Oh those big fluffy flakes!

I've been writing out my Thanksgiving cards while my laundry does it's thing. Going to head up to car in a few.

Mom is definitely going through changes. She's now accused me of stealing from her. Said she gave me $100 and then I didn't get her anything with it. I told her that I used it for her phone bill, which was more than $100. I need to find a way to protect myself. Because the sister will glom on to this. Luckily, she won't be able to afford an attorney to sue me. Sbd. I attorney is going to be looking for 80 here, 100 there. I will, however, start keeping track of the groceries I buy. Because I'll need that ledger at some point.

I can't believe my mother is turning into someone super mean to me. I need to find a way to deal with this. Maybe get a therapist. I can't get at the end of my rope here but I'm also very beaten down. The best for me would be a support group.

Keeps snowing off & on here today.
Sometimes a small little bit and then will turn into a blizzard of huge fluffy snowflakes.

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for getting some groceries!
70 degrees and here we are down in the teens. LOL :D

The cats don't even ask to go out and Jack keeps begging to come in.
If he and the others didn't hate each other so much it would be a possibility.

Chandeliers would be classy.
If it doesn't hurt the budget too badly I say go for it.

I keep looking for a chandelier for my dollhouse so I can have a proper dining room.

Hope you remembered to take the bags to the car. ;)

First trip to grocery done. Will need at least one more. Got kitty food, oj, frozen shrimp and coffee. Will need to go back for more but I just put my second load of laundry in and I think I'll relax. I will get my bags out of the closet to put in my car.

I bet the snow is pretty! Will the cats make cat prints or will they try to go out and immediately turn around, blaming you for the snow?

I just finished my coffee. It's been in the 70s here. All so crazy.

I really appreciate your input, Tillie. Having a clear plan and executing it feels so good.

I'm most excited about the plumber on Tuesday. Getting that faucet changed will be excellent. Then I'll see when painter wants to do my kitchen.

I have my eye on two light fixtures/chandeliers that are available for very little at a local reuse center. If they are still there on Wednesday, I'll get both and have installed in my hallway. My hallway has three lights but I think the trick will be to ignore the one over the door and install these two where the other two canister lights are. These are at a very low price and would bring a polish to my house for very little. I may even call the place on Monday and purchase them, then pick up on Wednesday. Originally I thought I'd get one for my bedroom but I'm not sold on a chandelier in bedroom because it will be hidden from view by the ceiling fan and the ceiling fan is non negotiable. Both of my ceiling fans are the best things I've done for myself. And I feel like a grown up.

Okay off to my groceries. Need cat food and juice. Story of my life.

Woke up to a snow covered world! ☃

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
Good luck getting groceries today. :D

Sounds like you had a good day yesterday and so sweet of your Friend to bring Mom some goodies.

Your home improvement plan sounds good.
You have been patient waiting to get these last few things done and it's now time!!!

Your museum trip sounds safer than a trip to the grocery store.
Enjoy that. :D

Have a great day at home catching up and getting ahead on tasks.


No plans here, will just spend time looking at how pretty and clean the snow makes everything.

Good morning! Coffee clinks!

First order of business is to get some groceries. I was supposed to do with BF yesterday but ended up sitting in the car and doing a crossword.

I just made plans with a friend and her kids to go to the Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday. All timed entries now. I'll walk and meet them. Then they'll go see BF and I'll walk back. I'm nit ready to be in a car with them. I'm trying to stay safe.

So the plan in grocery shop then bags to car. I also need to organize and put away my postcards. I may also, to get ahead of it, write out my Thanksgiving cards.

Today is put music on and accomplish day.

What are you doing today?

Hello hello! Good work on cleaning, Tillie!

I met up with two friends and we walked and walked and walked, outside of the city. Lovely. Masks are now required in Massachusetts. It was a good day. Then I ran errands with BF and I saw mom in the lobby for a bit. One of my friends had baked for her.

Tillie thanks for helping me sort out my finances. I think I'm striking a good balance. I'll have my faucet fixed, then paint kitchen then paint hallway. Then hang chandelier. So I'll be going into the new year with my house spruced up. Then back to rigorous savings/ paying down my small loan.

Kitty is eating like a pig these days. I'll need to get her more food.

Good Afternoon Everybody
Just about 3:30pm here.

Over night we got a little drizzle!
Been dark overcast very windy and cold all day with a chance of more drizzle.

Will be getting down into the teens this week.
Good thing the faucet is insulated.

Cleaned up & cut up my last 5 carrots, 3 bell peppers and one tomato.
Made some vinaigrette.

Good Evening

Kitchen is all clean :D

Just took a shower and the hot water felt so good on my back.

I have also been able to go so much longer before I feel I really need to take more aspirin or acetaminophen.

Feeling hopeful and happy.

Steven has been coughing, sneezing and snorking the last two days.

About 2:30pm here now.

I got one load of laundry washed, dried, folded & put away.
Scoured the kitchen sink and started washing dishes with lots of rests in between.
More than halfway finished and taking another rest.

The small of my back aches bad.
This must be from sitting down low, bending over to wrap the pipe.
But that nasty gnawing gut pain has NOT returned.
YEA!!! Knock on wood... ;)

The wind is raging out there now. Looks like a storm may be blowing in.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Hi Subclinical
Wishing all of you the best possible outcome with the infected Boy.
Wearing a face mask will have helped contain most
any virus he may have been shedding.
Hand washing and/or hand sanitizer would have kept down any virus transfer to surfaces.
Face masks and lots of hand sanitizer for everyone is how the hospital emergency room here has been operating and their system has been working very well. (((HUG)))

WAY TO GO! getting the minimals done yesterday!
Compost and dishes too! :D

Hi CriticalMass
YEA!!! Fantastic!!!
Great job chipping away at the storage! :D
Very good plan focusing on the bigger stuff and shelf arrangement.
That little stuff like cards and mementos take a long time and we get lost in memories and daydreams.

WAY TO GO! making Bunnies set up safer and easier to keep clean!
He will appreciate it. :D

Hi Tatoulia
Happy you got to visit with Mom & Sister. ;D

Relieved to hear Boston is quiet and lets hope it stays peaceful. (((HUG)))

You did a fantastic job working to pay down your loan.
Cutting back on payment right now is alright.
You have been putting off the home fixing/decorating all this time and now it's time to get things done in there.
Plus you have used "found" money to invest in stock so you are moving in the right direction.
But fixing up your home is your reward for all your hard work decluttering and getting help cleaning and keeping the place tidy and clean.
We must always remember that we deserve these rewards and they make you happy with your home and that encourages you to keep it up. ;D

Good luck getting the insurances all paid up.


Didn't set myself back too much doing the faucet insulation yesterday.
Was able to get some sleep and woke up not too sore this morning.
YEA!
That chore really had to be done.
Today I really need to wash dishes.
I have been eating so there are lots of dishes to wash.
Laundry needs doing too.
Will do a load of sheets this morning and see how I feel.
I can set up the kitchen for dish washing, do a few, rest, then do a few more through the day.

Good morning all.

CM, just keep plugging away, the storage unit is getting better and better! Nice that the bunny will have a more secure location. Bunny lungs are sensitive to dust too, as I'm sure you know.

Tatoulia, yay for a visit with mom and kitty sister! Right now, staying in is a good thing! Keep it up!

Good to know "malt" means laptop.

Tillie, I hope you didn't overdo it.

I finished my minimal yesterday and took the compost out and managed a load of dishes. Classes were not great, but they went ok. A lot of my older kids are very stressed about the election.

Now for the bad news - my student tested positive for covid. After extensive interviewing, my boss informed me that I do not meet the cdc guidelines for exposure (he sits in the back corner of my room for one hour a week and I was not back there during his class) and can keep teaching in person. He was last in my room October 29.

We have notified the families of all students who attend classes with him and informed any we feel meet the cdc guidelines that they must stay home and get tested.

It is almost certain he was infected by his sister, and there is a good chance he was not contagious (or possibly even exposed yet) the last time he was in school.

Dh left a message for our friends - they may not come tonight.

Tillie, I'm so happy your pain has let up.

I think we need to take some of Subc's chocolate syrup and make Tatoulia a malt. 🥤 Sounds yummy. 😋 I'm guessing autocorrect took the a, l, and t from "laptop" and got a little crazy.

Went to storage in the afternoon. It was a shorter session than I'd planned. Less organized too. Found a box of greeting cards and misc. Ugh, decisions. But not today. Had to remind myself that right now we're about getting bigger items moved, not bogging down with stuff like that. Besides, later on I may be totally psyched to get through cards in record time.

The bigger things in question were the white metal shelf unit that needed to go along the wall, and any tubs or boxes of books involved in clearing a way for that to happen. It was a bit scary - I didn't realize that shelf set was so flimsy - but I got it in place, with no loss of life or limb.

The nice sturdy Metro type wire shelves are to receive books as they are put neatly into transparent, not too big, tubs. The cookware on the wire shelves will go on the flimsy white one (a lot of lightweight aluminum baking pans). There's a second, silver set of the older type of shelves that also has books.

Everything's very "fluffed" again. But I know why and that it'll get neatened up soon. I'm positive now that I will want to jettison every shelf unit that isn't super sturdy and stable, as soon as possible. It will take time but is a priority.

My roommate has bought oodles of the good wire shelves and reconfigures them periodically, so she has spare components and said there might be enough to make another unit for me. That'd be super helpful whenever we're able to do it.

Saturday I have a project for my bunny boy's cage. It sits on a shelf thing that's been sagging, and I need to be able to clean under it easier because the dust bugs roommate's allergies something fierce.

We got a sturdy plastic table to replace the shelf. I'll need to maneuver bunny and cage and stuff under and on the cage, then sweep and fix the new setup. The bunnies will probably go in the stroller for walks with roommate so I can vacuum because the vacuum is scary for the bunnies. After the deep cleaning hopefully it can be maintained with a dust mop or something.

So, keeping busy!

Hello again.

I went to visit mom tonight. One of the aides had told me I could visit. So I saw my little cat sister! And I was able to read my mother's large pile of birthday cards! Really sweet! I stayed six feet away and kept my mask in the whole time. Very relaxed visit.

I didn't get my garbage out. I will do in the AM. I am now showered and ready for bed.

I've been keeping up with dishes and mail shredding. I've been keeping up with my kitchen counters. I paid all my bills and mailed the ones I mail. I'm comfortable with my choice to pull back on repaying the small loan. I've done remarkable work on it and the pace isn't feasible if I want to keep up with my home projects.

I've done a good job on that and how lucky to make the decision. I don't want to count my chickens but I may be able to cash in two weeks of vacation time in January. That's if I don't get sick or need to take a day looking for a lost cat. I have two or three scheduled vacation days coming up. I know I'm taking a Friday and then a Monday in December. How sad there won't be the holiday sale I enjoy so much. I'm also going to miss that sweet spot of the week of Christmas and the week of new year's, where absolutely no one goes into the office. I used to get so much done!

I still haven't taken my donation bags to the car. What is wrong with me.

I have clean sheets tonight. I just didn't get them changed yesterday. I'm happy that the plumber will be here on Tuesday. He accepts cash or check. I'll give him a check since I don't want to have a lot of cash around. Then hopefully over Thanksgiving, I can have my kitchen painted.

I've been keeping up with my laundry but not in an obsessive way. It's better for me.

I had another good day at work. Spending a portion of my time in the sofa makes a difference. I'll see what my lap desk looks like tomorrow night-scheduled to be delivered to BF's.

That's the news from Boston. The city's been boarded up since the weekend but honestly I don't think there'll be protests. There was a March the other night with zero problems. Although I've largely been holed up inside, there no edgy feeling to the city.

Tillie I am so worried about you! And I can't help it!

I have scheduled a plumber for Tuesday. Very excited to get this done. I have other things I want to do but my money is tight. I paid real estate taxes on the 1st and then I just had my bathroom painted. I'm pulling back on my aggressive loan payments for now. I've made great progress but I need to make just one slightly larger payment a month, not large payments every two weeks.

I will need to dip into savings for my insurances-at least for car insurance. I can probably do umbrella and homeowners from paycheck. The payment plan isn't expensive but I don't want to do that. I think I save 50 on the car and maybe 6 or 12 or 24 on the others. No need to spend that extra money. I was able to buy my stock without savings.

Good Afternoon Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Best wishes tackling your basic minimals and school classes.

Yeah, it's getting pretty scary out in the counties now.
Hoping the deniers and anti maskers are paying attention and straightening up their act.

Be kind to yourself, no negative self talk about all you haven't gotten done around the house.
If you have the basics covered and animals tended to you are doing GREAT!! (((HUG)))


Hi Tatoulia
I read/figured "malt" as just one of those random words we all sometimes get.

Yes pain is terribly exhausting and kills your spirit and you just want to die to escape it.

Enjoy your warm spell.
Give Tigger a lovin from me.

Please just keep doing whatever you can to stay healthy.
Those daredevils are a danger to everybody so stay far away from them all.
I am not even tempted to visit a drive up restaurant let alone sit in one.

Good luck with the plumber.


Beautiful warm day today.
Wanted to have the cats outside but Jack came and I had to toss him out of my house and toss Twinks & Scooter back in.

Wrapped the outside faucet with insulation today.
Had to kneel and then sit & bend down low, positions I could not do for months.
Then I rolled up and stored away the hoses.
I am a little bit sore but plan to rest and not do anything else today.
Hopefully I won't be punished.
I do not recommend the pain & agony diet for weight loss.
You can easily feel every bone in my body but I have lost all muscle tone.

God only know what malt is. SubC! I'd brought my lap top over to the couch. I got a lot done yesterday as a result.

SubC I am sending you lots of good thoughts that your teaching goes well today! You are a great teacher and you have a magical way with your students!

Tillie, I am grateful for your pain relief. My mother talks about how exhausting it is to be in pain. Such a toll on the body and mind.

CM I am so impressed! You are doing great! Wow! You are my hero!

I am going to get dressed soon. I haven't left my house since Tuesday around noon. That isn't good. I've started to change my sheets and do other stuff here. Once I'm dressed I may run up to visit with BF. Warm spell is heading here.

Covid cases here are absolutely ramping up. Governor has issued new suggestions and regulations. This isn't pretty. I'm 100% happy to follow the rules including a curfew of 10 PM. Restaurants etc have to close at 9:30. Other stuff like that. Some of the ideas seem arbitrary but I'm not one to quibble. It's just too dangerous out there. I do not want to get sick. I'm shocked that people are eating inside at restaurants.

Need to nail down the plumbing appt. I had no idea how costly this would be to get my faucet changed.

Tillie, I'm glad you are feeling better.

CM, way to go in the storage area! I am really proud of you!

Tatoulia, I can't figure out what your "malt" is, but I'm glad you have found a cozy work area. I think a lot of us are tired right now.

I am having trouble even with minimal pupa. Everything is out of control, the dishes are piled up and the compost is filling extra containers, but I just can't. I am just trying to step back and rest this morning. I slept badly and forgot to set my alarm. Fortunately it is a late school day for me.

My goals are to succeed at my three classes this afternoon and my three classes tomorrow and minimum required chores. Anything else is icing.

Dh has invited friends over to eat outside tomorrow evening because the weather is supposed to be nice.

One of my students is quarantining because his sister (who does not go to our school) has covid. I last taught him a week before yesterday, but I also teach some of his classmates and friends. His parents had him tested and are waiting for results. So far all the kids who have been out have tested negative. (Except one who had a fever and wouldn't get tested and has been out for 3 weeks because we wouldn't let her come back- she should be back today)

The 7 day average for cases in my county is 78, and the county where I teach is over 200, but both come out around 33/100,000. Our state testing rate is climbing at about a 30 degree angle, our new cases at about 45, and our hospitalizations at about 60. Not a good sign.

Good Evening Everybody

WAY TO GO!!! FANTASTIC! CriticalMass :D
You are really getting to it there!
WOOHOO! for all the donating too!
You have spent a lot of time mentally working through your plan and now it's all coming together like a 2500 piece jigsaw puzzle.


Hi Tatoulia
So relieved Tigger is doing well.
Silly little boy 🐱‍👤

WTG! for PUPA!
Little things like that help keep things from becoming a big thing.

A lap desk should be good.
Sitting on the couch with a throw and out of the draft.
Bet you will like it and keep it.

You may be tired because of the time change.
It's just an hour difference but feels like jet lag.


Knock on wood...
Finally that nasty pain has stopped.
Just a general discomfort in the lower abdomen now and an achy back.
Did nothing all day, took a short nap, ate.
Feeling more hopeful right now and got a bit more sleep last night.

Progress in storage for today:

Worked with some books, and it's becoming easier to get through the unit to the back. Finding boxes I haven't seen much less done anything with since I transferred to this unit three years ago. Now I know what's in several of them, and have also been able to scoot them back to clear the floor in those spots.

Still in the shifting around stage so there might be things that get set back in the path "momentarily," but they quickly get shifted again so it's not just spinning my wheels - stuff gets pulled out and like put with like (very satisfying), or gone (also satisfying).

Books got so separated back when, and it's great to bring all the ones on a certain topic or by a certain author together. Found more than I expected to let go of, too, also crafting magazines. I'd thinned them but still have a few doll and art ones with the occasional pattern I want. So I'll shoot a copy (might be a PDF if it's just instructions, thus even less paper). Then bye bye magazines!

All this over the last couple of days resulted in about 6 cubic feet at least of stuff transported to the thrift shop this afternoon.

Big goal for now is to get to where I can move the remaining bookshelves to along the walls rather than sticking out as they have been. Then keep sorting and thinning books, and after that go through fabric and do the thing I've had in mind this year, namely cutting larger fabric pieces down and donating the extra.

Cookware and family memorabilia are the other big categories, then it'll just be smaller miscellaneous categories after that.

Weather should hold through the week. I wore shorts today! 😁 Then possibly rainy Monday, and dipping down a lot chillier Tuesday and Wednesday. But that's when my roommate will be in the hospital so I'll maybe bring some small sorting home to do.

So much to catch up on! WTG everyone!

Cm you are doing FANTASTIC! Wow! I had the Turkey candle too. Long gone. I do have a really nice Turkey candle that I've enjoyed for the last 15 years. I love it when I own something that I still truly love. And it's small.

SubC the vinegar sounds nice! Tillie I too would need a small cup of vinegar-I love the taste and I don't drink at all! I am sorry you are hurting so much. I'm so sorry.

I have gotten a lot more done today than I have recently. I brought my malt over to my couch and I was very comfortable. So I have purchased a lap desk to try out for the winter. Once it gets cold and it's so drafty by. my desk. We shall see. Very inexpensive and it can go in closet when I'm not using it. If I don't love it, I can only imagine how many people would enjoy finding it at Goodwill!

Tigger continues to do well now that he's home. I'd love to post some pictures but a nosy colleague has started following me on that account and I'm so upset about it. The have a different, private Instagram that she hasn't located. But she just joined my public one that I built for us here. I'll have to get over it and start posting again.

I've been practicing a bit of PUPA! Every time I leave a room I pick something up to deal with. I put it right where it goes. I don't let it spend time in way station.

I'm so tired. What in the world is wrong with me.

In just this last week the number of positive virus cases has risen...

Last week there were 22 positive test results with nobody in the hospital.

Today there are currently 104 positive cases and 2 people hospitalized.

These figures reflect only the people who have bothered to get tested.
When people don't feel too sickly they tend to just stay in bed and not bother going in to be tested.
The asymptomatic people don't seem to be getting tested at all unless required to by their jobs.
Not many employers are requesting non sick people get tested, just quarantine 2 weeks if a family member is testing positive.

I have enough cat food and my food to stick it out at home for two weeks.
I won't have fresh produce but I will be safer.
Plus the charity food bank would deliver me a box if I asked, a last resort.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
WAY TO GO!!!
You did a wonderful job at storage!
Working on decorations may not have made a huge difference but you were very motivated to sort through them and were able to accomplish a LOT.

Hi Subclinical
Yes, we all must count out blessings and keep our expectations low this year.
Focus mainly on what is right at hand in our homes.

WAY TO GO! working your way through all those tomatoes! :D


Slept badly last night.
Nasty nauseating nagging little pain in my lower left corner.
Been sleeping off & on all day but the phone kept ringing with nobody answering on the other end.
I have been trying to wish my pain onto those ugly phone trolls. 👿

Goid job CM!

I'm sorry about your turkey, but candles aren't meant to last forever.

Tillie, that is funny about the vinegar.

The chickens completely scattered the entire raised bed. I raked it back and pushed in whatever cloves I could find - they were originally in neat rows separated into two kinds as a trial, but now I am just going with "hopefully there will be some garlic."

This whole year has been an exercise in adjusting my expectations.

My hope for the election is simply that no one gets shot today. And the pessimist in me thinks that may be overly optimistic.

Meanwhile, I will be canning tomato sauce this morning and going into school to teach this afternoon even though every county we serve fails to meet our reopening guidelines.

The sun is out.
I have safe running water, a roof that doesn't leak, electricity, a healthy family...

Right now I just need to think about the tomato sauce.

I went to storage today, it was a nice day. 🌞

Was going to do a bunch of book sorting, and did in fact do some. But got sidetracked onto holiday decorations downsizing most of the time. However, that was something I'd had in mind also, so it's all good.

This is about the third or fourth time I've downsized holiday items. The first was after my dad died when I combined some stuff of my parents, and chose which of the same item to keep, like Christmas tree, star for the tree, ornaments, etc. The extras went in the estate sale. And in my move to this storage unit from the other one I'd gotten rid of quite a bit.

Remember the Gurley candles? I had thought there was a Thanksgiving turkey one. Sure enough, found him today; he'd been in the box with other Thanksgiving stuff. With the unit not being climate controlled, Mr. Turkey had apparently melted in the summers and now resembles roadkill. Poor guy. At least he didn't melt to the point of getting wax stains on other items. Guess he won't go to the thrift store at any rate.

So anyway, I feel like I got the decorations to a point that is pretty minimalist. I'm pleased. Simple, small, compact things for each holiday. Keeping my 4 foot Christmas tree (it's boxed) for my own place, unless it isn't feasible to store at some point. If that becomes an issue I'll let it go, but no need to fret now. And the Nativity set my dad and I made.

The bunny club has been having live streams for fundraising and education. They did a Halloween one this weekend. A few of the decorations I pulled out may work for them for various upcoming holidays.

Getting the decorations dealt with didn't make a dramatic dent in the space, but it did open a bit of a path to an area by the books and family memorabilia, which are goal areas to work on soon. A decent day's work methinks.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Happy you put out a few Autumn decorations! :D

Even though things are all different and isolating
we must all do little things to keep our lives as they were before.
If we decorated, we must do at lest a little holiday/seasonal decorating.
More important now than ever before to continue our traditions even if we scale them down.

Hope your vinegar turns out extra tasty.
When I used to visit the wineries in Napa/Sonoma I would always taste the vinegar and buy a gallon.
They knew I don't drink alcohol but served me vinegar in a tiny wine glass.
One perk of living in the bay area.
The Jelly Belly jelly bean factory was also there and had wonderful special deals on jelly beans.
Four pound bag of assorted jelly beans for two dollars.

Bad Chickens! hope they did not ruin the bulbs and they they can recover and multiply. :(

WAY TO GO! working through all those tomatoes!
Sounds like you will have enough to last a while.

I would be eating lots of your icecream and chocolate sauce too.

So happy for your Friend. Wishing her all the best life has to offer. (((HUG)))

I really hate people coming into my house. It really upsets me and rubs me the wrong way.
Don't mind my friends coming in, just other stranger people.
But they did see my little garden oasis area all neat & tidy.


Hi CriticalMass
During these last 30 years I have honestly crossed every T and dotted every I and left no avenue unexplored.
Thanks anyway :)

Good luck making plans for Roommates surgery & recovery.
The animals will be fine, you did good with them the other times.

Hoping you do get away once in a while to get into storage.
Just like with your room, little bit by little bit does make an improvement.
Even if you can't see it right away.
Plus small shorter times working at storage keeps it from seeming like a huge overwhelming chore.
WTG! for doing small PUPA in your bedroom! :D
"Pick Up Put Away = PUPA"

Happy belated Halloween 🎃

Again it's just been harder to squeeze in time to post. Doing okay though. Not liking the time change but trying not to think about it.

My roommate will feel better because before, she always had to leave for work when it was still dark and return after dark, with a half hour for lunch and no windows in her office. And she was more stressed and sleep deprived then, and having to commute across town.

Tillie, I don't know if this will be any help or not, but I was thinking about your situation re retirement and health benefits. There's this website I found helpful when filing my disability claim. It's called Nolo. They have lots of detailed articles on legal stuff and they explain it all in plain English but with good specific detail. Do you know about it?

SubC, I am in awe at how much you coordinate with the farm and preserving along with your job. Hope the work at home in the gardens and kitchen helps you discharge some of the nervous energy that goes with these crazy times.

Tatoulia, hoping Tigger is recovering fine from his little "adventure" and content to stay indoors. And that all goes well with your projects. Maybe you'll have that chandelier up by Christmas or sooner!

Tomorrow, and other nice days this week, I hope to do a little in my storage unit. I've picked up a few things here and there around my bedroom too, not enough to notice a visible difference yet, but still I know that things are getting put more back where they belong. Like shoes off the floor and into the shoe organizer, Bobby pins in their box, all sorts of miscellaneous. Satisfying.

Soon it'll be getting to be time to figure out the plan for my roommate's hospital stay a week from Tuesday, what all I'll need to remember to do for the animals, etc.

Tillie, I'm glad that Steven may have a "Badger" of his own now. Without you having to try and be the Badger, and getting yelled at for your trouble! Whatever can help is welcome, I'm sure.

Tillie cross post. Sorry you are sore, but I'm glad you have your cozy bedding. Hopefully it won't be too bad tomorrow.

Maybe next time invite Steven's friends into the house.

Good evening.

I put out a few Halloween things. Mostly scarecrows and pumpkins that can stay up through thanksgiving, but also a favorite bowl, a ghost candle, and my favorite framed picture from the first Halloween I had all 3 kids.

Tillie, I can imagine yours.

I filtered my vinegar today - three half gallon jars of cores and water gave me three scant quarts of vinegar. It still has to ferment a lot more, so it will shrink somewhat, but I put it in trays this time.

My teacher friend who moved away to live with her daughter sent me a picture of her playing in the backyard with her granddaughter. She looks so happy and relaxed, I cried. I miss her but she has worked so hard all her life and had so much hardship. I am so happy for her!

This morning I had three 28 quart bins filled with various stages of tomatoes. I sorted through two of them. Now I have one sorted out bin, one not sorted out bin, two quarts of perfect ones in the freezer for later, and 8.5 quarts of tomatoes cut up to make sauce tomorrow. The rest were bad and went to the chickens, but it was not a whole 17 quarts, because cut up tomatoes take up a lot less room than whole tomatoes - they are no longer roundish and surrounded by air.

I hope to also sort out the other bin tomorrow because I don't want my scullery to smell like rotten tomatoes.

My adolescent chickens broke into the garden and destroyed my garlic bed, and I want to start laundry but can't (I am going to have to learn a new rhythm) but I have ice cream mix ready to freeze again tomorrow (Dh keeps eating all my ice cream!) But that is ok. I'm glad he likes it. And not really all - I am eating some and managing to stash one in three in the chest freezer for the future. But he does eat a lot of ice cream!

DD's BFF got a job in Boston and is leaving nyc.

My body says it's an hour past my bedtime. Goodnight all!

Hello

Earlier today I managed to get out my Winter blanket and jacket and other stuff.
Also stowed away some freshly washed Summer weight things.
This stuff is all stored in 8 plastic & lidded bins in one half of the closet in Steven's bedroom.
Means I need to move a heap away from the folding door to get access, pull out my bins and get them into the dining area.
There I can open them and put stuff in and take stuff out.
Been so sore ever since but I really needed my stuff.

Tomorrow I will shampoo my hair and totally remake my bed with the warmer Winter bedding.
Then some day this week I will wash my light weight blankets and put then in their bin and put that bin back in the closet.

Have my punkin light again tonight 🎃

G'mornin again

Hi Subclinical
Go ahead and whine away.
You have very valid points and are not just being whiney.

About getting sick, I too am afraid that I would pass it on to someone else and I just never want to do that.
So we both just keep doing the best we can to stay uninfected. (((HUG)))

This whole mess must be extra hard on young adults. They feel immortal and want the life they have envisioned with all the socializing.

New spatulas! I was looking at them a while ago and they tend to be more expensive than they used to be.
And they have new styles and materials and I got so confused and am still using my 2 old ones, for now.

Happy Heart Gs is doing well at the school and hoping it becomes easier for him. (((HUG)))

WTG! Dh for replacing the bulbs so it will be brighter for you.

Most sincere condolences that the washer & dryer are simply just POS.
Instead of helping you with chores and time management they are now a chore demanding their own time tables.

Thank you for siding with me on outing Steven.
He buys into peer pressure, wants everybody to love him and think he is wonderful and never stinks.

Wish I could say something to help with your anxiety, nail biting and skin scratching.
((((HUGS))))
Shopping to relieve tension is one thing nobody can really do much of now.
And stores will become even more dangerous as the virus progresses because of the Winter and people staying indoors all bunched up together with no open windows & doors.

You should put out some Halloween decorations.
That will give you a smile when you look at them and maybe help chase away some of the blues.

I have three Halloween decorations that were Granma's. They are thin painted tin depictions of a black cat, jackolantern and witch riding her broom.
They are on my Great Granma's dresser now and seeing them makes me happy.

Good morning. Sitting her with the moon and a body that says the time change is a lie.

Tatoulia, the teaching is hard this year - it's hard because there are a lot of fun/cool things I can't do and I can't figure out how to adapt, and because I have to be constantly vigilant to keep them safe and enforce so many new rules. I am keeping very strict limits and protocols in my life, and I am not at all comfortable with some things that are "allowed". People think that I must be very afraid of getting sick. But I am not afraid of getting sick. I think I would be sick, and then I would be fine. I am very afraid of having this shut down my school, or much, much worse, spread in my classroom or through me and kill someone.

Harder than teaching is the effect this has on my relationship with my youngest. She is making her own choices, and I understand that she is social and physical and young and in a new and fun relationship. She is also working two in person jobs. But she misses me, and I miss her, and she does not understand my position. And worse than wishing I could welcome her home and hug her and make the holidays fun for her, is the fact that I cannot help judging her for not understanding.

Good luck with your donation bag and kitchen plans.

Tillie, you do plenty!

And good job outing Steven to his friends. It would be wonderful if he lost his enablers and truly improved! Any small victory is something.

Yesterday I froze the ice cream, made fudge sauce, ran a load of laundry, made seven small rounds of the easy cheese, and ran the dishwasher. I meant to run a second load of dishes last night, but I forgot to put my glass in and start it.

I did not carve my pumpkin.

My favorite holidays are my birthday, Halloween, and Christmas.

This year I "celebrated" my birthday by asking Dh for new kitchen spatulas, which he got me, and going to work - where they have left me off the staff birthday chart and where I did not tell anyone it was my birthday. ❤️Gs came by my room the next day to say "happy late birthday! I wanted to come tell you yesterday but my schedule got too busy." (Meaning one or more of his teachers probably grabbed him for something during his free choice - school has been rough for him, but he is doing worlds better with us than in public school.)

My participation in the school spirit week (pun) leading up to Halloween was minimal and cynical at best (my "outfits" were a series of t-shirts or sweatshirts, that is so not me that other teachers commented)

And the only decorations I put out were my Halloween table cloth and a jock-o-lantern candle for yoga.

Yesterday was gorgeous here and I spent the day inside because I feel like the milk and the tomatoes and the housekeeping are all getting ahead of me and I am terrified that if I go into winter like this I will collapse under the weight of it all.

I am biting my nails and scratching my skin raw again and I thank god I can't go into thrift stores.

Today the weather is supposed to be rainy and windy and cold again, and my barn is also a mess (Dh, knowing I am light dependent, just replaced all the bulbs so it is super bright daylight spectrum in there to help me get through chores this winter)

I am thinking about giving myself a do over on Halloween and putting my decorations out for the next week, but I don't know if it would help, and I'm not sure I can find the energy.

I kind of just want it to be Halloween until all this is over. I can't think about the other holidays.

The dryer is in, and now I am going to complain once about my new appliances and then accept the things I cannot change. These are not the same things I had. These are definitely a trade down. I should have spent a little more time looking at the controls and talking to Dh, but honestly, I am not going to go to a laundromat, so I would be doing all our laundry by hand, and these were available fast, and beggars can't be choosers.

The washer is very loud. It makes a squeaky noise. You can hear it all over the house - I cannot start a load and go to bed. It has only cold as a rinse option. It does not have a hand wash cycle, which my old washer did have and which I used a lot in the winter for nice sweaters. I will be actually washing those sweaters by hand now. Which means I will also be spending a lot more time cleaning sinks. And they will take longer to dry without the gentle spin cycle, and there will be more towels to wash as I will roll them in a towel to squeeze the water out before putting them out to dry.

The dryer has three settings - "air fluff", "medium" and "high". That's it. When I commented that it did not have a "low" heat setting, Dh asked "what do you dry on low heat?" And my reply was "everything." It was literally the only setting I used unless I was throwing in something with a wet towel to steam out wrinkles. It has a very loud buzzer that you can't turn off, so I can't start it and go to bed either. I also can't start it in the morning before Dh gets up, but since I can't do wash at night either, I guess that doesn't matter. So I have lost half the time I usually do laundry, and the odds of washing anything during the school week are pretty low. The lint trap feels cheap and fragile and I will probably break it.

Neither machine has the lovely count down timer that was on both of my old machines and let me know when I should come back and change the load over.

The new machines work. They are more attractive than the old machines. The washer has much more capacity than my old one, which Dh feels should make me happy because I was always looking for more capacity, but that was when I had three kids on a farm. Now it is just us and I rarely have a full load before I need to wash things. It does have a "bulky" setting that is supposed to keep it from getting unbalanced and trying to shake itself apart if you fill it with towels or a comforter or your quilted barn coveralls. That is nice.

I have to remember to filter the vinegar today.

I'm sorry I have written a whiney book.

Good Morning
November, may it be better than October...

Hi Tatoulia
WTG! for running errands, laundry and walking! :D

Would be wonderful if the bathroom was all finished this year.
So happy you love your new décor.

Good luck getting donations to the car and the faucet in and measured.

Halloween here was the same as always.
Too far out in the county to get kids.
Used to get neighbor kids ages ago but they all grew up and moved away.

Had my jack0lantern lit and Twinkles gacked up a hairball.
About as scary as it ever gets.

I am awake because it's been seven hours since my last OTC pain meds so I'm awake.
Planning to get more sleep soon as I can.
The time change happened so it's 3:00am instead of 4:00am.

Tillie you are doing a great job of taking care of yourself and doing chores. I so wish you could have some sleep! I had good sleep Thursday night and Friday night and today was up and ready for errands.

SubC I cannot imagine the sheer anxiety of teaching in this environment. I applaud you and wish I could absorb some of the anxiety.

Today I went and deposited my mother's ballot, so now we have both voted. I also picked up some meat to make her spaghetti tomorrow. I did a few errands with BF but ended up just sitting in the car and doing my crossword while he did errands. Then I walked up Whole Foods to get mom stuff and dropped it off, then walked back with BF to Whole Foods.

I did a load of cat blankets today too, Tillie. I combined it with my slippers and jeans. Now I just did a load of unmentionable s and I hung them up and decided to do a bit more laundry.

My goal this weekend is to get the donation bags up to my car. I need to contact that woman I met at goodwill as I have some nice things for her. I bought my faucet, and as soon as I get it out of my car and confirm it will work, I'll schedule someone to replace if for me.

I ran into my painter while hunting for Tigger and asked him to do my kitchen in November. I think he'll need one coat of primer and two of the paint. I am in love with my bathroom and I hope to get my chandelier rewired and restored so I can have that hung. Maybe by Christmas!

We got our first snow yesterday and it was such a pretty scene out the window by my desk. It's melted now for the most part.

So odd to have a Halloween without all the little kids around. It's gotten progressively busier over the years, a far cry from my first year here and one of the young women upstairs asked me if I wanted to hand out candy. At that time, I was worried we'd get shot. I've watched this neighborhood for 25 years.

Ok I need to make dinner.

Crazy week but I got all my steps in! Thank you for supporting me. I really appreciate your friendship.

Carved my pumpkin 🎃

Ran the vacuum around but didn't move anything, just got up the fur Twinkles sheds all over.

Doing a load of rags.
Did a load of cat quits.

Scooped litter box and swept the floor.
Got the trash out.

That's enough. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃

Hi Subclinical
Sounds like "so far so good" at your school.

WTG! for cheese and tomato prep! :D

Hoping the dryer is exactly perfect for you.


Still been seeing him periodically carry out one or two plastic grocery bags of trash from the garage.
Yesterday I saw him picking out some trash from the driveway, up by the carport.
He was going after old cardboard boxes that have been weathering out there for years and can no longer be called "boxes".
All their contents had long ago been vomited out as the cardboard disintegrated.

Since his "friend" died he no longer has anybody on his side telling him what a wonderful thing this hoard of his is.
And his "secret" has now been exposed to others.
Some of his people from when he worked dropped by a while back when he was not here and I gave them a tour, even opened up the garage door allowing them to look in.
Nobody dared to try and enter, it's so bad.
I believe him being outed is his motivation.
Whereas before he was telling everybody it was all my fault he couldn't get his stuff organized.
That I was a big slob and kept trashing all his stuff, hogging up all the storage spaces.
Now they know that he's been lying to them about everything all these years.

Tillie, I'm glad you are doing a little better.

One kids was back healthy yesterday, the other two, no news. So far still no reported cases.

We did send one student home with a fever two weeks ago whose angry father says she won't get tested, so she should be back 14 days after the fever broke - next week since I'm sure he'll claim the fever was gone in 24 hours.

5 weeks down, 27 to go.

The washer is doing ok. I'm adjusting. Dryer might get installed today. Some time this weekend.

I prepped ice cream last night and have skim milk in the fridge ready to make cheese.

I'm going to work on the tomatoes some more too. They've been slowly ripening/rotting and I've put a couple of gallons of the best ones in the freezer to make into sauce later and fed about 1/2 bushel to the chickens.

Good Evening

Got the dishes washed.
There weren't many but I took my time and took a lot of rests.

Steven keeps waking me up when I am asleep, making lots of noises.
So inconsiderate.
I am sleep deprived, a few good night's of sleep would really help.

Since I was awake at 5:30am I went ahead and washed some summertime curtains I took down when I put up the heavier wintertime ones.
They dried nicely on the line.

I laid the two hoses out straight in the sunlight so they will warm up and be easier to roll up to store over winter.
Will try rolling them tomorrow.

Tired but no screaming pain today (knock on wood).

YEA!!!!WOOHOO!!!!
My prayer has been answered.
I was praying hard that someone found him and took him in.
That's what I would have done.

I was hopeful since nobody could find him when you all searched.

New sign at the office...
NO the cat does NOT get to go outside, ever
Thank you.

Hope he is happy and well and so glad to be home again after his great adventure. 😸


Thank you Subclinical (((hug)))
Been laying low all day.
Did wash a load of my clothing and it's hung in my room.
Reclaimed my glider chair from the cats and find sitting in it with my feet up on Twinkle's step stool is a very good painless position to relax in.
Dishes and everything else has not been done, maybe tomorrow?
Right now with two 325mg aspirin in me has me very comfortable and I will NOT push it.

Any news on the sick school kids yet?
The headache may be anything but if the two have colds they are not following proper procedures or their family members aren't.

How is the new washer doing?
Is the dryer hooked up yet?

So far so good here with the virus tally.
22 infected, none hospitalized.
Hospital still has not needed to use their outside overflow tent.

Was hoping the winter cold would stop a lot of the rallies, protests, mass violence and other huge gatherings around the world.
But just like the USA, Europe has too much unrest.
France needs to eat more cake and stop beheading people. :P

🙌🏻Alleluia!🙌🏻

Tatoulia, that is wonderful news! I am so happy to hear that he is safely back home!

Tillie, one step at a time. Most important is to keep feeling better.

Tigger found! He's back! I picked him up at the MSPCA today! I couldn't believe when I got the call saying, we probably have your cat as someone dropped off a very old tabby cat on Tuesday. He lives!

He pooped on the carrier on the way home. I'm good with that. Also helps that I was driving BF's car and not mine.

What a miracle. I just called the news station (yes, the news showed up yesterday). It's been crazy. I was still crying last night but had made my peace with it. We learned Wednesday afternoon that someone saw a cat almost get hit by a car, then the person stopped and picked up the cat and put him in the car. So then we knew that he was okay. We even decided that if that person had the cat put to sleep, that was a five ending. We just didn't want him alone and scared.

And then I got the call today. M
I can finally sleep. And will do so soon.

I'm not caught up. At all. I'll read soon. Thank you all.

Good Morning...

Doing a bit better today, managed to get a few hours sleep last night.

It is driving me crazy to not be able to do all the things around here that need doing.
And every day brings more that needs doing.
But I am a lot better than when this all first started, much less intense insane pain.

Today I would like to wash the few dishes and do a wash load of my clothing.
Wish me luck :D

Evenin Ya'll

Hi CriticalMass
Sorry the time and dates are not aligning with your needs.
Nothing we can do about that but hoping you can bend and adjust enough to get them to work for you.

Good luck and best wishes with your storage plans.
You will do fine baby sitting all the critters.

YEA! for getting that doodad for the tablet. ;)


Hi Subclinical
If they are doing proper preventative measures they should not get colds.
But they may be being exposed to unmasked people in crowds, gatherings, family get togethers.
And may not be keeping their hands clean and off their faces.
They are children and do as they are allowed to do.
We need more parental education and compliance.
🤨"shrug"

Didn't know it is national Bat week.
All my Bats are heading into hibernation and the bugs are almost all died off from the cold.

Happy the little ones understand the word.
There are still grownups who don't quite grasp the meaning.


Hi Tatoulia ((((((HUG))))))

Tatoulia,

I am truly sorry. Please take care of yourself though. Getting sick won't help tigger.

Tillie, you keep taking care too.

CM, I like weather underground. It's pretty reliable for me. Good luck on your planning and tasks.

I have three kids out mystery sick so far today. Probably two olds and a headache. I don't know how you catch a cold if you are taking precautions against covid!

Right now is my plan period, then one more class and home. It has been a pretty good day.

Also, btw, it is national bat week. Bats eat mosquitos and pollinate chocolate, so they are our friends, but they also can have scary germs, so we have to appreciate them from afar, like our regular friends in the pandemic.

My six year olds understand the word pandemic.....

Oh no, poor Tigger... 😭 Sending hugs and prayers for you and BF, Tatoulia. Wish you could find him either way so you get closure.

I'm still here, we've had that nasty white stuff ❄️ turning to rain today then nicer weather on the way tomorrow and beyond, for awhile anyway.

I'm sad that we have to set the clocks back on Halloween. Usually there is a gap of a week so that doesn't spoil Halloween. Not that we do much special for Halloween, but still.

The timing of things is just WEIRD this year. And into next year. I was fixing my paper monthly planning calendar, adding Social Security paydays and my Catholic holydays, birthdays, highlighting stuff, etc.

This year on New Year's Eve, for instance, I have the payday that would normally be in January 2021. Then later on in March, payday falls on Good Friday (which is a day of fasting and one which I tend to spend quietly and not go out if I can avoid it, but I'll have to get out maybe, unless I have a strategy).

Like I said, weird timing. Also lots of paydays next year end up with long stretches between them, so more time of being broke and penny pinching. I really hate monthly paydays, always have. They rarely time out well. Right now I'm rather broke, with no immediate end in sight. Bleah.

But I did manage to get a doo-dad for my new tablet, for under $10, that lets me back up files to a USB flash drive. I have a lot of file sorting and backups to do now between the two tablets and the laptop. Today is the first day in several that has had a decent stretch of time to get some computer stuff done. Previous days have been disjointed still, and I've been doing poorly on sleep so also took some naps.

Thanks everyone for reminding me about the fluffing of stuff in the storage unit. That helps me feel better. The weather is probably going to be nice enough again that I can accomplish more over there. So that's a happy thought.

We're in somewhat of a holding pattern since roommate's surgery is coming up. But I can do some of my work in that week prior, then get ready to help out, take care of the pets, etc. The dog got his shots yesterday but I think she's not going to board him, to save money. I can manage him. The cats and bunnies I'm used to the routine for, and I've done the dog a few times too.

We'll see what the weather will be like then. I hope not cold or sloppy and muddy. It may be cold on those days, though. I discovered the Weather Underground monthly forecast calendar recently so I use that.

Hopefully I'll be more awake and organized and post more. Unless I'm over at the storage unit but if I'm there, that's a good thing. Probably starting Monday. Between now and then may run a few errands, exchange a fan that quit, misc. like that.

Good Morning

Sunny and cold.
Physically there's nothing but bad news to tell.
Mentally there's so much I want to/need to do but won't today.

NOOOOOOOOO
no no no no no no no....
Why? Just WHY would he go out the door?
Why? didn't anybody pick him up and put him back inside?

So so very very sorry Tatoulia ((((((((HUGS))))))))


Hi Subclinical
Glad you had a good school day.
Yes it is good to not be counting down the days.
Just living life one day at a time.

It is hard to adjust to a new appliance that doesn't live up to the reputation of the old one.
I hate my washer it is terrible compared to the one I had before.
Hate it hate it hate it.

Hope your Dh gets all improved from the painful therapy.
All this bed rest I've been forced into has really made my muscles weak and tire easily.


This is not a political post but just a local observation...
Driving in town and through the county today I noticed there are a LOT of political posters in yards and other places.
Every single one was for trump, not a single biden.
Guess that indicates which way my county is voting.

Tigger is lost and presumed dead. I am heartbroken. Took the day off looking for him. I can't believe this. BF and a team hunted til 3AM. I was notified about 7AM and spent the day looking for him. I don't think he would've survived the cold last night.

I haven't had enough to drink today I am dehydrated. And I'm sick to my stomach. He was a strictly indoor cat but somehow he got out and the f-+&#= a$&()4 was told by a passerby, is it ok that tigger is outside and he not only said yes but he didn't tell BF. And when BF couldnt find him at the end of the night, he hunted everywhere and he called the kid who said, I may have seen him by the door. And at 12:50 AM the employee called, shocked that BF was at the office, and told the truth that customers had come in concerned that the cat was outside and he did nothing.

I'm so upset and have been crying all day.

Tillie,

I'm very glad your have food and water. But three gallons is still 24#. I hope you didn't overdo it.

Dh started physical therapy for his back this week. He's bern doing exercises and he says now everything is sore.

The dryer is not switched out yet. I have mixed feelings about the washer, but I will have to process them later because they make me feel like a whiney spoiled brat. I have a washer. Millions of people don't even have clean water. I only had to wait one day! I got a load done last night.

Yay for birthday cake and toilet seats and getting plastic up to stay warm!

My dishwasher is running. I had a pretty good day at school, but I am very tired and my list only gets longer, not shorter.

Today I realized I lost count of how many days of school are left. That is a good thing.

There is now a tent outside the hospital I drive past to get to work. Obviously, that is not a good thing.

Well, I did it!
Filled 4 water bottles with 3 gallons in each one.
Then went to WallyWorld.
Got most things on my list.

There have been rumblings online that there will be another rush of hoarding happening and from the looks of the store it has begun.
All it really takes to get people hoarding is for people to go online/videos telling them that people are going to start hoarding.
And the frenzied fear begins.

Still NO cleaning supplies to be had but there is plenty of toilet paper, the TP hoarders must still have their huge supplies.
Things like dried beans/legumes very scarce but I was able to find a few bags.
Walking through I noted shortages here & there of things.
Wanted some Junior Mints but they were all out so I looked for York Peppermint Patties and they are all out too.
But did find the special holiday edition peppermint candy icecream!!!

No hairball control cat snax but plenty of big bags of kitty cereal.

Everything is brought in and put properly away.
The water bottles are still in the car and will be just fine there for now.
5 gallon bottles only filled up with 3 gallons each so no worry if they freeze, plenty of room for expansion.

I'm tired and sore but happy I did it.