Good afternoon!

A thought on that outlet - is it connected to a gfci? The old microwave might have tripped it when it caught fire.

I love the rain garden idea. - someday. I do not have the time and energy right now.

I have been watching videos on no till and regenerative forestry using goats while I worked in the kitchen today. I have the dehydrator running nearly full of beans (my steamer doesn't blanch quite enough to fill it in one go) and ice cream mix cooling in the fridge.

The dishwasher is running for the second time, but the house is still a mess.

Dh made me cry not on purpose this morning and I think he understands better Now. Then apparently Dd1 had a long discussion with Dd2, and Dd2 called me and I think we are all understanding each other better now. Still not looking forward to my inlaws. But I will try to focus on things I can enjoy this weekend.

Oops - gotta go start a wash! I just remembered I need clean shorts without holes in them for the next three days!

Good Morning Everyone
Cough cough cough...

Hi Subclinical
That rain garden workshop sounds very interesting.
After being in a major flood in the San Francisco bay area I always make sure I live on high enough ground to never flood again.

So very sorry you have to worry about Dh social distancing.
Breaks my heart to think you may have to quarantine away from Bean. (((HUG)))

Really hope Dh wakes up and realizes his actions affect everyone.

Hi CriticalMass
Have you been resting your eyes away from computer screens? :D

That's unsettling, a flame in the microwave.
One night Steven was heating his dinner and the microwave blew up.
Actually went BANG! and blew up with sparks and smoke.

Your new microwave problem could possibly just be that outlet.
The old microwave may have burned it out.
Replacing an outlet is a very easy fix, I could do it for you.
Light switches and outlets DO wear out over time and need replacing.



I must have been exhausted cause I slept until 10:30am.
The smoke rolled back in and the air is a thick brown haze again.
Absolutely no plans until sundown when I need to water the garden.

A positive spin on all the choking smoke...
everybody is forced to stay inside so maybe the virus spread will be greatly reduced.
Quarantining away from the smoke is something people do willingly.
Quarantining away from a microscopic virus is something they argue against.

Welp.

Got the new microwave home, roommate plugged it in, and said the cord had no power. So now we're troubleshooting. But she got called to go online for her work suddenly so it's all on hold. Sigh.

I pray we don't have electrical problems. We don't need that kind of hassle right now. Hopefully it's just something with the cord not being plugged in properly. I hope.

Hi

Quick quick update

Yesterday roommate had a doctor appt which gave some info that will shape a surgery decision but there is another doctor to see before things will get firmed up.

Last night the microwave had flame in it so today we will get a new one. We're just fussy that way.

I have a computer thing I may need to go to the library to do so I've been checking if it will be safe.

I'll get the backlog of your posts read soon and make a more detailed one.

Good morning.

I can't imagine living in a place where fire is basically part of the weather. I just got an email from the soil and water conservation district alerting me to a free rain garden workshop. They want to help people capture and slow the runoff to avoid erosion and flooding.

I grew up in a coastal area. I understand flooding. My home is on high ground. (Which doesn't mean the basement never floods - it has.)

I've seen a house burn, it was awing. I've seen a field burnt on purpose. I can't imagine even dozens of acres burning at once.

I have to clean up the house today.

Dd and I are both stressed about this weekend. She more than I. If Dh doesn't keep his distance from dd2 properly, I won't be able to go back and see the baby for two weeks.

This is going to be very stressful and no fun at all.

(((((HUGS))))) Tatoulia
Thank you for worrying about me and the cats. :)

We will be alright.
The evaporative cooler filters the incoming air through the wet excelsior pads and reduces the indoor smoke, making it more bearable.

Northern California is burning.
Videos are terrifying.
People we know are losing their homes and cats.

The smoke here is irritating but knowing why is depressing.
Compared to their problems, mine are so small.


Just took a refreshing shower and the cooler blowing on my wet hair feels so good. :)

Tillie I am worried for you and the cats. Is there anything at all that I can do for you? I know how you are self sufficient but of course I need to worry. I'm good at worrying.

Hope you are having a very nice restful nap with no bad dreams and with a Kitty napping with you.

YEA! for your 30 seconds of big rain drops!
You officially got more rain than I've gotten all Summer. :(

The smoke has gotten much thicker here.
Cough, cough, cough...........
Too dangerous to be outside for more than a few quick minutes with the smoke & heat.
Really hoping the wind can start this evening and help clear out the air so I can get out and water.
Tonight the grass is scheduled for watering.

As soon as our work happy hour is over, I need to take a nap. We had big raindrops for all of 30 seconds here,

Good Afternoon Everyone

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for the cleaning Fairies!!!
Another fresh clean start every time they come. 🏰

So wonderful moving the printer is not a big long drawn out ordeal to get out & put back. 😊

The "secret" to storing anything is to make it as easy as possible to get out to use and easy to put back when done. 🧚‍♀️


That spitting rain is kinda annoying.
Have the hose slowly watering a tree.
Fed lots of cats canned food breakfast but they are lying that I didn't.
Been tidying up a bit and keeping up with washing dishes to keep the sink area clear.
Having some coughing fits due to the poor air quality.
They have issued another warning about excessive heat danger.
So I am staying inside with the cooler running, cats and birds have lots of fresh water.
Later taters 🥔

SubC! Congratulations on your 30 year anniversary! So happy for you! I love your celebration! Sounds like great fun. I used to have a girlfriend who would go to a McDonald's drive-thru to christen her new care. I got to go once!

Cleaners have come and gone. The doctors are out of town so when she went upstairs to clean their house, I gave her their bag of mail and packages. So happy with the printer being out of my way. And it took under 30 seconds to put it back. What an absolute relief.

Okay back to work. It's spitting rain here. Nothing to write home about.

Good Morning Everybody

It's been a nice cool morning 72F.
9am and starting to warm up quickly.

Lots of thin smoke in the air making the sunshine look all yellow orange.

Plans for today?
Guess just do stuff as I go.🐰

Good Evening Everybody

Congratulations Subclinical on 30 years! 💞

Yes, you do always seem to think you won't be able to manage doing all the things you need to do but then you always find that you can. 🌹

You do good with time management when it comes to teaching and animal care.

The jelly beans are in a post Tatoulia wrote in Lizzie's thread that is just below this thread.

Riding in the new truck, burritos and chili spaghetti...
I love it! 🌯🍝❤


Hi Tatoulia
I do remember you let go of a lot of nice boxes and bags.
So very happy you are enjoying that freeing feeling and are keeping up with repurposing them and sending them on to others.
So sweet of you to gift someone with a dollhouse table! 🏠

I have some wood glue but I like the wood hot glue sticks too.
Sets fast so I don't have to "clamp" pieces together for 24 hours.

When cats are homeless, feral, their fur is not soft.
It's bristly. But after a while inside some cats fur changes and is soft & fluffy.
I have noticed that petting helps the fur soften and get shiny.

Glad you are taking your attorneys advice and pleading the fifth. 😉

Glad you have BF to look out after you and that he has you to look out after him.❤


Got the lilacs and garden watered tonight.
So much easier only going out when the sun is almost set.
The heat generated big gray clouds again and there was a tiny bit of "spitting" rain.
Drops smaller than rain drops and you wonder if it really is kinda sorta raining.
Even Cowgirl Kitty wasn't sure if it was rain or not cause nothing got wet.

I do not understand about the jelly beans. Did I miss something?

Sorry about the ginger.🐈

Tatoulia, I hope the printer solution works smoothly.

Very busy lately. I don't know how I am going to add school back in. I can't keep up with everything now. But somehow I think I always feel this way and it works out more or less.

Dh and I have been married 30 years.

We had a redneck celebration and drove the new truck through the pick up window to get burritos and chili spaghetti.

Tillie I know the box thing. Remember so long ago when I got rid of all the boxes I was keeping? Boxes and bags from Filenes and Marshall Field and Jordan Marsh and all the other places no longer in existence. It was so freeing, getting rid of the boxes including the cute ones. Now if I do get a cute box, I have to use it immediately and by use it I mean, put something in it that I am giving away. I had a very dear box that my botanical postcards came in. Today I mailed a piece of dollhouse furniture in it to a friend. Otherwise I would've tossed it. But it was the perfect size and sturdiness. It is so great to be capable to do get rid of the cute boxes.

I ran to the post office at 5:40 so I could mail my paper shredding to the office and I also mailed the dollhouse table. I have put away the printer and I am truly excited about how easy this is. I use the new nesting tables and it is working out just fine.

I haven't found a home for the tables so they are in front of the fireplace and they look really pretty. I need to buy some wood glue to fix. I had to run out to get BF's lunch today and although pleasant outside, the sunshine was strong and a bit uncomfortable so I didn't want to go to the hardware store. He's basically the only employee right now so I'm going to have to go on his bank accounts to do some work transactions for him. And I don't mind getting his lunches it's a small way to stay close in a time where we really aren't spending any quality time together. We are actually secretly glad that his full time employee left. BF has seemed so much more relaxed. Another of his employees will be going to a four year school and living with his friend's parents. He just finished his associates degree and his friend's parents are helping him with college. I'm so happy for him. He is decent and kind and we've known him since he was a kid. So he won't be able to come each night since he'll be living in the suburbs. So we have one young woman who can't really work on her own and one neighborhood kid who helps during the day. This will end once school starts again.


Gee whiz Tillie I am worried about your drought and high temps. Not a good combination.

I'm glad Jack's fur is better. Mom's cat had fur like bristles when we got her, poor thing. Now she's all soft and sweet. Although she has pretty big mitts, she hasn't grown much in the year that we've had her. She's filled out and looking nourished. On the advice of my attorney, I can neither confirm nor deny that I snuck in and saw mom and the cat last night.

Off to bed. Cleaners come tomorrow but the city has resumed ticketing for street cleaning so I've asked them to come later in the day so they have a better shot at parking.

Shout out to Joan, CM and SubC.

Tatoulia
I had to chuckle about the bag of jelly beans taped to the chocolate bunny.

Yes, so much is pretty and useful and could come in handy.

Steven hoards boxes, bins, bags, jars, cans, containers......
Anything that something could be stored in.
Even the small prescription pill bottles and even smaller containers.

When he does use any containers he fills them with non sorted out random items then labels it "STUFF".
Then he always complains that he can't find anything and ends up dumping out containers looking for something and doesn't put the stuff back from where it came from.

I have to be extremely careful to keep him from seeing what I have deemed to be trash and have thrown out.
But he digs through the garbage.
So I must break jars and smush or otherwise completely destroy anything I put in the trash.
He is not discouraged by litter box scoopings.

Good Morning Everyone 🌞

Hi Tatoulia
So many thousands of people will be ecstatic when they can get all that office/work stuff out of their homes and get their homes back to just being home.

Well I must admit that Jack's fur has been improving a lot.
His coat is thicker and shinier.

Today's temps will be well over 100F.
Looking at the extended weather forecast makes me want to puke. 🥵
This is so not normal, this time of year we should be cooler.
And the drought is just devastating.

The kitchen is clean, laundry is all done, house is tidied up.
Nothing pressing to do until evening when I'll venture out and water.
Thank heaven for WIFI and Roku to help keep my mind occupied and distracted.
Did a food inventory and won't have to grocery shop this week, YEA!
Currently there are 45 active cases of virus in the county but nobody needs hospitalization, yet.
Knowing that many people are not tested we can safely triple that number.
People are not getting tested unless it is a requirement or they are feeling very sickly or they are hypochondriacs. 🦕

The cat mint gives him the munchies.

Okay I'm working, Will let you know how it goes. Yes I am thrilled with the printer hidden. I am shocked to learn how much it was bothering me. In fact, one of the surveys from my office, discussing the return to work, asked what I was most looking forward to upon my return and I said seeing everyone and getting the printer out of my house,

Okay back to work.

Good Afternoon Everybody

Hi Tatoulia
YEA! for the PUPA! :D

I think not having to see the printer in there all the time is worth the hassle of having to drag it out.
Seeing visual clutter all the time really does wear on us. (((HUG)))

The lightning storm had that lightning storm smell to it.
That heavy wet dusty scent.

Jack has a huge thick patch of catnip that he rolls around in every day.
Wish he would allow me a tiny bit of ginger plants.

Watching "On The Beach" on Youtube.
Old black & white movie but still good.

The lightening storm without rain sounds incredibly scary. I bet you could feel the electricity in the air!

Jack likes a nip of ginger! Can't say I blame him!

Beautiful day here. And I'm doing PUPA and I feel so happy to have the printer out of my living space, even though tomorrow will be a chore to pull it back out. I'll do all my pending printing and tomorrow I'll scan whatever I do.

Pink soap. Pretty nice!

Good Morning Everybody

Going to be another extremely high & dry day.

There is a wildfire to the East. 🔥
Air is thinly smoky here since the wind/breeze goes from West to East.

Had a load of laundry to get hung out so I did it anyway. 🧺

Going to putter around inside until sundown when I will get out and water some things.

Have had the hose very slowly watering an Ash tree since last night.
Poor tree looks like it's really suffering.

HAHAHA Tatoulia :D ☂
I managed to train males to not use the kitchen sink to wash up in by always keeping a bar of bright pink soap there.

Pick Up Put Away = PUPA
Best way to keep things from getting out of hand.
Never leave a room/area empty handed.

Very happy you got to visit with Mom and BF today.

The clouds got thick and dark and there was an awful lot of lightning & big booms of thunder.
There were 18 rain drops, I counted them.
Terrifying to have "dry lightning" when everything everywhere is all dried out.
No smoke or sirens so we lucked out.

Got the garden watered. The Asters survived so far had have blooms but they need water every day.

Was wondering what evil creature kept eating my ginger whenever it put up tiny little shoots.
Tonight I saw it in the garden bed that is surrounded with a decorative but short wire fencing I put up to discourage cats from digging in there.
It's Jack. 😼

Hello everyone! Good to catch up. CM hurray for the good visit with roomie's family! Do whatever it takes to shake up your routine.

Right now I'm doing this thing where when I walk out of a room, I need to look to see what is out of place and take one thing to its rightful spot.

I spent the evening hanging out with BF at work. I did the NYTimes crossword and in general just hung out. I saw mom for a few minutes and now I'm home. Moving some stuff around. Need another hour to get a few more things done.

Tillie that is 🥵 hot! It felt like fall here today and it's been spitting rain in the evening.

I worked as a secretary to put myself through school. And I loved it. But anyway the attorneys would borrow my umbrellas and never return them. Some would say things like, I left it on the train. These were all male attorneys. And they'd never replace the umbrella and wouldn't offer me money. And I was broke all of the time. So I started buying pink umbrellas. I'd pull out a pink umbrella and the attorney would say, no thanks.

So as I left BF's tonight, he insisted I take an umbrella. And he pulled out a pink umbrella and said, this is yours. So clearly he needed an umbrella one night and had to take one of mine.

All these years later, and I still buy pink umbrellas.

YEA! for Living Color!!!

I remember when it first aired stating it was now to be in living color
I looked at the TV and said it still looks black & white to me.
We didn't have color TV at our house. LOL

But I really enjoyed watching it in color on Tubi.


GREAT plan to try keeping focused on just one thing!
It's too overwhelming when you face the whole thing.
Using a sheet or large towel to cover up things you are not focusing on really does help to keep focused on the task at hand.
Reduces the visual clutter.

Yes you have mentioned those headaches.
Rest your eyes, periodically lay back with a cool wet cloth covering them.
Another thing is to watch out for things with a scent.
I noticed some chemical scents aggravate my migraines, even nice smelling things.

Happy Roommate had a nice visit with her family.
Unwind and rest up but keep thinking about your plan of attack. :D


The heat has generated clouds.
No hope for any rain falling here.
But now it's sticky humid muggy.

Tillie, I am SO glad your cooler is working!

I just finished the Zoom memorial service for my college friend's brother. Emotional but in a good way.

Yesterday roommate's brother and sil came and they had a good visit - did some tree trimming. Now the unwinding can begin.

I got so many things out of the common areas, and it's piled in my area and in my van, of course, but I have those plans for trying to deal with it in a different way this time around.

Like forcing myself to focus on just one thing at a time, very small, very hyperfocused, and get that thing done. It makes sense even though my natural inclination is to resist it. But how I've been doing hasn't been working, so I'm open to trying a new approach.

My roommate too, is liking the less visual clutter, and since she grew up in a hoarded home I think this is something we can help each other feel like we're making good progress in a positive way.

Don't know if I mentioned I had been having ocular migraines lately, and I seem to be in a vulnerable phase to them. So I may need to limit screen time because of the glare. I'll work around it. Even if I have great ambitions to do a lot on the computer, a few days to get my eyes or whatever it is stabilized won't hurt. Stress has played a part, and now the stress is less, so that is a happy thing.

Last night we were unwinding with "Dark Shadows" and finally got to Episode 295, the first one IN LIVING COLOR! :D

Good Afternoon Everyone 😽

Hi Tatoulia
What I really like about shopping in used merchandise places is the very wide variety and uniqueness of much of the stuff.
Things you would not see in the regular stores and trips down memory lane with some of the more vintage items.
Not all the common cookie cutter stuff the big stores carry.

It the printer very heavy?
Is it bulky and awkward to lift?
Is it difficult to get out or put back on the closet shelf?
Trying to find a solution for you that makes your life easier and more esthetically pleasing. 😻

So happy Miss Kitty is back on her throne! 💖

WTG! for keeping the kitchen clean and tidy!
Always pleasant waking up to a clean kitchen.

YES! make the color decisions and call the painter!
We have given you plenty of time and it's time to beautify the bathroom! ⏲

Yesterday was over 100F and last night never cooled off making sleeping uncomfortable.
Forecast for the next 5 days is temps to be 105F and higher.
😓

2020 is such a hard year where we are all trying our hardest just to survive.

Been doing some food prep and menu planning this morning.
Still doing good on fresh produce.
Today I have cucumber and cantaloupe to go along with my other food.
Had canned pineapple and cottage cheese for breakfast and there's enough still for tomorrow breakfast.

I love this thoughtful discussion. It is reframing things for me. I was too far into the disposable economy for far too long. Although, I've always loved thrift stores and antique stores. Even as a teen.

The printer can be used as wireless but I would lose the capability to utilize our VPN and thus making more work for me. The shelf it is on in the closet won't work. But I'm going to give this a shot for a week, find out how I feel about pulling it out and putting it back. I really only print and scan on Monday's and Tuesdays. I'll see if this works. If I can't be disciplined about it, then it's not going to work. But already my cat is back to sleeping on the chair next to my desk and that is a priceless feeling for me.

I woke up to a messy house but I'd done the dishes and wiped down the kitchen counters.

Tillie how wonderful to wash the shower curtain! Great feeling.

I'll be making the decision on my paint and calling the painter. Then I can order the paint and start moving in the right direction.

Good Morning Everyone

Hi Subclinical
Good luck picking and choosing from the menu today and have a wonderful time visiting this evening. 👶

The way the economy is set up is not sustainable.
Every year stores have to sell more merchandise than the previous year to get out of the red (AKA black Friday).

Way back in the 1960s the "Hippie" movement was not all about protesting the draft, women's rights, doing drugs and rock & roll.
The real movement was saving and protecting the Earth.
Anti mass consumerism and anti plastics to name a few causes.
Many communes tried sustainability life styles.
The ideals were right but the individual people eventually ruined/fell away from the dreams.

Living close with the Earth was not a new concept to me. My Native American Grandmother taught me how to live this way.
Thrift shops and tag sales and auctions have more than enough to offer that we do not need to buy new from a store everything we need.
Things in our homes should be used up/recycled until they are no longer useable then use them for compost or fire starters.

But big business/manufacturing need us to constantly purchase cheap plastic filled crap in order for the businesses to survive and thrive.
Humans are too easily swayed by the psychologically manipulated advertisements and buy into all the buying.

The truth about the manufacturing processes is horrifying.
Pollutants in the air, water and land, slave labor, child labor (abuse), animal abuse.
Natural resources plundered, delicate ecosystems destroyed forever.
But all the consumers ever see it that big red "SALE" sign.

But at what cost does that cheap item come?

That is what I learned in the 1960s.

Another thing that is interesting to me is that many things that are good for people and the environment are bad for "the economy".

Tatoulia's lady - what a wonderful thing that Tatoulia can help her get back on her feet. I am sure she feels seen and cared for. But the alternative to Tatoulia's kindness might be that she applies for help somewhere. A person is paid by taxes or donations to assist her. New items are bought. Sales people and manufacturers are paid. resources are extracted and taxes are collected, economic activity occurs and "the economy" grows.

Tatoulia's way simply and directly improves the lives of two people And has a positive environmental impact. There is no waste in the system.

The other way gives many people a small amount of money that may improve their lives more than, less than, or in balance with the amount that the work of getting the money decreases their quality of life. Waste is guaranteed.

A similar picture can be drawn for our firewood tree.

"The economy" is an artificial system we have overlayed on our lives to compensate for the fact that human society is huge and complex (We do not have economies within families) it often has nothing to do with quality of life, and yet we treat it like it is central to our survival - somehow Instead of our economies serving our societies, our societies have now come to serve our economies.

I find the idea of the gift economy fascinating, but it generally breaks down because people "take advantage" I think maybe the problem isn't that those people are taking too much and not giving enough, but that they are taking the wrong things. Like hoarders in the normal economy, they become fixated on the stuff that they can get from the community (Stores, discards in the normal economy), and what they need someone to give them are skills and emotional support.

Tatoulia,

Normally I would support use what you have, but as this seems to be a long term situation that is having a significant negative impact - would a wireless printer be an option?

I like tillie's idea about the vacuum.

Good luck on your cleanout! 🗑🖨🧩🦡

I'll be exploring my menu options today, and then Dh and I get to go over to see Bean and have dinner with the kids.
👩🏻‍🌾🧓🏼

Good Evening Everyone 🐁

YEA! Subclinical!!!
Fantastic Dh did a good deed and you now have stove wood!
Happy that downed tree will be put to good use. 🌲

Hi Tatoulia
OK, my suggestion...
Give BF the vacuum on the condition that should you discover that you do really need a vacuum in your home 24/7 he will return it to you and buy himself a vacuum.
A sort of trial period for you.

Question...
Can the printer stay in the closet area and you just get a long cord to attach it when you need it?
I've never had a printer so I don't know how they work.
I do understand having something you need but it just doesn't look good where it has to be, especially when it's now in your living space and not over at the office building.

So true about people losing out on experiences by taking pictures all the time.
So focused on their phones they miss out.📷

Was so nice taking a shower and washing my hair this evening in the nice clean bathroom with the fresh clean shower curtain.

Jack was waiting on the porch for me to bring him his supper and Steven petted Jack's head.
That surprised me. 🐱‍👤

Oh how I loved the discussion here on regenerative living and hearing your stories! And yay for DH for just getting out there, helping a neighbor, and getting wood to keep you warm!

I met with the woman today at goodwill. I got there a few minutes early so I walked around. Then I went to the car and unloaded my things for her (including the very pretty shower curtain that my sister made for me many years ago). I waited for her in front of the shop just in case this was a weird and dangerous scam. (City living and watching dateline will do this to a gal). It was safe and she was lovely. So that was good. Then I drove out to the consignment shop and purchased two small nesting tables. I desperately need to figure out the printer situation here. I just can't have the printer marring the look of my office. Plus I want the kitty's chair back next to me. I miss having a co-pilot during the day.

Well I haven't figured it all out yet. I tried to move the desk a bit and put the printer on the new tables and it was very cramped. Then I tried swapping out a different end table, etc, etc. you get the picture.

Ultimately I have decided to unhook the printer and put it on a shelf in my closet. I know it will be a pain to bring it out when I need it but honestly it's been disturbing me. So I still need to figure this out. I will have a lot to go through tomorrow in order to make space and reconfigure. And I'm glad. This will help me to better understand what I do and what I do not need. I am desperate to make changes and this is helping me.


I am leaning toward the deepest color for the bathroom and the lightest color for my hallway.

I'll get the names and then tell you where to look for them. I know the lightest color for the hallway is called Borrowed Light and it's a Farrrow + Ball color.

Tillie, the disrespect and selfishness that people show to other living creatures is just amazing. Putting aside the potential for injuries, the people are losing out on the experience of seeing the Buffalo. I just like to have the experience. My BF, on the other hand, is a photographer. Before we met, he was a portrait photographer for 12 years. He likes to take pictures. He's never looking to include us (I hate having my picture taken), he's looking for The Shot.

For me, sometimes I don't even clap when I'm at an event. I just like to be immersed in it. I've done my share of clapping, but oftentimes I'm so enthralled that I am not even aware of my hands.

When I travel, I don't take pictures. But I do buy postcards. Generally I'm traveling with someone who does take picture, so I used to just buy duplicates.

Okay my 🏡 is a mess. I'll get this sorted tomorrow. Off to bed now.

Keep up the good work, everyone. I'll need your help tomorrow. I figure three hours and I'll make the tough decisions. Like do I need a vacuum? BF needs a new one and mine is very nice. My place is vacuumed every other week and in a pinch, I could use the vacuum that the building bought for the cleaner to do our hallways. So I could use that anytime I wanted.

Do I need my vacuum?!? In theory my bedroom should be vacuumed at least once a week but in practice, I haven't used it since I got my cleaning ladies. (Some would suggest that I barely used it before I had them)

Do I need my vacuum?

🐄🥕🐰🥕🐰🐷👻😻🧑🏽‍🍳🧑🏼‍🌾🧛🏼🧍🏿‍♀️👩‍👩‍👧🥎🛹🥋🥡🥡🗑🗑

🐓🐐!

Here is a thing that happened today.

Dh has a friend who lived in a "neighborhood". His tree came down in the storm. So what normally happens in such places is that you call somebody and pay them to make the tree go away.

Dh loaded the chainsaw in the truck, and now the tree is drying in our wood rack to warm us in the winter 21/22.

🐈🐇

Good Afternoon Everyone 😺

Hi Subclinical 🐐
LOL

WTG! for what all you did and as long as your muffins are tasty that's alright, they won't be wasted.

One time I made All Bran muffins and told my son, brother and Steven do NOT eat more than one!!!
Left for work and they all decided they wouldn't listen to that mean woman and to show me they ate the entire double batch.
We all could have had one muffin a day for three days.
Came home to the most disgusting scene.
Turned right around and went over to friend's house.
They all deserved what happened and had to clean up the house and do laundry too.

I love the regenerative system.
Swapping things with others, keeping things in use.
No need for new things to be manufactured/bought when someone has something they could release to someone else who has a use/need for it.
The tiny local radio station here has a format for that.
People call in to tell what they have and don't need and people can call in to ask for something they need.
I believe it's because we have a very large Mormon population here.
The Mormon Friends I have have always been generous and helpful.
Nate & Mrs. Nate are Mormon.
Nate's Grandparents sold us this house with no bank financing and his Grandfather helped me do a lot around here.
Helped me build a new gray water system.
Helped me work on the well.
They have cut down big dead trees for me and I helped load the firewood into their trucks.
Always having me over for XMas/thanksgiving dinner.
They will freely give you furnishings and food if you have the need.
And so much more.

This bartering is done with only the thought that maybe someday someone would return the favor should they/you ever need a favor.
I have been blessed many times over and have done my best to bless others.
So many times I have refused their help because I feel that I would be taking advantage of their generosity.


The bathroom is all scrubbed clean. YEA!
He only interrupted me once too.
Shower curtain is fresh & clean and rehung.
I ate lunch and am resting up now. 🌺

Good afternoon all!

Cow chicken hamster mouse to you too tillie! 🤣

I picked the beans and some squash and Dh helped me clean the kitchen. Then he went out to mow for a while and I loaded and started the dishwasher and made some blueberry muffins because we had blueberries that were a bit on edge. I think I over mixed them - they're peaky. I was never very good at muffins. They taste ok anyway.

I watched a video on simple living in community while I worked. I can post a link (I think) if anyone wants. A lot of what they did is the kind of thing that informs my farm style and I would like to do more of, but I am too much of an introvert and probably too stubborn to live in community. They talked briefly about sustainable practices versus regenerative, which I am thinking about a lot now.

Relating to our little community here, rather than to biodynamic systems - when Tatoulia lives within her means, that is sustainable, but when she gives the things she doesn't need to people who do need them, and who in turn improve her standard of living with food and cleanliness, (rather than Just engaging in a simple, efficient financial exchange cash for cleaning) - that is regenerative.

A regenerative approach doesn't allow for hoarding, because even if the items being hoarded are not degrading, they are static and holding resources out of the community that would allow it to grow and thrive in a more healthy way.

A lot to think about.

Also, And unrelated, CM, is there any way to get the knitting pattern for those bunnies?

Good Morning Everybody

Hi Subclinical
Wonderful how alert and interested Bean is.
A baby's awe and wonder in the world gives us the joy of experiencing everything new again. :D

WTG! for all the jam!
Best jam in the world is homemade.

Nice the in-laws will have their RV.
Saves you the extra work.
You have a lot of very nice outdoors at your place so everybody should be happy there.

Have a very relaxed weekend picking and choosing from your menu.
Sorry it rained on you during chores but so jealous of all your lovely rain.
I try to pick some weeds when I am watering and the ground is wet.
Too hard to pull them otherwise, especially the alfalfa with their long roots.

In the news this Summer there have been too many grown adults who have been charged and tossed/gored because they are in with the Buffalo taking photos & selfies with them.
Very stupid "city" people.

I'm not so sure my perspective is "normal" any more due to living with his hoard.
I may tend to be too minimalistic now.
Having to see severe hoarding whenever I look in his bedroom, the carport, yard and especially the horror inside the garage.
This tiny space inside the house and my little garden/yard area are all I can control.
So I tend lean toward minimal to counter the frustration of the chaos surrounding me.
I am having to watch myself so I don't go overboard and just toss everything even though at times I really have an urge to.
The opposite of hoarding is spartanism and I don't want to go there, it is a mental disorder.

Just discovered there is an emoji feature now with my latest update.
Testing...

🐱‍🐉🌹🎂💖🐱‍👤🎆🎃☮


Have to wait until he gets up before starting cleaning the bathroom because it's too annoying to start in there and have him throw me out because he wants the bathroom. 🐮🐔🐹🐭

Coffee clinks.

We slept in today. We had quite a thunderstorm with a drenching last night - it rained sideways on me during chores.

CM, You did well handling the long, stressful medical visit. I hope the social visit today goes smoothly.

My inlaws are coming for the weekend on Friday. They are coming in their Winnebago, so they will be self contained and hopefully not come in my house. We will be visiting outside at a distance.

Fortunately dd1 and her boyfriend will also be visiting part of the time. They will stay in the studio barn and know they are outdoor cats. So that will hopefully keep my inlaws outside. I will stay out of the studio barn the week after they leave.

Tatoulia, you are finding so many interesting things to do!

Bean is fascinated by ceiling fans. If he gets fussy, we take him out to the porch and stand under the fan and he just gets mesmerized. The fan is his favorite thing.

Tillie, did someone mess with the buffalo? I am very wary of any animal that outweighs me.

I bet twinkles looks lovely! - good luck with your bathroom project.

It is very helpful when you talk about your stuff and decisions and give us a "normal" perspective.

I got a bunch of stuff done from my menu on Thursday. Including almost 4 pints of jam. The fourth one was about 3/8" too low, so I didn't put a canning lid on it. I just stuck it in the fridge with a regular lid. So, I have 9.5 pints put up for the year. Not enough to give away this year, but enough to last us. Dh has jam almost every morning.

And I went to the feed store.

Today I will pick away at the menu a bit more, but in a more relaxed fashion. We are only seeing Bean tomorrow evening, so I have most of the weekend. Pick beans is my main goal today. Maybe I will do some weeding since the ground is pretty wet and roots should come out more easily.

Little past eleven pm

Gave extra water to lilacs and garden this evening.
Everything is so dry and withered no matter how much I've been watering.
Predicted temp today was supposed to be high 90s but it was over 100 again and the predictions for the next 7 days is to be 101+
then drop back down into the high 90s.

Did a load of laundry and when I hung it out a tiny stinging sweat bee got down the back of my dress and stung me. :(

Brushed Twinkles twice today, he looks so smooth and silky tonight.

My plan for tomorrow is to take down and wash the heavy plastic shower curtain.
While that's washing I'll clean the bathroom.
It really needs a good scrubbing.

Good Morning Everyone
"Clink!"

Hi Tatoulia
Good luck with your zoom calls today.

WTG! for mad midnight dashing around and getting the trash all gathered up & out! :D

Just keeping up with getting trash out makes such a world of difference in the house.

Hope you already know which of the 3 paint colors you like best.
What fun it will be to have that bathroom all beautifully painted and the bird shower curtain hung up.
So pretty :D

I love my ceiling fan too.
I really want to put up another one in the dining area.
Steven has 5 new in the boxes out in his hoard but refuses to let me have even one of them.
They are getting ruined out there.
Said he is saving them and doesn't want to waste them. ???
I just don't understand.....

Another thing I don't understand is the idiots who go into a Buffalo herd to take pictures.
Whenever I encounter a Buffalo herd blocking the road I stay in the car because Buffalo dislike humans and don't tolerate them near them.
And they are really really BIG too.
Just stay away and let the Cowboys wrangle them.
They are tastier than Cows though. ;p

Another hot day (97F) but not quite as hot as it has been.
Maybe I'll play with some beads while I wait for evening to water the Lilac bushes and garden.

Cm. I too would feel frazzled and frayed. It is a weird time to be outside, even if in a car, and everything makes me pretty jumpy. I am so proud of you. Great idea getting chicken then enjoying a long nap! I enjoyed your photos immensely!

Tillie today we are having beautiful weather and a nice breeze. I had to jump outside early this AM to get the trash and recycling out. I fell sound asleep after work (I seem to do this once a week) and then gathered up the garbage around midnight because I kept putting it off. So a mad dash this AM!

I have my windows open and ceiling fans on. I cannot express how much I love my ceiling fans. I feel like such a grown up.

Okay back to work for me. I have a zoom social call at noon with my two friends that I used to go to the lectures with. We'd have dinner first (during my financially lean times, one of the friends paid for my meals, saying it's worth the cost to see me) I miss them! I miss our old life. And after dinner we'd go visit BF and then we'd all walk over to Symphony Hall together. We knew how lucky we were.

And at 3 I have another zoom call with a friend at work. I have to keep that to 30 minutes. He's wonderful but a bit slower paced than I am (he's from California and significantly more chill than I am) so I have to keep that to a strict 30 minutes. We have fun and I'm grateful but anything beyond that gets me all antsy.

My task for today is to figure out the paint color, order the paint, and contact the painter for his availability. Let's do this!

Hi Everyone

Hi CriticalMass
So glad you at least had a tree to park by waiting for that appointment.
Things like that really place a strain on people, physically and mentally.
The whole rest of the day gets wasted while we recover.

I would stress terribly if I found out people would be coming here and I needed to get the place and meal plans ready for the visit.
Then I would be so ready for them all to leave.
Some people are a lot more sociable and/or outgoing and visits don't even phase them.
Nate & Mrs. Nate don't count and can drop in any time & it's always wonderful.
My real family :D (((HUG)))

Thank you.
Yes it would have been so nice to have had a real sister.
She didn't have to be mean to me but chose to to gain favour from our muther.

Rest up, get plenty of sleep and enjoy Roommate's family visit.
When they leave you have some very good plans you want to get to. :D


Today I vacuumed carpet and cleaned the kitchen.
All cat bowls are clean, kibble bowls and water bowls filled.
Soon I will be able to head out and water.
Only 98 degrees in the shade at 5:45.

The cats are begging for canned food in bowls, again.

Tiring day...

Roommate's MRI took over 2 hours and I guess it was pretty noisy and uncomfortable for her. Today was a hot day to wait out in the car, though it could've been worse, and I did have a tree to park under.

Nevertheless, we were pretty frayed upon arriving home. Had gotten chicken takeout because she hadn't been permitted food or drink after midnight. She had a work zoom meeting and I picked up a few more items to stash away, then I came into my room and went into a 3+ hour chicken coma.

Feel semi-human now. Down to tomorrow to get ready for the Saturday company. Hoping it won't get too stressy, all the getting ready. I realize I go on and on about that! :P My mom was that way and I've apparently inherited her personality in that area. Mom would be unable to think about much except an upcoming social or other event, and though she'd be able to enjoy it once it was happening, she also just wanted it to be over. It's a peculiar state of mind that was puzzling to me as a young person, but now I totally get it.

Greetings to everyone and families - I have posts to catch up on. Bits and pieces I did see - Tillie, will you permit me to express condolences for your sister even though things weren't as they should have been... I was/am an only child, and it makes me sad to see siblings not be kind to one another. I'm sorry she was that way, and that you won't have the chance on this side to see it improve. {{HUG}}

Tatoulia, hope your mom is well, and you, BF, and all kitties with whom you are connected.

SubC, give Bean a squeeze for me! Glad he is growing and thriving and you're getting to enjoy being with him.

:D

That's great to hear Tatoulia
That it hasn't been useless fretting.
It is serving a purpose.
So HAPPY to help :D

(((HUG)))

I needed you to fret over the stepstool. It models the behavior I'm trying to use.

Good Morning Everyone
Still morning here.

Hi Subclinical
WAY TO GO! Bean!!!
Growing and thriving! :D

Good Luck with your menu selections today.
Amazing isn't it just how much food is there available should we ever need to resort to harvesting common "weeds". :D


Hi Tatoulia
WTG! for keeping things tidied up and put away!
Glad you are back to doing laundry.
It was understandable temporarily using the service when the old machine needed replacing.

Happy you are still working on the bags and feeling good about it too.


Thanks Guys for the good reviews about my furniture purchase.
It was hard for me to add a piece of furniture.
Furniture is such a major purchase worry, not price wise but in losing space.
But something was needed to help Twinkles and I don't have anything here already for him to step up on.
Living with a hoarder I really value all the empty space I can get and guard it at all times.
But still every stick of furniture in here has a use and is used all the time. :D

I honestly should not have fretted over such a tiny little step stool. ;p

Hello everyone! Yay for the perfect step stool! And you got a kitty kiss! SubC the baby is growing! That's great news! You are doing a lot and you are keeping me motivated! Cm that is interesting about how much fabric you need and don't need. Great to be able to make that decision and donate the rest. I am very proud of you!

I haven't left my apartment in a while. It's been oppressively hot and humid so I've stayed in. I did finally last night go outside to be post box to mail some postcards. That's the extent of it. Today is cooler and less humid so I have my windows open and ceiling fans on.

I am making my bags and feeling pretty good about it. Last night I wiped down the counters and did other clean up in the kitchen. Just putting something away makes me feel good.

I washed mom's nightgowns yesterday and hung them to dry. I have them ready to drop off today. I changed my sheets yesterday and washed my sheets, so I'm back to living within my means and not outsourcing my laundry.

I have so much work to do. I've taken some interesting classes including an author's talk on the book Driving While Black. Fascinating history of the automobile and what it meant to US Black citizens. One tidbit was that they tended to buy big cars because as they traveled, there weren't places to stay or to eat. Absolutely terrific lecture. I also took one on frauds and fakes in the art world, although I may have told you about that. I am once again back on my nutrition tapes. I don't know why I fall away. I need them now more than ever.

Okay back to work for me. My focus has left the building and I need to find it. Unrelated, I also need to see if I still have my slow cooker. Don't know if I will use it again or not. Just want to know if it is here so I can decide what to do with it.

Good morning!

Aww Tillie, How sweet that you got twinkles such nice little steps.

Apparently the entire cattail is edible harvested at the right time, but I have never tried it either. Nice to know I have such an abundant food source in an emergency.

CM, I like your fabric plan.

Bean outgrew some of his newborn clothes and is now wearing some of his 0-3. His daddy is sad. (His mommy is not very sentimental and is just very pleased with his growth and newfound sturdiness.)

Today is an at home day. I have many many things on my menu. I definitely have to pick up feed, and I am prioritizing jam. I will start this morning with chores and some time In the garden though. Later it will be hot. Not Tillie level hot, but humid hot.

Good Late Afternoon Everybody


Hi CriticalMass
Great plan to minimize the doll clothes fabrics.
I did the same with doll house fabrics.
No need to keep yards of stuff when I only need such a tiny amount.

Moving stuff that has been sitting in one spot for a long time always seems to help.
It gets invisible when sitting too long, just another part of the background.

Wishing Roommate all the best results (((HUG)))
Happy she will be having a family visit to help keep her spirits up.

Keep up all the planning and plotting and hard thinking about how you want to tackle these projects.
Get your goals set hard in your mind, reach for the stars and maybe you'll catch the moon. ;D


Another 100+ day here.
"Heavy sigh".....

Yesterday night I hosed dust off the car and it was nice driving it today.
Got my errands run this morning.
Passing by the food pantry thrift shop I saw there were NO cars there.
So, I went in.
Just me and the cashier/worker in the huge warehouse thrift shop.
Been wondering what to get to help Twinkles get up on the windowsill.
He's been hesitating a lot and making a few false starts, like older Kitties do.
Found a lovely solid maple step stool.
Two steps, very sturdy.
It is old and made without screws or nails.
The finish is in very good condition, looks good in the livingroom area under the window.
Cost 4 dollars but Twinks is worth it.
Washed it with Murphy's Oil Soap.
I taught him how to use it and he gave me a kiss.

Now I am just waiting for the sun to set and I will go out and water some stuff.
Looking forward to taking my shower before bedtime. :D

Been busy getting ready for the company this weekend. Trying to be positive and not stress.

A bit sad that I still have to do "Stash & Dash" putting my bags of fabric for quilting and doll clothes in the back of my van, instead of truly dealing with it because time is short.

However. At least I have broken the ice and moved it from where it had practically taken root. That's giving me some ideas for after the company is gone, like how I can reduce fabric, both here and in storage.

Some that I got free and want to use in doll clothes, for example, but when I got it it's a 2-3 yard piece when a half yard or less would do for my tiny projects. So out with my scissors and whack away. Then donate surplus. I'll feel good about that.

Roommate has an MRI early tomorrow of the known cysts in 2 places that they want good images of. Then perhaps more will be happening. I pray soon all will be successfully resolved for her.

Once again, I am so looking forward to after the company and other busyness thus weekend is past. I have plans to keep working steadily toward destash and decluttering and catching up to where I want to be with creativity - all the goals.