Hi CriticalMass
Looking forward to seeing your dolls posing with the posies. ;)

It's always good to be able to sit back at the end of the day and know that we have gotten some things done that day.
Even if it's just a list of tiny little things, it all counts.

WAY TO GO! Breaking in the new loppers!


I got my mending done and am going to start my pedicure at 3pm.
Have a list of five main things I wanted to do today and it feels so good to draw a line through the done ones.
Also ate a large bowl of my soup so I have eaten properly so far today.

Taking a break - I'd gone out to pick up sticks and weeds because I'll be gathering the trash tomorrow for Friday pickup. I was only going to put the existing cut sticks in bags, but then I got ambitious and started trimming branches with my new loppers.

So now I guess that's my big project for today. It was going to be sewing on several pairs of shorts a friend gave me - putting in drawstrings and extending the puny "ladies'" size pockets so they will actually hold my stuff!

It's okay, though, as long as I'm getting something from my list done, and I am. My roommate really appreciates it.

I've been taking lots of pictures of our pretty new flowers and at some point will get them on Instagram. Discovered my new phone has a "square" format setting with the camera - that will save time when I'm taking a picture with IG in mind, and result in better compositions than cropping afterward.

Some of my dolls want to be part of the pictures too. ;)

I like to tweak cakes and other dishes. I'm not a foodie, in fact I'm a picky, but still it's fun to have variety within my rather narrow parameters.

Thought it was going to be more sunny today but it's overcast. Rain tomorrow then sun for several days.

Called my psych doctor to make an appointment and was told they will be phasing out Zoom appointments but I got a choice so I chose Zoom. Hoping I will get to wait 3 months before the next one, instead of 1 which is unusual. I guess it was because of Covid and because I'm decreasing a medication - I'm happy to be doing the latter so whatever hoop, I'll jump through it.

Guess that's all for now. I feel like I'm getting some things accomplished. Always want to do more but am happy to be doing something rather than feeling draggy and NOT doing anything!

Hello Everybody
Just noon here now

Hi CriticalMass
What a lovely long post filling us in on all your goings ons. :D

WAY TO GO!!!
You did get a lot of miscellaneous but important things done!

Wishing you all kinds of perseverance in clearing off your bed. (((HUG)))


Hi Subclinical
Yes, sad to say your facts and figures are correct concerning achieving herd immunity.

LOL :D YEA! for seeing your buzzcut Boy's grown out hair!! :D
I haven't seen Nate's for about 20 years now.

WTG! for evaluations, weeds and general tidying up around the place!

Very happy you and Dh took that relaxing country drive on a lovely evening. (((HUG)))

I understand your feelings about the evaluations, having to judge people and critique their performances.

I learned cooking/baking from Granma, a woman who didn't use many written down recipes and measured ingredients by eye.
She would often add what she wanted or had on hand to things.
Her mince meat recipe is an insane amount of things to add if you happen to have gathered and saved them over the months. LOL :D


Hi Tatoulia
The cake is delicious and all the dates make it very moist and sweet.

Wishing you all the best figuring out what you are doing at work and that you have an Ace team to help get you through it!

YEA! for Cleaning Fairies!

You have decluttered so much, remember that.
Yes, like pealing an onion layer by layer the decluttering goes on until we get it to just the right amount. (((HUG)))


Got up and got busy doing chores before it got hot.
Vacuumed the carpet and the coils under the fridge and the cat perch/scratch posts.
Swept floors and scooped litter boxes.
Took out the trash & brought in the mail.
Fed 3 cats canned cat food.
Now I want to do some mending and do a pedicure. Then later shower & shampoo once the day starts to cool off.
Might do some laundry this evening and hang it out over night.

Quick good morning. Thank you for the encouragement, SubC.

My cleaners will be here in a few minutes. I own too much stuff. I need to reduce my stuff. I'm still overgrown here.

Going to be hot today. Have a bunch of stuff before my meeting. I'm nervous and ill-prepared.

I think (I hope) the people who are pushing "herd immunity" don't understand the concept. So far about half of one percent of the US population has been infected. Say we are missing cases by a factor of ten - that would be a 5% infection rate. Say we actually reach herd immunity around 60% (A low estimate) - 12x as many people will need to be infected. If the death rate holds steady, that means over a million Americans die.

Nice job with your planting and vacuuming and pictures CM! I am rooting for you to find your bed soon.

Tatoulia, good luck with your project today. I hope it goes well.

Tillie, people who can just make up cakes impress me. My ds used to make cakes. One year he just decided he was going to learn to make cakes and he started deconstructing recipes and investigating ingredients and replacing things and he got really good! One of his friends invited him to his birthday party and asked "and for my gift, will you make the cake?"

He sent me a picture last night. Talk about hair! My buzz cut boy has sideswept bangs! Apparently his hair grows really fast. It will be good to see him tomorrow.

Yesterday Dh and I did yoga. I pulled some weeds - the garden is almost not awful, and I did my minimum number of evaluations for the day. I also ran the dishwasher and took out the compost. It was a gorgeous evening, so Dh and I took a drive out to the apple orchard - the apple orchard is closed, it's just a nice drive. I think about a third of the farmers have corn coming up. Most of it isn't planted yet because it's been so wet. The tallest we saw was maybe 6".

Dh picked up groceries again yesterday. He ordered me a lot of nice fruit!

More evaluations today. How I hate them.

Hi Tillie! *wave*
And Tatoulia and SubC!

I'm on my laptop. It's getting so annoying to type on touchscreens, I make so many typos. But the laptop still needs some tweaking, as it tends to freeze. Someday I'll get it looked at. Right now I just can only do so much and then it balks. And I have to shut it down, so then I hate to reboot it until I'm going to have enough time to make doing so worth my while. It's all a big Catch-22.

Tatoulia, so sorry about the loss of your friend's sister. And for your family member and friend's dad, SubC.

I haven't actually checked where KS is re the reopening. There was some kerfluffle with the governor the other day changing her mind about how to proceed, and I didn't follow up. I already know I'm going to want to continue to take precautions, and am going to be observing what other people do and not hanging around those doing stupid things.

I was six during the Hong Kong Flu, remember it being mentioned though nobody my family knew got it. I do believe those of us who've ever had one of the really bad influenzas remember the experience vividly, as I do my bout with Beijing in '93. Which is why I stay away from people who reduce Covid-19 to an abstraction.

Won't say much about the "herd immunity" concept or the protestors, as I'm trying to keep my cussing in check these days, LOL. Don't get CM started! :P

Never thought I'd say I'm fortunate to be a poor churchmouse on Social Security Disability, but I'm glad I have more options about where and when I go. My roommate and I have gone a few places, cautiously, doing social distancing and wearing our masks.

Yesterday we went by Braum's which is an ice cream burger joint that has a small grocery area. I just wanted some of their non-hormone butter. And it was lunchtime, so seeing one could order takeout at the counter, we thought okay. But then they put it on a tray. I was surprised, though I had wondered why the tables were not roped off although no one was sitting down right at that time.. Asked for our food to go. The gal seemed slightly nonplussed.

I bought two Sudoku books at the Dollar Tree when the lockdown was first starting. I do Sudoku in the bathroom. Crossword puzzles stump me; I'm not up on all the cultural references. But I can call out answers when I occasionally watch "Jeopardy" all right. Used to amaze my mom. Their clues tend to contain more hints than crossword clues do.

Yesterday I got my bedding plants planted. Two shades of pink geranium in one pot, vincas, rose moss, petunias, and ageratum. We've had a rainy spell that is breaking up over the next couple days. It was a really nice evening for the dog walk.

Today I did the vacuuming since my roommate still can't lift >10 lbs. for another couple of weeks. I realized I'd meant to clean off the ceiling fan in the kitchen. I've been keeping a to-do list of these random chores and gotten some of them done.

Also took that one painting that my friend had had out of the frame I didn't want it to be in. She has a new boyfriend and is going to be moving to where he lives next year, and I doubt she'll ever have a moment to wonder about the painting. Even if she does, I'll explain my aesthetic regarding frames with my artwork, how I prefer gallery mount, etc.

I bundled the frame, mat, and glass so I can paint a watercolor-ish picture (using thinned fluid acrylics) of a bunny in some grass and flowers. Then it can be auctioned online, or later on in person depending on the quarantine situation, to benefit the bunny club.

It felt good to check even those small items off the list.

My bedroom remains a disaster, unfortunately. The other night when I posted was after a day when I'd had a nap and caffeinated tea. I ended up staying awake till 5:00 a.m. before coming in to sleep on the living room sofa, just to get away from my bed that (sadly to say) has STUFF in it again. I so wanted that not to happen after the last time I got it cleared. :(

Last night, the girl kitty came flying in to escape boy kitty's pestering, and was walking around and I thought she was going to come up to lie on the bed with me. But she wasn't sure, and then she started to sit on some books that I knew were stacked precariously. More mess, sigh.

Well, it is what it is, and I do intend to fix it, it will just take time. Some of these household and garden things just need to be done, in the run-up till the radioactive iodine treatment for roommate. Some are one-time tasks, others repeats. When I do get the bed cleared again, we will have to have a celebration here. I know I'll feel terrific!

Green iced tea clinks!

Fun to hear about everyone's hair. This time is perfect for me to see what's really going on with my hair. Also, since I haven't been using a blow dryer, my hair is just so soft right now.

Tillie your cake sounds delicious!

Today I had a good day at work. I worked hard. I'm not exactly where I want to be on the papers and I have a big project to lead tomorrow that is confusing to be and far beyond any comfort zone I've ever had. I finally looked at what it is I'm supposed to be doing but I still don't understand. I'm hoping my team will be much smarter than I am.

Ok I'm going to do a few things. Hope everyone is hanging in there.

SubC what is going on in the courts is terrible. I don't know when or how they are going to be able to accommodate jurors. Maybe do the selection on line? This way only the 12 plus alternates need appear in court? Hard to imagine how costly this will be. But of course, the true cost is the time for people awaiting trial.

Good Afternoon Everyone

HI CRITICALMASS :D


Since I had such a good time yesterday using up random ingredients making the soup
Today I decided to use up the other random ingredients.
I made a cake.
Had 2 over ripe bananas I'd put in the freezer so decided to make the banana cake recipe.
But I added a LOT of diced up dates and some dried cranberries that I'd added some lemon zest to and let marinade a while.
Chopped up a whole bunch of pecans.
Added some cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and a touch of clove.
Have lightly dusted the top with powdered sugar.
It weighs a ton and smells heavenly.
Plan to cut it up into small squares, wrap and freeze.
Figured it would be a healthier snack whenever I really need a snack than something else.

Good Morning Everyone

Dark brown with white at the temples is a good look. :)

Your poor Friend, my sympathies go out to her. (((HUG)))

Good luck getting through your evaluations.

In 1968 at the age of 14 I had the Hong Kong flu and almost died.
My friends said I looked like a Holocausts survivor.
One big reason I really do not want this new virus.


Woke up at 4am but managed to eventually get back to sleep.
The rest of this week the temps are to be upper 90s.
Planning to just putter around inside today.

My hair is dark brown with almost white at the temples. I like it.

I was reading about the influenza pandemic of 68 that killed 100, 000 Americans. I asked my mom about it because I was a baby. She said "what?" "Where was that?" "I have no idea. I was just worried that they were going to send your Dad to Vietnam."

My friend's child is still in custody waiting fir a trial that has now been put off until July - A year after the arrest.

Last night her Dad died.

Tatoulia, I like your job and my dd1's job.

Today evaluations.

Outside with social distancing should be great for Dd1 and all of you.
Happy you will be seeing your kids :D

Why anybody would have a wedding party is beyond me.
Sure, get married but save the party for next year or whenever we have the vaccine.


Tatoulia
When my hair first started turning white I got a white streak just like "The Bride Of Frankenstein".
It was just what I had always wanted! :D

I am very grateful your company and BF's work are taking measures and not moving fast to get back to "normal".


Have the soup all put away.
Brushed Twinkles until he ordered me to stop.
Spent some quality time with Cowgirl Kitty.
Scooter went outside with me this morning while I watered Lilac bushes.
This afternoon Jack had a cool nap in the garden catmint patch then drank water from the Apricot tree well as I watered it.

Steven's rant today was about melting glaciers and dinosaur viruses and how even those viruses won't hurt us???
Have no idea where that came from. "?"

SubC I am so sorry for your loss. What a terrible time this is. Sending you strength. You are doing a great job and I'm thrilled you'll have your family over.

We do now know the hair color. BF even asked me what is its natural color, so I said I'm assuming dark brown with grey and how happy I would be if there were a grey streak.

Tillie I'm glad your soup was tasty.

I haven't done anymore clearing. But I've showered and have the dishwasher set to start in an hour.

SubC thank you for looking at our infection rate here. I do think that we are trying hard. My state rep is also an emergency room doctor-Jon Santiago and he is amazing. He gives updates after doing a shift in the ER and I am grateful for him.

I think my company will play it smart and not reopen, even though I think in Boston offices can reopen on June 1. We are definitely closed through June 15 and they will give us a two-week notice before re opening. Still, I think it will be August or later. I don't see my company making bad choices at this juncture. They've worked really hard to keep us safe and I don't think that we are safe to go back.

BF is being vigilant. He is not relaxing his standards. He is very careful. He checks his oxygen and his employer's oxygen every day. He has plenty of masks and gloves and has put up barriers and other things.

I do want to get back to normal but I'm grateful for all I have. I am just so grateful.

Yes.

Ds and ddil are on their way to her mother's wedding. They are going to stop here first overnight and we are going to celebrate his birthday. They have only been going to the grocery store and for walks with the dogs. They wear their masks. Dd2 is also coming to stay. She also wears her mask, but I am less confident about her social distancing. Dh and I are in conflict over that a bit.

Dd1 and dsil are coming for the birthday celebration on Thursday evening. We will make food for everyone and all sit far apart outside and eat it. If it rains, Dh will move the tractors and we will sit spread out in the barn. Dd1 said she might not eat.

Good Afternoon Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Thursday you are having the kids home?

WTG! you did a lot!
Just this morning I was wishing I had some fresh radishes to munch on.

Heavy sigh...
What is with these men who think they are invincible?
If I get it, I get it. But I would be devastated if I gave it to someone else.

Love the way you "protect" yourself from your snacks. LOL ;D

Sorry to hear about your Aunt's Brother's wife (((HUG)))


Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for help getting ALL that garbage out!
Especially now that it's warmer the neighbors should not have done that.

WAY TO GO! for paperless tables!!!! :D

HaHaHaHaHa! what color id Tatoulia's hair?
Is there a pool?


Been watering. Got the Lilacs done and am working on the trees.
The soup is very tasty.
Good way to use up what's here.
All out of fresh produce except for some lemons but I will hold off on grocery shopping for at least another week.

I hide the snacks. I tuck them away behind stacks of canned goods or boxes piled in front of the cabinet so that I have to really want to get them. If I even get rid of all these piles of boxes and bins I will have no way to protect myself from snacks.

My sodas are up in the loft in the barn.

The massachusetts infection rate is under .9 and your hospitalizations peaked a while ago. You could stand more testing, but You are on the right track. I hope cases keep going down!

Tillie, I hope you enjoy your soup.

I would feel much better if people would wear masks. It is such a simple act of caring.

Dh was not being smart or careful by not going in the donut shop. He was punishing me by making me take the consequences of my opinions. If he wanted donuts, he would totally go in the shop. I am ok with not getting donuts.

He thinks about things in terms of his own risk. He honestly thinks he would know if he were sick and that he therefor isn't going to make anyone else sick, and besides, he doesn't think anything he has done is risky, so how would he be sick.

I am less concerned about me than about providing a habitat for the virus (I think I would be fine if I got sick) I am a strep carrier. I have taken a lot of antibiotics in my life for "no reason" I understand what "asymptomatic" means.

I gave him strep once when we were dating. It was going around my workplace but I didn't think I had been exposed. You'd think he would understand the concept.

My aunt's brother lost his wife this weekend.

Today I pulled a few weeds in the garden (there are still far too many) Planted beans, and picked radishes. I also did dishes (not caught up yet) and did laundry (almost caught up - even put away.) I stripped my bed and my sheets are in the wash.

I cleaned up the mess in the entryway and I picked everything up off the floor in the room I was using for a classroom.

I have one bedroom ready for kids on Thursday. I need two.

Garbage out!!!! Two young men walking by offered to take it for me so I let them. I had my garbage, my recycling and my neighbors two big trash bags. They had put theirs out back and someone rummaged through it to find out who did ur abs deposited it on the stoop. They were going out of town. I wish they hadn't done it but I got help!!!

So nice. Ok all the papers are off of my coffee table. What a relief. My dining table is still a zoo.

I'll keep chipping away.

Yay for weird soup, Tillie!!!

Massachusetts is starting to reopen with Boston taking a bit longer. I am not going to get my hair cut even though the hair salons are open and I ran into my hairdresser today. We are all eagerly awaiting info on my actual hair color, so even if I eventually go for a cut, I'm going to see what color my hair is before having it colored again.

SubC I don't know how you manage to keep snacks in the house. I don't like salty snacks-no chips or pretzels for me-but I love sweets. And cannot keep them in the house. I eat them all immediately. So I'm forever impressed with people who can keep a snack cabinet. Well done!

I'm chipping away at papers. Going to meet my goal.

OK
This is what I am doing today...

Making a very large batch of weird soup.

Four cups of dried peas.
Did not have a ham bone but did have some already cooked trimmed and cut up corned beef.
Had some diced onion and some diced celery bagged in the freezer that were left over ingredients from other dishes.
Had a partial bag of frozen carrots/green beans/corn/peas.
Added some garlic granules and some dried basil & parsley.

It is simmering on the stove now and smells very tasty.

I will portion out a lot of it and freeze it since I can't eat it all in a timely manner.
But I will have something nutritious to eat daily now.

Hi Tatoulia
We cross posted :D

WAY TO GO! for only buying what you need and like to use at the huge store!
Your kind gestures to the staff are definitely appreciated.

Such sad news about your Friend's Sister.
A great loss for so many (((HUG)))

Good luck with whatever you decide to tackle today! :D


I need to dress and get to watering Lilac bushes and trees.
Going to be high 80s here today.

Good Morning Everyone

Hello Subclinical
Glad you are doing better and are starting to get caught up.
I'm sure that now online classes are over with you will do much better with eating.

I think open air "farmer's market" type food sources would be safe to visit and they should be starting up soon.
They always have nice sweet treats.

WTG! for your Dh not entering the donut shop!
It's up to us to make good decisions about what is safe or not these days.

It is not safe to do nonessential activities in places where we will be exposed to catching the virus.
What the lockdown/isolation was for was to reduce the number of people needing hospitalization so hospitals would not be overwhelmed with patients.
The virus cases will now go up with people milling about.
They will then try to isolate the infected areas and people.
This is the plan and yes it's being done this way to generate money by letting people work and shop and get hairdos and tattoos.

It's up to us to do what we know is best for us.
I will grocery shop only when it is absolutely necessary.
I will not shop even though all the shops are now open.
I wear a face mask in the grocery store and wish everybody else would too.
I will not shop online unless it becomes absolutely necessary to get something I may need that's not available locally.
I am very mindful of what Steven has touched in the house and keep washing down everything.
I wash my hands, a lot, more than necessary in normal conditions.
They know that there will be many more infected people and many more deaths, they are hoping to reach "herd immunity".
I will not participate. I will continue to do what I know is best for me and wish others would do the same.

Another reason they are opening up everything is the protesters have scared them.
They are worried about anarchy and more violence.
So they have given in.
They aren't even enforcing mask wearing or staying 6 feet apart because some protesters may attack them, or even kill them.
Being in a rural area we have been basically unaffected so far while cities have been hot spots but the virus is slowly coming our way.
This is one reason why Steven doesn't believe in it.
He hasn't known any one personally who has it, been hospitalized for it or died from it, yet.

So stay home, stay safe everyone (((((HUG)))))

Not all of my steps are in the right direction, SubC do sometimes I just have to count it as something. I do know your worries about waste and endangering others. This is a devastating time.

Tillie I enjoyed the warehouse store. I bought the cranberry juice I like and the coffee I like. Also maple syrup. All things I use regularly. No impulse buys. And I heard from one of the people at mom's that they appreciated the snacks. I had to do individual packets since I can't have them reaching into a big bag of chips, etc. I'm glad that the people enjoyed them. I'll do again in a month or so. I need to give them even a small reason to feel appreciated.

I just learned of a friend's sisters death. 51. She worked for the Red Cross and the Boston Archdiocese. I served on a board with her brother for many years. Very service-minded family. What a terrible loss.

I'm going to go do things here. Anything. I want to work on papers and continue my awesome progress.

Good morning.

Tatoulia, I am glad you are doing so well! Good that you still had your quilt.

Some of my steps are still in the wrong direction, but I am doing better.

Yesterday I did more laundry and I showered and I picked up the new room. Today I think I will do the entryway, and maybe I will catch up on dishes.

I checked and the thrift store is open, so I guess I could drop off my donations, but that does not seem essential. I do not understand this reopening. There are more cases - MANY more cases - every day than there were in March. And in March we were all told to stay home except if absolutely necessary to reduce the spread and save lives. So how can it be safe to do things that are not essential now? It has to be less safe. So basically the decision Is driven by economics, not safety. I do not want to participate in economic decisions that kill people. I am still torn over my pizzas.

Dh went to the hardware store to buy things for his wiring project. He told me the donut shop is open. I love these donuts - the shop closed for renovations back in the fall and I was so sad. I said "and you didn't bring me any donuts?" And he looked smug and said "I would have to go into the shop." Now I don't want donuts.

maybe a good thing will be that without the overwhelmingness of online school I will be less distracted from the source of my food and my weight will, start going down. Already I can't imagine going back to the store where I buy all my favorite snacks and candy. They don't do curbside pick up. But I am not out of snacks yet - almost out of candy.

Hello Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
Been ages since I was in a big warehouse store but I remember that they had great deals for people who could use a LOT of something.
Very sweet of you to buy treats :D

I still have some of the crossword and pencil puzzle books I found at the thrift shop long before the lockdown.
So happy I picked them up when I did.

It's 11:15pm so I think I should go to sleep...

We ran errands this afternoon. I picked up a bunch of individually wrapped things for the people at my mother's place. Bags of pretzels and chips, bags of cookies, fruit gems, and sparkling water. I haven't been to one of those warehouse stores in years. It was good to pick up a bunch of things for the workers at mom's, easier than trying to arrange a lunch.

Now kitty and I are just sitting here. I'm doing a load of towels. I picked up the Sunday Times while I was out (generally I get the crosswords from BF's copy but I wanted my own paper today).

So I'll work on crossword for now.

Good Morning Everybody

WAY TO GO! Subclinical!
You got a lot reduced and condensed and relocated and cleaned.
YEA! for doing essential laundry and dish washing too.

Keep singing "Waltzing Tatoulia" :D

Some times, most times I have a row of post-it notes to work through.
Very satisfying when I can remove them one at a time.

Enjoy your time with Dh out playing golf.


Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for more laundry!
I still need my comforter at around 3am. So glad I didn't wash & pack it away yet.

Sometimes I wish I didn't know how to bake sweets. Would really help me not to indulge.

Great June themes you are deciding on following. :D
I should follow your example.


Not sure what I will do today.
Maybe water?
Should do some house cleaning but don't wanna. ;p
Maybe I'll just take today off guilt free and do nothing.
Really should cook some healthy nutritious food.
Oh wait, I still have some "Red Vines" in the pantry. ;)

Hello hello! WTG SubC!!! Your post-it note system is working! So proud of you! You sound better and remember, each step you are taking is in the right direction!


Tillie, I'm glad the one shop is keeping their vulnerable workers safe. I bet they miss being at the shop!

I am so washing my underclothes now. I stopped at two loads last night.

I am glad I didn't take my transitional quilt to the laundry. It is definitely cool here and I needed it last night. Simply lovely weather here. So cool. So sunny. All the windows are open!

I am feeling so much better now that I'm not baking and eating sweets.

Well I'm even doing a spot of real work today, so I'm feeling great.

I don't know my theme for June so I think I'll choose keep moving forward. That includes decluttering, physical movement and eating better.

CM, I am glad for your cousin being home too.

I am so scattered right now. Sorry.

Yesterday I recycled the "pay mortgage" post it note and the "check last English paper" post it note. I also worked on the "fiber bins" post it note and made the space Dh wanted.

Then, while he set up his coffee roasting station I cleared off my firing shelf, wiped it down, sorted and organized everything, and put it all back. I also added (to newly cleared space) a cart with three drawers to make the shelves less crowded and items easier to find. The cart had been taking up other space empty.

I got rid of about three paper bags worth of stuff - evenly divided by compost (cardboard and potting soil from dead plants), donate, trash, and recycling. The recycling made a bigger dent than the space it took up, because I discovered that I had many partly empty boxes of the same firing cones. Once they were combined, the empty boxes could be flattened and recycled.

I brought one bin of fiber into the house and put it on the enclosed porch, where it cannot stay.

Right before bed I started the dishwasher and ran one load of essential laundry.

Today Dh is going to play golf.

I don't know why, but I now have "walking tatoulia" stuck in my head to the tune of waltzing Matilda. Tatoulia, I'm glad your mom is getting such good care.

Good Evening Everyone

So Tatoulia, your Mom's Kitty is a little hussy flirting with that man. ;D
So happy the Kitty has come out of her shell, I knew she would eventually.
So sweet of the new helpers to take the time to spend a few minutes with Mom. (((HUG)))

YEA!!! for not buying anything!
You did good.

Dig out the good walking shoes and get cracking.
You were so much happier when you were walking regularly.

I'm happy you and Bf were so busy going to lectures and concerts and other events.
Everybody will be so excited when it's safe to do so again.

I am quite content now having done some laundry and it's all fresh, clean and put away. :D
Only a few articles of darker brighter colored clothes left in the hamper, not enough to do a load yet.

So many regular activities cancelled.
Guess we just have to invent new ways to mark the days.
It won't even be safe to visit the cemetery since there may be too many people there already.


Two of the three thrift shops here have reopened.
The closed one is run for and by the people who are mentally challenged so I think it's good they are not open.
So many of them have health issues and are at higher risk.

Spent the afternoon playing with beads and watching "Dark Shadows" up to episode #1120.
It has been the most beautiful perfect Spring day today.

Tillie you have a marvelous memory, Tillie! Sadly they are not putting the flags out in the Common this year as it takes over 500 volunteers to put them in place. Instead, we are being encouraged to do our own flags. I've put two in each of my window boxes. I'll take a photo for you tomorrow.

I am envious of your dried laundry! I'm actually doing a few loads right now. I did a dark load that is now in the dryer and now I'm doing on load. I'm waffling over whether I'll go a towel load or not.

I do not miss doing laundry in my apt. The dryer wasn't properly vented and caused humidity problems within the apartment.

My foot aches from the walking. There's a bit of an electric burning feeling around two of my toes. I'll wear better shoes tomorrow. I'm just glad to get 4 miles in today and to go to an area of town (near Fenway Park) where I generally don't go. I'm pretty sure that out tickets to Billy Joel at Fenway will be cancelled. They were a gift to BF. I'm just glad that we did as many cultural activities as we did and that we were fairly active in the arts. We will get back to those things but I feel gratitude that we did so much. We had tickets to three activities in March & April that we're ultimately cancelled. But I feel thankful we participated in so much. The museum of fine arts will be extending my membership. We just renewed on my birthday when we were there.

I am running the dishwasher now. Tillie, I was so grateful to wake up today and to have not purchased anything. Relieved. Let me hang onto that feeling!

They've brought in some replacement help at mom's and both of the men are very nice. One told her she gets the prize for receiving the most mail (I have a friend who writes nearly daily in addition to my minimum two pieces) and one of the others sat down and played her piano. Although they are all stretched very thin, they still have a moment for a personal touch with mom. The cat is crazy for one of them, she rubs all around his legs when he comes in.

I think I'll play around with my phone a bit or maybe work on a crossword. I think at most I'll do one more load, of delicates, which I can then air dry.

Beautiful cool air tonight. No rain in sight.

Hello Everybody
Such a pleasant sunny cool very slight breezy day with 1% chance of rain.
Spent the time doing 2 loads of laundry that are still out on the line.
Then did some gardening and then did a little straightening up inside.

Hi Subclinical
Big (((HUGS)))
End of school is always an emotional time for you but this time it is even more so.

Happy I could get a laugh out of you ;)

WAY TO GO! for the shower and teeth brushing! :D

Glad Dh brought home the pizza.

YEA! for sleeping late!

Good plan to tackle life one small post-it note at a time.


Hi CriticalMass
All we can ever do is just one thing at a time, multitasking won't work for most things.
But eventually all those little "one things" start to add up to some great progress in the right direction.

WTG! saving the clematis vine from under the rubble.
A treasure hidden.

Such good news your Cousin is back home again.
Now she should be even better off with new meds and routines to prevent any further issues.

Make sure to get back out to that pleasant painting spot often. :D


Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for putting on some clothes before the video meeting! ;D

Hang tough with not online shopping.
Look at what you have already at home and be content with it. (((HUG)))

I remember vividly how much you hated your home and your self when it got hot and humid.
YEA! those days are just a fading memory now for you (((HUG)))

Keep up with the CDs and proper eating.
Take walks, go see that area all full of U.S. flags.

"Dark Shadows" 1106th episode

Good afternoon! I took a walk today and finally started feeling like myself again. It's a bit overcast and cooler. Feels lovely.

I've showered and had a snack of carrots and cheese and feel like myself again.

What are you doing today?

Great work CM! I am so proud of you! I'm archival in nature and getting rid of stuff has been so freeing! I'm sending you lots of energy although I suspect that by shredding the red van notebook, you truly have boosted your energy!


Yay for cousin being home!!!!

SubC end of school year is always sad. And sadder this year. But look at you, moving on to the Post It Chsllrnge!

Once it's a little later here, I'll start back in on shredding. It is cooler today and a beautiful breeze.

Just being peaceful.

Tillie my CDs are working and I'm continuing to crave only good fruits and vegetables. I'm so happy with this.

lol, yes tillie, I am a mess. That actually made me laugh. Sometimes it is good to have somebody just acknowledge the reality of your situation.

Yesterday I finished online school. The wireless would not work for my outside demonstration, but we played a game and it was good, and I almost ended on a high note except that one of my favorite students waited until the last two minutes of "goodbyes" to tell me she probably won't return next year.

Then I turned off the computer and cried.

I took a shower and I brushed my teeth and Dh went into town for a part he needs to do electric work and brought home a pizza.

Last night I wrote all the things that were stressing me out on post-it notes and stuck them all over my table. And then I went to bed and slept late.

Today the sun is out finally! - for a while, thunderstorms later.

Like CM and her floor (nice job CM!) I am going to deal with my life one post-it note at a time.

Read through everyone's posts.

Loved your blood donation story, Tillie. ;)

SubC, be gentle on yourself. I believe we are all grieving the "old" world whilst trying to navigate the "new" one. It takes energy.

Tatoulia, I am trying to soak up some of the spillover from your decluttering energy rays! Heehee. I'm starting to inch along. To do a thing even when I can't Do All The Things, or even very many things.

Yesterday I'd picked up a red notebook cluttering the floor, and in it were the records of tags/taxes and repairs on my old red money pit van. So I shredded and recycled all that. Good Riddance. Small job but it sure felt good. Told myself, now CM, all you need to do is pick up the next item and deal with it, rinse and repeat.

We had 1-1/4" of rain with big rolling thunder boomers in the early morning. And a sunny warm day. It was trash day with room in one of the bags so I scurried out and pulled the remainder of the nasty sticktight weeds between the garage and fence.

And discovered a clematis vine. Went inside, asked roommate; it wasn't hers. Former neighbor's perhaps, but it somehow is on our side. Don't know if it has already bloomed, or what. But the junk hiding it and robbing it of nutrients is gone, so we will get to find out now. A good metaphor for the decluttering journey, I thought.

My roommate and I occasionally get takeout food and eat in a park here lately. We did that tonight at the county park by the fishing lakes. I told her about times when a different friend and I went there and how I'd sit and paint. She came up with the idea of us both going sometime soon and working on our painting. She was an art major. This idea is exciting! A morale boost. I'll have more to say about it.

Since I'm up ridiculously late, I was really only going to make a short post with the following news:

My cousin is back home! She will see her primary care doctor and set up PT appointments. I am so thankful she is on the mend.

Okay. Will go to sleep. (I had to nap earlier, I was tired, so now my body clock is more off than ever, LOL.)

Tillie it was hot and a bit humid here today. I'll take your cold winds!!!

And I don't hate my apartment. Remember how I used to hate it in the heat? I'm so glad to have found you.

Oh SubC I'm so sorry!!! Definitely take a shower or bath and see if you can change the sheets. It looks like both Tillie and I had clean sheets last night.

Ugh. Steven. I know exactly the type. I'm so sorry he berates you so. I'm grateful to have shed my brother.

I received a lovely note signed by my mothers Dr's office/senior center thanking new for lunch. I had sent a Panera gift card(after figuring out where they like to get their lunch). The nurse kept my name a secret and I was so touched by their note. Esp since they are part of the PACE system abc do God's work every day. I'll do this again in July.

I woke up late for Coffee Time this AM so I put on a bra and a shirt and logged in. And despite having no coffee, I was the hit of the morning. I started out by saying that my meeting with Stearns and Foster ran late and from there I was off and running. So I had a great time. Then I had to get ready for my 10:00 since I was presenting (no video, thankfully, I just shared my screen) and then Happy Hour started at 11. Work ended at 12 so I ran some mom-related errands. Oh! And I ran into my colleague who just had a baby and she had her little baby boy with her!!!! So lovely! And I ran into the lady who runs the convenience store in my work building. Oddly enough, she was our convenience store lady back in our old building (some nights BF and I would give her a ride home) and now she works (worked) in our new building. She's suffering greatly. I may pick up a gift card for her. I'm not sure where she shops. I don't know if she has a car to get to one of the cheaper grocery stores.

I took mom's dry cleaning and dropped it off. I have an interim quilt to take to the laundry.

I'm trying not to buy stuff on line today. I haven't suffered too much with it but it's creeping back into my consciousness. I think I'll make a payment to my small loan instead.

Love you all!

The wind came from the North today.
That is very rare.
It was very cold and fierce, blowing cars crooked as they tried to drive a straight line.
Tumble weeds were traveling 60mph.
Then it rained some. :D

Still cold but the winds have died down to a manageable speed.

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!"

You sound like a mess Subclinical (((HUG)))
Please find/take some time out just for you.
Do good things, just for you.
Get showered shampooed, do your nails.
Dress in something pretty.
Make it an at home spa treatment type day.

The house will still be a mess and the barn rats will still be partying but you will get to them later. ;)

I had a panic attack last night.

I'm not sleeping. I'm not showering regularly. My house is a mess. I'm wearing yesterday's clothes or getting dressed directly out of the dryer. My eating habits and weight are bad. And I'm pretty sure the barn rats are winning.

I really don't want to do school today.

But I will get through it.

One last time. I can't even think about fall.

Good Evening Everybody
My Honeysuckle started to bloom today.
The sweet little Hummingbirds noticed. :)


Hi Tatoulia
So very happy you are finding peace with all you have done in that closet.
For some reason all those cards, letters and other old mail are hard to do.
Maybe because they have been around for such a long time and they all bring back memories.

Sounds like you had a nice day just being out and about.
Tomorrow morning I am driving to the water depot and fill two bottles.
The two bottles are empty, I still have 5 full ones.
Just want to get out for a little while.

WTG! eating better and listening to your CDs!
Yum! Raspberries.
I still have a tiny sugar Monkey on my back but he's easy to distract.
My main trigger for binging on sweets is when Steven starts his screaming rants about the "virus conspiracy" and how everybody is acting like fools believing in it.
Today he was spewing ridiculous "facts & figures" to prove that there is no virus.
He gave me a headache and when I asked him to please quit shouting at me he got all nasty & huffy but he did finally shut up & go away.

I never do state my opinions and beliefs about the matter.

Have a great day at work tomorrow. :D


Made up the bed with the fresh clean sheets.
Scooter came up and went to his spot investigating it.
I reassured him that it was all clean.
He saw it was all clean and is laying down there sleeping beside me now.

Been watching "Dark Shadows"
On the 1075th episode now.

Ps I'm sorry about the thrift stores. Going in the wrong direction. Stuff out, peace in.

I am thrilled with my peace since working in the closet.

Tillie we have frequent barf sessions here, too. For the past fifteen years I've been saying, it's ok kitty, sometimes best friends throw up.

I enjoyed my afternoon. I ran to the grocery store for some fruit and cat food, then came back here and ate some raspberries, I changed my sheets, did one load of laundry, met BF to go to the hardware store and post office, then we hopped in the car and drove around the city just to enjoy no traffic, then he needed to run some more errands so I sat in the car, enjoying the breeze, and worked on my crossword puzzle.

Took the trash out, now I'm ready for my shower.

I have coffee hour in the AM, then a meeting at 10, then company office hour starts at 11 instead of 3 so I'm thinking the office will close at noon.

Tillie I am feeling better about myself. I'm eating real food and not feeling the sugar temptations. I'm listening to my CDs and they are doing their magic!

Well great, just great :/

Steven has discovered a thrift shop has opened.

It's good that are accepting donations but Steven needs to unload not load up.


Straightened out the fridge.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Did a load of bed linens first thing this morning cause Scooter barfed in bed at dark thirty.
Watered the garden and now I am watering the grass.
Plan to take a shower soon and wash my hair.

Hi Tatoulia

Have a wonderful time today getting outside in that beautiful weather! :D

Having already done so much already you will be motivated to tackle that paper shredding when you have the time.
WAY TO GO! :D

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
So nice you got to actually see some of your students in person.

YEA! for teaching a class from your classroom.
Must be sad in a school with only echoes where there used to be much life.
((((HUG))))

I hope they get this virus contained soon and everything gets back to normal with a minimum of loss for children's education.

Good luck finding suitable storage for things as your Dh starts setting up the coffee bean roasting.
Make sure the fiber is stored safely so you don't lose any to moths.


Rescheduled my dental cleaning appointment from June to September.
Hope by then I won't be too scared to leave quarantine.
Will see how I feel about it as the date grows closer.

Twinkies is telling me to feed him NOW!
So I will feed him now. :D

Tillie!!!!! Love the story! I can picture it all!!! So beautiful and fun!

SubC I'm glad you got to teach a class from your classroom. What a shame with all the changes. But you are my hero. You kept things going and you adapted and your kids feel the love. You provided them a sense of normalcy when things around them were collapsing. I'm so pleased to have you as a friend.

Another beautiful day here. I will be getting out soon. Post office, groceries, etc. then errands with BF.

I haven't done any more shredding and I'm fine with it. I'm feeling hood about myself and have the weekend to accomplish even more. Soon I should be in the position of putting/organizing the important things. There won't be many.

Tillie, you have done so many interesting things!

CM, hang in there. I hope your roof does ok. We are having rain all week, so I am thinking of you.

Tatoulia, keep up the good work!

Yesterday I ran my last class pickup. I think about half the families showed up. I got to see a few of my kids, most for the last time. - the kids who came are mostly going to other schools next year. One promised to visit next year if he can. One parent told me I will probably lose her kids next year because their dad got laid off. We have scholarships, but we are tuition based and there is never enough scholarship money to go around. I don't know how the scholarships are awarded, but they never ask for teacher input. Probably good. There would be hard feelings over favorite kids.

I put all the "abandoned" Items in the gym. There will be one last school-wide pick up in June, but that will not involve me.

My room is starting to look cleaned out (aka "normal"). I still have to sign up for an actual 2 hour clean out slot.

Two more days of online school.

Yesterday I went up to my classroom to log on to my end of the day class because I did not have time to drive home. One of my students looked at my background and said "HEY! You are at school! How are you at school?!" They want to come back so badly.

It felt really good to teach in my classroom. Even if all of my students were invisible.

Dh wants me to spend Saturday working in the studio barn with him so that he can set up his coffee roasting station. I have to move a bunch of fiber bins that I have no idea where they can go.

Sounds like you had a good day Tatoulia
plus plenty of time to do the crossword. ;)

Best blood drive I ever did was at the Governor's mansion in Carson City.
The mansion staff treated all of us like royalty.

When Ronnie and I were set to go on a break the Butler escorted us to an office where we could sit, smoke and put out feet up.
We put our feet up on the big desk in the room and were relaxing happily.
Then the door opened and the Governor walked into HIS office!
We sat up immediately apologizing and he said to please sit back as we were.
He sat in the big chair on the other side of the desk and put his foot up too laughing about the fact that he only had the one leg.
So we all sat there talking and laughing with our feet up.
He then gave me 2 golden state tokens, one for me & one for my son and Ronnie 3 tokens since she had 2 kids.
Met so many local "celebrities" that day. Casino owners, brothel owners, millionaire cattle ranchers, etc. along with hundreds of local Citizens.
I had complimented the First Lady on all the beautiful flowers filling the rooms and as we were leaving she insisted we should have the flowers and the Butler and some Maids loaded our blood mobile full of them.
It was a 20 hour long day for us but we were happier than tired on the drive back to Reno. :)

Scooter's wearing your shirt!!!!

I had a good time donating blood today. Then I had juice and raisins. They had one packet of raisins in a sea of cookies and pretzels. It took a while because they were backed up but BF had sent me a Sunday NYTimes crossword to do. He knew a couple of people who were working the event so that was a nice treat. When I got there I was told the wait would be 1-1/2 hours and I said, sounds good.

Then I came home and rested.

Only managed to shower and do dishes today. Will get trash gathered tmr and will change my sheets tmr or Friday.

Okay that's the news!

Good Morning Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
Yes, so many things to think about and do and then even more things get added.
Hard to juggle it all at times.

Enjoy the Bunny time trimming nails.

I know very well the worrying about rain when the roof is leaky (((HUG)))

Take care and post when you get a few seconds (((HUGS)))


Hi Tatoulia
Enjoy your bright and sunny day!


Scattered clouds, slight chance of rain but very cold still.
Scooter is wearing my flannel shirt that I want to wear.
Will bribe him out of it with cat snax. ;p