DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 26 - 09:59 PM

Are the evicted appliances being donated so someone else can put them to use? And are the cupboards demolished or going to a re-use site? (Not all cupboards are worth recycling). My sister has been living with no kitchen for months: the old garage at the back was demolished, a new foundation was extended and everything has shifted to the side to enlarge the existing kitchen and a couple of other rooms on the back. It sounds like she could build a new house in the time and resources going into this work. In my "if money were no object" imagination I think about putting a partial second story over the back of the house to have a room with a view over the creek and woods, but what a mess and fuss. Maybe build a treehouse in the hackberry in the back yard?

I learned a lot at paint stores today. ACE Hardware carries Benjamin Moore, but they have a fraction of what the actual paint (only) BM stores carry. And depending on how much the painter buys, he will have a few places with accounts to buy at a contractor rate. The paint guy at ACE thought I was getting ahead of myself, that I should ask the painter where he gets paint, but I have a reason for acquainting myself with these companies. It doesn't hurt to know at least some of the answers before asking the questions. Tomorrow I'll finish the research and call to see if the painter can do the work or recommend someone.

Despite my decluttering work around here the horizontal surfaces are once again covered. At least the fridge and kitchen are better than usual.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Mar 26 - 11:35 AM

Demolition is under way. I’m hiding in my bedroom, where I have a comfy chair, but the periodic outbursts of power tool noise has me constantly on edge. The contractors say this phase will be finished today, but it feels like a very looooong day already.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Mar 26 - 12:24 AM

I made a three-ring binder when I moved into this house with the brochures about hardware and materials and paint samples and receipts and bids and whatnot from the renovations. When I had the house painted later (after a new roof was put on) I filed that paint brochure. My painter said the best paint, and where he could get a good discount, was Kelly-Moore, and they had an array of "stock colors" that were mixed at the factory. Those were the most durable of the offerings, and cost less as well as no concerns for getting the right color mixed for all cans. They're out of business, so I'm comparing companies and am down to Sherwin-Williams (has its own stores) and Benjamin Moore (sold at ACE Hardware). I'll visit tomorrow and find out about any stock colors (I doubt it) and contractor discounts. I want these answers before I call the painter. I don't know if I'll change the colors on the house now, but I need to see what's available.

Shopping locally today was kind of a bust. A Honda mower blade for the Honda mower (they carry "Universal" and Toro, mostly) and a soy amino sauce for my crispy pecan recipe (the sauce is absent in the usual stores). These products are in Home Depot or Walmart or Target but I'm avoiding them these days. Same with the paint shopping - not gonna get Behr or Valspar because of the big box stores with lousy DEI policies.

There's a bridge protest (a pedestrian crossing over the interstate highway) tomorrow afternoon and I have my gear packed and my sign ready.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Mar 26 - 12:37 PM

Charmion, having made the move back to Ottawa (after selling the house that had the completed kitchen) it's a good thing you're now near family who can easily assist as you re-do another kitchen.

As for trash/recycling day, stay safe! It's an embarrassment of riches around here with the new humongous bin; I had a sound large lidded Rubbermaid bin and an old one from the greenhouse (full of holes - drilled by me and chewed by the pitbull). And an ancient galvanized 30-gallon can from the previous owners. Since I can't seem to find my favorite 15-gallon white gardening bin (for carrying to the compost pile) I'll use the holey big bin (but will fill it only 1/2 way.)

Another appliance may need attention. The frost-free upright freezer has an insulated copper line that runs to a small evaporative tank, but the insulation has deteriorated and there is water under the freezer (discovered when I ran a yardstick under to see how much dog hair had accumulated.) Research first—if I can replace the existing insulation with a new wrapping one, I'll do it. It's on tiny castors so can be moved to be reachable without unloading the freezer.

Cat gig coming up next week and a preview one-off this afternoon (while she's out of the house all day).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Mar 26 - 11:03 AM

D-Day has been called on account of freezing rain — a large and very foul weather system has covered the Ottawa Valley from Pembroke to Hawkesbury. It’s also garbage day, and I expect a journey down the driveway that will look more like tightrope-walking than my usual progress to the street to recover my recycle box.

The contents of the kitchen cabinets are stacked on the dining table and a six-foot folding work table Brother Andrew helped me set up in the sitting room yesterday. (With a poncho liner draped over it, the load in the sitting room looks not unlike a body laid out for a wake.) The refrigerator has yet to be emptied, but that will take about five minutes. The immediate perishables will go to Andrew’s house, and the rest will be okay in a cooler.

SIL No 1 has generously agreed to give me breakfast and supper for the duration, and the pub will do for lunch. At least I can sleep in my own bed.

Speaking of sleep, I’ll have to set an alarm to wake me up as long as the cats are away. Today I didn’t even crack an eyelid until a quarter to eight. Watson would never let that happen.

The garbage truck has just passed. Wish me luck!

Subject: RE: BS: stay out of trouble thread (stay afloat)
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Mar 26 - 03:50 PM

Op KITCHEN will cross the start line tomorrow or Thursday, depending on the weather. Yes, the work will all happen indoors, but a huge sleet storm is coming toward us and Marc the contractor would rather not be on the road in that. He lives out in Osgoode Township, so I totally get that. I don’t want to be out in it either, even just to move my car out of the garage so Marc can plunk dead cabinetry in there until he's ready to load it up and haul it away.

The cats are expensively boarding at Cats’ Paradise until the tumult and shouting are over. I needed a walking stick to extract Watson from under the bed, but Isobel uncharacteristically allowed me to put the habeas grabbus on her without hardly a peep, let alone her usual demonstration of combat techniques.

At present I am taking a break from emptying the kitchen cupboards. Why, oh why, I ask myself, must I so indulge myself with stemware? Could I not make do with something that would be easier to stash in odd corners? The Waterford will spend the next couple of weeks in the study.

Okay, enough sitting about. Back at it!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 10 Mar 26 - 02:45 PM

I used to reset the clock in Herself's car twice a year. Then I realised there's more days in British Summertime than Greenwich Mean Time each year, so now the clock stays an hour forward during the winter, and there ain't no change for the Summertime Car.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Mar 26 - 01:19 PM

Yes, the vehicle clock is sometimes a challenge. Last time it went pretty quickly, but I don't always remember which set of buttons will get me to the easy time change. The annual vehicle inspection is due (to renew the tags next month) and fortunately setting your clock correctly isn't on the inspection list. :)

Part two of insurance work coming up soon: I have a referral name for a painter to call this week. I need to ask him about a carpenter to do some work before painting. If I can bundle these two trades with the painter as the contractor I think I can get the back door to the garage replaced as part of the painting job, no one the wiser, it'll just be prep work.

Last fall I started painting the decorative iron on the house but stopped during the winter. Now we're into the season I'll get this finished before I have painters come over (I'd rather fool with this myself since it's easy enough to do than pay extra for it.) I should also knock down wasps' nests that will be in the way and wash off some of the mud daubers' handiwork on the porch.

Another batch of yogurt made last night and spooned into two sturdy commercial yogurt brand containers I'm reusing. And this morning is the first in months that I didn't take a Prednisone. This is the last week of 1mg, and I'm starting to alternate a bit ahead of the end. Now to keep Trump from living rent free in my head so I can stay off of it.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: pattyClink
Date: 08 Mar 26 - 08:57 PM

Here's a fun song I wish I had seen in time to learn for yesterday's time change.

Daylight Savings Time Green Day parody

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Mar 26 - 07:00 PM

An innocuous line in the standard income tax form asks for the number from another form I had ignored when I figured my taxes. Today an AARP video discussed an "additional deduction" and I hunted around to find that the innocuous line is about form A-1 that has an extra $6000 deduction for my demographic^*. I hadn't filed yet (waiting till this month because I was going to have to pay). Fortunes have been reversed with that extra deduction.

Lovely weather today after the storms cleared so the dogs and I will go for a walk. Oak trees are full of tassels so I may take along a disposable mask to keep pollen out of my sinuses.

*1. it's only temporary till 2028 and 2. it will hasten the drawing down of the Social Security fund if things aren't fixed in the next few years

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 26 - 11:53 AM

I'd wait to take that trip to the Moon until another administration is in the White House. You might get stranded there by NASA or the TSA otherwise. Is the footprint of kitchen counters and cabinets going to stay the same so the new fridge will slip in to the same spot (avoiding having to plumb a new spot for the ice maker)?

We have a wet weekend so next week will begin the serious gardening work. Moist soil makes the weeds so much easier to pull and the tiller can dig deeper in the raised beds of the vegetable garden. I found some of what I think will be adequate men's crew socks to use as the outer layer of two pair I put on to wear in heavy work boots. (Here in Texas I always have a pair of socks ready when I take off my boots - stuff a wadded fresh sock into each boot at the ankle level to keep anything from moving into the boot while you're not wearing it. We have critters in this state that you don't want to discover by mashing them against the inside of the boot with your toe.)

Daylight Savings starts tomorrow, the most detested date on my calendar. I hate having to now get up an hour earlier. (If any of our members are in Arizona or parts of Indiana they don't need to change their clocks. Those states got smart a long time ago and let the world shift around them rather than jumping through those mind-bending hoops.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Mar 26 - 03:04 PM

My current refrigerator is not large; it is enormous, in fact, too big for the room. I have to walk around it every time I want a plate, and I’ve never come close to filling it. It also has both an ice-maker and a water dispenser, neither of which I need, although I do enjoy not having to maintain ice-cube trays. The fridge I ordered is its simpler cousin, counter-depth, and equipped with the ice-maker but not the water dispenser. Yes, it went on MasterCard. I have enough Air Miles points to join the next moon mission.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Mar 26 - 11:37 AM

Charmion, that shopping must have created a great sucking sound from your bank account (siphoned via VISA or MasterCard? Might as well get the points.) I remember you saying the current fridge was quite large and serviceable, so what are you putting in its stead?

Yesterday was an exercise in avoiding stress. While working on the new website I attempted to correct, then remove, a single link entry in the expansive "Library" of the site. I seem to have removed the entire library (a page generated with a long list of all of the files there, but all of the files are just fine.) I wrote to the site administrator and explained what had happened, and I wrote to the non-tech savvy boss to tell him what happened and that I'd written to the web administrator. Then I stopped what I was doing and read a book and and went to sleep without it churning in the background. It's easy to let things like this disturb my sleep, but as I come to the end of the PMR medication I know I have to not engage in that kind of cortisol manufacture. Hopefully he can restore the links or automate a new list. Surely he has a backup?

eBay has entered an activity spurt, sales and a message (asking for information that is right there in the brief listing - a vintage kitchen canister with the base and the lid, no chips or cracks, from a non-smoking home. "How many pieces, are there cracks and is it a non-smoking home?") The new scale landed on the porch this morning and I'll re-weigh the most current listing to see how accurate the vintage spring-loaded scale (up to 25 pounds) is in comparison.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Mar 26 - 04:24 PM

A beautiful late winter day in Ottawa, with bright sunshine and the thermometer bravely struggling into the + range. The snowbanks are shrinking, but not enough yet to make backing out of the driveway less of an act of faith. Home Depot is counting down the days to Spring.

Yesterday I bought the new refrigerator, dishwasher and range hood for my kitchen renovation. Yes, it was expensive, but not as expensive as it could have been because the appliance companies are marking down last season’s models.

I’m knocking off five kilometres in the mall each morning, which gets me up, dressed and out of the house instead of noodling around on the computer. Progress.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Mar 26 - 01:21 PM

This week I'm peeling back the winter layers. The heavy terrycloth bathrobe has gone through the laundry and is back in the closet on a heavy duty wooden hanger and the Hudson's Bay blanket is folded so the quilt is once again the top cover. There are two blankets under it and one of those may be removed soon also.

There are large pots beside the driveway door and this morning I pulled out last fall's dead stalks and weeds that pop up first thing in the spring to reveal the small dicotyledon sprouts of basil. (Side note: I was watching a TV travel show, I think on PBS, and the host being followed by a camera through a farmer's market coos "ooh, cilantro!" as they pinch off a leaf of basil. Perhaps I should give them credit for bad editing, but time to turn that channel!

Cooking yesterday involved drawing down the pantry and freezer supplies for a pork casserole I know I've described before. I used home-canned tomatoes and eggplant that I quartered and sautéed before freezing to use in this dish. (I also peel it, I'm not fond of the bitter taste of the skin.)

Sharing jigsaw puzzles as a way to declutter has backfired - I sent one to a friend and on that same day a surprise box with three arrived from a different friend (I should reciprocate), plus one of our cohort has put another in the mail (it does look particularly interesting - involving a mermaid and an oversized lobster.) To balance out the puzzles another big box for eBay is awaiting the mail carrier. After packing a large new listing yesterday I finally broke down to compare reviews and order a flat mail scale with the readout control panel on a cable so large boxes can be put on it and the weight still in view. The post office no longer has a scale in the lobby and I never have great luck with the bathroom scale. I put the shipping on at home instead of paying at the post office because it costs a lot less.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Mar 26 - 10:44 AM

The front and back yards have had the first mow of the spring, early enough this year that it the mower made it through the tallish grass without choking to a stop. The new boots are breaking in nicely and I'll be getting more boot socks soon now that I've figured out the weight that will work best.

Outside the back door one has the impression of a snow storm just beginning with a few flakes, but it's the white flowers on the Mexican plum starting to drop petals.

There are a lot of weeds that need pulling by hand from various beds and some, like thistles, are big enough to need the weed-popper (patty, hit things with strong vinegar and orange oil when they're smaller and tender, otherwise they should pull out more easily now.)

My League of Women Voters sign was put in the yard last night that urges people to "Vote like Democracy Depends on it (It Does)" as we have primary day today. Last year my candidate signs were stolen but this was left alone; this year I'll have to place the candidate signs so they're in view but not so reachable.

This was posted in the convicted felon thread: I complained about all of this Trump BS to my representatives in letters I mailed over the weekend. A version appeared in my teeny tiny blog.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 26 - 11:28 AM

While I am working on decluttering the house, I have continued to buy books (because I don't consider these books clutter). The next one for the docent book club is by Bianca Bosker and am enjoying this so much I'm going to see what else she's written. Her style is wonderfully descriptive yet moves the content along, the master of the perfect contextual turn of phrase, reminding me of Shana Alexander and Edward Abbey, lots of nuance. "Gossip for art people is like echolocation for bats: You sent out signals of what you thought was great or derivative or phony, then oriented yourself based on what came back." Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See.

A word to the wise: Nothing gets a journalist's undivided attention like hinting something is rotten to its core, then clamming up. It's like seeing your neighbor whistling "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" while he pats down freshly dug earth and incinerates a pile of clothes. Um, yes, I have a few questions. . .

Spring is officially here because I mowed the front yard yesterday and today I'll do the back. Tomorrow is trash day and I have a combination of bagged shredded pages and trimmed woody branches to drop on top of the one small bag of household garbage in the huge bin.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 26 - 11:29 PM

Years ago I was getting horrible sinus infections and finally enough people told me I had allergies that I started using the antihistamines. I used Claritin for a while then switched to Zyrtec (the Costco knockoff - and when she's being particularly itchy/scratchy Pepper also gets a Zyrtec, we share the bottle). I take it much of the year because there are so many allergens, and when it isn't enough, I add Sudafed during the day and a Benadryl overnight. And the neti pot to soothe sinuses. Sometimes Guaifenesin to help combat the congestion. This time of year it's the juniper pollen that is so bad ("cedar fever.")

I haven't been to the mall in years, but the nearest one is a pretty space, and people did used to go over to do the walking. I suppose that would be a good summer activity (though I usually go to the gym and use the treadmill. But maybe there are more people to talk to at the mall.) Most of the anchor stores (Sears, Penney's, Macy's) have closed, leaving only Dillard's operating there.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: pattyClink
Date: 28 Feb 26 - 08:47 PM

That sounds like a great resource, to walk in a warm mall with a friendly community!

I was starting to get in some walking around here since winter ended, but between chaos, high winds, and now juniper pollen, not so much.

I honestly thought I was falling ill with sinus infection and sore throat, but it seems to just be the juniper. Loratadine helps in the morning but maybe I need to get some zyrtec for evenings.

Also the rocket which was a cheerful green weed all winter has now gone berserk and is apparently pumping out plenty of pollen too, and is 4' high. Guess it's time to whack it down, much as I hate to crucify anything green.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Feb 26 - 12:32 PM

The snowbanks are even taller, Stilly, and it’s still resolutely cold most of the time. This is Ottawa, not wussy Stratford, and winter lasts well into March.

The kitchen project is on feet, with contracts signed and the first deposits paid. We cross the start line in a week, and before then I have to choose stone and buy a kitchen sink.

Last week I started mall-walking — end to end and back at least five times (4.5 km according to my Apple watch). The mall in question is at Billings Bridge, a major transit hub, and we Olde Phartes have the run of the place from 0800 to 1000 hr each day from Monday to Friday. Like many enclosed shopping malls these days, Billings Bridge has many vacant shops, and what’s left — banks, financial services, a travel agency, lawyers’ offices, a dental practice — doesn’t provide much curb appeal, so the landlords rather like having even crocks like us filling the halls. Walkers, rubber-tipped hiking poles and quad canes abound. A commercially useless suite of rooms in the basement is provided for hanging coats and stashing boots, and over the years the “Walk and Talk” gang has set up what amounts to a clubhouse, with a Keurig machine, a covered plate of home-made cookies, and a revolving cast of volunteers to supervise.

Yesterday, I walked in on a lively discussion of the effect of US tariffs on potash prices in the American mid-west, and left as the gang was collectively solving a crossword puzzle. I’ll be back on Monday.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 26 - 11:01 AM

So fire drills were your opportunity to catch up with old friends? We were told to report to certain zones outside of our building so heads could be counted, but I think most of us ignored that part of the directive and did the same - milled around to catch up with friends we hadn't seen for a while.

The first few tiles were pulled up in the laundry room and sent out in the trash bin. The quarter round and trim along the floor on one side is pulled up and the washer is to a far point in the space, still level, but clear of about 1/3 of the floor area. That battery operated brush will be deployed with water and my regular floor detergent before the sealer coat is put down. It begins!

I have the name of the contractor who worked at my friend's house. I'll ask him if he has a carpenter who can do some small repairs before painting. (I actually have some big repairs to do also, but in a separate operation, the current repairs are part of the insurance claim.)

Charmion, has your snow and ice melted away? How are your kitchen plans coming along? Is there an ETA for cabinets, if you've found the right carpenter?

Dorothy, are you still checking in? How are you feeling and what is up around the various properties and R's business activity?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Feb 26 - 05:58 PM

many years ago (20+) I was called up for jury duty but my Physio wrote a letter saying I had chronic back pain & couldn't sit unmoving for long periods. I got exempted with a Standard Reply saying if my condition cleared/healed (or words to that effect) I could be called up again!

I worked in a secure Federal Govt agency - staff were limited where they could go. Once in a fire drill I heard a bloke ask another was he still in a particular section, No, he had moved to another 2 years before, & I once saw a colleague I hadn't seen for a long time. Turned out she had been a juror in a 12 month trial ...

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 26 - 04:45 PM

My experience also. Lots of talking heads interspersed with lots of waiting around. I always wear face masks, and I could wear one of the pride masks I made during COVID. I take along a physical book on a political subject—I've just about finished reading an Andy Borowitz book, but I have several others to choose from.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 26 Feb 26 - 04:43 PM

> moral turpitude

Does that exempt He Who Must Not Be Imprisoned from jury service :-) ?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: pattyClink
Date: 26 Feb 26 - 04:27 PM

The last few times I got called, it was just a morning of listening to political speeches and lectures from the judge on how we shouldn't weasel out, then a parade of people weaseling out, then an afternoon wasted in an upper room waiting to see if we were going to get empaneled. Usually you get sent home and told to call an auto-number nightly to see if you are needed next day. It's all about wasting hundreds of peoples' time while the lawyers play chicken and see who can hold off making a deal until right before something goes to trial.

If you do get recruited for a panel, you can let them know you're biased in some way, especially if you really are. I'm sure it's different in your county, but hopefully it will be a brief disruption, unless you get put on some drawn out trial from hell.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 26 - 02:35 PM

Well, darn, I don't have a choice on the jury duty. It used to be over 65 could bow out, but they've changed it to over 75. And if you answer the question about moral turpitude as a reason to not participate, they say they're going to ask you more questions about that. Anything else needs a note from your doctor.

The political climate here is so toxic, the county judge is doing everything he can to restrict polling places, limit public comments at meetings, and make life a misery for people who disagree with the MAGA court officers. Perhaps wearing a "No Kings" t-shirt would do the trick (but probably get me arrested, not just evicted.) But if the person on trial is someone who needs a Democratic Socialist on the jury, I may be part of it.

Walked around for a couple of hours in the new boots yesterday, they feel good, but the moccasin toe gets hung up under the edge of the kitchen cabinets if I stand on the mat by the sink.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 26 - 05:42 PM

Yesterday I had covered a lot of territory narrowing down brands with the sales clerk, but she's off, so today when the male clerk approached I told him that the clerk from yesterday had helped me narrow down the fit of the 6" boot and I'd gone home to research the brands. I wanted a boot with the welt, steel toes, and durable brass, no plastic eyelet hooks or padding around the top of the ankle.

He stepped over to a different section and suggested I would be happier with some lightweight sneaker-like footwear. I told him "don't dismiss my list of requirements!" and I walked back to the boot I was pretty much decided on. To address his concern (that I was nuts?) I gave him the short version of a summer job, my first with the Forest Service, as a participant in a program called the YCC. One of the counselors, not wearing the right boots, was chopping with a sharp axe and it bounced, hit his foot, cutting through leather, flesh, and bone, making an instant and lasting impression. If I'm chopping with an axe, mattock, or Pulaski, or using the tiller, good boots are important.

He said that boot in my size was out of stock, but there was an 8" version I could try on and then order the one I wanted online through the company. Lucky me, he returned with the one I'd wanted that had been misshelved with the taller boots. They fit perfectly, and yes they're heavy, but that's part of the job they do. Now to the garden!

Sandra, this morning I was looking at my mirrored dresser that belonged to my great grandmother, part of a set with bed frame and washstand. I thought back to your remarks about your grandmother's dressing table and wardrobe. It dawns on me that while it works perfectly and has a story, do either of my kids want it? I'm clearing out electronics and small stuff now, but how much of this furniture do I also need to declare surplus and move out? As I get closer to paying off the house I'm getting closer to making decisions about staying or moving and what to take.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 26 - 11:24 AM

Good point! I was the only member of my demographic in the store yesterday afternoon but it went fine, and I've decided which pair to focus on (one of them named in that video, as it happens). Taking a better combination of socks today for the fitting (I always wear a light pair under a heavy pair in boots, but the heavy pair yesterday was too much). I'd already heard about boot construction problems and recommendations from the guy in his repair shop I visited a couple of years ago. The reviews helped (always start with the one and two star reviews). This reminds me that the reason I have a Honda lawnmower now is because I talked to my small engine repair guy for his recommendations. Reviews and recommendations like that are valuable (yesterday the gardening guru told me I should start using ChatGPT - and I explained that having spent over 20 years in a library helping people research and learn to evaluate the sources, I wasn't going to start using anonymized AI.)

Last year I talked about the new electric toothbrush (picked up after reading a review), and I can report that after 3-4 months I've mastered its use, figuring out what the beeps mean (every 30 seconds change quadrants) and how to hold it properly (I asked my dental hygienist). Soon the upper light will show telling me that it's time to put on a new brush head.

The fire up the hill was put out after about 90 minutes. I'll take the dogs for a walk later and swing by to take a look.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Feb 26 - 07:58 AM

Stilly, there's no such thing as good, cheap work boots. Work boots must be made of the best materials with the right design if they are to be more of a solution than a problem. Especially if your feet are not young, and you're working with at least one after-market part in your lower body.

Feet and hands show your age first, and most emphatically. I had liver spots on my hands and swollen foot joints long before I had wrinkles on my face.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 26 - 11:15 PM

I went to a local Work Wear safety boot store with my heavy socks and tried on a number of boots, then this evening read reviews, concluding that there don't seem to be a bunch of good boots out there with different price ranges. The lower prices tend to be disposable, and even the those with welt construction show inferior materials and the soles in particular need replacement within a year. This will be a purchase based upon "heritage" construction that increases the price by about 50% over what I thought they might cost.

This evening there was a grassfire at the edge of a small wooded area at the top of the hill a couple of blocks from here. It's breezy this evening, but I was probably the only resident here wondering if it might get into larger trees and spread through trees in yards. I kept an eye out and am glad to say I didn't need to grab the closet file box, a computer, the bin of dog food, cash, and leashes and bug out. Or get out the garden hose and drench my yard to keep it at bay.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 26 - 11:24 AM

MaJoC, you need a steel-bottomed chair, apparently. ;-) I've dug out boot socks this morning and plan to head over to the local shop to see if 1. they have the boot I want to try and 2. take me seriously as an older woman buying men's steel-toed work boots (will they try to change my mind to another type?) I've worn plenty of them over the years, the first pair were Red Wing, so comfortable, but probably lost in my travels (and they'd be over 50 years old now and possibly needing to be retired.)

Got a jury summons today. As much as I want to be a good citizen and serve on a jury, it never happens. I think the academic library background is a red flag for too many attorneys choosing jurors, it implies the ability to think critically, an apparent negative here in Texas. Very few of my library friends have ever been selected. Getting there is a pain in the ass, parking at a baseball field a mile north of the courthouse and catching the bus back downtown and clearing the security entrance. Sitting in a room full of people, and these days I will only do that wearing a mask, telegraphing another message to the room. Being over 65 I can decline, but I'll have to think about it.

The next book for the docent book club arrived, and it makes me want to cry. I often buy used books and this edition was published in 2024 and is already deaccessioned from a public library. They didn't give it much of a chance! (I don't know if it might be for a political reason, but perhaps a novel about art is too racy these days?)

Planning to do something other than listen to the turd who destroyed the White House tonight. We'd all be so much happier and healthier if he would go away (to prison, for example).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 24 Feb 26 - 07:12 AM

*Arghissimo*: When I sat down (slightly hard) in the armchair in the Big Room, I heard an ominous Thump. Another longitudinal spring has come adrift at one end; that makes three out of perhaps four. Haven't told Herself yet. Wish me luck, folks.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Feb 26 - 06:34 PM

No harm done, and I'm just glad to have the functioning washer again. I came across this video about planned obsolescence and another one about durable brands (I have several Honda power tools here).

Today I started weeding and trimming gardens in the front yard. The woody stuff that doesn't compost easily can go into that humongous new trash bin, the rest into the compost pile. It's cool and a bit breezy so I stayed in the shelter of the house, but Wednesday is forecast to be calm and warmer so I'll get out the mower and knock down the winter weeds in the lawn area. I'm planning to put a layer of wood chips under a tree and place the cloth smart pots on it for some of the crops this year, and that dappled shade should help them not overheat as much as along the edge of the driveway. Two years ago I had to toss my garden boots because they couldn't be resoled, but I've done research (after that video above) and found a nearby store that sells steel toed boots with the Goodyear welt (Carhartt) that don't cost quite as much as the two brands he named. When I chop with the mattock and use the tiller I'm much happier with heavy duty boots, but I'll have to buy men's because they make so few steel toed for women.

In the house I'm working on a couple of larger items to go on eBay, including a bread machine, and I should probably rearrange the cupboard in the sunroom. That's where I had the bread machines stored.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 23 Feb 26 - 01:51 PM

No, Stilly, that wasn't what I was thinking of: an impellor failure sounds more likely for a washing machine, whether stationary or waltzing. The PTC thermistor idea happened to be top-of-mind when I opened my big mouth, as the stuck rotor had just happened again. (And our Dyson problem could just as easily be a worn-out motor .... or that as well.)

Note to self: A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Feb 26 - 07:58 PM

That's a good outcome, Mary, I hope he gets back to town and reaches out to people.

Today I made a run to Goodwill and had an interesting conversation with the guy working the donation doors. I handed over bags and he pointed at the several VHS players also in there. When I told him I was taking them for eWaste at the university he said they now also collect it, bundling it into large boxes the size that washers come in, and it goes to a warehouse where buyers bid on whole boxes for scrap and recycling. I gave him those players and the conversation shifted to all of the things Goodwill discards and bundles and sells. It turns out we both have shopped a famous thrift shop in Green Valley, just north of Nogales, AZ, and discussed the used goods that travel to Mexico. I'll still take things like old hard drives to the university, where they have an annual event to securely discard data devices.

Unrelated to decluttering, after hearing an interview of Carol Burnett by Stephen Colbert it turns out she is a wiz at Wordle. She has gotten it on the first try six times, and named the six words. And since one of them is one of my starting words I worked out a new pair since I doubt they reuse words on the game (between the two words all vowels and y are on the board).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Mary G
Date: 21 Feb 26 - 05:57 PM

quick update. He has been seen on a shuttle bus by a fellow resident of his senior living. This is in Tacoma Washington. She said he seems OK. I have no idea what went on. He said he is coming back soon. We have a history of secrecy and extreme privacy in our family so that is part of the problem and I am part of that problem. He had better come up with a good reason for all of this. He probably hopes nobody finds out so we don't pop him in a nursing home, which is my definite choice. He is highly intelligent or was, but has numerous health problems and had a stroke several years ago, from which he recovered pretty well but had to discontinue a private law practice.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Feb 26 - 05:23 PM

Where and when did this happen? What city? (And as awful as the suggestion is, check the morgue.)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Mary G
Date: 21 Feb 26 - 05:15 PM

Here is a horrible family mystery. My brother Steve is missing after a medical emergency. He was transported to a hospital from a senior residence to a hospital. We can not locate where he is now. My sister is a retired nurse and has contacted all hospitals and rehabs nearby. We will expand the search. He did not have dementia and was living in a senior residence following a stroke several years ago. it is quite possible he has had another stroke and is mentally incompetent now. There is no suggestion of foul play. HIPPA prevents communication but surely a nursing facility would figure out who he was. He had keys and wallet with him but they could have disappeared.

He left a phone behind but it could have been an older one.

Any ideas? We are clueless.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 10:57 PM

There are a lot of great musicians now who came up in churches. For many that training was exceptionally robust and its absence would be a great loss.

The organization that I donate art and school supplies to is on hiatus until May when they'll reopen in larger digs much closer to me, so decluttered materials for them are going into a bin. In the past I went through stashes of the kids' pencils, markers, paper and paint supplies, and my own sewing studio, but today I discarded a lot of my pens. Dried ones were trashed but there were others that I'll never use before they dry out so a couple of boxes of Pentel and Pilot pens and a quart bag of strays are now in the bin. There are plenty here still but now concentrated into fewer holders and a couple of mugs are in the dishwasher that haven't held tea in years.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 04:50 PM

I don't know about church choirs, as I don't go to church any more.
However, my chorus director, who is at or near retirement age,
is pessimistic about organizations of amateur musicians like ours;
the funding is drying up to support such things, he says,
and he knows because he applies for grants every year.
He fears that in another ten years it might be all over, at the rate things are going financially.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: pattyClink
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 02:29 PM

One man's 'choirs are dying' is another man's 'employing ringers in a choir' being a lifeline for local musicians. My relative in that sphere often beefs up her church music with university music students and pros, or pulls in a praise band.

People want a higher standard of music in church, but may not have enough volunteer talent or dedication in the pews to sustain it, especially in the era of working moms.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 10:22 AM

Charmion, great minds think alike—yesterday I started with the long extension duster to dust the ceiling fans all around the house (seven total). Knock off the dust before it is launched into the room when the fan is turned on. Using the duster with a bit of a roll of the wrist helps pick more up instead of knocking dust off of the blades. This is a must for spring cleaning (I bought Hunter fans for every room, even replacing four that were already in the house. They live up to their reputation for quiet operation.)

That choir video has all of the markings of AI, so I went looking. Under Professor Archive this is part of their "about us" text:

Production Disclaimer: Content is created with modern digital tools, including AI-assisted research and visuals, under human guidance and fact-checking. Some details—such as names or minor elements—may be adapted or fictionalized to avoid controversy or legal issues. Sources are not always provided; viewers are encouraged to research further.

Independent and unaffiliated. Uploads twice daily. Respectful dialogue only.

It also has an AI sing-song narrator voice that I can't listen to for more than a couple of minutes. I wonder if there is a good article about this somewhere that might not generalize so much and offer actual numbers. Here are journal article results from a Google Scholar search and here is an advanced Google search (more commercial or general interest journals than the first results).

I'd like to see if my daughter can meet for lunch but I have a lot of stuff going on around here that needs attention, and I finished figuring my income tax yesterday and have to file them and pay (the federal deductions weren't enough so I owe some, but a lot less than last year). Get that nastiness over with. Lunch with my daughter is much more pleasant, so phuck the IRS. ;-)

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 09:52 AM

Here's the YouTube link I promised: America's Choirs are Vanishing

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Feb 26 - 09:13 AM

I am ever so grateful for my non-pedestrian washing machine. This house has enough problems already.

In kitchen news, Waseem has the stuff I want, and a decent design that requires only a couple of tweaks. Next I have to find granite I like for the counter tops, and plain white tile for the backsplash. I can feel the drain suction on my chequing account as the materials charges begin to mount.

On that theme, I bought ceiling fans for the bedrooms yesterday. Very nice, with curved propeller-ish blades carved from solid maple. Beautiful grain, couldn’t resist — plus, they’re last year’s stock that the shopkeeper has marked down by 25 percent. Still stunningly expensive, however.

There’s absolutely no way I’m going into an Ottawa summer in that south-facing bedroom without a ceiling fan.

Lent is well under way. No alcohol until Easter will help me dump the two kilos I gained since Christmas, while giving my liver a rest. Next week I will go mall-walking with SIL No 1, and it’s time to resume aquafit at the Sawmill Creek community pool. On top of that, rehearsals for the community choir’s post-Easter “Messiah” concert begin on Wednesday.

Speaking of choirs, I recently saw a YouTube video about the sharp decline in American church choirs as congregations give up the effort to recruit and train amateur singers and turn to professional “praise bands” instead. It’s part of a series on the collapse of Bible Belt church life on a channel called “Professor Archive”. I’ll post a link when I’m at my desk; the blue clicky method is beyond me on this iPad.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 26 - 03:13 PM

MaJoC, it's a small room, so not much of a dance! The bread machine has to be put in a spot where the feet are in good contact with the counter so it doesn't waltz off of the edge, so I have a vision of what you're talking about. (Another fan of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, I see! I use it frequently.)

By the way, the repair guy said it was probably the impeller in the pump that failed. How does that line up with your speculation about the reason the washer wasn't draining in the discussion further up the thread?

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 19 Feb 26 - 11:33 AM

I have an interesting mental image, Stilly, of your washing machine waltzing *very* *very* *slowly* about the room, pushing a tide of new flooring tiles in front of it. This calls for a time-lapse movie :-) ?

Hopefully your washing machine won't emulate the mainframe disc drive (about the size of a washing machine, and of course always on Spin), which, according to legend, moved across the server-room floor, and blocked the only entrance to the room [see "walking drives" in the Jargon File].

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Feb 26 - 07:02 PM

When the washer was moved for repair today the dust behind it was as yucky as can be expected. That section of flooring is covered with poorly-attached squares of vinyl flooring put down before I bought the house. They're coming loose, and since I have a box of a better quality of vinyl flooring and the proper underlayment liquid treatment for the concrete surface I can do this in stages, a row of squares at a time that can sit undisturbed for a few days before moving the washer and putting down the next row (the laundry room is about 40sf total). The rest of the house has tile floors. I could vacillate over this forever - tile or vinyl in there. Or I could just do it.

A load of laundry is running just over a week after the washer pump went offline. While waiting for the repairman I cleaned around the house (floors in the halls, sunroom and kitchen). Baking this evening to have healthy snacks (crispy pecans).

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Feb 26 - 10:12 AM

Sounds like your spring cleaning is starting even with snow still on the ground. Dog hair and dry grass from the yard is the pet dander cognate here that needs attention. Was the contractor wanting to identify the style of cabinets you want, even if they were made of the wrong materials? I hope you find evidence of good wood at the shop, and perhaps you'll park a few blocks away to give extra walking for exercise.

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Feb 26 - 09:52 AM

Stick to your guns, Charmion!

Subject: RE: DECLUTTER: *Sorting *Health *Progress - 2026
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Feb 26 - 09:28 AM

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. Like observant Roman Catholics and Orthodox believers, Anglicans like me typically take up some form of self-discipline in Lent, most often giving up a small pleasure that they are a bit ashamed of. Edmund always gave up booze and dessert in Lent, with varying degrees of success, and one year even tried to give up meat. That was difficult, but not improving — we just pigged out on cheese.

Since dietary restriction has become a daily routine for me, I have been thinking about doing Lent differently this year, with a discipline around other healthy routines. Specifically exercise, since the days are lengthening and the deep cold of mid-winter is almost over, but also routine housekeeping.

I was more than a little embarrassed by the amount of cat hair that came out of the flannel duvet cover in this week’s wash, especially when I realized that I last changed it on Christmas Eve. Ooops. (Sheets and pillow case are easy; duvet cover not so much.) Then I swept the ground floor, producing a prodigious heap of shreddies from the cats’ cardboard scratcher as well as billows of cat hair. The laminate floor on the basement stairs and in the bunker needs a wash, due not only to feline fallout but also my habit of eating in front of the TV. (Note to file: Do not eat soup while ensconced on the sofa. Sooner or later, something messy will happen.)

Whenever I consider hiring cleaners, the idea dies on the reef of realizing that I’m still perfectly capable of doing the work myself. And eventually I do, usually when I have invited The Brothers and SsIL to dinner. My house is not a high-maintenance space; I would just rather be reading.

Yesterday, to make Marc the contractor happy, I visited the showroom of the cabinet company that doesn’t do wood. Nothing but wood-effect MDF (medium-density fibreboard) as far as the eye could see, plus quartzite work surfaces — i.e., one hundred percent fake. It all looked like the break room in a government office. This afternoon, I’m off to visit Waseem’s shop to see what he makes. If I spot a nice piece of tiger maple, I’ll be convinced.