasonable reviews. I should have kept my old Canon, but that's water under the bridge now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 07:12 PM

I think the dust will have dropped out of the storm by the time it reaches us, but we have high wind warnings from tonight through tomorrow night.

I've decided that when I pay my taxes I'll simply file on paper and mail in a postal money order. That keeps my bank records out of the current minefield of IRS information. If they dig back a couple of years, it's there, but that's a layer of protection I'll take (if I changed my bank account I'd have to change so many other things - meaning it is something I probably should do rather than let inertia control my choice.)

I'm thinking of getting a small camera again; I sold the last one because I never used it, but there are occasions in the future when a phone might be a target but a camera can do the heavy lifting out of harm's way. Lots of protests coming up starting this month. I have a surveyor's vest in my closet that hasn't been used in years, but it would go under a parka easily and let me stash various devices without showing up as lumpy spots. Pockets would be the first target of anyone trying to grab a phone. (I just visited the closet - the old Filson surveyor's vest is a dayglo orange, not exactly subtle, but I could tuck a large lunch in the back pouch. I have a off-brand beige vest that would work the same way, without the space for lunch.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 01:40 PM

Raging dust storms here for today and tomorrow. No signs of spring, it's been quite dry for months.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 11:53 AM

The big declutter today; I have to finish and pay the income taxes. I suppose I should ask for Musk's Venmo account email contact and send it directly there.

More rain overnight so the garden will be very workable this week. The weekend had the usual maintenance of making the bed, doing laundry and dishes. It feels like spring (and the damned time change is coming up on Sunday, that seems to make it official) so time to do some deeper cleaning. I need to use my spinning brush (Ryobi) to scrub the muddy path across the den floor, dust everything, and look around to see what needs its every year-or-two-or-three run through the wash (the woven throws over the sofa, decorative pillow covers, ornamental wall hangings that get dusty, etc.).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 25 - 01:34 PM

The test of using freezer zip lock bags in the food saver device results in one bag still sealed and one that has slowly let in air. This may be the bag I pulled off of the machine without remembering to wait, introducing a small leak. It deserves more testing, and in the meantime I am thawing that package to make soup with stock that needs using (I can't freeze it all). A neighbor brought over some vegetables that she thought wouldn't last during the 10 days they'll be out of town, so I'm going to figure out a chicken soup with cabbage recipe.

I'm 2/3 through the next Gary Taubes book, The Case Against Sugar. Chapter nine, "What They Didn't Know," pulls together the threads of my interest in cholesterol research and follows a few researchers who finally broke through the standardized opinions about low-fat/high carb diets to show how sugars actually behave in the metabolism. Table sugar is half glucose (that registers in blood work) and fructose (that doesn't, because is broken down in the liver first, contributing to fatty liver problems). All of this leads into the larger class of "metabolic syndrome" that is the progenitor of "Western diseases" of diabetes and heart disease, etc. And how products like high fructose corn syrup contribute to so many of those problems, all the while the sugar industry has insisted that sugar belongs in the "Generally Recognized As Safe" group of food additives. The glycemic index only registers glucose, so HFCS became somehow acceptable for diabetics. I have a short list of the most helpful blood work to show me the actual state of things. From last year to this the only thing that went up was the LDL cholesterol; my current diet has improved my triglycerides and HDL levels (they were already good, now they're better). And those are the numbers that actually seem to be more important, along with a test for inflammation. For more details I have a couple of papers to look up. He has great notes and 36 pages of references, making that further reading easy.

Down here we're into spring - Patty, are you seeing wildflowers in your neck of the woods/desert yet? If you had good rain last fall it should be an excellent year. Seasonal rainfall and flowering plants research was conducted by botanists in the years I was working in the Arizona desert, something I like to share. My daffodils are starting to open and the weeds in the turf like henbit are blooming away.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 01:08 PM

Yesterday's news from Washington brings to mind the tune I was researching earlier this week - The World Turned Upside Down (singing starts at 1:47). There's another song by that name that comes out of the Cromwell era but it's complicated.

I'm curious about those declutter-resistant bins. I have a few of those around here myself.

This week I dropped off a crochet hoop to a friend needing one and the drive with another to the electronics store also let me hand off the burned out UPS. Not a completely unproductive week.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 08:32 AM

Another day of weather warnings and cancelled plans. I was supposed to play tunes with the session group at the Western Fair market in London, but then I looked at the weather map. Nope, not today.

So I’ll do some vacuuming, get in a few groceries, and maybe wash the kitchen floor. I have two bins of mixed doohickeys to sort through, also. The stuff in those bins has resisted purging and decluttering efforts for a good 25 years, so I’m not expecting much success.

Yesterday’s news from Washington shocked me to the core, and Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on Canadian imports are supposed to go into effect today. So I’m feeling apprehensive, like anyone with a lick of sense.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 11:59 PM

I have improved on my homemade granola recipe by adding a couple of ingredients a friend uses in his. Mine is mostly nuts and seeds, a bit of oatmeal, and I added chickpea flour and some powdered milk. It absorbs the oil and honey better and makes it a little more clumpy, though I don't want it too chunky. A little cinnamon doesn't change the flavor particularly but is a nice aromatic touch. I mostly use it on top of my fruit and yogurt mix, and this is great for a healthy gut. I put the whole recipe in the Other recipe is too long thread (that is probably longer now than the first one was).

It was office work today; I got stuff finished but it didn't make the house any tidier in the process.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 11:52 AM

Not going anywhere or buying anything on this day of protest. I'll probably continue it through the weekend just because.

Instead, what I need to do is actually use things I pay for. I rarely remember to watch Netflix (my son is on my account and uses it all of the time, so it isn't neglected). My exercise program has been ignored all month. What else? The genealogy site that keeps telling me I have new contacts. I'll look at my spreadsheet and see what I subscribed to that needs to go away.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:53 AM

feeling good is definitely wonderful!

Ive been known to take a torch to a cupboard (not one that could have a light installed, tho!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 12:19 AM

Dorothy, I'm so glad you're feeling excellent! Yes, you've been away from the thread for a while - so there is a gap in the record. Where have you been and how long were you away, or are you talking about having been in the city for a long time and finally going back to Beaver for a visit?

Gingered chick peas sounds interesting!

And yes, it's an ungodly mess down here. Lots of writing and calling our representatives going on. Pushing back where we can. Suggesting to our senators that they should impeach Trump and get it over with, once and for all.

It has been a busy week, tomorrow is quiet. Also a day for not spending as part of a protest. We'll have to see if it works or if the MAGA crowd spends like crazy (those whose news sources don't tell them about what is going on.) I'll be working on the garden, and maybe scanning at the museum, I haven't been there in quite a while.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 09:05 PM

Dupont:
A bit closer to being able to go home again, for a few days anyway. Larry reports house is OK but I want warmer weather. Today is the best I have been in over a year!! THAT is wonderful! And tomorrow Jeff and Agata will be here for lunch and Jeff and Robin will talk business after. I made gingered Chick peas - first time in several years and black bean soup.

On Sunday am I opened dreadful corner cupboard and saw the wee box of some sort of lighting meant to be installed in that cabinet??? Asked R and WOW - he installed it, and what a difference! I can SEE things and now it is all redone and many things re-organized and... I found the chick peas and the black beans...!

And the house is clean enough.

I was surprised to see how long I have been absent. I have been overwhelmed by the mess below the border. I hope this good spell holds - eat well and drink lots of water!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:38 PM

A large canner! Oh, what a lucky Goodwill with that and the jars!

We went out on a produce run today and loaded up, also found some large packages of frozen tilapia. I'll have to pry the pieces apart to use, there are several possible approaches. The cost was a lot less than the usual I buy frozen at Costco, and I'm hoping the fish is still in good shape (it was sold as fresh then went into the freezer to go to Town Talk for sale). The bonus on the trip were a few more 85% cocoa chocolate bars and a bouquet of various flowers. I usually bring flowers back for the next door neighbor also, but they're headed out on a cruise in two days, so no time to enjoy them.

More garden prep this afternoon and soon I'll be getting another load of free mulch from the city bunker near here.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 12:43 PM

Another carload of excess stuff went to Goodwill today. Half-litre and larger Mason jars, an entire stack of wooden cutting boards that I never used, a Tupperware pie-carrier, half a dozen bread pans, a large canner, a paella pan big enough to feed six …. Every time I think I’ve about exhausted the supply of stuff I don’t want to move again, I find more. Stashed in the bottom of the linen closet — Edmund’s kettle bells and ankle weights! Loading those in the car was a special experience.

Snow and rain in the forecast — it’s still winter. Provincial election today; almost certain to return the Conservatives under the egregious Doug Ford with an even larger majority. Bah, humbug and phooey.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 09:03 PM

This afternoon I spent time with the string trimmer scalping the dead grass and weeds in each of the raised beds beside the driveway. It took about an hour for my hands and lower arms to feel normal again, after lifting the trimmer and all of the vibration from it. This is in preparation for digging and mulching and whatnot.

A friend asked about how to make calls to federal elected representatives so last night and today I worked on a blog post to describe it in the simplest of terms, then sent her the link to see if she can make it work. Sometimes the shortest pieces take the most time to write.

Now to do something else.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 05:15 PM

It's going to be a busy year for you, we can all predict that now!

This morning while eating my scrambled eggs I sneezed - three times! The resulting headache from food that migrated into a sinus was finally resolved with the neti pot. Kind of killed the day, though. Everything on my to-do has been postponed until tomorrow.

More virtual rearranging (and no bin needed to collect the bits!) Lots of house rearranging also needed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 12:27 PM

Patty, the swooping cash buyer probably issn't seen often in Stratford, or the real estate people at both ends would have warned me. The selling agent has been peddling properties in Perth County her entire adult life, so I think she'd know.

And even if it happened to me, I have a contingency plan -- store my stuff, board the cats, and camp with one of The Brothers. Not something I want to do under any but the direst of circumstances, but people who don't make a Plan X end up needing one when they have no time or energy to plan anything.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 11:59 AM

Regarding selling houses, we have had a few years where quite a few of the desirable ones get snapped up by cash buyers; both real people trying to put cash in safe investments, or landlords and corporations building big rental portfolios. They can swoop in fast, and they don't have a long lead time for the deal to close, so it might pay to be ready for that scenario.

Ran a full set of errands yesterday in the new wheels; took me a while to figure out the hatchback WAS locked, it just kept unlocking itself every time I walked up to it with the magic key. Ridiculous, but I was afraid to leave it 'open' in a big parking lot til I proved to myself it really was locked.

In an effort to get some of my funds out of the hands of greedy corporations, I stopped at the new little produce stand I've been speeding past. Met a nice lady and got some fresh local foods for a song. Have to do the same with local meat suppliers next. Bought a leather belt I needed in Mexico instead of at the big-box. Just think if 50 million of us pulled back even 20% of our purchases from the chains...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2025
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 08:55 AM

Stilly, a house move late in life is like bankruptcy in one respect: its progress is achingly slow at first, and then sudden.

This one began at a few minutes past midnight on 10 October 2020, when Edmund died, and kicked into perceptible movement in late January of this year, when I realized that I don’t want to endure another winter on my own in Stratford. In the end, I figure it will have taken up about five years.