Good Morning Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
You do know how to eat an entire elephant, right?
One little bite at a time.
;)

Hi Tatoulia :)
Thanks for the drive by.
Have a great day!

Hi Subclinical
WTG! getting dd's bed ready!!!
Please don't skip your class if you possibly can.
That is something you are doing for you and the arts you love so much.
Too bad your little manure spreading assistants can't be enlisted to dust, vacuum and wash dishes too.
Just like the squirrels & birds do in Disney movies.

Good Morning BADGER


Was afraid this would happen...
All that crawling around on hands & knees, reaching & stretching in weird positions has made me all stiff and sore and my neck stiffness is giving me a headache too.
Taking today off from "work".
Kitchen is clean, there's some already cooked food to eat in the fridge.
Laundry needs doing but it might rain by noon.
On ROKU, Popcorn has put up a whole bunch of "hoarding buried alive" episodes to watch. ;)
Waiting for "TUBI" to add even more episodes of "HOARDERS".
I love my ROKU.

Badger is at your house, CM. Tillie I'm glad you got your composting done and SubC your husband is a gem.

Need to run off but wanted to check in.

Yay CM!

Do you want to share any ideas?

Tillie,

I'm glad your lavender is happy! Good luck spreading your manure. My little assistants spread the manure out themselves and it just composts in place. Not usually where I would want it, but when you give somebody else a job, you have to let them do it....

The housework is important because my parents are coming tomorrow. They are getting here at lunch time while I am at work and letting themselves in. I did get dd's bed ready last night, so everyone at least has a place to sleep. Also on my "minimum" list is sweep/vacuum and dishes.

I'm ready for my meeting at school today and to teach today, but not tomorrow. I might skip swiming today so that I can pick up the trees I ordered from the county soil and water people. Otherwise, I have to pick them up after school tomorrow and get home even later.

More things that need to be planted... there are just not enough hours.

I could also skip my class today - i've done nothing to be ready for it. but I really don't want to. I can't take the next session, and it's an important community for me.

I did drop off the recycling yesterday, and I got some great positive feedback from one of my students. (I also got handed a hot mess to solve by another student - which used up my lunch break, but being entrusted with it was another form of positive feedback)

Ok, one foot - i'm Running late on chores.

((((HUGS))))

CriticalMass :D

See, this is precisely why I love you gals. I could feel your prayers or good thoughts - and strategies are coming to mind.

Pass the */#%÷!? Badger, CM's back in the game.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
You are correct, it won't be this way forever.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other and little by little you will get to where you're going.

I know that depressing feeling of always falling behind and never getting anything of substance done.
Those kinds of thoughts and emotions always amplify the situation.
Once you have the chance/motivation
you will be able to more quickly make more progress than your thinking is telling you it will take.
(((HUG)))

Work on letting go of disappointment.
Disappointment about the sunporch
disappointment about the condition of the storage
disappointment about your mental outlook.
Keep faith, find quiet time and listen for the answers you seek.

Hi Tatoulia
Suggestion for the extra storage box if you don't find another use for it...
Open another closet door and fill that box with donations and cleaning Fairy gifts.

What color are you dying your hair?
Blue, purple, green, pink, red ????

YEA! for keeping up between cleanings!
Most times it's just a matter of putting things away, wiping up little spills and a bit of sweeping.


Hi Subclinical
That was sweet. :)

OK, here's the plan...
Do the things that are absolute necessities.
Let the housework slide because you can catch up with that later.
REST, rest, rest, sleep, sleep, sleep.
You are running yourself thin.
We do NOT want you getting sickly or anemic again.
Remember you are also a number one priority. (((hug)))



Cats and I went outside and did a good amount of work.
Got down on my hands & knees under the lilac bushes and pulled out a whole bunch of sticks & leaves & raked them all away.
Planted my new lavender and it has shown no signs of wilt at all, yea!

Came in about 1:30pm and cleaned that disgustingly messed up kitchen while the cats worked on their naps.

The terrifyingly huge hoard of vicious blood thirsty butterflies has settled down to a normal & safe number.
The Finches and cats are relieved.

When I was at WallyWorld yesterday I saw they had a supply of composted chicken manure in stock.
Asked Steven to please pick me up 4 bags before they are all gone.
He did that today.
Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I might get out & spread some of that around.

Sprayed around outside the house with bug barrier where I get black widows and other spiders.


So now, except for maintenance, feeding & watering and weeding and bug control,
my garden yard area is all cleaned and under control.
Looking forward to seeing how much easier I have made things for myself this year.

CM, "almost 3/4"?! You are more than 25% done! That is great! I would say I've been hovering between 10 and 20% progress on every area I've tackled and i'm pretty pleased with myself!

Sometimes it just feels overwhelming, but you can rest and recover and we will keep passing the badger around until you feel strong enough to take him on again.

Tatoulia, nice job on clearing out the winter stuff and putting away the bedspreads!

Tillie, did you get to enjoy your outdoors?

I was prepared for school today, and it went well, but I am getting tired and starting to fall behind. Not finishing the glazing I want to do, not ready for my class as a student tomorrow, tomatoes are getting spindly from not being repotted, house is still messy, Dd still doesn't have a bed for Friday night, and lesson plans aren't together for Friday. My list keeps getting longer instead of shorter but I just don't have the energy to clean, create, and plan in the evenings.

Dh was fixing himself some leftovers earlier, and I walked over and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arms around me and said (encouraging, not sarcastic) "hey! Congratulations! You got off the couch!" (Then he asked if I wanted some food, but I had already eaten.)

One foot in front of the other...

CM we are standing by your side and shoring you up. We know how hard it is to tackle things. And it can be discouraging. Trust me, it really does get easier, not harder, with time. Money back guarantee!!!

I know that I am fortunate because I'm not terribly creative and I don't do any craft activities. Sure I enjoy baking and I enjoyed my cake decorating class, but I didn't feel the urge to buy every decorating thing. Similarly I used to knit but I never felt the urge to buy more and more yarn. My mother is that person. But not being very good at crafts has consistently stifled me. Collecting things?well I haven't resisted one cute thing and I was the duplicates and triplicates and Justin Case and sale items, etc. I am much, much, much better now. Completely cured of duplication and buying due to being on sale. I'm also over getting cute stuff. Lately I've been buying a lot of clothes and I attribute that to my renewed confidence and positive body image from my 30 lb weight loss. But I have to curb that, too. Thank goodness for the no-buying challenge. But I still struggle to see how I have too much and I still struggle with decision making and with facing certain obstacles.

What I'm trying to say, my dear CM, is that you are creative and talented and that brings a much different skill set to sort and make decisions. You have no idea how much I wish I could sew doll clothes. I wish I could make a quilt. It's not in the cards for me. My sister is an artist and a quilt maker and gardener and cook and sculptress. I buy art, in insane quantities. Not any more, but I did in the past.

And despite these differences, I know you can do this, I believe in you, and I stand by your side.

I'm battling demotivation, depression at times, crankiness at times. Disappointment too. The way the month of March was still so wintry, yet flew by. Fears of April being a mad rush. Roommate and I have about written off the sun porch and I feel more trapped. Storage unit is almost 3/4 as bad as the old one clutter wise.

Don't get me wrong,I am not giving up, and I may have a new idea or two as far as a plan of attack. It's Lent and that's the spiritual meaning really - in the desert, keeping the faith in the answers that will come when God means them to come. Resisting despair one day or minute at a time if that's what it takes. Doing what I can, putting one foot in front of the other. Today is payday. I will go do payday tasks.

Hope you are all well. I hate it that right now I'm scattered and just dump and run. It won't be this way forever. Love you all more than you know. You're like my tribe.

Outdoors wins again!

I'm getting my hair cut/colored tonight. I went up to see BF and dropped off dinner for mom and a friend. Now I'm working away here.

I picked up my bedspreads from the laundry folks and will put it away. It can go where the second box of gloves, etc was kept. I'll reassess the storage box. Either it gets used or it gets donated. Badger will decide.

I still have a few things to return at the stores.

I'm not sure if we really will have a storm here. They blow everything out of proportion. The weather has become as sensationalized as the rest of our lives. We need peace and calm.

I am pretty excited about clearing through those winter things so effortlessly. I'm living proof that making these decisions get easier with time. I rarely struggle anymore.

I'm also doing a better job of keeping up in the time between cleaner visits. I'm also toying with the idea of having them come when I'm not here. I'll see how I feel about it.

Good Morning Everybody

WTG! BADGER!
Keep up the fantastic job!

Hi Tatoulia
Have a wonderfully productive work day today!

Six miles!
What great "free" exercise you get!
Hope this next big storm doesn't hit your area as hard as predicted.
Bad weather and dark of night and drunken celebrations are about all that stands in your way of getting in all the walking you do.

YEA!!! for filling bags for donate & cleaning Fairies!!!


Have two plans for today...
Clean inside or get outside and work there.
Beautifully sunny day today, might rain later.
Think outdoors will win again. ;p

The badger and I are sharing an English muffin with jam. We went through the gloves, mittens, scarves. We have duly filled the herd and have the donations in a bag for the cleaners. The badger pointed out a nice, clean duvet I'd forgotten about so the cleaners can enjoy that too. Don't leave me yet, badger, just nap a bit so I can work.

Good morning, ladies! SubC thank you for your care and feeding of the badger. I'll need some solid badger time today.

I am so pleased that the trash service paid off for you, SubC. And once again, you are accomplishing a lot and I am so proud of you.

I would love to shop in your thrift shop, Tillie. A new sunmertime blouse sounds so nice!

I have been very productive at work the past two days and it has boosted my morale considerably. I am going to go get back to work now.

I walked and walked and walked yesterday. Six miles. Pretty good considering it was all for transportation and none for leisure.

I'll write more soon. It's important that I have a good morning at work. I have felt so much more satisfied at work. Tackling stuff. I think it started with the hours I put in on Sunday.

Coffee clinks!

Hi Subclinical

So sorry your yard is soaked.
Even if you found half an hour to plant, you can't until it dries out some.
Sad and frustrating.
Getting out and digging around in the dirt really helps my mood and nerves.

I have loved lavender ever since the first time I smelled it as a tiny girl.

WTG! for swimming 2 miles!

Good luck getting to bed on time with your homework all ready for tomorrow.

Tatoulia, did the badger make it to you? I don't have any extra time left, so I nudged him along. I guess he'll find his way back to CM if you don't need him.

Tillie, I love lavender. I almost bought some at the big farm store, but then I remembered that I already have a ton of stuff to plant and my yard is sodden.

Swam two miles after school today. Trying to get set for school tomorrow and not get to bed too late!

Good Afternoon

Back from town.
All the groceries are put away.
Bought a pot of lavender to put in the garden.
Stopped by the thrift shop, bought a really cute summertime top.

It has rained and hailed really hard off & on today.
There was even thunder and lightening.
The mountains are getting another big blanket of snow too.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Happy to know you and BADGER have come to a peaceful agreement.
You stay focused and he won't attack you. ;)

26 cans!!!!
WTG! cleaning out that much from the property!
Yes, construction really does make a LOT of unavoidable rubbish.

I would like it if we all could go play in Narnia together.

GREAT! that you got the parent emails done.
Having done daycare, I know what you mean (((hug)))

Very good plan to have a set hour to tackle the most dreaded tasks.
The weight of those tasks hanging overhead is very taxing.


Hi Tatoulia
Well, it will be nice to shop at home in the boxes and get out nice new scarves and gloves to wear next Winter.

Have a wonderful day at work. ;)


Have had some nice rain last night.
Should be getting some more today too.
My plan for today is to go into town.
Last time I left the house was to take my baby to the Vet. :(
Thinking about going to the garden shop and looking at plants to see if there are any I want to put in the garden.
Don't know if my lavender survived the Winter, maybe buy a pot of that.
Don't feel up to starting it from seed again.

Ah! - I think you should get rid of the mismatched gloves unless you love them and keep one pair of gloves from the box - you deserve nice things.

Anyway Tatoulia, have a good day at work!

I started with the two hardest, most overwhelming things that I had been putting off on my school list. Both involved emailing parents. I don't really enjoy parents (that should be said with understated British sarcasm). It only took me an hour to finish both of them.

So, the lesson from this is that if I set aside one hour a day to do my least favorite task, I can probably stop spending so much time dreading stuff!

Then badger and I had a nice breakfast and did some outside work as a reward. Now i'm Heading back into the school list.

Great great work, SubC!!!! I am so proud of you! And envious of your industriousness!

SubC I bought ear muffs, a scarf, and gloves to go with the new, smaller sized coat. And BF gave me some gloves and hats (throw-away types of things he buys each year for the neighborhood kids). So I wore those. And I had a pair of mismatched gloves that also were pressed into duty. Which means.....I don't need those two storage boxes of things in my closet. I will take them out and decide what to donate and what to give to the cleaning fairies.

I'll get ready for work now. Cheering everyone on!

I do sell eggs sometimes - when I have extra. I used to do the farmer's market, but dh resented the lost Saturdays.

People bring me egg cartons constantly. I take the extras to the food bank (when I am going - it has been a while.)

I keep meaning to tell you guys the total on the trash service project - 26 cans. So, in two years, we accumulated 26 cans of what my mom calls "real garbage" that seems huge to me, but a lot of it was from the construction project. We'll see how I do in the next two years.... wonder how much of the house will be done then...

I must do my school stuff this morning. I have my desk set up and a nice cozy spot for the badger, and I will get started as soon as I finish my coffee.

(I need to tackle my closet eventually too. I was feeling guilty about that when I bought the skirts. But I would rather go play in Tatoulia's closet and go to narnia. Or maybe Tillie's place.)

WAY TO GO!!! Subclinical!

Laundry, dishes and a guest room done!

Do you sell any eggs?
We have a couple of women around here to buy eggs from.
It really helps if you bring an empty egg carton with you.

OK, good to know that BADGER is partial to chocolate.
Can use that fact to lure him where needed.

Be brave, get those pretty new boots dirty. ;)

No problem on the badger. I should probably kept him overnight, but he's heading to you at lunch time!

You are doing great actually. - keeping up and cleaning out! (How did you get through winter with no gloves and scarves?)

Tillie, my socks are brown. Maybe he thought they were chocolate.

I'm glad you are getting garden time with the cats.

It's supposed to start raining here Thursday and continue for a week. I'm glad I gave my new boots, but they are so pretty i'm Not looking forward to getting them all muddy!

The big store has chicks all the time, so tempting as they are, I can always wait and come back to the chick zoo for another fix. I might get some in a few weeks, though, after the visit and the art show, because I'm down to 9 hens.

The last load of laundry big enough to bother with is in the wash. One load is in the dryer, and the rest are put away. I ran the dishwasher, and there is a room ready for my parents.

School stuff first in the morning.

WOW! Tatoulia

Are you auditioning for the Cleaning Fairy role???

WAY TO GO!

Wonderful that you were very focused today at work too.

YEA! for dropping off a mail order return too.

Sleep well tonight, you have earned it.



Finally got my aversion to online shopping under control and ordered the ceiling tiles from Amazon.
Now to get the roof fixed before I install them.
Meanwhile, I can paint them so they will be all ready to put up.

WTG!!! BOOTS!!!! Yay!!!! And I love your thrift shop finds too! The skirts sound fantastic! Yay BOOTS. Thanks fir getting the badger off of me today!!!!

I kept up today. Garbage out. Cat box clean. Recycling out. Shredded all the mail. Wiped up the kitchen including the combo trash/recycling can. (Which has worked out beautifully for me). No papers on my desk and I was super focused at work. Very productive and satisfying.

I'm glad you and kitties got some fresh air. I went to PO with BF to drop off a return. Clothes. Going back. I swept up too. So I'm working on doing normal stuff. Increasing my repertoire.

YEA!!! YIPPEE!!!!
How wonderful to know that now your feet will be dry even on the muckiest of days!!!

Hope you have the opportunity to enjoy your new skirts soon.
Darts are easy to put in soon as you figure out the placement.

WAY TO GO! BADGER! :D
Keep up the great job!

What color were your socks?
Once I was raising up a baby Magpie and he would attack my feet relentlessly whenever I wore bright pink socks.
He also attacked and tore up any bright pink flowers (carnations) that dared to bloom in my garden.
Timmy was weird. ;p

I just love when I find the kinds of beads that interest me at the thrift shop.
Plus they cost 99% less than buying them at a "bead store".

I make a point of staying far away from the tack & feed shop when those so cute tiny chicks are available.
There was a substantial chicken coop on the property when I moved in but Steven said I couldn't have any chickens, so I tore the coop
down.


Cats and I went out and did a little gardening, very little.
Supposed to rain but the clouds are high and very thin.
Maybe later today?

Well, I was feeling stressed out and edgy and I tried to get the badger to lie down on the couch so I could pet him, but he wouldn't stop chewing on my socks. So I took him shopping.

We drove up the highway to the BIG farm store, and we bought BOOTS!

Well, first we stopped at the little thrift and bought a cute cotton skirt in a summer print and a classy silk skirt we are hoping dd's bff can dart in at the waist for us (at $2.50 it seemed like a good gamble) and a mat made out of these really cool flat bamboo beads (80 cents for 132 beads...) so much jewelry potential I couldn't resist. Plus i'm thinking about doing some multimedia with the 100 clay cylinders project and these would be cool...

THEN we went to the big farm store and tried on lots of boots and walked around and read all the funny t-shirts and admired the chicks and the duckies and I was worried about the badger, but he was content with the free popcorn, and we got some potting soil and then he reminded me that it was way past time to go home and toss another load of laundry in.

So we did.

WAY TO GO!!! Tatoulia!

Wonderful that you are shopping at home too and can now use & enjoy what you have there. :)

Happy April

Hi Subclinical
You're welcome
WAY TO GO! getting pottery things done!
Getting ready for the sale in two weeks takes priority right now.
Shouldn't take more than a day to ready the rooms for company, right?
Eating is always a priority too as well as sleeping and bathing.
YEA! for doing laundry, emptying dishwasher and doing daily chores!
And school is always a major priority.
No matter how aggressive the BADGER gets, there is only just so much you can do in one day. (((hug)))

Hi Tatoulia
DO IT!
Just open the door a crack and take a peek in that closet!
Bet hidden deep inside is a golden chalice or maybe the crown jewels or even Narnia.
Remember that drawer that held silver forks?
It will be an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones.


Weather forecast is for possible rain all week.
If it rains that will stop all the dust storms when the dirt gets wet.
Then maybe I will bother to dust in here.
Makes no sense dusting when the wind just keeps stirring up more & more dirt.

The carport roof periodically makes a loud spooky noise.
Like a death rattle...
Noticed all the birds and cats are keeping away from the area.
Very happy they are being so smart.

Three loads of laundry done. Bathrobes, pjs, sheets. Putting away the winter bathrobe.

I was going through my drawers to assess the slip situation. I have enough full slips that will fit me now, so I washed them up. I also found a scarf that I like very much but will not wear again, so it's in the cleaning fairie pile.

I washed and put away my winter gloves, hats and scarves LAST YEAR and I never even used any of them this year. So I'll get a step ladder and bring down the decorative boxes I placed them in and cull the herd.

Oh that's interesting about your family, Tillie. The names are a good tip off! My sister is interested in the dna so she bought a kit for my mother to do. I'm not interested but they will enjoy it.

I am going to have to talk about the closet. I don't know when. Tonight is garbage night. Perhaps I could see what's in there. Just a peek.
SubC you have prioritized well. I will focus on work today.

Tillie, thank you for the reminder to focus.

I just want to sit on the couch and let the badger. "Shhh, little badger, go to sleep..."

I got good work done in the studio yesterday, but it seems like every time I really get immersed in my pottery, everything else slips a gear. Even though dh helped this weekend, the house is still pretty bad.

I have done my chores and started the laundry and emptied the dishwasher. I am eating breakfast and at 9:00 I will take care of my phone calls.

Here are my priorities for the week:
School - I have a commitment to my kids and to my employer, so I need to be sure I meet that.
Pottery - I have less than two weeks until the spring sale and I need to be as ready as possible.
House - my parents are coming to visit, arriving Friday night, and dd2 is coming down for the weekend. I need to have their rooms clean and ready and the downstairs in reasonable order. Also, I need to have food.

I need to make sure that everything I am doing this week serves one of those areas.

Hi Tatoulia
What a pleasant and busy day you had.
YEA!!! For purple crocus!!!

WTG! for nothing extra in the shopping basket!
Wish I had someone decide what should eat daily because I have no idea what I want to eat.

It does feel good and freeing to have our possessions at a manageable level.
Less things to have to tend to and less time cleaning, means more time and more peace & quiet in our lives.
Are you going to venture into "The Closet"?
BADGER, BADGER, BADGER

DNA testing? Sounds interesting.
Is there any long standing question about her genetics/ethnicity?
My Aunt who was married to my father's oldest brother lost her mother when very young and was raised by her father's family and her father died soon after.
Well, after questioning, I managed to figure out she was Jewish by birth, and she had no idea.
My cousins didn't know they were Jewish too and didn't believe it until I had a Rabbi explain it to them that since my Aunt's mother, grandmother and great grandmother were discovered to have been born Jewish, that made them Jewish by birth too.
My first clue that drove my investigation were the names...
Ruth-Sarah-Beth-Rebecca-Esther and the tiny gold Star Of David pendant inherited from the Grandmother.

So much fun playing with the kitties outdoors. I bet the hyacinths smell lovely. The crocuses are up here, in little purple clumps.
Many the time I got to mom's today, the sunny skies had become cloudy. She was still in her nightie at 2PM so I cleaned the cat box and fixed her bed and then I did the rest of her grocery shopping. Last night I'd gotten her bread and coffee and a few other things like tuna and today i got her what she wanted. We also did her DNA test, which is something my sister is curious about.

It was raining pretty hard when I left to grocery store. I walked around the Prudential Mall and had a cup of coffee. I called BF, who wanted me to meet up with him so I did, then afterward I did mim's Grocery shopping's fat do good on no extra items in my basket. In fact I haven't really bought anything as I cannot figure out what I want to eat these days.

I need to add to my list to continue to reduce my possessions, Tillie. I feel great happiness in reducing my possessions.

Love you all. Have been doing some work tonight to help get my numbers up. It's been peaceful with my friend asleep in the chair next to my desk.

I'm out of the shower and the clean bed awaits.

April challenges???

Lets see...
CriticalMass will be trying to get time to sort out & organize storage.

Subclinical will be focusing on school and getting all set for the Spring sale.

Tatoulia will be getting adjusted to her new budget and working on sugar blasting.


Is there anything else you want to try to squeeze in for April?

My main challenge is to try getting the roof and ceiling fixed and prettified.
Also need to fertilize grass & hedges and get the garden all set up & a watering schedule established.

Good Afternoon
Just going on 2:00pm here.

Cats & I had a great time outside today.
Scooter would jump high up in the air trying to catch a butterfly.
He never got one though.

Got litter boxes all cleaned and refilled with fresh litter.
Spent some time down on my knees enjoying the sweet Hyacinth scent.

Scooter came in to use his litter box and decided to stay inside and take a nap so I came in too.

Heated up my leftover fried potatoes and fried the last two eggs to go with them.
Now I am resting and thinking what fun thing I want to do now.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Hi Subclinical
How wonderful that you got to see all those lovely countries!
I had pictured your treasured doll collection as having dolls in native dress from all over the world.

I sure can relate to "if money were no object".
I would use it to hire people to come fix and clean my home and land and comment "my how nice" too.

So very wise of your fruit trees!
Weather prediction is that some areas are going to get another big blast of Wintery weather this coming week.

WAY TO GO!!! for trying to stay focused on school and finishing up unfinished projects!
Best wishes for the Spring sale.
Fingers crossed no other organization is planning an event for the same day.


Hi Tatoulia
Knowing how to express your manners in a foreign country will always win you favour.
Been so long since I have spoken anything except English that I can't honestly say I'm bilingual any more.

Good Luck with work! Crunch those numbers hard. ;)


Only task I have set for myself today is to empty, scrub & sanitize the litter boxes.
Such an easy task now that there are only two boxes to clean. :(
Twinkles prefers to go in the dirt whenever he is outside.
He never uses Scooter's box when he is inside, only his own.
But Scooter uses his own box and also Twinkle's box.
Looks like another sunny cool day and if the wind doesn't pick up it will be a lovely day.

How I love to hear of everyone's travels, experiences and dreams. I would like to go to Lebanon and Egypt and Kuwait. I don't like the heat but I'd love the experience. We are invited to Greece and Switzerland each year (by the woman who is re-doing my house). Travel is not an option for BF and me right now. We still have time, God willing.

I'm working today. Work-work. It's end of the quarter and for the first time, my numbers are down. I know I struggled to get in the grove earlier this year. I won't drive myself nuts, just try to close the gap.

I'll take mom out in a bit, too.

I'm excited about your sale, SubC!

Tillie I can only speak English. I can be polite in French and Japanese and Portugese which essentially means I can apologize and say thank you.

I'll be back later. Going to go crunch some numbers.

When I was younger I visited Canada, the Bahamas, France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. My grandparents travelled all over the world, and whenever she could, my grandmother brought a local doll back for me and one for my cousin - it's where a good part of my doll collection originated.

Now I don't want to go anywhere. Someone started a discussion about what your dream vacation would be if cost was no object, and my first thought was to envision major upgrades to the farm, followed by a week of hired help, catered meals, and housekeeping so that I could (as my mother says) just putter about and say "my how nice."

I would have to have all the work done first though, or instead of being able to relax, I would just use the free time to make progress on other things. But they did say cost was no object....

I will be working in the studio again today. It's cold out, and we are supposed to have a hard freeze (low of 25 and below freezing all night) tonight - so the stone fruit trees were wise to stay shut up tight!

I am overwhelmed with things I want to do right now, but am trying to stay focused on school and work for the spring sale - unfinished projects first as much as possible.

How wonderful your trips must have been!
A dear friend of mine was born in Tokyo and I thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about Japan from him and his family and visiting friends.

I've been to Houston.
Was thinking about accepting a position there but hated the city, weather & country so much I changed my mind.

Seriously think about a quick trip to Japan!
So much more fun than a car.

All my Grandparents and older relatives spoke French.
Granma always spoke French to me when I was little.
She told me that speaking English while in Canada the Mounted police would arrest me and put me in jail. LOL

Then my father moved us to southern Arizona on the Mexico border where I had to learn Spanish to survive.

Close dear family friends I had when young were from Syria and what they taught me about their homeland and culture were so fascinating.

There are so many places I would love to see in person rather than just in pictures or video.

The best place I found in America to meet a lot of people from other countries is at the Grand Canyon.

BFs family is overseas still. He lived in Canada after college, Montreal. He's been in boston about 20 years, I think. I've been in boston 33 years now.

I don't know where we will retire. I'd like to consider Greece or Switzerland. I hope we do not retire in the US. We once had the opportunity to go to Oman for three years and we have a lot of friends in the Middle East. He has the gift of languages so I'm good with moving wherever he wants to go. The Oman move was ultimately nixed by me, as I went from let's go and I'll fly home every two months to see mom to, I'll stay here and fly to see you every two months. So we scrapped it.

It's exciting to think about where we may end up. I've only ever lived in the US. I've traveled to Canada (Montreal and Toronto), Japan twice, and a handful of European trips. I've never been to So America or the Middle East or Greece. I've got a bad hankering to take a trip to Japan again.

I haven't traveled out of the country since 2003. Things kind of went downhill in my family in 2004 and my brother's needs escalated when he became partially paralyzed. I took a few trips, Florida, Houston, San Antonio upstate NY, Chicago, Denver, San Antonio, Charlestown, some with friends, some with mom, some as part of my volunteer work.

I am leaning toward not getting a car. And I'm thinking about how I could scoot over to Tokyo for 10 days. So much fun there.

I guess I never think of myself as having been much of anywhere but maybe I sell myself short.

Paris. Love the French speaking men.

Hi Tatoulia

Happy you all enjoyed the game and saved your appetites for dinner afterward.
So wonderful BF has such long friendships with them!
That's very special.
Can I know what part of Europe they grew up in?
I have never been any farther than Canada & Mexico.
Granma took me to Canada a lot since she/we are Canadian but born in Michigan.

Good luck with the sugar blasting.
I didn't eat any candy again today.

The potatoes were very satisfying.
I sliced them thin enough that Granma's cast iron frying pan cooked them to perfection while it nicely browned them.

Took a lovely long warm shower and some ibuprofen and am now resting in bed. :)

That's a lot of raking, Tillie. I hope you're not too sore tomorrow Eggs and potatoes sound tasty. Do you good the potatoes first or do they get cooked enough in the frying pan?

Hockey game was great fun. We went with a couple who BFhas been friends with for 30 years. And he's known the husband even longer, having grown up in Europe together. I haven't seen either of them in about 8 years. Do we went to the hockey game and we decided not to eat st all and we went to dinner afterward. Very nice time. Then BF took me grocery shopping and now I'm home.

Going to work on sugar blasting. What a gift to be able to tackle these barriers.

Good Afternoon Everybody

Well, the cats and I decided to go outside since the sun is shining and the wind is mild.

I raked & carted off to the side yard a lot of leaves & sticks & whatever.
Scooter & Twinkles wandered off to the way back totally unkept South back side yard.
It's terrible and very scary back there all overgrown with grass & weeds and there are a lot of assorted big things dumped out there.
Had to walk through all that to convince them to come back out of there with me.

My Hyacinth was looking a bit thirsty so I unwrapped the outside water spigot and hooked up the hoses and watered them and the few other plants I am keeping.

Then I came back inside & cut up some red potatoes and fried them.
Then I fried 2 eggs to go with my potatoes.
Now I am resting up feeling very good about all the yardwork I did today. :D

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
You posted while I was composing :)

Yes, it makes sense that it won't really set in till you don't have that bill to pay any more.
WAY TO GO! sorting through what clothes you have, what you actually will wear and waiting to see what you need in the future!!!
So nice you have someone in your life to gift them to. ;)



Where the heck have all the days of March gone?

Seems like the month began with lots of time to do so many things, and now it's all gone.

Maybe April will last a little longer?
Maybe we will have time to enjoy it?

Sometime in April I have a scheduled dental appointment for a check up, xrays and cleaning.
Only going because I don't want pain in the future.

The predicted "rain" storms this last week only brought raging winds.
So I need to re-rake/clean up the yard/garden and the dust in the house is ridiculously thick, should do something about that too.
But first I must shake this apathy.
Watching cats chase butterflies is a lot of fun but doesn't really accomplish anything.
I feel like I am far behind on everything but actually I'm not.
;D

SubC!!! Glad your classes are filling up! You do so much and I'm proud of you!

What do you mean, no flushing when power is out!?! Wow!!

My paycheck didn't have the loan amount taken out so I checked the loan docs and the first payment is April 15. I know what amount it will be, but I still have to brace myself.

I won't feel credit-card free til May, when I have no payment due. Does that make sense? I'll notice that I don't need to make credit card payments that month.

I need to finish getting ready for hockey game. I finally found my one polo shirt. It's actually quite nice/given to me by my company. And I'll wear a company branded shirt over it and then a public radio branded fleece. I honestly don't own casual clothes beyond these. I may think about getting a polo or two for summer but I will need to think through that. I'll need a new denim skirt as the one that I bought (and still needs to be returned) didn't do it for me. But I'll think about this before buying anything. Summer's still a ways off. And I don't want to rush into something I don't need or want.

While hunting for the polo shirt, I found a pair of pj pants like the ones the cleaning lady mentioned she liked and I also found a pair of pj shorts that I won't wear again but won't fit her. So I'll think about what to do with those, whether to offer to her or to just donate. I also found several v-neck T-shirt's that would fit her. Solid colors, to wear under cardigans. I've already donated the cardigans, save one just in case I need it.

Ok I best dry my hair now. Glad you'll still wear dresses Tillie. Hope you are healing and in less pain.

Good Evening

Hi Subclinical
Thank you (((hug)))
But don't worry, I didn't break any bone, fortunately.
Plus I will wear a dress, bruised or not. ;)

That's funny about him flushing.
It is strange that city people get to flush, power or not.

WAY TO GO!!!
Sounds like the school year will be a fun filled and busy time for you!


Hi Tatoulia
Yes, they all had special jobs they did all on their own.
Eowyn was "the mouth"/spokesperson and Gimli was her protector & enforcer.
They all knew to obey Eowyn and never ever touch her.
Marty was like a fun loving happy go lucky brother who would stir things up if he thought they were being too boring and sedate.
Now Scooter & Twinkles are left to fend for themselves but I am trying to learn their language.
Gimli and Eowyn were just month old tiny babies when they came here to me.
They grew up together.
After Eowyn died in October, Gimli just lost the will to go on and a cancer over took him.

Isn't it wonderful how even decluttering unseen items can make a room feel more open and tidier!
:D
And so easy to keep areas clean with only a few items out on display.
It also really helps if we start to just set things down in the wrong places. Stands out like a red flag.

WAY TO GO!!! Working on the sugar addiction!


Tomorrow I plan to order the ceiling tiles and glue from Amazon.
I gave Steven a very good reference for a roofer and he said he is now waiting for a call back from him.

I read that it's best to paint the ceiling tiles before putting them up and I want to be all ready to fix my ceiling soon as I am safe from the leaky roof.
Also need to check on the paint I may have on hand or get to the hardware store and look at pretty paint chips.

Hi.

So much! Has it really been days since I posted? I am reading - always reading! But I type slowly am
Nd have been so busy!

I worry about tillie's leg, and hope it will feel better, but I would wear a dress anyway.

I am glad you got rewarded by the insurance for your care of your home and looking forward to your roof repair!

I hope tatoulia's new net pay was not bleak, and Tatoulia, I am proud of you!

I grew up with well water and I remember the first time the power went out in our apartment and dh flushed the toilet and I yelled at him "what are you doing? You don't flush the toilet during a power outage unless you have to! you know that!" And he was so confused.... and then he taught me that city people have water when the power goes out!

CM, thank you for the badger. It sounds like he has been helping with your bed, but I may need to keep him for the weekend.

Good shopping at home and I hope you keep improving your sleep. sleep is so important!

My classes are filling. Some are still very low so I try not to look at them, and a couple are almost full. Many names I am happy to see, and so far all in the right spots. I hate it when I have to tell a kid they can't take my class. My high school studio is going to be so good next year! I might even be able to stretch it to a couple of extra spots, which will make my boss really happy - more kids in a class means a longer shoestring (which describes our budget).

Isn't that something re Twinkles and Scooter! It never occurred to me that they'd have particular roles in the family!

Yay for clean laundry!!!!

I'm going to work on sugar cravings workshop tonight. I do feel a shift. It's part physical, part mental, part emotional. I've completed the physical one and two and am deep in the mental. It seems to be working.

I walked a lot today and came home to my clean house.

I used to like a lot of treasures in my bathroom. I now have just a soap dish with a bar of soap. So easy to live this way. None of the little displays and cute things around. Antique toothpaste jars and other stuff. So glad to be free of that. I keep my toothbrush etc in kitchen now.

So I feel miles better with less stuff. Even the silver tray I gave to cleaners, it was stored behind another tray in the kitchen (the other tray is very nice, enamel, cheerful) that is in a stand. Just removing the hidden tray makes my kitchen seem neater. I am so thankful to have found everyone here.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
Sorry the work will take longer and more money to finish out back.
Very glad you aren't panicking this time.
All this work is increasing the value of the property and also preventing deterioration.

That's what I need, a sugar crushing workshop.
But the last few days I didn't eat any candy mainly because I have a wonderful fresh sweet pineapple to snack on.

WAY TO GO! for having a brain sugar chemical
shift!

My leg is still very painful to touch, the bruise looks dreadful, but overall it is slowly getting better.
Since it's been getting warmer outside I shaved my legs the other day just in case I wanted to wear a dress.
But now I can't cause my leg looks so ugly. :p

Have the clothesline all full of laundry this morning.
So I'm all caught up, YEA!

Twinkles & Scooter are both acting weird trying to adjust to the new pecking order.
Like who's job is it to remind me when snack time is or to tell me the kibble bowl is empty or to ask me if they can go outside and eat butterflies.
Those jobs were never theirs before and it's confusing for them to figure this out.

Subclinical
Thinking about you and hoping you are just busy doing wonderful & fun activities (((HUG)))