That is a very nice reminder about teachers, Tillie. My family moved a lot and I was the new kid every single year and I can remember my teachers and how much they meant to me. Many years ago I got in touch with two of my highschool teachers who made a difference in my angst-filled existence and I had lunch with one of them. They kept me together when I didn't believe in myself.

Thank you, Tillie. I think it is an achievement to have cleaning ladies. I'm coming off of decades of abuse from brother. He felt it should all go to him.

Well apparently there was a swarm of fruit flies in mom's kitchen area. Who knows but I shall encourage her to let the people in. I was very impressed when she let me tell them to change her sheets and also impressed when she asked for someone to do her laundry. I may stop over today and see if I can encourage her about other things but then again, I dont not want there to be too much change at once. Maybe I'll just stop by without an agenda. Just show her some support.


We have a wedding coming up end of September and I might buy a new dress. I'm in between sizes right now. I'll try to pick something out and then wait til I know what size. I did buy two dresses on line in two different sizes. I can then return two or three or all at the store.

I think the next five pounds will squarely put me down a size.

Always trust your inner feelings! I tell myself, heed the warnings.

I'm having trouble waking up today. I put kitty's food on her plate then put her plate in the fridge and started walking the can over to her. Then I was about to fix my coffee and I poured my milk into my water glass. I am a laugh a minute but I'm too sleepy to laugh.

Hi Subclinical :)

Maybe he has been two timing me. ;D
WTG! DH for fixing dinner!
I always say the maid (me) didn't show up.
YEA! for having a good start on the lesson plans!
Yes, it will be easier once you get to know the kids better.
Thinking back, the best teachers I ever had were the ones who listened to us and got to know us.
The rigid strictly by the book teachers never really taught us what we were wanting to learn.
My brother the English professor did not like it when I gave my honest take on some literature and did not accept his take on it.
But eventually he did have to admit I was right, I had a different way of thinking than a man.

Hi Tatoulia :)

I for one am extremely happy that you have the cleaning ladies.
I'm not feeling resentful or mean at all. ;D
I really like and appreciate your Mom's PT person for their fast action remedying that dirty dish situation.
Good that you have finally learned not to be an open book, that some people just don't need to know some things.

Thank you for that sweet invitation (((HUGS)))

Tigger's doctor may call tomorrow, many vets keep Saturday hours.

YEA! for all black cats being right where they should be! :D

That is so horrible about the woman being attacked by her own dogs.
Please do not worry, Subclinical and I know better that to do anything but retreat when we see any coyotes in close proximity.
Plus when I step outside at night I always have a flashlight and often carry my hand gun.
Two weeks ago Steven bought me a stun gun that also has a very bright flashlight feature.
I have no plans to stun gun any attacking coyotes, I will just shoot them. ;)

Two coyotes will work together. One will be front and center keeping the prey occupied while the second one will dash in from the side or from behind.

OK, there was Nate then he got married to Mrs. Nate.
There were also the neighbor friends, husband & wife.
They have all moved far far away now. :(
There have been other acquaintances who have offered for us to "get together and do something" but I fear that they might prove to be sorta batty.
I think I have known them for too long to go against my gut feelings so I will keep them at arms length.

I think it sounds like little black kitty found something yummy to eat elsewhere. Maybe he has two families?

I will be careful of coyotes. So far, they are careful of me. I only hear them and see their signs.

Half the classes planned out for the week, but I cheated and did the easy half. It is also the first half, so I am good until Thursday. It should get easier as I get to know the kids.

Tatoulia, just enjoy your cleaners! I'm glad your mom has them too.

My cleaner didn't show up today (of course I mean me) here we say "the kitchen fairy" or "the laundry fairy" basically, nobody showed today, but dh took me out to our local sandwich shop for dinner anyway.

Little black kitty is back!!!! Well my little black kitty is in a chair!! All black cats are accounted for!

SubC, I know you are working in your lesson plans and I wish I could take one of your classes! Tillie, I am sorry you are lonely. It is not a good feeling. I seem to remember you used to have friends including Mrs Nate. I know your neighbors moved away, those weren't the Nates, were they?

I suspect I will feel some loneliness this weekend too. Just have a lot of different feelings these days.

Tigger's dr didn't call me today?understandable. I sure she ran out of time. I'll try her on Tuesday.

Tillie and SubC, your mentioning the coyotes reminded me of something. I was at a dinner party and this woman was telling the story of being brutally attacked by her two dogs. In fact, the police had to shoot and kill the male dog. It was a terrible story. Anyway, she said, two dogs is a pack. So if you see two coyotes, remember, two coyotes is a pack. Two.

Mom is now having someone come to do her personal laundry (her linens are already done each week) in addition to having someone change her sheets for her. Those were voluntary changes. The involuntary change is that someone will be coming to do her dishes. I don't understand why she's unhappy about that. She never gets them done, there are consistently scads of dishes all over the counter (with water in them) and it wears her out to do them. Her PT showed up unexpectedly today and was grossed out re the dishes so by the afternoon someone had come to do them.

Mom does not know I have cleaners now. No need to mention things. She'll be happy at first but I know her. Eventually she'll get resentful or mean. Maybe at her age she won't, but she has done this to me enough times that I won't be mentioning it.
She can't keep a secret, either, so then everyone in her building will know as well as my sister, and the sister for sure will be hateful and mean. And if mom tells brother....oh boy.

See, I've learned!!

Tillie if you ever want to visit me I'll send you a ticket. My fold out is very comfy. You too SubC.

Hi Subclinical :)

Thank you (((hug)))

I bet that is hard trying to solidify lesson plans.
So many different directions that can take.

Happy you had a wise wedding cake baker.
I have seen some terrifying cake disasters.
The worst one was a chocolate wedding cake with a chocolate pudding between the layers.
It was nothing but a huge chocolate puddle.

I have heard that coyote populations are very large and doing well in many major cities too.
I believe the strange weather we're all having is good for coyotes to multiply.
Their population numbers are tied to the availability of food sources.
When food is scarce they don't breed.
One coyote is easy to chase away but they are dangerous if you run into a pack of them.


Little black kitty showed up about 3:00pm today.
Ate only a few bits of cereal/kibble and is now napping in the shade of the chrysanthemum.

Decided to water the trees today instead of tomorrow since I was bored today. LOL :D

Tillie, I am sorry you are lonely. We are here but I know it isn't the same, and sometimes we don't post.

Maybe somebody else adopted black kitty?

I'm glad you are getting set for winter. Fall always brings out my inner squirrel and she has to be tamed and managed.

I have extra coyotes too.

Tatoulia, I hope things are easy and peaceful for tigger.

It is great that you can invite friends in now.

I wanted white chocolate icing on my wedding cake, but I got married in August, so the baker wisely said no.

I've been working on lesson plans today. It is so hard to gather my ideas up, organize them, and pin them down.

Hello :)

Just about noon here.
Got all cat tasks done and washed one load of laundry.
Worrying about little black kitty.
He has not shown up today, his breakfast is left uneaten. :(
Hope he ate lots of mice last night and is sleeping it off somewhere safe.

Only political rhetoric in the mail box today.

Had to wash to stow away my lightweight Summertime robe today, just too cool now in the morning.

Wish all my friends had not moved away or died.
I'm just so lonely.
Oh Well...

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA!!! for your cooler days!
Have fun on your walkabout. ;)
If you would like, I will try to send you a yappy coyote. ;P


This is a good weekend around here to stay home.
The town gets too busy and there is too much traffic on the highway, which runs right through town.
This highway takes you to Las Vegas or Reno and Rachel and area 51, etc...
Also it goes to the place where the Burning Man festival happens/is happening.
Last weekend was our county fair, I didn't go.
Soon there will be the corn maze and pumpkin patch and hay rides out at the farm.
Then the annual lighting of the XMas tree downtown.
There you can ride in a huge wagon drawn by huge draught horses and drink cocoa and eat cookies.
It's all too much excitement!
LOL ;D

Thank you, Tillie. The cat has certainly had a great life and we will keep a special eye on him. He has been adored by thousands.

Coyotes!! I would love to hear a little of the howling. But not a lot!

Overtired. Heading to bed. You are a dear friend to small and large creatures, alike.

We get out of work early tmr then I am meeting a friend for coffee. I'll get a good walk in first. The coffee shop is just over a mile from my office then I'll have another mile, mile and a half back home. Our promised cooler weather is already arriving!

Hi Tatoulia :)

I know how hard these times are.
Always hoping you're making the right decisions, worrying that you're holding on too long, not wanting to move too hastily before it is time.
Yes, I wish that some humans I have loved dearly were given this last kindness.

With Marty I just spent my days & nights seeing that he was happy.
Mixing up special food, holding him because he asked me to.
Two days before it "was time" he sat on me and I fed him minuscule nibbles of cheese.
The last night he laid on my chest as I laid in bed.
Purring and being so affectionate.
You could see at the Vet's office that he was ready to go.
It was the right thing, it was time.

It always hurts to have to say good bye.
We will always hold every one of them in our hearts forever. (((HUG)))

I always wish they would quietly just slip away in their sleep in their own beds.
Only one I ever knew who did that was my Aunt Violet.

YEA! for having an electrician in!
Smart move.
Hope nothing major needs doing.

I am looking forward to squirrelling away Winter supplies.
They will all be new & interesting choices.
Should we be snowed in we will feast!
Some Winters here the temperature has dropped to 35 degrees BELOW zero.
Sometimes there are ice storms and sometimes the snow is up to my hips.

They finally fixed and updated our power lines so the power doesn't go out all the time because that caused broken frozen water lines, lots of damage and deaths.

Wow!!! You did so much today, Tillie!!! Great work on fixing your meals! Those efforts will pay off! Yes I want to see you get your winter supplies. I do not want you trapped with no food.

We picked up Tigger's prescription tonight but I need to speak with the vet first. We still have questions regarding what is right for him. We know we don't have much longer. I assume he'll be gone by Christmas. Our major concern, as it should be, is his quality of life. We need some questions answered re the best course. I know we were given four options (really only three since surgery is not on the table). At time BF spoke with dr they were deciding on options and now we want a little more info to his life/end of life/etc. she will call me tomorrow. Naturally I am very upset as he has been my buddy for many years, at least a year before I started dating BF. I used to visit the kitty on my way home from my parking garage. I know it will be sad but I'm good with it. My last cat was put to sleep st the very same vet's office. That cat I got when I was 17 and my mother will tell you that he was her cat but we all know that's not true. He was merely a tenant in her home.

Naturally I'm sad but honest-to-God it's such a peaceful process that I wouldn't mind being put to sleep someday.

I've taken another step toward my house. We are having an electrician come to see if I have the proper amperage to do my next hair-brained project. He will try to stop by on Monday.

Take care, dear friends. Tillie my cake plate had all the melted buttercream on it. What a hoot!!!

Hi :)

Been busy today...
Watered, did 2 loads of laundry, washed my hair
and cooked stuff.
Had some tomatoes I diced up and stored this Summer in the freezer.
Also had diced onion and some hamburger in there.
I made a nice tomato sauce out of it all and also had some leftover macaroni from the salad I'd made before and some corn kernels.
Combined it all together and it made a real nice dish.
I put some away in the freezer for later and have the other half in the fridge for now.
Also had a very small bit of ground sausage in the freezer so I got that out and made up and cooked 6 tiny little sausage patties that are now back in the freezer for later.
Had a big mess in the kitchen but got everything all cleaned up now.
The bananas are not ripe enough yet for the bread but that will be soon.
Now everything in the freezer that needed to be cooked has been cooked and now is easy, fast and ready to eat.
Soon I will be stocking up on Winter food supplies to have in case getting to the store is too dangerous if there is a snow storm.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Never once have I thought anything you've said was being critical.
And I truly do appreciate any and all suggestions made to try and help me. (((HUG)))
I was only able to get to where I am with the living situation by explaining what's going on here to others, listening to their ideas, trying them and seeing how it worked here.
Dorothy Breininger along with most all the other professionals featured on HOARDERS all gave me great advice and wonderful encouragement to get me to where I am today.
Dorothy is the one who got me addicted to these (((HUGS))).
Have a wonderful new adventure driving Miss Dd and her things up to her new home Saturday then reclaiming the newly cleared space. ;D

Hi Tatoulia :)
So happy you are staying in and working from home!
LOL I was wondering if that butter cream icing was going to stay in place. ;D
WAY TO GO! for having your home drop-in ready for spur of the moment friends!
That's so wonderful you can now enjoy these little big things like that. (((HUGS)))
Wishing you cooler weather by the weekend.

Today I need to water some flowers & the grass.
It has cooled down enough that I no longer have to water every other day now to keep things alive.
Plus I have stopped watering things I plan to eradicate.
This all makes it a lot easier on me & my time.
Once I have rearranged the keepers it will be even easier to manage. :D

Tillie I am keeping cool today. Working from home. I see no reason to go in when it's so hot and I have such an intolerance for heat. Hope you stay cool today, too! We are expecting much improved weather tomorrow. Hope it comes true!

Thank you for your nice post, SubC. I especially liked your image of the library. Very useful!

I will get that book. (On my clutter-free kindle). I do know that there was a confluence of events that has made my life so much easier. I shed my brother, which allowed me to put myself first. I paid for the nutritionist counseling sessions, my friend came from overseas and rearranged my apt, I hired the cleaning crew, I made more decisions on keep or let go. I have been so lucky that these things came at one time. Has really pulled me together. I don't have any more of the "well as soon as this is done, I can tackle that". I'm no longer waiting for something to happen to pull my life together.

I confided something very personal with my friend yesterday and I feel terrible to burden her with it but it felt natural to tell her. She was very, very supportive. And she promised me it wouldn't weigh on her.

Party last night was lovely. Absolutely lovely. The cake was so tender, even though all the buttercream slid off in my way over.

I didn't have my glasses with me as I'd worn my sunglasses over. It was dark dark dark so the fourth (the evening was mom, the birthday girl who is also elderly, and another friend from the "outside"). So the other woman walked me home as I couldn't see very well and as we arrived at my scaffolding surrounded house, I said, do you need to use the restroom? A far cry from praying, please don't walk me home, please don't need the restroom.

Look how far you've brought me. Let's keep going.

Sending you all love, patience, calm.

HELLO ANONY!!!

Hi Tillie,

I would never suggest throwing out stuff behind anyone's back. I was just thinking that maybe since you had claimed the kitchen as your space, you could invoke that to get the grossberg out of the freeezer. But it sounds like keeping control of the chest freezer is better and you can't do both.

You manage your living situation really well. I hope you know that I am never being critical of it. You have so many good ideas for us, I just keep hoping "maybe she hasn't thought of this, and it will help her!"

My body is sore today, but it's muscle sore, which is a good thing. My elbow still hurts, but it is better. It has hurt a little bit for weeks. I had to pick up the recycling bins for school yesterday and get dh some ham, and I was thinking about getting an elbow brace while I was out, but it was hurting so much less, I forgot. So I am extra impressed with your list trick!

I wasn't feeling like I should have made the pasta from scratch. I just thought it was funny. I actually made the ravioli because I really like ravioli and in the store it is always stuffed with cheese I can't eat. It was a gift for myself, so fully appreciated - lol.

Tatoulia, you ar doing a great job with your clothes and accessories. Is the party today? Enjoy your cake! Mine is gone. Dh are 3/4 of it, which is good. I just wanted a little.

I'm glad you got to vent about your brother. Did you know that Dorothy Breininger from Hoarders wrote a book about how clearing out your physical and emotional clutter can help you overcome bad eating habits and lose weight? I stopped at the library yesterday and saw it and checked it out. (I checked out 6 books. I love the library. I love books, and the library makes me bring them back instead of keeping them, and it's free! I try to think of it as "the place I store all the books I don't need to have right now."

I did get both guest beds made, and those rooms feel so much more calm. Dd is coming home Saturday, and we are all driving up to her new apartment with her stuff. I will be free to pack whatever she doesn't take into bins in the basement for her to address later (primarily her childhood stuff) and I will get to reclaim a small worktable she has buried.

Today I have my class and I have not set any other goals. I know there are leftovers for dinner.

Hello :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
Please stay home inside just as much as you can.
Drink plenty of tea, wait for this weather to pass. (((HUG)))
WTG! for finding so many nice professional business woman type things to donate for a good cause. ;D
I am glad you had the chance to talk to your friend. Getting things all said out loud is very cathartic.

That seems to always be the biggest hurdle to overcome, putting things away.
The drawers & closets & cupboards & cabinets already filled to the max.
No more space for the laundry and clean dishes to go.
So much easier when there is just the right amount of things.
Easy to find, easy to get out and easy to put away. :D


Yeah, using the deep freeze for myself works, just don't need that much space.
And it being "MY" territory keeps it from becoming another spooky nightmare. ;P
Went into town this morning.
I wanted some cash from the bank just because I like having cash for little purchases.
The bank will be closed next Monday.
Since Burning Man is happening in the desert near here I decided to go to the store since I was already out and the stores are not crowded with Burning Man participants today.
Needed to get some repotting medium for the rose bush I plan to transplant after it goes to sleep for the Winter.
In the Winter months finding outdoor potting mix is almost impossible.
Got some. :)
Since I was there anyways I got some other things on my list, even though I forgot to bring my list.
Came home and looked at my list and I managed to get everything that I'd written down!
YEA! me! :D

Thanks for the nice newsy posts. SubC you certainly do accomplish a lot in a day, but I know the feeling of how much hasn't been done. I agree with Tillie's prioritizing suggestions. And you must rest your elbow!

Tillie that is so awful regarding the freezer. Just make sure that the current compromise still works for you. If I agree, any hate-brained idea to just have the food outside brings a host of new, and worse, problems.

I talked to a friend today and she asked me about brother. I was so shocked to hear his name. I ended up telling her about things and I felt lighter afterward.

I re-learned how to fold and put away laundry on this very message board. I'd forgotten how to fold and put away. Some of that was a direct result of having too much stuff and not enough places to put things. That is becoming less and less and less of a problem. I felt the same way re emptying the dishwasher. Now I realize it takes no time because I've gotten rid of scads of dishes and Tupperware and what I use now fits nicely in my cabinets.

My upper cabinets need a second pass as does study area's closet.

I went through my costume jewelry again to see if I have anything to donate at work. I had two bracelets and two belts. I've decided that the shirt I wore yesterday is the last time I'll wear it. I've only worn it twice. I washed it last night and I will take to the donations at work. I might be able to pair it with a cute skirt and then someone would have an interview outfit or a work wear outfit. I like the top but I don't see myself wearing it again. And it's super cute so time to let someone else love it.

Tillie we are having dangerously hot weather. I'm probably going to work from home again tomorrow.

Will make the buttercream frosting soon. It shouldn't take more than 30 seconds for the butter to soften!!

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Wonderful!
Yes, set yourself up for success early in the day and limit the amount down to something you know you can do.
My To-Do lists are very small and simple so I am not pushing myself beyond my physical boundaries.
Sometimes things on my list are not done because I know if I do them that day I will pay dearly for it later.
Your weeding is really not a priority, your elbow is sore and you should not stress it.
Cleaning stalls is something you had to do but making up guest beds can wait too.
Using premade pasta was a great shortcut because you had already done so much work to make the cheese yourself.
Remember that you are perfect just as you are and don't have to work yourself to death to prove your value to anyone. ((((HUG))))

About the deep freeze and the fridge freezer...
The deep freeze used to be in the garage, Steven had it stuffed full of all sorts of disgusting things.
Frozen uncleaned fish, deer innards covered in loose deer fur, paint trays & rollers & brushes, etc...
Weekly he would buy the reduced, going bad meats at the store, way to much for him to eat and he put it in the deep freeze and fridge freezer.
Then he moved the deep freezer into the tiny pantry.
I needed some place to store my food items so I started forcing him to reduce the stuff from the deep freeze and allowing him only use of the fridge freezer.
That took over a year.
But now he just keeps buying more old meat every week and keeps it in a mini fridge out in the garage and uses most of it during the week.
He is refusing to use up or toss out the fridge freezer meat any more.
He worries about the world running out of cheap old spooky to eat meats some day.
Number one rule for someone dealing with a hoarder is that you can not just toss their stuff behind their back.
I do not need the whole small upright deep freeze for what I have.
The fridge freezer is plenty big enough for my needs.
I would like to sell that deep freeze but know he would just keep it out in the yard and probably would refill it again.
Other than for hoarding, we do not need that freezer.
All his other stuff I decluttered from inside the house went into bags & boxes and was put out into the carport/garage or his bedroom but frozen meat is different and can't just be bagged up and stuck out there because it would rot and cause too many other problems.
I am stuck.

Hi Tatoulia,

I hope your cakes turn out o be fantastic! How can one go wrong with extra chocolate?

I hope you are feeling less sad. Watching our animal friends age is hard.

Tess, just think, you were able to lean up to the point where you could let workers in in TEN MINUTES! That is really good.

Tillie, do you think Stephen would notice if you cleaned out the freezer? Isn't the kitchen supposed to be your space?

I had a really full day yesterday. dh and I had a long talk about me being tired all the time. He doesn't think it's exhaustion in the physical sense, he thinks it is depression and a lot of it is life overwhelming me. I am working on setting myself up for successes early in the day and limiting tasks/goals (for example - yesterday I went out to pick a melon for lunch. The garden was weedy and the squash had some overgrown ones. I reminded myself that the task was "pick a melon" and I had already done my outside work (stalls) for the day. I did let myself pick the 8 biggest squash since that was pretty quick. Two were still small enough to eat and the chickens got the others. I successfully escaped inside with my melon.

Weeding is an option for this morning, but I don't know, my elbow still hurts pretty badly from stalls yesterday. I think I need to get a brace.

Task creep is a real problem for me. Also, I will set too General a task, like "laundry" (when is that done?) so yesterday I set "wash and dry a load of whites" and "put away laundry" (there were 4 clean loads in baskets) when I was putting the laundry away, I realized there were sheets from the two guest beds - which I usually keep made up. Making two beds with a sore elbow is a big deal, but folding and putting away the sheets when I need to put them on the beds....

I put one basket of sheets in each room, added "make beds" to today's list, and checked off "put away laundry". No creep!

I made ice cream in the ice cream maker yesterday, and homemade ravioli (well, semi homemade) - I used premade pasta. But I bottle fed the grandmother of the goat who gave the milk for the cheese I made to use in the filling, so that balances out, right?;)

Today is mostly about lesson plans.

Hi Tatoulia :)

YEA! for an easy to use clean & organized kitchen to bake in! ;D
I think your cakes will be tasty, I like to use a little more cocoa powder than directed to in some of my recipes.

While you are thinking about a long time ago
make sure to include all the happy memories you can.
Laugh out loud when recalling those funny times.

Tigger is a very lucky baby to be so loved. (((HUGS)))

Tess! WTG! You survived! I am pleased the gas emergency didn't cause any damage and I'm so pleased you lived thru the workers being there. I AM SO SORRY this happened to you. Yes please relax. I know the embarrassment, Tess, I really do. Sometimes I just tell people I'm depressed since there's nothing anyone can say to that.

Tillie, your self-described diddly squat sounds like quite a bit to me!

I just baked mini bundt cakes for the dinner tomorrow. At the last minute I decided to make them marbled so I put some cocoa powder into the batter. I'm may have put in too much because the batter tasted a bit strong. Oh well. Then I overfilled the pans. All around a bumpy start to baking again BUT I could find everything I needed and everything was washed. I feel successful. I kept cleaning as I went so after I pop those poor overweight cakes from their pans, I'll be able to spray down the counters.

Tough day here. Tigger's test results show that he's a really old cat. I'm pretty upset. BF is upset but keeping it light. Meanwhile my second mother called me and time is making us all so old. And I've been thinking about stuff from a long time ago.

So emotionally I'm fragile.

Hey Ya'll ;)

I managed to do diddly squat today.
Pulled out two hand fulls of weeds.
Looked through the freezer and took mental inventory of what's there and thought about future menus.
The freezer is almost empty. That's my plan, use up everything in there by end of Summer.
Watched the latest episode of "Fear The Walking Dead".
Read some articles online.
Got a rag wet with some water and a little laundry detergent and skootched it around on the floor by the litter boxes with my foot.

I would like to use the freezer on the fridge instead of the deep freezer.
But he has the fridge freezer stuffed full of ancient meats he has long since abandoned in there.
The best date on that stuff is something? from June of 2016.
All the rest is much older. :/

Hello Tess :)
I'm so happy the emergency is over with and nothing bad happened. ;D

Hi Friends! Thank GOD I cleaned over the weekend. Today there was a gas emergency and workers had to come in. I was still not pleased, but I survived. I didn't have enough time to panic, which is also a blessing. I took like 10 minutes to speed clean before I let them in. Oh man. I don't think I can do another thing today. I feel like I ran a marathon.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
That little birthday party sounds like it will be very nice. ;D
I'm excited to bake the banana bread too but have to wait on the bananas to get good & ripe first, whenever that will be.


Lazy day today, 11:00am and I am still sitting here in bed.
Need to do cat related tasks but kitchen & laundry are all caught up.
Nothing needs watering today. YEA! :D
Have formulated my plan for clearing out and laying down that weed barrier ground cover cloth in my main flower/herb garden.

Just waiting for the zinnias at the far end to finish flowering before I rip them all out and start over there. ;P

Black Forest cake! So delicious! I'm excited about your upcoming baking, Tillie! And tonight or tmr I'm baking mini bunds cakes for a friend of my mom's. There will be four of us at the friend's birthday. I'll bring take-out and the cakes and the other person ?on the outside' will bring fruit salad and a green salad.

Ok time to shower. I'm already late for work.

YEA! for Tigger being a good boy at the doctor today.
Fingers are crossed all the tests come back good with maybe a little medicine to adjust him better. (((HUG Tigger)))
Happy you are enjoying having a clean fridge. ;D
Having a clean and orderly kitchen helps people keep to a more healthy diet.
A lot less just grabbing a snack when you're hungry.
WTG! for cleaning the kitchen drain. :D

OHHH! Black Forest cake!!! ;P YUMMY!

Thanks for the sugar reducing tip. I definitely will do that.
Yes, the ripe bananas do make the break nice & sweet.
I too get along much better with children than I do with adults.
I believe it's their honesty.
Being overwhelmed does get very tiring. (((HUGS)))
WTG! for tossing the seeds to the chickens.
I had some once, just asked a person growing them to give me a couple of the seeds.

Your husband is very dear, SubC. I like him. Tillie, I'm glad you are making your life more manageable while still keeping it filled with beauty.

Thank you for the nudges on the cabinet?it absolutely is ready to be cleaned. There are things in there that won't fit somewhere else but they are all clean and sorted. There are some things that can go up high. I just haven't done it.

I looked at my fridge and thought it was just so dirty on the inside. There werent more than five things to toss but the shelves were grungy. And I'm so glad they cleaned it today. My whole house is just so clean and lovely. I didn't feel like giving them two big projects. So next time I absolutely will have the cabinet scrubbed. I may actually add a second cabinet to the mix. This was just a matter of deciding the fridge was gross and I'm in it every day and I deserve better. The cabinet has been finished in terms of clearing out and making decisions.

I love these ladies. They work so hard and are so pleasant. Tigger had a bit of a rough time at the vet's and I had to walk outside for a while. I'd rather be hot then listen to the kitty cry. He's fine. They did blood and urine and we will get results tomorrow. He may have a thyroid problem as his gland was swollen (TELL ME ABOUT IT, TIGGER) I was in the same boat eight years ago.

Your story about your husband reminded me of a few years ago when I was upset about something non-work related. And there was a party going on at work and I was getting ready to just leave because I was frustrated with my family's shenanigans. And he said, take off your coat and go back into the party. You know how much the young people like you. So yes, do your best SubC then get the training from your nice to-worker.

Love you all. Garbage and recycling are out. My house is sparkling and with God as my witness, the fridge is just so nice. Oh and there were two baking sodas in there and I've already used one on kitchen drain.

Tatoulia, I am glad you have a clean fridge, but no more putting off the cabinet, ok?

Tillie, depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have, you might even be able to cut the sugar down more - especially with ripe bananas. Maybe just scoop a tablespoon back out of your measuring cup before you add it?

I find I can cut the sugar back on a lot of things, but dh has more of a sweet tooth.

The parents are hardest for me because I like children better than I like adults. It's probably me, not them.

The cake is Black Forest and dh already ate half of it! I'm going to have a slice later.

Also, we had a long talk about me being tired and he said he thinks i'm Not tired, i'm Overwhelmed. I cried. He made me say out loud something that I was not going to do. I picked the online training for the new class information management ap at school. He said "ok. just start using it. Then when it doesn't work, go down to the tech guy and have him walk you through it. You like him."

Then he asked what I wanted to do and I said create order in my environment. So he made dinner (used up the tomatoes) while I did dishes, started laundry, put the rest of last week's lettuce in the compost and tossed the big tub of luffa seeds i've been saving for two years to the chickens. Then I put the packaging from the lettuce in the tub and I will throw it away when I go to the grocery store. Letting go of past mistakes.

When (if) I am ready to plant luffas, I can buy a new pack of seeds.

Now I am making ice cream mix. It has to cool a little before the vanilla goes in.

I feel better.

Hello :)

Hi Subclinical :)
YEA! for the open house going well. :D
Sorry the parents seem to be the hardest part to handle.
Hopefully the children will be smart and anxious to learn.
WTG! for not trying to save all the old donuts and only bringing home what you can use! ;D
OK, what flavor is that cake?


Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA!!! for cleaning ladies! ;D
Do you remember two weeks ago you said you would have them wipe out that cabinet in two weeks?
I saw the weather report that said back East was going to get ugly hot, sorry. :(
Wishing BF's old Kitty boy all the best from his check up. (((HUGS)))


My garden is easier to water now, takes hardly any time at all.
This is because I have quit watering things and areas that I have decided to eliminate.
Will dig them out and smooth over the ground little by little over time. :D
Got my To-Do list all finished.
Had a corned beef brisket in the freezer for about three/four months and figured I would never eat it because it was not yet cooked.
So today I cooked it, sliced it up and put it back into the freezer where it will be all ready for when I am ready to eat it.
At the grocery store I bought dried cranberries, pecans, oranges and bananas.
Soon as those bananas are ripe I plan to make banana/cranberry/pecan bread.
Four loaves worth.
I always mix regular unbleached wheat flour with whole wheat flour 50/50 to get better texture results than from using all whole wheat.
The recipe calls for 2/3 cup of sugar per loaf.
The bread is cut into twelve slices.
So, that's not too much sugar in two slices for breakfast every day.
Right? ;)
-----------------------
Old boxes of baking soda are good for pouring down drains, followed by some vinegar.
Helps keep drains clean & clear and also deodorizes them. ;)

Hello Ladies! Excellent work at the food bank today, SubC! I am proud of you. I'm excited about your new students. That is a lot of newbies all at once.

Tea in bed sounds so comforting, Tillie!

I did not have the cabinet scrubbed down?I decided on the fridge because that has been bothering me. They did a great job on my house. So clean. The fridge looks beautiful. I'll give them the cabinet task in two weeks! They do a wonderful job on my house. I am so happy with them!!! They will do anything for me and I appreciate their hard work. They even clean kitty's box.

I need to get a new box of baking soda for the fridge.

We are taking BF's cat to vet today. He's an old cat but we are just there for a check up.

Tillie we are going to have hazy hot and humid weather this week. I'm baking a birthday cake either tomorrow or Wednesday. I haven't baked in ages! I am looking forward to my class in October on cake decorating!

I am so so so salty from last night's food. Just drinking water and iced tea today to flush out the salt.

Tatoulia, yes, inquiring minds want to know if the cabinet got washed out!

Tillie, i'm Glad your garden changes are pleasing you.

Open house went well. I was really exhausted though. We have 70 new kids this year. I think about 20 of them are in my classes,and their parents require a lot of extra hand holding.

Today I went to the food bank. We got way too many baked goods. I was good though - I brought home only two plastic grocery bags of bread - some of which I will eat, two small jewel boxes of tomatoes that have to be sorted out - about half for me and half for chickens - and a 6" round cake to share with dh. I let them throw the giant stack of boxes of stale donuts into the dumpster. I still have some lettuce and stale bread left from last week.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA! for the cleaning ladies coming today! ;D
What about that cabinet? Will they be wiping it out too?
Happy you and your Mom had fun time.
Chefs like to use salt, hidden salt in all their recipes.
They put some salt into everything.
Maybe that's what's making you feel salty?

This morning is so lovely, quiet and cool. Only 65 degrees right now.
I have the sprinkler on on the grass.
Still not dressed yet, still sitting here in my bed drinking tea.
Have a short list of things To-Do today.
Really should do more but just not up to it. ;P

I'm sorry to hear about your sick headache, Tillie and I hope you are feeling better today.

Great work, Tess! Very satisfying to get rid of things! Keep up the good work.

My cleaners come today. I'm pretty excited.

Our miserably hot weather is making a return this week.

Had a fun time with mom yesterday then BF and I went out for dinner. I feel salty today.

Tess I too hate the heat. I have Graves Disease and I have an extreme intolerance to heat. I am miserable all the time. I don't have a comfortable temperature. I see my new doctor next week.

Ok I'll put the AC on now and take a shower. I'm having my ladies clean the fridge today.

Hi Tess :)

WAY TO GO!!!
A box to donate and two bags for the trash is fantastic! ;D
Happy to hear you are taking care of your spiritual needs and treating yourself to some nice candles and soaps.

I am watering some trees and just made up some three bean salad.
But actually used six different kinds of beans. LOL
It has to marinate until tomorrow before I can have any though.
Been dealing with a stupid sick headache and neck & shoulder aches since before I woke up.
Think it's stress and over doing in the garden.
I'm anxious to start getting my new garden plans in motion.
What I have done so far has eased the amount of work necessary out there and what I've done looks nice and tidy too.
;D

Hi everybody!
Tillie - I'm so glad there won't be any lasting issues from the smoke. Especially since you have it coming at you from two directions.

Tatoulia - I wish I could walk. We have soooo many hills and the summer heat kills me. Now that it's starting to cool down a little, I'll probably start going to the track more.

Subclinical - good luck with open house tonight.

Today has been a busy day. I woke up at 6:30 anxious about cleaning. So, I got started. I started sorting through storage bins I've had piled in my living room. So far, I have gathered one box to donate and 2 more bags of trash. I've been a bit weepy and lost all week, so I decided to go to church this morning. I'm glad I did. I feel like everything was just what I needed today. It also happened to be communion week, which I needed. Now I'm using my bath and body works coupons to pick up some new candles and hand soaps, grabbing lunch, and then I'm going to relax for a while. I'd like to do a few more things today. However if I don't, I feel proud of what I have accomplished. I hope you all have a good one.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi Mar :)
Great to read your update.
So now you are off to a new adventure in your life.
Since you have to leave some things behind, just trust your friends to respect your privacy and not worry.
Wishing you all the best (((HUG)))

Hi Subclinical :)
WAY TO GO! tidying up the room!
Wishing you a GREAT start to the new school year. :D

Hi Tatoulia :)
WAY TO GO! for being footloose and fancy free to enjoy all the pleasures of living in a big bustling city!
Hope Mom gets what she's looking for at the farm stand.
Sounds like a nice way to spend a Sunday.

When my neighbor friends lived here they would plant a vegetable garden.
There was always so much and they let me have whatever I wanted since I would water it when they were away.
I really miss all the tomatoes.
No real plans for today, just water the lilac hedge.
Been getting down into the 50s over night here.
Had to wash and put away my super lightweight Summertime blanket. :(

Good morning dear friends! SO HAPPY to hear from so many of you!!!

TESS fantastic bathroom work!!! MAR you are getting this done and I'm so proud of you and your father. SUBC isn't it amazing how waking up to a cleared area feels so good? I remind myself of that when I'm "too tired" to put dishes in dishwasher or some other tiny task.

TILLIE I hope you are relaxing. I had a lot of posts to read!!! Happiness is when there is a lot of activity here!!

Oh Tess I don't go to the gym. I spend all my exercise in the form of walking. I'm trying to up my walk game and have done so this weekend, including over six miles on Friday.

I've had a good and active weekend! Friday night one of my coworkers was walking over to the St Anthony ?s Feast in the North End and another co-worker and I crashed her evening! We walked through the Greenway where there is currently a display of old neon signs from the Boston area, then we took a ride on the merry-go-round, then down to the feast! Afterward one woman took the subway and the other one and I walked toward my house where she could catch her train. Well she missed her train. We were meandering and all of a sudden she had three minutes to catch it. She ran for it, missed it. and was heading into a mall when I ran into her again, so we went to a hotel lobby and did some people watching for an hour til her next train. What a fun night! Totally impromptu. The woman who was originally going was using the restroom before leaving and the other coworker was passing by my desk when I said, should we ask Susie if we can go with and so we did! It's nice being more relaxed in my life. Doing fun stuff always seemed like a chore back when my life was out of balance.

Yesterday was my day and I just hung out, changed sheets, did two quick laundry loads and then went for a walk.

Oh! I put together several work-appropriate outfits and donated them on Friday. They looked really cute. They are collecting at my office building. I had suits and for the dresses I added blazers. Just stuff that is too big. And one dress too small that I would not be wearing again.

I'll be hopping in shower soon to take mom out. She wants to go to a farm stand to get corn and tomatoes.

Wishing you all a wonderful day!!!

Hi mar,

You don't have to keep up. Just jump in anywhere. I'm glad to hear that you got out of your space, but sorry you are having to take some of your frustrations with you.

About your father and the moving. Hoarders see things with "different eyes" than non hoarders, and it can be shocking to discover that other people - even people who love us - are unable to distinguish between our important belongings and trash. One of the steps to recovery is learning to treat the things that are important to you as important, which helps signal their place in your life to others.

I hope you were able to make your decisions and got some sleep.

Tess, amazing work on the bathroom! I hope you get your hot bath soon.

I'm finishing up my class displays this morning because I took a break to tidy up the addition last night - it was driving dh nuts. It was much nicer to come down to a clean space this morning. I guess I have gotten used to it and I actually see the mess.

All my energy is going to the open house today.

Tillie, i'm Glad the smoke is easing up.

Hello Everyone :)

Hi Tess :)
WAY TO GO! for all the work you did! :D
Hope you get the plumbing fixed before too much longer.
Just think how good a nice warm bath would feel on your sore muscles after working out. ;)
The wildfire smoke won't have any lasting effects on the area.
It has been getting in my house. Inside it has been bad at times but not near as bad as it was outside.
But the last few days the smoke hasn't been bad here, YEA!.

Hi Subclinical :)
WAY TO GO! for getting the paperwork ready! :D
I can just picture you with an evil grin as you mentally zap away. LOL

Did some cat laundry today.
Watered some stuff too.
Didn't clean or straighten anything, just sorta did some beading and cat stuff and had a generally laid back day. :D

Subclinical - good luck tomorrow! My teacher friends are always so stressed around this time of the year. Understandably! I don't envy you guys.

The bathroom is almost done. Tomorrow I need to wash the rugs and curtains and mop the floor. I'm really happy with the work I did today. It looks so much better now. I'm throwing away 4 big garbage bags of stuff. I also replaced my towels and wash cloths, garbage can, and bought a little storage cabinet. I'm so pleased. I'll finish up tomorrow and start on the living room. For the rest of the night, I don't plan to do anything except relax.

I hope you're all enjoying your Saturday night.

Hi Tess!

Good luck in your bathroom!

School starts Sept 4th, but hopefully tomorrow morning I can get my room basically thrown together, because tomorrow afternoon is our back to school open house and i'll be in it talking to students and parents and handing out paperwork.

I finally finished all of that (except the printing and copying that I have to do at school tomorrow) so I feel a lot lighter. Now I just need to get together the activities and displays I want to set up. I'm lucky because most of my classes have enough kids signed up already that I don't have to pitch them.

I'll have the week between open house and classes to take more stuff back to the building and rearrange.

Tillie, you just made dealing with my coworker a little easier. Instead of fake smiling at her, I can imagine zapping her with the no bark collar thingy and generate a real smile.

Ok, back to work.

Hi friends!

Tillie, I'm glad to hear you are safe from the fires. Is there any concern about the smoke having any lasting effects on the area? I hope it's not getting inside the buildings.

Subclinical - you are absolutely right...that is over 10% of my goal. Putting it that way makes me feel better. Thank you for that. When does school start?

Tatoulia - do you feel like cleaning is helping you to lose weight? I sometimes feel guilty for going to the gym because I should be using that energy cleaning. Maybe I'll try putting a little extra pep in my step while cleaning. Maybe then it will feel equal.

Today I'd doing some deep cleaning/decluttering/organizing in the bathroom. I'm being really brutal about pitching stuff. If I'm not currently using it or saving it for something special, it's gone. I never got the plumbing work I was panicking about in my bathroom last year. I'm actually going to request it within the next couple months. I want to be able to take baths again as part of my self care routine. So, I'm going to have to hustle to get to a point where I am comfortable having people here. Also, I'm planning to have company September 16. I'm very nervous. I haven't invited anyone over in 7 years!!!! But this is a good thing. A very good thing.

Oh Subclinical (((HUGS)))
That's all so much for one person to try to manage by herself.
Please take a shower, eat some proper meals and try to get enough sleep.
I really hope the goat medicine works and that will no longer be a concern for you.
Try to just turn a blind eye to the garden weeds. Water the plants and harvest the veggies. The weeds will keep until you get time for them.
You are only one person, you can only do just so much in a day.
Seems that right now school takes priority over the house until things are more settled into a regular routine there.

So sorry about that little yappy B&*#$ dog coworker being back in your life.
Sounds like she could use one of those electric zapping bark collars.

Is there anything "extra" in your life that you could eliminate?
Maybe set some priorities and eliminate things that are less important?

Take care of yourself, ((((HUG))))

Oh! I hope Anony is not gone!

I'm afraid porter might be gone, but he is happy and doesn't need us anymore....

I bet the cars are glad you went shopping!

New coworker is definitely the same. It's not so much her fault as who she is. She's like an overly friendly little dog who demands all your time and attention and rewards you with her constant Barkey companionship and "protects" you by destroying any of your belongings that look dangerous to her - and can't understand why you're upset when she does. I was so glad when she moved away. Then I was shocked to see her at the staff meeting, and she interpreted my expression as surprise and came running over, laughing, to give me a big hug and the good news that she was back. And I realized that I have never forgiven her for something she did to my daughter years ago, through a complete lack of understanding, that was actually a life changing trauma and I wasn't even able to make her understand that I was upset or that the child was upset, let alone why. And now, here she is, ready to be my best friend again. Lucky me. I was nice to her. (It's just not her fault that she's a stupid Barkey dog)

And then I watched her start to make friends with my new work friend who didn't know her before, and I wanted to say "don't". But I couldn't.

Eventually my new work friend will notice that I don't like this woman (the woman never will) and I will tell her my story then. And she will understand.

Giant whine follows

My classroom isn't set up yet because the building is still disrupted. There is a big snag with the new kiln. Being the recycling coordinator (new role for me) is far more frustrating and paperwork intensive than I could possibly have imagined. There is a new online system for record keeping and parent communication that I have to learn and start using in the next ten days, Dh is working too much. I ate badly yesterday and instantly regained the same two pounds I keep struggling to lose. My house is in a state of disarray that is making me sad, I have medication for my goats that is going to take over an hour to administer every morning the next three days and may not work, my garden is being overtaken by weeds, both of my elbows hurt from rsi, my stalls are dirty,the last two boxes of food bank veggies from Monday need to go in the compost, I haven't exercised or showered in two days, and I absolutely have to spend today doing my paperwork.

Ok. Back to our regularly scheduled adulting. One step at a time - step one, coffee.