Tillie,

I don't know when you will see this, but I am so very sorry.

I wish some of us were there to hold your hand through this.

Know you are in our hearts.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Subclinical :)
WTG! getting things off the floor and opening up space! :D
So glad your Mom was there to help and share in the excitement of the completion of this project.
Been a long time but your dolls are on the shelf! :D

Hi CriticalMass :)
WAY TO GO! getting to those receipts!
Hope you get the time to visit storage during good weather.
I know once you get there and open the door all procrastination will vanish.
You'll get things moved out of the way and get started putting books on the shelves.
You CAN do this! (((hug)))

Doing more laundry today.
Plan to do a little, very little, straightening outside.
Still have some Summer stuff to put away or just tidy up.
Need to get used to the colder weather and also need to quit wearing summertime dresses daily.
But mentally/emotionally I am not ready yet to start wearing jeans & shoes.

CM,
Slay those reciepts!
go and sing!

I am imagining you putting all your books on shelves - it will be so nice! I am loving my new doll shelf (my mom kept saying "your grandmother would love this", which was happy-sad.) and having more room to move and sort in my basement. We bought all the boxes of photos and scrapbooks and old "schoolwork" (my kids were homeschooled, so schoolwork was often very creative and individual, not worksheets) up to Dd2s empty closet so I can hopefully work on them this winter, and opened up enough space for six bins to go on the rack instead of the floor.

Tillie i'm Glad you had a productive day. And also that you got rest yesterday.

Tatoulia, how did the dr go for your mom?

Drive by - at the library

Tatoulia, still pulling for you for things work out with your mom and brother situations. You're doing all the right things.

Repairs at the house happened some yesterday, were supposed to happen today but didn't, and beyond that I don't know. Tomorrow was supposed to be the day for maintenance on my new van, but maybe that will get pushed back if he can do the plumbing.

Every day is a surprise! :D

I did do some more receipts - the bag of crumpled ones is getting fuller! It goes pretty quickly.

This week's nice weather says "Go work in the storage unit!" and I hope repairs don't put the kibosh on that. I'll admit, too, that I'm a little nervous. I remember when the big thing was moving from a storage unit far away to this one nearby - and I know recently I looked and it wasn't as scary as I'd feared - yet, I feel a tug to procrastinate.

I'm going to kick my butt (gently) and do it anyway. The nervousness is partly because working over there has been delayed so much that I don't know how bad it'll be, and because it got cluttery again - but it's not a Hoard of Horror either. I can do this!

Getting the books neatly on shelves is my #1 goal, since that is the thing that would've been so cool to have been able to do when I moved to this closer unit, but it would've taken too much time. I just had to get the stuff moved. The result was a logjam of books that actually block access to . . . empty bookshelves! Oh, the irony. So I just must shuffle till the empty shelves become accessible, and then it should be downhill, smooth sailing, etc.

Need TUNES. Either my tablet with MP3s or I can just sing as I sort! LOL! The old storage unit was in a long line of them so I was alone a lot and I could sing (or, on occasion, cuss - like when a stack toppled) with no close proximity to other people. This location is slightly less private, but I may not let that bother me. ABBA songs are great for this sort of thing - I am the "Decluttering Queen"! LOLOLOLOL!!!

Hello :)

Been busy this morning!
Got a lot of things done and it's just now 1:00pm.
Ate lunch and am taking a break.
:)

Hi Tatoulia :)
I'm glad she sees her Dr. tomorrow.
And I'm happy she spoke with you about this. :)
Open communication solves so many concerns & worries.

So many times I have heard that we can/will lose our sense of smell just because we get older, goes along with losing our sense of taste, hearing and eye sight, you know, the usual pleasure and joys of growing older. ;D lol

YEA! for a NEW kitty blanket!
How wonderful to be snuggled in a blanket by the fire.

WTG! for cooking, dishes, laundry & trash out!

It is wonderful to see all the wildlife out here.
I live in the flight path of migratory birds of all sorts of species.
Yesterday I swear there were over 100 Canadian Snow Geese swarming the area!
So loud with all of them honking & squeaking and flitting around.
Scooter was so scared and yet fascinated by it all.

Today I have pretty much done a whole lot of nothing.
But that's OK.
I needed the rest. ;)

Mom called me tonight. She said she has dr tomorrow and she needs to shower. I was able to ask her if she's afraid she'll panic because I don't mind coming over and playing with the cat. She said she was fine. She was worried it was a diaper smell but I said no, you just need to shower. And that I understood how tired she is. So hopefully she'll shower tonight.

Thank you for helping me with all of this.

I cleaned up kitchen after cooking and I also changed my sheets, ran a few loads of laundry and I am running dishwasher now. Recycling and trash are out. I walked up to see BF for a minute or two.

Kitty has her new blanket (not the one to match my home, this is one I got at work). We had some contest and I think I was the only one who chose the company/branded cat blanket. (They advertised it as s blanket. ?Cat' was implied). I've been saving it and she's all snuggled into it. I had the fire on earlier with the heat so you can bet she was cozy.

Tillie I didn't mention the antelopes or the buffalo or the cows. My goodness I would love to live like that. How absolutely wonderful (and in the case of the large buffalo, scary).

Thanks for the support on sibling. I feel terrible for him. He believes it. And I feel terrible.

Hi Tatoulia :)
I figured you had to "pussy-foot" around the subject.
But with you silently observing her behavior I'm sure you might be able to figure out the problem.
(((HUG)))

So happy you have been able to divorce yourself from your brother and his abuse.
The insanity is tragic and sad but he could be better if he would listen to his doctors and take his meds.
Nothing you can do about that.

I guess the grates will be the last part of this project after they finish up all the hard dirty work.
Soon, soon it will all be over with and everything will look so pretty. ;)


Done a little of this & that today.
Washed my hair. ;D
Will do lots of laundry the rest of the week when it's warmer, but not today.
Also need to get the hoses out in the sunshine so they warm up and are not too stiff to roll up to put away.
No rain in the future predictions, just cold and a little less cold.

Tillie that is very insightful. I'll have to keep an eye out and maybe next time she's says she's going to shower, I can offer to go over and sit there. I know she has an easy access shower with a chair and appropriate handrails, etc. but the panic attacks may be weighing heavily on her. I can't bring it up because she was deeply offended when I mentioned the stench (no I didn't say stench).

I stopped by today because when I cooked my lunch I made a separate dish for her for dinner. Just raviolis and sauce. I made hers separately because I use artichoke hearts in my sauce and I'm not sure if artichokes conflict with her meds. I picked up my blanket. I didn't notice if she'd showered and I wasn't close enough to know.

My brother stopped by to see her this AM and said he needs plane fare to go to CA to pick up a settlement of $11 million. He's so crazy. He believes that Hollywood has been persecuting him (and based on some of the crappy TV shows on, I do feel his pain) and that they are finally going to pay him for ruining his view, stalking him, etc. it's so terrible. And it made me so happy that he isn't around to threaten me until I give him the $$. My mother has absolutely no $. None. So there's no fear there. I pay for everything for her but her phone. She pays for that most of the time.

One of the first things BF said when the final incident happened was: what does he want now? And I was puzzled, and he said, last time it was a TV stand and before that a leather couch and before that.,.. all of which I bought for him, by the way. I anyway, I told him it was the Hollywood thing and that I wasn't taking him seriously, wouldn't find him a lawyer, wouldn't go to the FBI, etc. am so so so so so glad that I'm not having him threaten me for plane fare. I'm emotionally separated from him as well as physically separated.

I do wish the contractors would finish putting the grates in my windows. I'm okay for now since the windows are part of my alarm system, but I really want them back on.

Ok thank you for shoring me up.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Subclinical :)

YEA!!! WHOOPIE!!!
So happy your doll collection is all unpacked and nicely displayed!
HAPPY DANCE! :D

WAY TO GO! Mom for continuing the clearing too!

YEA! for also finding some things new homes and getting recycling together.
Your home is coming along beautifully. ;D

Hi Tatoulia :)
About Mom...
My first thought is maybe she is concerned/worried about that little hospital scare she recently had and is afraid of having another panic attack.
Panic attacks are so terrifying that they paralyze people at times.
See if there is anything about the bathing situation/ritual that concerns her.
Like being in the enclosed space or being discovered totally disrobed.
Maybe she just needs someone sitting nearby to help reassure her while she showers?
If she is still not washing or maybe neglecting other areas I would have her checked out by her doctor to rule out any kind of low grade infections, like perhaps a urinary tract infection.
Those things happen frequently and sneakily and have a way of making the person lax in their hygiene.
(((HUGS)))

Extremely cold morning but it is expected to warm up a little later this week.
Planning to stay inside all I can today.
Plenty of things I can do in here and not all of them chores or cat related tasks. ;D

GREAT JOB CM on the receipts! They get ahead of me too! And end up in bags or envelopes and other places. I find putting music on makes a big difference! Thank you for the thoughtful insights into mom and mental illness. You gave me some thoughts I can draw upon to stay strong.

WOW SubC! Your mom is so great! Look at her, helping and supporting and bring a great mom! And look at you! All. Ready with the shelving and finding things you can let go of! Hard work!

Tillie! I am slowly winterizing my bed, so to speak. I have a layer I need to add now but it's at mom's and needs to be washed. I'd brought a blanket to her when I had her comforter and duvet to wash. By bringing her a blanket, I didn't have to wash and return on the same day. Now I'm going to need to add my blanket to the rotation. I just add layers as the winter goes on!

Difficult time with mom yesterday. I took her out for a ride and groceries and she had terrible BO and I couldn't breathe. She hadn't showered or washed her hair at least since Wednesday, maybe longer. And she had wet her hair for some odd reason. She was a terrible mess. I made a hair appt for her on the 24th and I'm going to see if she continues to bathe infrequently, then I'll have to talk to her about getting someone in. This isn't like her and honestly it was terrible. I had to take a shower when I got home since I felt stinky by association. If need be, I'll have the hairdresser down the street wash and dry her hair once a week. And hope that she starts bathing again.

Popping in.

Mom brought me a box of books, a bookend, and four puppets.

We finished putting up the doll shelf and the dolls look great on it! So glad to have them unpacked! (There is one set of small china dolls still packed that go on a display shelf I haven't found a safe place for yet)

I have 5 empty bins!

Mom was so excited by the cleared space that she pushed me to keep working on the basement and almost half the floor is cleared on that side. I found three dolls and an art set that I am passing on to my nieces - mom will take them at thanksgiving - and two pretty boxes that are now mom's.

Many things just got cleaned up, but we also have a large recycling box and a small trash bag.

Dh and Dad put up the trim around my kitchen window and it looks really nice!

Today we are going into the city to do some shopping for dad, and then tomorrow they will go home.

CM, don't give up. I hope your fix it guy is back soon. Good luck with your receipts.

And Tillie, I hope you feel better today.

Tatoulia, i'm Sorry you had such a hard conversation with your mom. The therapist sounds like a good idea.

First frost expected here Wednesday night. Stay warm!

Hi CriticalMass :)

WAY TO GO!!! tackling those receipts! :D
Hope it is going well getting rid of the unnecessary ones.

So sorry for that frustrating situation with the plumbing.

It's not just guys that don't get the connections.
Many women do that too.
It's not that they all don't understand, it's just that they do not care about others, inconveniencing them or making them worry.
They only care about themselves and what they want.

Your weather is a lot like mine in that most rain/snow is dumped closer to the mountain range and skirts around this area. ;)



Started feeling sickly again this afternoon so I took a long nap on the couch with a nice kitty.
Then Scooter jumped on me and woke us up so rudely.
Kinda chilly & windy today, getting cold now that the suns gone down.
Put another blanket on the bed, soon I'll need to get out all the Winter bedding.

Tillie, I think it must be an evil coyote. They kill cats and bunnies so we might as well blame them.

Tatoulia sorry about your mom and brother situation. I have a friend whose mentally ill sister was staying with their mother and being abusive, and it took a long time and much drama but they finally got the sister out. Even after that, though, she still pulled stunts like manipulative suicide threats over the phone. I was there for one of those and it was very triggering for me and I'm not gonna go into why it was, but I told them to call her bluff and call 911 but they wouldn't. I had to go outdoors and walk up and down the street and pray and cry, and I had to set some boundaries with my friend about the whole thing.

So I'll be praying for you all for some help and that she'll be able to be calmer about it and open to some real solutions. I think it's particularly difficult for elderly people after a lifetime of not being able to confront mental health situations in their loved ones, since the resources weren't always available and the stigma of others knowing was so strong - and it's just damn hard anyway, and older people don't have the energy. Sending you hugs and good thoughts.

The nasty weather came in but as for snow, that's sticking in Western KS as it often does, since they're closer to Colorado. By the time weather systems get to central and southeast KS, they often have mellowed if they formed elsewhere. And NE KS, along I70 from about Salina to KC usually gets more precipitation.

That being said, it's grey out, windy, rainy, and temp dropping here. Good day to stay indoors. I slept/was lazy till about 11:00. Trying to decide what to do. I started to work on a bunch of receipts and my bank statements yesterday, which will be satisfying to get to throw away the receipts. It's the remnants of one system of financial tracking that I got behind on and I don't want to just toss the receipts in the bag without "going through" them.

I know, that's a "hoarder thing." But if I kick butt and maybe listen to some music and feel motivated, I can get it done and then I've already got an idea for how to get myself to throw out receipts on an up-to-date basis in future, keeping only the ones for things with warranties or that I might decide to return, which would fit in one little envelope or something. Getting those bags and stacks of receipts into the trash would feel good. :)

And it's brainless enough for a brain that feels pretty mushy still. The extra rest helped a little but it's been a stressy week. Yesterday was supposed to be the resolution to it, but it wasn't. Our repair guy said he was coming and then he poofed again. And another friend of mine, unbeknownst at first, had contact with him after he poofed on me and my roommate. We are starting to compare notes.

It's a very frustrating situation. There are many positives about this guy. But the poofing has been a problem. And we don't want to say he is lying, and we don't want to be gossips based on speculation, but we aren't quite sure he is always being definitive about what's going on either. We don't want to make hasty judgments and say things that can't be taken back; we don't want to have to pay what some ripoff mechanics and handyman services charge and this guy does quality work for less. So we are trying to discern and tread carefully, whilst brainstorming how to resolve the difficulties. Information gathering is one thing we can do.

One thing that's for certain is the "Y chromosome communication problem": Guys don't see how everything is connected (like okay, if you get here when you say and get the repair done, then I can go to my appointment, etc.), and they don't think it's necessary, if they get sidetracked by an emergency, to send a quick text to simply say so. We XX chromosome homo sapiens, on the other hand, are planners and see the interrelations between things; we feel socially conditioned to consider the impact of our actions or delays on others who depend on us, and to inform them of any pertinent delays, etc. We even are willing on many occasions to detail the cause of the delay and in so doing, pick up some empathy from the other party, though this is not always prudent or necessary.

Sigh.

TL;DR: Long story short, he didn't come yesterday and the work didn't get done and he hasn't contacted us to explain, apologize, promise, or anything regarding when it may get done. So we still don't have a kitchen sink or washing machine we can use.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Nothing much I have to do today.
Sitting here thinking about what I would enjoy doing.
Looked through my sample ballot for the voting November 6th.
It is the fattest sample ballot ever. So many things to vote on.
The one thing that I find very strange is that we have to vote on whether or not we should continue to tax sanitary napkins and tampons. ?
Says the tax revenue is necessary to fund education, police, fire and many other essential services.
Argument against taxing them is they are medically necessary items like oxygen, medications, dialysis and other life saving devices. LOL ;P

Hope you are all having a wonderful day and are able to enjoy the absurdity in life. ;D

Hi Tatoulia :)

No way!
We have antelope here and they are the most beautifully graceful creatures.
They would never pee in shoes.

One day we were driving on a dirt road through the desert and a herd of antelope started running along right beside the car.
They were evidently trying to run away from the car but instead just kept running along beside it.

Another time driving along a dirt road we passed a herd of cattle and all the baby cows started chasing us down the road while their mothers just watched.

Then there was the time the road was blocked by a herd of buffalo.
They very slowly started moving out of the road all except the biggest most scary looking buffalo that stood nose to nose with my little blue VW bug and just glared at us for a small eternity.

There have also been incidents with the Mustang (wild horses) on the roads too.

Anyways, maybe it was a coyote that peed on Steven's shoes? ;)

I'm glad you advised your Mom to talk to a therapist and not you.
This subject is a topic both of you need to work through separately. (((HUG)))

What language do the workers speak? :)

Got the grass mowed and watered and the hoses detached from the faucets.
Going to get down in the 20s tonight.
Depending on how cold tomorrow is I might make cookies since it warms the house nicely and smells good too.

Oh that poor bad dog! I bet it's not a dog at all. Sounds like an antelope!
Snow! How I'd love to see snow! It was cool and rainy this AM and by 3:00 was a gorgeous fall day. I took freshly baked banana bread to mom and then to BF. I did a little walking but no where near what I would've liked to have done. I got a few loads of laundry done too. At mom's I fixed her duvet and comforter. I'll get together with her tomorrow. I told her today about friend coming and she was so pleased. She was surprised that I've known for two months and hadn't said a word. My mother can't keep a secret, so I said, well I'm good at keeping secrets, I take after me. And we howled.

Last night mom and I got into an argument. She wanted to talk about sibling and I couldn't do it, and she said she has no one to talk to so I told her to ask her doctors for a therapist. And she fought me a bit so I gave her about ten minutes of what it was like for me with sibling and it all went downhill. I know she is only half supporting me on my decision to never see him again but half is good enough for me! It ended okay but we were both upset. Today all was fine.

I'm tired. My windows still aren't perfectly fixed but I've decided not to nag the guy anymore. He said he'd do it, the scaffolding is still up, and so I need to stop being so anxious. He doesn't know I'm anxious and so I'll leave this be for a few more days. The workers don't speak English and I don't speak their language. They are wonderful workers and the house looks lovely.

I had errands to run today but only made it to the pharmacy. I enjoyed my day. And I slept well last night.

CM I am proud of you for taking this all in stride. I bet a bit of decluttering will make you feel good. Although I've done my dishes, I think I'll do a spot of work myself. Music helps me.

Hi CriticalMass :)

Yes, here too! The weather has been so unpredictable.
Like you, it will probably get warm again here off & on with cold days in between.
Enjoy your snow. I love the way it makes everything look so fresh and clean. ;)
Try to at least get out a few warmer items of clothing today.

YEA! for the plumbing work almost completed. :D
Even those tiny little decluttering projects produce a good feeling of accomplishment.
Plus they are quick to finish so no long term decluttering sessions involved.


For the last week Steven has been putting his shoes just inside the back door right next to the litter box.
This morning I discovered that that "bad dog" peed on them sometime during the night.
Had to have been that "bad dog" because the puddle was so large that no cat could have possibly done that. hehehe ;P

What a week it's been, feels like two! Repairs still ongoing, crossing my fingers and toes they might get wrapped up today. Our guy had an emergency Thursday so we lost a day.

SubC, bet you're happy that wall is done.

Tillie, we are supposed to get SNOW tomorrow morning! I don't want it! I would gladly send it to you to pile on the carport roof. Actually it probably won't amount to a whole lot this early in the year, but it's just the idea of snow. This year's been so off kilter I'm having a time perceiving the normal flow of time and seasons. It's disorienting.

Since I feel like a wimp about the wintry forecast for tomorrow, I'm going to go to Mass tonight before it hits and then just snooze tomorrow morning! If all goes well with the repairs today, by tomorrow we should have a working kitchen sink faucet and the washer drain problem resolved. Roommate will get first dibs on the washer since she has to do laundry for the workweek. But I can start gathering up mine.

So basically we're just in a holding pattern at the moment. I'm going to need to tackle the logjam that prevents good access to my cooler weather clothes, apparently. We went from above average temps to I'm guessing below average within a couple weeks' time. And it'll probably flip flop several more times before true winter settles in (bleah).

My brain is kind of mush, too - trying to decide whether to attempt anything ambitious today or just tread water till the repairs are done. It's been a tiring time on the one hand, and rest could be good; on the other hand, a few little spurts of decluttering could give a morale boost.

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Tatoulia :)
How wonderful that you will be spending this Winter in a clean and lovely warm and welcoming home.
(((hug)))
Hope they fix your window soon. Maybe you could nag them to get on it.
Keep taking photos as you continue to decorate. :D

Hi Subclinical :)
Wishing you a happy visit with your parents this weekend. :D

Need to wash dishes today since I couldn't yesterday while I was outside watering and other stuff.
Last night asked Steven to please mow the grass today so that I can water it one last time.
Need to detach the hose today since it will be down into the 20s over night.
The weather has been so unpredictable lately.

Tillie I'm so glad you still have flowers in bloom! And my black cat thanks you for making Jack a bed

Busy day at work yet good. I'm still waiting for the construction guys to fix one more thing on my windows. I'm trying not to stress too much.

My house looks so pretty. I took photos today and my overseas friend is so happy with the progress. As am I.

Good Morning :)

Today I will water the flower bed, trees and lilacs.
Have to detach the hose from the faucet tomorrow because they have issued a freeze warning.
Well watered plants survive freezes better than plants needing water.
The chrysanthemums are all that is blooming now.

Good Morning Everybody :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
I'm very glad the plumbing is being fixed.
Better now than if/when something fails and it becomes a soggy wet emergency fix in the middle of the night.
How are the fur babies holding up?
Your girl kitty is still in my prayers.
Thanks for the well wishes and "mind force" ;D

Hi Subclinical :)
YEA!!! WAY TO GO!!!
Your wall is finished! :D
That will be so nice to have your dolls on display and a bonus almost empty closet too.
You will also have the area where the dolls are being stored right now free and clear.
Things are coming together very nicely there. ;D

Hi Tatoulia :)
YEA! for windows that can open!
Happy you will have your flu shot. So nice your company gives you fruit too to help you all make healthy snack choices at work.
We are all so proud and happy for you...
inviting in drop in friends, thinking of hosting the Christmas dinner (((HUGS)))
You give us all hope and encouragement ((HUGS)))
About your XMas decorations...
Sorry you have lost some but you can get some new ones.
Be very selective, quality over quantity and always keep in mind that less is more.
If not the XMas dinner at least host a small holiday get together with some plates of yummies and fancy beverages to bless your "new" home.


Have managed to rehydrate myself pretty well and the pain has stopped. yea
I bought a large package (100) of puppy pee pads at the thrift shop for a dollar a few years ago and use them whenever I can.
But Scooter (the destroyer of worlds) always shreds them when I try using them around litter boxes. >:(
The carport roof is still just hanging down out there but Winter may bring lots of heavy wet snow (evil grin).
Never did get any of the promised rain these last few days here so guess I will water one last time this week then winterize the hoses & faucet.

Gave Steven the cover for the cooler and asked him to please winterize it.
He is angry that I want the car serviced before Winter sets in.
He always gets angry when asked to do his share of tasks around here.
He just wants to spend all his time with his hoard, shuffling it around and adding to it, never doing any kind of home maintenance.
He leaves that all up to me to do and I can't do it. :P

Anyways, Today I will slowly get back to doing what I still can do. ;)

Windows fixed!

SubC! Congratulations on your progress! And to think you'll be gaining closet space! That is fantastic!

Well I'm going to try to be not super late for work today but not on time, either. (As my mother would say, why give them hope?)
Have a great day! Oh construction owner told me the crew will fix my windows. I hope it's soon.

Tillie, I hope you are much better today!

Tatoulia, it is so wonderful that you have your cleaners now. I love thinking about you in a sparkly fresh home. And how nice that you can have drop in guests!

I am enjoying imagining you hosting Christmas with beautiful china.

I hope the windows get fixed fast!

CM, I too wish we could see the quilt! I am impressed that us is finished though.

I hope your home comes together smoothly and without too much more expense. Try to keep focusing on how nice it will be when it is done.

The wall is finished! It looks good. Dh even said so.

I don't know if I will do anything else before mom comes or not. It's pretty messy down there. I just realized though - the shelf is modular, and all the pieces are in a closet in the basement, so when I am done, I will also have a mostly empty closet!

WTG on the quilt, CM. That has been a labor of love! Would love to see a picture of it. And yes, you are doing a great job of weathering the various challenges right now.

Tillie, my dear, I'm sorry about your sad anniversary and your terrible pain. Sending you peace and love from afar. I am so very sorry.

I met my friend for dinner and invited her in to see my apartment. Just like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Tillie sometimes the bad dog pees outside the box here too. I've taken to using cat pads under the box. Expensive bit sometimes my mom gives me some of her disposable medical pads and those really hold the -ahem-dog pee.

The woman I had dinner with tonight was one of two that I meet up with frequently. In the past they've offered to walk me home and I would become mortified, thinking, what if one of them needs to use the restroom. Now it is all clean.

Hi guys :)

Just wanted to say "HI".

Been deathly ill since last evening.
Nothing new to me, just those gynecological cysts that have tortured me for decades.

Of course, last night that "bad dog" came by and peed on the outside of the litter box. :(
But by 3:00pm today I was well enough to clean that up.

This is a very bad anniversary today too but I hadn't even noticed the date until just a little while ago.
Figures...

Last night the power went out about quarter to nine and didn't come back on until about eleven thirty.
A whopping 36 homes were without power. lol
Worst part is we can not flush the toilet without electricity to power the well's water pump.
But we managed to survive somehow.

Happy Wednesday. The sun is out here, and it's breezy and this week is definitely fall like in temperatures.

Hurricane Michael sounds like a potentially scary storm, and either way it'll probably make many areas' weather unpredictable. I hope people stay safe. I have relatives who moved to Florida on account of their 9-year-old son's need to be close to his cancer specialists.

SubC glad energy is returning - pace yourself, of course! It sounds like fun to go through the dolls. I got out the Fashionista Barbies I've bought and put each doll back in her original outfit; I'd been swapping the clothes around but I want to make an "official" photo record of all.

I got my quilt finished completely! The binding that I got done Saturday night was the biggest goal, but yesterday at the church I turned it to the back side and fixed a few little places where stitches were missing. That happens.

Tatoulia, I don't know whether I deserve the compliment about my alleged calm regarding all our plumbing - I may just be too tired to fuss! My poor roommate is the one stuck with the bills. She is more or less in a state of shock. Last night I took us in my van to pick out a new sink, which the guys installed (and a new faucet to go with it) today.

Tomorrow they return for work in the laundry room, which will fix a chronic problem that restricts the size of load we can wash at once.
It will all be so nice, that's what we just have to keep telling ourselves. Life will run more smoothly, and the expense will slowly get behind.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas. I find your progress a continuing inspiration. If I ever win the lottery, I would have a cleaning staff, and a secretarial staff, a maintenance and garden staff, and even some bunny/kitty nannies! LOL! Just think of the jobs I would be creating.

Tillie - maybe the hurricane will stir wind and weather patterns everywhere and you'll get your wish on the carport and garage. Maybe we can all concentrate and do some good old science fiction moving things with our minds - "Use the force, Luke!" Anyway, keep the hope alive, we're rooting for you.

Oh my ladies are a whirlwind. I had three cleaners show up today and in 45 minutes we were clean and ready to call it a day! Such a luxury. One of those luxuries that become a necessity. I've asked for two people for two hours to come the Monday before friend arrives. Will have my bedroom deep-cleaned and have them wipe my fridge.

I pay by the hour but really I just pay to have them do the work. There is supposed to be two people for 1-1/2 hours but honestly I just want it cleaned. I know the day I Kaur's down they finished in no time and today since there were three it was quick. Today I left my new shower curtain liner out and I assume they put it up. I haven't checked yet.

Ok. Tillie although I don't want the building to fall down, that would be so nice to have more sunshine! SubC I like to picture you and your mom enjoying the dolls. You are doing great work and hurray for feeling like your self again!

Tillie we are having a flu clinic at work and I'll have my shot then. It's a nice little service and it is automatically billed to insurance so I pay nothing. They set up a conference room and have a nurse or two on site for half a day. They do it in several of our offices across the country. Nice feature. I like working for a big company because the benefits are fantastic. Like our once a month fruit delivery.

The cleaners liked my new pillows and they loved the fireplace. So that was kind of fun.

Ladies, I never would have imagined myself getting to this spot. You all got me here.

I am thinking of having Christmas Eve here. I think we can get mom up the stairs one final time. I'll use her wedding China, which is always so pretty. I never did get my Christmas stuff back from brother. Every time I tried to get it, he'd only let me take a small quantity. But I'm good with it. I have to be because I don't have a choice. I haven't hosted Christmas in a few years and if I do it this year, I won't have to clean first and I won't have to stuff my bedroom with hoarded items. I'll see what BF wants to do.

Ok I'm obsessing on my windows. They have been painted shut by the workers and I actually would've opened them today since the workers aren't here. The owner is stopping by tomorrow and I hope he will take care of the windows for me. I need to stop obsessing. It's pribabky been like this for weeks but I just learned about it today.

Pa I'm impressed with everyone's effort and progress and CM's ability to stay calm! Sorry so short I'm on a deadline of sorts.

Quick drive by. Cleaners come today! Then I have theatre tonight. But first dinner with a girlfriend. Generally there are three of us at dinner, then we pick up my BF and we all go together. Tonight one of the women is flying in and with her flight and luggage, she will go straight to BFs, have a cup of tea, leave the luggage with him and then we will all meet and go to the theatre. We have subscription seats and we don't sit together. I finally after a few years was able to get BF and I seats together. The other ladies sit in different parts of the theatre. We are all scattered.

Hi Subclinical :)

That would be so wonderful to finally get the dolls up and displayed! :D
That would be so nice for you and your Mom to unpack them together and reminisce about them.
That would make a whole new sweet memory associated with the dolls.


Very happy that you are feeling so much better.
Next time, if the symptoms start coming back you will know to start the supplements sooner. (((HUG)))

HI Tillie,

Did a little pottery. Had a good and productive day - forgot to drop the recycling though, it is still in my car. Still good choices.

My energy level is back to "not enough hours in the day."

My Mom is the other adult in my family who loves the dolls (two of my brother's girls do too) so that is part of the push to get the wall done. I'd like to have the shelf up when she gets here. Or, more likely, set it up with her while she's visiting. Some of the dolls belonged to my grandmother, and others she bought for me.

I don't know what else we will do.

Good Afternoon :)

Hi CriticalMass :)
SO sorry about all the plumbing problems.
Hoping it won't take too long or too much money to get fixed.
Did you get to do the things you had wanted to do today?
Or at least most of them?

Good luck with decluttering under sinks and other spaces.
But when this whole plumbing crisis is over with you all will be in a much better place, cleaning & tidying wise.

Make sure both kitties have a safe hiding place away from any intruders.
Mine get under the dresser. From the front and sides it goes all the way down to the ground but in back there is access to under the bottom drawer.
So, I can never have that dresser pushed all the way back to the wall or they would totally freak out.


Hi Subclinical :)
WTG! working on the wall!
Hope you did some pottery today. :D
Nope, you hadn't mentioned your parents will be visiting.
Is there anything special planned for you all to do?

Got the laundry all caught up, dry, folded and put away.
The winds are starting to pick up, I'm expecting some more carport action. LOL
If the other side were to cave in it would cut off access to the garage.
And it would allow some sunlight to get on the south side of the house and back porch.
That would be lovely. :)
Fixed myself some of my favorite veggie tacos, yum.
Will have more over the next few days too.

Oh my CM, so many water issues!

It's great that you can look at the disruption as an opportunity though, and I hope all of your plumbing is sound quickly! At least the pipe broke when the plumber was there and not when you were, say, pouring a pot of boiling water down the sink...

May all your rain go to Tillie.

Tillie, I would trade the burn pile for low humidity (but not Wildfires!) - nothing is ever perfect.

I sanded and primed the wall. I swear the people who put the wall up originally just gave it one coat of primer and left.

Made up the bed for Mom and Dad (did I tell you they are coming to visit me this weekend? Part of my motivation to actually finish this wall!)

Not going to worry about dishes or straightening up for now. I want to get some pottery done before I go to work.

Hi...

Just sitting here trying to prepare for a day for which I have very little data on how it will unfold, yet must be ready to deal with certain things if/when they do happen.

It started yesterday, when our jack of all trades guy had said he was going to come get my van to flush the transmission and change the filter in it, and do an oil change.

He did that big plumbing job and replacing the sink etc. last week. There has been a little leak under the bathroom sink, something probably needs tightening or plumber's tape. So he took a look at that, and went under the house in the crawlspace to check the big pipes too.

There was some reason he was tracing where a pipe went and then he came back up and went to the kitchen and looked under the sink. That's when the real fun began. Basically the plumbing under the kitchen sink is a train wreck. One drain pipe below the sink we use (it's a double sink but we haven't been able to use the other side) was rusted so badly that when he barely touched it, it crumbled.

There are other issues that are long overdue and we will be addressing them. Also some in the laundry room. It will all be very nice when it's finished, but my poor roommate has just been blindsided by all the expenses.

And there's the continuing disruption of having to move things and live in limbo until the work is done and we can regroup and put stuff back. And keep trying to help the cats with their stress reduction program when we could use a stress reduction program ourselves!

I do hope for both of us that the forced upheaval will yield some decluttering - having to pull out all the forgotten bottles of cleaning supplies and old sponges that should've had a decent burial years ago is a good shakeup in my opinion.

Tillie, I wish the same would happen for Steven with the carport situation. My friend Larry who passed away in March was a hoarder and had a similar way of acknowledging there were problems but still not being able to truly address them. We who struggle with hoarding are all on a continuum, so I don't exempt myself from this observation.

It's been rainy here in the midst of all this upheaval. Today is supposed to be the last rain day but the radar shows rain over the entire state. The ground is saturated and I hope we don't get street flooding.

I wanted to go to quilting this morning but don't know if the plumbing work is to commence this morning or later. I may just buzz down to the church and then if he calls buzz back. My holy hour is this afternoon so I have to go then at the very least. The church is located in an area that is prone to street flooding.

Should be a fun day!

Good Morning Everyone :)

Hi Subclinical :)
Wishing you strength to keep your resolve to make better choices.
Be kind to yourself. ;)
I envy your burn pile! :D

Doing laundry today and some food prep.
It might rain tomorrow & Thursday.
By next week I should know when to winterize what.
The Ash trees are all bright yellow and a good wind would probably strip all the leaves off them.
The lilac bushes are just now slowly starting to turn color.

The weather really swings where you are Tillie!

We are still having bouts of summer weather in the 80's, but the overnight lows are getting into the 60's now. It is supposed to break this weekend. The bunny will be happy.

I don't need to water anything. I thought of you on Sunday when I lit the open burn pile and walked away while the flames were still 6-8" tall. In my soaking wet boots....

I'm sure I will get to see the baby soon. The mommy doesn't need to deal with a box of stale bread right now. I will take a better gift.

Gearing up to make better choices today....

Been following the extended weather forecast.
It has been getting pretty cold over night, 30s & 40s, but warms up nicely, some days 70 degrees, most days at least in the 60s.

We have had some nice rain and might get some more later this week.

What I am trying to figure out is when I need to detach the hoses, drain them and put them away before we get a deep freeze.
Then wrap insulation around the outside faucet to try to keep it from freezing this Winter.

But, if we don't get any or much rain...
I will need to water the trees and lilac bushes again before they are asleep for Winter.

Also, I need to get Steven to drain and cover the evaporative cooler and turn off it's water supply.

And since the windows are old rattily single pane that allow the wind to blow through, I need to cover them with plastic.
But that is always so depressing to have them covered I don't want to do that a minute too soon.

I guess I should get out my coat too sometime soon.
Used to be we would always have snow for Halloween but the weather has not been acting as usual and that's why I just don't know when to winterize things. ;P

WAY TO GO!!!
Subclinical :D

I would still deliver some duck bread so that would give me the excuse to see the baby.
But that's just me ;)

Glad you got this food all sorted out.
You have so much already to do.
Please remember your new rules for what you will bring home and turn a blind eye/don't look at what goes into the dumpster.
(((hug)))

Hi Tatoulia :)
Thanks :D
As a surgical assistant for oral maxillofacial surgery I know how our dental/oral health is very important to our overall health.
Neglected oral hygiene causes a of other problems.

Great! that you had an enjoyable evening out!

Do you make up menus before shopping?
Has the nutritionist given you good suggestions for meal planning?
I make a lot of "Mexican" dishes because that's what I grew up eating and it's what I like best.

WTG! for doing some organizing!
Organizing can be very rewarding when things look nice & tidy all put away. ;)

RE the carport...
I think it will never be dealt with, taken care of.
He will just get used to it being like that.
That is how he deals with everything else around here that's falling down in shambles. :(

Hi Tillie! I am glad you gave fresh veggies and that the dentist went well!

Hi Tatoulia!

I struggled through it.

I cleaned out the fridge. The chickens have such a pile of food!

I left the milk in the garage and I poured out a jug every time I took a trip to the compost or chickens. Kitty got some too because he is a smart kitty and won't overindulge. (It was not smelly gross sour, just well past date, "yeah, that's off" sour.)

All the jugs are ready to go to recycling.

All the food is in a fridge or freezer except 4 spaghetti squashes. We don't even like spaghetti squashes that much. I think I will take them to school tomorrow and leave them on the table by the office where I have picked up several free items other people left this month.

The eggplant and peppers need to be used ASAP. I want to make babaganoush, but it is hot today and I don't have the energy left.

There were things I wanted to do today that I did not do because I was managing all this food. I need to write myself a reminder note. No more food in plastic containers unless it is something I love and will eat for lunch. Every box is going to cost me about an hour. (Unless it is a box of bread and I have no bread stored and some of it is bread I will eat.)

The downstairs fridge is pretty bad, but I can't deal with it right now. I did get the scullery back to where it was this morning (I hoped to make progress today) the chest freezer is packed full, so no more frozen food for my until the chickens eat more bread. But it is more efficient if it is full.

The kitchen looks pretty good.

....

Dh called, and he is going to stop for a chicken breast or a pork chop, and I will cut up sone of these peppers so we can have fajitas for dinner. But I still should not have done this.

I brought home a cake. It is yummy. A cake, the milk, and one or two loaves of bread would have been plenty. If I had driven out to the compost, dumped the milk, and then come in and washed the jugs, it would have been fast. I never remember to drive to the compost.

I was going to take some of the bread to a friend for her ducks, but when I got home, there was a picture of her with her new baby (born this morning) in my messages.

Great work, Tillie! You are so good for keeping up with your dental appointments.

I'm gathering my garbage right now to take out. Took the recycling out earlier. I was going to drive to grocery store when BF said he was going so we went together. I stocked up on a lot for mom and for me. Expensive but I was able to get quite a bit.

I'm also doing some organizing here. I've let some things go all weekend. For example, I didn't wash or change my sheets til this AM. I was a bit lazy on stuff but I was also very tired this weekend.

We enjoyed Hamilton immensely. I can't remember if I checked in this AM. We had a wonderful evening and stopped for dinner at one of our favorite spots last night. Then we sat in the lobby of the hotel (where the restaurant is) and we enjoyed an espresso. Lovely night.

Tillie that is something re the carport. I guess only a matter of time. I hope he'll come back to the feeling of the futility of some of the things.

SubC what does the fridge look like? We are here to help!!!

Hi Subclinical :)

GO! GO! GO!!!
One step at a time!
Did you clean out the fridge yet?
Pour that sour milk out where the earthworms are.
Sort out those veggies and get them all lined up as to what ones you'll use first, second, third for dinners.
WAY TO GO! for allowing the other stuff at the food bank be tossed in the dumpster!
I have an upright freezer I could give you to store all that extra bread in. ;D

Once you get this stuff all sorted out and stowed away, remember how it all was just too much overwhelm.
Next time think about your own sanity and nerves. ((((HUGS))))

The dentist appointment was easy, just a cleaning and she found nothing spooky.
Got my toothbrush and tiny things of dental floss and toothpaste.
Then I went grocery shopping.
The dental appt. was at 11:00am and then shopping, I was home just a little after 1:00pm.
Just had a peanut butter & raspberry jam sandwich.
Have filled the two veggie bins with fresh produce. YEA!

I'm here! What is your first step? I would start with pouring out the sour milk. What's your idea?!

If you are doing fridge, how about the vegetable bin?

Epic fail at the food bank today.

I brought home two boxes of bread (I still have bread left from last week)

And a huge shopping bag of veggies.

And gallons of milk. The milk is sour and they were going to put it in the dumpster and I brought it home to pour out and rinse the jugs and recycle them.

So much plastic.

I did let plastic bags of whole fruit and plastic containers of chopped veggies and fruit go in the dumpster.

Now I need to deal with all of this stuff and I feel overwhelmed and frozen.

I think step one is to clean out my kitchen refrigerator.

Anybody around to encourage me one step at a time?