Tillie you are living proof that we have enough. The towel is actually safety pinned to the handle so it doesn't slip off. I won't be able to use it. I will iron it at some point. I like it. It is extremely sweet. Thank you for looking at it


Ok time to get ready for work! I'm sitting with my happy lamp!!!

And Happy Birthday, as im not sure if the actual day.

That little tea towel is so sweet.
Even more special because your Mom made it. :)

Just remember to never grab it to wipe up spilled coffee or tea and stain it.

Those little things are what ties the past to the present.

I believe we will all start to feel better after the solstice.

On my 16th BDay my Granma gifted me with a small kerosene lamp that had belonged to her Mother.
That was 50 years ago!
I have it lit and burning on the counter almost every night this month.
Usually I burn the kerosene lamps in Summer because mosquitos hate the smell and stay away.
My Great Grandmother's lamps tie me to her and Granma.
Continuity. :D

Tillie, when helping my mom with her things last week, I came across a sweet little tea towel she embroidered when she was engaged but not yet married. I took it and it's now in my kitchen. I just took a few photos and posted them on my Instagram. It's so very sweet. It's not ironed but I still love it. Even with washing and hanging to dry, it's got the gold marks in it. I love it and it looks really sweet with the plate over my stove.

So I look at this and think, I don't need to buy another thing.

I stopped to see mom tonight. She was asleep in her recliner and kitty was asleep on her bed. All around a very cute situation.

Well I've showered and I'm ready for bed. I am less frazzled. I'm working on it. My mother says I'll feel better after the solstice. She is very sweet.

That frankfurter sounds delicious. :D

YEA! for a clean home!
If my maid ever shows up I am going to have to fire her. ;p

Wonderful you aren't feeling tempted to shop.
We are all here for you for the after sales if you need us.
If tempted, go look at what you already have at home.
Knowing what I have at home and what I do use allows me to "window shop" and be content to not buy.


Tomorrow is supposed to be a good clothes line day so I am doing laundry tonight.
Will get it hung out in the morning when the sun has risen.

Toasted bun makes all the difference, Tillie! I used to live Howard Johnson's frankfurter with the buttered and toasted roll. Extra relish.

I need to go to mom's in a bit but I'm exhausted.

Cleaners were great. So fast. So thorough.

Tillie my temptations to shop are nil. The after Christmas sales were always about wrappings and decorations and I still have too many. So I think I'll be okay. If I need help I will let you know! But for now I'm thrilled that I haven't succumbed!

Good Afternoon Everyone

WAY TO GO! Tatoulia!!! :D
Now just hang on tight these last few days and you will be golden.
Please give us your promise now that you will NOT be tempted by any of those after XMas sales. (((hug)))

YEA! for cleaning fairies!
Sleep well in your professionally made bed.


Got everything on my grocery list.
Cats now have a 40 can case of pâté too so I am safe, for a while.
Was not inspired by any food offerings for my BDay.
What I really want is an old fashioned hamburger from a café.
The casinos here do a really good job making burgers.
Toasted buns, fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle with lots of those thick cut fries.
And genuine ice cream shakes.

I'm excited to learn what you choose for your birthday dinner, Tillie! Take and bake pizza, perhaps?

Hello to Winter! Sounds so cute!

Cleaners come today! I'm so much less stressed than last time! Getting the clutter out is so helpful to me.

Well I've stuck to my guns on gifts and shopping and haven't bought beyond the $10 gifts. No heavy credit card debt awaits me! I haven't bought one wrapping or card or anything. Someone at work liked my Christmas doggie tissue paper so I brought the rest in for her.

I'm feeling pretty solid. Must get back to work now.

Good Morning Everybody
"Clink!"

Just putzing around waiting for the frost to dissipate before heading into town.
Have my shopping list all made out.
Promising myself that I will not deviate from the list.
One thing not listed is what do I want for dinner on my BDay???
Hoping for some inspiration when I get to the produce section. ;)

Winter sounds sooooo adorable! :D

So of course Mr. Kitty won't acknowledge his existence.

WTG! for taking the recycling!

Enjoy your warm little snuggle bunny. :D

Good evening!

The new bunny is delightful. I wish I could share a picture. He is a tiny little "blue" (grey) puff ball. I have named him "Winter" because he is like winter to me - grey and fuzzy and quiet and still. He mostly draws into a ball in a corner - but he is happy - he washes himself. Mr. kitty has declared him beneath notice.

The breeder had two elementary aged children, and so the bunny is accustomed to being handled and very laid back about it. He likes to sit on my lap.

He will be inside at night and out during the day (in the 40s) until he gets a bit bigger and has a chance to acclimate.

Dh would never admit it, but I think he likes Winter.

I took the recycling today.

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Happy new bunny day! :D

Very glad you and Mr. Kitty had that down time together and feel it was time well spent (((hug)))

Working out in the cold once your body heat is all gone is just too taxing and then we tend to get accident prone too.
In nasty weather just do the absolute necessities and get back inside as quick as possible.

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for such a lovely evening! :D

Boxes and packing and wrapping really make a huge difference once we get them all out of the house to recycling.
Scooter wants to hoard every box and all packaging that comes into the house and fusses when I limit him to just one box and no packaging (bubble wrap/paper/tissue) scattered all over the place.

Stay safe in the snow and ice (((hug)))


Sun is finally coming up.
No rain or snow predicted, just very cold, 17 degrees.
Today I will get ready for one last trip into town tomorrow this year.
Make my grocery list, get my empty water bottles to fill.

Good morning all!

Tatoulia, so glad you had a good time and that the keys were found.

Working less and public transit are both good things.

CM, 4" is a lot of papers!

I started out ok yesterday - I had a plan to get a bunch of outside stuff done before the weather got nasty. But then, after I did part of it, I was cold. So I decided to gave a snack and warm up. Mr. kitty came in and I guess Badger went out, because the next thing I knew, I had spent three hours on the couch with kitty watching videos that made me cry (story lines, not depressing truths) and my body felt like a wrung out rag.

I'm sure crying out all that tension was good for me, but I got almost nothing else done - one load of laundry put away and a few more ornaments on the Christmas tree.

And now I am regretting the lost time a bit. But mostly I am trying not to let it set me back with the stress. Because I slept better last night, and if I can sleep, everything will be better.

Still no firm plans with our friends, but it's bunny day.

Just back from the Holiday Pops. What a wonderful evening. We had dinner during the concert. Lovely evening.

I've git to wash my face and go to bed. I'll feed the wirkd's Cutest cat first.

I got the garbage out before the concert. I still have Christmas things in the dining room table. Just when I think all of my $10 gifts are wrapped, I remember the jams I bought in VT, or something else. But it's significantly wound down and I recycled all the boxes now that my meager gifts have been mailed. I've been gathering packin' boxes from neighbors who have a lot of things delivered. So I've recycled the ones I didn't use. That has helped me immeasurably.

Ever since mom asked if my medications are bothering me, I feel better about my panic. Plus I know that as I clean more, I'll feel better. And my ladies come on Wednesday so that will be very nice.

Tillie we are having a messy mix in the AM. Wish I could work from home. It won't be enough for them to cancel work but a girl can dream.

Ironically I'm out of cat litter and TP. I had to get the old kind instead of the scoopable. But that's fine.

I think BF and I should discuss going down to one car. He's been very good about taking public transportation recently. I want him to live longer and I know I can get him to work a bit less by taking public transportation. I need him around for a long time.

Goodnight all of my friends. We can do this.

Have a wonderful time tonight!!!

WOO HOO!!! YIPPEE!!! HAPPY DANCE!!!
You didn't misplace the keys!!! ;D

Maybe he needs to straighten out his coffee table.
LOL ;)

Relieved it's over now. No more fretting that you lost the keys and you are free to borrow the car again Sunday.


Kitchen is all clean, again.

Stay safe, CM!! You are doing great work!! I'm so proud of you!!

Looking forward to a new bunny update, SubC!

Tillie he just called: the car keys were on his coffee table! Exonerated!

I need to get showered and dressed. We are going to the Christmas Pops tonight!!

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi CriticalMass
Have fun following the clues to all your ancestors! :D

WAY TO GO! Culling those unneeded papers!

Hi Tatoulia
Where would you normally put the keys when you return the car?
When you parked the car you HAD the keys.
So, from that point on it's anybody's guess where they ended up.
Does that parking garage have a lost&found?
maybe, if you dropped them in there some honest person found them and turned them in.

I understand how all that negativity and hatred leaves it's ugly stain on us Tatoulia (((HUG)))

WAY TO GO! mailing the package and working on reclaiming your table!

You all stay safe and warm!!!
The weather report says this is going to be a very bad storm.
Hope you all have nice warm foods and beverages, warm snuggly kitties/bunnies and can weather it out in your homes.

Sun is shining, no clouds but still very cold.
Did some cooking mainly to warm the house with the oven.
Kitchen is all set up for dish washing and I'll do that now.

Hi everybody

We're snow-and-iced in here. They closed the schools. Roommate is working from her computer.

I had gotten my DNA sample in, I think it was on Halloween it was mailed. Just found out the results had been sitting there - I am so bad anymore about not checking my email regularly.

So... according to Ancestry.com, I'm 56% England, Wales, & Northwestern Europe; 37% Germanic Europe; 4% Sweden (total surprise!), 3% Ireland & Scotland. I'd expected more German and possibly some Eastern Europe, and more Irish.

But it's of course more complicated than merely you live within a country or region and you have only one kind of DNA. Boundaries have shifted and migrations have happened. And what you inherit from each parent varies with your individual conception - siblings can get different results.

I pulled out papers I'd had - luckily on each side there had been relatives interested in tracing ancestors - and even got an accidental result from Google that led me to the name of the German town where my paternal surname ancestors were from before they spent a century in Russia.

This is going to be fascinating.

Also made a good start on culling the medical insurance papers. About 4" stack gone. I'm thinking one file box can be cleared and the genealogy and family stuff go in it.

Feel free to laugh, SubC. I laughed at the time. I thought it was hysterical. Now I'm in Tillie's camp, second-guessing the car keys. They are probably here. He has his second set today. But I need him to find the first set because unbeknownst to him, I need his car on Sunday. I need to be exonerated by then.

I used to accommodate my brother's mental illness to the detriment of myself. And I absorbed a lot of hatred and negativity. Whatever you need to do to cope, SubC. We are standing by your side!!

Loud sheets! Tillie!!!

I got up early and got the overseas package mailed. I'm double-checking the presents do I can put away everything and give myself my table back.

We are expecting snow/wintry mix tmr AM.

Good Morning Everyone

Yea! a new bunny! :D
Have a wonderful time inside today with Mr. Kitty and badger.


Potatoes are sneaky and will purposely hide in dark corners where they can morph into demons. ;p


17 balmy degrees this morning.
Should get ambitious about doing something but nothing seems worth any effort.
Cats are happy to stay tucked into blankets.

Tatoulia,

I know it was awful at the time, but that is funny about the potatoes! I hope it has been long enough that you can laugh too.

Lights are very important!

This is the first time she has said she will sleep in the truck. Normally I have a bedroom available and they sleep in the bedroom or they bring their camper and sleep there anyway.
When they sleep in the house, she brings her own inflatable bed and bedding. Fil sleeps in one of our beds with our bedding. This time she has requested a towel, a washcloth, and a pillow.

My parents stay in the house, the loft, or a hotel. They like each other, so they only need one bed.

I will definitely make the fudge, but if we go there, I need to make it by Thursday. If they come here, I can make it Saturday, or maybe even Sunday, and I need to work on the back hall this week because for just my family, it is ok if there are boxes from the barn stacked off to the side, (I can even throw a festive tablecloth over them and lay extra coats on it) but with 17 people, I will need that space for an extra table.

I can't just say, well, do the fudge first anyway, because my girls will gladly help make fudge, but I have to do these boxes myself. Also, I don't want to be working on the back hall when mil is here. She will come out and start offering to throw things away for me. She always knows how I can get rid of lots of things she doesn't like.

I know mil has undiagnosed mental health issues, and I should be kinder to her, and I know dh would appreciate it if he didn't have to listen to me complain, but I tried really hard in the beginning. I thought we could be friends. And then I started to understand how she had hurt my Dh and feel like I needed to protect my kids from her, and now it has been so long and I am so tired, that I am just done.

I did not sleep well last night.

Tomorrow after school I am skipping swimming and going to get my new bunny. Today I am staying home with mr. kitty and badger. We got 3 inches of snow last night.

Hi

When my parents came here I always had fresh clean bedding for them.
One time my mother announced she had picked up a set of sheets at a yard sale so she would use her sheets and not mine.
I just rolled my eyes, as usual...
Next morning she was complaining about her sheets being uncomfortable, had "pills".
Told me I could keep those sheets for any of my other guests but she would be using my sheets the next night.
Let her know that I would not be keeping her ratty old sheets and she will be taking them with her.

Wish she would have slept out in the truck. ;p

One time I made their bed with a white top sheet that had a cute little penguin boarder that my mother had given me from my Grandmother's estate.
Next morning she was complaining that the pattern kept her up all night.
Yeah, right. In the dark with your eyes closed.

Subclinical, I truly do understand. (((HUGS)))
Always critical and complained about everything and determined to never have any fun.

Make the fudge.
Have DH clean the bathroom and do some other things too.
WAY TO GO! for having dishes done!!! :D
Do all those fun holiday things you want to do and next year you can get back to sorting out and organizing.

Hi Tatoulia
OK, so maybe you misplaced the keys...
Does he have a second set?
Check all your coat pockets and dump out your purse. Good luck.

WAY TO GO! doing the kitchen!!!
So happy you got ALL those light bulbs replaced.
Makes a huge difference having a bright over head light.

Are your Mom's products supposed to be regularly delivered from a company?

Maybe there is a glitch.
Today my Netflix account says it needs some help with the account payment and CC info needs to be reentered.

Happy you have decorated your bedroom :)

Yes, Scooter honestly is like a rabid weasel.

Oh SubC, I do know the shame if the stash and dash. Not a great feeling but it's okay. A lot of people do that. Did I ever tell you about the holiday where I couldn't find my potatoes? And I kept asking BF to check his car, check your car, they must be somewhere. Well anyway the bottom line is that I found them months later, in my closet, with shooters 3 feet in length.

I think I'd prioritize the fudge. The place will never be as clean as you want it so go ahead and make the fudge, and you'll feel like a success and your friends will be so happy. It'll be an accomplishment and you'll feel good about yourself.

Ok forgive my judgmental comment: she sleeps in the back of the truck? I do think your husband can clean the bathroom or help. It is a lot of work and a lot of stress on you right now. I know he is supportive and kind but you need someone to clean the bathroom.

I didn't want to do anything tonight so I said to myself: this is where discipline comes in, and I did the dishes, wiped down the counters, polished two silver trays and took a shower. I'm going to go kiss the kitty goodnight.

You are brave and kind and loving to open your home to your family, SubC. You have much more room than you used to and you've made great progress on your place. You really have.

I have decorated my bedroom for Christmas. Modestly. Just the shelf on the table between the windows.

Well at least tonight when I flipped the kitchen light switch, I didn't have to swear: so nice to have the overhead lights working. I still like the lamplight in there but what a relief for me.

Oh Tatoulia,

I'm sure he will find his keys.

Things are still up in the air with our friends, which is making me stressed.

Do I need to prioritize making the fudge I take every year because we are going there on Friday, or cleaning up because they are coming here a few days later?

Dh got the studio loft the rest of the way ready for his father except for putting sheets on the bed (his mother is planning to sleep in the back of their truck inside the studio barn. Did I tell you that?)

I cleared about 1/4 of the pathways his dad will need to reach the door and the bathroom. The bathroom also needs cleaning. I should probably prioritize that, but I am not. I will get dh to come out and help me in the evenings. He usually does crosswords and practices the guitar in the evenings, and I feel a little mean, but honestly, if it is not more important than the crossword, then it is not more important than anything I'm doing.

I need to clean the back hall.

I started on the play area in the basement. I confess to doing some grab and stash of things that had been left partly sorted, and that makes me a bit sad, but I should be able to finish the job in under an hour. Someone will have to stay with Lucy to be sure she stays in the play area, because the rest of the basement is not safe.

Dh mostly finished the Christmas shopping today.

I need to pick up a gift for d❤️Gs, wrap everything, buy stuff for stockings, make pies, make fudge, and finish decorating the tree. I don't know if I will put the train out this year (wondering if Lucy is coming....) and I teach four days this week.

I do live in chaos, but currently I am caught up with the dishes.

Went for walk with BF. It's much windier and colder than earlier in the day. He gave me a jacket to wear under my jacket and I was fine.

I am worrying about everything too much. Now I'm worried that he can't find his car keys and I was the last person to drive it.

I didn't nap. I ate instead. I look terrible but I'm going to go visit BF. I told him I look terrible but I'm still heading up.

I know someday my siblings will say, why didn't you tell us you needed help? And I'll be thinking, I said it in every interaction but no one took me seriously. .

Hello everyone!

I am overwhelmed again today. I git the guy over earl today to change my lightbulbs. I have very high ceilings and haven't had the overhead bulbs in the kitchen working for quite some time. I had him change the hallway lights just so they can all be on the same schedule and he took down the ceiling light in the bathroom and lucky for me, I had the tapered bulbs with small bases to go up there. Good to have this done. I texted him this AM and he said he'd see me in 20 minutes.

I had to get my mother personal products once again. I don't understand why they aren't being sent to her. It is a big expense for me, monetarily and emotionally. Then I did mom's groceries. I'm going to lay down for a bit.

I laundered my towels today and I'm very happy about that. I put out a few Christmas decorations and identified some to donate.

I will go to PO with the overseas package tmr. And I'll be able to put away the wrappings and other things.

I will get there. I just have to do some meditation.

I am grateful I no longer live in chaos.

SubC I am sending you strength and peace. I know that feeling of being overcome with sadness. And I completely understand Mr Hooper giving you the space to express your grief and sadness. CM great work on the receipts! Could you and badger stop by and work on mine?

Tillie I had no idea that Scooter was such a rascal. You've been telling us for years but it suddenly sunk in for me.

Good Afternoon
Just 12:30pm

Did some of this & that and made a dish of scalloped potatoes.
Will wash the dishes later after I eat.

On the Roku on Tubi is a video "Beyond Hoarding"
that is very good.
Do not let the first case history/story put you off.
You may probably recognize the doctors/therapists.
Definitely worth watching.

Good Morning Everybody

Subclinical, that would be so wonderful to sit and craft and spend time with you (((HUG)))

So sorry you are all jangly and anxious and feeling so miserable.
It was very sad when Mr. Hooper died.
This time of year we remember and miss people even more than ever.
I think it would be good for you to take an hour just for yourself.
Sit somewhere peaceful and just let it all out.
Give yourself permission to grieve and cry and wallow in it all.
Sometimes we just have to, to work it all out.
Acting the adult, always holding in our true emotions is just too hard.
((((((HUG))))))

That family activity sounds like sooooo much fun!!!
Do it all! Let the kid run nekkid! Play the games! Eat drink and be merry! And build the most absolutely fantastic fort ever!!!
The icing on the cake will be doing it all in front of those party poopers. ;D


Hi Tatoulia
Chocolate mousies and penguins! :D
WTG! getting things done.
Enjoy the warmer days while we have them. Winter is right around the corner. ;)

Hi CriticalMass
Good luck straightening out all your record keeping.
Basic and simple record keeping is the way to go.

How about a set time limit for facebook?
But you can only go there after you have done a specific task.
Like flossing and brushing teeth, washing dishes, starting and finishing laundry, clean litter boxes, etc...
Use it as a reward.
But when the timer dings/buzzes you MUST log off.


The wind is blowing today. A cold wind that just freezes your bones.
Going to stay inside and do a little of this & that, nothing much really. :)

I kind of sloughed off yesterday afternoon. But in the evening while we watched Star Trek, I went through some receipts. I think I may be getting rid of most of them, down to the occasional straggler. They had gotten scattered around, but when I embarked on this project the other day I went around and gathered up what I could find. No doubt a few will turn up as I work on other areas, and they will be summarily dealt with.

This has all begun to relieve a great burden of perfectionism in my mind, going back decades. You see, my mother, having worked in an insurance office 16 years before marrying, did the recordkeeping for her and Dad. She taught me, plus I learned additional stuff from high school business classes.

When I was still living at home in the pre-Internet, slower paced world, with my mom's precision to structure me, I could keep up. Then when I left home to attempt to adult, and with the undiagnosed ADD simmering beneath the surface, things began to unravel.

Still, I used to try to catch up balancing my checkbook every few months. I would make mathematical errors and forgetfulness errors (like sending the balance of my checking account to pay a bill instead of the amount of the bill - twice I did this!). I'd take care of the crisis and get it rebalanced, but my register was all sloppy.

Then a few years ago I tried to ditch the paper register and set up a bunch of computer checkbook recordkeeping, but that proved unwieldy and time consuming - and never really all that useful for all the time I spent on it.

Now what is working is checking my balance online frequently, along with keeping a simple tally of what bills have yet to be paid electronically for the month, so that I don't double-spend that money. I just add up the still pending and subtract that total from what the bank says is currently available. It works, no overdrafts, no laborious recordkeeping.

And no need to hang onto papers or computer records that don't add anything meaningful to the process.

*****
Change of subject: I've been noticing a pull towards spending too much time on Facebook again. Even when it's boring, checking the notifications "one more time before I get off" in case something fascinating just popped up. This is stupid, addictive, lazy, time wasting behavior that sucks my time away from much more satisfying pursuits. It's probably a winter hibernation instinct.

So, I'm going to come up with an accountability plan and post about it here. It will involve reporting to you gals, and Badger giving me a nip with her sharp little teeth as needed. I don't think it'll take a long time to break the pattern, but I need to get started.

Good morning friends.

Chocolate mousies and penguins sound too cute to eat.

Tillie,

The gemstone work sounds fun. Wish I could come by and craft with you. I'd bring my own stuff (we all know I have plenty of stuff!)

Yes, I still get to teach my fun creative classes, just not core classes. Core classes are too hard for me emotionally. And they take too much time.

CM, nice work on the receipts.

Sil has banned Dd from touching receipts due to the BPA. She says she feels like she is in some kind of program - he is trying so hard to control everything for the baby - but not in a bad way, like he knows she snacks after work, so he has cleared the house of junk food and tries to get home in time to hand her a healthy snack and say "here, eat this." Before she even starts looking for her snack, and he tells her to go to bed so she will get enough sleep - but he does extra house stuff and sneaks out in the morning without waking her so she can.... (and sometimes leaves her breakfast so she won't eat power bars)...

The anxiety and depression are really bad today. I woke up at 4:20 with my heart racing. I was afraid I would have to get up, but (fortunately for me, unfortunately for him) I accidentally woke up Dh and he was able to help me calm down and sleep some more.

But now that I am up, I feel like the air is too heavy and thick, but all jangly inside. Usually I can help the first one with extra caffeine, but that will just make the jangly worse. I was helping dh with his crossword, and there was a clue from Sesame Street, and I gave him the answer, and then my brain jumped from there to remembering that the actor who played Mr. Hooper died (not recently) and I started crying.

And I know that it had nothing to do with Mr. Hooper really, it's just that I am like someone whose skin is so raw that the breeze hurts.

Yesterday I found out that the older brother of one of my students attempted suicide (he is now in inpatient care) I had him in class a few years ago. He is a senior at our school, but I don't really see him this year because he doesn't have classes on my hall.

Also, dh is trying to arrange an annual "chosen family" activity with the patriarch of the other family (Chris). This is supposed to be Chris's turn to host, but it looks like we can only get the maximum number of second generation people if we have the event while dh parents are here. Dh proposed therefor that we host again this year and gave Chris two dates. So, my inlaws will probably be at my favorite holiday event. My mother in law will be a joy (dripping with sarcasm) as she attempts to help in anti-helpful ways, complains about the noise, and looks judgmental at people who are drinking wine and spoiling their dinner with candy. My father in law will love the food and singing, but he will be horrified if we let the 4 y.o. run around in her underpants again. Oh, and neither one of them is going to be pleased if the adults help the 4 y.o. gather up furniture and pillows and build a fort.

Also, we can't tell all the funny stories about dh family, but probably letting the other family actually see them first hand will make up for that.

We play games. My inlaws hate games.

But mostly, I promised the 4 y.o. That next time she came to my house (which i thought would be 2020) she would be able to play in the little alcove in the basement that was partly set up as a doll bedroom and kitchen. But it isn't ready, and I don't think I have time. And I take my promises to kids really really seriously.

And now I am crying again.

I have to go patch fence.

Tillie I awoke in much better spirits! Then BF and I went for dinner then walked down to a shop to buy these tiny little handmade chocolate mice! Google L A Burdick Chocolate. I bought two individually boxed mice and he bought two mice and two penguins. One mouse is for my manager, from my cat. I'll also make a donation to a soup kitchen in his honor for Christmas.

Tillie thanks for commenting on the wreaths. I do like them this year. The ribbons are so pretty.

While waiting to go for dinner, I filled out the customs form, taped the box well, shredded some paper and did a little more wrapping. Very enjoyable pocket of time.

Goodnight my friends. Let's do it all over again tmr.

Tillie I'm the 60s here. Crazy.

Good Morning Everybody

WAY TO GO! CriticalMass!!! :D
Sweet that kitty helped you by keeping you amused too.
Yes, getting rid of that annoying paper litter clutter will help you have a clear mind for the other sorting out.


Hi crabby Tatoulia
Hope the nap helped with your mood.
WTG! for laundry and packing up the package & filling out the form.
I often find some baked things recipes don't call for enough spice, so I double the spices.


Been sorting out some gem stone beads to find the perfect way to string them all together.
Sun is shining, not cold (40s) but the horizon has thick dense very dark gray ominous clouds creeping this direction :O

Great work, CM! Getting rid of those receipts! I am so grateful for emailed receipts now. My life is so much easier!!

SubC I'm glad you are looking in to a less stressful schedule in the coming year.

Yay Tillie for going to the thrift store and finding treasures!

I'm a bit crabby today. I don't know why. I'm feeling super fat and that could be it. I just baked small pumpkin breads as gifts and they don't taste like much. It's not as bad as the time I forgot to add the pumpkin.

Our office party was fun this year, as was the party at mom's place.

It's a very rainy day here but not cold.

I did three loads of laundry this AM so perhaps I'm a bit more together than I thought. My overseas friend's package is packed; I need to complete the customs form and get it mailed. I have the forms here and I keep track of everything I put into the box.

I think I'll go get my final load out of the dryer then lay down for a bit. I'll wake up feeling better, I think.

Four (4) bags, count 'em, FOUR BAGS (grocery plastic size) of receipts in the trash so far. They are thermal cash register paper which may contain BPA and/or phenols and if so shouldn't be recycled, and no way to know.

When this paper reduction project is done, I know of more in a file box - old health insurance summaries. Those will be recyclable, too; they're ordinary paper.

The paper is, in terms of cubic feet, not the largest clutter problem I will stare down. However, since the receipts especially scatter easily, it has been one of the most unsightly and annoying. I do believe when it's gone, I'll be able to get a much clearer view of what to tackle next.

Kitty was watching me while I tossed the little wads in the bag. I realized he wanted to play with a few of the crackly "mice." Which were picked up after he'd had his fun, so they wouldn't be eaten by him or the dog. He put on a good show.

We are supposed to have cold Sunday with snow by evening. So it's a good time to work on this sort of indoor task.

What a wonderful gift Mr. Kitty gave you!!! :D
Bet he worked very hard to get that.

Glad you and your boss were able to do some compromising.
Happy you will not be teaching English next year.
But you do get to still do those really fun and creative classes right?

YEA! for a successful show & tell with the sheep! :)


Scooter is the big bully feral terrorizer.
Always pestering and posturing to all other cats.
Thinks he's the big cheese.
He is mean. He attacks and bites. It's his natural personality but I have been working hard all his life to civilize that little s&#@.
I finally found the magical solution to make him mind me, I have a spray bottle of water.
He really hates being sprayed.
I think he's like that because he is actually a runt, puny and now he's fat too because he steals food.
He is the one who stole all the toys from my other cats and refused to leave them alone.

Twinkles is a big gentle giant who wouldn't say S&$# even if he had a mouth full of it.
Scooter sneak attacks him then runs away.

I think with only Twinkles here now that all the other cats have died
Scooter is taking out aggressions on the toys and at the same time ticking Twinks off by fouling the water bowl.

When Scooter sees Jack out the window he gets all riled up, hackles up, hisses, screams and swears at him.
But when Scooter is outside and Jack comes by Scooter runs immediately inside the house and hides.

Scooter is very clingy.
Has to always be near me, snuggles up close at night.
When I leave the house he screams & cries and sits at the window waiting for my return.
But if I reach my hand out to pet him he puts his teeth on it.
Used to bite hard but has learned not to clamp down or I flick his nose hard.
I can pet him when he's very sleepy.
Also can treat him for wounds, constipation or wash his eyes or medicate him easily.

I didn't want Scooter but he was too insanely feral wild to adopt out and now he only loves me, jerk. :(

Oh, I forgot some things - I wonder if scooter is putting the toys in the water to protect it from twinkles?

Also, mr. kitty brought me a big dead barn rat. He dashed inside with it and put it right under the Christmas tree. I told him what a wonderful kitty he is and then very gently moved his gift outside.

Yay CM!

The sheep was a big hit.

I had a pretty good meeting with my boss. Some things I cannot have. Some things I maybe can have. But she was understanding about my time challenges and I won't be teaching English next year.

WOO HOO!!!!
WAY TO GO CriticalMass!!! :D

Go Badger Go!

I am ruthlessly throwing away and/or shredding old debit card receipts and other misc. paper. Going to stop and make me and Badger spaghetti then back at it.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Good luck and best wishes getting your school schedule to where you need it to be. (((hug)))

YEA! for swimming. :D

I clearly remember the first time I got to pet a sheep.
How wonderful it felt, my fingers disappearing down deep into the warm soft wool. ;D


Got my head back on straight this morning.
Sometimes being the only adult and having to do everything all by myself gets me down and I have to dig myself out again.
Today I will clean the kitchen and tidy up the place.
That tiny penguin was laying beside the water bowl sopping wet from it's swim.
At least Scooter helps him out of the water instead of leaving him down at the bottom like poor little mousie.
Twinkles refuses to drink the mousie water and nags me until I fix it.

Swam. Schooled.

Tillie, your day off sounds nice. Days off are important too.

I am meeting with my director to discuss my schedule for next year today - at my request. Class proposals are due after break, and I am feeling very torn about what/how much to teach next year. I know I cannot continue at this level of demand, so I need to focus on classes that require less outside preparation and grading. I am also considering cutting back my hours, but unless I drop a day, I don't see that being very helpful.

I know they have already interviewed a possible additional person for the English department, and I requested that they explore having her take my junior high group.

Also today, the sheep is coming to visit.

Good Afternoon Everyone
Raspberry Zinger tea "Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia
The window wreathes look very pretty. :)

Hi CriticalMass
In time, with practice, you will be able to recognize the mind booby traps and will have developed strategies to help untangle yourself quickly. ;)

Hi Subclinical
Hope you had a fantastic day at school and also got in some swimming. :D


Decided it was too hard to cope with life today.
Got dressed, fed & watered all cats and went into town.
Talked with a few friends, looked around the thrift shop.
Bought 4 strands with gemstone beads. One has a carved jade or jadeite turtle.
Bought a long burgundy skirt with ruffles and lace, cotton, made in India.
Came home and ate what I had all made up in the fridge even though I was very tempted to stop and buy a hamburger.
There are dirty dishes in the kitchen, a cat quilt Twinkles vomited on last night, carpet needs vacuuming, etc. etc...
But I am taking today off so none of this is bothering me as I watch movies on Roku. :D

Thanks all. I showed dh the speech and he asked "did you cry?" And he also said "you are funny? You do funny voices?" But I would not perform for him. I feel very humbled. But I am going to put my speech where I can read it on the hard days.

CM, you will get there. Just keep reminding yourself of the lessons you are learning. Eventually you will be able to think of them in the moment and decide you don't want to put more onto your future self.

Tillie, I am glad scooter is choosing to decorate his bowl with creatures that can swim at least. I am very curious about what is going through his mind!

I'm not sure how much extra time a second bunny would take. Most of it would be grooming. Often I groom the bunny while I watch a video, and I currently watch videos without grooming any bunnies, and I often snack during them, so possibly a second bunny would decrease unhealthy snacking. Things like serving food and water, cutting a second chew stick or carrying a second bunny out to a run would only take extra seconds or minutes.

The bunny should live about 12 years.

IF I breed the bunnies, I would do it knowing I had 4H kids interested in the litter. This particular breed is hard to find and usually expensive here, so it would give the kids a chance to have one at a reasonable price.

Today is a swim day. I keep thinking I am going to do a few extra things in the evening, and I keep being too tired. So, I am going to call today school and swim.

Tillie, I did wonder if Badger has a Tardis!

Have gone through about 2/3 of the quilting magazines. It's taking forever! Hoping this will make me very hesitant about buying any more of them even if they are only 10-25 Cents. I am capable of looking through and putting back ones that don't have a quilt pattern I am really interested in.

I stayed after the quilting session in the church basement and was scanning the patterns I did want (not every magazine had one that interesting, so some magazines were quicker to go through). But it took more time than I thought, and some of the files may or may not have come out.

I'll check them on my computer but this is making me kind of fed up so maybe I'll be even MORE selective and go through the magazines really fast and not scan much.

This is a good lesson, though, about the proportion of time it takes me to get my attention caught by some interesting thing vs. how long it takes to actually process that thing - decide if it's really a thing of potential. And then of course we move to the $64k Question: Will the potential actually be realized? Yikes.

I hope I make those quilts. I think I have enough quilt patterns to keep me busy, and besides the ones like these (which I probably tweak) I'm capable of drafting my own.

So I really don't need to be seeking out quilting patterns. It's just the colorfulness of them that attracts my eye to the magazine - and the way something like that is more fun than doing more involved, productive things that take more effort and time.

I have all this insight into my mind's booby traps; will I ever get to the point where I avoid the traps in the first place?

Congratulations SubC! I am crying a bit for you! Your hard work and worry and dedication and devotion and self doubt and sleepless nights and caring and love and wisdom have reached your students. You are a teacher. And I am so happy for you!! You put out so much energy and you are reaching them. I am so happy for you. Extremely gratifying. I am so proud of you and proud of your students.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Proof that you are a wonderful teacher who the kids will always look up to and remember all their days. :D

For me it's Mrs. Kingston.

Good Evening Everybody

Hi Subclinical
How much extra time would it be to feed, groom, clean up kennel and spend time with two bunnies rather than just the one?
I find taking care of two cats as easy as taking care of one cat.
But raising breeding bunnies and managing the litters would be a lot more time intensive.
Same as when people raise them for food. :(
How long do bunnies live?
Gerbils and hamsters are not a long time commitment.
Sorry about my rambling... ;)

Hi CriticalMass
Thanks, Twinkles' wound is healing fine, just a small scab now. :)
Hope you do get to make some XMas cookies.
Better get provisions laid in because the grocery stores will just keep getting worse from here on out.
I plan to grocery shop one more time next week then lay low till it's all over with.
WTG! for delivering that Barbie and bringing pizza too!!!
Yeah, being put on "display" in your storage unit would be a road block.
A sheet/tap/blanket cover/curtain would really help.
Right now spiders who haven't found a nice warm house to hide in are laying low and not very active.
Didn't you know that Badger has a Tardis???
Can be anywhere anywhen. ;D

Hi Tatoulia
That tiny tool set sounds very cute and I think he will adore it.
WTG! for garbage out and a kind collector who waited!
Hope you are happy with one of the pair of boots. :)


It was cold, dark and dreary today.
Went outside and cut down all the dried flowers.
Garden looks better with all the dead foliage removed.
With any luck they will all return again next Spring.
Scooter drowned the tiny cloth penguin but he removed him from the bowl himself.
Remorse maybe?

I won an award at school today. It is the best possible award to win because the winner is chosen by the students. It came with a copy of the speech the kids wrote about me. Lord help me be the person these kids think I am! I did not cry.

Tillie, I hope things are looking brighter. And that twinkles feels better soon.

CM, I am very busy with school the next few days, so badger is all yours. It is good you are thinking through the causes of your difficulties.

I have thought about breeding the bunnies, but I am not at that point in my life. I have never gotten a bunny fixed though. My experience is that they are not particularly social, so they have just been kept near each other, not together. I have enough materials to make a second bunny run so that they could be out in the yard at the same time, or one could go in the run while the other was being groomed. My biggest concern is the extra time to groom and play with them. I might start taking them to school more often though - the kids love my bunny.

Sil is actually over the moon excited about the baby - more than Dd - lol, but I can see where going through old family stuff could be extra hard when you are just about to have family to hand it down to. He also lost his own dad a few years ago, and a lot of the stuff is with him because of that.

Tatoulia, I hope you get boots you love!

Thought I'd better post before y'all get worried about me...and I've been wanting to, just been a little disjointed, dealing with misc. details.

Sunday afternoon I took a nap, but then stayed up too late; however, that in turn made me sleepy last night and I slept well without icky dreams. Felt relaxed this morning.

Like hearing all the goings on. Tillie, I was like you as a kid - sad or scary books or movies really hit me hard. I bawled hysterically the first time I saw the cartoon of the Grinch stealing Christmas! Or if Bugs Bunny got bonked on the head I was afraid he would be dead.

Where the Wild Things Are was fun to me, though; I think because the artwork was so well done. And because it was just so quirky and different.

Best wishes for quick recovery of Twinkles' neck wound. I'm beginning to think the two cats here just wait till certain times to get dramatic - they can be at peace all day then when my roommate gets home they like to show off.

Mousie seems determined to have his swim.

I need to get back to my swimming! And other gym stuff. Just haven't quite gotten there but feel like I'm going to soon, barring any new crises.

Went to Joann Fabrics and got a piece of clear vinyl to cover my roommate's dining table so I can roll out cookies there. I have SO missed making Christmas cookies for several years, and I really want to try and do some. Also popped in Walmart but didn't buy anything. The shopping places are starting to get more hectic so I'm hoping to start my moratorium real soon.

Tatoulia, a chair massage sounds good. So does working from home. If I could be employed again I wish I could find something like data entry I could just do from home but that was a legit thing not a scam.

SubC, you and Badger have accomplished a heck of a lot! I agree with Tillie that your son-in-law is probably a bit shell shocked at the thought of being a dad - once he processes that, he will be more able to deal with other things.

I remember when I was going to that clutter club locally; they had a good handout about helping someone. Really simple and user friendly do's and don'ts. I have a PDF of it somewhere, just need to find it during this transition between computers. Do you think it'd help him if you showed him a copy of it and said you had read it and promised to abide by it? I could post the text of it here.

Regarding the 2nd bunny - are you thinking of breeding them, or just wanting a companion for your 1st bunny? If the latter, be sure to get it fixed!

What I've done these last few days:

Last night, I did finally get to my cousin's daughter's to visit. Took the pizza as planned. The kids were cute, and the 6-year-old girl was tickled with the Barbies. And the 1-year-old boy was just a little charmer.

The grandpa, the one I was nervous about, was usually in the other room. He has a loud voice, especially when he starts a sentence. It's a bit unnerving to me, especially knowing his background.

But there was no drama, so again I'm hoping he has mellowed. I figured the best thing was just to remain nonchalant and neutral, get a feel for his current personality since I haven't interacted with him for years, and not much overall. I hope to be able to get together with the daughter and the grandkids; it is so nice to have family finally in my same town. Well, I have one other cousin and her husband, and I need to contact them, as they've retired so maybe we can hang out a bit as well.

I haven't done big things with my clutter but the weekend was more busy (including napping, LOL). Still want to get all the quilting magazines put on the giveaway pile at church. It's slower going than I would like. Today I got 3-4 of them done. I quilt again tomorrow so the box will go with me. Possibly I can stay afterward and finish.

Also over the weekend I visited my storage to check on that toolbox in there. It's the big one, full of automotive tools, hammers, etc. Chonky heavy stuff. So I do want to get a medium sized one for the hand tools I keep over here at the house. Have been a few places looking but not found one that gives me that "This is it!" vibe.

And while I was over there at the storage unit, I looked around and again felt depressed that it looks VERY hoardy, maybe not as bad as the other storage at its worst, but depressing and discouraging nonetheless. I do think it'd take less time and effort to put into order, but the main problem is that things need to be shifted and there's even wasted empty space that's blocked by piles.

So what's the logjam? It came to me. I'm surprised I didn't realize it before. Here it is:

At the old storage place, which was bigger, the layout of the buildings was such that you could go down the row where your unit was and be out of sight of the office, and the main drive where other people came in. Where I am now, it's like I'm on stage.

In short - it's too embarrassing to start pulling all my crap out for sorting! I feel like I'm on a stage! So I thought, Okay, what would help? I remembered the sheer size of my old clunker van - it would've blocked more from view than my minivan. I thought of screens or something, or getting some friends with larger vehicles to come park with me! LOL!

My roommate thought of hanging a bedsheet up to block view of some of it - this might work. There are lots of spiders, by the way, and I can control the ground crawling ones with diatomaceous earth, but as we know, the arachnids have that superpower of being able to descend from the ceiling on a fine thread.

But if I can just check the sheet and anyplace I'm working for creepy crawlies, that's just something that will have to be. And getting more containers will ensure that the 8-leggers don't actually get IN my stuff.

Hoping too, of course, that I might find more things that can go away.

So - I figured out what the complicating factors are, and I'm brainstorming some possible ways to mitigate their impact on my plans. I will probably need Badger - I think she is capable of time travel in case more than one of us needs her services at a given time.

Iced tea clinks!