Hi Lila! Good morning.

And a good morning to everyone else!

We often seem out of sinc here.

I am on vacation (everything that must be done is in the hands of the very competent farm sitter) so I may not check in much, but I am thinking of you.

I'm glad you can focus on clearing out and reclaiming your space. (I'm still sorry for whatever happened.)

When ❤️Dd left her abusive husband, she said she "lost 250lbs of unhealthy weight."

I'm going to be spending time with my extended family and resting and regrouping.

This morning we are going out to breakfast with Dh cousin.

post 3-

awwww mannnn, I kept coming back all day but no one is here posting! It's lonely talking to myself, but hopefully someone will be here tomorrow.

I decided to get all of dh's things out of the master bathroom so I can use the cabinets and drawers etc that were his. I got a couple bags and boxes and it is just ridiculous. I remember cleaning these cabinets out for him probably 10 years ago. I am not sorting this time, just tossing it all into boxes and bags and putting it in his room so he can take it when he gets the rest of his things. Into the box went receipts for milk and bread from 2012, old batteries, used dirty ziplock bags, old toothbrushes, hotel toiletries, 15 bars of soap, about 40 disposable razors, old cords, plugs, nails, screws, pens, random bits, rocks, a bag of his hair when he cut it and saved it (why?), old magazines, just tons of junk. Nothing he has used in 8+ years. I ran out of energy and have one shelf left, but then I will put it all into his room. Sometimes soon, I will clean the shelves and sort my own clutter and have space to put my things.

I am too tired to make my bed now, so am resting and then will try to get the sheets out of the dryer and gradually get my bed made as my energy allows. I have adhd today and really want to brush the dog now, but need to make the bed first so I don't get covered in dog hair and then get it all over the sheets when I get them from the dryer.

post 2-

I put my sheets in the wash. When I finish this post, I will move them to the dryer and put my blanket in the wash.

I have a confession. This last month was so stressful, that I did a lot of comfort behaviors that are harmful. Mainly, eating junk and spending money. Combined. I did not realize how bad it was. I got an alert that I had a low balance in the bank. I couldn't understand, since I had like $2k in there last time I looked! Where had it gone??

$800 mortgage
$500 car payment
A few other small bills, gas
and...
literally hundreds of dollars in food and drinks. And not even GOOD meals or groceries. Just crap! A trip to Sbux every day, ordering pizzas, stopping for fries or onion rings, ice cream, vegetarian sandwiches via fast food. Some frozen vegan meal plan I wanted to try for a month but it's not even tasty (still in the freezer, plan cancelled). Stopped and got lame things from quick fix restaurants. Now I have regained a couple pounds and lost hundreds of dollars. It is almost too much to face. I NEED that money for important things.

Lesson learned. I am done wasting money.

I caught up on all the posts, and now for dinner I REALLY want salmon and asparagus with squash biscuits and devilled eggs. Ha...

SubC, I admire your dedication to caring for our Earth, recycling, etc. All I recycle are the boxes that come (we can flatten them and turn them in to recycle) and food scraps go in the compost bin. I re-use jars and things sometimes, but for my own sanity a lot of the time things just get put in the trash. I feel bad about it but I just can't cope with that right now. In the future I will.

Thanks Road, I would love to chat irl sometime, probably in a couple of weeks. Is there a way for us to connect without posting identity on here? I have a weird paranoia that people in my life will find me on here and recognize me and know about the condition of my house.

Hi Tatoulia, CM, everyone. I see there are a lot of posts for me to catch up on... looks like some good content! I will read a bit here and there today til I am caught up.

My update: teen is home and ok so far. I have had a crazy week. DH left. I will probably go file next week, I don't know. He can't come back. I am in a bit of shock. All these years resenting the hoarding and I am about to be free of HIS hoarding and able to deal with my own issues only, without him re-hoarding any space I clear. He has to come and pick up his things sometime in the next month or two, so I have to leave his things alone. Although I will probably consolidate all his things in his room so he can grab them all easily. And half the garage is his plus a whole storage room. I don't know how much he will take. At some point I will have to put a deadline to get things out.

This morning as a sign of my own new freedom and independence, I got rid of about 20 egg cartons he has saved in the kitchen for at least ten years. They were full of dust and dead bugs. I have wanted to get rid of them for years but couldn't. Now they are gone. I also took the trash out.

Goals for today: wash my sheets, clear the kitchen table, brush my dog. A few other things.

I've been skimming posts - looks like still everyone's having a lot going on, some progress and some stresses. Lila, Road, SubC, Tatoulia, did I miss anyone - Becky if you're with us - I hope the things that are trying to your souls do get better.

Pray that the things trying my soul get better as well - right now a lot of it is in limbo, uncertain as to whether it'll turn out well or awful. Or what. It might turn out well, I'm trying to hold onto the hopeful possibilities.

Right now the thing I can do is get ready for the purchase of the new computer. The financial figuring process is going along, I have a friend good with that sort of thing helping me. She is traveling so it may take a little while but it'll get done. Then I can really start shopping.

On this computer, I've made a list of the Pictures directory which is in need of some revamping, and then I'll do the Documents one. It'll be easier to find stuff, and I will delete old crap. Sounds tedious but it is actually satisfying to my nerd self. And the promise of greater productivity is nice.

I wish Microsoft wouldn't force a person to use their directory structure of Pictures and Documents. I prefer to organize by project or topic, because a project/topic can have both documents and pictures. I guess it can be overridden with a registry edit, but I am not confident enough to do a registry edit.

I'm also, in my change-phobic way, a bit leery of Windows 11...

Not much else to tell. Hot weather. I go swimming sometimes.

Hi all,

Rr: clothes, I actually don't want any more pieces of clothing. The amount I'm storing now is perfect. But I just need to finish laundry so I can pick and choose the best things and then get rid of the surplus. And I still need to replace some of the jeans and shorts as they are mostly worn out. That will be a longer process as I am trying not to spend money right now. I am still Actively trying to lose weight too. I am down 20# Since April but clothes Still seem to be fitting the same. Kind of weird. The H kept rolling with laundry so I am still standing by.

I was pretty grumpy today (feeling bad physically and just annoyed with the H). The H ended up Doing a lot of cleaning, cooking dinner and putting my son to bed. Feeling a little better now although the tinnitus situation is starting to really pile up psychologically. Worse at night. I freaked out the other night processing that I might not ever "hear" silence again and that was too much to deal with. I think I may have some hearing loss in my right ear and it also hurts sometimes when the decibel level gets beyond a certain point. Anyway, so adding this to the list of health categories that need attention.

Clutter wise, I guess my progress today was financial. The whole vacay situation has been so frustrating with the H, I realized I need to start a separate vacay fund savings account. I downloaded Truebill and it actually had more features than I thought it would. So I shared it with the H and he set up the accounts on it and it self generated a bunch of data on where the $ patterns are and identified a couple subscriptions I wasn't aware of (that I started) so that was pretty cool. Also set up a passive savings thing for vacay. Oh, and all the $ the H has spent recently on household stuff, and dining out and vacay stuff from his recent trip came bubbling up and that made me chuckle because I am the only one who ever spends any money. I think it's a positive thing because I really don't have a handle on the finances and this will help me make better decisions for how I want to live. And if it could help me from getting blamed for everything that would be great too. So due to the delay in booking things because we argued a week or two ago, we have a lot less options and the nicer, cheaper places are all gone. Hotels and air bnbs have really jumped up in price I think. Now I have a clearer idea of how much $ we have to work with so I think we can only afford a week. I actually started looking at camping I was that desperate! But then I remembered my bladder, the bugs, the snoring, etc.etc. Oh, and I found the place we stayed at a few years ago. I didn't think they were renting it anymore but they were and it was actually available for part of the time we needed. It's the ground floor of a cute little farmhouse. My son will have his own room and we will bring some safety things to make sure he doesn't escape. Good location in between where my nephew lives and the towns we want to visit. Now to figure out a couple other legs.

I did some watering and cleaned off the driveway again. The puppy likes to drink out of the hose. Cute. Also just found a couple local "movie night in the park" events as well as some free live music stuff to take my son to so that's good.

Hi guys.

I was having such a good day!

The only dirty laundry in the house is on our bodies and a couple of dish towels. All the beds have clean sheets and the bathrooms have clean towels. The dishwasher is empty and waiting for the dinner dishes, my counter is slightly improved, and aside from the dinner dishes, the kitchen is clean. I even cleaned out the fridge.

I picked everything that needed to be picked in the garden.

The farm sitter comes tomorrow, and I was feeling really good about how I have everything nice for her. (She doesn't go in my scullery, the shop barn, my room, or my basement, also her dad is a hoarder, so her expectations are low.)

And then my mom called. My brother's oldest daughter has covid. She is living at home this summer (from college) and so his entire family will not be joining us on this long planned and much anticipated vacation.

And now I am sad.

So Road, what happened with the clothes?

I got my tomatoes tied up and my rooster moved and everything picked for the day. I finished the straw mulch too.

The last onions are racked and drying. I made deviled eggs. I bought plenty of feed for the farm sitter, went to the bank, and exchanged my library books.

Then Dh finally got the heavy piece of equipment out of the back of the truck and said "why don't you go get hay now, so it will be off your plate." So the hay us racked in the barn and I am wiped out! I definitely won't be getting to bed by 9:30 since it's already nine and I just finished dinner. But I'm glad it's done.

I'll be dragging my butt out to do chores now, and then shower and bed.

How is everybody? Lila? Becky? CM?

Quick visit because I only have an hour before it gets to hit to finish my outside work.

I am very excited about road's laundry! Like - I want to drive over there and help excited - lol!

I don't entirely understand the storage description, but it sounds like you have empty space for those new loads.

Hopefully the wall of shoes will be easy - never wear = donate?

Tatoulia, someday I will take public transportation. There is a senior citizen bus that collects people out here and takes them to the grocery store or library and I think a couple of other stops - you just have to call to get on the schedule. So, when I am over 65 I can ride the bus. - lol!

Ok, gotta go tie up the tomatoes.

Hi everyone,

Found the swiffer and swept out my floor. Stole a laundry basket from my son and got all the laundry out of the hall before my husband complained about it. Yay. I think he will be done with his laundry today so I'm going back in (twice in one week). Now that I have a lot of clean clothes put away where they belong I am motivated to push through the stragglers... the storage space I want to allow for clothing is basically at capacity So that means I can now visualize the volume of what I need to get rid of. And it's a lot! I would say maybe 4-5 loads of laundry worth! Or 7. I think the space I'm alloting is reasonable and I feel good about it. It's a smaller space than most Americans would have I'm quite sure. Especially overweight Americans whose clothes take up twice the space of a small person.

Right now here's the layout...
Small dresser (bottom three drawers)
- undies (lots) and bras (not enough and they all suck)
- socks (still too many)
- tee shirts

Small closet (1924 house)
- 1x2' open bin of jeans
- 1x2' open bin of shorts
- 1x2' open bin on shelf available.
- half of the hanging rod is blouses
- other half is empty
- shelf is empty
- on one Wall is a shoe organizer with shoes I never wear.
- on the floor is a small 2 drawer thing that holds the open bins.
- top drawer is pajama bottoms
- bottom drawer is odd socks

What's left?
- sweaters? Where are you?
- 2-3 loads of laundry just taken off the floor
- 1 load on bed?
- 3-4 loads in basement (still)
- assorted coats, jackets, shoes, etc. in downstairs closet and on porch.

I've claimed I can take or leave clothes so let's see if that's true as I face down my challenge... (dramatic drumming)

I've been up since 3:30 and am nodding off now so I better run.

Hello ladies! I very much enjoyed the interaction between Road and SubC. So wonderful to read the discussion and I could feel the kindness in everyone's words and questions. So pleasant and very informative.

SubC has helped me with cutting down on single use plastics. I'm not entirely where I want to be. I do have recycling pickup at my house twice a week. It is provided by the city.

I use laundry sheets. The plastic containers of laundry soap offend me. I use cloth napkins instead of paper, and I buy them used so there's even more of a win there. I buy no new furniture. None. I get it at consignment shops or auctions or stuff I find on the street. The exceptions are my mattresses, and my couches. My couches are old but in excellent condition. They were purchased before everything was made in China. One of my couches I plan to recover. The cost is the same as a new couch. I do not care. I like my expensive well-made couch. So those are ways I conserve. There are others, but those are my biggies. I try to purchase things that are not made in China. No slam on China at all. It is a slam on the businesses that want cheap stuff with cheap materials with cheap labor. Abusing the workers and the planet. Just going to a Home Goods makes my skin crawl. All that sh£t in one place. Disposable junk.
Speaking of cars and driving (SubC mentioned the car exhaust of driving to get things she can grow herself), I read an interesting quote a developed country is not a place where poor people have cars but where rich people use public transportation. I liked that. Obviously that applies to a city dweller such as myself.

Well I have a big day tmr. So goodnight dear friends. I am not by any means caught up on posts. Thanks for being here, everyone. These friendships are gold. And thank you for being understanding and forgiving on my rant. It helped.

The internet wasn't working here most of tge day.

I was hoping now that it's back someone would gave been by.

I lost my momentum.

Keeping up ok, but no forward progress. The goats escaped three times today. I did groom the bunnies. They were overdue and I was afraid they would get too hot while we were gone. Bunny grooming is basically therapy.

Boy bunny has a hilarious shedding pattern - he basically has pink skin and fuzz from his lower ribs around his tummy except for a strip right down the center of his belly. If you visualize a roller mop with the floor side up - his fur is like that - wide poof on the top, skinny strip on the bottom. Fuzzy legs, head, and butt.

Yay floor!

Road, I do sometimes put things in my trash bag if they are too hard to clean, but if I can rinse three things a minute - I can save myself 15 minutes of work (because the bagging and transporting have to happen no matter what) by bagging up 45 things - that is a lot of bags! And then they have to go very soon or I will get bugs - so it adds a thing I have to remember or a trip I have to make - not worth the 15 minutes. You have trash service. That is different.

I did not rinse an extra thing for each item, but I did rinse more than I used today.

The washing machine is running. The dishwasher is running fir the 3rd time. We had salad for dinner. So did the chickens. My legs are tired.

I have two rounds of mozzarella, one of farm cheese, half a pint of ricotta, a dozen hardboiled eggs, carrots and cucumbers from the garden ready to snack on, and fruit soaking for bread for breakfast tomorrow.

Also four cookie sheets and two small loaf pans yet to wash.

I discovered that I left my tea ball in the teapot full of used tea leaves. The ball is moldy and corroded. Dh said to buy a new one. Sigh.

Hey subc,

No you didn't hurt my feelings.
In fact, I kind of expected you would respond that way. I am not questioning your philosophy or your values. I admire them. But what are we all here for? Because our habits (or values or executive functioning) have caused us to buy or save too many things to manage to our own satisfaction. We have certain things in common and in other ways our contributing factors are different. I am happy to hear insight and even take advice from this group because I know you all understand. I was just suggesting a clean slate might be helpful. And I was offering you a rationalization that you of all people can afford to "waste" a week's worth of not rinsing things out perfectly because 99% of the time you are ultra responsible. But if not rinsing things out or disposing of it properly causes anxiety, then that's another issue. I have the same concerns although I am I guess at a more beginner level of conservation and have made the call that I can't factor "waste" *how perfectly* I'm getting rid of things into my de-hoarding or I will never get out from under it. Trying to find just the right way to dispose of things is part of how I got into this situation to begin with. I guess I'm suggesting that this is a standard that is not serving you in the short term. But obviously, we all have to make these judgement calls for ourselves. I hope when I get to a certain point with clearing things out I can get the momentum rolling enough to start incorporating some of the conservation tips I've learned from you. My feelings aren't hurt and I hope yours aren't either. As I think you know I have a lot of affection for everyone in here and I appreciate your friendship.

Good news on this end,
I was able to get the last of the clothes off the floor, hang up the dressy shirts, put some more jeans and shorts away, and get the books off the bed. I'd say I have about half a kitchen garbage bag worth of garbage in here. Plastic hangers the puppy chewed up to the point where they are broken or no longer usable, and random trash that just filtered down to the floor. I would have swept the floor but I lost track of the swiffer. Maybe my son stole it back. I have a set of clean sheets ready to go but having to move things off the bed is holding me up. Maybe tomorrow I will try to get that done and do my nightstand. One thing is for sure. The prospect of getting back to so many square feet of bare floor space to defend is not nearly as daunting now that the mess is more superficial.

Tonight we made salmon and asparagus and a cold tomato salad with cucumbers and fresh basil. Yum.

Now I'm afraid I communicated badly and hurt road's feelings when she was trying to help me.

4th post - these might work better backward.

Here is (I think) a good comparison.

If I took a day (it might take more than a day) to clear out the things, It would be like you taking a day to get rid of all the dirty laundry. You could actually put your dirty clothes in a trash can and somebody would take them away - but then you would need new clothes (I would still need food) you could wash and dry and fold and put away everything - but it would still be in your house. (Like my recycling and garbage) and more dirty laundry would happen tomorrow (like my garden, and the milk, and the eggs, and Dh empty chip bags..)

And maybe you couldn't do it all in a day (I couldn't do it all in a day) and you would miss out on other things and stuff would get worse around you.

But maybe the idea of taking whatever time it would take and getting every single piece of clothing clean and put away and starting with a clean slate makes you feel so good it is worth prioritizing over all the other things - great! Do it!

But it doesn't for me. Because tomorrow there would be another chip bag on the counter, and I still wouldn't want to rinse it out, and I would be angry because "I just cleaned that counter!"

So I am trying to prioritize the things that matter to me and use the rest of my time to catch up little by little instead of say, reading the news, or watching videos (which I do when I'm tired, so sleep is important) or whatever bad choices I've been making. It's about learning to just take the 18 seconds (or 4 for the drink can) and move on.

Yesterday when I washed the feed bags I also washed the baby pool, and now it is easy to deal with the recycling because it has neat, clearly labelled places to go, and I gave a baby pool I can set out for Bean to splash in while I talk to him and weed the herb garden and maybe wash other stuff in the yard. streamlining, removing barriers, choosing things that pay dividends...

Third post

Your challenge doesn't really work for me because you are envisioning a different place and value system. that is ok, but let me explain:

No one comes to my house (end of driveway) and makes trash "go away" I personally don't believe there is such a place as "away" Away from what? From me? Why am I the center of the universe?

Things that have no further use to anyone have to be loaded in my car or truck and driven 45 minutes to be left in a big dumpster, or taken to work or the gas station or the grocery store with me and put in a trash can.

Things that need to be recycled have a similar trip. Donations are only 30 minutes.

I just rinsed out one of Dh empty chip bags. It took 18 seconds. I timed it. It still has to be put somewhere and then removed from the house by me, but now it can sit indefinitely without attracting bugs and it will be recycled, so I feel less stressed.

I make cheese because I want cheese. I am allergic to cows milk. I don't actually know anywhere that I can buy goat mozzarella. I can get goat cheddar near work. It is expensive, so I don't buy very much of it, but also cheddar is a lot more work, so I don't make cheddar. I also enjoy making cheese. I do not enjoy cleaning up the house. I would rather have cheese in a messy house than no cheese in a clean house. I realize this is very specific.

I grow food because I want fresh, healthy, organic food. I pick through the lettuce because the alternative is feeding the lettuce to the chickens and not having lettuce, or driving a significant distance and spending more money on lettuce somebody else grew and trucked from somewhere. I don't mind washing lettuce. I dislike driving. Lettuce isn't worth the exhaust pollution, but it is worth a few minutes of my time - again lettuce more valuable to me than a floor that has been swept recently.

I am working on it.

More to say, cheese is ready to knead.

I hope your tintinitus is better.

I think cleaning off the floor is enough for one day. You will get out from under the laundry! I recommend making sure all your jeans are clean and you know what you gave before buying more.

That renfest is sort of within driving distance of my son. It sounds like it would be fun to go some time.

Squash biscuits:
2.5c flour
T baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 stick butter
3/4c milk
1c mashed winter (butternut) squash
Combine dry ingredients
Cut in butter
Combine squash and milk and add to dry
Bake at 350 for however long it takes based on the size of your drop biscuits.

I think you could leave the salt out. Dh thinks not.

Bean loves them.

This will be many posts because I am making cheese.

Oh, re ren fest, ours is the Bristol ren faire. On the Illinois,Wisconsin border. I've never been to any others but this one is huge. I think this is only the 3rd time in my life I've been to it,,, but honestly, I'd like to go more.

Hey sub c,

He has summer school in the mornings, 4 days a week for 4 weeks. It's not a lot but we will take whatever we can get...

Tell me all about these squash biscuits. I am intrigued!

I just brought up the last of the laundry from yesterday. A few more pairs of pants and the dress shirts. I don't even have a dress, sub c. I bought a few sundress type things (cheap) a few years ago but I couldn't come to terms with them and I think I dip hated them, *DONATED 🙄

Ok, whT *is* on my floor, let's take a look.

Ok that was a useful exercise. Another two loads of laundry... assorted blankets, sheets, tee shirts, jammies, shirts, socks, undies... **especially the underwear my son throws at my head as a joke. 1/2of the stuff that was on the floor was clean but I didn't finish putting it away last time and it fell on the floor and we had a few fleas in between and so now I need to rewash everything anyway. Ugh, will I ever get out from under ? Yes I will. Aaaaaand there's still a huge pile on my bed.

I just made some cookies. I made a third batch of pecan sandies without salt. My thinking is if I bake without salt I can sprinkle salt on top and still come out ahead. Pretty sure this is faulty logic. I worked out the calories and they are 170Isn calories for a cookie and a half (2" rounds) . Not worth it! Waahhh Made some dishes and also cleared out the cabinet a little.

I have tinnitus and it's getting worse and worse. I'm trying all the recommended remedies but not having any luck. Trying not to panic.

The puppy has a severe chewingissue. I think I'm going to ask them to look at her teeth and see if something is wrong. It's crazy. Nothing Is safe.

Well, I was aiming for clearing the nightstand, but now I have this terrific headache and I did also clear the floor so that's it for now.

Hey s ubc, you take on so many projects most people would never even dream to do - I know you have daily chores, but how would it be if you approached projects and garbage more like a typical person for a week or a day and then went back to it once your slate was cleared a little. You would still end up in about the same place, but you would spend the time in between now and then in a more decluttered space... You are good at challenging me. Now I challenge you. Here's my "for instance". I know you have certain chores you have to do. So you will do those like normal. But for the other chores you put them on hold a day, a week, whatever you think you can do. I'm talking about the lettuce that's about to go bad, I'm talking the cheese, I'm talking the perfection in recycling... and while everything is on hold, you throw stuff away as if you were going to your friends house to help them clear their space. It's not your stuff, it's not your responsibility, you get a free pass on everything. And you just totally clear the scullery, or whatever Space causes the most angst. Hold your breath, look away, pretend you are someone else, and the stuff belongs to them... whatever you have to do. Then when the week or day is up, you resume your life as normal, with a fresh start and no backlog. What do you think? Does it fill you with anxiety reading this? 🤔☺️ I tease.

I used to think of something like this when we were young and didn't have any money. I used to think wouldn't it be nice if when you were young you could just start out with some dough to travel,and a house up front and enjoy it all the years you were young instead of having to save up for it? And then by the time you get to use it, you're old and people have started dying, etc. I mean I guess in effect a mortgage is like that - but I mean you can pay for things now or later. I don't think this analogy is working out. 😂

But if we purge up front we are better equipped to deal with other challenges moving forward because we are starting from a clean slate. The alternative is to live inside the mess with clutter surrounding us and that's not an environment where we can think straight.

Thoughts?

Hi all!
Hi road! Your kid is in school in July?

I love the renfest! What state was yours in if you don't mind answering?

Good job on the laundry! You sound like you are making good progress. I am a jeans and t-shirt girl too, so I don't think 15 is too many, but what are all those other clothes? I don't think you need dress pants if you own a skirt or a dress that is not too fancy. But that's just me - I do not have a "dress pants" figure.

On your fridge - maybe you should challenge yourself to it buy any food. Look through the fridge and plan three days of meals. If you need one or two things to make that happen, go to the store and buy JUST THOSE - but try to get by with what you have. Then plan three more days. you may end up having to stop at the store two or three times during the week, but it will save you money and food waste.

I used to have a website where you could type in the thing(s) that needed to be used up, and they would give you recipe ideas with as few additional ingredients as possible.

My kitchen day is going pretty well. I started with baking - I baked two small butternut squash, and let them cool while I baked whey bread. Then I combined the new squash with the squash in the fridge and made two double batches of squash biscuits. I have been having trouble getting my biscuits to cook properly - they don't want to brown, but I think it's because I went from 450 (bread) to 350 (biscuits) on the oven and it was trying to cool itself for part if the baking time. (Note to self: start with lower temps and move up) anyway, the last two tests are in now.

Things that needed to be used up: squash, milk, whey
Things we will eat or I will freeze for later: bread, biscuits

I found some grapes in the fridge that were getting edgy and took them to Dh as a snack (he's working from home) I don't think I bought them, I think ge did. He likes grapes, but he won't eat tgem unless they are washed and ready to go. Apparently washing his own grapes and discarding any that are mushy is too hard for him.

I'm giving myself a short break before switching over to cheese. The dishwasher is running. I put the empty flour bag straight in the recycling.

I need to make some progress with eggs today too. And refill the lettuce spinner - the lettuce I bagged up in June is approaching salvage stage. Lettuce is another thing Dh likes but won't wash.

Hi everyone,

My iPad is resting on my puppy while she sleeps so we will see how long this lasts before these. Little tap taps wake her up. I am wisely composing in email which is much more forgiving of disruption than the bulletin board windows... I am not a dumb person but I am a slow learner. Well, the puppy stretched so now I am typing on a teetering iPad perched on my leg. I wonder if the attitude of the keyboard influences the flavor of the writing like the sea air affects a fine whisky. Boy I am full of it today.

As usual, much to say about recent posts. Sub c, I like your idea of a "daily something" Challenge. I'm in and if anyone else wants to join, jump in. I know we are all basically here to do that but the focus Of a challenge does help motivate me. More on this later...

Tatoulia, I appreciate your sharing even though I know you don't like to be in that frame of mind while posting, but it reminds me of my situation with my dad to some degree. Although your run arounds with Your mom are more frequent whereas mine are more weekly with the occasional trauma thrown in. Subc's response had me laughing,especially the last line. There's that simple rule (which I suck at) about just listen unless someone asks for advice. Assume people are just venting until they say, "what do you think I should do?" There are people (like me) Who are driven by problem solving (although not necessarily our own problems) and we tend to come into every situation with our ears bent toward that perspective. So when someone says "I can't xyz" we hear "how can I xyz" which is almost never how it's meant. Maybe we are energized by it and subconsciously even create more chaos inventing problems so we can get a charge out of solving them. I don't know if she's like that but sounded like she might be. And On top of all that, your friend sure wasn't picking up on your cues to shut down the ever broadening to do list. I don't even know what your look like but I can kind of picture your expression as she kept Cheerfully committing you to more and more - totally oblivious (?) Sounds like it was super unpleasant living through it. You made the most out of it with your retelling. So, you gonna see her again next week I imagine? Lol

Lila, I feel for your situation all the way around and am relieved to hear you made that appointment. Any one of those things on the list merits making that call - but all of it at once. It's just too much sometimes. My marital situation is very stressful and unhealthy most of the time and there have been times I've regretted not taking more concrete steps to finally be done with it. Sending you positive and supportive thoughts that you will be able to get through the next few months with as little stress as possible, and that you will have some clarity about how to proceed. If you ever wanna chat IRL, just let me know. 💕💕💕

Aside from my puppy, the other post eating culprit around here is not noticing the "low power" warnings on my screen. I just caught it at 1%. I do the same on my phone. It's so annoying!

Well, as for me, I got a ton of laundry done, including washing, drying (yes, some rewatching as usual - grrr) hauling, folding, and** putting away. Somehow my floor is still covered in clothing and stuff, but my drawers are full. There are piles of folded undies, 15-20 clean tee shirts (I am a jeans and tee shirt person). All. Of those fit at least although some are kind of worn looking and most of them are nothing special. The new storage things I bought for my closet are working well. I have shorts in one, jeans in another, and one is empty. I bolstered my jammie pants department this past year and now have a drawer full. I have been working my way through Replacing my jeans trying to get rid of everything with holes in the seat. I really pushed it way too far this time. Lucky I didn't have a blow out. Lol. I still need to buy a few more pairs of jeans, more bras, and a bunch of camisoles to wear under things. I am still a little spotty in the dress shirt department, but if I can ever find the stuff that's missing I should be in good shape. I do have a pair of black flats that at least fit that will get me through a dinner date with a friend or a funeral. I guess I should have at least one pair of dress pants also. If you could see my Pinterest board on clothing and fashion vs. how I actually dress you could not reconcile the two.

I made one of my staples Thai chicken lettuce wraps Last night. I am glad I have figured out a way to make it without killing myself with sodium. It was kind of a clean out the veggie bin situation so I actually cleaned out the veggie bin. I waste SOOOO much. Tons of produce and the fridge is still jam packed 99% of the time. I had two bags of baby carrots and two bags of English cucumbers going. I tossed a package of mushrooms, a whole head of cauliflower, rescued some broccoli florets just in the nick of time, and tossed a few ziplocks with hard to identify herbs and mixed greens... so the top drawer is still half full of half good, half bad food, but the bottom drawer is cleaned out and ready to roll veggies. the rest of the fridge is still a nightmare. I actually loaded the dishwasher and ran it - whaaaat. And the counter is cleared, and washed and dried. Go me.

Friday our nephew was with us most of the day which was fun, and yesterday we went with my brother to the ren faire. We were all limited on time due to doggies and physical limitations but we were able to stay for 3/4 hours and had a great time. The place is absolutely ginormous so I'd say we only hit half of it. We saw my brothers best friend who plays a role there and he gave my son the royal treatment. There were so many things I wanted to eat but alas, I am reformed and only ate half a veggie calzone and drank as much water as I could given the limitations on finding free water sources there. They had a Mediterranean place which would have been better but I couldn't find it. With my son, someone always has to be kind of towing him along so the pace is different. He really enjoyed the sights and the performances our friend recommended. There was one unnecessary redundant loop we took because the H didn't trust my sense of direction. (Never question my sense of direction, man!) He was wrong and I was right but I limped along dragging my son behind me to avoid a fight. If he ever realized his error he didn't own up to it. And I was not the bigger man because I just told you all about it. Haha. But the H graciously drove both ways, my bro paid us back for the tickets, my son was a real trooper, and we all had a great time. As my brothers friend pointed out - the atmosphere is so lovely ,sunny day, bright blue sky, under a canopy of old oaks, Crowds of people laughing Over here, and music over there... really no one on their smart phone. Honestly, it was probably the most people in one place with the fewest visible phones in I don't know how long. Really great time.

Alrighty, I am off to get the kid ready for school.

Today I am going to try to fIgure out a little plan for this challenge.

Everyone have a great day! Lila, hanginthere siestas. Let me try that again. Hang in there, Sistah!

Oh Tatoulia, you are too nice. But also, I could be your friend - I can see me hearing my friend give a problem tgat keeps her from doing something, and then I try to find a solution to the problem.

I am more direct. "Unfortunately driving mom all the way out there is just too time consuming and difficult for make up, which she hasn't worn in years. I spend as much time with her as I can, but we focus on things that are less exhausting and more rewarding. I'm sure she'd love it if you wanted to take her though."

I have rinsed out all the empty food packaging from today so it can be recycled. And for each thing, I have rinsed a second previously waiting thing.

I have also washed the molasses off of ten empty feed bags and they are hanging on the line. When they are dry, I will take them down to the basement, label them with permanent marker, and set them in a row as my new "recycling center" (actually, I don't think I will need all ten, so I will fold some up for replacements, but the clothes line holds ten and there were more than ten in the barn.)

I ran the dishwasher and two loads of laundry.

I put off the straw again.

I had planned to have a kitchen day today, but Dh made plans for dinner out with friends and I knew I would end up rushed and leaving a mess, so I just worked on bits and pieces today.

Kitchen day tomorrow. It will be too hot to work outside past early morning.

Hi everyone. Very nice day out. I met with one of my more intense friends yesterday and we ended up spending time with mom and then the three of us went for lunch. She is one of the smartest people I know (in the top two) and my mother had a great time. I was worn out. It ended up taking what I had pictured to be an 1-1/2 get together to an all afternoon affair. I get together with this friend infrequently because of the intensity she brings to a situation. Not dramatic. Just intense.

So I'm a bit put off by my mothers frequent demands today because honest to God, I had no intention of her joining us for lunch (friend invited her) and if I'd known she was inviting mom, I wouldn't have had us visiting at mom's for well over an hour. And everything mom said she wanted my friend found a way for her to do, which costs me money and time. So mom said she wanted makeup (she hasn't worn any in decades) and so friend explained we could go to a particular mall. Well I'm not going to put mom's wheelchair into my car and drive her 45 minutes out of the city to go to a mall and gave her makeup done do then I can spend $100 on makeup she will not wear. And so I said I didn't like driving there and I have vision problems so now friend is asking pointed questions and offering solutions to vision. I mention how crummy my car is so she tells me have I considered an SUV. I mention I don't want car payments, and she comes up with a way for me to save on my taxes. BUT FEAR NOT friend has two different ways that mom and I can take the subway for makeup including my first interviewing the makeup artists ahead of time and after I've chosen the proper one, I can set an appt for 10 AM and then getting to the appointment at 930 AM, etc. etc. thanks. Glad you were here to spend my time and money. She also suggested maybe my BF would like to do this with Mom and me. As it is, my mother has me buying all sorts of sh#t for sewing that she will never, ever do. Never. Ever. Not enough eyesight. And yet I have to buy the sewing stuff for her and then she says it was stolen so I have to go over at night to prove it wasn't stolen and then I get a lecture about how I never believe her.

I'm sorry. I'm really resentful about yesterday. Not what I wanted. Whole day was screwed up and today my mother is all over me with what I need to do for her today.

So I spent 4-1/2 hours, treating people to lunch, and having my mother call me when i got home to see if I was going groceries for her.

Since I seem to hate everyone, I think I should make myself something to eat. I am sorry to come on here so aggravated.

Lila, I am deeply sorry about your Dh.

I hope that you can find some in person support.

So, one of my Achilles heels is food packaging.

I would like to say that I will wash all the empty food packaging each day, but some days we have food packaging because I am exhausted and out of time. So my challenge is to process more food packaging than we create every day that I can until I am caught up, and to finish off all the new stuff for the week by the end of the week.

Today I did wash all the newly emptied packaging. I also used two saved pizza boxes for mulching, and rinsed out three drink cans that had been sitting on the counter (Dh does not rinse drink cans. I tend to leave cans with a tablespoon of soda sitting in my car console until the soda becomes syrup.

I had two goals for today - to completely weed/mulch one 20x30 foot section of my garden, and to get all the picked beans into the dehydrator. The beans have been blanched and are cooling. I will finish them. But I quit a few loads of straw short on the garden. I was tired. I had already worked on it 5 hours. (The weeds got very bad during camp)

The house did not get worse today except laundry because we were outside, and I ran the dishwasher.

haha Road, my dog is also a post-deleter! He is big but he will walk up and toss his ball on the keyboard, or take his toy and literally click or scroll my mouse if it is not in my hand. Sooo annoying! I guess they want our attention. I also think dogs tend to make a home smelly and I am fighting it too. I have an old dog who sheds clumps and occasionally pukes, and the big puppy who accidentally pees on his own legs... ugh. I try to keep them off furniture but no luck. I need to wash them and vacuum etc.

SubC, I have done a news fast before as well. Sometimes, the news plus real life gets to be too much.

Becky, sounds like you are getting things done too. I hope your relationship stuff works out and you find an emotionally healthy friend to date.

CM, interestingly, deadlines are the thing that make me get stuff done. I procrastinate terribly but then if something has to be done by x date, I get up and rush to do it. Is it stressful? Yes. Does it give me anxiety? Yep. But it moves me. But I don't like it. And giving myself deadlines doesn't work... or my house would be clutter free!

Tatoulia, how inspiring. It sounds like routine decluttering/donating small amounts is a lifestyle for you now. That is awesome!

My stress level is nearing unbearable. A good friend/mentor asked me last week if I have a counselor I can see, because they see my stress levels being too much. The health issues and dx, teen's destruction and being inpatient, house needing repairs I can't afford, several friends died last month, car broke down, and now the dh has done something that may result in us parting ways. That in itself is terrifying, but add that he may resist and I have to take action, and I have been sick to my stomach over it. I really have to lower my stress or I will not be able to function. So I made an appt with a counselor I have not seen in over a year, for next week, and I am looking at paperwork to file, and applied for legal aid. I a emotionally exhausted. Pray that things come out the best way for our family.

Hey road,

I've been thinking about your wish for a July challenge. There are a bunch of homesteaders who do a challenge every august called the "every bit counts" challenge. The idea is to put up some food every single day in august - can something, dry something, freeze something, set something out to cure..so by the end of august, you have at least 31 things put back - maybe one day it's just enough herbs for a cup of tea and another day it's 8 quarts of soup. Doesn't matter. It's progress.

(I thought if this because I just made garlic scape and carrot top pesto for the first time - keeper, and I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow! And Dh says the county is now free of vampires.)

So, I won't be home most of July, which makes it hard for me to do a challenge, but what if we did an "every bit counts" challenge - every day do something. Clean off a surface, find one thing to get rid of, group like things together, resist shopping. whatever, just one thing. But you have to try to do it every day.

Full day.

I worked in the garden a bit this morning and then went in to school where I finished ripping out the nasty metal shelves. I literally shoveled the floor that was underneath them. Then I sent the building manager a note that I was done and to please let me know when the floor is clean so I can set my room back up.

I stopped at the store for cayenne (need to put that on my seed list!) pasta, wine, and English muffins and hot sauce for dh.

Then I made dinner. I grew everything but the wine, salt, butter and pasta. I feel pretty good about that. I've been thinking about making pasta.

Net in today was a little bit of mail, the groceries, milk, and some veggies.

I left four summer squash, a cucumber, two dozen eggs, and half a dozen squash biscuits on DD's doorstep. She feels better, but she's still testing positive for covid. She and Bean talked to me through the window while I stood on the lawn under my umbrella. Bean said "Grammie come in!" And we had to tell him "Grammie has to stay outside today."

Hi everyone! Hi Becky

Sub c, hope storm clean up goes well. That's so stressful to have a tree through your roof. Geez. So glad no one was seriously hurt. One of my old friends lives in Norman OK and after that Moore tornado she was involved peripherally with the PR. I visited later that year and we drove through one of the subdivisions. The destruction was just unreal. And there were those weird things like you're looking up at the interior of someone's bedroom because two of the walls were ripped off but there is still a delicate picture hanging on the wall totally undisturbed. Crazy stuff.

Cm, I related to what you said. the resistance to authority is real ? "even when the authority is ME!" As I like to say. The minute I write a to do list I know I'm subconsciously going to avoid doing most of what's on the list. I end up doing a thing not on the and then writing the thing on the list just to cross it off. Sometimes what helps me is focusing on the why e.g., "Road, you want to do this because of xyz and it will make you feel abc" And listing the steps or the process of it helps nudge me along (breaking it down more). having a place to share what I did really helps. I don't even need the affirmation from others so much as it's more like a concrete self acknowledgement of what I did. I get some satisfaction writing a list of what I did on a paper no one will ever see, but it's more motivating to do something knowing that then I'll be able to come here and post it. That makes no sense to me but ... I also struggle with finishing. Especially with creative things. I love inventing, I have some initiative, I love starting. I am pretty good at sticking with things - sometimes for a long time, and often things others would find repetitive and dull - but when I am closing in on a finish, I pull back. Partly perfectionism, but that doesn't explain all of it. It's very annoying because there is plenty of toil, and not much to show for it. Other people seem driven to complete because they get the satisfaction from completion. I don't seem to have that association. Oh blah blah blah,

Just had a thought - might be cool to have a visual calendar of projects. Like if I had a giant wall calendar where I posted photos of 2-hour projects that I was going to take on each day. Like on Monday I could Clear the basket of toiletries that's on my floor. I'd take a picture of the basket as is and put it on the calendar. Then afterwards I would take pictures of the finished product - in this case, empty space on the floor - or you could even take some of the process, but the finished result would be a bunch of before and after photos of pieces of the project. If it was too overwhelming to do a months worth you could just do a week or day at a time. I think I might try it,

Whelp. The H has been gone this week with his bro in New Orleans. Comes back today. It was relaxing not having to clean up after myself until I wanted to. Then again, I will see times walk into the kitchen and think. Wow. I totally forgot I left all of this here.

I've thought about the process of cleaning since my bro sucks at it so much... I think what I do is register the time (I have a distortion about how long it takes to do things I don't like to do) and I say ok 15 minutes it will be done (or five minutes or an hour) and then I systematically work from one end to the other spatially or I do category by category - like garbage, then flatware, then plates, then.... and usually it takes the amount of time I estimated.

For things you clean regularly What is your process?

That's a sweet story about ?being in trouble'. Very sorry to learn of the tornado and resulting damage.

Good morning.

My freezer has a bunch of meet in it, which is weird and different.

Bonus son came by to drop it off. He is hopeful about saving the house. Apparently people are going to start some of the clean up today.

I made it to my dinner.
We had such a great time! I needed that.

There was a funny moment (well, there were a lot of funny moments, but this one thing.) ❤️DD's phone rang and she answered it and then she said "we're having dinner with miss E (who also teaches ❤️Gs) and (Subclinical)" pause "no, you're not in trouble, we're seeing them as friends."

I dreamed good dreams about teaching last night and I woke up on my own fairly early. Dh is still sleeping because he is working from home today, so I am just sitting quietly with my coffee.

Gardening this morning, possible trip to my classroom to do more demolition this afternoon.

Deleted last post because personal details.

Bonus sons mom is my friend. I just called her. The damage is really bad and the house is taped off. Her boy is taking her across the police line (hopefully - badge in pocket) to clean out the freezer and fridge and grab some stuff.

I am making freezer space in case she needs it - that is all the help she will take right now.

So the storm yesterday included a tornado that touched down in a nearby small town - the town my bonus son is from. No casualties reported so far, but homes and businesses damaged - including the grocery store. The fire station where bonus son works lost a wall and part of the roof. His mom was not home, but when she arrived home (after walking the last half mile) there was a tree through her roof and her chimney had collapsed. She called bonus son and the fire department guys went over and tarped it and she is staying with him.

I have plans to go to dinner with some friends tonight unless she tells me something I can do to help. Then I will cancel and do that.

Quick check in. I had a few days off and did nothing. It felt so good. Yesterday I had lunch with two friends I hadn't seen in 13 years. It was terrific. This concludes the summary of all I've done since Friday.

Back to works for me tmr. House cleaners came today. My house looks so nice.

Keep up the good work, everyone. I took towels and a throw blanket to the animal shelter today. I bleached my towels last night but they still have some stains. (Makeup). I have four bath towels in total donated two. I figure the two bath towels on the bottom of my pile won't have any stains because I don't rotate my towels. I use the same two over and over again. So I'll buy two more bath towels before my friend from England gets here at the end of the month, so she can have the fresh towels.

SubC,

ROTFL 😂🤣😂 I also procrastinate when I don't have a deadline. I just do it in a different way.

I'll try to keep this short because the power keeps going out, but it's raaaaaaaaining! Hallelujah!

CM, I find the opposite. In the absence of pressure or a deadline I move at a snail's pace and tell myself all the reasons I deserve to rest.

I was going to get so much done this week..

But I have started the porch, and the bench is clear. Things have bern put in the recycling, and a few in the trash can.

Making some progress on the "nest."

It's entirely possible that my roommate and her siblings won't end up coming back here after the memorial service tomorrow. There's supposed to be a dinner afterwards and maybe they will be ready to head home then. I was jokingly suggesting nice places they could go for coffee if they did want to visit more.

It's sad, because I would kind of enjoy meeting the ones I haven't. They're nice people. Isn't it frustrating how this stupid clutter problem ruins things. 😒

Also, what is it about resistance?! Why do deadlines make me so much more reluctant, even to do things that I myself want to do? Just giving me a deadline immediately triggers the resentful and sluggish response, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth, and dragging of heels. Do y'all struggle with this? What helps? Going slowly and trying not to even notice "Hey, I'm decluttering!" is one thing that I do. Sort of try and slip it in under my brain's radar, lol. But when I really need to be moving faster, well...

Good morning all!

I went with that last one.
Late start again this morning. I'm sitting here listening to thunder and hoping for rain - real rain, not the light spray that dampened the concrete yesterday.

I have plenty to do inside and I feel wilted like the garden.

No movies today!

What are your plans?

Hi Becky,

I haven't dated since 1989. And I don't do social media, so I doubt I will be much help.

My younger daughter has had no luck finding actual men, but as she is 25, I assume you are looking in an older and hopefully more mature dating pool.

I hope your day kept going well.

I couldn't find my "Wanna" so I have done almost nothing today. "Almost nothing" being minimal chores, dig half a row of potatoes, make two gallons of milk into cheese and clean up after myself, talk to bean on FaceTime, put away three baskets of laundry, run the dishwasher (mostly cheese things) and watch a lot of old movies.

Maybe I will put away more laundry.

Maybe I will work on the porch.

Maybe I will just do chores and go to bed.

Hi everyone,

Had to share. Just got a friend request.

A handsome General,in the Army.Whoa!!

Not used to this.He was very complimentary
About my posts.

We both belong to a rock hounding site.

I'm single,and could use the conversation
With a ( Real Man) not a boy. Ha

Looked at his profile,and Wow.

Very similar interests.

I need to take it slow. A little nervous.

Cause he may be in Colorado

Any ideas,ladies.

Becky

Hi everyone,

Hope all had a good 4th!

I had some nice visits,with a few friends
On the 3rd.Good to read the posts.
Wow,you all are getting UR done.

Great Job!

I just had a wasp scare. Finally hitting
Them with spray.
I'm Haveing ashma problems. I should have been more careful with crystal sanding.
Dam. Not inside.

Got alot done in kitchen,buddies up with hope.
Yay.
My daughter has covid for 2nd time.
Very recovers,and ran off with boyfriend.
Dropped contact.Make me so mad,because I
Worry.

I ended a relationship with a girlfriend
Who has become increasing rude.
She can reach out to me. I'm done.

Perhaps another friend,with bipolar.
My mom had it.

Trying to get started today.Things fall
Apart so fast in my home.
Trying to get the trash can thing figured

Out. I guess I have to tie them down.
I need them available in every room.

I was blessed with all my favorite artists
On CD. So been blasting the music.

Hugs to all. Becky

Good morning!

Road, you are a good sister. I don't think I could keep going to a house that smelled that bad.

I have started avoiding news. I need to for my mental health. Now I just ask Dh when he is reading the news if there's anything I want to know. He always says no. We didn't go to the fireworks last night. I love fireworks, but I just wasn't feeling it. Dh even looked up when they were and read it out loud to me and I didn't even respond. I think I may be fighting depression again, which is a little scary to me because this is not normal for me in summer. In summer If anything I usually get manic. It's probably situational, because I miss Bean and Covid still makes me angry, and all I could think about the 4th of July was "yay, we aren't British! We don't have to have free universal health care that includes mental health!" (And some other stuff but I know this is not a place for politics - i just figured you guys could probably get behind my "healthcare is good" position. - I know there are downsides in England.)

Dh went to work at work today. My focal points are supposed to be: garden - before it gets too hot in about two hours, cheesemaking - and cleaning up after, laundry - we are at clean underwear crisis point, and side porch - I'm going to at least get enough done to move the stuff from the bench into there.

Lila, keep up the good work, and shout outs to Becky, tatoulua, and CM!

Hi guys, I back. Omg my puppy is insane. I swear she intentionally walks on my screens and remote controls. It's so annoying.

But kinda funny.

Ok, so I pushed myself to take my son to the parade. I planned ahead a little and worked out a few options for parking which would not be too far to walk and would make an easy exit. That worked great. Also, no bladder issues thank goodness. We brought a few chairs, found a shady spot about 20 feet back. we enjoyed the rare float and ignored all politicians. Found a friend and took some pictures. So it was a success. Two hours in and out. No one (me) peed their pants. No sunburn. And we weren't even shot at! Sick joke. My bro heard about the shooting and texted me to be careful but I didn't see it til we left. I've pretty much been watching coverage ever since. Highland park is on the north side and we are on the west so it's about an hour away. I have friends who grew up there buT no one I know who was there today. Very sad day.

Then we were home chilling (I got in a little nap) and then I ran to the store to pick up stuff for the bbq at my brothers. He hosted again. My dad was very quiet from our argument we got into last time we were all together and I basically kicked him out of my house. B
So it was hella awkward as people younger than me like to say. But it was ok. My bro heated up some baked beans and bought some chips and hosted and cleaned** and I did the rest. It wasn't a big deal though. He vacuumed and cleaned the bathroom. He acted helpless not knowing how to use the smoker which was really annoying. He's not a 16 yo, he's a 59 yo man with a degree from a fancy university. Come on give me a break. Google it! "How to ruin 6 filet mignon using a smoker". Lol. But anyway, we made it right up to the "come and get it" and my son yelled out "oh no! And some alarmed sounding jibberish... One of the dogs had pooped in the dining room. Lol. Omg. And trust me, it smelled horrible before that happened. I don't know what is making his house smell so bad but it is like getting punched in the face when you first walk in. I did tell him about it last time so if he doesn't do anything about it that's on him. Yikes. It's bad. But overall, I'm proud of him that he's keeping up with a little maintenance (vacuuming) and is still offering to host. I think I'm setting the bar too low for him. But we made it work again and no fights broke out.

When we got home I finished cleaning up the kitchen and actually cleaned out the bottom shelf. Threw some stuff away and actually dumped out some bad food, ran the disposal, rinsed out the gross dishes and cleaned out the sink. Now that is some advanced cleaning (for me). Then I was able to fit all the leftovers in the fridge without cramming things in there all akimbo. Then I fed the doggies and give the nervous Nellie her "thunder chew" and headed upstairs. My son was singing LOUDLY which is like yelling off key. Some times it's funny and adorable but tonight it was just going straight to my brain.

Well, that is quite plenty about my day.

Sub c, that s so cute about bean and the donut. How is everyone feelingnowwiththecovid ? Cool about FaceTiming with your friend.

Lila, it is really heartbreaking about your son and the destructiveness and how much that impacts your household situation. I can relate in a lot of ways to that. Are you in physical danger when he's out of control? It's hard to imagine how you wouldn't be.

As far as getting rid of things, I don't think that's foolish at all, I think that sounds smart. I wish I felt like I could do that. I say if you feel like you can do it, do it! What a weight that would be lifted off your shoulders. People always say when they get rid of things they end up not missing most of it, and if you really do find you need something you got rid of you can buy it again. I think the experience And what you'd learn from it would be priceless. Could be like a fresh start. Good for everyone else in the house, too. I'm pretty sure there's a whole chapter in the hoarding book about Justin case. Perfectionism, creatives who can think of a use for everything, not wanting things to go to waste, adhd and decision making challenges, unresolved emotional issues that make us hold onto things we don't need... these are all things that contribute to us finding ourselves here grappling with this unique set of challenges.

SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES... anyone up for a july challenge? I don't have any ideas I just know I could use some focus!

Hyper puppy just wiped out my post just as I was about to hit send. Arrrrgha! Be back

Yay Lila! Enjoy your time with acorn!

The dining table is clean, the kitchen is mostly clean, the great room including couches is clean. There are sorted stacks on the entryway bench which will get moved as I start on the side porch and make space to group like with like (every category also exists in multiple places on the side porch.)

Most of this is school/work or garden related.

You guys, I am doing so good! I am proud of myself!

In addition to making carrot dogs, cleaning my dog's ears and trimming his nails, and putting in 2 loads, I have:

- put the quilt in a sealed bag in the garage
- got out the two small totes of spices and seasonings from my bedroom, sorted them, looked at the spices in my kitchen and got rid of any that are more than 5 years old and replaced with newer ones from the totes. I put a few in the drawer in the kitchen also, and got my spice stash down to only ONE small tote! It is going back in my bedroom but I have a goal of finding space for it in the kitchen at some point.
- went outside and swept the side of the house where the flea room is, so the guy can spray there
- swept up the driveway nearesy the house
- trimmed a few more straggly branches from my trees and put them in the compost bin
- brought a bassinet in from the garage. It is almost new, given to me by a friend. I am babysitting Acorn tonight while my son and dil take Tot to the fireworks!
- Swept more of the garage

I am really so proud of myself. Having some iced tea now (it is 1:00) and then I am going to work on the laundry and all the clean stuff I just washed from teen's room.

Problem - I don't know where teen got SO MANY clothes but I am certain half of them don't even fit. They could belong to a friend. They were literally all over the floor. I am considering putting them into a tote, so teen can go through them when they return. I don't think I can donate any of it without teen.

I have good energy today so working hard.

yay, glad to see posts!

CM, I have heard of DE from my friends with dogs. I forgot about it. I will look into using it for this. I don't know if I can/should rub it on the cat also, or can use it in bedding etc. I will do some research and get some as long as it is safe for cats. Thanks!

I cleaned my dog's ears and put some cream in them. He has some kind of allergies (not fleas) from either food or environment, I think, and his ears get itchy. They look better now. I also trimmed his nails. I am glad I got that done. I may try and dremel them later to smooth them down, and may brush him as well.

I have so much pain in my right knee I am limping. They said it is arthritis and a cyst. I took naproxen and rubbed some penetrex cream on it. I think I will put my shoes on now and go outside and sweep the area outside teen's room. And maybe the driveway, and put a few sticks in the mulch bin.

Then will put the bag containing the quilt into the garage. I decided not to wash/dry it since it is nearly new and is clean. I think in a bag in the hot garage for a week will kill any fleas.

I also took phentermine as I am trying very hard to get this weight off, but I regained 4 more freaking pounds. UGH.

P.P.S. Have you tried Diatomaceous Earth sprinkled around as an adjunct means of flea control? It's natural and environmentally friendly. It does seem to help.

P.S. I've heard about the carrot dogs. Maybe someday will get brave enough to try them. I have sensory issues with foods I think I mentioned, and though technically I do "like" hot dogs, I got grossed out reading what's in them so I gave them up. I've tried soy dogs in the past and they were sort of okay. The carrot ones, it would depend on the flavor, whether it was like a meat dog or weird and vegetabley.