DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Aug 25 - 09:22 AM

Well done, Charmion!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Aug 25 - 08:55 AM

I arrived bang on time at Brother Andrew’s house yesterday (in the shank of rush hour), and slept soundly for what feels like the first time in weeks. It’s raining in Ottawa and a bit chilly, just as well because I have no particular place to go until this afternoon when I should run out to the cattery with food for Watson and Isobel and, incidentally, to check up on my furry house-mates.

Other than that, nothing to report but another tactical bound completed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 29 Aug 25 - 07:37 AM

Bonne route!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 04:09 PM

Enjoy those air miles!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 03:22 PM

Nous vous attendons !

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 02:44 PM

On my last day in Stratford, a classic heavy lake-effect squall rolled into town and dumped lots and lots of water on us while I was trotting around doing my last errands. Fortunately I was wearing a Marmot rain jacket, but I don’t have rain pants so I returned to Ruth’s house in dripping jeans.

The house money has landed, so I paid off my bloated credit card bill.

Tomorrow promises to be as wet as today. Okay, that’s just my luck. Let’s hope that the 401 between Kitchener and the entry to 407 is not totally choked … But who am I kidding? The Friday before Labour Day is always mad. Wish me luck!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 02:28 PM

My home is located in a spot convenient to the highway - until it isn't. As I left for an appointment 5 minutes away I realized the freeway westbound was a parking lot because of an accident near the highway entrance. So onto the frontage road and finally to the parallel road to head west, but just as the light changed to let me escape the neighborhood, the rail road bars came down for a long freight train and I had to again turn around and get to a bridge across the tracks. Past the high school out for lunch. 30 minutes later I was too late for my appointment. Ugg. At least I was next to the pet store for new collars and got gas or the trip would have been a total waste.

The score today is 50/50 for the things I planned and the things that fell through. I think I need a nap.

The SUV is looking good and I'll finish that vacuuming this afternoon.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 10:50 AM

I saw my pharmacist yesterday and using speculative math he guesses as early as the first week in September they might see some doses delivered to the store.

Not how I intended to spend the day so far, but this morning I dressed in gardening stuff and gave Cookie a bath out in the yard. Pepper's bath can wait till I'm back home from running around (and to the list of stops I'll add the pet store for new collars).

I checked out the garage carefully last night, but it seems there was no skunk activity inside. The vacuum cleaner is still out there after starting cleaning the SUV.

Is the house officially handed over, Charmion?

MaJoC, thanks for the tip. I hadn't plugged it in again yet to see what is on it. I suspect Windows wiped it before loading the OS.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 10:46 AM

USB drives: if it's a flash drive, Stilly, you may be right about it being borked. Flash drives have a longer mean time to first failure than spinning rust, but said first failure is more often fatal. That's the trouble with relying on things which are reliable .... once you do, they aren't.

Treat it as read-only, and you may be able to recover things it hasn't eaten. Apologies if I've got this round my neck as usual. I've got a size 16 in mouths.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 08:02 AM

An update on the availability of a Covid booster vaccine is in a state of confusion and unknowns, according to npr.
What is known is that it is still for immunosuppressed people over 65 and elders over 75.
RFK has not recommended vaccines for children under 2 or pregnant women and may advise against all Covid vaccines. There is blowback from the Pediatric Association and Obstetrics. The CDC is no longer a reliable central source of information due to MAGAism..

------------

Eating fermented foods is good for your body. Coffee or chocolate are fortunately fermented foods so if you hate kimchi or saurkraut, you are in luck.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 05:19 AM

Have someplace to go tomorrow so you're planning to get up early? Then this is the place to live! See by my time stamp (an hour ahead of my CDT zone) that we have once again had a skunk event and I am up way before dawn. I woke to a skunk spray smell and realized I'd better check. Just one dog this time, the intrepid Cookie, and it was a glancing blow. AND she hadn't brought it into the house yet. Whew.

I had tomorrow (now today) intended to deaccession a 3x5 rug that protected the floor carpet in the back of the SUV (new one put in place yesterday). It was rolled up in the trash can, but since Cookie is spending the night in the yard or garage, it is now folded as a dog-sized mat in the dog stall. She didn't get the full hit this time and has been sprayed with Skunk Odor Remover so the smell is neutralized, but after sunup both dogs will get baths. Right now the spiders are working the space overnight and I don't need to be doing 3am baths. (I toured the yard for carcasses with the flashlight and found two more very large popcorn-shaped spiders working zones around the clothesline and dog kennel). The back porch spider has stayed above the fray and is still tending her web, tonight moved conveniently a bit to the side in the corner.

I've wound down now so am going back to bed. I'll spray my shorts leg before putting these in the laundry because Cookie bopped me with her skunked face before I started spraying her.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 08:27 PM

Exhaustion, I have no doubt,
but Charmion should also feel satisfied with all that is accomplished.
Brava!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 07:58 PM

I am now lounging luxuriously in my friend Ruth’s sitting room, full of salmon and roasted cauliflower and pinot grigio.

The house is empty and clean, well ahead of the deadline.

When the truck was pulling away, the boss cleaner informed me that the movers had neglected to pack the kitchen cutlery, and the microwave — sans turntable — had also been left behind. So the microwave and the cutlery have been added to the contents of my car. I’ll just rattle down the road out of Perth County.

Tomorrow, I have some legal stuff to tend to, and I must hand in my post box keys. Yes, Stilly, I don’t own my modem; renting is the norm in Canada.

Despite the efficiency and good will of the various professionals engaged, this whole experience has been exhausting beyond belief.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 06:05 PM

I used the transfer cable to move updates from the Microsoft Update Calendar to the old HP computer, but got only one to work. A search resulted in information about how to create a USB drive to load data for the newest 22H2 version; I fear everything else on that drive is now toast. Something is happening and I'll watch and wait. The result (hopefully) will be an off-line computer up-to-date enough to install the new mouse and allow files to be moved between two computers with the mouse. Faster than setting up the cable.

I'll vacuum the SUV before packing the donation items. Then I need to vacuum the house to clear the dog hair conflagration. Trash day tomorrow and I've tossed a bunch of toiletries that were ancient and forgotten under the sink. No point in emptying old plastic bottles to recycle, it's all going to the dump.

Granola is baking. I overloaded the baking sheet, but with high sides of parchment paper (stapled at the corners) I can do a 1.5 batch recipe at once.

Charmion, did you set aside a glass and bottle of that wine you were going to pack for a celebration of this job getting finished?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 01:36 PM

Jobs like that seem to go slow, until they don't, and it all ends at a gallop. I bet they're staging stuff on the ground floor so they can pack it tightly in the truck, and once they have figured out what order to load everything it will all slide in quickly.

You don't own your router?

Cleared out a few program not being used in the old computer, pivoted to go pick okra and spray Neem on the damned stinkbugs cavorting on tomatoes, and am back in now a bit sweaty but ready to finish the job of connecting the computers via the new mouse.

The sewing machine is out of the shipping container and ready to go to the teachers tomorrow. That thing was well-packed. Now to put away all of the packing stuff for another sale.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 12:03 PM

Just this morning I was wondering what would be left to do tomorrow besides handing in the wifi router. Ha! I should have known better.

The movers arrived bang on time at 0900 hr and worked almost frantically for about two and a half hours, almost finishing the clearance of the second floor. Hmmm; this will take longer than I expected, and longer than the buyers will like. (They are pushing hard.) Nancy the cleaner is due just about now, and she can start upstairs.

But the ground floor is still chock-a-bloc, and the basement, and the garage.

Closing deadline is tomorrow at 1800 hr. I will need all the time I can get. (Paging Dr Parkinson!)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 11:46 AM

That's excellent news, Sandra! It's remarkably distracting to have fingers or hands in general not work the way we're accustomed to.

An explosion of dog hair this week proves what I've always thought - brushing them just makes the problem worse. But there isn't another answer. Brush the dog and vacuum the house for the time-being.

Once the cleaners have been in are you locking the door and leaving, Charmion? Where will you stay for the next three weeks?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 09:14 AM

I saw the hand physio today https://sydneyhandtherapy.com.au/services/ & she used an angle measuring gadget to see how my pinkie was going & was pleased.

I won't need to wear the splint so much & have 2 new exercises to do & will see her again in a fortnight.

this is the exercise I've been doing https://www.nth.nhs.uk/resources/hand-therapy-trigger-finger/
One new exercise involves squeezing play doh, & I need to buy some tomorrow! The other is tenting, putting 4 fingertips on the table & moving them back & forward. 3 fingertips work perfectly ...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Aug 25 - 12:00 AM

New mouse arrived and installed. It's like running the Enterprise after spending ages in the Shuttlecraft. It does a lot of stuff I don't need (or won't remember it can do) but there may be a feature that removes the need for the transfer cable between the new and old computer. I've done enough for now, I'll sleep on it and in the morning when I'm fresh I'll turn on both and see what is up. (I wasted so much time trying to get the cursor of the last one to land on the things I wanted it to land on. Time I can't get back, but I'll enjoy the dexterity of this one.)

The documentation in the box required a magnifying glass to make it out, and I ended up going to the website for the info anyway. Once I decide what customizations to leave in place I'll print the diagrams for those as well as general information.

Granola fixings are mostly measured out and tomorrow I'll stir it all together and make a fresh batch, and I got the peppers I need for pickled okra. I'm getting enough per day now that I can make some by the weekend.

I've found a few more things here for donation, including items not claimed on the local buy nothing page. Another pass through the sewing studio (I need to revisit the sewing patterns) and I have some embroidery and rug hooking kits from my mom's house that I'll never use - they can use them as is or be repurposed.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 25 - 06:48 PM

You're making my head spin with the speed at which this is happening! I have a sense, though, that having paced yourself for several years to clear out the unused and duplicate items made a huge difference in how quickly you've been able to manage this now. Props to you!

More teacher donations picked up today, produce dropped off, and a bit of shopping. Chicken prices have gone way up. It's good that I've always cooked from scratch, and it will continue to be a virtue as tariffs and cross-border nonsense churns through the marketplace. And next year I may expand the garden.

I'm closer to being ready to install Win11. Before I do that I'll have to clear the physical desktop and put tags on each cable to ID what it goes to, because I'm pretty sure all of that is going to be fussed with.

More photos today.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Aug 25 - 05:37 PM

In fact, everything is packed, and the truck is due tomorrow morning between nine and ten. The cats have been successfully moved to the cattery near Ottawa (yay brothers!), and are booked to stay until 17 September, when the floors and painting will be finished and the furniture in place.

More tomorrow, when the cleaners have been in.

ch

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Aug 25 - 12:08 AM

Dodder from Wikipedia. It's a parasitic plant (lots of species of them) and lots of host plants.

Sounds like that rocking chair got a good trial run before you took it home.

Running some produce to a friend tomorrow on the way to lunch with my daughter. She'll also get some produce. Both of them have art supplies to add to my Thursday donation for teachers.

This evening I'll do some photographing of eBay stuff. I'm trying to finish the computer work earlier in the evenings so I can read or sew or do other stuff away from screens. Last night I ironed a bunch of fabric scraps that had filled two of my laundry zipper bags (for delicates). I was wondering where they got to then realized I'd never emptied them from a few weeks ago. It was nice to listen to the radio and iron.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 25 Aug 25 - 11:31 PM

Dupont:

Gearing up for another trip to Beaver for the long weekend - with Robin so it will only be the weekend. Lv Friday and to get there in time for John's 7-11 cafe - a sort of whoever shows up but there are often some interesting musiicians. I am still have a very hard time with this new computer. My last came to Apple help resulted in them sending me a bunch of ideas - most of this Are out of my realm of understanding.

much happening on the holiday weekend - fair markets, loggers games and a friend's home concert on Sunday.

Still recovering from Saturday's big event - the one that used to be at the Rennie's wonderful farm with lots of old time stuff and wonderfully organized, was held at the fairgrounds - not a nice venue at all - in comparison. The whole feeling was different; I shan't bother next year. Interesting, and unpleasant was the heat - 35C - and an unpleasant surprise that my friend's soaps which usually don't bother me stank to high heaven and I could not stop for a chat. My friend Geri would not go near it! The music was loud and not very country. The booths were mainly machinery sorts of stuff - almost no crafts and not of any interest. I have enough crocheted dish clothes! I ended up sitting in an antique rocking chair at a friend's booth - R bought it for our LR - now we have to make a space for it! Possibilities!

That day totally exhausted me so yesterday was mostly in bed and today   fell asleep reading, then switched to computer. OOPS! have not checked emails... Someone real might even send me one!

And, I have no idea what "dodder" is?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 25 - 10:50 AM

The last one was posted this morning since Mudcat was down for a little while last night.

I will note that I have the remainder of a roll of trimmer string from the last couple of trimmers that I'm still using and, like you, am stopping every few feet to get it to extrude properly. I'll use up what I have before I buy more.

The pecans were tasted before being put in jars this morning and think I've hit on the best recipe. And smart me - I wrote it down as I worked last night so in theory it is reproduceable. They've all been good, but these are better.

Ms Argiope on the front door seems to have consumed another suitor in the last 48 hours. She positioned her web closer to the security door again and has managed to attach her web to part of the "do not disturb" postit note I put on the outside glass of the door, near her. So it is pulled up away from the glass and isn't readable. When I open the door it relaxes toward the glass. Time for a second note, placed lower? "Keep your voice down and be careful what written materials you leave on the door, this spider can read"?

Rounding up craft and office supply donations today and tomorrow to drop off Thursday. Dropping off garden produce to takers who aren't tired of it yet. I have to pick up a couple of hot peppers to start making pickled okra because mine didn't produce any fruits. The garden seems to be largely in charge of activities this summer.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Aug 25 - 09:37 AM

Patty, I'm fighting that battle with my new battery trimmer. The string that came in the replacement cartridges, supposedly heavy duty, wasn't much better than the lightweight stuff. I always rewind my existing cartridges, but haven't found a string I like yet to use.

The house smells amazing this evening. Brine from making fresh pickles (now in the fridge), the pecans still baking (until I head to bed in a few minutes, when they come out, close enough to the full four hours), and an umami effect from having just baked an eggplant (the babaghanouj won't be made until tomorrow; that's one set of dishes too many for today.)

Some may recall that early in the year I was fussing about the computer mouse, and realized a lot of the problem was my hands starting to show the PMR. Now that the medication has kicked in I've been researching that mouse and realize the things I want to adjust simply aren't available on this model. After lots of research I've ordered a new one, an early birthday present to myself. Something practical. I'm trying to not shop for electronics as much at Amazon so went again with Best Buy. It's my theory that Best Buy has better inventory control than Amazon does for electronics.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: pattyClink
Date: 24 Aug 25 - 10:14 PM

Dug up another wheelbarrow full of goatheads this afternoon after the sun got low. Could not believe what one rain will do, I worked hard and cleaned out the goathead plants, went on a brief trip, back to square one.   

The dodder was fairly easily scooped up, I think before it had time to dig in to anything except gravel and weeds. I'll keep watching.

This week's aggravation was with the replacement spool of string trimmer line. The string that came with the nice lightweight trimmer was thin but worked very well even on tough stuff. It ran out, saw nothing identical around, and regrettably got a bad brand to replace it. Had to feed out new line about every 60 seconds.

Last night, made a stop at a different store which advertised a nice selection of brands online AT THAT STORE. Got there, only 15 varieties of the same bad brand and some expensive cartridges. Oh well. Settled for rounder and thicker, we'll load the bobbin and see how that does tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Aug 25 - 07:22 PM

Today seems to have become a cooking day. Steaming veggies for the dogs happens a couple of times a week, but I also made another bread pudding, and then pan-fried some eggplants (quartered lengthwise) to freeze for a recipe from Cypress that calls for a few of them on top of a pork, tomato, and onion casserole. A gift to myself for next winter.

Next comes a batch of crispy pecans (they bake very low for several hours). While they're in the oven I can pack a few jars with cucumber spears, pour over hot brine, and put them in the fridge. It's easier to give away pickles, and though so far I've managed to keep up with the crop, I think people are getting a bit tired of cucumbers. Prep time for all of these things is quick, so as long as they cook or bake without much attention it's a great way to multi-task.

Charmion, are all of the spices and Mason jars and bottles of wine packed? Patty, were you able to get rid of the dodder? That stuff is pretty awful. What is the host plant in your area?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 10:45 PM

This has been a remarkably relaxing Saturday. It also wasn't super hot, like a typical August day. I managed to finish some of the regular online job stuff earlier today and am now headed into the sewing studio to iron and do some mending. I haven't worked in there in ages. This after I tracked down some 10 and 20 year old reviews for a couple of vintage electronics for eBay.

Another monster cucumber snuck into the garden overnight. I swear I look so carefully, and then pow, the next day, there it is!

Good luck with the nosy neighbor, Keb (from another thread) and the new mattress. Are you sleeping better now that you're becoming accustomed to it?

What else should we discuss that Charmion might plant in the new yard? Some espaliered peaches against one of the walls? Potatoes are a lot of fun to grow as long as the bed is well-dug so they have room to form. Strawberries in fancy pots that can be moved into the garage in the cold weather?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 01:03 PM

Ottawa is too cold for Bing cherries, the sweet, dark kind that come from Washington State, but the Montmorency variety — small, sour, light red — doesn’t need as many frost-free days so it does well there. I’m not sure my new back yard is big enough for a Montmorency tree, but I can try.

My Mennonite friends came this morning to play tunes, a very welcome break from the Sturm und Drang of the move. We did not say good-bye, just au revoir until next summer, when I intend to make the trip to Goderich again.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 11:40 AM

Cherries are a favorite. Central Washington has a lot of fruit, apples and cherries in particular. We used to buy them by the case and sit around eating and seeing who could land most of their pits into the designated container in the middle of the room or porch, etc. The heartbreak in recent years was when the Aplets and Cotlets company almost closed down (just did a deep Internet dive on that history) but it seems they found a buyer (though reports say the recipe has changed some).

Thursday next week is the donation for teachers, so I'm moving everything near the back door. I may need a dolly for one of the boxes. This will be the push that lets me rearrange more of the den and hopefully move the photo cube off of the dining table and into the front room.

One of the cat sitting gigs was postponed, due to delays by the contractor on the work she wants to examine. Suddenly the week has opened up for other stuff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: pattyClink
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 09:15 AM

Cherries!


https://cherryhut.com/

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Aug 25 - 08:16 AM

I’m pretty sure that rhubarb doesn’t travel well.

But I just realized that my new place has a sunny south-facing back yard, which means I can grow rhubarb again! Next spring …

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 09:49 PM

I grew up with rhubarb in the yard in the Puget Sound area, was never really a fan. But maybe something else from up there. What else is Michigan noted for? Cheese? Apples? Maybe a shipped-frozen Chinook salmon. :-)

It seems astonishing that Charmion is just about to load up and move out. Wasn't it just a couple of months ago that this all started? Whoosh!

The back lawn closest to the house and greenhouse got mowed this afternoon. I didn't have time for more, but I did a different section last week so there's only one spot that needs mowing tomorrow. Some wasps began dive-bombing so I stopped before I was finished. There's a bad air alert up for tomorrow, but it'll only take a few minutes.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: pattyClink
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 06:14 PM

SRS, you should demand a shipment of rhubarb from Michigan in return for the okra!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 05:05 PM

My lung thing has resolved into a twitchier airway than I have had in years, and continuing laryngitis. My speaking voice comes and goes, averaging out in a froggy rasp, but my singing voice is just fine! Weird.

Today I have been packing up stuff the movers won’t take: spices and dried herbs in Mason jars, a dozen bottles of wine, bottles of olive oil and vinegar. The front hall is getting crowded with boxes that I hope will all fit in Dai’s and Andrew’s cars, along with the cats in their travelling kennel, two orchids, and a Christmas cactus that I raised from a pup.

Dai arrives tomorrow (Saturday) evening, and Andrew and Deb on Sunday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 04:50 PM

Keb, how is your hand feeling? Sleep any better last night? Do you have a good reading lamp by your bed? And has your lung thing cleared up, Charmion?

Today's errands included posting a box of three pounds of my garden okra to a friend in Michigan. She grew up in the next county south of here and a few years ago was bemoaning the lack of good okra on the shores of Lake Michigan, so as a lark I filled a priority box and shipped it. Three days later the okra was a hit and she pickled some and fried the rest. It took a couple of more years before I had enough okra to do it again (last year no garden, the year before the okra languished out there.) From here out whatever I pick will be used for pickled okra and occasional fried.

While picking okra this morning a juvenile grasshopper landed in my box, so I clonked it with my pruners and walked around to the front porch and tossed it into Ms. Argiope's web. After a couple of tries she got it. A few minutes later I opened the front door to take a look and Pepper decided to bark up a storm - when she started that the spider dropped her breakfast, it swung a few inches away in the web. Later I peeked out and she was again dining on the grasshopper, but clearly neither she nor I are fond of Pepper's barking.

Last week I rolled coins as I watched TV, and today at the credit union they said they don't take them rolled but they do have a machine in the lobby that counts and deposits the entire amount. Noisy, but it worked. In the end it only spit back two coins, a Canadian quarter and a kind of rumpled US penny. And when I went to Costco after that my bill was exactly $2 more than I put in the bank. I'm still ahead by $178 in savings, but it's funny how it doesn't feel that way. I have the empty roll papers, but if they will count it without all of the trouble, no point in rolling them.

Last night right before it started raining I sprayed the tomato bloom spray on flowers on two of the plants, hoping for some fall tomatoes. I don't know which is more unusual, still getting tomatoes here in August, or all of the small rain showers we've had this month.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 07:37 AM

A new mattress is an event! No wonder you were all keyed up, keb. Give yourself a few days to start taking it for granted.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Aug 25 - 06:30 PM

My apartment has been decluttered of a hard stiff old mattress and its accompanying box springs.
A new mattress, with some give, has taken its place.
For some reason I was all keyed up and could not sleep well on my first night on the new mattress.
Hopefully that will pass soon.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 25 - 11:14 PM

The dishwasher is running after a dinner of eggplant Parmesan was accomplished. I have some leftover slices that I'll take across to the neighbor tomorrow. I had to thin my homemade sauce (a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste and 3/4 cup water, whisked) so it's at a good consistency. I'd rather have it too thick than too runny. The house smells wonderful and the kitchen is clean.

Here in Texas when a representative does a filibuster on the house floor, they have to keep talking or reading the whole time, and it can't be unrelated to the subject at hand. One of the representatives is getting ready to attempt a filibuster tomorrow so members of a group I follow have been asked to write letters on the subject and send them to the rep. I'll do that this evening.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Aug 25 - 12:03 PM

I lost track long ago of the amount of my time and energy were disappearing into the black hole of the concert choir’s affairs. The last item is the choir’s MacBook Pro, which has the library database on it.

Apple likes its equipment to be owned and used by individual humans, not “positions” such as Choir Librarian. The user accounts are full of personal data such as name and date of birth. Drilling down to change all that, including back-up emails and phone numbers for two-factor verification, when the computer has been passed along at least twice over ten years — it’s been spectacularly irritating.

But I am almost on the objective! One more sit-down with the new librarian, and it’ll be done and I can dust the whole business off my hands. I can hardly wait.

Meanwhile, today the cats go to the vet for a check-up before going to the cattery for three weeks, and to get the correct dose of the appropriate sedative for the long drive on Monday. Watson is asprawl on my lap, but where is Isobel?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Aug 25 - 11:55 AM

Two more cat gigs penciled on the calendar in August and September. It's a lot of work and I get less of my own stuff done around the house, but the things that require me to head out get interleaved in with the feedings and I do more of those, so it works out. While I'm spending a chunk of the end of the month running back and forth to administer cat meds I hope Charmion will be p-a-c-i-n-g herself so there are no injuries or bronchial attacks during the move. (I'm guessing when everything eventually arrives at the Ottawa destination family will descend on the house and help put everything where it belongs very quickly.) My 91-year-old friend is fretting about the packing for a move to a new house soon. Her son is going to hire a couple of local women to help with the packing, and perhaps I should have her come stay with me and out of the path of the upheaval. (Supervising the work is important - and her son should be doing that this time.)

Lovely gentle rain today. I'm waiting for it pass through the region before heading to the store, letting streets dry a bit.

I spent last evening testing and researching some of the electronics here that will go on eBay. Now I'm power cleaning my ink jet printer because some of the nozzles are plugged. I print things to include in the sales (instructions, manuals) and occasionally color pages (mostly I print with the laser printer because I have tons of toner and lots of paper around here).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 25 - 05:16 PM

Sounds like you've found a great neighborhood, Mary! And a walk two miles to McDonalds is good exercise. Chehalis and Centralia were a couple of wide spots in the road for most of their existence, but it looks like quite a lot of growth has happened in both of them. And it looks like with only a couple of freeway exits that the frontage roads do most of the heavy lifting for local traffic alongside and under I-5. That should actually make it easier and safer commuting around town.

The only time I spent time in Centralia was when I worked for the Forest Service in Seattle and was detailed to work at a fire in the Twisp area. They flew us there in back in little unpressurized Forest Service planes, and I fell asleep on the flight back, not doing anything about my ears. When we landed it was like there was a wooden spoon handle stuffed in my ear and it was a couple of more hours before a big yawn in the shower that the pressure equalized and it sounded like I was standing in a waterfall. Worst earache ever.

It's a good thing my daughter's chickens love the big seeds in large cucumbers because there where three more this morning. How does this happen? Surely they don't grow that fast overnight? It's getting a bit thin on tomatoes out there but if I find some blooms I'm going to use the bloom setting spray and get a few more going for fall.

The allergy season is kicking in and the air quality is poor through tomorrow evening. No mowing until later in the week, and then I'll wear a mask.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Mary G
Date: 19 Aug 25 - 02:31 PM

i am approved for an apartment in centralia -- just the wrong one. It is OK..later move in and it will be easier. I have not seen it..saw and claimed the other one but there was a mixup. Anyway, getting rid of stuff..nothing fancy. I am so glad I downsized sooner. i said I will have nothing that does not fold or collapse or deflate and I meant it. One office chair is the exception, and I am sure it comes apart. I have one problem and that is my tutoring. I need to make sure that I am totally covered from one place to another. I have talked to spectrum and they said they do this all the time. if bad comes to worse do you think a library would let me use a private room and their internet for a few days? that might be best solution.

car is a peninsula car and not bought to go long distances. so hopefully it will keep working till i am moved. it drives very well...has had problems starting..everything is replaced and it has been working all the time so I might be OK. I am not moving with anything vital in my car..which would be papers mostly.

well, i am looking forward to it. blocks from a library, community college, train station, safety, church. what more do I need ? would like a swimming pool nearby. Google centralia, washington if you are interested. I forgot..I am two blocks from McDonald's now and a couple of miles when I move. Oh well.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 25 - 10:46 AM

Charmion, good luck with the computer. I have one here with the "good" expensive software that refused any more modifications in order to communicate via the Internet. In the parlance of automotive transmissions, this is the slave to the master cylinder; I do the work on it and cable between it and the newer computer (using a transfer cable). They will figure out something. A friend sends me stuff from his iPhone and I occasionally have to jump through Apple ID hoops. It's never pretty.

Moving is like an all day every day gym workout; stay healthy in the breathing department. Do you have a dust-fighting strategy for the remainder of the work?

I'm kicking myself that I never thought to look and see if Dell actually put in all of the RAM I ordered when I bought this machine. Turns out there was a single 8GB strip doing all of the work; I thought I had two of them for 16GB. I've put in the maximum amount now (four 16GB strips) and wonder how it will change some of the work I do. Buyer beware.

How's the house and the yard going, Patty? How is Sandra's wrist feeling? And I think the weather map showing a small tornado in southern Quebec is just Dorothy rushing around doing all of her stuff.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Aug 25 - 08:48 AM

The garden shed is empty, and the garage is decluttered of most stuff that isn’t going with me to Ottawa. I made yet another run to Goodwill yesterday with a carload of miscellaneous garden stuff. Habitat for Humanity are sending a truck today for an office table, a pine nightstand, four fans, a rechargeable power drill that I have never used, a bag of assorted hand tools, a fire screen, and a set of fireplace tools. That will be the last of the clearance.

The choir computer is fighting all my efforts to add the new librarian as an admin user, and remove me. It’s a 10-year-old MacBook Pro. Apple have drastically changed their security protocols since it was first put into service, making equipment-sharing very difficult for users. The function that blocks me is a screen that says I can’t create an Apple ID for the new librarian because that action has been performed on the choir computer too often and will not be allowed again. WTAF? So the machine needs an actual Apple expert. It’s beyond me and I should just stop trying, for my own good. The new librarian will have to deal with it.

I woke up this morning at 0515 hr with the heavy, cramped feeling in my upper chest that indicates the onset of a bronchospasm. Three kinds of steroids and a jolt of broncho-dilator later I’m okay but jittery — normal for the aftermath of that dosage. But this is not a good sign; evidently, my body is fed up with the extra stress of the move on top of the usual flood of late-summer allergens. Nine days left in Stratford.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Aug 25 - 12:12 AM

I disturbed a lot of dust this evening but it only took about 10 minutes to put the new RAM cards in the computer. It took longer to dust the area and unplug everything before opening the case. And now my flatbed scanner (the older, better one) is connected to the new computer (I neglected to get a long enough USB cable when I rearranged the office some months ago). I came across a small box of tiny photos that came from my grandmother, set on the shelf there to scan. Now maybe I'll do it.

The sauce is finished, most of it frozen, and tomorrow I'll do dinner of eggplant parm. Another giant cucumber presented itself in the garden this morning. How do they do that? I look so carefully, sometimes circling the vines two or three times to pick, and then the next morning, right there in front, is a 12" cuke. The seeds are tough, but my daughter tells me that her chickens adore the seeds in these huge cucumbers. I think I have three of them to hand off tomorrow.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Aug 25 - 01:10 AM

Tomatoes simmered down to three pints of pureed (stick blender) goodness and ready for making marinara tomorrow. It took a couple of hours for it to reduce in volume to be perfect for sauce. I was in and out of the kitchen all evening, and though I didn't do any of my exercise videos today I feel like I got a workout. By the time I add the sauce ingredients I'll have close to three quarts to freeze. And tomorrow I'll pick one of the eggplants to bread and fry and make a fresh batch of eggplant Parmesan, using this sauce. I need to call a couple of folks to come over for dinner.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 25 - 07:07 PM

Key fob is working for the time being, and I've washed the SUV windows inside and out but the test will be driving conditions when the sun hits the glass just so. If the windows are clean maybe I'll go whole hog and get out the hose and wash the car this week. (Parking under trees to avoid sun heating the interior to oven temperatures results in tiny drips of sap on the paint and glass, so I do need to wash it one of these days.)

For now I'm spending the rest of the hot muggy overcast day inside because I feel a big sneeze forming inside my sinuses. This is the time for ragweed to start doing its thing.

There are enough tomatoes again for some to be canned and sauced this evening. The ragged ones (blossom end rot, bit by bugs) get scalded, peeled, and trimmed, and are great for the sauce I freeze. My winter self will thank me for the cooking I do now.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Aug 25 - 04:05 PM

I replaced it first thing, and after this happened before, I made sure I got top shelf batteries to use to keep it going longer.

I've found a service bulletin from Nissan via the interwebs that suggests the Intelligent Key needs to be resynchronized. This is one of those odd programming things that involves turning on the car, testing buttons, opening the driver's window, moving the fob out of range of the vehicle, etc.

When I finish this test, I'm going to take some cloths out and use the new window cleaner recommended in Consumer reports for car windows (no ammonia in it) and see if I can finally get a clear windshield inside and out. Consumer Reports named a couple of products, neither I'd heard of but not particularly expensive or hard to find. I swung by the hardware store yesterday to pick up one of the brands.

Looking at a program about the development of commercial fast food products. All of this that I'm not eating because of the wheat and sugar and processed foods and realizing why Americans are as fat and unhealthy as they are. Want to help our health? Put Home Economics back into the middle and high school curriculum. Teach people to cook.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - '25-26
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 17 Aug 25 - 03:09 PM

Key fob: Are you sure you don't need a new battery* in it, Stilly? That happened with all but one of the keys to Herself's car, though I forget the symptoms. One bulk change later, all keys working properly. Apologies if (as usual) my brain's firing off its mouth from the hip.

* My inner pedant keeps screaming "cell", but I bow to the mass misunderstanding.