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01 Jul 10 - 12:56 AM (#2937687) Subject: BS: July-2010-DeClutter & Accountability ☺ From: Stilly River Sage It's hot, some of us are moving pretty slowly (and one of us just got clobbered by hail today - or is Alice doing any of this de-clutter stuff?) Anyway, it's silly weather, heat, hail, floods, hurricanes, impacting our outdoor lives, and we're all trying to keep up the good work of cleaning out the extra stuff in our houses, as well as de-clutter our bodies of some excess calories we've accumulated. Let's make this a July to remember! Here's the last thread. SRS |
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01 Jul 10 - 02:38 AM (#2937701) Subject: RE: BS: July-2010-DeClutter & Accountability ☺ From: Liz the Squeak Already? Oy vey! The space I made in the computer room has been filled with the latest project but it's slow going on the transposing because my hands are very swollen - it's like trying to type with sausages and it's all half the speed it normally is. Haven't stepped on the scales for a month so don't know how that is going.... Dining room is still fairly clear but there's a quilting project being laid out there for next week. Could be interesting, because the choir committee has to meet there on Wednesday! LTS |
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01 Jul 10 - 02:58 AM (#2937709) Subject: RE: BS: July-2010-DeClutter & Accountability ☺ From: VirginiaTam pant pant pant.... sitting on the sofa 7:30 am and the heat is taking it out of me.. too hot to think much less work. even typing this is too much. |
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01 Jul 10 - 08:04 AM (#2937828) Subject: RE: BS: July-2010-DeClutter & Accountability ☺ From: AllisonA(Animaterra) Meanwhile, here in northern New England... the heat went on on last night. So I fired up the wood stove! It's been in the 40s (F) overnight! In June!! Now that it's July, it's supposed to get warmer, slowly, gradually. Today I'm determined to dig the post holes for my anti-woodchuck fence, but I suspect that the babies have been eaten, as there have been no signs of them for over a week, and the lettuce is growing back. We have some very clever predators out there- I lost 2 cats last summer! And I made another small dent in the office last night. |
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01 Jul 10 - 10:50 AM (#2937907) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability ☺ From: LilyFestre Allison, if you can figure out a fence that keeps out the woodchucks, can you send me a photo of it? We have a groundhog problem this year too....he gets under the fence and burrows under the electric fence...Pete has taken to shooting at him. First with his pistol (too far to do that really) and now the shotgun is out and sitting by the door...shells are close by and if Pete gets his way, the groundhog is going to be worm food soon! Wow...July already! My goals for this month are to get a decent amount of stuff ready for the yard sale mid month, to go to yoga once a week (Have a sitter for one day, may ask a neighbor to sit for a second day). In all the cancer news I see lately they are highly recommending that people who have or had cancer get as much exercise in as they can.....kind of a no brainer if you ask me because cancer cannot live in oxygenated blood. God bless those people who can still manage exercise while going through treatment! I'm also walking more just around the house or when shopping....no walking up the road here....too many gas drilling truck traffic (they speed and kick up so much dust that body would choke to death if they were out walking) plus we had bear tracks...mama and baby ones...not too long ago and I'm not going to tempt fate with that! I went grocery shopping yesterday and the only processed foods I purchased were peanut butter (I don't like the natural kind), salad dressing and sugar free pistachio pudding for a salad I'm taking to a picnic this weekend...everything else is fresh food...whole food....good for us food. Aside from me wanting to lose weight and be more healthy, Pete woke up with heartburn the other night and scared me half to death as he was holding his chest. Yep. Time to get back on track. I did NOT go through chemo so he could have a heart attack and die on me and I told him so!!! :p For today, I am going to clean out my living room of anything that we don't use or want anymore and set it aside to be tagged for the yard sale. This, of course, depends entirely on Jeremiah and how much he lets me get done. He was up at 2:30am until 4:00am. God bless Daddy for getting up with the baby as I didn't hear a thing. Laundry is in the dryer, other loads that have been stacked in our room have been put away. Dishes are done. Table cleared. Bottles made. Just about ready to make salad for later tonight. Have a great day everybody! Michelle |
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01 Jul 10 - 11:59 AM (#2937942) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability ☺ From: Stilly River Sage I'm reading Enchanted April, the novel from which the film was made. Mrs Fisher, in contemplation of her house and how she lives, is (as Melersh speculates in the film) a woman of means, but she lives in an older less prosperous looking neighborhood (solid, yes, but not overtly wealthy) to avoid spending money, even though she could. And she reflects that her home was "furninshed by the dead" or similar words. That she inherited everything. That's certainly the case with much of what is here. Interesting observation. And I need to keep sorting and culling and selling. More rain in the forecast today. I'm going to have to arrange my day based upon a shopping list and getting set for when it dries out and I can mow and transplant (time for fall planting already). Down to just one paycheck now. That is a no-frills shopping list! SRS |
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02 Jul 10 - 01:13 AM (#2938299) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability ☺ From: Stilly River Sage Looks like the only way to get a long holiday weekend is to take a couple of days off. I may work a few hours tomorrow then take the afternoon off. And probably Monday also, since probably no one else is going to be working at work anyway. SRS |
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02 Jul 10 - 08:56 AM (#2938487) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability ☺ From: maire-aine Started cleaning out the garage. Swept half and moved some stuff to the clean side, so I can sweep the other half. M |
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02 Jul 10 - 11:07 AM (#2938534) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability ☺ From: Stilly River Sage Got chased out of the garden (great weeding after several days of rain) by the cicada-killer wasps. They've finished digging their holes (and leaving big fluffy piles of dirt in the process) and now they're courting. This is the time of year when gardeners must go into the garden with sissors and a bucket for picking and cutting to take into the house. Mostly peppers today, one eggplant is ready but I'll give it one more day then give it to the neighbors. She's feeding three these days since her grown son is at home, so one more day's growth will add that extra serving. :) I must de-paper my office. I am tired of shuffling through as I look for stuff. Time to punch some sheets and add them to the notebook and shred a lot more. I brought a couple of books in to my computer desk describe and list on eBay - I find that they each have a slot in the back cover for a large folded map, but neither one has the map, so the value just went way down (unless I found the maps somewhere, but those are the most fragile and scarce part of the whole thing). I'll still list them and see what happens. These days I'm realizing just how large all of my recipes are. And so often it is just me here for days and days. So I'm going to be making some very small lasagna casseroles to freeze. I have to go through the freezer and discard some really old frozen stuff that will only taste like the freezer now. It's also time to start slicing and freezing peppers again. SRS |
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02 Jul 10 - 03:54 PM (#2938712) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Joe Offer I've cut the ☺ character from the thread title and deleted messages regarding trace problems. In general, we don't allow anything but ordinary characters in thread titles - they may be cute, but they cause us lots of problems. Let me know if this doesn't solve the trace problem, but it seems to work OK for me. Wizzy, your user name is problematic, too - I'd suggest (but not require) that you change it to only normal characters, no spaces. People tell me they have trouble trying to send personal messages to you. Thanks. -Joe- |
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02 Jul 10 - 05:33 PM (#2938759) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Got in some walking today as Jeremiah and I went to Toys R Us with Nana! He got a new jumpy seat activity center...looks like FUN...now if Mommy would just go put it together! Also, I'm working on various salads for picnics on the 3rd and 4th! Michelle |
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02 Jul 10 - 05:40 PM (#2938765) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Aw, my smiley face is gone? It's the first time I've ever made anything other than letters and characters appear in a title, so I was really proud of myself! :) Today I have taken care of the question of charitable donations for tax purposes. I was driving home from shopping and saw an estate sale sign. I pulled in, and because the front room was crowded, I turned a corner into the first quiet room to look and found a table stacked with old playbills going back to the mid-1950s. I called work and described this collection. I was going to have to wait for someone to call me back, so executive decision and I bought them all (about 100 pounds of paper) for $35. I can't just dump paper on Special Collections, so what I'll do is sort these playbills by size and year, and count them. I'll do a few searches on playbills on eBay to establish a general value (to list them at $1 each for X number of specific types). I have to write a letter saying I'm donating them and listing the categories at least, and I'll provide information about where I found them. I went next door and spoke to the woman who had been her neighbor for 32 years and she had the son's business card. I just got off the phone with him. It turns out this woman's second husband (she was widowed twice) was a founding member of this popular theater in town. I have the obituary and information for the family, and while I was clear that there are never any promises about things being processed at all, let alone promptly, I thought this tied in with things already going in the collection and that they will be glad to have these in our special collections, and if they have more of the same stuff they'd like to donate, they can do it in their mother's name, because I'm going to make sure her name is on the collection. It's so hard to sell this stuff, but $35 was a pittance, yet I couldn't buy it to donate if it wasn't going for that pittance. I also picked up a clump of the old heavier gauge wire tomato cages (you can never have too many of those!) and a kitchen scale for use here. I'll start on these programs this weekend. It's a good time of year to do this - by the time it gets into the system at my university and they send an acknolwedgement, it will be near the end of the year. I can't take a deduction for a donation until I have the dated acknowledgement. SRS |
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02 Jul 10 - 07:29 PM (#2938834) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing What a wonderful thing to do, SRS. Good for you! |
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02 Jul 10 - 07:40 PM (#2938844) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage It's really amazing, everyone who has been through Fort Worth for those programs. I've looked at some more of them, and I did a simple eBay search on "1958 playbill." They run from $1.99 to $50 (I didn't specify where). I think I'll be able to take a really wonderful collection to a place where it will get used, and supplement what they have already. I'll talk to the person who oversees these first to be sure this is a good fit. There are museums and other universities in town that may also have this stuff also, but I'll give my university first crack. I'm clearing off the dining room table to get these boxes off the floor. And that means finishing filing the college stuff on the table, so this really is a good transition. I still need to have less furniture in that room. I'll see what next can go on Craig's List (as loony as that place is). I also want a curtain over the lower sash on my office window. Maybe I'll do that tonight. Won't take long, once I choose the fabric. Just rod pockets on top and hems all around. SRS |
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03 Jul 10 - 12:06 AM (#2938968) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage No curtain tonight. I'm tired. Had a nice glass of wine with dinner, am now sleepy. No alarm set tomorrow! :) |
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03 Jul 10 - 01:24 AM (#2938989) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre After months of chemo and now settled into a routine with the baby, it's time for Mommy to go back to Weight Watchers and get back in the groove of getting smaller! YAY. WW is at 8am. I had better get to sleep! Goodnight friends! Michelle |
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03 Jul 10 - 09:17 AM (#2939105) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Thanks, Joe. Re: PMs-- Oh, I'm not that hard to find. That little PM thingie next to my membername works fine for me. :~) ~Susan |
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03 Jul 10 - 08:07 PM (#2939390) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I did some eBay research for my neighbor across the street, and will report to him what his little antique overnight case might price at, and I did some eBay research for me. Without the maps, the Stanley books have relatively little value. But there are book sellers out there with just one or the other volume to sell, and some of them have the maps. I found one completed sale with the maps on one book and someone got it for $10! I've set up a search, and I'll watch, and if I can snag the maps then I'll see about selling this set complete. The maps will have to be from the same edition. Looks like now is my opportunity to mow. It's overcast right now, but last night's rain finally dried on the lawn, so I'll be able to push the mower without too much difficulty. My neighbors on both sides have mowed, so mine looks unruly. Catch you all later! SRS |
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04 Jul 10 - 12:49 AM (#2939467) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre 12:4am Had a nice picnic with my family today, went to WW and then pretty much just hung out and played with Jeremiah. It is now quite late. For the last 2 hours Jeremiah and I have been snuggling and playing quietly. He's had a bottle and has clean britches on but is wide awake. I have put him in his swing in hopes of it rocking him to sleep. He is fussing with alternate spans of quiet and then he wakes himself up and fusses a little more. I'll bet he's totally asleep in 10 minutes. Apparently sitting with Mommy tonight is just too much fun...he just grins and grins at me...cooing, playing with my fingers, more smiles.....no sleep, at least not tonight. Tomorrow I am takng him to a church picnic and am excited for him to meet some dear friends. :) I'm hoping to go early so we can go for a walk around the park before the picnic. He's almost asleep....I love that swing. ;) Michelle |
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04 Jul 10 - 02:13 AM (#2939477) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: ragdall After teaching on call for over 35 years I decided to hang up my chalk at the end of June. I'll no longer be able to procrastinate using the excuse that I can't start something because I may get called in to work. I'm trying to convince myself that I can get rid of a lot of things that are crowding us out of our home, including teaching materials that I'll never use again, and my first Macintosh computer which still works well but is not compatible with anything made in the last decade. I have no trouble giving away things, if someone else will use them, but I haven't been able to make myself toss something that is "still working" into the rubbish bin. Can anyone share a philosophy with me that might make it easier for me to do that? My son's suggestion that I smash my computer with a sledge hammer appalled me. I could probably achieve the same result by giving it to his two older children, "Seek" and "Destroy" for their use. I have a plan to box up all usable teaching materials and make a gift of them to our youngest son who will be starting his first full time teaching contract in September. My suggestion will be that he offer any that he doesn't want to the the teachers at his school and anything that's left over, allow the students to take home if they want it. I'm hoping to start sorting things Monday into piles for recycle, thrift shop, teaching materials for son, and utter rubbish. (Unless I can find an excuse to continue procrastinating. ☺ ) rags |
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04 Jul 10 - 12:56 PM (#2939637) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I hate it when these posts don't stick! I was able to go through the history and find this for a second try: ragdall: one word. eBay. Amazing what people out there still want that is working. And because I share the same idea, I go to the trouble to describe and pack things that will often not sell for much just because someone else has bothered to look for it and can use it. This is a slow way to outsource the clutter, though. It sounds like you have a good solution for your stuff, giving them to your son. For everyone else, this might be useful: I was listening to a local call-in show on Friday and someone had called about where to give away fabric scraps, and an elementary school art teacher called in and said she loved it when people donated things like that for her. Because it was summer break, she and the program host discussed it a bit an decided the best option was to call your area school, leave a message for the art teacher(s) and when they call you back, tell them what you have. I am sure there are teachers in your area who would want the stuff you want to get rid of. I had some oddball things I used to collect for a friend who was a middle school art teacher. She sent home art projects if they needed more time to finish them to turn them in on time, and would use the little Kodak film canisters to put in paint or other wet materials they would need, just enough to finish. I also included the pharmacy pill bottles with the labels peeled off and rinsed so they were free of crumbs of whatever had been in it. Been picking stuff in the garden, puttering a bit. I took a page of eBay research and a nice large eggplant to the neighbors across the street. I've made progress on the dining room table, it's looking better. Not ready to unload the playbills yet, though. SRS |
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04 Jul 10 - 01:16 PM (#2939647) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing We took several small packages to the post office, yesterday, reducing the clutter on my desk and the little table by the front door. We also went out to the storage shed, looking for a specific VHS tape, which we didn't find, but reorganized things a bit and started a take-to-the-dump pile which includes two large trunks which are rusted out and of no use to anyone. This morning, I had Rog set up a card table in the living room, to act as a "staging" area for loading up boxes of stuff to go. Right now, it has a large box on it in which I've put our oldest daughter's artwork from high school; some really beautiful works, along with other prints etc. which we will send out to her next payday. I will probably finish filling it, today, tape it up and have it ready to go, then I can start in on boxing books as we go through them. I also filled a box and had Rog put it in the car, yesterday, along with a smaller one, to go to Goodwill. We culled our kitchen cupboards. Rog never closes them and they've really looked a mess, lately. Now, I won't mind so much if he leaves them open and someone comes over...the dishes one esp. looks much neater, now. Happy 4th! |
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04 Jul 10 - 01:49 PM (#2939663) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Kat, do you find yourself drawn to the photos of nice kitchens in publications like Martha Stewart Living? All of those matching pieces, efficiently stacked, hung, nested, whatever? I haven't the courage (yet) to take the cupboards down from my cabinets here, and it does make the room look busier that way, but it is interesting when the everyday objects almost display like art. Having a staging area is such an efficient way to work on stuff. We all know that the trick is to finish the work and take the little table back down (and then don't you feel like you've really accomplished something!) I'll using my dining room table as staging for those playbills, they're pretty heavy for a card table (though I have one of those - an antique from my great aunt's house, one of the old ones with a leather top). The trick will be to get rid of these boxes and get some better ones to store them in. I'm going to defrost a bird and barbecue a chicken this evening. I expect to be here by myself, but if anyone comes by, I'll have the start to a nice festive holiday meal. SRS |
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04 Jul 10 - 10:09 PM (#2939870) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Went to the annual church picnic today and think I did fairly well with the food....it was a bring a dish to pass kind of thing with the church providing hamburgers and hotdogs. I filled my plate with watermelon, beans, two jello salads I KNOW were sugar free because I know who made them and a paper cup full of an amazing fresh fruit salad. In the end, I ate only about 3/4's of it because Jeremiah was a little fussy and needed his lunch too. It was too darn hot to do much else. :p Wish my pool was ready...would have loved to go for a swim this afternoon! I didn't do one chore today. Not one. HAPPY 4th of July to ME! LOL Michelle |
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04 Jul 10 - 10:49 PM (#2939877) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley Finally I'm back on a computer. My beloved sons downloaded some terrible viruses that corrupted the system. Thankfully I had just backed everything up, but the computer is still at the doctor getting its stomach pumped. I was complaining about it to a friend and he suggested I borrow a laptop from work. What a good idea! But the past weeks of diligent decluttering showed me how much time I spend on the electronic "toy" when it's available. Hors d'oeuvres with the neighbors tonight, and now some fresh potato salad before I watch the beloved sons light their hoarded fireworks. Eiseley |
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04 Jul 10 - 11:34 PM (#2939888) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage The dogs are clean and are tucked away in the hall bathroom while the fireworks noise carries on outside. They bark at birds and coyotes and people and cars and it's just a bark, but the fireworks make them nervous. They need their heartworm stuff today, and so had to have baths. I am switching back to Revolution after this. Much easier, and they each get the same sized dose, so I buy less at a time. I hope you all had a nice fourth of July! SRS |
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05 Jul 10 - 02:15 AM (#2939925) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: ragdall Stilly River Sage, What a fantastic find those playbills were and a bonus getting history to go with them. I'm glad that you mentioned the film canisters (which, since digital cameras took over, are no longer common). I have two boxes of them that I was going to throw in the trash. Now I'll have an excuse to hang on to them until September in case an art teacher might want them. Do you ever wonder if the neatly stacked, colour co-ordinated dishes in cupboards ever get used? Maybe those are the show pieces, the dishes they really use are hidden out of sight, possibly waiting in the sink to be washed? |
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05 Jul 10 - 08:40 AM (#2940030) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Oh don't... I have a pile of stuff I should be doing instead of being up here but I'm up here to print off flyers about a missing kitty... trouble is, the printer is playing up and even though it's a new cartridge, it's coming out striped so it looks like I've lost a zebra. Even the colour (which the machine swears is full) is only coming out yellow so it looks like hazard tape... can't get a decent flyer sorted to put up round the neighbourhood to help find lost kitty. LTS |
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05 Jul 10 - 10:03 AM (#2940063) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Catherine Jayne Hope Raven kitty comes home soon Liz. (((hugs))) |
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05 Jul 10 - 01:42 PM (#2940191) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Here Raven kitty....kitty kitty kitty kitty...........I'm hoping your kitty comes home soon too. Dishes and floors done here. It's HOT today and since we have the luxury of laying low today, that's what we are doing! Michelle |
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06 Jul 10 - 12:05 AM (#2940476) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage The kitchen was clean earlier, but now there is a modest amount in the sink from tonight's dinner. Laundry isn't at critical mass yet. The dogs got baths yesterday and their heart worm medicine this evening. That is a challenge - the type they've been getting goes on the skin of their upper back/neck, and then they're not supposed to be together for 30 minutes to avoid any licking the spot and getting it through mouth. You know how difficult it is to keep two constant companions apart? Separate rooms? No, at least one barks and whines. One in the kennel, one outside? Nope. Same problem. So I finally put them each on short leashes and brought them in my office, one dog on each side of the chair. Back to work tomorrow. SRS |
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06 Jul 10 - 11:14 AM (#2940679) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg SRS, we have that each month with the cats-- Frontline. Their chief joy (after kibbles) is endlessly washing each other, so we have to keep them separate for 24 hours each time. Not fun, with all the comings and goings in this house. It is so hot here that ydy when we got into the van to go get ice cream, it did not really seem hot in the closed van when I went to open it up to air out. I guess it was-- it's just a reflection of how hot I had gotten. 90 degrees in the shady back porch. Days like this are the days I am most grateful for the organizing work I have gotten done, so I can just enjoy my functional home. Any cleaning done ydy was up in the AC attic! We did finally get the screen room and sprinkler set up ydy in Dog World. That water is COLD! ~Susam |
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06 Jul 10 - 11:17 AM (#2940681) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage One good thing about having a house with a guest room and a couple of extra beds (futon) around the house is that when the kids have guests, they can put them in a room on a bed. Sometimes my son's friends end up sleeping on the couch in his room (it is a fold out bed, but they usually don't clear up around it enough to open the bed, so they just sleep on the sofa cushions). Last night, the guest ended up in the front room on the futon, and when I glanced into my son's room, there was no one on his bed, just stuff. So I looked next door and there he was on the guest room bed (it was his sister's room, but she has moved out to attend college), asleep on top of the wool blanket left on it from last winter. I would have removed it if I knew someone wanted to sleep in there. I have bread rising, and I expect when it has baked enough to fill the house with hot-baked-bread ions, they'll get up. :) It's hot and muggy and my lawn has grown so fast. My next door neighbor mowed this morning, so I'll make a point to try to do it this evening--I mowed the front on Saturday, and that's what I'll mow today. The back yard is getting really tall, but the dogs like it that way so I won't rush to mow (though it is a lot more work when it's tall). A week of rain really perked things up. Now it's really hot again, and still quite humid. Ugg. It's the season of the electric whining whir of the cicada, and the June bugs exploded in population with the rain. I found some new things to list on eBay (old things, actually, that I hadn't thought about for a while, but that I should relist). And I'm finishing up earning a few more dollars at Mahalo this month, and then I can cash in again. Every little bit helps! For the most part, my week looks like same ol' same ol'. Hot, muggy, buggy summer. Welcome to North Texas. SRS |
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06 Jul 10 - 01:10 PM (#2940722) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Another scorcher here today. While the baby napped, I did dishes, swept, folded a load of laundry and washed another. Right now I have macaroni cooking on the stove for salad later tonight. Yard sale has been delayed to the end of the month for which I am thankful. Jeremiah will have his first few hours away from me as Nana is coming to babysit while I go to yoga. Pete's car isn't working so he has my car and she is going to let me take her car...I am most grateful as I miss my yoga!!!! Michelle |
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06 Jul 10 - 04:17 PM (#2940820) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Yesterday, Rog and I finally started sorting through the books. Started in the living room and cleared two shelves. When we were done, we had a lot more to sell/give away/donate than we had to keep, so we are making progress. When we get the other two shelves done, then we'll start on the ones in the office THEN the bins and bins from the storage shed. I have already promised three special ones to a friend. I have a lot to sell, but have to decide where. I may open my bookstore again at biblio and/or amazon or may put some of them on ebay. I heard of another long time ebayer who just quit. Here's what they said: After 10 years, 100% positive feedback, three 5.0 DSRs and one 4.9, and as perfect a customer service record as possible, I have closed my eBay store. Higher fees all around, complex rules and regulations, and tanking sales due to poor eBay promotion, have killed my online business. eBay has proven time and time again that they have nothing but contempt for their sellers. What started as a brilliant idea of an online trading marketplace has turned into a corporate monster existing only for the benefit of the shareholders. I suspect that I will not get a call or an email, no "thank you" for the thousands and thousands of dollars in fees I have paid over the years, and I don't expect anyone to ask me to stay. eBay is a heartless, greedy giant. Goodbye, eBay, it was a good ride for a while. I guess nothing lasts forever. I guess if I had that volume of sales and steady I might feel the same way. My friend who also quit told me there were 109 million auctions on ebay at the moment when he sent me that and about 5 million on the next closest site. He hopes to never sell online, again. But, he also lives in Austin and has a long established reputation for the specialties he sells. I am not sure what the answer is. I do know I need to make more than just the cost of shipping, so we'll see after I do some more research. SRS, what did you think of their classifieds? Thanks, kat |
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07 Jul 10 - 04:29 AM (#2941072) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: GUEST Not a Guest, really, just Andrea sans cookies el joe clone
Hi everyone! |
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07 Jul 10 - 06:45 AM (#2941111) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maeve That last post at 07 Jul 10 - 04:29 AM belongs to Andrea, whose cookie has been decluttered...please don't remove it. |
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07 Jul 10 - 08:49 PM (#2941496) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine Almost 10 days without rain & 5 days in the upper-90s-- just too hot to do much. I've been watering on alternate days & running the AC both day and night (hardly ever do that) so the utility bills will be thru the roof. We just had a tiny sprinkle of rain (you could've counted the drops, I think) and all that did was make it steamy-er. Be careful out there... Maryanne |
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07 Jul 10 - 08:55 PM (#2941501) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre We used to sell flies and fly rods on eBay but it got so that there are SO MANY auctions and people selling goods made overseas for pennies that we can't compete with...heck, we can't get the materials even at wholesale prices. Sometimes people just want cheap and in that case, they get what they pay for. We moved to a fly fishing oriented site that has their own auctions and fair a little better. No work done today other than shopping for formua, wipes, diapers and stuff to make a bazillion whoopie pies for the Relay for Life (that's my job for tomorrow). It's too hot here to do much of anything....did wash the car today while I was out for $1.00! Best price around! Michelle |
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07 Jul 10 - 11:04 PM (#2941555) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I don't do enough volume on eBay to make the fees a problem - I'm selling things I inherited, didn't buy, so it's probably easier than trying to make a profit on something I bought to sell. Kat, I wasn't able to list on the eBay classifieds, so I never gave it a try. They have the same set of selling rules as eBay itself (but it took me quite a while to find out what they were). So I couldn't list that bear skin. I did some mowing today, and we had rain just now. Almost every day for the last 10 days. The grass is going to need mowing 2x a week for a while, and the back was quite a monster today. I'm doing it early or late to stay out of the direct sun for prolonged periods for the time being. I've sold books on Amazon. They don't expire like eBay sales do (or at least, not nearly as quickly). SRS |
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07 Jul 10 - 11:48 PM (#2941564) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: GUEST,LilyFestre Rain. We desparately need some of that in these parts! Michelle |
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08 Jul 10 - 08:38 AM (#2941704) Subject: post bereavement clearance From: GUEST,Philippa these declutter discussions are enormous (200 messages in a month ...) I have to deal with my own clutter but my family have to deal with my deceased father's clutter. I spent about 50 hrs in a week going through bags and boxes, throwing out newspapers and old stock market reports, organising books, photos, personal letters etc that were all mixed up together. I only got through a fraction of it before I left the country again. My brother and sister say it is just too much, they won't even try and we just have to accept that some things we may have wanted will be dumped. They say we won't know what we are missing. I have a question about professional house clearing. Will they actually go through mixed bags and try to save what they think may interest family and what may be valuable (letters from authors, etc) and/or of interest to archives. Do they give clothing and kitchen ware and so on to charity or do they just dump it? Do any of the charities such as Goodwill Industries actually offer their own house-clearing services. Location is New York City. |
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08 Jul 10 - 12:05 PM (#2941807) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Philippa, I have a friend in an apartment in Greenwich Village who is always on a low-level declutter task because, though he says his apartment is good sized for New York, it is still fairly small (one bedroom, some interesting halls with closets and shelves, tiny kitchen, nice living room). Is this the kind of space you're talking about, or are you dealing with a house in one of the burroughs? I'd say that housekeeping folks not only won't care about the papers or clothes or whatever, they'll just bundle it up and trash it. Or follow your directions to sort it so you can donate it. It took me a long time to go through my father's stuff. He was a packrat, but he also had a very important collection of stuff that I needed to preserve and go through slowly. I boxed up the stuff I needed to go through and put it in storage, along with personal items, furniture, etc, that I wanted, and had my siblings pick up the items they wanted. Then I tried to organize by type the remaining stuff and I had a few people who buy for antique shops, for collectible shops, and for just general thrift store sale, and offer me cash for what they wanted out of the lot. We discussed the price if something seemed way too low, and a couple of times I talked them into taking more than they wanted, so I could clear it out faster. There are a couple of schools of thought that apply to estates. You won't miss what you didn't know was there is one approach. And the "what if there are real gems in there that we should know about" is the other. And just a general unwillingness to discard the possessions of the parents because it seems disrespectful. I would suggest a compromise with the housekeeping folks. Hire one or two people and give them specific tasks that take care of the time consuming things that you or anyone would do about the same. Have them clean out the bathrooms, kitchen cupboards (cleaning as they go), clear out the linen closes, pack or sort, whatever, as they go and you oversee, choosing what they pack and what they set aside for donation or sale. While they work on this, you can do a rapid sort through the papers, with boxes for "keep" and "shred" (don't just throw that stuff out or you'll never hear the end of scams and identity theft of your Dad's information). You could ask the cleaners to help with this sorting also, and go through the results, and you could assign one of them the shredding job. If you hire housekeeping types to help with this, make sure they're bonded. My friend in Greenwich Village (who is one of my best friends - we email several times a day) has an attorney friend (just passed the NY bar a year or two ago) in New York City who has been looking for a job for a while. (I've met him, he's a nice guy, moved to NYC from Houston, TX, many years ago.) In addition to helping my friend with his computer fairly regularly and doing various other odd jobs for him, he has done a variety of jobs in the city, not just attorney work (he was down at Cherry Lane theater for a while, and has worked for several companies as a temp). The economy in the City is the reason he hasn't settled down full time. It's remarkable how many jobs vanish when sales go down. I think if you named a price and duration of the work he might be interested in a short term job because he's unemployed now (he most recently worked for the Census, and those are wrapping up now). You'd have to join Mudcat to send me a PM (personal message - see the "PM" next to each of our names, or spell out your email in a post here with "your address dot com" ). I'd think as an attorney, he'd have a much more trained eye at picking out the important papers in the mix. And I think if you offered him $25 - $50 an hour, you might get his interest. Or offer one flat fee for the job, and negotiate extensions if it looks like it will take longer. Who knew I'd be making a referral in our de-clutter thread, but if you've read through some of these maybe you've been able to take a measure of our characters and might want to jump on this recommendation toward the possibility of some help in this job. (You would, of course, keep track of what you pay him and this would be paid for out of the estate. I am guessing it would be up to him to file his own tax return and such, though you might want to keep a bit of a record of who each of you are just on general principles). SRS |
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08 Jul 10 - 01:50 PM (#2941887) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I forgot to mention earlier, I've lost a few pounds. I can feel it in some of my favorite summer capri pants, in particular. :) I did eat some ice cream over the July 4th weekend, but that was purely a holiday departure. I've been doing a good job of sticking to healthy stuff. And with all of the rain we're having these days, I'm having to mow a couple of times a week, so I'm getting more sustained exercise. I am mowing early or in the evening to avoid the direct sun exposure and because it is cooler. I have cleared the dining table and will probably unload those boxes of playbills this evening. It's funny, the friend in NYC I mentioned in the last post wrote this morning to say he'd had a dream in which someone gave him 300 old playbills from a NY theater. Now where did that suggestion come from, eh? I'll take photos of the whole set when I get a little farther and you'll be able to see the magic of these papers. I spoke with the archivist at work who covers this kind of material. She told me that they already had a set of some of them from another collection (and sent the inventories). When I started speculating that other libraries or museums would also like some of these she hastened to add "But don't disburse these until we've had a chance to look at them!" Good archivist there - first crack at an interesting new collection is a good thing! I told my boss (Dean of the Library, who used to be head of Special Collections) about that conversation and he thought that was funny. A good archivist is part packrat! SRS |
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08 Jul 10 - 02:48 PM (#2941917) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre I've made dozens of whoopie pies today for the Relay for Life, did laundry, cleaned the cooler out, stocked the fridge and am about to pack for the next 24 hours. Could somebody PLEASE TURN DOWN THE HEAT?!?!?!!? DAMN! Michelle |
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08 Jul 10 - 02:51 PM (#2941918) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Felipa hope to hear from you ~ Philippa |
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08 Jul 10 - 06:00 PM (#2942031) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg A few minor improvements today in the attic. The tiny AC up there is groaning, and my laptop's wireless modem does not pick up the connection from the router downstairs-- too much brick in the way. BUT there is always Le Flashe Key! ~S~ |
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09 Jul 10 - 12:27 AM (#2942176) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Eggplant and chicken parmesan, made with eggplant from the garden. Cooked it late, will eat a little, save the rest for lunch tomorrow and maybe dinner on Saturday. The table is clear, the playbills are being stacked (but not sorted yet) upon it. One load of laundry finished, needs to be folded, another is drying. I wish I could hang it out, but doesn't look like this hurricane slopover is going to stop raining on us any time soon. SRS |
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09 Jul 10 - 05:14 AM (#2942229) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy Thanks for noticing I'd been de-cluttered! At the moment it's 10am and I am waiting for the arrival of the plumber to service the heating system. Last week he said he'd come early...bet he's been called out. I managed to get my side of the dreaded leylandii hedge cut back yesterday, and at the same time they swept all the accumulated dust off my drive, which was a bonus, and something I was going to have to do. I've been out this morning and trimmed the bay at the front, and regretfully poured weedkiller into the horseradish, which is not the thing you want to see in a front garden when you are trying to sell the house. The root goes so far you'd never get it out. I had never used it, anyway. So the jobs left to do are: chucking out, sorting out and boxing up things that are not needed at present; painting the 2 white window frames, and touching up other little bits of woodwork; general weed and tidy of the garden BEFORE I go to Scotland, so that I am not faced with a replica of the Borneo jungle when I get back; get a window cleaner in; generally clean, and tidy up. I managed to repair my carpet the other day. Luckily it's wool, and a Berber weave. I got a couple of loose loops from the edge of the piece in the under-stairs cupboard (aka "glory-hole") and patched it in with some extremely strong glue. I had bombarded the burn with carpet spot remover the day before, and so the singeing was paler. Now, unless you know where to look, you'd never notice. Now, after 36 hours, I am going to try the vacuum test! Andrea |
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09 Jul 10 - 10:31 AM (#2942367) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Catherine Jayne Got to sort out the spare room tonight as my brother is coming to visit on leave this weekend! Yay! Can't wait to see him, it's been 3 and a half months. Signed up a while ago to the Talk the Talk forum (part of Walk the Walk) and getting lots of advice from the people on there about power walking and the Walk the Walk Challenges, it's such a great and friendly forum. I've registered my interest for the Playtex London Moonwalk and the Edinburgh Moonwalk for next year. Hopefully I'll get a place. Got to start thinking of some fundraising ideas too apart from the sponsorship for walking 26.2 miles...twice! Harry's new bed has arrived so his toddler bed can go in the twins room. Probably won't get chance to put it together this weekend so he will have to wait till next weekend. Tomorrow I've got a LBT class and a Body Pump class, Sunday I've got a spinning class. Both days will be a 4 mile brisk walk although Sunday I might fit a run in too. |
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09 Jul 10 - 11:06 AM (#2942375) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley Seven years ago I started running and became the fittest I had ever been. Then life happened and my pace gradually slowed and I not-so-gradually plumpened until I finally decided enough was enough. But I don't want to run this time. So, for the past few weeks I've been walking and walking and walking as much as possible. I have no idea if it is working weightwise, but I feel healthier, and that's good. I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be at the Farmers' Market giving out books and generally meeting people and being friendly. But not TOO friendly in case I attract nefarious folk. Eiseley |
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09 Jul 10 - 11:22 AM (#2942382) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy So-o-o.... The plumber has been, the boiler has been serviced (it fought back) and the plumber went to adjust the ball-valve on the header tank, which was constantly running. Now I know why my floors were so damp. I have a corroded heating pipe in the living room (we think), under the concrete floor, and what I thought was air in the system is the sound of the water coming out echoing back through the radiator. Great. So while I am away in a couple of weeks time, the plumber is going to come and dig up my floor to find the leak and its extent, and replace the pipe. It could be anywhere between the far dining room wall and the first radiator in the living room. My new carpet has to come up, and the damp proof membrane has to be disturbed. At least Peter has some left we can paint on again after. So, from getting my house on the market in 4 weeks, it looks like it's yet another delay - and further expense I wasn't wanting! I will be glad to get rid of this place now. Andrea |
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09 Jul 10 - 01:07 PM (#2942459) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I would like to redo some of the plumbing in this house, Andrea, but that would involve "breaking the slab." Not something one does lightly or inexpensively. But if one job comes up I'll add the other to it (I'd love to move where my washer and dryer are). I was able to clear four boxes of pamphlets off of the living room floor. The publications are now stacked all over my dining room table and the boxes are nested and ready to go out to the garage or get used to ship eBay stuff. When you do eBay, keeping a close eye on the number and size of boxes is important. They are all potential shipping boxes, but they get in the way if you keep all of them. I had some over-ripe bananas, not enough for banana bread, so I picked up another bunch of the discounted overripe bananas last night and made four small loaves this morning. A couple will go in the freezer and one may be a gift for my son's friend who, with his siblings, has a long drive to their home in West Texas tomorrow. Eiseley, I need to do more walking also. The dogs get kind of bored with the same ol' walk, so I'm thinking I'll load them in the truck and head over to an area park, just to give them a set of new sights and smells. We all benefit from the exercise. Susan, you may need to abandon your attic space during this heat wave. I would think that attic = oven these days. Kat, are you going to keep selling on eBay? I don't see a lot of other options. The only other one I think is big and reliable enough is Amazon, and there I don't think there is as much freedom to sell the really oddball things. Geez. It just started raining again. SRS |
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09 Jul 10 - 02:28 PM (#2942504) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Manitas_at_home REally LTS on the sofa... can't be bothered to log out Stilly - one or two black bananas - make banana flapjacks. 2 black bananas, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of butter and the cheap, dusty muesli (granola?) they sell usually as own brand. Melt the butter and honey together in a pan, mash in the bananas, add the muesli until it goes to a big, stiff dollop. Squash the dollop into a greased pan and bake at a moderate to high heat for 15-20 mins or until browning. Cut when warm but leave til cool to turn out, when they'll have firmed up a bit. The butter can be swapped for a lower fat alternative as long as it's not one of the ones that go icky when you cook with them. If you have vegans around, you can use sunflower or vegetable oil instead. The cheaper muesli works best as the dust absorbs the butter and honey and so they stick together better. You can add nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, anything you like. On the decluttering front.. managed to excavate a table or two and turn 3 fabric stash piles into one box of fabric and 2 project boxes - I LOVE the Really Useful Box company! Kitty returned at 2.30 this morning so I declared a day of Jubilee and snoozing. As for accountability... Today I had a deep and meaningful relationship with two gentlemen, Ben and Jerry... it is starting to show as there are a couple of pairs of trousers that are decidedly snug when sitting... so I really should get back on track... More sewing happening, another quilt for a friend's mother, in green and yellow (we know a song about that), which doesn't seem to want to make it to the machine, so I've so far made a quarter of the blocks by hand. Only another 28 to go. LTS |
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09 Jul 10 - 05:14 PM (#2942597) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I've talked back and forth with Philippa, and sent her information to my friend Tom (who might also help) to send to his friend Ray. Tom and Ray sound like their own dynamic duo, don't they? Comedy instead of ice cream, though. Anyway, when Tom saw what I was sending Ray, he said he'd love to help also, so she may get a couple of sets of really good eyes sorting those papers and books. Tom worked with me out at Ellis Island, that's where we met, and we always were poking around in abandoned rooms and buildings, hoping to find and rescue more papers that were clues to the Island's past uses. I can't think of a better paper detective to help filter (it sounds very interesting, but I'm not talking myself into going up there - I have plenty here to work on). What Philippa has to her advantage is the same thing in my collection of handbills - they constitute a collection with real value. Research and monetary both, and the best way to realize both is to donate them to an institution after doing some research and an appraisal (and photos to document the collection in general), and taking a tax deduction. And the best thing for her, is if the estate doesn't need the entire deduction, the heirs can inherit a share of the donatible deduction that is left over. I learned this when working on my father's estate. It didn't pay any income tax for the last year of his life because he had so many good clothes and shoes and household items that we donated to St. Vincent De Paul. I figure about 100 homeless men with size 11 feet got a new pair of walking shoes after Dad died. He was the Imelda Marcos of Puget Sound. SRS |
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10 Jul 10 - 02:20 PM (#2943053) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Eiseley, I had a similar experience aquajogging, which I've picked up again, if you want a partner. I can relate to that feeling of having gotten really fit. I miss bursting with it, don't you? ~Susan |
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10 Jul 10 - 02:29 PM (#2943066) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage It looks like rain again today, and with it as wet as it is, the garden kind of shuts down. There isn't much to pick. I'm not going to bother to mow today, maybe it'll dry out some and I'll think about it tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am determined to move stuff around in here so it looks different. I really like my desk and filing cabinet where they are because I use them there, but they sure take up space. I'm thinking about alternative locations. Time to do some sweeping and mopping also. Can't think last time I mopped (with all of this tile, I usually just sweep or vacuum). I'll put a movie in the player and catch up on my NetFlix at the same time. I have a couple of movies here now that I've seen before but want to watch on a full-sized screen and without commercials. The recycling needs to be dropped off, so I probably need to empty the bags of topsoil and humate that are in the back of the truck right now. I can see that I'll be in and out some today - I should probably also see where I can store a couple of things in the garage. SRS |
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10 Jul 10 - 04:50 PM (#2943119) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Andrea, sorry to hear about the leak and your flooring, etc. All in divine order, right?:-) Maybe the delay will bring around just the right buyers at just the right time. SRS, I don't know about eBay. I have a lot of books and I don't think they do esp. well on there unless they are really rare and people get into the bidding. Right now I seem to be so busy with Morgan etc., I don't even know if I'll get to it until school starts up, again. I am working on a book synopsis and may start a thread for input, info, experience, etc. I've found two agents whom I am eager to propose to, but don't want to send anything until I get a good synopsis done. The book itself is ready. I've done free weights about three times this week, a small amt. of walking each day, until today when I spent an hour walking whilst shopping. Also did some weed pulling which it feels really good to be able to do! Went off my points last week and gained .6 lbs, but I've lost it, now and should be back to what I was about 3 weeks ago by weigh-in which is Wed. Morgan was so cute, he's been bringing snacks everyday and wants to share, though he knows I only share fruit and the occasional granola bar. A couple of weeks ago, he brought a small sandwich bag with a few cheetos in it. I told him they were irresistible and I ate some, too much as they were so salty I noticed it that night. He remembered. Yesterday, he told me he didn't bring "any of the ear-ree-sis-ti-bulls" just snacks that had "good points." Weight Watchers could probably make a mint off him in adverts!:-) kat |
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10 Jul 10 - 05:05 PM (#2943132) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I've just made a great discovery. I think the reason my veterinarians don't carry Revolution any more is because in Canada it isn't a prescription, it's OTC. And I can buy the amount I want for much less than my vets were charging. They want to sell the things that they have much larger markup on. I asked why one vet switched, and he just said there were "issues." Now I know what they were. I'd been playing that stupid game of "if you buy it from us, if your dog gets heartworm and you've been using it right, we'll treat the dog." But I missed a couple of months, and my dog got sick, and it cost a lot on top of overpaying for the Rx to begin with. Trying to push expensive meds out a week extra each month to make it last a little longer but be within compliance is stupid. You end up missing times that way. So now, I'm going to just get the heart worm test for each dog, and make sure I put this more affordable but just as effective treatment on them every month. I'd have paid $300 here for what is going to cost me $158 to buy from Canada. SRS |
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10 Jul 10 - 07:10 PM (#2943198) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Found the pattern for a broken platter (movers broke it and it has been in the bottom of a trunk until recently, way too late to file a claim). Am watching it. I had two like this, so it would be nice to replace it. Looks like rain again, and you can't tell I mowed three days ago. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to even think about it - the forecast looks promising. Liz, how are you feeling today? SRS |
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11 Jul 10 - 02:43 AM (#2943323) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Hours have passed as I worked on the living room and moved things, some of them a couple of times. I still need to move some things out, but I like the way parts of it are looking now. And I took out several pounds of dead roly polys along the edges of the room and a bunch of dust kittens. I invited the dogs in for a little visit, and they've been such good and patient girls (stuck in the garage with all of this rain) that I gave them a new treat this evening. Sometimes when I use an egg wash to dredge floured things before putting them in bread crumbs I have some left over, and they love to lick the bowl. Tonight I put two bowls and two eggs on the floor, then they sat, patiently, while I cracked an egg in each bowl. If you don't beat up the yoke it takes them a little longer to eat the egg, but the did enjoy it, and their coats and eyes will benefit from them as well. I'm finished for now. SRS |
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11 Jul 10 - 12:25 PM (#2943464) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Made more progress this morning in the kitchen and living room, plus I pulled the sheets off of the guest room bed (not the same as the bed in the front room where my son's friend slept, but I got those sheets a couple of days ago). Everything will be made up fresh for the next time we have visitors. Or my son decides to relocate from his room for a night. :) Cleaning out the fridge. I ate three not too fabulous peaches, they were on the dry side and the skin wouldn't peel after blanching, but I hated to toss them. I used the vegetable peeler, then had to cut the fruit off of the stone, and I put huge dollops of vanilla yogurt over them to cover a multitude of deficiencies. Got rid of (oured down the drain, didn't eat!) some soup stock I should have frozen but didn't, and the little bowl of grease is in the trash to go to the curb tomorrow. Lots of little stuff I usually seem to forget got taken care of. It's finally a gorgeous day out, but I haven't been outside yet. There won't be anything in the garden to pick yet, it just doesn't produce as well when we have so much rain. Now give it a week and it will go gangbusters. But anyway, I'm waiting in hopes that if it was still humid this morning that the direct bright sunlight will heat up the air and dry it out. I want to walk outside into a hot dry day. Gotta get rid of the box the new television came in. It has been set up running long enough to know it's doing a great job. This box will go in the attic. I like having a large expanse of cardboard handy in case I need to slide something large across the floor. It's the best thing if you don't have those little white skid stick-on feet. Enough for now. Back to work. I have to move a filing cabinet out of my living room if I can find a good place where I'll still use it. SRS |
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11 Jul 10 - 12:34 PM (#2943467) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine I, too, spent some time cleaning out the refrigerator & the freezer. Cleaned up/cut up/cooked a bag of green beans, and washed up a bunch of fresh spinach. Got rid of some soup that had been in there too long (shoulda froze it). Spent 3 hours last night and an hour this morning working on family research, trying to track down my maternal great-grandmother. Last month I got a letter from a (new?) second cousin, and prompted me to pull out my research notes. It's been 10 years since I worked on it the last time, and there's so much more available on the web since then. Maryanne |
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11 Jul 10 - 01:26 PM (#2943495) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Walked a TON during the 24 hour period from Friday morning til Saturday morning during the Relay For Life! I'm a little sore (leg/hip sockets) but it will pass...besides, I had so much fun that I don't much care!!! Today I put laundry away, emptied the dishwasher, filled and ran the dishwasher, got veggies ready for the day (shelled peas, peeled carrots, cut up cabbage), made breakfast, got dinner fixings ready so all I have to do is turn on the stove (going out later today) when we get home....soon will find something to make for lunch. I went to WW this week and a good friend decided she was ready to join...so we went together. I stayed for the orientation after the meeting...it was a good refresher course for me and now I'm all psyched about the program. The challenge this week is to fill at least half your plate with fruits and veggies at each meal. I'm going to try and do that!! Pete and I are going to the lake later today. He and Jeremiah will fish while I kayak...I can't wait! It'll be my first trip out since last year!!!!!!!!!!! So, in addition to kayaking, I'll be cleaning out my boat and do all the pre-hit-the-water checks on everything. :) It's also my first time since March that I haven't had a chemo treatment every 3 weeks...it's week 4 now and my energy should start to come back (as well as my hair!) Kat....I would LOVE to see a video of Morgan doing a WW commercial...he sounds too cute!!! I love that he's helping you along...how sweet is that? Michelle |
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11 Jul 10 - 02:05 PM (#2943523) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Pondering a development. I added a friend to my family cell phone plan because he needed a reliable phone. Years ago he dropped his cell phone because a young man who lived with he and his late partner, kind of an unofficially adopted son, had used his phone so much that he ended up wasting all of his minutes telling the young man's friends who called that it was his phone. He's had financial problems, and the young man keeps bringing in friends who are down and out, and they are a huge drain on my friend's ability to pay bills, etc. I told him the phone was for him alone, not to let the young guy use it, and it has been that way for more than a year. But I called my friend today and the young guy, who is at his few hours a week job, had the phone. And the house phone is out because the bill didn't get paid. My friend hasn't managed to lower to boom on these kids. Young adults, with no impulse to do for themselves. I need to make it clear that I won't let their slumming leech into my home by that phone being in the wrong hands. If this young man, who has been in trouble with the law, calls people who don't have that number programmed in their phones, MY NAME shows up on caller ID. It is for all intents and purposes my phone. I want my friend to have it, and I want these young slugs to stop taking advantage of him. My friend has other friends who have tried to influence the course of behavior there, and just caused bad blood. What to do. SRS |
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11 Jul 10 - 03:41 PM (#2943567) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine Braved the sun & heat (it's in the 80s & humid again), to go to the Royal Oak Outdoor Art Fair. Didn't buy anything (so I get some decluttering points, right?) but at least I walked around some. I have the sprinkler on the garden, but I'm hoping for some real rain overnight. Read in today's church bulletin that they'll be having a rummage sale the first weekend in August, so I'll be able to take some of the stuff that I've been accumulating out on the front porch. Maryanne |
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11 Jul 10 - 04:05 PM (#2943575) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Thanks, Michelle. It's usually so spontaneous, I don't know if I could get him on camera or not. We have done a video with storyboard before, so maybe I'll see what we can do. we sorted and put away laundry from the past 2-3 weeks. I also washed all of our shopping bags as they were ALL getting very grungy looking. I swept a couple of days ago, but it needs more doing now. Moved an old wooden card catalogue full of cassette tapes from our bedroom to my poor old desk in the old office as it is the only space left to catch odd bits until we get done in the LR going through all of the books, etc. I listed some more paperbacks on the swap site and have already had two requests, so this week, I will have sent off five packages of a book each. Still have a sink full of dishes to wash and the bathroom, but not sure either of us will get to them, today. Rog took me for a lovely ride, yesterday, and another today, so we're feeling rather lazy. SRS, I learned the hard way, sometimes there is nothing we can do when a person continues allowing certain things to happen in their lives. Were I you, I'd have the phone turned off and save myself a lot of grief and money. Just my opinion, fwiw. |
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11 Jul 10 - 04:15 PM (#2943581) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre SRS, I'd recommend a Trac phone for your friend. It's a prepaid phone with no monthly fees. No way to go over the limit and relatively inexpensive. I'm with Kat on this one. Save yourself the hassle (and possibly the friendship) and cancel the phone. You were clear in your expectations of what was ok and what was not. Michelle |
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11 Jul 10 - 05:14 PM (#2943609) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Right now we would owe money on the phone, with this plan. I do trust this friend, but I see the camel's nose (the younger man) coming under the tent. I think I'm going to speak to the younger man, and tell him that if he doesn't leave that phone strictly to my friend then I'll have to drop it from the plan. I'm sure he's using it because he lost his own or couldn't pay to add minutes. I wouldn't be too upset to throw this kid and his friends under the bus. They're moochers and it has been too easy for them to not lift a finger to help. Or at least, it goes in spurts. If the revolving girlfriend didn't move into the house, and the layabout cousin. . . I've made progress (again/still/more) in the living room. The original cabinet felt too high for the TV, another too low. I brought in my lovely library table that had been parked in the front room and it looks perfect. I need to move furniture out of the room so it isn't too packed full. I did some research and found this site with information about optimal distances for different types and sizes of televisions. To make the most of the HDMI, you should be somewhere between 1.5 and 2x the distance from the set as the set is wide. So a 42" set is best from about 5' to 7' away. The older CRT sets are actually better at a greater distance because of the type of screen. Kat, Morgan sounds like he's going to be some teacher's pride and joy next school year! And the "good points" he's talking about are things he should be eating now anyway! It is the perfect time for him to learn about good eating, rather than have to break hard-wired life-long bad habits when he grows up and tries to stay healthy. SRS |
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11 Jul 10 - 08:02 PM (#2943680) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine After supper tonight, I cleaned the stove top and the countertop around the sink. Tomorrow I plan to tackle the kitchen floor. M |
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11 Jul 10 - 10:32 PM (#2943728) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre I am following the Simply Filling part of WW this week and today was a great day...only used 5 points. I'm all proud of myself! LOL Michelle |
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11 Jul 10 - 11:40 PM (#2943740) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I made pizza dough and have three crusts partially baked, cooled, and now bagged in the freezer. That's three meals ready to go sometime in the next few weeks! The chicken is in the fridge, a plate set aside (also in the fridge) for my son who wasn't sure when he'd roll in. I told him I wasn't leaving the bird out till he got home, it would spoil. He's a bit of a free agent, may have to nail one foot to the floor one of these days. I used my basil and oregano in some focaccia (sp?) bread, and also hung some up to dry. I used some of my rosemary and thyme in the chicken that I roasted. I have a friend (same one I mentioned earlier) who talks about spending a small fortune buying enough bunches of basil to make his beloved pesto, and I'm growing it by the bushel here. I wish I could reasonably ship some to him, but it isn't practical. Moved a trunk from the front room to the bedroom (will stack a couple of others on top of it - the one I moved is on a little dolly I built so it rolls nicely on casters.) And I moved two trunks from the big living room to the front room. It's looking better around here! Tons of corn meal on the kitchen floor, and for some reason, a lot of dog hair. All swept up, fridge looking better, and all of the stuff not wanted, floor and fridge, in the trash and down at the curb. Monday tomorrow. Work. Pttttthh. SRS |
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12 Jul 10 - 04:21 AM (#2943786) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy I have an incentive to get all I can prepped for sale (except yon floory thing!) as 2 of the houses I am interested in have had their prices reduced by quite a lot! I'm much more sanguine about the floor now. Better get it done than have a sale fail if/when a survey picked it up. The house will still go up next month, no matter what. It may just be a few days later than I had intended. I think today is to be a more boxing up and throwing out day. However, I am going to kick things off by giving the kitchen a good going over. I want to store a lot of the bigger pans that hardly ever get used these days, but which I daren't actually get rid of, because every now and then I get to cook for more than one or two! May have to go and get more storage crates... Andrea |
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12 Jul 10 - 10:19 AM (#2943915) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Andrea, I'm downsizing my cooking this summer, figuring out how to make my standard recipes in smaller portions, or to freeze the rest. I have a lot of those same kinds of pots and pans that don't get much use. There is an attractive chrome wire cart in my kitchen that most of them sit on, so it passes as a kind of modern art piece most of the time, unless I need something from it to cook. I hear the neighbor mowing, but I'm going to wait at least another day. The grass will be taller, but it will hopefully be dryer. Makes a big difference when pushing the mower through it. SRS |
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12 Jul 10 - 10:33 AM (#2943924) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley I've also been trying to have less leftovers---either freezing the portions or making less. It really helps on fridge space. The boys would rather just pull out a piece of fruit anyway, instead of having a big, hot meal. Today I'll be picking up the lawnmower from Mr. Mower. It's new to me because I still think my push mower works just fine. But the neighbors just bought a new fancy one and gave me their old one. So I took it to the tune-up place and it'll come back all ready to work. Maybe with this gas-powered one, my oldest son will be ready to work also. Off to work. Walking, of course. Eiseley |
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12 Jul 10 - 11:21 AM (#2943951) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Dishes done. Laundry in the dryer. Living room rearranged and cleaned. Time for a break! Michelle |
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12 Jul 10 - 07:36 PM (#2944092) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I told a friend about that site that advises on the distances and viewing angles for the bigger televisions, and he did a sort of mental forehead slap. Seems he realized why he's not enjoying his as much as he thought because he has things poorly placed (same make and model, bought a few months before I bought mine- we compared research notes, it's a great choice, that 42" Vizio from Sam's Club). I have a pile of papers by my desk and am sorting out the issue of the beds being short in my son's assigned dorm. It's supposed to be a nice one, but older and the beds are more or less built in and they're standard length twin mattresses. This means I'm sending a 75" kid to sleep on a 74" bed. I'm going to follow the procedure to request a transfer to a room with a longer bed, but ONLY if it keeps him in one of the Honors College dorms. And the trouble is that the other two HC dorms are more expensive than this. So we'll pay more for the longer bed if he gets it. I suppose he could take a pad and sleep on the floor and put it up on the bunk every night, but I think that would get old fast! ;-D I have to get the doctor's office to write a letter saying he should sleep on a bed that is long enough for him (yeah, I know, but this is what we have to do for the ADA folks - who knew being tall is a disability?) and when it comes down to it, they need to ask my son if whatever accommodation they reach is what he wants after he sees the room that has been assigned to him now. Once he settles in he probably won't want to move, so unless they can settle this before he gets there, I think whatever is set up will remain for the school year. SRS |
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12 Jul 10 - 07:52 PM (#2944101) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg New 18" puddle installed under the screen/shade canopy within Dog World. Amazing how cooling it is! Waterproof MP3 player with tunes and audbook.... Sadie digging a cool dent nearby to get into and chill out too... Reaping the rewards of a heck of a lot of hard work to make that spot exist-- me, Hardi, others.... thanks, menzes. ~S~ |
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12 Jul 10 - 09:30 PM (#2944134) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: AllisonA(Animaterra) We hosted 3 contra dance musicians here on Sat. night (Tunescape). Small world department- I dabbled in the Society for Creative Anachronism when I was in my mid teens; turns out that one of the musicians was king of my region (I can't remember all the correct terms any more). I thought he was beautiful then ("Asbjorn, Asbjorn, King with Golden Hair..." and still a nice guy now). As per usual, guests meant cleanup- and "Asbjorn" slept on the futon in the office, which meant lots of organizing happened in there! There are still 3 boxes of "to-be-filed" stuff, but it's shrinking. And I finished arranging 2 songs to include bass singers- Animaterra the chorus is leading a workshop this weekend for 2 other choruses, both with men and women! A new experience! AND- we submitted an adoption application to Potcake Place (http://www.potcakeplace.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 can't get the blickifier to work) - we hope to have a doggie friend by late September, after we get back from a week of camp in August and 5 days on a boat in Sept. And the lumber arrived for the porch, but when we went to start the work this morning, we found that some of the lengths were incorrect. Luckily it's a good lumber yard, and they had a corrected delivery by mid-afternoon. So we'll start the building later this week. Meanwhile, you are ALL inspiring!! |
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12 Jul 10 - 10:29 PM (#2944146) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Building a porch ought to keep you out of trouble for a while, Allison! And isn't it nice, after the guests leave, when you can fold up futons and the room is clean for you to enjoy now, not just for the needs of the visitor. Working on more dorm plans. Add an inexpensive phone with answering machine to the list. All of these out of state kids arrive with their cell phones from home, and for anyone with an old fashioned phone or any of the campus services, this is a long distance call. They need a local callback phone so the campus has free phone service, but he needs to phone and answering machine. Dishes are cleaned up, fridge is looking good. Kid turned his nose up at the salad (diced cucks and tomato, feta cheese, Italian dressing, I think I mentioned before - my fake Greek salad) but I have a cantaloupe so just delivered a large bowl of it to his room. We're going to start shopping for computer parts to build one for school. They have the low-priced software through a Microsoft agreement, like on my campus. Now if I could just find a subliminal software program to tell him "Eat your veggies. Eat your fruit." SRS |
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12 Jul 10 - 11:31 PM (#2944170) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley I suppose he is altitudinally challenged (or horizontally challenged if you're talking about beds). Quite Procrustean, actually, that dorm bed sounds. I have to go buzz the middle son's hair now! Eiseley |
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13 Jul 10 - 02:25 AM (#2944197) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Bleurgh.... That's about the best I can manage. Had a fabulous day wandering about Kew Gardens with a couple of old friends on Saturday, Sunday was spent at a concert rehearsal/performance which was good but lots of bitty walking and the world's most uncomfortable chairs to sit on for 2 hours. Yesterday was a day of frazzlement, waiting for news of a friend in trouble (news was not good - not the worst we could have had, but not the best either, he's now back to square one healthwise and I'm a gibbering wreck), today I feel like I've been squeezed out of a tube of bilious yellow/green paint. I have to find and learn a Christian song for a wedding in 3 weeks time, the person I'm singing it with is buggering off on holiday the day after tomorrow and has no ideas either, I have a choir tour to prepare for, a church meeting tonight and a whole heap of papers to put away after I ferreted them all out looking for a particular one last night. I haven't eaten at home with the whole family for a week now, and that's showing too... lots of discomfort and changing of trousers... MUST get back on some sort of track, preferably not the Scalextric one that just goes round (or, as it has felt this last week, loop de loop) but one that goes forward. Whinge over. LTS |
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13 Jul 10 - 05:24 AM (#2944243) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maeve Allison's dog adoption link |
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13 Jul 10 - 01:24 PM (#2944424) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Puddle Day #2 shortly, with Faulkner in tow. Worked productively in home office 6AM- noon-thirty. Hot up there ! ~S~ |
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14 Jul 10 - 12:04 AM (#2944669) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Morgan and I got down on our hands and knees and scrubbed the bathroom floor really well, then went over it with the mop, too. Then he vacuumed the hall and parts of the LR and helped me mop the hall. I did the rest of the mopping. The heat has put a limit on how much I do during the hottest part of the day, but we managed that all right and it looks so much better. (The evaporative cooler on top of the roof blows down into the hallway, right in front of the bathroom. We don't let any of the pets in the bathroom, but that blower blows their hair in there under the door and also when we open it. So, there's a terrible build up of pet hair clinging all around the pedestal of the sink and around the commode. It looks terrible if I don't keep up with it.) Not much else except keeping up with the laundry and swimming classes.:-) |
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14 Jul 10 - 03:28 AM (#2944700) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Oh, Geez, you should see the kitchen. Yeah, that bad. I discovered the mustang grapes are beginning to be ready to pick and it is a lovely big crop this year. After about 20 minutes I came home with enough to cook down to 1 1/2 quarts of juice (for jelly) in my stock pot and have done some of the filtering. It's chilling and settling now in the fridge. I'll clean the kitchen in the morning. SRS |
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14 Jul 10 - 04:14 AM (#2944716) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy By judicious re-stacking, and removal of a couple of big stew pans, I have a tidy cupboard again. I de-framed some old photos which would be better off in an album, and fitted a safety gate across Freya's bedroom door for when she tries to do a runner while I am sorting things out. Also for a month or two hence, when I try her out in a bed instead of the travel cot, which she will be too big for, before long. I had planned another steady sorting out/ironing day today, around my 10am hair trim, but the cat has got himself hurt again, and so it's a trip to the vet for 11.30. I should be able to get there earlier than that, so hopefully will get seen quicker too. I would have taken an earlier one, and carted him with me via the hairdresser, but he hates car trips, and I'd have to take him in with me, where the dryers would freak him out. This time it doesn't look like another cat's had him. Can't work it out. There's a neatly removed area of hair around it, as if somebody has had a look at it. There is what appears to be a puncture mark at the top, and scraped off skin in a strip below (just the very top layer). I bathed it with antiseptic last night, but he's not wanting to move today, or eat and drink. I think he's gone sore and stiff. I wonder if a dog got him and the owner had a look. The receptionist at the vet says it's not a typical place for a cat fight wound (last time his throat was got). Had a day out yesterday (Great Yorkshire Show) so nothing got done. I had to go to a meeting later too. Andrea |
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14 Jul 10 - 04:50 AM (#2944727) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Seems to be the week for vet trips. Had to haul Raven kitty off last night, he picked up a tick on his recent 'holiday'... Now being my cat he can't get it on his belly or his chest which would be easy to reach and dispose of with the judicial application of vodka on a cotton bud (worked for my granfer for years, except he used granny's dandelion wine - similar alcohol content and astringent properties!) - no, he has to get his between his back toes... so deeply in that I'd've had to immerse his foot in voddy to get it out. So it's off to the vet with him. Now usually he's not too bad in his crate, but this time he howled and yowled and struggled like mad so I suspect his recent 'holiday' involved incarceration of some sort. The traffic also affected him badly. Consequently, he was in a foul mood when we got to the vets and made it know. Well, you can't say I didn't warn the vet... I tried my best to hold Raven kitty steady and still, but he's part Siamese and they're tougher than they look.... The tick was removed and the kitty annointed with Frontline pest control juice. We left after decluttering the wallet of a large amount of money (enough to buy 4 decent bottles of vodka) and the vet of a strip of skin off the back of his hand. Still, at least we know Kitty's teeth are still OK. LTS |
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14 Jul 10 - 10:42 AM (#2944882) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy In case you are squeamish, I will just call it "aspirating" - a syringe and a half full of proof that Tigger's white blood cells have been doing their job. She said that was about the equivalent of a half pint or so in humans. He's had a couple of shots, and they want to see him again on Monday, before I go away. She said it was an old (couple of weeks or so) wound (looked like a bite) that had become infected, and that he had probably licked and pulled the fur off himself to get at it. He had licked so hard that he had abraided the skin, which is now dead. The vet said the best thing is for it to crack open and drain even more. It's about time that stupid cat of mine realised that he can't take on all comers now that he's 12! And I thought he's be cheaper than the dog! At least he's eating a bit now, and the bill at £38 could have been worse, I suppose. Consequently not a lot has been done, although I have organised keys for the plumber and Peter so that they can hopefully get all the floorage stuff sorted while I am away. I suppose I could get on with some ironing..... Andrea |
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14 Jul 10 - 11:19 AM (#2944898) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Another squeam alert-- Yesterday, our outdoor-employee-kitteh Sam(antha) sought a cool, damp, shady spot to curl up in and go moribund. When it poured rainstorms last night and she didn't move to a dryer location, we moved her to a padded, dry, sheltered mat and encircled some of her wet fur loosely in a blankie, so she'd dry gradually and not freeze from evaporation. She got off it in the night and is now missing.... probably took herself off to a spot we can't find... old smartypants. Good thoughts are wanted to Hardi-- his employee. (Squeam alert off) OTOH-- she was catching and eating vermin just a few days ago, so maybe she will come back for the din-din she eschewed yesterday! We don't think she got pyzened, BTW-- no interest in the water set beside her lair all day ydy. Also BTW she's been helped before with exactly what mouldy just described-- and has not been asking for help. If she wanted us she would let us know... ~S~ |
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14 Jul 10 - 10:57 PM (#2945292) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley I think there must be some odd signals coming from the cat planet or something. My kitty who is usually so kind and placid and friendly woke up four days ago afraid of everything and everyone. Instead of asking for her morning meal, she leapt out of the window and streaked who knows where. The next night she came in (finally) when I called and then growled at me and nipped under my son's bed. She would disappear during the day so I couldn't find her to take to the vet. I feared the worst---rabies or distemper or something. But then yesterday she seemed better and today she was back to her normal friendly self. Like I say, maybe there is some odd feline theta-ray coming from the sky. Maybe we should all make our cats little tinfoil helmets. Eiseley |
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14 Jul 10 - 11:06 PM (#2945293) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing My girlfriend told me she heard a news report which said road rage and other acts of anger are the worst during July with the heat exacerbating the already frayed nerves of drivers, etc. Perhaps it happens to pets/animals, too? I know my cats are really enjoying a lie down in the room with the a/c after a morning lounging in the sun and they usually won't even come in there when the a/c is on. |
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15 Jul 10 - 01:39 AM (#2945317) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Kitty sized Tin foil helmets.... sounds about right! Cooler today and kitty is snoozing happily rather than rubbing his bum all over the monitor in a slightly distressing fashion... Might actually get some decluttering done today. I live in hope! LTS |
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15 Jul 10 - 04:54 AM (#2945387) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy We had a good old thunderstorm yesterday evening, which cleared the air a bit. His lordship is much happier today, and is eating a bit. He hasn't yet taken the hint that he is now not imprisoned, and the cat flap is unlocked. His problem is that he grumbles whenever you pick him up, so it's hard to tell if he's hurting a bit. Yesterday we were having real complaints, so he obviously wasn't happy. I did hear a cat fight late one night a couple of weeks back, and he was a bit antsi in the morning, so that was probably when he got bit. Trouble is, if he's fired up for a scrap he makes the same noises! His worst trait is his stoic attitude to pain. It must have been driving him mad to lick it over a few hours into such a state. Wysiwyg, I hope your kitty comes back all safe! Andrea |
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15 Jul 10 - 06:02 AM (#2945414) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Bad week for kitties... I knocked a pile of papers over and buried poor snoozing kitty.. He shot straight up like a polaris missile and ran off to sulk in the garden. Took an hour and a box of munchies to get him back in, but he's still very skittish. LTS |
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15 Jul 10 - 07:26 AM (#2945444) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I can't add to your cat stories - my last cat passed away last winter. It was Poppy barking to alert me that I'd probably overslept my snooze alarm this early morning, and I had. Someone put their eBay auction of a platter just like the one that broke in my antique set to end at 5:25am. I sometimes will get up for the last few minutes and bid, I don't use any of the sniping software. But that snooze button didn't fire off and I slept through it, so the first and only bid, already there, got the platter for $5.99. Darn. I always make sure my auctions end during the waking hours - I figure I'll get more last minute bids that way. I reclaimed my kitchen yesterday, so it looked okay when I went to bed last night. I'm still filtering the juice but for now it's in the fridge settling. Most of those pots and sieves were for juice for grape jelly. Next time I'll go with my friend's steam juicer. I like the darker color from cooking the fruit all together in a pan so the skins color it, but I really like the ease of steam juicing and not having to filter at all. I mowed about 1/3 of the front yard yesterday, and I took the trimmer around to get the straggling tendrils of grass that grew over the curb along the entire front yard. I'll finish mowing today (it got hot so I just stopped). We had two solid weeks of rain that ended Sunday, during which time the yard grew wildly, and then the short-sighted code enforcement officer comes around and posts citation warnings on the house three days after the last rain. I'd have waited for that curb inspection after the next weekend and then all of this would have been gone as people got out after lawns had a reasonable chance to dry (it always amazes me how people down here will mow the same day it rains). There is no fine, just extreme annoyance at the anal tendencies of some of these minor bureaucrats. SRS |
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15 Jul 10 - 01:02 PM (#2945642) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Re: tinfoil, I always assumed our cats WERE the tinfoil helmets. Re: papers surprising kittehs, I misread that to think it took a box of MATCHES to get it back... Re: The amazing amount some of you are getting done. Goodonya. When F's condition warrants I'll even read all about it and cheer you on. Right now I'm busy in hell. Now for the DAILY SQUEAM.... Re: Kitteh coming home safe, I don't think so.... I ran my hand over her on that mat and she jes' didn't feel right THEN. I don't believe she had the energy to drag herself off the mat. I think a fix or coyote took her... She was feral enough that actually, that would have been a good death for her-- quick. SQUEAM OUT.... Love ya, gotta go-- ~Susan |
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15 Jul 10 - 10:19 PM (#2945917) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Jeremiah and I went grocery shopping today and hit up the farmer's market yesterday. My fridge is now full of disgustingly healthy food. I wanted junk tonight. There isn't any to be found. A bowl of apricots did the trick. ;) Michelle |
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15 Jul 10 - 10:24 PM (#2945919) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I never let my cats out because we have coyotes and foxes around here. I'm using my laptop in the ER. My son had his gut pain again, and we got him to use the laxative in case it was constipation. After it worked the pain was still there, so his dad took him down to the ER. After several hours his pain has finished, and we're about set to head home. More later. SRS |
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15 Jul 10 - 11:04 PM (#2945932) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre SRS.....good thoughts and prayers headed your way. I hope they were able to give your son some relief and that he's ok. (((((Hugs)))))))) Michelle |
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16 Jul 10 - 01:07 AM (#2945957) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage This doctor agreed with our opinions, he wasn't getting appendicitis every few months. It's something higher in the torso, an we'll take today's lab work in for a checkup with a gastroenterologist specialist. I'll make the appointment tomorrow. The checkup may not be fun, may involve a camera tube being run down from above, but it needs to be done. My desk is piled high with papers. I think tomorrow I'll need to do some filing. When I was digging around my various pieces of computer adapters and equipment I found a few things I didn't realize I had here, but I didn't have the cord adapter I needed to use my existing card and send the signal to the HDMI monitor. Yesterday I picked up a new card, thinking this one wouldn't do HD, because I bought this for the dual monitor use. Actually, I can still do dual monitor, but now I'm using for this big nice monitor and have it at it's highest setting. I don't know if it will make much difference unless I download NetFlix in here, or watch DVDs. I upgraded because I thought it might help with some of my graphics work. I will report back. SRS |
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16 Jul 10 - 07:04 AM (#2946083) Subject: Sam From: wysiwyg SRS, I think you did not intend your post as it first struck me-- But just to clarify, we do not let our pets out loose either. Sam is semi-feral and had her own quarters to patrol and defend. By semi-feral I mean she had learned to beg, trip passersby, and wheedle, sometimes climbing a leg or a lap to make her wishes perfectly clear. She learned to wait her turn for a discarded paper plate or an almost-emptied cup of milky tea. She never learned to be picked up without promptly dispatching one who would initiate a touch on her. The weeks she spent in sick bay when I helped her with infected bites were the most miserable of her life, and she soon effected her escape. OTOH when she needed help she was good at getting it-- like the horrific hind leg she shattered and trained Hardi to attend her self-managed recovery. Sam was a great farm cat. She was also quite elderly when we received her several years ago. It was/is her time. In comparing notes over the last day we saw her, we think a snake may have gotten her. She had gotten a little too feeble to nail the many rabbits here, and we saw a tiny baby snake dead on the porch where she had displayed her kills a few days before she vanished. (That one was not a rattler.) The day we found her moribund I had seen her, tail a-twitch, stalking an odd spot in the yard. She was vividly alive and well, all predator working from head to tail-tip. I thought she was awaiting a mouse's exit from a drainpipe nearby, from the position she was in. Now I wonder if she surprised a young rattler, or it surprised her. From time to time one comes out from under the porch she was next to, and it's been an awfully dry summer-- grass daid in several spots. In looking for her we have seen 5 or 6 shallow holes in cool places she may have dug for relief. Needless to say we are always careful, ourselves, about snakes here. I think Faulkner had hisseff a snaky kinda surprise out in the cold-puddle section of DW ydy, too. His reaction when he tried to play was so "big" that Sadie barked the intruder-alarm from her section 12 feet away. ~Susan |
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16 Jul 10 - 03:17 PM (#2946342) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage My remark was very brief because I quickly scanned the previous entries while I was in the ER. That's all. Haven't file the desk papers yet. But I will. Consultation appt is set for son, and we'll go with this and see what happens. It's Friday. What do you all have planned for the weekend? Work on behalf of your houses and gardens, or getting out and recreating, or both? SRS |
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16 Jul 10 - 06:21 PM (#2946418) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Eiseley I just came home from watching Middle Son win his robotics summer camp tournament. Yay Tom! We were going to go out to the range where a friend was going to let him practice aiming at a target, but I feel sick---maybe strep throat, maybe just a regular old sore throat. Ugh. So instead, I'll go lie down and rest. There will be plenty of time for Tom to do target practice, but today will not be one of those times. Neither will I go to the farmers' market in the morning. That will be actually nice! Eiseley |
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16 Jul 10 - 06:54 PM (#2946436) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine My earlier post disappeared somehow, but not a big deal. Sorry to hear about the troubles of all the dogs and cats. Big storm came thru here yesterday evening, and knocked out our power about 8pm. Came back on about 3pm today. Thank you, Detroit Edison! I may lose a few things from the refrigerator, but they're mostly leftovers anyway. Lost a smallish tree branch in the front; lots of branches down all over the n'hood. Maryanne |
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16 Jul 10 - 07:58 PM (#2946458) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre My kitchen, dining room and living room have been a disaster lately!!! OMGOSH!! No surface area to be found...not on the table, counter or side tables. What the heck happened? Oh yeah....been busy running around and then there's the baby!!! During naptime today I found all the missing space!!! Thank goodness...it sure feels better in here! I swept but still need to vacuum...gonna wait for Jeremiah to wake up first (I know people will say to do it while he's napping but the truth is, I'm beat and need a break too...I'm not going to do anything to wake him for the next 20 minutes or so!). Washing machine is running too. Happy Friday! Michelle |
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17 Jul 10 - 02:50 AM (#2946559) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy Our Freya is terrified of the vacuum noise, so it only gets done while she's sleeping! On the kitty front, far from it drying out as the vet hoped, he's cleaning it himself. To be honest, although I'm worried about him stopping it healing, it is looking nice and clean - if a little open. I have visions of him being fitted with a bucket collar, which will really hack him off, especially as he's off into the cattery on Tuesday! I'm just having a quick post during my early morning cuppa, before heading off to York to visit the boot fair, and also to try and offload my dad's old stamp collection at a fair that's on in the racecourse grandstand. Might get a few quid for it... Andrea |
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17 Jul 10 - 02:59 AM (#2946562) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Michelle, get your nap in when the baby is napping, if you need one. Otherwise you'll be a basket case. We all understand about messy houses and babies - it does get better over time. And just look at young Morgan! He's such a helper! You can turn that kind of cooperation into a great thing and enjoy each other's society. I'd wait a little yet, before you have Jeremiah start folding his own diapers, though. :) Some filing taken care of. Some laundry folded, and more on the way. The kitchen is messy, but won't take too long. In the morning. I weeded a bed out front that really got overgrown in the last couple of weeks. I'm so ticked off that I would get that stupid bladder infection. Not only did I not feel like that work for a couple of weeks, as I got better, I was supposed to be careful with sun and straining tendons. So now I'm still being careful, weeding when there is shade on that side of the house, but I'm reclaiming the front beds. One more child support check coming next week. But I see each one as a gift - they will be finished any day now, as soon as the accounts are audited. I've earned enough to cash out this month at Mahalo, and will have to switch to a different kind of task if I want to keep earning cash there. I'll probably do it. The site is generally entertaining, though it doesn't set any high standards on most things. Kind of a poor man's Wikipedia. :-/ SRS |
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17 Jul 10 - 04:08 PM (#2946854) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Picked a full bucket of mustang grapes this morning. I'm getting ready to head over to pick up a book at the university library (Interlibrary Loan) and will swing by his house and see if he has his steam juicer handy. I cooked the last batch down in the kettle and got great color, but it is a lot more work to filter it. Did a little more filing. Not sure what else indoors, after the evening yard work. And I need to take the dogs for a walk when it's cooler. SRS |
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17 Jul 10 - 05:16 PM (#2946882) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy Got £20 for the stamps, which was about what I thought (they were nothing special). However, I did bend the budget at the boot fair with a kiddy sized djembe and some other toys for Freya, and then I came across a stall selling unwanted merchandise and trappings from Longley Old Hall near Huddersfield (origins in 14thC). They had some pottery made by John Hudson, a Huddersfield area potter whose work I like. He reproduces wares from the middle ages onwards, using the old firing and glazing methods. I got several pieces (I already have some). Then I got a (used) reproduction of a very ingenious 17th century candle holder, and a slightly oxidised looking beeswax candle to fit it. It looks great on my fireplace. However, I have done about three quarters of the ironing tonight, and done the mending, so I have actually achieved something at home! Andrea |
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17 Jul 10 - 09:32 PM (#2946951) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Dean handed over his steam juicer so I guess I'll turn the kitchen into a sauna later. I just discovered The Philadelphia Story, one of my favorites. The remake was okay, but this is the best. I am running a smallish allergy test. I haven't eaten chocolate for weeks, but I ate a small bag of chocolate peanuts this afternoon. I've been using hydrocortisone cream on my hands and they have about cleared up, so this may reveal if it is a culprit or not. This wasn't a great quality of chocolate, but it should do the trick (or not). SRS |
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18 Jul 10 - 02:10 AM (#2947007) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Juice is cooling in the fridge, at least three quarts of it. Jelly --- Mmmmmm! I did most of the dishes, and used some leftover chicken for burritos. I'll put in a load of laundry to wash overnight, but I'm done for the day. SRS |
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18 Jul 10 - 09:52 AM (#2947090) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre SRS, You should have come over and we could have had a cleaning party together. I was up until 3amish. We were having some large thunder and since Jeremiah startles easily, I kept him downstairs in his pack and play where I could keep an eye and ear on him until the thunder passed. While he slept (never did wake up to the thunder), I cleaned. Turns out the yard sale is THIS weekend! I thought I had another extra week to clear things out. I'd better get BUSY! Today I will do the living room and kitchen. On a completely different note, I lost 3 pounds this week. Yesterday for activity, I picked blueberries and walked a mile or so. Michelle |
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18 Jul 10 - 12:27 PM (#2947149) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine Power is not completely restored in the n'hood. We got back on Friday afternoon, but were out for about 10 minutes yesterday-- just long enough to make you have to run around and re-set the clocks. The folks across the street are out now, and there are still lots of utility trucks rumbling thru the n'hood. I'm catching up on laundry today. Bought some peaches at the farmers market, so I'm making peach crisp this afternoon. Maryanne |
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19 Jul 10 - 12:18 AM (#2947422) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Doesn't that just bug you to pieces, Maryanne? And it's amazing how many things around the house are blinking and waiting to be restarted or reset. It was very hot again here today, topped off by some brief (but noisy) thundershowers. Now it's muggy as hell outside. I could hear it coming so hurried the mower out to finish the front I started this morning, then did a couple of big swaths in the back, hoping it would stay away. I did have to concede and quit as the lightning got quite close. When it's this hot it's hard to feel motivated to get much done. I did finish the kitchen, took all of the seeds and skins from the grapes out to the compost bin. Yesterday I did some weeding in the worst of about three square yards of a front bed. This afternoon when I got ready to bundle up and throw away an old torn up plastic drop cloth I decided to use one of the bags some mulch came in, except the mulch was still in it. As hot as it was I didn't want to start a huge project, but taking enough newspaper and the bag of mulch to the front I was able to paper and then mulch over a section of the bed where I usually lay the circled up hose, and step through to reach the faucet. It is now a very tidy area between some pink amaryllis and some lovely dark red and green canna stalks, both given to me by my next door neighbor. And now that old drop cloth is at the curb (I'd used it when picking grapes, partly to catch grapes, partly to keep me out of the poison ivy. But that means it has the oil on it.) Some days these small tasks are enough to stand in for what you eventually want to finish. Also today, a little virtual housekeeping. Since I installed the converter plug for the monitor I am planning to set up a slide show of great images, large enough to display fully on this screen, and I'll set it up as a screen saver slide show. I've been collecting a few images at reliable sites, like NASA. Love those star clusters and nebula shots! SRS |
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19 Jul 10 - 08:10 AM (#2947532) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Got the hallway and living room empied of stuff that we are sending to the yard sale. Made a good sized dent in the kitchen too, then wiped out the cupboards and reorganized a little bit. I still have a few shelves to go so that's where I'll spend most of today. Michelle |
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19 Jul 10 - 08:52 AM (#2947552) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg NFU water on board and sorting into household processes; FU containers almost all cleared out now. Cold-puddle improvments have gone well; today I made a skimmer to take the dead bugs outta there. I clean it while IN it! Re-purposed 1 of 4 faded LR sheers, freeing up the others to go in the car kit. ~S~ |
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19 Jul 10 - 12:46 PM (#2947717) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak I ate, I drank, I paddled... and I don't care! I decluttered my brain of a few things, swept some cobwebs away and gave pleasure to people... I am bordering on sane for a while. Make the most of it, it won't last long! LTS |
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19 Jul 10 - 02:14 PM (#2947767) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Good for you, Liz! It's so hot, I'm not sure what I'll get taken care of today. A neighbor brought over some peaches and I gave him some peppers and a jar of jelly. I saw my house through others' eyes as he came in - it's pretty messy again. SRS |
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19 Jul 10 - 03:30 PM (#2947818) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: mouldy The carpet's been rolled back in the living room and dining room (only about 4 feet) and it's all ready for whenever the plumber decides to make a start. I am in the process of sorting stuff to go camping, and as long as I can be away by 2pm tomorrow, I'll be off to Scotland for my annual getting rained on and book reading fortnight. I have a fair bit of stuff to sort, but most of the clothes are packed, and the tent and firewood for the bonfire are in the car, so that's a start. Andrea |
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19 Jul 10 - 05:26 PM (#2947878) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Sounds like a lovely trip, Andrea! I have been slowly going through the books Rog and I pulled off the shelves. Looking them up at addall.com, deciding which ones will go to friends or family, which to donate, and which to sell. It's a slow process, esp. in the heat. After the temp reaches a certain heat the swamp cooler doesn't do much to keep the temp down. It was 80 in the LR and probably a few degrees higher around the corner at my desk in the dining area. Fans help, but it's still a repair to the bedroom and the a/c in the late afternoon kind of weather, so not much is getting done. Morgan had a bit of inspiration while I was on the computer for a little bit. He asked if it was okay if he wiped down the wall corner by the trash can and stove and also the front of the frig. What can I say? His mom is a good house-cleaner and he takes after her.:-) Of course, I said "sure!" |
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20 Jul 10 - 01:43 AM (#2948068) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I'd forgotten about that site, Kat, thanks for the reminder. My son pushed the thermostat setting way down on his bedroom side of the house, complaining that the house was too warm. And he nearly wiped out the bathroom flooring - it's so humid the thing was taking more water out of the air than it could drain as it ran constantly, and it was dripping all over next to the hall bathroom. I set it back up to the normal setting, replaced the sodden filter, mopped underneath in the cabinet, and told him when he's paying the bill, he can run the temperature wherever he wants. My Internet bill went up $5 this month, with no visble reason why. I'll have to compare bills. They still owe me a refund I got tired of fighting about. I'll have to lay these bills side by side and see what sleight of hand they do. It's the taxes and charges where they bury things. At least I keep it all neatly in a file. That part of my house is organized. SRS |
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20 Jul 10 - 03:04 PM (#2948485) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak It lasted less than 12 hours. Hello sleepless, my old friend.... LTS |
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21 Jul 10 - 01:48 AM (#2948753) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I made a peach cobbler out of fresh local peaches, and put vanilla ice cream on my helping while the peaches were still hot. Orgasmic. That's all I can say. As good as (and in many instances, better than) sex. |
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21 Jul 10 - 12:57 PM (#2949145) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Weigh-in was this morning. Lost 2.4 lbs. Whoo-hoo!! |
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21 Jul 10 - 02:07 PM (#2949193) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I haven't weighed myself for a while, but the mirror tells me plenty. Though my clothes aren't as tight as they were, there's still weight to be lost. It's so hot that getting motivated to move around is a job in itself. I hung a load of laundry on the line out back, and have to mow the lawn this evening. I mowed part of it a few days ago before it started to rain, but I didn't get around under the clothes line so the tall grass tickles as I hang up wash. The garden volunteers have revealed themselves: I think the tomatoes will be big cherry tomatoes. Soaker hose is running because it's hot and dry again, but this is preferable for many of my crops. SRS |
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21 Jul 10 - 09:37 PM (#2949463) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine Moved furniture around in the living room this afternoon, while I dusted the floor. Just kind of moved all the chairs a quarter turn around the room, but it changes the scene enough. Dusted the upstairs, too. Crossing my fingers that the electricity situation has settled down. Maryanne |
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21 Jul 10 - 11:02 PM (#2949495) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Stair climbing! Vacay prep is HARD. ~S~ |
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21 Jul 10 - 11:36 PM (#2949508) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Brought an accordion file out of the office, filled with photos with a note "To be scanned" and started on them this evening. Took photos of a few books which will be sold. Many more to go...slow going.:-) My house is really bugging me, though. Have to decided if it's worth storing the books on shelves whilst selling them online or if it would be easier and better to just donate all but a few which I know are worth selling. I went so far as sending an email about re-opening my store at biblio.com, but we don't have much room for them all. (I would also list them on Amazon. Ebay does not seem worth it for most. What to do, what to do...there are many more in storage. Ongoing...I know we will figure it out. |
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22 Jul 10 - 01:19 AM (#2949527) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Getting things done piecemeal around here. It was nearly dark when I went out to mow some more of the back yard, but it felt so much better to mow when it was cooler. I still have about 25% left to mow, and when I see it in the morning I may have missed a few spots - it was getting pretty dark when I quit. Dishes are washed, some laundry done. Having my son do his own just to see how often he needs to do it if it is only his laundry in the basket. Clearly if he waits till he has a full load he'll be out of clothes, so he'll have to work out a plan. He saw the doctor today about his gut pain (infrequent, but intense enough to land in the ER). He understood our desire to try to solve this now when he's home and not have it happen when he's alone 2 states away at school. We have a plan in place, and if it doesn't work the way we hope, then we'll take him back in when he's home again and they'll take a closer look. I was finishing up some printing work at my office early so I can take a week off in August and not worry about racing to do it when I get back. I had the invitation finished and printed when the speaker had to beg off. His book was optioned by a big publisher who asked him to cease promoting the older self-published version. Now I'm going to have to race when we get a new speaker in place. Oh, well. They say no good deed goes unpunished. For today, shower, then to bed, maybe to read a little. I just started the book The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by Dr. David Kessler. I heard him interviewed on several radio talk shows when this book came out, and I've kept putting it back on the top of my "to read" stack of books. It's interesting. SRS |
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22 Jul 10 - 01:27 AM (#2949529) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage BTW: Some of you may enjoy this blog entry What it's really like to be a copy editor. |
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22 Jul 10 - 07:27 AM (#2949671) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak Sleeping still erratic but at least I managed to sort a 3ft pile of sheet music and books.... Lack of appetite means I'm not picking, but when I do eat, it's the wrong stuff... typical. Wish this feeling crappy would just stop for longer than 2 days at a time. LTS |
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22 Jul 10 - 10:43 AM (#2949808) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine I read the Kessler book about this time last year. Really opened my eyes. After I finish reading Radicals in Robes , I plan to read it again. I am much more enthusiastic about cooking from scratch since I read it. Maryanne |
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22 Jul 10 - 10:43 AM (#2949809) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: wysiwyg Oh! I forgot about this! I found a superb solution to a longstanding sleeping-attic storage problem. It's a square-based rolling shelf about 20 x 20 inches wide/deep, and it's TALL-- 4 commodious shelves. Also a nice big hanging-file portable bin for a new project Hardi and I took on, and some smaller storage items. I hope to pick it up today. It gives me a mouse-proof kitchen setup for that attic, among other things. Which ALSO gives us a rentable studio apartment up there if we want to do that. ~Susan |
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22 Jul 10 - 01:06 PM (#2949916) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Maryanne, I was listening to someone else talking on the same subject as Kessler, and her premise was that if you're cooking from scratch it's much more likely to be much healthier for you, whatever it is. The slow food movement and all of that. I picked a big eggplant today, and have a couple more in the garden I could have picked but will leave for another day. A friend is going to make caponeta one of these days and can it. Last batch of eggplant I gave him he didn't have time to can so he breaded and cooked slices and froze them to use for eggplant Parmesan. Even though there is oil and bread crumbs, the home grown vegetable and the sauce and cheese that will go with it are healthier than one you buy in the store, and probably healthier than one you but at the Olive Garden, etc. My kitchen is cleaned up, and there are avocados on the counter waiting to be made into guacamole. There are bananas and peaches waiting to be eaten. Veggies from the garden waiting to be sliced and frozen. And I'm making tea by the liter this time of year and trying to drink more of that than pop. It's healthier and cheaper. And I feel more virtuous brewing my own tea than buying cans for a dollar when the bag costs a nickel. :) I've almost cleaned off my computer desk, but the "need to file" pile has grown on top of my file cabinet. I walked past a faux-Chippendale desk the other day and realized that if I moved the file cabinet from beside it the beauty of the feet would really look great on that tile floor. Same with the dining table. I need to try to emphasize the beauty of the pieces that are here by thinning out the amount of stuff in the room. SRS |
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22 Jul 10 - 09:01 PM (#2950290) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Desk top is much improved. I'll file later, after the yard work. We're in the last hour of daylight, so now I'll go do some puttering in the yard. I won't necessarily accomplish a lot, but it will more than I could do during the rest of the hot day. I'll focus on the area near the garden where the compost bins are situated. It's a bit overgrown. SRS |
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23 Jul 10 - 12:53 AM (#2950392) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Brainstorm this evening. Busy here. |
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23 Jul 10 - 02:01 AM (#2950409) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage My kitchen is clean. I was rather tired when I started, thinking maybe I'd head to bed and do the dishes in the morning, but I'm so tired of summer heat and so tired of a messy house that I made myself do the dishes. It looks great, and will feel nice to walk into tomorrow morning. SRS |
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23 Jul 10 - 09:27 PM (#2951096) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage It's Friday. Kicking back this evening, but not so much that I leave a messy kitchen when I go to bed. It's wonderful to walk into a fresh and clear kitchen in the morning. I need to start sorting those playbills on the dining table, so I'll probably bring in some plastic baskets and a couple of small folding tables. First to sort by theater, then to sort by year, etc. SRS |
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23 Jul 10 - 11:16 PM (#2951129) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Brainstorm, eh?:-) About 6p this evening I felt so tired it scared me. I was flashing back, so of, to the past year when I was doing very well and was always fatigued. THEN, I thought about all that I did today and thought, "hmm...must just be tired..a good tired!" Little bit of supper, a nice cool shower and I am good to go a bit more. Answered a call at 630a from our son. He's living in a campground up in the mtns. and in moving to there from a Buddhist retreat, he lost his cat. His 20+ old female cat had to be put down recently, so the one he had left, a Russian blue, was his best friend and only companion. Everyone knows to watch for him and he's going back each day to look, but it's been almost a week. Anyway, he was very down and needed to talk to mom. We've had some real miracles with lost pets in our family, so I fully expect him to be found. y the time I got off the phone, it was time for Rog to load up the 10+lb cat and carrier and follow us to the vet, after I picked up Morgan along the way. The cat was good and is fine, it's an adventure to take a 6.5 yr old to the vet's, esp. when he wants to know about everything and his favourite word is still "why!" Then, we load up, again, reverse the process with Rog in tow to help unload. In the meantime, I've talked Morgan into stopping off at his house as his dad was off for the day, so I could come home, alone (after Rog went to work) and pay bills. This was not decided until Morgan and I agreed I'd pick him up for lunch AND bring him his paycheck for watering and weeding and extra cleaning the past two weeks. It was his payday, too, after all. When I picked him up, my son-in-law asked if I'd mind bringing him back some takeaway and paid for it (something I would have offered anyway.) However, Morgan really wanted to stay home with dad as they'd just set up a nerf game, so I dropped him and their lunches off and came home to more peace and quiet. I worked on some writing stuff, futzed/phutzed around on the computer, did some reading and picked up a few things, then stuck my feet up while lying down, got up and did a bit more and figured out I was just tired.:-) It doesn't look as though I did a lot, but to have done the cat/vet with the grandson, paid the bills, and gone out for lunch, in one day, tells me I really AM 100% better than this time last year! |
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24 Jul 10 - 10:52 AM (#2951360) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I've been out doing a little work in the yard, but after a heavy (nearly 2") rain yesterday, it's very muggy. I came in for a few minutes to listen to the radio, Scott Simon talking about his old friend Daniel Schorr. Once I send this I'll go do a little more work then come indoors, shower, and head out to get some pint jars. I bought two flats (about 10 pounds) of peaches yesterday. I thought I'd be buying 5 or 6 flats, but this was all they had! Turns out the "Canvolution" event, a big web event where people have canning parties, is this weekend. I sent a notice to folks at work but no one responded. I guess someone did, because the woman at the green grocer said a guy came in a cleaned out her peaches, but she'd forgotten these two boxes or he'd have gotten them also. I told her about the event - she was puzzled at such a rush. So, if I can find pint jars I'll be back to boil water in the house for a few hours. I decided to freeze some of my grape juice, because we found several jars of last year's mustang grape jelly that had been hidden under a case of tomato sauce. I'll make jelly next winter (I gave about the same amount to my friend Dean, who does all of the canning for competing in the State Fair. He's won several blue ribbons.) I need to arrange those shelves better. Frankly, I need less food in there, it's just me soon, so I'll arrange it so the canned goods are all in sight. SRS |
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24 Jul 10 - 02:37 PM (#2951467) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Okay. Made a little progress out there, but I'm finished with the yard until this evening. Now I have to go find my pint jars. A load of laundry will go in before I run errands. I'll make it a loop trip like usual, take my recycling over to the drop-off point, visit the post office, buy a lotto ticket (Saturday and Wednesday. I rarely even win $3, but you never know. . . ) When I get back I can hang out the laundry. It'll have to be out there longer because it is pretty humid today, but those sheets always smell best when they've dried on the line. With the rain we had for a couple of weeks I haven't hung out laundry as much as usual, but I will partly because I enjoy it and partly because I'm still trying to save money. The best way to save has been to change electric companies. I just compared - this July is $75 less than last July. Weather could be factor, we had a lot of rain, but we also had many days over 100 in a row. Mostly it's the new company and a couple of cents less per Kw hour. SRS |
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24 Jul 10 - 05:00 PM (#2951541) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Morgan inveigle his way over here, today. Only for an "hour" which wound up being about three hours. Anyway, he got boxes out of storage and helped me box up the books on the card table in the LR, then pushed those boxes over to where I wanted them. He also took a cat carrier back out to storage! All this so we could play cards on the card table.LOL The LR looks much better now. I have my old account at Biblio pending now and have the *key* required to enter my books using their ISBNs. |
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24 Jul 10 - 10:02 PM (#2951655) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Tell us more about that Biblo account? It got a lot of running around accomplished this afternoon. Didn't get back in time to hang laundry, though, so I'll put it up in the morning. They're planing Arsenic and Old Lace on my local PBS station. :) SRS |
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25 Jul 10 - 12:11 AM (#2951687) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing It's a "bookseller/bookstore" account I opened there a few years ago, but never got it going as I didn't get my inventory all listed. (It doesn't cost anything to open.) They marked it as inactive, so I had to contact them to let them know I would like to reopen. It will take me some time to get books listed and I don't know just how I am going to organise them all, as I list them, so they are easily accessed when I get an order, but it is something I want to try, at least. |
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25 Jul 10 - 03:11 AM (#2951716) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage It's 2am my time, and until about 30 minutes ago I was up late finishing canning the first flat of peaches (7 pints). As I finished peeling and slicing the last few jars, a smell reached me that wasn't from something burning on the stove, it was the hot acrid scent of skunk. On dogs. At least this time they had the sense to leave the darned thing alone once it nailed them. And it barely got Poppy - she hung back this time, and the pit wasn't too bad. The last time the pit bull killed it, and I really struggled to get the stink off of them, my eyes burning the whole time. I had Nature's Miracle handy this time, and you put it on the dogs before you get any water near them. They already smell almost normal. And you typically only have to treat the front end of the dog, the face, chest, feet. They had headed into the garage so I spritzed the stuff on the floor in there. And locked them out of the garage for now so they can just sleep in the yard and let the enzymes soak on the concrete floor. I have another flat of peaches in the fridge, but I'll get up and do those tomorrow morning. I opted not to try to go back and forth between cooking and de-skunking dogs. SRS |
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25 Jul 10 - 12:58 PM (#2951900) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage I have revised my estimate on who got more skunk. This morning it was Poppy who still had the hot skunk smell on her nose. I'm still treating them with the Nature's Miracle, they haven't had any baths yet. Later on today, though. I'm going to go by the Office Depot near here and get one of those old fashioned bottle sponge applicators so I can roll it on rather than pour and spread. They were funny last night, so sheepish and acting like they must be in trouble. I rolled them over a few times, got the enzyme on their coats, and finally had to let them do a few tricks for treats so they'd know they're good girls. Every so often you just have to chase a skunk out of the yard; this is a challenge too great to be ignored. I understand this. Today I'm waiting for a call from my peach guru. Last night's work yielded seven very pretty pint jars, but I need to refine my method. I kept the kitchen pretty clean as I worked, with a pan full of hot soapy water in one side of the double sink and a pan of hot clean rinse water in the other side of the sink. A quick swish in and out and set to dry in the dishwasher kept the counters clear for working. With skunk smell extant in the yard I abandoned my plan to hang out laundry this morning. At least they let it get away. I have to go get them new collars. Their existing leather collars now smell like skunk. SRS |
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25 Jul 10 - 06:27 PM (#2952103) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Liz the Squeak More of the same for me... although I did declutter the wallet of more money for some fabric I couldn't resist - but it is a commission for someone so that's going to come back to me... It's got berries, citrus and pears on it, shades of red, green and yellow so it's going to make a table warmer called 'summer pudding' after the famous English dessert. Child has dyed her hair purple. Really purple! I lost a chunk of tooth yesterday evening and still haven't done any of the sewing I was supposed to. On the good side, I have only 17 more blocks to do before the green and yellow commissioned quilt is ready for piecing. I wish it would just bloody well drop the thunderstorm that's in the air, and get it over and done with... far too hot and clammy tonight. Perhaps we should rename this thread 'whingefest'.... Night all. LTS |
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25 Jul 10 - 07:51 PM (#2952139) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing I'll take your thunderstorm and send you some dry, high desert heat, LtS, though it may not invigorate any more than hot and muggy.:-) This morning, whilst it was coolish, my Rog switched tables for me, narrower-across-library cum dining table for a broader one for me to use as my desk in the dining room. So the narrower one is now draped with my birthday present real oilcloth and set up for our eating and Rog's computing, next to his PC workstation. I have been having terrible pains in my shoulders, down my arms and in my right wrist ever since switching to a lower chair which alleviated lower leg, ankle and foot pain (bad enough to make walking a pain!) In doing so, I got the upper bod screaming and protesting. By switching to the bigger table, I now have a pull-out drawer with a thin board I can put across it for my keyboard and track ball, so I *think* my shoulders etc. will be much happier as I am not having to reach up and forward to type and move the cursor. We also went to the lumberyard and had a thin piece of pressboard cut to fit the drawer as its bottom had given out years ago and we haven't needed to use it until now. So, I gained a drawer and a more ergonomical set-up. That has always been so important to me. It may take me a while to figure out what needs to be done, but I am looking forward to lessened pain now. It's really been bad. Rog also did the litter boxes and swept while I scrubbed both tables, then put my desk stuff back on the table. I was able to turn my HD sideways on the adjacent wooded typing stand, so I will have easier access to my printer which sits on top, too, plus there's jsut more space. I also did some other housework, laundry, picking up, etc. and we did the grocery shopping yesterday, so I got in a good bit of exercise the past two days. kat |
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26 Jul 10 - 11:52 AM (#2952517) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Kat, I understand about how important a good ergonomic position is. I go through this every time my glasses Rx needs to be change. My computer glasses are the result of a painfully stiff neck from sitting incorrectly in front of the computer. The USPS was quite swift and the package has been delivered. It seemed that Michelle's thread in which she went through all of the diagnosis, surgery, recovery, and chemo steps had reached a point where it was a story that needed to be collected so she could refer back to it. It was sent from all of us for obvious reasons - we all participated, since it was a spinoff of the de-clutter and accountability discussions. (Pretty amazing, isn't it: we start out discussing housework and end up curing cancer!) I canned this weekend - not heavy duty, by any means, but this was my first time canning peaches as an adult (I helped my mom with this work when I was a kid). I have 14 pint jars of beautiful peach slices. I'll pick up some more fruit this week and do another batch. Hopefully without the dog/skunk interaction this time. SRS |
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27 Jul 10 - 01:00 AM (#2952953) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Oops. I put my last de-clutter update in Michelle's thread. But it isn't like that hasn't happened across these platforms. My son goes to a day-long first aid class tomorrow. I decided that was the best way to be sure he has some self-preservation smarts when he goes off to college. They'll train him how to recognize some health problems and how to respond in emergencies. SRS |
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27 Jul 10 - 03:40 AM (#2952984) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine I'm getting ready for some major (expensive) work on the house. Yesterday I noticed I didn't have any hot water (it was only lukewarm), so I called the plumber. He came out today & said the switch has worn out, and the whole water heater should be replaced. That will have to wait a while, but I can still fire it up by turning the dial up. I just need to plan ahead. At the same time, I had him give me an estimate on cleaning out the drain that's nearest the furnace. It's too clogged to let the water from the humidifier drain out, so I couldn't use it last winter. They'll be here on Thursday to start on that. We've had a bit of a break in the hot/humid weather, so I cut the front & side grass. Lots & lots of crabgrass this year. I wish there was some use for the stuff. I could get rich. Also washed the kitchen floor. Scanned a bunch of old photographs & posted them on my cousin's family tree. Maryanne |
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27 Jul 10 - 11:16 AM (#2953194) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: LilyFestre Whew. The yard sale for this year is over. Tonight I have to go pick up what's left and decide what to do with it. Funny how having a yard sale makes me want to sort out more stuff to get rid of. Yesterday I sorted out a good deal of the bathroom closet. I have a closet with shelves that I had loaded up with tubs of bathroom stuff. It was not organized and I couldn't tell when we were running low on different items without digging or worse...having to dig around when I needed something in a hurry. So...I purchased several clear shoeboxes (on sale now for the college kids) and sorted things out, labeling each box so we can find things easily. Makeup. Hair accessories. Deodorant. Razors. Manicure/Pedicure stuff. Toothpaste. Soap. Hand Soap. You get the idea. I also purchased a shoe organizer, the kind with pockets that hangs over the door. I hung this on the closet door, facing the inside of the closet and it is now full of bottles of hair spray, gel, mousse, shampoo and conditioner. The pockets are see through so it makes it a snap to find what I'm looking for. And right now, I don't need all those hair care products clogging up shelves or the medicine cabinet anyway! I still have some sorting to do and hopefully I'll get to that today. I already did a giant load of dishes and have the laundry started. Chicken is thawing for dinner, the baby is napping and I'm about to put some laundry away. Pete went back to work today after a 3 day weekend....had to have his car repaired yesterday. I always feel kind of a let down after having him home for a longer period of time. I love when he's home with us! Ok. Back to work for me. I have a yoga class tonight too...YAY! Have a great day everybody! Michelle |
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27 Jul 10 - 11:56 AM (#2953220) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Maryanne, those plumber visits can be horribly expensive. I had one place tell me last winter that when my heater was fluctuating all over temperature-wise my best move was to replace the hot water tank. I got a couple of opinions and the guy who actually did the work simply replaced a thermostat in the hot water heater. I am seriously considering making the switch to an on-demand (tankless) hot water system next time I have to replace a heater. There are simply so many reasons why keeping 50 gallons of water always hot in a closet isn't the best way to go. And this time of year, I have to cool the house around the closet with 50 gallons of hot water. :-/ Here's a U.S. Dept. of Energy sites about them. I stayed with a friend last winter who had a system and was astonished at how well it worked. Son wasn't thrilled about going to class today, but he went. He's big, he could simply put his foot down and say "no." But he didn't, and I'm glad. Plus, having taken this class he'll have a good certification to list on any job applications he'll submit, and sometimes these classes can make the difference in getting jobs, especially the types of summer jobs that are open to college students. We have several days of rain coming, to be followed by extreme heat. Joy (not). More mowing the lawn in really hot weather. SRS |
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27 Jul 10 - 10:44 PM (#2953581) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Qi gong this morning followed by taking M to swim class, stopping at an organic veggie/fruit stand which didn't have tomatoes, yet, so on to the other one, then to buy envelopes, then home for lunch and an afternoon out of the heat, playing canasta, uno, and Chinese checkers as well as spaying him with the garden hose...he loves that so much! Can't remember if I said we sent out several books on the weekend and I have another going out tomorrow. |
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28 Jul 10 - 02:42 PM (#2953937) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage When I was a kid running through the sprinkler was about as low-tech and high pleasure as we could manage. My kids used to play with a wading pool and sprinklers. It's truly one of life's simple pleasures. (My pit bull also loves rolling in the sprinkler - this is a pleasure that spans species!) My fruit stand didn't have any more boxes of peaches. I'll have to try again another day, and early in the morning. They taste wonderful, so I bought a few of the loose ones (at a much higher price, so there's no point in buying them at that price for canning.) Also found huge ripe mangoes for $1.29 each. SRS |
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28 Jul 10 - 08:00 PM (#2954137) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Feeling lethargic today, but I must motivate myself to go out and mow. We've had heavy rains two days in a row, so of course the lawn is galloping into a growth spurt. In the house we've had another small flood - the air conditioning isn't draining properly. After a rain when it's so humid this thing can't drain fast enough. I'll add more Clorox to the condensation pan and see if that helps. Otherwise I'm afraid a plumber will have to come take the line off and blow or snake it out. I think if I take off the front panel I can reach that pan better, and maybe squirt some bleach down the line. SRS |
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28 Jul 10 - 10:21 PM (#2954209) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine Thanks for the info about the water heater, Maggie. I'll follow up. But, I put aside all thoughts of plumbing problems yesterday, and ran off on a mad-cap adventure. A friend called me Tuesday morning and asked if I wanted to go to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ontario. Of course, I said "you bet". She and her friend had planned this trip, but her friend fell ill and couldn't go. Everything was arranged (and non-refundable), so I was happy to go. She said all I had to do was drive the car over the international bridges, which is okay with me. We saw "Jaques Brel..." and (wait for it) Christopher Plummer in "The Tempest". He was tremendous, and even at 80, he carried the whole performance. I've had a huge crush on him since I was a teenager, so I was thrilled. Now back to reality. Maryanne |
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29 Jul 10 - 12:09 AM (#2954237) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Plummer did a wonderful interview on the Diane Rehm show a couple of years ago. It was wonderful. Here's a link to the show, from Nov. 18, 2008. SRS |
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29 Jul 10 - 08:59 AM (#2954419) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Catherine Jayne I joined slimming world body optimise to drop this final stone in weight. I've already lost 5 and a half stone but need some sort of a boost to kick the last bit. I'm now on week 2. I lost 3 lbs last week so I'm off to a good start! The digging of foundations is well underway in the back garden for the extention to the house. Got a long list of exercise classes for the rest of the week and next week that I'm signed up for. Looking for a new mattress for the bed in the spare room. 2 and a half months before all the family descend from around the country so need to get the house all sorted. Hopefully our bedroom will be decorated too...the walls were stripped over the new year break but we have been so busy with other projects we just haven't got round to finishing it off. |
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29 Jul 10 - 10:30 AM (#2954468) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Catherine, you do have your hands full. Congratulations on the continued weight loss! I got out for a nice walk with the dogs last night. I have a set of pages a friend sent that is his stretching routine. First time I worked through it I realized it is primarily for the back. I am going to get some of my exercise tapes and put them back in the bedroom (I moved the former living room television and a VCR in there a few weeks ago.) I need to simply work on the stretching part and not get into the exercise part for a week or two, just to limber up. I'm still being careful, because it hasn't been a month since I'm off of the Cipro. The enormity of my son's move in mid-August is beginning to weigh down on me. He's putting a lot of stuff till the last minute. I'll point out today that if he doesn't get this new computer built he's going to have to take his old Dell. Maybe that will inspire him to get started buying the parts and building the thing. SRS |
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29 Jul 10 - 12:06 PM (#2954522) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Checking bank account online today - there was a lump sum deposited by the office that handles child support. All summer I've been waiting for this other shoe to drop. This seems to be it. It gives me a little boost here at the end, but now I'm in the deep end of the pool all by myself. SRS |
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29 Jul 10 - 07:00 PM (#2954791) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Bright idea afternoon, here. I have been looking at the readings on my computer to see why it has slowed down so much some times of the day. I've found part of the problem, and I've found a few things that aren't working correctly. I have an external hard drive that I can't see the contents, and keep meaning to diagnose. Turns out Win7 isn't compatible. So I'll move it over to my other workspace in this office, where my office laptop is located, and use it there. This one has an extra USB plug (so I can connect a device to the disk drive and the computer sees it in a kind of daisy chain fashion). I've paid a couple of bills (nice!) and am following my own advice that I sent to Maryanne, looking into the costs of on-demand water heaters. Last year I had higher bills because a couple of things weren't working - my side-by-side fridge was keeping the freezer way too cold, and that is fixed. My hot water heater was keeping the water way too hot, and that is fixed. But I've been thinking about the on-demand system for a while and wonder if it isn't worth while making the change before the hot water tank bursts. Again. It's out of warranty, it could be any day now. :-/ I looked at the Energy Guide yellow sheet on my hot water tank. Looks like I average about $559 a year paying for hot water - probably higher if you take my son's hour-long showers into account, though there are only 2 of us in the house. Depending on how many devices you have going at once, you can put tankless water heaters in one in a central place for a smaller house, or you can put one near each major hot water faucet in a more spread out place. Or you can put them in multiples, like putting two parallel heaters one place for the house, in so they're working together. I have electric only, so that would be a better bet here. Looks like those heaters meant for this climate cost about $500 each, and then there's installation. I think I've just answered one of my first thoughts - it looks like a job to do after the hot water tank finally dies. :) SRS |
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29 Jul 10 - 10:03 PM (#2954898) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: maire-aine I got the Stratford pix on FB , so you can check 'em out if you wish. The plumbers aren't coming until Tuesday; yesterday's job took longer & I wasn't available Friday or Monday. Maryanne |
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30 Jul 10 - 10:12 AM (#2955134) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Beautiful photos, Maryanne! It reminds me that I haven't taken my camera with me the last few times I visited the nearby historic little town with all of the Victorian houses and the old limestone courthouse square (Granbury, TX) It's the end of the month. Let's see if each of us can make a push on Saturday to give ourselves a good start into Autumn. Here in Texas it won't feel like autumn until about October, the only visible sign will be the shorter amount of daylight, but in the Northwest I remember that August was a really transitional month, that summer activities started wrapping up, preparations for fall and winter were underway. Storm windows up, patio furniture put away, the garden was about over (we're getting ready for the second crop here.) I got some good work done in my office last night. There are fewer papers laying around. Some were filed, or put into notebooks or subject folders, others were shredded or put in recycling. And I like putting that orphan hard drive back to work. SRS |
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30 Jul 10 - 10:59 AM (#2955165) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing No Morgan, today, so I am getting ready to get some real work done around here; picking up after his week of playing here, soaking some dishes, clearing my desk and getting my mss. ready to mail out, plus go to the post office to mail off a book or two. Of course, he will probably call about lunchtime and ask if he can come over after having grown bored of being at home with "dad.":-) |
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30 Jul 10 - 11:21 AM (#2955179) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Grandma is always more exciting! She lets him run the vacuum and rearrange furniture! Kat, have you used that Librarything.com site? I think someone from Mudcat mentioned it a while back. I stumbled upon it and am thinking about using it, since I never did update the software I was thinking about using for organizing my books. SRS |
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30 Jul 10 - 02:12 PM (#2955282) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing LOL...I think he's grown bored of the vacuuming, for now.:-) I do use librarything, when I remember to. I like to keep track of what I've read, esp. now that I don't hang to books like I used to...I have a shortcut on my desktop, but still keep forgetting to go there. I used to be able to get a print out from the used bookstore where I buy books, sometimes, of all the books I have bought there. It made it easy to keep track of what I've read (so much fiction, I forget, esp. as I read for pleasure more than anything), but the new owners no longer allow/provide that, though their system does catch it if I try to buy one I've already purchased before.
So, I do need to use librarything more as it is the only record I have of what I've read. It is very easy to use and can be kept completely private, plus I have never received any email from them except a "welcome to." I have not explored the whole site, there's quite a bit available, but for now, it is a great thing for me.
This week, each morning which has started out with my exercising and/or getting out of the house and being active, not just sitting and watching Morgan swim, I have noticed much more energy throughout the day, than I've been used to. My brain was still back in the "look at all you've done this morning, must rest" mode. Getting past that psychological speed bump (sleeping policeman)has been tough, but I think I've made a break-through this week. Instead of staying in this morning and just doing a bit of housework, I left for the post office, then the grocery store, all by myself, plus another stop at the drug store. I then came home and still had so much energy, I carried the groceries in, washed and prepared the veggies and fruit I bought, plus cleaned off the kitchen counter and put the dishes in to soak. I also emptied all of the dregs of lotion, into one bottle so that's clutter gone from the bathroom, plus I scrubbed the commode. |
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30 Jul 10 - 04:42 PM (#2955364) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage That's good, Kat! Wonderful discoveries like this lead to more success, so soon I expect you'll be out there swimming laps while Morgan plays. :) I've pulled the lemon balm that ran wild outside my back door. It's nice to again see the bricks I laid down several years ago. I need to do more of that work, there's a stack of bricks on the porch waiting to extend that hidden part of the patio. I'll use the string trimmer to clear the rest of the grass off of the surface, and then use vinegar to keep the grass from growing back. Spray the green shoots enough and the roots finally run out of energy and it dies. I'm tossing the plants and the dirt (and seeds) I swept up on the part of the yard above the creek. It helps to have good ground cover back there to prevent erosion. Lemon balm can grow wild and help hold down the bank. SRS |
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31 Jul 10 - 03:03 AM (#2955558) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: ragdall July is almost over and looking back at my July 4th post, I can see that while many of you have made great progress toward achieving your goals, my good intentions this month added paving stones to the road to a very warm place. I've spent a little time on a ladder picking ripe Saskatoon berries from the tall bushes in my yard and freezing them. Have done a little sewing and a lot of child minding, but the clutter hasn't been noticeably reduced yet. I did manage to recycle three small boxes of obsolete computer manuals and teaching guides and to take a small box of miscellaneous items to a thrift store when I was getting the "guest room" ready. My son got a contract for September to teach in a village two hours away from here. They found a house there and moved about two weeks ago. That meant that children were dropped off on a number of occasions for me to keep occupied while Mom and Dad packed so I couldn't very well work on a declutter project, could I? Their move prompted me to clean out my "guest room", (aka temporarily relocate items stored there), so the five of them could use it while engaged in the long process of moving during which time they were neither here nor there and had no beds to sleep on at either house. I also would like to give them a "home base" for times when they want to come into town and not have to drive all the way back home again that night. After deciding I must make removable, washable covers for the comforters and duvets that the family will use when the weather gets colder, I did a sweep through several thrift stores, looking for attractive sheets in good condition. I have two twin bed sized "duvet covers" pinned, ready to sew. I'll need to find two more sheets to make the third cover. I would have had enough sheets, but I fell in love with a sheet covered in small yellow roses and diverted it and it's mate to cover the foam mattress I use to sleep on the floor when the back pain is too bad to sleep on the more flexible bed. While I was looking for sheets I found two queen sized duvet covers in excellent condition, so the parents' bed will be well covered without me having to sew anything for it. I've set aside two medium sized boxes of "inflatable items" such as beach balls, air mattresses, and tire inner tubes which were used by my son and his brothers many years ago. They all appear to still be usable. I think that someone who just bought a house, about a kilometre from a huge lake, should have them. I'll make sure that the boxes are loaded into our vehicle when we go to view the "new house". The past couple of days, I've been losing sleep, trying to select photos to get printed, mounted and entered in the photography contest at out local Fall Fair (Aug. 11- 15). I'm entering as many categories as I can, so I'm hopeful that I'll be awarded a ribbon for one of them. Maybe next month I'll have time to declutter? rags |
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31 Jul 10 - 11:57 AM (#2955735) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Sounds to me as if you've managed to do a whole lot amongst child-minding, etc! My house looks more cluttered than it did at the beginning of the month, but the piles are "works in progress" as I have definite plans for most, it's just finding the time to work my plans.:-) With my grandson here everyday, it's been a challenge. I keep thinking come Sept., when he starts first grade, then I'll have more time, but will also lose a little Helper.:-) Give yourself a pat on the back Rags...helping with children moving, fixing up a spare room, dealing with an aching back, carting off even small batches of things, stitching up beautiful, thoughtful duvets, etc. ALL count. I've learned we have to give ourselves credit for even what may seem to be the "small" things as they all add up. Ya did good, from the sounds of it! |
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31 Jul 10 - 01:00 PM (#2955766) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage That's a good idea about the duvet covers - used sheets. I'll have to look into that. I have a couple of down comforters that could use them. These threads are a sorting out of daily activities, and de-cluttering is part of it, but not all. It gets commingled. I finished mowing the yard last night. Did the front the night before. It's supposed to get really hot here this week, so maybe the grass will slow (though we had so much rain, I can't say for sure that will happen). I have to weed the front bed and get it planted. I should do that this evening. I'm still trying to do most of my outdoor work when the sun isn't so bright. Now it's just common sense stay out of the heat and sun, not just the Cipro reaction. Today I should work on sorting those programs. It would be nice to hand those over to the Special Collections folks before I leave for Arizona. (Before I leave I also have to sort out who will feed the dogs and water the yard. Oy.) SRS |
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31 Jul 10 - 03:26 PM (#2955833) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Alice I became inspired to go back to my degree in art, the work I love, and started painting again. I had a small commission to finish and ship soon to a person who had found my aliceflynn.com web site and emailed a request for a small painting... her name is also Alice Flynn - how weird is that! She was googling and came across my site and emailed me for a painting to give to her husband for his birthday. It has reopened the door for me to paint again. I've been able to support myself with graphic design in the past, but fine art was always a money pit, more expensive to pursue without a profit, since shipping, framing, gallery %, etc. are high when you live in isolated Montana. So... yes, I've de-cluttered lately, cleaning up my drafting table and the area around it, and have been inspired to start doing small paintings that can be finished in a day. The Letterpress Prints project is still going, but here is a link to the painting blog I started today: http://aliceflynn.wordpress.com/ Alice (anticipating a forecast destructive hail storm heading our way again today) |
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31 Jul 10 - 10:40 PM (#2955975) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Good work, Alice! I'm thinking about a second job - possibly some online work - just to speed up the process of settling a few bills. I don't have any decluttering to report. I did some tedious running around, mostly shopping. I'm getting ready to send a kid away to college, so I picked up plastic bins to pack (Home Depot, Lowes, and various other stores are ready). I also bought myself a nice hat with a good brim and a scarf that can shield the neck. This was at Academy. It was 103 here today, and the next week is supposed to be about the same. I'm going to sort playbills and fold laundry for the rest of the evening. And get that new thread started in the morning. SRS |
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31 Jul 10 - 11:49 PM (#2955983) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: katlaughing Beautiful, Alice and congratulations! I did my qi gong, tonight. Hope to be better about doing it more often now. Did some laundry and small bits of decluttering, in picking up stuff. We did buy a small plastic drawer, rather than bin, to sit on top of the kitchen counter. We had a copper tray there holding a jumble of stuff...flashlight, gardening gloves, this and that. I decided this morning a bin to put it in would make it look less cluttered. It did, sort of, but what I really want are cleaned out shelves below the counter and/or more kitchen cabinets (but not really because I want to pare it down to where we do not need more cabinets, just smarter use with less of what we already have.) We have had a full evening of rain and it is still gently falling. It sounds so beautiful and smells divine after the many days of way-too-hot weather. SRS, you have my sympathy.:-) kat |
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01 Aug 10 - 02:55 AM (#2956004) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Pete and Re-Pete here. Last Saturday I stopped canning half-way through because I needed to de-skunk the dogs. Tonight, I was sorting the playbills, but I stopped when I smelled it and realized they'd killed another Saturday night by killing what was probably the sibling of last week's skunk visitor. Poppy got it, Cinnamon stayed out of the way. She's only going to pick up stink because she keeps comforting Poppy. Who got it full in the side of the face. Grrrrrr. SRS |
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01 Aug 10 - 04:44 AM (#2956021) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: ragdall Alice, Your painting is amazing! I love the style, you're very talented. SRS, Are the dogs all de-skunked? What a nuisance! Eventually the dogs should run out of skunks? Were you able to get back to your sorting? How do you survive in 103, do you have air conditioning? We don't get much done in the heat of the day here and it's much cooler than there. I remember taking my boys off to college. It's a big job and can be hard to let them go. Will your son be near enough to come home on long weekends? Kat, Thanks for the encouragement. After reading SRS's post, I remembered that I also weeded two flowerbeds and started on the third but got distracted partway through so it looks very strange with one nice clean patch and the rest overgrown. Part of my problem with outdoor work and other chores is that I often have trouble making myself leave my house. Today I had to go to the medical lab before they closed at 1 pm, so that got me out. After that I ran around town for several hours, researching materials for various projects I'd like to accomplish in August. I bought the lumber to build an overhead ladder as a "housewarming gift" for the grandchildren. Tonight I managed to saw all the pieces to the right lengths and cut the notches in the pieces that will fit together. Hopefully tomorrow I can drill the 22 holes for the dowelling, fit it all together and get one coat of paint on it. I'm hoping that I will be able to find enough paint in my supply cupboard to do the job. I wanted to use several bright colours on it, but the smallest cans of paint were about $20 each. I'm going to see if I can still buy tubes of oil paint at the dollar store and experiment with using those to colour small amounts of my white "marine enamel". After I quit working with my saw, I mowed my front lawn. I started on the back lawn, but the dew was getting heavy as the sun was long down. It made the grass clog the mower so I had to quit. Then I came inside and vacuumed. I suspect that I will pay for all the exercise tomorrow. rags |
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01 Aug 10 - 11:56 AM (#2956146) Subject: RE: July-2010-DeClutter & Exercise Accountability From: Stilly River Sage Here's the new thread. I've tried creating my own tag, so it's one that will have to be moved below the line before a hard-core folkie has a fit. :) |